beth's vegetarian enchiladas

We take no credit for this recipe; a good cook passed it along as her adaptation of a Martha Stewart Everyday Food recipe.  We liked it and added it to our recipe box.  The recipe makes enough for leftovers another night, unless your family is large.  When I cook I add half a can of pitted black olives around the enchiladas.  If you are short of ingredients, simply add finely diced bell pepper, zucchini, or whatever vegetable you have on hand, it all works.  Rolling the tortillas is neater if a helper can measure out the filling while you roll.  You can also use this as a “make ahead” recipe, by freezing the sauce and enchiladas separately.  With a simple spinach salad, this makes a dinner that is tasty, healthy, and economical.  If we had guests coming and there was time, I would make flan for dessert.

Ingredients:

Sauce: 

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp cumin, ground

¼ cup flour

¼ cup tomato paste

14.5 oz. vegetable broth

Salt and pepper        

Enchiladas:

3 cups (12 oz.) pepper-jack cheese, grated

12 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 carton (10 oz.) frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed

11 oz. can corn kernels, drained

6 green onions, thinly sliced

1 tsp cumin, ground

16 corn tortillas (6” size)

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil and add cumin, flour, and tomato paste.  Cook 1 minute, whisking. 

2. Whisk in broth and ¾ cup water.  Bring to boil and then simmer until slightly thickened (5-8 min.).  Salt and pepper, then set aside.

3. For filling, combine in a large bowl 2 cups cheese (saving 1 cup for topping), beans, thawed spinach, corn, half of green onions, cumin, plus salt and pepper.

4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

5. Lightly oil a 9x13 baking dish.

6. Stack tortillas in a damp paper towel and warm 1 min. in microwave.

7. One-by-one, fill tortillas with about 1/3 cup filling, roll tightly, and arrange in baking dish, seam down.

8. Cover enchiladas with the sauce and top with remaining cheese.

9. Bake 15-20 minutes, until sauce is bubbly. 

10. Remove and let cool five minutes.  Top with remaining green onions and serve.

Enjoy.

Healthy Recipe #2: Oven-Roasted Fries

In the post Fat City we promised a recipe for oven-roasted potatoes you can use to replace French fries.  (Restaurant fries are laden with unhealthy oils, including trans fats.  You can fry potatoes at home using healthy oils, but roasting potatoes is easier and better for you.)  Experiment with other starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes.  Feeds three to four people.

Ingredients:

1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil

1  teaspoon minced garlic

1/2  teaspoon dried basil

1/2  teaspoon dried dill weed

1/2  teaspoon dried thyme

1/2  teaspoon dried oregano

1/2  teaspoon dried parsley 

4 large Yukon Gold potatoes, or potato of your choice

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine oil and spices (except salt and pepper). Wash the potatoes and cut into wedges, leaving the skins on.  (Thinner wedges are crispier and cook faster.)  Add wedges to the bowl and coat evenly. Arrange on a foil lined baking sheet, add salt and pepper to taste. 

Roast for 30-40 minutes at 425 degrees, flipping the potatoes after 20 minutes to brown on both sides. 

Health note:  Potatoes are avoided by some due to their high glycemic index, which can raise blood sugar.  Combining them with olive oil slows down metabolism and smoothes the sugar spike.  The spices are both flavorful and rich in antioxidants.

healthy recipe #1: breakfast compote

Eating those commercial breakfast cereals is as American as, well, dental cavities.  Sorry, it’s a sad analogy.  Being a cost-conscious guy, over the years I have fumed at paying dollars per pound for store-bought products made of grains costing pennies per pound.  But my greater concern had to do with the unhealthiness of those products.  So I created a breakfast we call Breakfast Compote.  Composed of whole grains, nuts, and fruits, it’s not only healthier; it’s cheaper than the store-bought junk.  And it’s pretty quick; our compote can be made in less than 10 minutes (with a little practice).  This recipe is for two hungry people:

1. Prior day: To 1-1/4 cups hot water, add ¼ cup of cracked whole grains in a pan.  Soak over night.  (Our local whole foods store offers a nine-grain mixture, mostly cracked wheat.  After finishing breakfast, I prepare the mixture for the next day and place it on the back of the stove to soak.  For busy people, this saves drying and putting away the pan.)

2. Next morning: Bring the pot to a boil, add ¼ cup of rolled oats, and a similar amount of dried fruits, if desired.  Turn off the heat and let sit for five minutes.  (I buy my rolled oats from the same store.  Cranberries are the dried fruit we mostly add.  When fresh fruits are scarce, dried fruits can substitute.)

3. While the oats and dried fruits are cooking, prepare two bowls by adding to each:

-1 heaping tbsp of freshly ground flaxseed.  (I get the flaxseed from the same store as the grains.  Originally I ground it with a hand grinder, a good source of exercise, but now use a low-cost Cuisinart Spice and Nut Grinder for a finer grind.)

-2 heaping tbsp of crumbled pecans, or any freshly chopped nuts.

-A little honey, brown sugar, or grade B maple syrup, depending on the natural sweetness of the fruits added in step #4.  (Or a few drops of stevia.)

-Season to taste with cinnamon, cardomon, or nutmeg.  A few drops of vanilla works also.

4. Wash and prepare fruits in season, adding to each bowl:
-1/4 cup of berries.  (Blueberries mostly, but using all the berries in their season.)

-1/4 cup chopped apple or peach.  (Apples are available all year, peaches in summer.  We love the peaches, but nectarines are good too.) 
-1/2 orange, freshly juiced.  (I use an old hand juicer, also good exercise.  The orange juice provides a citrus fruit, while reducing or avoiding the need for milk, per your taste.)

5. Combine all ingredients into the bowls and enjoy. I like to add a little cream; it tastes good and can improve absorption of fat-soluble nutrients.  (I would love to find a source of unpasteurized cream from pasture-fed cows.)  If we have good whole-grain bread I also have some as toast with butter.  

We enjoy this breakfast on weekdays then have a special breakfast on Saturday for variety.  If you think of a way to make this healthier, tastier, or cheaper, please leave a comment. Or share your own ideas for a healthy start to the day.