Quinoa & Black Bean Enchiladas

In my previous ward, the Astoria Ward, I loved volunteering to make meals for people who needed a little help for one reason or another.  This recipe came about in an attempt to make a filling meal that would appeal to our friends Madalyn and her husband Dustin.  Madalyn requested something without meat and Mexican inspired.  I also volunteered to make a meal for our friends Carmen and her husband Tom, who welcomed a new baby boy, so this meal had to feed two families.  I'm not sure how we ended up feeding two families in one night, but there you have it.  Carmen's baby boy is already standing, so that will give you a clue as to how long ago I actually made this recipe.  This meal fit the bill, I think. I never heard whether it was any good, so I'm hoping they enjoyed it.

Mexican food is my favorite genre of recipes so to speak.  This recipe makes a
great looking pan of goodness.

Ingredients for Enchilada Sauce:

1 28 oz. can of Tomato Puree
1 Serrano Chili

1 packet Chicken Flavor Broth (Trader Joe's is good, or one bouillon cube can be substituted)

1 teaspoon dried Onion Flakes

1 teaspoon ground Oregano

1 teaspoon ground Cumin

Ingredients for Enhiladas:

1 bunch of fresh Cilantro
1/2 bag frozen Corn
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 cup Quinoa

1 packet Chicken Flavor Broth (Trader Joe's is good, or one bouillon cube can be substituted)

2 cans Black Beans
12 burrito sized Tortillas
3 cups shredded Mexican Blend Cheese

Mix tomato puree, finely chopped Serrano (remove seeds and ribs), 1 packet of chicken
flavor, cumin, oregano, and onions in a small sauce pan.  Bring to a boil over high heat
and reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.

Sauté corn in a large saute pan with olive oil.

Add chopped cilantro and drained and rinsed black beans.

In a separate deep sauce pan cook quinoa according to package and add
chicken flavor broth.

Add quinoa to beans and corn, stir until combined.

Add 1/2 cup enchilada sauce to beans and quinoa.

Preheat Oven to 400 Degrees Fahrenheit

Spread sauce on bottom of two 8x12 pans, just enough to cover.

Spoon beans and quinoa mixture onto tortillas and roll up with sides tucked in like burritos.

Place six rolls in each pan.

Spread the rest of the sauce between the two pans.

Sprinkle cheese on pans.

Bake in oven until cheese is golden brown and sauce is bubbling, about 15-20 minutes.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and

Enjoy!

Quinoa & Black Bean Enchiladas

Ingredients for Enchilada Sauce:

1 28 oz. can of Tomato Puree
1 Serrano Chile

1 packet Chicken Flavor Broth (Trader Joe's is good, or one bouillon cube can be substituted)

1 teaspoon dried Onion Flakes

1 teaspoon ground Oregano

1 teaspoon ground Cumin

Ingredients for Enhiladas:

1 bunch of fresh Cilantro
1/2 bag frozen Corn
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 cup Quinoa

1 packet Chicken Flavor Broth (Trader Joe's is good, or one bouillon cube can be substituted)

2 cans Black Beans
12 burrito sized Tortillas
3 cups shredded Mexican Blend Cheese

Process for Enchilada Sauce:

Mix tomato puree, 1 packet of chicken flavor, cumin, oregano, and onions in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil over high heat and reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.

Process for Quinoa & Black Bean Enchiladas:

Sauté corn in a large saute pan with olive oil.

Add chopped cilantro and drained and rinsed black beans.

In a separate deep saucier pan cook quinoa according to package and add chicken flavor broth.

Add quinoa to beans and corn, stir until combined.

Add 1/2 cup enchilada sauce to beans and quinoa.

Preheat Oven to 400 Degrees Fahrenheit

Spread sauce on bottom of two 8x12 pans, just enough to cover.

Spoon beans and quinoa mixture onto tortillas and roll up with sides tucked in like burritos.

Place six rolls in each pan.

Spread the rest of the sauce between the two pans.

Sprinkle cheese on the enchiladas in the pans.

Bake in oven until cheese is golden brown and sauce is bubbling, about 15-20 minutes.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and

Enjoy!

7 Layer Mexican Dip

This recipe was made before the Instant Chicken Ramen Noodles that I shared previously.  I made this recipe for a Mix n Mingle at church in New York.  My friend Whitney shared this recipe with me.  Sadly, this recipe got lost in the shuffle until now.  Thank you everyone who continues to follow my food hijinks and kitchen adventures.   

