Vegetable Enchiladas

Wow, it's been a busy week! In case you missed it, I was quoted in the Washington Post yesterday, so basically I'm famous now. Just something to keep in mind.

Anyway, despite my newfound international superstardom, I managed to find time to make these delicious enchiladas on Wednesday night. I've made these a few times now -- they hold a beloved place in my Mexican food repertoire along with these vegan roasted tomato enchiladas.

One of the best things about this recipe is that Martha (yes, Martha Stewart and I are on a first-name basis now) provides tips on how to make it in advance and freeze it. That way, you can prep this on a weekend when you have some time, and then you just pop it from the freezer into the oven for a super delicious weeknight dinner.

Vegetable Enchiladas
From Everyday Food

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for baking dishes
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin, divided
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 can (14 oz.) reduced-sodium vegetable broth
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 3 cups grated pepper Jack cheese, divided
• 1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 box (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 boz (10 oz.) frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 6 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
• 16 corn tortillas or 8 flour tortillas (I used flour)

Make sauce: In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add 1 teaspoon cumin, flour, and tomato paste; cook, whisking, 1 minute. Whisk in broth and 3/4 cup water; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, 5 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

Make filling: In a large bowl, combine 2 cups cheese, beans, spinach, corn, scallion whites, and remaining 1 teaspoon cumin. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 400 F. Lightly oil two 8-inch square baking dishes (if using corn tortillas) or one 8x13-inch baking dish (if using flour tortillas). Stack tortillas and wrap in damp paper towls; microwave on high for 1 minute. Divide filling evenly among tortillas; roll tortillas up tightly, and arrange, seam side down, in prepared baking dishes.

Dividing evenly, sprinkly enchiladas with remaining 1 cup cheese and top with sauce. Bake, uncovered, until hot and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Serve garnished with scallion greens.

To freeze: Prepare enchiladas through step 3; top with cheese, and cover baking dishes with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Place sauce in an airtight container. Freeze enchiladas and sauce for up to 2 months.

To bake from frozen: Thaw sauce in refrigerator overnight (or microwave on high 2 minutes, stirring once halfway through). Preheat oven to 400 F. Remove foil and plastic wrap from baking dishes, and pour sauce over enchiladas; cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes; remove foil, and bake until bubbly, about 15 minutes more. Cool 5 minutes before serving.

Mexican Pasta Salad

Wow, it's been forever. This is what happens in DC during August -- everyone goes on vacation, even food bloggers. The beau and I enjoyed a delightful week hiking in the Pacific northwest earlier this month, and I've just stayed in that vacation mentality with regards to posting new recipes and photos.

But I'm going to whip myself back into shape, starting with this delightful Mexican pasta salad. I feel like I've been making a lot of pasta salads this summer, but what's not to like about them? When you balance out a moderate amount of pasta (i.e.: carbs) with lots of fresh veggies and a light but flavorful dressing, you end up with a surprisingly healthy meal. Perfect for end-of-summer produce, too!

Mexican Pasta Salad
From Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites

• 8 oz short pasta (such as rotini, elbows, penne, or a mix)
• 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 3 scallions, sliced
• Bell pepper (any color), chopped
• 14-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• Medium tomato, chopped
• 1/4 cup olives (Spanish, or whichever variety you prefer), chopped
• 1/4 cup cilantro (more or less, to taste)
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• Salt and pepper
• Cheddar cheese, grated (optional--vegans can omit)

Cook pasta according to package instructions. Add the corn kernels to the pot during the last 2 minutes of cooking time. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine scallions, bell pepper, black beans, tomato, olives, cilantro, olive oil, lime juice, cumin, and pepper. Add the pasta and corn, and salt to taste. Serve with grated cheddar (if using) and extra cilantro.

Salsa Verde and Peach-Pepper Relish

Remember when Joe did that guest post a while back about pickling? Well, we've expanded our repertoire even further. Now we're canning. Yes, canning! It's not that weird, really. Actually it's pretty cool. It's what all the hipsters are doing these days.

