Meatless Main Dish - Black Bean and Vegetable Enchiladas

My wedding day is exactly one week away (that's right we're getting married on a MONDAY – July 27 to be precise - which marks the exact day of our first date two years ago), and as the event rapidly approaches, I find it harder and harder to do ANYTHING during the day that isn't related to wedding planning. Each morning I wake up with good intentions – plans to get caught up, or maybe even get ahead on my Fall line, or maybe just to spend the day in the kitchen tinkering with some new recipes, but inevitably the wedding takes precedence and by the end of the day I realize that all that has been accomplished is a lengthening of my to-do list for the following day. So, its a good thing that last week I had the foresight to be making dinners ahead of time (to be frozen and used in the hectic upcoming days) - otherwise we'd be living off of take-out (or worse, fast food) because truthfully, it has just been too hectic here to get any cooking in.

So, last night I pulled out these black bean and vegetable enchiladas (an easy family favorite) for dinner, and while it took me little effort to prepare, it was an incredibly satisfying meal after a long day of running errands.

Black Bean and Vegetable Enchiladas
(Makes approx. 12 Enchiladas)

1- 15.5 oz. can black beans
(I prefer Goya Organic Canned Black Beans)
**Jon prefers me to use Vegetarian re-fried beans to the Black Beans, but I personally find the consistency to be too mushy when I make that substitution and so I tend to use the black beans more frequently in this dish.
1- 15 oz. can kernel corn
1- 4.5 oz. can chopped green chilies
1-2 fresh jalapenos, chopped (Optional)
1 green (or red/yellow) bell pepper, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
2- 12 oz. cans enchilada sauce (I prefer to use Old El Paso brand- Hot)
12 corn tortillas (You can also use flour, but they tend to be larger so count on having less finished enchiladas if you decide to substitute.)

First off, when using canned vegetables I always rinse the contents thoroughly before using them in my recipe. In this case, dump the beans into a small wire strainer and rinse with cold water until clean. Let the water drain and then place the beans in a small mixing bowl. Add the corn (rinsed in the same fashion), chiles, jalapenos, bell pepper, and onion. Mix together and this will be the filling for the enchiladas.

Next, cover the bottom of the baking dish(es) with a small amount of enchilada sauce (to prevent sticking). Depending on the size of your baking dish(es) this could range from a quarter can to three quarters can of enchilada sauce. I tend to make two trays of 6 using one can of sauce (in total) per tray.

Now it is time to make the enchiladas and place them neatly in the baking dish. I tend to warm up the corn tortillas (20 seconds in the microwave or in the bottom of a heated fry pan) before using them to prevent them from ripping apart as they are rolled and placed into the baking dish. Then, place a small amount of cheese into each tortillas, fill with 1/12 of the bean filling, and roll up placing the “seam” along the bottom of the baking dish. Repeat this until all the filling has been used. Cover the enchilada rolls with the enchilada sauce and the remaining cheddar cheese and then bake for approx. 30 minutes at 350 degrees (or until the cheese is melted and slightly browned and the edges of the enchiladas look “crispy”).

**Note, if you want to ensure that the peppers and onions get soft, you can saute them in a little olive oil before mixing it in with the filling.

Serve the enchiladas over brown rice with sour cream and salsa. Enjoy.Per serving (2 enchiladas): 938 calories, 53 g fiber, 45 g protein, high in vitamins A and C and high in calcium and iron.

One Pot Wonders - Our Favorite Gumbo

It is a strange thing, to be trapped by a cage you’ve built around yourself. You set out with all these dreams and ambitions and along the way each decision seems like it is the best one to get you to where you want to be, but then all of a sudden you wake up one day and you are suddenly leading a life you never intended to…and there is no easy way out. I admit that is exactly how I felt when I met Jon for the first time two years ago. He was the perfect breath of fresh air; a much needed revelation. Somehow his mere proximity to me served as the perfect balance to the dissonance I was experiencing in my life and I just let myself become completely absorbed in “us” and never looked back.