Who doesn't love a dip with 7 layers? 

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. shredded Sharp Cheddar
1 1/2 cups  Sour Cream (I used homemade, my recipe is here)
1 Packet Taco Seasoning
1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
3 ripe Hass Avocados
2 tablespoons Fresh Cilantro
1/2 Lime, juiced
6 Campari Tomatoes (You may substitute with 3 Roma Tomatoes,  or 2 Beefsteak Tomatoes)
4 Green Onions
1 can Black Olives
1/2 lb. cooked Black Bean mashed (You may substitute with 3 cans pinto or black beans)

Mix sour cream and taco seasoning.

Spread the beans on the bottom of a 8x12 inch glass/ceramic dish.

Sprinkle garlic, 1 sliced green onion, and cilantro in a molcajete if you have one.
Grind together.  Otherwise cut green onions and cilantro finely in a bowl.

Add chopped up avocado to ground mixture and grind until the texture you like.
Add lime juice and mix.

Spread guacamole on the beans.

Spread the sour cream mixture on the guacamole.

Sprinkle shredded cheese on top.

Cut up tomatoes into 1 inch pieces and sprinkle on the cheese.

Cut remaining 3 green onions and black olives and sprinkle on top.

Grab and bag of tortilla chips and begin dipping.

Enjoy!

7 Layer Mexican Dip

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. shredded Sharp Cheddar
1 1/2 cups  Sour Cream (I used homemade, my recipe is here)
1 Packet Taco Seasoning
1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
3 ripe Hass Avocados
2 tablespoons Fresh Cilantro
1/2 Lime, juiced
6 Campari Tomatoes (You may substitute with 3 Roma Tomatoes,  or 2 Beefsteak Tomatoes)
4 Green Onions
1 can Black Olives
1/2 lb. cooked Black Bean mashed (You may substitute with 3 cans pinto or black beans)

Process:

Mix sour cream and taco seasoning.

Spread the beans on the bottom of a 8x12 inch glass/ceramic dish.

Sprinkle garlic, 1 sliced green onion, and cilantro in a molcajete if you have one.  Grind together.  

Otherwise cut green onions and cilantro finely in a bowl.

Add chopped up avocado to ground mixture and grind until the texture you like.  Add lime juice and mix.

Spread guacamole on the beans.

Spread the sour cream mixture on the guacamole.

Sprinkle shredded cheese on top.

Cut remaining 3 green onions and black olives and sprinkle on top.

Grab and bag of tortilla chips and begin dipping.

Enjoy!

Feijoada (Brazillian Black Bean Stew, or Chili)

Recently a friend from church had a baby.  I wanted to make a dinner for her and her husband that would be comforting and remind her of her home country of Brazil.  When I was looking up recipes from Brazil, I learned about a Brazilian Black Bean Stew, Feijoada.  Since I had all the ingredients to make the stew, it was a win win.  We had leftovers, so on another night the stew got an upgrade and the recipe below is the upgrade.  This stew was very delicious, so much so, that my husband requested I make it again for a church social.  I made it this afternoon, third times the charm for our church Halloween Party Chili Cook-off.  I added some pepper flakes to the recipe to make it more like chili.  I brought this "chili" and blew away the judges and won first prize.  I think they liked the three kinds of pork, not a traditional chili with beef.  This recipe can be made very easily, and cheaply, depending on your preferences.  At a nearby grocery store, we have blemished discount produce that isn't perfect enough to be sold with the other pretty produce.  On a wonderful whim, I looked at the discounted produce at my local grocery store and struck cheap produce heaven and found bell peppers to use for this recipe.

Look at all that pork, so very yummy.

Ingredients:

1 lb. Black Beans
Kosher Salt
Garlic Powder
3 Green Bell Peppers
2 Red Bell Peppers
2 Yellow Onions
1 lb. Chorizo
4 lb. Pork Shoulder
Left Over Ham Bone (with left over ham and fat)
3 Pints Canned Whole Tomatoes
5 slices Bacon
2 teaspoons Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Water

Soak black beans over night in water, 3 inches above beans and 2 tablespoons kosher salt.