Home canning is actually really easy. You just need the right equipment. Basically, you just need Ball mason jars of various sizes and a canning kit, which you can buy online (like on Amazon). The kits contain a huge pot that can accommodate a bunch of jars, a funnel for filling the jars, tongs for taking the jars out of the boiling water, and a couple other things. 

Basically, all you do is put stuff in the jars (always use a canning recipe!), submerse the jars completely in boiling water for a specified amount of time, and when you take them out, they've formed a vacuum seal that allows you to store them at room temperature for an indefinite period of time. It's a great way to preserve a lot of stuff at once, because you can just stick the jars on a shelf somewhere, instead of taking up precious refrigerator space.

Today we did two canning projects: salsa verde and peach-pepper relish. The salsa verde is, of course, a tomatillo-based salsa with roasted peppers, onions, lime, and garlic. It's awesome with chips, tacos, or really anything Mexican. The peach-pepper relish is a sweet and spicy condiment that's kind of a Southern thing. I grew up eating it as an appetizer with cream cheese and crackers.

Salsa Verde

From The Joy of Pickling

Makes 3 pints

• 2 1/2 pounds tomatillos, husks removed, halved
• 1/2 pound (about 8) roasted, peeled, and seeded Anaheim chile peppers, chopped
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 1/2 teaspoons pickling salt

In a nonreactive pot over medium-low heat, cook the tomatillos, stirring occasionally at first, until they are tender, about 10 minutes. After they have cooled a bit, blend them briefly in a blender or food processor.

In the pot combine the tomatillo puree and the remaining ingredients. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat and then reduce the heat. Simmer the mixture for 15 minutes.

Ladle the salsa into pint or half-pint mason jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Close the jars with two-piece caps and process the jars for 15 minutes in a boiling-water bath.

Store the cooled jars in a cool, dry, dark place.

Peach-Pepper Relish

From The Joy of Pickling

Makes 6 half-pint jars

• 1 1/2 pounds (about 6) red bell or pimiento peppers, minced
• 1/2 pound red hot peppers, such as Fresno or jalapeno, minced
• 2 pounds (about 6) peaches or nectarines, pitted, peeled, and chopped
• 3 lemons, halved
• 6 cups sugar
• 2 cups cider vinegar

Put all of the peppers into a nonreactive bowl and cover them with boiling water. Let them stand until they are cool.

Drain the peppers and put them into a nonreactive pot with the chopped peaches or nectarines. Juice the lemons and add both the juice and peels to the pot. Boil the mixture for 15 minutes.

Remove the lemon peels and add the sugar and vinegar. Bring the mixture to a boil again. Let it boil, stirring constantly, until it forms a 2-inch thread or reaches 230 degrees F on a candy thermometer.

Remove the pot from the heat and immediately ladle the relish into half-pint mason jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Close the jars with two-piece caps and process the jars for 10 minutes in a boiling-water bath.

Store the cooled jars in a cool, dry, dark place for at least 2 weeks before eating the relish.

Corn Tortilla & Egg Scramble

I'm filing this one under "breakfast," but this meal is seriously something that could be eaten at any time of day. Everybody loves a little breakfast for dinner every once in a while, am I right? But we had this one for breakfast on a lazy, sunny Saturday morning. What a great way to start the day. 

Corn Tortilla & Egg Scramble

From Everyday Food

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 6 corn tortillas, torn into small pieces
• 1/2 white onion, diced small
• 1 large poblano chile, seeded and diced small
• 1 medium tomato, diced small
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 8 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
• Salsa and/or hot sauce, for serving (optional)

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add tortillas and cook, stirring frequently, until golden and crisp, about 6 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Discard all but 2 teaspoons oil from skillet. Add onion and chile and cook until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomato and cook until it begins to break down, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Add eggs, tortillas, and cheese and cook, stirring constantly, until eggs are set, about 3 minutes. Serve with salsa and/or hot sauce if desired.

