Black Bean and Quinoa Chili

One pot meals. How beautiful are they? They save time, stress, time, water, time, and counter space. See a theme here? This chili, loaded with black beans, quinoa, and sweet potatoes, is becoming a go-to in my house as the temps drop and I find myself with fewer and fewer hours in my day. It's delicious by the bowlful, but it's also finding it's way re-purposed into a slew of meals (stuffed into tortillas with plenty of avocado for a hand-held version and ladled over roasted potatoes for a chili-fry combo). Versatile and easily adaptable. For more spice, add in a diced jalapeno as you saute the onions or throw in a chili in adobo sauce. For a richer flavor, toss in a little chunk of dark chocolate and a touch more cinnamon, stir until the chocolate melts. If you're in the need for more greens, toss in a handful until it wilts. Get comfortable with the basics, then try your own.

Did I tell you it was also nutrient-dense? Black beans, quinoa, and walnuts pack lots of healthy plant-based protein. Sweet potatoes are not only look pretty in it, but they offer plenty of good-for-you nutrients like vitamin A and fiber. It's a one pot meal that's filling, satisfying, and It freezes beautifully. As I mention below, it thickens as it cools, so if you'd like it thinner, add a little water, a teaspoon at a time, until your desired consistency. Avocado, a sprinkling of cilantro, a squeeze of lime, and a little red onion or scallion sprinkled on top makes it a chili suited for company.

Black Bean and Quinoa Chili

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon chili powder (ground chipotle pepper for a kick!)
1 tablespoon cumin powder
¾ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼-½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, depending on preferred spiciness
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
5 cups water or vegetable stock, depending on preferred thickness
1 medium sweet potato, chopped in ½-inch pieces
2 15.5 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup dry quinoa
½ cup chopped walnuts
Salt and pepper, to taste

Optional toppings: fresh cilantro, avocado, lime, minced red onion or scallion

Heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute 5-7 minutes or until golden. Add garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, ground coriander, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper and cook 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add tomatoes, water or stock, sweet potato, black beans, quinoa, and generous pinch of salt. Bring mixture to boil, and then reduce to simmer and allow to cook for 15 minutes. Add walnuts, stir, and allow to simmer until quinoa and potatoes are cooked and mixture has thickened, about 7-10 minutes more. You many want to add more liquid as it cooks if chili is becoming too thick for you. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, top with chopped cilantro, avocado slices, and lime. Serves 6.

**Mixture will continue to thicken as it cools. Add a few tablespoons of water when reheating if a thinner consistency is preferred.

Black Bean and Cabbage Enchiladas with Pumpkin

Enchilada casserole is one of my fiance's favorite things that I make. So, I thought that making one of his favorite things would be a nice way to celebrate the fact that we are only 6 months away from our wedding! Only 6 months! It sort of seems like a long time until I think about how October has just sort of flown by and Christmas is just around the corner and 2016 is almost here. Yowzers.

Before I work myself up about it all and get all excited about the fun little party we are going to have come April, I will move on with this recipe. In addition to my fiance loving enchilada casserole, I love the chicken enchiladas from our neighborhood Mexican restaurant that are only available at brunch. I took a few liberties with my enchiladas, but two things I did borrow from them was the sunny-side egg draped over the tortillas and the little bed of lightly dressed green cabbage lounging beneath. The oozy egg makes the whole thing look sophisticated when Mexican food can look a little less than, and the cool, crisp cabbage just begins to wilt under the heat and heft of the enchiladas to still provide a nice little crunch.

I keep these enchiladas vegetarian, stuffing them with sauteed green cabbage- a vitamin C booster-and fiber-rich black beans. I use a tangy goat cheese crumbled on top compared to the salty cotija used at the Mexican restaurant and it does make it a little extra fancy, but I also thing it provides a creaminess that is just so yummy. And another way I sneak in some vegetables? I throw some canned pumpkin and ground coriander into my favorite Mexican Spiced Tomato Sauce. It is barely noticeable, but it does give the sauce a bit more body. I also happen to think that pumpkin and goat cheese make a splendid combination. Pumpkin can be so earthy and grounding that the goat cheese lightens it up. Of course, fresh cilantro would really make this dish sing, but I kept forgetting to buy it from the store.

This is a favorite dish for leftovers- if you have any! I cannot guarantee that the enchiladas will scoop out perfectly out of the casserole dish as the tortillas get a bit soft, but if you choose to go the egg route, it covers up the mess you make quite nicely. Either way you scoop it, the flavors all work. That I can guarantee.