Cut up the bacon into 1 inch pieces, add bacon, ham bone (remove meat and fat), soaked beans
to a pressure cooker pot or a stock pot on a stove.  If you do not have a ham bone, add more bacon.   Pour enough water to cover beans by 3 inches.  Cook beans in pressure cooker on high for
30 minutes or on the stove simmer covered for 1 hour or until beans are tender. 

Rub kosher salt and garlic powder all over the pork shoulder.  Place on spit of rotisserie or put

 on a rack set into a roasting pan. Roast for 20 minutes, and then reduce the heat to 325 degrees F. Continue to cook for 3 hours. 

My ham bone is leftover so it still has meat and fat on it.  I freeze leftover bones and use them
for other recipes.  Remove meat and fat from ham bone and cut into 1/2 inch pieces. If you do
not have a ham bone with leftover meat on it substitute a ham steak.

Place ham and fat in a stock pot over low heat. We are rendering the fat (melting the fat),
although fat is yummy, it is better melted than having to chew it.  Remove meat when slightly
fried, remove cooked fat when fried.  Leave the melted fat in the stock pot.

Dice the onions, and bell peppers.  Saute the onions and bell peppers in the melted pork fat left
in the large stock pot over medium low heat.

Remove chorizo from the skin.  Break apart with a wooden spoon and cook over medium
 heat in a large 12 inch skillet.

Cut roasted pork into 1/2 inch cubes.  Place ham, fried fat, and pork in the same pan as the chorizo. 

Add the pork to the stock pot with the sauteed vegetables, add drained beans, add whole tomatoes
and cut with a spoon.  Stir and add red pepper flakes.  Cook over medium heat until bubbling.

This is a Brazillian Black Bean Stew, if you omit the pepper flakes, and with the pepper flakes
 it is great as a chili.

Enjoy!

Feijoada (Brazillian Black Bean Stew, or Chili)

Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients:

1 lb. Black Beans

Kosher Salt

Garlic Powder

3 Green Bell Peppers

2 Red Bell Peppers

2 Yellow Onions

1 lb. Chorizo

4 lb. Pork Shoulder

Left Over Ham Bone (with left over ham and fat)

3 Pints Canned Whole Tomatoes

5 slices Bacon

2 teaspoons Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

Water

Process:

Soak black beans over night in water, 3 inches above beans and 2 tablespoons kosher salt.

Cut up the bacon into 1 inch pieces, add bacon, ham bone (remove meat and fat), soaked beans to a pressure cooker pot or a stock pot on a stove.  If you do not have a ham bone, add more bacon.  Pour enough water to cover beans by 3 inches.  Cook beans in pressure cooker on high for 30 minutes or on the stove simmer covered for 1 hour or until beans are tender.

Rub kosher salt and garlic powder all over the pork shoulder.  Place on spit of rotisserie or put

on a rack set into a roasting pan. Roast for 20 minutes, and then reduce the heat to 325 degrees F. Continue to cook for 3 hours. 

Remove meat and fat from ham bone and cut into 1/2 inch pieces. If you do not have a ham bone with leftover meat on it, substitute a ham steak.

Place ham and fat in a stock pot over low heat. We are rendering the fat (melting the fat), although fat is yummy, it is better melted than having to chew it.  Remove meat when slightly fried, remove cooked fat when fried.  Leave the melted fat in the stock pot.

Dice the onions, and bell peppers.  Saute the onions and bell peppers in the melted pork fat left in the large stock pot over medium low heat.

Remove chorizo from the skin, break apart with a wooden spoon and cook over medium heat in a large 12 inch skillet.

Cut roasted pork into 1/2 inch cubes. Place ham, fried fat, and pork in the same pan as the chorizo. 

Add the pork to the stock pot with the sauteed vegetables, add drained beans, add whole tomatoes and cut with a spoon.  Stir and add red pepper flakes.  Cook over medium heat until bubbling.

Enjoy!

Not Refried Black Beans

I like burritos, I think it all started with a great fast food place in my hometown of Redlands, Cuca's. My California family and friends know what I'm talking about.  You can see what I'm talking about at their site here.  They make homemade refried pinto beans.  My husband does not like pinto beans, he likes black beans, if you really can even say he likes beans at all.  When I make beans for burritos I make black beans.  A few Sunday's ago, my friend Whitney and her husband Johhny came over with soaked red beans and the fixings for tacos/burritos.  We joined forces and I prepared her beans in my pressure cooker.  Her husband had found a recipe and told us the ingredients and we remembered some of them.  Those beans turned out amazing.  Tonight I recreated those beans, but I used black beans instead.  I really like all the flavor in these beans.  