Serves 4

Roasted Tomato Enchiladas

This is one of my fave quick and easy dinners. I've made it a couple times now, so I was actually kind of surprised to learn that I had never posted it to the ol' blog. What?! I shall now rectify the situation immediately.

There's not too much introduction needed for this recipe. It produces a tray of delicious enchiladas stuffed with chewy tofu cubes, black beans, and cumin and smothered with roasted tomatoes and onions. And you can make it in, like, 20 minutes if you're speedy. Also, it has tons of protein and tastes great!

Roasted Tomato Enchiladas

• One block of firm tofu, pressed ahead of time for 30 minutes to an hour, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (if you didn't press in advance, just blot the cubes with paper towels to remove excess water)
• One 16-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Onion, chopped
• Two regular cans or one big can of diced fire-roasted tomatoes
• 4 large burrito-size flour tortillas

Preheat your oven to 350 F and lightly oil a 9x13 baking pan with some cooking spray. Hit a large non-stick skillet with some more of the cooking spray and heat over medium-high. Saute the tofu cubes until they're a nice golden brown on all sides, which could take anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes. While this is going on, combine the black beans, cumin, salt and pepper in a bowl. When the tofu is done browning, add to the black bean mixture and stir to combine well.

In the same skillet, add a bit more cooking spray and saute the onion until softened, 3-4 minutes. Add the can(s) of fire-roasted tomatoes with their juice and bring to a low simmer. While that's going, divide the tofu-bean mixture evenly among the four tortillas, roll them up, and put them in the baking pan with the seam side facing down. Pour the onion-tomato sauce evenly over the enchiladas and bake for 10 minutes or until completely warmed through.

Black Bean Tostadas

So, this recipe isn't the most seasonally appropriate thing I've ever made, but I had a Mexican craving yesterday that had to be satisfied, and this was how I did it. Tostadas are such a quick and easy no-cook meal -- just throw the topping ingredients together in a bowl, toast some tortillas in a dry skillet or over the open flame of a gas stove, pile the former on top of the latter, and voila.

I estimated quantities in the ingredient list (enough to make topping for about 4 small tostadas, or a 2-person serving), but this is a completely adaptable recipe. Do whatever you like. If you want to go heavy on the avocado, knock yourself out. If you hate cilantro, omit it. This isn't the kind of recipe where precision is really needed. It will be good no matter what you do with it.

Black Bean Tostadas

• 1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 Tbsp red onion, minced
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 medium jicama, peeled and diced (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/4 cup frozen corn kernels, rinsed under hot water to defrost
• 1/4 cup avocado, diced (about 1/2 small avocado)
• 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved (about 12 tomatoes)
• 4 Tbsp canned green chili peppers
• 3 Tbsp fresh lime juice, from about 1 large lime
• 2 Tbsp cilantro, fresh, chopped
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• Salt to taste
• 4 small corn tortillas

Combine all ingredients, except tortillas, in a large bowl; mix to combine. Toast tortillas and top each with about 3/4 cup of bean mixture.

A Pair of Mexican Desserts

You may have noticed that I haven't yet posted a single dessert recipe on this blog. I've been trying to stay healthy lately -- actually, I've been on a diet and have lost over 10 pounds (woot!). But tomorrow evening, I'm heading to a dinner party, and I've been charged with the task of bringing dessert. Needless to say, I'm pretty psyched for the opportunity to bake.

The dinner party is going to be Mexican cuisine -- guacamole, salsa, tacos, the works. So I obviously wanted to bring something that would fit the theme. The first thing that came to mind was Mexican chocolate. Holy smokes that stuff is delicious. Bittersweet chocolate with cinnamon and ground chilies. Yes, please.

So I made this Mexican chocolate tart. Chocolatey cookie crust, cinnamony and slightly spicy chocolate ganache filling, and cinnamon-spiced pecans. Say what?!