Since then we’ve barely spent a day apart. We moved in together immediately (literally, within weeks of meeting). We share one car, so every day he drives me to work in the morning before starting his work day, and picks me up on his way home. Then... there is living in such close quarters (sharing a single room in various apartments with various roommates - with various disgusting behaviors) for the past two years, which has certainly put our relationship to the test, and there have been more than a few moments when we’ve agreed that if we can survive this we can survive anything.

But, no matter how badly our day may go, we always come together at dinner time. Somehow when we sit together on the couch watching Everybody Loves Raymond reruns and start to laugh, we can talk casually about everything and nothing…just seeking comfort in the sound of the other persons’ voice. The tensions of the day ease and we remember why we love each other.

Here I want to share some of our all-time favorite recipes; those soul stirring, mouth watering recipes that give a little extra spice to our life. This particular recipe is one of those great soups to make from a leftover roast chicken the night before. After the roast chicken dinner we usually divide the remnants into three leftover containers – leftover de-boned meat, leftover fat and gravy, and left over stuffing/vegetables. This will make it convenient to pull out specific components of the leftover chicken at various points in the following gumbo recipe. There are many variations to this recipe, and any trio of meat (e.g., bacon, steak, chicken or shrimp, salmon, sausage and so on) or vegetables (e.g., corn, peppers, celery or squash, zucchini, onion and so on) can be used in exchange of the meats/vegetables suggested here. Whatever the choice(s), the final product will be so full of flavor it is bound to leave everyone wanting more.

Spicy Sausage-Chicken-Shrimp Gumbo
(Serves approximately 8-10 depending on appetites)Soup Base

1 cup leftover chicken fat (We’ve also used leftover bacon fat for a smokier flavor to the finished soup if chicken is not on hand; or butter can be used if no other fat base is available, but butter will not caramelize as well and must be cooked over a low heat for a longer period of time than indicated in the first steps of this recipe).
1 cup flour (I like to use un-bleached all-purpose flour, but whole-wheat flour will also work.)
4-6 cups chicken stock (Adjust to preference, less water will result in a thicker broth and more, a thinner broth. We often us Better than Bouillon Chicken Base to make the stock when we don’t have any homemade on hand)

Vegetable Trinity
1 large red pepper, chopped and deseeded
2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped (we remove most the seeds, but leave the white pulp, which is the main source of heat in the pepper)
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
1 cup finely chopped celery

Meat Trinity
3/4 pound sausage, cut into one-inch pieces (generally this is leftover as well. We’ve used andouille, sweet or spicy Italian and some others for equally yummy results – We also remove the casings before slicing which is a personal preference and not necessary for delicious results.)
3/4 pound leftover chicken, both light and dark meat, coarsely chopped
1/2 pound shrimp, de-shelled, deveined and cooked

Spices
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt and Pepper to Taste

**NOTE** I use the same pot to cook all the components (shrimp, sausage if none leftover etc.), leaving the flavor to build up in the oil in the bottom of the soup stock.

First, you want to create the roux (a fat and flour combination that is used as a thickening base of most soups). To do this, heat the fat over a medium heat in the bottom of a large soup pot and add the flour. Stirring continuously, continue to heat the flour/fat mixture until it turns the color of peanut butter, which takes approximately 15 minutes. If the roux starts to get too thick or sticky to stir (and to prevent it from burning on the bottom of the soup pot) add a few tablespoons of the chicken broth until it loosens up.

Once the roux has caramelized add about 1 cup of the broth, the vegetable trinity (in this case the onions, peppers and celery), garlic, chili powder, and cayenne. Stir until well mixed and then slowly add the remaining broth, then the sausage and leftover chicken, stirring continuously. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cook for at least two hours. The lengthy cooking time allows for the flavors to develop and be very robust in the finished gumbo.

Just before serving, stir in the cooked shrimp and fresh basil leaves. You want the shrimp to be warmed through, but you don’t want them to get stringy (or the broth to get too fishy) so we put them in at the end. Cook for 10 minutes more and then serve over cooked white or brown rice and topped with sour cream to dull the heat. Enjoy!

Per Serving:
450 Calories
24 g Protein
High in Vitamins A & C