Black Bean & Cheese Enchiladas

This dish came to me on Ash Wednesday, whilst I was speaking to Spank about the fish tacos she was preparing. I thought that sounded quite delicious, but alas, I had eaten my last fish on Fat Tuesday (what?!). So I was left with two options to satisfy my craving for a Mexican style meal: 1) Go to the store during grocery rush hour or 2) Scour my pantry for other meatless options. Fortunately, I found a can of black beans and came up with the following concoction without that dreaded trip to the store. And when Larry doesn't miss the meat in a meatless dish, I know it's a success!

Ingredients

• 1 Can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 Cup of your favorite salsa (I think a chunky one works well)
• Desired Mexican seasonings (I added cumin and onion salt, but if you have a flavorful salsa, you can skip these)
• 8 6-in tortillas (corn or flour)
• 2 Cups shredded cheese
• 1 Can Enchilada Sauce (I used a can of El Pato aka "The Duck" here)
• Sour Cream (optional)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together beans, salsa, and seasonings in a pan over low heat. Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Coat the bottom with a couple of spoonfuls of the enchilada sauce. Heat tortillas to make them easier to roll(about 20 seconds in the microwave, or 10 seconds each side on a stovetop burner). On each tortilla, place a spoonful of the bean mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Roll up and place in the baking dish. Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Spray one side of the foil with cooking spray and cover the enchiladas, spray side down. Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Top with a dollop of sour cream, if desired and serve!

Country Mushroom Soup courtesy of our Mether

1/4 C. olive oil
1/4 C. flour
Stir these together until smooth. You are not making a roux.

2 C. chicken broth; gradually stir in

1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1-2 bay leaves
Add in these ingredients.

Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occaisionally. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet saute 2/3 C. chopped celery and 1/4 C. chopped onion in 2-3 TBSP of olive oil. Add in 4-5 C. of shrooms (not the magical kind). Cook and stir until tender. Add to broth mixture. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add 2/3 C. half and half, cream, milk, or evaporated milk. (A small can of evaporated milk works well for creaminess.) Heat through, and do NOT boil. Discard bay leaves and serve.

As you know, mushrooms tend to suck the moisture out of things! We did about 5 C. of mushrooms, which really sucked the moisture out of our soup and made it thick. Really, it had quite an odd consistency. If this is the case for any of you, I recommend adding more broth. It was flavorful and worked out perfectly!

Plum Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine and mix until creamy: 3 eggs, 2 C. sugar, 1C. oil.
Add remaining ingredients and mix well: 2 C. flour, 1 oz. (entire bottle) red food coloring, 2 small jars baby food plums, 1/2 tsp. soda, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1 C. chopped nuts. Bake in bundt pan for 1 hour & 10 mins. (check with toothpick after 1 hour; it may be done if toothpick comes out clean. After cake cools, frost with any cream cheese frosting.

Thuper Thmoothieth (Super Smoothies)

Ingredient amounts are approximate. You may adjust for your desired smoothie texture and flavor balance. Both recipes make 2 large smoothies or several smaller ones.

Vanilla Chocolate Cherry Bomb

• 1 Cup ice



• 1 Cup frozen pitted cherries



• 1 Cup vanilla yogurt (or plain yogurt plus 1 tsp. vanilla extract)



• 1 banana



• 2 T chocolate syrup
  

Blend all ingredients. (If you need to add liquid for blendability, I recommend milk or water). Then drizzle more chocolate syrup on top.

Cherry Lime Squeeze

• 1 Cup frozed pitted cherries



• 2 real fruit lime popsicles (or 1 Cup limeade plus 1 Cup ice)



• 1 Cup plain yogurt

Blend all ingredients. (If you need to add liquid for blendability, I recommend limeade, milk, or water).

Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes

OMG! Are these delicious! The flavor resembles a dessert, but they are reasonably low in fat and sugar, and packed with fiber and vitamin A...almost too good to be true.

HINT: To save time, I did the first part of the "baking" in the microwave. But I believe it is IMPERITIVE that you do the last 8 minutes in the conventional oven.

http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/twice-baked-sweet-potatoes-111250.aspx

Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes

Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes
By Joanne Weir
This Recipe Is:
(Serves 8)
3 pounds starchy baking potatoes, peeled and quartered (I leave the skins on and just cut them a little smaller to make them easier to mash)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup 2 percent milk
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/4 cup snipped fresh chives (or 1 T. dried chopped chives)
Coarse salt and freshly ground black
1. Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain and return to the saucepan.
2. Add the oil and milk to the potatoes. Mash the potatoes while the pan is still over the heat, then add the vinegar, chives, salt, and pepper. Taste and season with additional oil, vinegar, or salt as needed to desired consistency.

Nutrients per serving calories 185, protein 3g, carbohydrates 28g, fiber 4g, fat 7g (saturated fat 1g), cholesterol 1mg, sodium 309mg

Grilled Romaine Salad

That's right ladies, I grill MY lettuce! The blog has been a bit lonely of late, so here's something for you to sink your teeth into.

• Hearts of romaine
• Olive Oil
• Fresh Diced Tomatoes
• Finely Grated Parmesan Cheese
• Bleu Cheese Crumbles (if you so desire)
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Cut hearts of romaine in half length-wise. Brush the cut side of each half-heart with olive oil. Dredge in parmesan cheese. Place oil-side down on a heated grill or pan for about 1-2 minutes...just long enough to brown the cheese. You will still want the outside of the romaine to be crisp and cool.

Remove from heat. Garnish with bleu cheese and diced tomatoes (of course you can use any garnishes you choose, but I find that less is more with this scrumptious side). Drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Enjoy!