And of course, why bring one dessert to a party when you can bring two?! Just for kicks, I also made a batch of delicious Mexican wedding cookies. Crumbly, sweet, with a gorgeous nutty vanilla flavor. The perfect way to end a meal with friends.

Mexican Chocolate Tart with Cinnamon-Spiced Pecans

From Epicurious.com

Pecans

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 1 large egg white
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon golden brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 cups pecan halves

Crust

• 1 cup chocolate wafer cookie crumbs (about half of one 9-ounce package cookies, finely ground in processor)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 (3.1-ounce) disk Mexican chocolate (such as Ibarra), chopped
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Cayenne pepper to taste

For pecans:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Whisk all ingredients except pecans in medium bowl. Stir in pecans. Spread in single layer on sheet, rounded side up. Bake until just browned and dry, about 10 minutes. Cool on sheet. Separate nuts, removing excess coating. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

 

For crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Blend first 4 ingredients in processor. Add melted butter; process until crumbs are moistened. Press crumbs into 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom, to within 1/8 inch of top. Bake until set, about 20 minutes. Cool on rack. 

For filling:
Bring cream to simmer in medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolates; whisk until melted. Add butter, 1 piece at a time; whisk until smooth. Whisk in vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and cayenne. Pour filling into crust. Chill until filling begins to set, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Arrange nuts in concentric circles atop tart. Chill until set, about 4 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover loosely with foil and keep chilled. Serve tart with whipped cream.

Mexican Wedding Cookies

From The Joy of Cooking

• 1 cup pecans
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spread pecans on a microwave safe plate. Cook uncovered in the microwave on high power for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. They will be very aromatic and feel hot to the touch, but they should not brown. Cool, then grind them finely in a food processor

Grease or line 2 cookie sheets. Beat butter, 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, salt, and vanilla with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer until well blended. Stir in the ground pecans and the flour. Stir until well blended. Shape into 1-inch balls and arrange about 1 inch apart on the cookie sheets. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until the cookies are lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Let stand briefly, then remove to a rack to cool. Roll the cooled cookies in confectioners' sugar.

Vegetarian Posole

Vegetarians tend to eat a lot of ethnic food. American food -- with the exception of some delicacies like mac-and-cheese and veggie chili -- tends to focus on meat. We aren't known as a meat-and-potatoes culture for nothing. Anyway, so because of that, I end up cooking and eating a lot of cuisines like Thai, Japanese, Chinese, sometimes Italian and Greek, and especially Indian.

But one of my very favorite cuisines for delicious vegetarian meals is Mexican. Oh man, there are so many great veg-friendly Mexican ingredients. Beans, cheese, rice, peppers, lime, avocado, tomato, cilantro. It's easy to forget about the whole meat thing entirely.

This recipe is one of those classic Mexican dishes that's healthy, filling, and really good. Also, it just so happens to be vegan (no dairy!). According to the history books, posole is a traditional pre-Columbian meal that was made on special occasions -- specifically, the occasion of human sacrifice. After the heart was torn out in the ritual, the rest of the human flesh was chopped up and cooked with corn meal because corn was considered a sacred plant. After the Spanish conquest, cannibalism was banned and pork was substituted in the posole because it "tastes very similar."

Now aren't you glad this version is vegetarian?

Vegetarian Posole

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 5 cups vegetable broth, water, or a combination
• 2 cups cooked whole hominy, or one 14-ounce can of hominy, drained and rinsed
• One 15-ounce can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups kale, chard, or other leafy green
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• Salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste
• 1 medium avocado, diced
• 3 medium plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1 medium lime, cut into wedges

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Pour broth over onion mixture and bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer 5 minutes. Add hominy and beans; cook 2 minutes. Add greens and cook until greens are wilted and just cooked, about 2 minutes more. Stir in cilantro, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Garnish with remaining ingredients and serve.