Black Bean and Cabbage Enchiladas with Pumpkin

1/2 small head Napa cabbage, shredded and divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained (or 1 1/2 cups cooked)
4 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled and divided + more for serving (optional)
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese or pepper jack for a little extra spice + more for serving (optional)
1 batch Pumpkin Enchilada Sauce (recipe below)
8 corn tortillas
4 over-easy eggs, for serving**
salt and pepper to taste
hot sauce to taste

Pumpkin Enchilada Sauce (aka My Mexican Spiced Tomato Sauce with Pumpkin)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder (I used a mix of chipotle and regular chili powder)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
3/4 cup water
salt and pepper to taste

Prepare sauce. In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic cloves, and cook for 5-8 minutes or until softened and slightly golden. Add chili powder, cumin, oregano, ground coriander, and salt, and stir and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add canned pumpkin and tomato sauce and water. Stir to incorporate and turn heat to low and cook for 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Saute cabbage. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add all but a heaping cup of shredded cabbage to the pan and pinch of salt. Saute until wilted but not soggy, about 5-8 minutes, stirring often. Add black beans, 1/2 of crumbled goat cheese, and shredded sharp cheddar to warm cabbage and stir until combined. Season filling with salt and pepper as necessary.

Assemble enchiladas. Spread a thin layer of sauce on bottom of 8x13-inch baking dish. Dip corn tortilla in sauce, allowing excess to drip off. Tortilla should become pliable. Lay flat on cutting board, spoon a scant 1/4 cup of filling into tortilla, and roll up. Place seam side down in pan. Continue with remaining filling and tortillas until all are snuggled into the pan. You will have extra enchilada sauce leftover.

Spread a bit of remaining sauce on top of tortillas just so prevent drying out, especially on the tortilla edges. Sprinkle remaining goat cheese on top and place in the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cheese gets a little golden. Remove from oven, allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. Place a little bed of the remaining cabbage on each plate, serve enchiladas on top, and drape an egg cooked to your liking over it all. Sprinkle with extra cheese if desired. Enjoy! Serves 4.

*To cook eggs over-easy, heat a little oil in a non-stick or cast-iron pan (about 1-2 teaspoons of oil per egg- I like to use ghee for the flavor). When hot (water should sizzle when splashed on it), crack egg into pan, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, and place a lid over top (that does not touch egg surface) and turn down the heat to medium/ medium-low.  I have a clear pot lid that I use to make visibility easy. When eggs have reached desired doneness (this takes about 3-5 minutes for me to get whites cooked but yolks still just a little runny but thick), remove from skillet and serve.

Poblano Peppers Stuffed with Millet and Black Beans

One summer, my older sister and I decided it would be a good idea to try to make the real, deep-fried chile rellenos ourselves. We were feeling ambitious. This was going to be our first foray into the deep-frying world, and we were going to go all out. We roasted the poblanos, peeled away the blackened skin, stuffed them with cheese, tooth-picked them together, dipped them in batter, and then plunged the first one in a pot of oil with bated breath, ready for it to puff up to a spectacular golden brown. What we got was a blackened blob and an apartment full of smoke. Her husband walked in at about this same time and despite the door being fifteen feet from the kitchen, we could not see him and he could not see us. The oil was clearly too hot and the pepper had completely incinerated, and we were bowled over in tears- partially from the smoke and partially from laughing so hard at our failed attempt. With all windows and doors opened and a new pot of oil, we tried again, this time doing a little batter fry-test before wasting another precious pepper. The end result was pretty delicious, but it was an afternoon's worth of work for what is essentially some deep-fried cheese disguised in a pretty green pepper.

These stuffed peppers are just as comforting, but lighter and even more flavorful than Mexican chile rellenos. And they are most definitely easier. You do have to have a cooked grain on hand (I used millet), but you could certainly use leftover rice or even quinoa. Another fantastic option would be leftover grits or polenta. Yum. I mixed in some black beans and a sharp cheddar, but if you have pepper jack on hand or tossed in some feta, you could jazz it up a little more.

Poblano peppers are everywhere at the farmers' market right now, and because their flesh is much thinner, they cook right in the oven without any parboiling needed. Another win. But the real winner here is the sauce. It is based on a sauce that I often use when I make enchilada casserole. I sometimes use different chili powders or add a little cayenne and maybe a little smoked paprika, but this is the base I riff off of. I have made some delicious sauces with dried chilies, soaking and pureeing them or toasting them and grinding them with other spices, but this sauce is way more flavorful than its ingredients suggest and much friendlier for a busy cook. Feel free to double the sauce and use it on just about anything. It also freezes well if you are the make-ahead type. 

I garnished everything with a drizzle of local goat yogurt from Shellbark Hollow Farm. Most goats' milk yogurts contain a number of stabilizers, but this one does not so it is quite runny- prefect for drizzling. It gives the most subtle tang which works so well on these peppers, but sour cream or another yogurt would pair nicely with this, too. Enjoy!

Poblano Peppers Stuffed with Millet and Black Beans

Peppers:
4 poblano peppers, washed, sliced in half lengthwise, and seeds removed
1 1/2 cups cooked millet or other grain
1/2 cup cooked black beans, drained
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, divided (I used Cabot extra sharp cheddar)
handful of cilantro, chopped, plus more for garnishing
yogurt or sour cream for garnishing (I used a local goat's milk yogurt which is a bit runnier but delicious!)

