Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas with Avocado-Cilantro Cream Sauce

Dear Jess,

Yes. Another sweet potato recipe. Please believe me when I say, "Make this recipe!" I had it ready for Jason last night, and he said "It smells like restaurant food!" I'm pretty sure that's a compliment.

You may have noticed many of my dishes these days are veggie based. I have been convicted lately of buying free-range, organic meats. For many reasons. Mainly it's from a 'Stewardship of our Earth' perspective. The industrialization of food (veggies and meat alike) have led to farms killing so much land, because they are not farming the land properly. Be it not giving livestock enough space, and/or drenching the earth with hormones and the like, it is killing the earth and making it unusable for generations! Not just a year or two... generations! I don't think this is a very responsible way of taking care of the Earth that God gave us. Thus, as a first step, I am trying to do my part in making a change. I also like the idea of supporting local farms, which is easy to do if I start to frequent the market on Saturday.

I have always known that organic everything is more expensive, however, I have always believed we don't need to eat meat on a daily basis, so we are spending more money on free-range, organic meat, and eating it less often. Plus, I get to be more creative in the kitchen, as Jason needs filling meals (especially in the winter, as he works outside in the cold!)

This recipe is by far one of my favourites. I even got to make enchilada sauce! (Which I will share here as well!)

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas with Avocado-Cilantro Cream Sauce
from The Oh She Glows Cookbook, page 147

For the Enchiladas:
2 cups sweet potato, peeled and chopped small
1 red onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
Fine-grain sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 (15oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 large handfuls spinach, roughly chopped
2 1/2 cups 5-minute Enchilada Sauce (see following recipe) or store-bought
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp kosher salt, or taste
5-6 tortilla wraps or gluten-free corn tortillas

For the Avocado-Cilantro Cream Sauce
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1 medium avocado, pitted
2 Tbsp lime juice
1/4 tsp fine-grain sea salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Fresh cilantro leaves for serving
Sliced green onion, for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease a large 3-qt/2.8L) rectangular baking dish.

2. Make the Enchiladas: Place the sweet potato in a medium saucepan and add enough water to cover. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-high and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes, or until fork-tender. Drain and set aside.

3. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute for about 5 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Season with sea salt and black pepper.

4. Add the bell pepper, cooked sweet potato, black beans, and spinach. Raise the heat to medium-high and cook for a few minutes more, or until the spinach is wilted.

5. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce, the lime juice, chili powder, cumin and kosher salt.

6. Spread 1 cup of the enchilada sauce evenly over the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Scoop 3/4 cup of the sweet botato filling onto each tortilla. Rolld up the tortillas and place them seam side down in the baking dish. Spread the remaining enchilada sauce over the tortillas. If you have leftover filling, spoon it on top of the tortillas as well.

7. Bake the enchiladas, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes, until the sauce is a deep red colour and the enchiladas are heated through.

8. Meanwhile, make the Avocado-Cilantro Cream Sauce: In a food processor, process the cilatntro until minced. Add the avocado, lime juice, sea salt, garlic powder, and 3 Tbsp water and process until creamy, stopping to scrape down the bowl as needed.

9. When the enchiladas are ready to serve, place them individually and drizzle or spread some of the Avocado-Cilantro Cream Sauce on top of each. Garnish with cilantro and green onion, if desired.

5-minute Enchilada Sauce
From The Oh She Glows Cookbook, page 300

2 Tbsp vegan butter or light-tasting oil of choice
2 Tbsp flour (I used spelt)
4 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 scant cup tomato paste
1 3/4 cups vegetable broth
1/4-1/2 tsp fine-grain sea salt, to taste

1. In a medium saucepan, melt the vegan butter over medium heat.

2. Stir in the flour until a thick paste forms. Stir in the chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, onion powder, and cayenne until combined. Cook for a couple of minutes until fragrant.

3. Stir in the tomato paste, followed by the broth. Whisk until smooth and combine. Bring to a low boil over high heat (covered, if necessary) and then reduce the heat to medium to maintain a simmer. Stir in salt to taste and simmer for about 5 minutes (or longer, if desired), until thickened.

The pictures aren't beautiful, because I think I left them in for a few minutes too long... but oh. my. goodness. I cannot wait to eat this for lunch today!

Love,

Southwestern Quinoa Pasta Salad

Dear Jess,

I am so excited for your visit!! You can absolutely come earlier and we can have a good visit before the crowds show up.

Like you, I am loving the arrival of Spring. I love waking up to the sound of birds, I love the smell of the ground de-frosting, I love wearing a jacket instead of coat, mittens and a hat. All that being said... you know that my favourite thing (about any season change) is the food change. Like you, I have made many stews and soups for the damp days. But with the coming of Spring, comes the return of the BBQ.

Over Easter weekend we went to my Mother-in-law's house for a BBQ. I brought this salad. I love it. It's light, a little spicy, and oh so delicious! I will be making this again for sure!

Southwestern Quinoa Pasta Salad
adapted from www.cookingquinoa.net

Salad Ingredients
8 ounces uncooked egg noodles
1/2 tbsp olive oil (for pasta)
1 cup cooked quinoa (any colour!)
1 1/2 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
3 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 cup fresh or frozen corn, thawed
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
1 avocado, pitted and chopped

Dressing Ingredients
1/2 cup lime juice
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
3 cloved garlic, minced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp sea salt
11/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1. Cook egg noodles according to package directions, being careful not to over or undercook. Drain and rinse. Toss with 1/2 tbsp of olive oil.

2. In a blender combine lime juice, olive oil, jalapeno pepper, garlic and salt and pepper.

3. Combine cooked pasta with cooked quinoa, beans, tomatoes, corn, peppers. Toss with dressing and cilantro. When ready to serve, add in avocado.


