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.

Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats

Here is a quick breakfast recipe you can assemble the night before and have it ready for the morning. In fact, you can make it this weekend and have it for a few days this week.

It tastes like pumpkin pie but is a whole lot healthier with all of the benefits of fiber-filled, cholesterol-lowering oats and protein-rich Greek yogurt, And if you cannot imagine pumpkin pie without pecans, simply swap out the walnuts for pecans. No harm done. If it is a bit chilly and you would like warm oats, you can pop the soaked oats in the microwave when you are ready to eat. I just recommend leaving out the walnuts and yogurt until after heating the mixture.

Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats

1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups milk of choice, dairy or non-dairy
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 1/2 -2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon*
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger*
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves*
pinch of salt
1 cup Greek yogurt, I used 2% (optional)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Combine everything but yogurt and walnuts in a bowl and stir to mix. You can divide into small jars at this point or just place in a large container with a top. Top with yogurt and chopped walnuts. Enjoy! Serves 3-4.
**The spices can be replaced with 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Miso Pumpkin Tomato Soup with Roasted Garlic

I do not know a single soul who does not like roasted garlic. It takes all of the harshness out of the vampire repellent and mellows it into a soft, spreadable, slightly sweet and earthy treat. The hardest part really is turning on your oven. It is virtually a foolproof recipe that results in an impressive flavor bomb. For this recipe, I recommend roasting more garlic than you need since you already have your oven on, and then use the rest to spread on a crusty multi-grain bread or slather on pizza. Really good stuff.

I combine roasted garlic here with another favorite- tomato soup. But I dress the tomato soup up a little bit with pumpkin and miso, another umami-packed ingredient. I got the idea for the roasted garlic and miso addition to tomato soup from Emily Stoffel's Buttered Miso-Tomato Soup with Roasted Garlic + Togarashi posted originally on Gourmande in the Kitchen. Emily writes at another fabulous blog, The Pig & Quill. It just seemed like a yummy and rich combination that would not weigh you down. She tops hers with a lovely butter but I decided to blend in just a tablespoon at the end.  When added this way, it adds a pleasant lightness.  The seasonal pumpkin pumps up the nutrient level and adds extra creaminess and heft without extra fat.

You could serve this alongside grilled cheese or cheesy toast, but with the miso touch, I recommend serving it alongside some brown rice or another grain to round it out.

Miso Pumpkin Tomato Soup with Roasted Garlic

2 heads roasted garlic, cloves removed (see note below)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons miso paste (I used white)
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 cups water
1 28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
1 tablespoon unsalted butter + salt and pepper to taste

Combine roasted garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil miso paste, canned pumpkin, and tomato paste in medium pot over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until mixture begins to darken and become fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.

Add water and canned tomatoes, stirring to combine. Bring mixture to a boil, cover, then reduce to simmer. Allow to cook for 15 minutes.

Transfer mixture to a blender, add 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter, and carefully blend until desired smoothness is reached. An immersion blender can also be used. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper. Enjoy! Makes 4 servings.

Note: To roast garlic. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the very top portion off of two heads of garlic, exposing most of the cloves. Place garlic heads on foil, drizzle 2 teaspoons olive oil over top of exposed cloves, and sprinkle salt over each head. Close the foil up and roast garlic for 50 minutes or until soft. Remove from oven and allow to cool before squeezing cloves out of papery skins.

One Pan Roasted Grape and Cauliflower Salad with Aged Cheddar

I think my absolute favorite way to enjoy cauliflower is by roasting it. The only problem is that it shrinks down so much! A full pan becomes half a pan. On more than one occasion, the whole head of cauliflower that was meant to be part of a bigger dish, once roasted with olive oil and salt, has ended up in my belly before anything else could be done with it. I know I am not the only one with a cauliflower munching problem. What if movie theaters had the option that instead of popcorn, you could get a big bag of roasted cauliflower? I think that would get me to go to the movies more often...

Now imagine roasting cauliflower with grapes. The cauliflower becomes golden and nutty, and the grapes get a little sweeter, a little juicier. Sunflower seeds get tossed on the pan just to get toasty. While everything is still warm, some sharp aged cheddar gets sprinkled on top and just starts to melt. Heaped over some greens with a Dijon-based vinaigrette, you have a delicious, easy salad and only one pan to clean.

