Black Bean Enchiladas

I've had these on the brain for a while and finally got around to making them.  I made it a couple of times during my hiatus from the blog and based it on a recipe somewhere on the Interwebs that I veganized by using vegan cheese.  Follow Your Heart brand cheeses don't melt as easily in the oven as Daiya (which I don't think tastes as good), but I got a good result this time by covering the baking dish in foil for the first twenty minutes and then removing the foil for the remaining 10 minutes in the oven.  Easy and yummy - it was two-thirds gone before the dishes were washed!

Black Bean Enchiladas:
2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup thawed frozen green bell peppers
3/4 cup thawed frozen onions
1.5 cups thawed frozen corn (can also used canned)
2 chipotle peppers with sauce
1 16 oz can of black beans, drained
6 10-inch tortillas
1 16 oz can enchilada sauce (or a package of La Frontera sauce)
1 10 oz package of Follow Your Heart Vegan Monterey Jack

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat.  Add bell peppers and onions and cook until softened, about 3-5 minutes.  Add corn and chipotles and cook another 3 minutes.  Add black beans and cook until beans have heated through and liquid from vegetables has reduced by at least half, another 5-7 minutes.

(Here's what the filling looked like:)

Grease a 10" x 13" baking dish.  Set one of the tortillas on a plate or cutting board.  Spoon 1/6 of the black beans mixture (approx. 1/3 cup) along the left third of the tortilla, then roll the tortilla and place seam side down in the baking dish.  Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling.  Pour enchilada sauce evenly over the top of the enchiladas, then grate vegan Monterey Jack over the sauce.

Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes, then remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and serve (or let it cool for a few minutes; up to you).

Success!

Stuffed Sweet Dumpling Goldie Squash

I was going to state in the title what the squash was stuffed with, but then it would have been too long. 

I'd had these two squash, which were similar to acorn or kabocha squash, in the kitchen almost since the day in late October that Whole Foods Market opened here in Columbia.  I'd had the idea to stuff it with a mushroom and quinoa pilaf for weeks, and tonight (inspired by last night's fridge cleaning extravaganza?) I finally did it.  Easy and delicious!

Btw, the quinoa was twice what I needed, but no worries - if I decide to make some kind of veggie thing tomorrow, I won't have to wait half an hour for any brown rice to cook up!

Sweet Dumpling Goldie Squash Stuffed with Mushroom Quinoa Pilaf:
2 sweet dumpling goldie squash (can also use acorn, kabocha or a very small pumpkin)
2 cups water
1 cup quinoa
2 tbsp Earth Balance
8 oz. package baby bella mushrooms, diced
salt, pepper and ground sage to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut the hats off the squash and scoop out the seeds; do not cut in half.  Place squash cut-side down on a baking sheet lined with foil.  Bake for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook quinoa according to package instructions.  (If you got it from the bulk aisle: 2 cups water, 1 cup quinoa, 15 minutes with a tight-fitting lid.)  Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat Earth Balance in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat.  Add mushrooms and seasoning, stir well and cook for 5 minutes.  Stir cooked quinoa and mushrooms until thoroughly blended. 

Remove squash from oven, turn right-side up and fill cavity with mushroom-quinoa pilaf, pressing down with spoon in order to fit more.  Heap the filling on top and put back in the 400 degree oven for another 15 minutes.  Serve immediately.

Tuesday Night Clean-Out-the-Fridge Spectacular

So we had entire bag of spinach that was barely hanging on, plus some carrots and celery that had been in the fridge for well over a week.  Once Steve opened a package of tofu for one bowl of soup and then put back almost the entire block, I realized it was time to get rid of...I mean, transform a few things.  Soup seemed like too obvious a choice, and since there was tofu to use up, I figured I'd make some sort of casserole with a vegan cheese sauce.  Here's the approximate recipe:

Random white bean veggie pasta bake:
2 tbsp canola oil
1.5 cups celery, sliced
1.5 cups carrots, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup broccoli, chopped
1 cup cauliflower, chopped
10 oz. bag spinach, rinsed and chopped
1 15 oz. can of cannellini beans, drained
1 lb. tricolor rotini, uncooked
1 package extra-firm tofu, drained and rinsed
1 package silken mori-nu tofu
1/3 cup tahini
1/4 cup yellow miso
1 tbsp dried Italian herbs
salt and pepper to taste
2/3 cup water

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add celery and cook for 2-3 minutes until slightly softened.  Add carrots, onions, garlic, salt and pepper and saute another 5 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Add broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, beans and uncooked pasta and stir well.

In a blender or food processor, combine remaining ingredients until smooth.  Pour mixture over vegetables in saucepan and stir well.

Grease a large (10 x 14 x 4) baking dish, pour casserole mixture into pan, cover well with lid or aluminum foil and bake until pasta is cooked and sauce has thickened, approximately 45-50 minutes.  Remove from oven, let cool for 15 minutes and serve.