I hope you have a great week!

Lots of love,

Silky Smooth Avocado Pasta

Dear Sally,

After a couple of weeks of opening my refrigerator only to be greeted by my lonely water jug and almond milk, I decided to go grocery shipping without a concrete list. Generally this can go one of two ways and I think it worked out for the best this time. Jesse wanted ingredients for homemade pizza . . . fine that's easy. I wanted something with more gumption so I raided the isles trying desperately to stay away from peanut butter and chips (not to be consumed together).

I successfully gathered enough ingredients for about 6 different meals and proceeded to make homemade pizza when we got home. What I didn't calculate into the equation were two things. The first was that I would soon contract some sort of evil parasite that would keep me away from food and in bed for a solid day and a half. Also . . . I may have forgotten how close we are to Christmas and therefore my trip to Florida with Jesse. So here I am with a fridge full of food, no appetite and a schedule to get things cooked and frozen before I leave for Florida. I did it and I think you would be proud. Some of the dishes are a mish mash of things but my favorite was the Avocado pasta. The recipe was a whim but is deliciously simple. Work it into some gluten free pasta and you have the perfect accompaniment to a glass of wine.

Smooth Avocado Pasta

1 ripe avocado (pitted and smashed)

1 package pasta, prepared as directed

3 cloves garlic

1 tbsp butter

3 oz or so goat cheese

Splash of lime juice

Splash of balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook pasta according to package directions and let sit in the strainer.

2. Melt 1 tbsp. butter in a large pot. Crush the garlic cloves and add to the butter to cook. Stir for about 1 minute and add the prepared pasta. Toss in the garlic butter adding the limejuice and balsamic vinegar to help stir.

3. Gently stir in the crushed avocado and goat cheese until the cheese is melted and the pasta looks creamy. Remove from heat, sprinkle with goat cheese for garnish and serve warm.

The pictures don’t really do the pasta justice because my lighting is horrible at night but I had to try some and I don’t even have an appetite at the moment. It smelled soooooo good!

I loved the tribute blog, the perfect choices for a reflection. I give you an A+. Thank you so much for coming dress shopping last weekend. You really helped calm me down when nothing but numbers are worries were running through my head. I can’t wait to see you again whenever that may be. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Give my love to Jason and the family.

Love,

I Love Burritos

Dear Jess,

You are amazing. I miss you.

Now, as you know, I have a love of Mexican Food. Love. So, when my friend posted a recipe for refried beans that was supposed to take 10 minutes or less, I couldn't wait to try it!

We tried this to use inside burritos. My friend used white beans (which are very pretty), but I went a little more traditional... or so I thought. I used one can of Kidney Beans and one can of Black Beans. I knew they would taste delicious, because... well they just are delicious. What I didn't expect (but was thrilled to discover) was the mixture turning a vibrant purple! When put on a tortilla with some brown rice, freshly homemade guacamole, hot peppers and salsa, it looked so full of flavor and nutrients. (I also topped with some fresh spinach, but you won't see this in the pictures.) We ate these for dinner 3 nights in a row. Even as leftovers, they're so yummy!


*note: We couldn't find Pepper Jack Cheese in our grocery store, so we used Jalapeno Jack which worked wonderfully.

We will be making these again for sure!

 

We usually use whole grain tortillas, but we didn't have any this time...

Limey Beans

From Everything Beans Ebook

3 1/2 cups cooked beans (I used 2 tins White kidney beans)

olive oil

1 C finely chopped onion

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp oregano

1-3 cloves garlic, crushed or minced

3/4 c vegetable broth (or bean broth if you soaked them yourself)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 c grated pepper jack or other cheese (optional)

juice and zest of 1 lime

1. Cook onions and cumin over med heat 5 mins in a large sauce pan. Add oregano, garlic and salt.

Stir together cooking another 3 mins. Stir in beans and stock. Mash together until liquid is absorbed.

Remove pan from the heat and add cheese and lime zest and juice.

*add 1/2 tsp of chili powder or some cayenne with the other spices for heat if you like.

I hope things on your end are going well. Things here are still busy, but manageable. My 30 Day Challenge starts on Thursday! Are you going to be home for Easter? Our books have been 'shipped' so we should get them any day!

I love you,
Sally

Avocado Rescue

Dear Sally, 

I had an avocado sitting at home slowly ripening beyond the point of use. I remembered that you made guacamole the other day with yours and had plans to do the same until something changed. I was running around with your lovely sister today and happened to be at your house. While I was waiting for her to get ready I flipped through a Canadian Living magazine and found a wonderful recipe for Avocado Salsa. I think it is the perfect combination of creamy avocado, sweet fresh tomatoes and spicy jalapeno peppers. Easy and delicious enough and I think Caitlin would approve!

Avocado Salsa

2 tomatoes chopped

1/2 a red onion

2 jalapeno peppers

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1/4 fresh parsley

1 avocado

1 lime

salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine tomatoes, onion, jalapeno peppers, vinegar, salt and pepper.

2. Peel and cut avocado into large dice; gently toss with salsa without breaking up. Set aside while preparing tortillas.

Homemade Flour Tortillas

3 cups flour

3 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

3/4 cup vegetable shortening

3/4 cup warm water

1. Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the shortening and mix with your fingers or a pastry cutter until the mixture is crumbly.

2. Add the warm water to the dry mixture slowly while working it with your fingers. Let the dough stand for 30 minutes at room temperature.

3. Heat a dry skillet over med-high heat. Roll a golfball size piece of dough out until it is about 1/8 of an inch thick. Fry each tortilla till is bubbles up and then flip it over and do the same on the other side. Let cool or serve warm.

I like to eat these tortillas with dips more than salsa because chunky foods tend to make them break. Enjoy!

Love,

Jess