One Pan Roasted Grape and Cauliflower Salad with Aged Cheddar

1 medium head cauliflower, cut into small florets
1 1/4 cup red seedless grapes, washed
2 teaspoons honey
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese (I used Cabot extra-sharp)
1 head red leaf lettuce, leaves washed and dried

Dressing:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
scant 1/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat. Mix cauliflower, grapes, honey, olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper on baking sheet. Spread out in even layer and bake for 25 minutes. At 25 minutes, sprinkle sunflower seeds all over pan and continue baking for 5-8 minutes or until cauliflower turns golden and sunflower seeds get toasty. Remove pan from heat and sprinkle hot pan with grated cheese and allow it to melt.

Meanwhile, make dressing. Whisk dressing ingredients in small bowl or add to jar and shake. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.

Lightly dress lettuce with 3/4 of the dressing. Top the lettuce with the cheesy, warm cauliflower and grape mixture. Drizzle all with the remaining dressing and serve. Enjoy! Serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a main.

Cauliflower and Asian Pear Soup with Ginger

October has been a funky month. Lots of new things are going on, all of which are exciting, but I just do not know where the time goes some days. And with the days getting shorter, I feel like I am racing it to sunset. I am a morning person, always more productive in those early hours than at night. When the sun sets, I set. Lately that means I have been sinking into the couch indulging in cookbooks and cooking magazines, soaking up all of the inspiration I can.

I often get asked where my recipes come from. I wish I had a concise explanation, but it is wonderfully complicated. I have been cooking for years, and after many failures (edible and inedible ones) in the kitchen, I have started to figure out what flavor combinations work. That experimentation combined with exploring new restaurants and reading all sorts of cookbooks, magazines, and nowadays, blogs, I have compiled a robust mental library of recipe templates- food combinations that may work, and it comes down to the actual testing and cooking of a recipe to get it just right.

I have a difficult time not modifying recipes I dog-ear. I think this little change would be better suited for my tastes, or I modify because I do not have the exact ingredients listed on hand and make some substitutions. That said, I know that recipe writers work hard at their job perfecting the measurements and ingredients that they believe will make their dish deliciously memorable. I do that here on the blog, but that does not mean that modifications to the recipe are not welcome. They are totally invited! After all, I am just trying to inspire people to get into the kitchen and have a little fun.

This brings me to this little soup combo. Cauliflower and Asian pear may not seem like the most natural combination, but think how well cauliflower pairs with something sweet like golden raisins or sweeter spices and curries. Asian pears lend a honey-like sweetness that I accentuate with just a bit of honey in the little relish that tops this soup for textural contrast. Of course, if you are vegan, maple syrup makes a fine substitute. Cinnamon and ginger are warming and subtle in the background. Potatoes thicken and smooth it all out without cream. The soup can be eaten without the relish, but it is quite yummy. So tasty, in fact, it could be doubled or tripled to serve atop lightly dressed lettuce leaves or mixed into cooked grains or even some lentils the following day.

Cauliflower and Asian Pear Soup with Ginger

Soup:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 Asian pear, chopped (other 1/2 used for relish)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 head cauliflower, about 2 lb., leaves removed and chopped into florets (1 cup florets reserved for relish below)
2 small Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 red chili, top removed, sliced in half and seeds removed but left mostly whole
3 cups water
salt and pepper, to taste
Cauliflower, Asian Pear, and Pepita Relish, for serving (recipe below)

Make soup. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until soft and translucent, about 5-8 minutes. Add minced ginger, garlic, Asian pear, and ground cinnamon and cook for 1 one minute or until fragrant. Add cauliflower, potatoes, red chili, a generous pinch of salt, and stir. Add 3 cups of water, bring to boil, and reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 25 minutes or until cauliflower and potatoes are tender.

Meanwhile, make the relish.

When vegetables are cooked, remove pot from heat. Remove chili from pot. (Don't forget this step or you end up with a hot sauce in soup form- trust me). Add mixture to blender (carefully!) and puree in batches, adjusting salt and pepper as necessary. Return soup to pot to warm through. Serve with relish and enjoy! Serves 4-5 people.

Cauliflower, Asian Pear, and Pepita Relish:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup reserved cauliflower florets, chopped finely
1 teaspoon honey (maple syrup, if vegan)
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1/2 reserved Asian pear, diced
1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds), toasted until golden and puffed
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add cauliflower and pinch of salt saute until tender and golden, about 8-10 minutes. Add honey and vinegar to pan, and remove mixture from heat to cool. Mix remaining ingredients in small bowl, adjust seasoning, and add cauliflower when cool. Spoon atop soup or eat by the spoonful.