Mexican Spiced Tomato Sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder (I used a mix of chipotle and regular chili powder)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
3/4 cup water

Prepare sauce. In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic cloves, and cook for 5-8 minutes or until softened and slightly golden. Add chili powder, cumin, oregano, and salt, and stir and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add tomato sauce and water. Stir to incorporate and turn heat to low and cook for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare filling. In a medium bowl, stir together cooked millet, cooked black beans, 1/2 cup grated cheese, and handful of chopped cilantro. Spoon mixture into poblano pepper halves. Extra filling will probably remain, so just spoon it around the pepper halves after placing them in the sauce.

When the sauce is done, layer 1/2 of the sauce in the bottom of oven-proof dish. Nestle pepper halves in the sauce (sauce should come up half-way up the sides). Spoon a little sauce over the top of each pepper half and sprinkle peppers with remaining grated cheese. Cover pan with foil and place in oven to cook for 30 minutes.

Remove foil from pan after 30 minutes, turn broil to high and broil for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is a little toasty. Remove from oven, top with yogurt or sour cream and additional cilantro. Enjoy! Serves 4.

Butternut Squash and Black Bean Tacos with Pickled Onions and Pimentón Chimichurri

If I could sum up the majority of my eats in Southern California, it would be....tacos. Fish tacos, chicken tacos, chicken and mole tacos, even mini Wagyu beef and tuna tartare tacos. And I enjoyed each and every one of them. But tacos do not always have to come with fish, chicken, or meat to make them delicious. Nor do they have to be stuffed with just beans and rice to make a passable vegetarian option. I have stuffed these corn tortillas with slices of slightly sweet roasted butternut squash, a creamy schmear of black beans, quick pickled red onions, plump avocado, and drizzled it all with a bright, spiced sauce reminiscent of chimichurri.

I hope no one is offended with me taking a little culinary and poetic license and calling this a chimichurri. It may seem like a far cry from the herby green steak condiment of Latin America, but believe me when I say it packs a similar punch. Traditional chimichurri is practically a vinaigrette with a base of oil and vinegar and lots of garlic and herbs like oregano, parsley, and sometimes even cilantro. I borrow from that concept, swapping smoked paprika for parsley and being generous with the cilantro. I happen to love the combination of smoked paprika and butternut squash, and think this works quite well in these little tacos. I think you may even find other uses for this addicting sauce. Let me know what you end up pouring it on.

The pickled onions that I include here are easy to make and will add new dimensions to many of your favorite dishes. Toss them on sandwiches, chop them and add them to your grainy salads, or garnish a burger or sausage with them.

These tacos are vegetarian as written, but can easily be made vegan by substituting a plain vegan yogurt for the sour cream. If you just must have meat, any simply grilled meat could work, and be generous with the chimichurri. I'm also wishing I would have had some queso fresco slices to add in there to really up the ante.

Served alongside thinly sliced cabbage tossed with salt, olive oil, and a hint of lime juice, these tacos will change your idea of what vegetarian tacos have to be.

Butternut Squash and Black Bean Tacos with Pickled Onions and Pimentón Chimichurri

Tacos:
1/3 medium butternut squash, peeled and seeded and sliced in 1/4 inch slices
2 t. olive oil
1 14.5-ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 T. sour cream
1 lime, zested and juiced
1/2 t. ground cumin
scant 1/2 t. salt
1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced into 1/4-inch slices
Handful fresh cilantro, rinsed to remove any sand and dried, and leaves separated
1 recipe Quick Pickled Red Onions, recipe below
1 recipe Pimentón Chimichurri, recipe below
8 of your favorite corn tortillas

Roast the squash. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper. Toss the butternut squash with 2 teaspoons of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and arrange slices in single layer on baking sheet. Roast for about 25-30 minutes or until tender and a little brown around the edges. Remove from oven and set aside.

In the meantime, prepare the black beans. Place the drained and rinsed black beans in a bowl. Add the sour cream, zest and juice of 1 lime, the ground cumin, and salt. Mash the beans with a fork to your liking. I like mine a little chunky, but you can mash them to a smoother puree if you like.

Get all of your ingredients ready. Warm and soften the tortillas by wrapping them in a moist paper towel and microwaving them for 20-30 seconds. Begin assembling the tacos. Smear the black bean mixture on the tortilla, top with a few slices of butternut squash, then avocado, the pickled onion, drizzle with chimichurri, a few cilantro leaves, and drizzle with more chimichurri if desired. Enjoy! Serves 3-4 people.

Quick Pickled Onions
1 red onion, peeled and sliced thinly
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
1/2 c. water, microwaved for about a minute
1 T. honey
1 1/2 t. salt

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, stirring to coat evenly. Allow the onions to pickle and slightly wilt for at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. This makes a lot more than you need for these tacos, but these onions should last about a week in the fridge so you can find some new uses for them.

Pimentón Chimichurri
3 garlic cloves
1 c. loosely packed cilantro, washed and dried to remove any sand (some stems are fine!)
1 1/2 t. smoked paprika
1 1/2 t. dried oregano
1/4 t. red chili flakes
1/2 t. salt
3 T apple cider vinegar
3 T. extra-virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a mini food processor or blender and blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Makes about 1/2 cup.