Vegi Enchiladas

While in the process of moving, I stayed with a friend for two weeks while I was still working at my old job, but the lease had run out on my apartment. This friend (you know who you are!) is a vegetarian, which was great because I got to try out a couple vegi/vegan recipes I had been saving for awhile! Unfortunately, this is the only one I remembered to snap pictures of, but I also tried a chilled avocado soup (delish!) and a vegan peanut noodle vegi bowl (yum!!). These enchiladas are A-mazing. I didn't miss the meat at all! If only I didn't have to cook meat for P, I could easily go veg-only (or, mostly veg at least!). 


Vegi Enchiladas
Adapted from Martha Stewart, then adapated from Kokocooks

4 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs ground cumin, divided
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp ground coriander
¼ c all purpose flour
¼ c tomato paste
3 c vegetable broth
Salt and pepper
1 small onion, chopped
1 bag fresh spinach leaves
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14.5 oz) corn kernels, drained
1.5 c grated pepper Jack cheese (or about 9 oz)
16 corn tortillas (6-inch)
Fresh cilantro, chopped

In a medium saucepan, heat 2 Tbs of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add 2 tsp of the cumin, garlic powder, coriander, flour, and tomato paste. Cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Whisk in the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 5-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the remaining 2 Tbs of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until softened. Add spinach and saute until wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Stir in the black beans, corn kernels, remaining 1 tsp of cumin, and 3/4 c of the cheese.

Preheat oven to 375⁰F. Lightly spray 2 8-inch baking pans with nonstick spray. Set aside. Spread tortillas onto a large baking sheet. Lightly spray with nonstick spray. Spread a second layer of tortillas on top of the first layer. Lightly spray the top layer with nonstick spray. Bake until warm, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from oven. Spoon about 1/3 c of the enchilada filling into each tortilla and roll up. Place in the baking dish, seam side down. Pack the filled tortillas tightly in the baking dishes. Sprinkle remaining cheese evenly over the enchiladas. Pour sauce over them, making sure to cover the entire surface. Bake uncovered until hot and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro, and serve.

Chimichurri Halibut Tacos with Pineapple Avocado Salsa

I had the most delicious chimicurri pork loin sandwich recently, at the Buenos Aires Cafe. A few weeks later I saw this recipe in my issue of Cooking Light and knew I must try it. The fish was delicious. I do not recommend topping the tacos with the salsa, the flavors overwhelm each other, but the salsa was a lovely side dish. Tasty, light summer fair. If you have a grill, unlike me, you can even avoid heating up the kitchen in this 100+ degree weather (bonus!).

Recipes adapted from Cooking Light, June 2011

Chimichurri Fish Tacos

2 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 tablespoons fresh oregano
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
5 garlic cloves, crushed
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
5 (6-ounce) halibut fillets (or cod)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Cooking spray
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas

Place first 5 ingredients in a food processor or blender; process until finely chopped. Slowly pour oil through food chute; process until smooth. Place fish in a shallow dish; rub mixture over fish. Cover and chill at least 2 hours.

Preheat grill to high heat or grill pan to medium-high.

Sprinkle fish with salt and black pepper. Place fish on a grill rack (or grill pan) coated with cooking spray, and grill for 4 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from grill. Break fish into chunks. Heat tortillas according to package directions. Divide fish evenly among tortillas.

Pineapple Avocado Salsa

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• Cooking spray
• 1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 serrano chile, minced
• 1 avocado
• 
  
•  Preheat grill to high heat or grill pan to medium high.

• Combine oil and honey, stirring well. Brush oil mixture over pineapple. Place pineapple on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 2 minutes on each side or until golden. Remove from grill; cool 5 minutes. Chop. Combine pineapple, onion, and next 6 ingredients (through serrano); toss gently.
• Peel, seed, and dice avocado. Add avocado to the pineapple and mix.

Serve on the side with tacos.

Chicken Taquitos

Countdown to my test has definitely begun. I fly out tomorrow, test is Sunday. Yikes. Can't wait for this to be over! Last minute studying...here I come!

I made these babies last week. This was my first attempt at taquitos. They were fun to make, and fun to eat! I highly recommend guac or salsa to dip them in.

