Sweet Potato and Black Bean Ranchero Enchiladas

I love enchiladas. This is my latest- and my first take on a red sauce. Love the contrast of the black beans and the creamy sweet potato (THANK YOU KRISTEN FOR THE TIP TO PUREE THEM!!). Also, the combination of salty, spicy, sweet, and smokey! It is a bit of a beast to make, I just can't get the same flavors when I take short cuts, especially on steps like sweating the garlic and onions. I'd love for recipes in real cookbooks to be like mine, where they admit that it takes FOREVER to cook them down, if you want them to be truly tasty. Just saying.

Sauce
1 28-oz. can tomato sauce
2 ancho chiles in adobo sauce
handful of cilantro leaves
2 cloves garlic
1/2 white onion, or shallot
Shake chili powder
Shake dried oregano
Shake chipotle chile powder
shake cumin
salt & pepper to taste
(If I have a jalepeno lying around next time, or a green chile, I might add that too)


Filling
1 ½ lb. sweet potatoes, Roasted & Pureed, set aside
Extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced (1 cup)- or a shallots and onion combo
1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes (I use muir glen with smoked tomato and green chiles in it)
3 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
1 or 2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, drained and minced
1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
handful of cilantro
1 12-oz. round queso fresco, divided
Squeeze of lime
generous shakes of cumin and chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

Enchiladas
tortillas
lime wedges for garnish
1 avocado, sliced for garnish
½ cup sour cream, for garnish
Cilantro sprigs, for garnish

1. Roast the Sweet Potatoes at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes, until they are so soft the skin scrapes away easily.

2. Meanwhile, start sweating the onions and garlic for the filling in a small amount of olive oil on the stove. If they begin to burn, add some veg or chicken stock.

3. While the sweet potatoes roast and the onions cook down, make the sauce in a cuisinart. Puree, taste, and adjust seasonings and heat. Reserve in a bowl.

4. Once the garlic and onions cook down, add the tomatoes, chipotle chile, cilantro, and simmer. Add black beans, and cook 5 minutes. Stir in half of queso fresco, and remove from heat.

5. Puree the sweet potatoes and set aside.

3. To assemble Enchiladas: Turn oven down to 350ºF. Spread 1/2 cup of Sauce in bottom of baking dish. Fill tortillas with Filling. Roll, and pack close together seam-side down in baking dish. Top with remaining Sauce and leaves of cilantro, and bake 25 minutes. Sprinkle with queso fresco and bake 5-10 minutes more, until cheese melts.

4. Adjust oven to broil. Broil Enchiladas 2-5 minutes, or until cheese is browned and bubbly. Be careful not to burn! Let rest 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with lime wedges, avocado slices, sour cream, and cilantro sprigs, if using.

I served this with a side salad of spinach.

Roast Eggplants with Lemon and Thyme

Delicious and beautiful!

Ingredients:
Baby italian eggplants, rinsed and split in half with stem in tact
1-2 large shallots
3 large cloves of garlic
olive oil
thyme
lemon
salt & pepper
mushrooms

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Use your hands to coat the eggplants with the olive oil. Place in a baking dish and surround with the garlic, mushrooms, and shallots. Sprinkle with the thyme, lemon, and salt and pepper.

3. Roast for about 40 minutes, until the flesh easily pulls away from the eggplant.

4. Scoop out and eat as a side or add to pasta!

Stuffed Portabello Mushroom with Couscous

(Photo: Veg Times)

Another excellent recipe adapted from the Vegetarian Times!

Ingredients:

2 large portobello mushrooms per person, stemmed
2-3 shallots (or leeks, or any other type of onion), thinly sliced
4-6 cloves garlic
Tablespoon of chopped fresh thyme
1 bag of Baby Spinach
Goat Cheese
Pine nuts
lemon
olive oil
salt and pepper
couscous (or Farro)
breadcrumbs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 Degrees. Rub olive oil over the mushrooms and place on a baking sheet, gill side down. Roast 10 minutes, until mushrooms begin to soften, and then turn over.

2. Meanwhile, heat some olive oil in a large skillet over medium low heat. Sweat the garlic and
shallots or leeks slowly, until tender and translucent. Add in the thyme and continue to cook until the leaves soften into the oil. Add in handfuls of spinach and allow to wilt. Season with lemon, salt, and pepper.

3. Stir in goat cheese and pine nuts until the cheese melts. Fill mushrooms with mixture, mounding on top and packing filling down. Optional: top with breadcrumbs

4. Bake 25 minutes until filling browns.

5. Prepare couscous or farro according to the directions.

6. Prepare a green veggie side like asparagus or green beans, if desired.

7. To serve: spoon couscous or farro onto plate, and top with a mushroom and side of green veggies!