Recipe: Vegetable and Black Bean Enchiladas

Originally a Mexican entree, enchiladas are tortillas (flour or corn) that are rolled around a filling and covered with a spicy sauce. They can be filled with any combination of ingredients. Obviously, vegetables are most desired.

Below is one dish that gets repeated over and over and over again without anyone getting sick of it. I started making this before I became vegan and it was very easy to switch out the cows cheese for vegan cheese since the base of this recipe was vegan. It’s even better now!

Apologies, I ate them too quickly to provide a picture of the end product.

Vegetable and Black Bean Enchiladas

Ingredients:

1 green pepper, chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, minced
1 serrano pepper, minced1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
15 oz. can black beans (or 1.5 cups made from scratch)
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3/4 cup brown rice (before cooking measurement)
3 tablespoon medium picante sauce, plus some extra to cover the burritos
6-8 whole grain flour tortillas
1 cup cheese style shreds (I prefer Daiya)
4 green onions (for garnish)

Directions:

1. In a large skillet sauté the green pepper, jalapeno, serrano, onion in the oil until all are tender. Towards the end add the garlic, so you do not burn it but still sauté it a bit.

2. Next add the beans, tomatoes, cumin, chili powder and red pepper flakes until heated through.

3. Add the rice to the mixture and add the picante sauce on top as to help separate the rice to mix thoroughly. Heat the mixture thoroughly.

4. Spray either two glass square 8x8 pans or one glass 13x9 pan with olive oil or other non-stick spray. Divide the mixture in order to evenly place the mixture into the flour tortillas. Fold the sides over one another.

5. Spoon some salsa over the tops of the folded tortilla. Spread it out to cover the tops completely so as not to dry out the tortillas when cooking. Sprinkle the cheese style shreds over the tops of the completed tortillas and place under the boiler until the cheese is bubbly. Sprinkle with chopped green onion. (You could, before sprinkling with cheese, cover and cook for about 20 minutes until all heated through, I usually skip this step because I am hungry and the vegetables are already cooked).

6. Enjoy!

Breakfast for Irene!!

It was gloomy and windy as we woke up this morning. Everyone had battened down the hatches and is waiting out the big hurricane! Luckily we didn’t get hit with much more than some wind and rain. Everything in Boston seems to be safe and sound. The streets are quiet save for the large rustle of the leaves. Everyone must have decided it was a good Sunday to stay in and relax at home.

I did the same. Figured it was a good day to eat a comfort breakfast and watch the trees waive in the wind. Hashbrowns, sausage and tomatoes seemed like the perfect breakfast for this rainy day. And super easy make as well.

All you have to do is pop a frozen hashbrown in the toaster. Market Basket carries a fairly healthy brand in store and they are easy to keep in the freezer for days like today. For the sausage, Field Roast, it’s simply the best. This morning the choice was Mexican Chipotle, mmmm mmmm good. They have a bit of a kick to them, if you like spicy sausage. Since I had some leftover red and green tomatoes from the CSA that were getting really ripe, I put them in a frying pan and fried them up!! Easy and delicious!

Recipe: Sushi!!

Sushi is a Japanese dish that is made with cooked rice and another ingredient (you choose!). There are many different kinds of sushi, including the most popular types, nigirizushi and makizushi, commonly known as nigiri and maki.

Nigiri is an oblong piece of sushi rice about two inches long with a food item draped over the top. Maki is sushi rice and an item wrapped in nori (sometimes other things) and cut into small rounds.

Luckily, it is really easy to find vegetable sushi - most commonly tofu, avocado and cucumber - in resturants. Even luckier, it is extremely easy to make it yourself!!

I like to make maki as it is visually appealing to me. And, that is reason enough for me!

There are a few ingredients you need before you start. A bamboo sushi mat is a good purchase. Your local asian store should have them and they are not typically expensive. I got mine at Reliable Market in Somerville (near trusty Market Basket) for under $3.00. You will also need Nori, an edible seaweed. This can be found in various forms, so chose one that is about 6 inches by 6 inches. I like to chose one that is made in Japan or the United States.

Next is your rice and other ingredient. I am lucky enough to have access to a rice maker. I have only ever used one brand of rice maker, Zojirushi (it looks like we have the Neuro Fuzzy), but it is amazing and cooks perfect rice every time! I use about a half cup of cooked rice for each nori sheet. Also place a bowl of water close to you.

Process.

1. Cover your bamboo mat with clear wrap so that it stays relatively clean. It's a lot easier to pull off the clear wrap instead of scrubbing the mat. Place it so that the mat can be rolled away from you.


2. Lay the nori sheet on the mat.


3. Place about a half cup of rice into the middle of the nori sheet and start spreading it around. Leave about an inch of the nori sheet at the end farthest away from you without rice on it, but otherwise make sure that the rice covers the whole sheet end to end evenly. Wet your hands prior to picking up the rice so it sticks less to your fingers.


4. About an inch from the edge closest to you, place your ingredient(s) on top of the rice.


5. Take the sushi mat, end closest to you, and lift it up with the nori sheet and rice and place it over the ingredient. Tightly roll the shush away form you. When it is completely rolled and within the mat, use the mat to squeeze the sushi so it does not unroll when you are cutting it.

6. On a cutting board, cut the sushi into six to eight pieces. It is easiest to start in the middle and work out. Before making each cut, wet your knife so that the rice doesn't stick.