 These beans are great as a side dish or inside a burrito or taco.

Ingredients for this recipe are:

1 lb. Brined Black Beans (recipe found here for brining)

1/2 lb. Bacon (not pictured)

1 Yellow Onion

1/2 a Bunch of Cilantro

1 tablespoon whole Cumin

1 tablespoon Salt

Water

 Peel and dice the onion.

Cut off extra stems of cilantro and roughly chop.

Slice bacon into 1 inch pieces.

Pour beans into pressure cooker pot or a large stock pot.

Add bacon, onion, cilantro, cumin, and salt to beans.

Add enough water to cover beans by two inches.

Add lid to pressure cooker and set to high for 30 minutes. 

After cooking is done and pressure has been released remove lid and serve beans.

Enjoy!

Not Refried Black Beans

Printable Recipe Found Here

1 lb. Brined Black Beans

1/2 lb. Bacon

1 Yellow Onion

1/2 a Bunch of Cilantro

1 tablespoon whole Cumin

1 tablespoon Salt

Water

Peel and dice the onion.

Cut off extra stems of cilantro and roughly chop.

Slice bacon into 1 inch pieces.

Pour beans into pressure cooker pot or a large stock pot.

Add bacon, onion, cilantro, cumin, and salt to beans.

Add enough water to cover beans by two inches.

Add lid to pressure cooker and set to high for 30 minutes.  

After cooking is done and pressure has been released remove lid and serve beans.

Enjoy!

Chili

Tonight's chili began last night.  Well before last night I had found a 1 lb. bag of black beans in the back of my cupboard and wanted it to be chili.  I also wanted this chili to be different than my previous versions.  I like chili, my husband even asked for chili the other day.  Here it is, a new take on chili.

Cornbread and chili, mmmm yummy.

 Ingredients for brining beans: 6 tablespoons coarse salt, 4 quarts water in lidded container,
1 lb black beans.

 Add 6 tablespoons coarse salt or Kosher salt to 4 quarts of water in a large lidded container, mix until salt is dissolved.  Rinse black beans and add to salted water.  Allow beans to brine over night.

Ingredients for this recipe are: 1 lb. brined black beans (rinsed in cool water and allowed to drain), 1 green bell pepper, 1 red bell pepper, 1 yellow onion, 1 bunch of fresh oregano (or 1 tablespoon dry), 2 ears of corn on the cob, 28 ounces diced tomatoes, 2 lbs. beef chuck roast,  1 1/2 tablespoons whole cumin seeds, 1 1/2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds, 3 dried Ancho chilies, 2 Costeño Chilies.

 Ingredients for searing meat: salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 2 lbs. beef chuck roast.

 Preheat pan, sprinkle both sides of beef with salt and pepper.  Add oil to pan, watch for rippling
in oil and then add the beef.

 Sear meat on all sides.

 Remove from heat and cut into small pieces, varying the cut size form 1/4 to 1/2 inch cubes.

 Dice the yellow onion and saute in the oil used to sear the beef.  Saute until translucent.

 In a dry pan over medium flame, toast cumin, coriander, and chilies until you see smoke.
Remove from heat and grind in spice grinder, or blender.

 Add spices and chilies to 1 teaspoon Better than Boullian and 1/4 cup water.

 Cook spice mix for 3 minutes.

 Mix beef, beans, spice mix, diced tomatoes, sauteed onions, and 1 quart beef broth (I used water and Better Than Boullian Beef) in a pressure cooker (or in dutch oven or stock pot on stove top).  Set Pressure cooker to high for 90 minutes.

 

After 90 minutes, and the natural pressure release we have this beautiful chili base, 

lets add the fresh stuff.

  

Dice bells peppers, and cut corn from cobs.

 Saute corn and bell peppers in 2 tablespoons olive oil for 5 minutes, add fresh oregano
(cut into small pieces) or dried and cook another minute.

 Add sauteed vegetables to chili.

If you want a thicker chili, mix 1/4 cup Maseca with 1/2 cup water and
add as much as your desire to thicken.

Heavenly Southwestern aromas will fill your home.

Enjoy!