Chicken Taquitos, adapted from Blissfully Delicious

3 oz cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup your favorite salsa
1.2 lime, juice
1/2 tsp ground cumin
pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 t garlic salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 Tbs chopped scallions
2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
1/2 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded Pepperjack cheese
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
Kosher salt
Cooking spray

Preheat your oven to 425 degree F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray lightly with a cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the following items together: cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, cumin, cayenne, onion powder, garlic salt, cilantro, and scallions. Add the chicken and cheeses, mix until combine.

Next, warm up the corn tortilla for easier handling: dampen two pieces of paper towel, and place 6 pieces of corn tortillas between the two dampened towels.  Microwave for 30 seconds. This really is important, don't skip this step!

Working quickly (while still warm!), place 2-3 tablespoons of filling onto the lower third of each tortilla, and roll tightly. Line them up on a baking sheet with seam sides down. Fill the rest of the tortillas with the remaining filling.

Spray the filled taquitos with cooking spray lightly, sprinkle with salt. Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until the tortillas are crisp and golden-brown. Serve with with your favorite sides (salsa, sour cream, and/or guacamole).

Vegetable Fajitas (chicken optional!)

Oh Saturday! If I didn't have to spend all of this lovely day studying, it would be so much nicer. It is sunny and beautiful outside, but me and cancer biology will be spending the day together, again. Sigh.

I made these the other night as a quick weeknight dinner. These were really meant to be vegetable fajitas, but since P won't eat a meal without meat, I also added chicken for him. So you could make it either way. It is quite filling as vegetable fajitas! The marinade is pretty yummy!

Marinade:

1 orange, juiced

1/2 lime, juiced (I don't have a juicer, I just squeezed!)

2 t orange zest/peel

1/2 t cumin

1/2 t salt

dash cayenne pepper

1 garlic clove 

1/3 c olive oil

Place marinade in a food processor or blender, and process until mixed. 

I would like to take this moment and comment on how much I love my Magic Bullet.

I use this thing almost daily. To make smoothies, scramble eggs, chop spices, make breadcrumbs, process marinade...I could be on the infomercial. :)

Anyway, here is the marinade:

Fajitas:
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 portobello mushroom cap, sliced lengthwise (make sure to "clean" and  cut off black underside!)
1 zucchini, sliced lengthwise
Tortillas (I used whole wheat flour)
Toppings optional (guacamole, sour cream, salsa, cheese)

Place in bowl with marinade and refrigerate for 1-4 hours.
Once ready to cook, place in saute pan over med heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender (about 10 minutes).

Place in warmed tortillas and top with desired toppings (sour cream, guacamole, salsa, etc)

Yum!

For the chicken variation, slice one chicken breast into long strips. Cook in saute pan until done (about 10 minutes) over medium heat BEFORE adding vegetables. Wipe pan clean, add vegetables and leave chicken in the pan with vegetables until done. 

Mexican Lasagna

This weekend, I tried a recipe I had been saving for a group-event. I knew that it wouldn't be P's cup-o-tea, and I didn't want to make it just for me (because it seemed not-so-healthy). BUT, we had a birthday party at work to celebrate...a perfect time to try this!

It is a Southern Living recipe from November 2010 (I know, I hang onto these things for months to, well, years). The title of the recipe is super-lame (Latina Lasagna) so we will refer to it simply as Mexican Lasagna.

2 (24-oz.) jars tomato-and-basil pasta sauce
1 1/2 pounds fresh chorizo sausage, casings removed
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 (4.5-oz.) can chopped green chiles
1 (15-oz.) container ricotta cheese (I used low fat)
1 cup whipping cream
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
12 no-boil lasagna noodles
1 (16-oz.) package shredded Mexican four-cheese blend (I used the 2%, 1.75 cups)

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Cook sausage in a Dutch oven (or skillet) over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes or until meat is no longer pink, breaking sausage into pieces while cooking. Drain; return sausage to Dutch oven. Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in pasta sauce, cilantro, and chiles; cook, stirring often, 5 minutes.

2. Stir together ricotta cheese, whipping cream, and eggs until smooth.
3. Spoon 1 cup sauce mixture into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch pan. Top with 4 lasagna noodles. Top with half of ricotta cheese mixture, one-third of shredded Mexican cheese blend, and one-third of remaining sauce mixture. Repeat layers once, beginning with noodles. Top with remaining 4 noodles, sauce mixture, and shredded cheese blend. Cover with aluminum foil.

4. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Let stand 20 minutes before serving.

I promise, one day I will get a better camera!

The verdict: Pretty tasty. The group enjoyed it, and it had a nice "kick" to it.