Now that you have maki pieces, eat them! I like to fill a little bowl with soy sauce for dipping too!

Floor them with a Vegan Quiche!

How does a quiche become vegan you ask? Many associate a quiche with eggs and/or milk. Well, the word quiche is from the German Kuchen, meaning cake. It was altered in German and then eventually shifted in French to the word we know today. So, a quiche is a cake and it's vegan when it's made without all the unwanted ingredients.

I was flipping through Veganomicon a few months back and stumbled upon a recipe called Asparagus Quiche with Tomatoes and Tarragon and decided to give it a shot. Warning, it takes an extremely long time to complete, for me anyway, but it is well worth it!

This is the perfect dish to make when you are going to a dinner party or luncheon. It's a great savory, well rounded dish with beans, asparagus and walnuts (so, if you have a nut allergy this may not be for you). If you don't tell the person eating it is vegan they will never know! I like to tell everyone after the dish has been devoured (whatever the dish may be).

You have to make two different recipes for this, both the quiche filling and the pie crust. You will also have to chill the crust for 20 minutes, then bake it . You also have to chill the filling for 45 minutes prior to putting it into the baked crust and then baking it all as a whole. So make sure that you give yourself enough time. The rest of the preparation isn't terribly time consuming, the typical time it takes to chop, saute and then blend the ingredients.

I would suggest adding an extra layer of tomatoes in the middle if you are a tomato fan. The first time that I made it I didn't think that the tomatoes on top were enough, so when I made it this weekend, I added a thick layer in the middle. Just pour in half into the crust, add a nice thick layer of tomatoes and then the rest of the filling. Then just decorate as suggested in the book!!

A Red Thai Curry Themed Meal

I had heard good things about Appetite For Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, so I figured I would give the cookbook a try. I have Veganomicon and like it, but heard this book had less time consuming and less calorific recipes.

The very first thing that we decided to make was the Red Thai Tofu. We chose the Bhutanese Pineapple Rice to accompany the dish. I mainly chose those two because there is a big beautiful picture of it looking extremely yummy in the middle of the cookbook. I was glad that I did.

We usually plan out our menu for the week in advance so we can get everything we need at the store. We had a really hard time finding Bhutanese red rice. We could not find it at Market Basket (my preferred shopping location because of unbeatable prices). We figured the next best place might be Little India right next to the grocer (I am aware that Bhutan is not India, but they are extremely close geographically so I figured it was worth a shot!) and they didn't have it either! Neither did Whole Foods. So, we just chose a red rice at Whole Foods. From my google searches, I understand that Bhutanese rise is a kind of rice all its own , but my delicate taste-buds would not have known the difference seeing as I have never had the real thing. I will, however, keep my eyes open for it in the future. I want to know what I was missing!

Red Thai Curry Paste was an easy find at Market Basket, as were the rest of the items. I would chose a red pepper next time instead of green, just for ascetic appeal (I for one have never tasted a difference between the different colored bell peppers, should I?) We used the cilantro from the CSA and the basil from our out-of-control rooftop planter.

All in all, its definitely a keeper recipe. It made me glad that I purchased the book, even if this is the only recipe I ever like from it (which I doubt), it was enough!

Pressing Tofu

While I do not eat a large amount of tofu, I feel as though I waste a lot of paper towels when I am pressing it. I could use dish towels, but since I live in the city and don’t have a washer or dryer in my apartment, it’s not a great choice either.

After an amazing person noticed my troubles, I got a press as a gift!! Now, it’s not your regular tofu press, but a pickle press. I have not had a chance to brush up on Japanese, but I hear that this is the language written on the front of the box. I haven’t used a tofu press, but I would image that this works just as good and it’s a bit cheaper than the “real thing.”

Just place the tofu in the middle of the press, screw down as much as desired to get the water out and voila pressed tofu. Well, I actually tilt it on its side so that the liquid collects for easy disposal, but it’s just as easy!

We haven't made any pickles with the glut of cucumbers we have gotten this season from our roof, but if we do, I certainly know how to press them!!

Who wants to eat beets anyway?

Turns out that I do. Who knew!! Especially if they are used in the Beets and Greens with Bulgur and Miso Tahini Sauce recipe that can be found in Susann Geiskopf-Hadler's and Mindy Toomay's The Vegan Gourmet! (Expanded 2nd Edition).

My best friend (who, might I add, is amazing and always supports me) bought me this as a birthday gift and gave it to me when we were out one night for a drink. This was the first recipe that we tried out from this book.

As you know, we get a organic CSA every week from Bay End Farm. We recently got beets. I had just about zero idea of what to do with beets. I slightly recall them as a child, but they clearly were not a favorite if I don't really recall ever eating them. In fact, I assumed that I didn't like them.

While cooking, we left out the beet greens. The beets had been siting in the fridge for a while and while the body of the vegetable was still good, the greens were not looking their best. If I made it again, I would probably put the beet greens in the compost, they didn't look terribly appetizing even when they were fresh.

The bulgur with green onions was great. We only made half of the main recipe, but still used the same amount of greens called for in the recipe. I would suggest doing the same if you love the onion-y taste.

Although, the one part that made the whole thing amazing was the tahini and miso sauce. Wow. That will be used in the future!

While beets will not jump to the head of the line in the favorites department, I can totally see myself eating them again. Especially if prepared this way. Overall, great dish. If you have beets, this is the way to make them delicious!