white bean & spinach enchiladas

 I plan to make some white bean and spinach enchiladas today and I keep forgetting my plan, so writing it down and will update as necessary.  I picked up some green Hatch chili sauce from Costco and need to use it up, so this will be tasty as the enchilada sauce.  

They key for my goals is using white beans and a green (chard this time because I had half a bunch).  Various other vegetables would be great to add in to empty the refrigerator. :)

• tortillas (I'm in a hunt now for fresh tortillas and am thrilled to learn there's a tortilleria not too far)
  
• 1 can white beans, drained
  
• 1/2 pound spinach (frozen/thawed/squeezed dry or fresh/wilted), chopped
  
• 4 oz shredded pepperjack cheese
• tomatoes (a can of drained tomatoes would be good, thawed frozen, or fresh) 
  
• green onions, chopped
• poblano, optional
  
• cilantro, chopped
  
• cumin
• garlic powder, onion powder
  
• taco seasoning is also good 
• lime juice
  
• enchilada sauce
  

Mix together the beans, spinach, cheese, green onions, cilantro, spices, lime juice, cheese.  Heat the tortillas and fill. Cover with enchilada sauce.  Note: this time I was using chard and poblano, so I sauteed them with some fresh tomatoes until reduced, then added green onions, spices, and beans. 

Bake about 40 minutes at 350.  

I think I'll enjoy it with some spicy roasted sweet potatoes and maybe some curtido or sauerkraut.

curtido

I made some black bean patties and fried plantains for brunch, and I like condiments for simple foods like this so made some curtido. 

I followed this recipe because I was making it just a couple of days before eating it - so there's some vinegar in it.

Ingredients

• 1/2 head green cabbage
• 1 carrot
• 1/2 onion
• 1/2 jalapeno
• 1 cup vinegar
• 1.5 cups water
• 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
• freshly cracked black pepper
• 2 teaspoons sea salt

Instructions

• Thinly slice the 1/2 head of cabbage, 1/2 onion and 1/2 jalapeno.  Grate the carrot.
• Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl:  1 cup vinegar, 1.5 cups water, 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano, freshly cracked black pepper, 2 teaspoons salt.
• Add the liquid mixture to the veggies and combine well.  Crush the cabbage a bit so that it will fit into the jars. 
• Fill two pint-sized Mason jars with the veggies and top with the brine.  
• Seal well and let ferment overnight in the fridge.

posole

This chicken posole from a recipe from Publix is SO GOOD.
I've long searched for a good posole recipe but most of them call for pork.  Which I know is authentic, but doesn't agree with me.  This completely hits the spot.  Minor adjustments made below.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons oil 

1 onion, chopped
1 large poblano pepper, coarsely chopped (anaheims can sub in a pinch)
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
3 teaspoons ground cumin
1 deli rotisserie chicken, shredded (I used about 2 c. of chicken) - will try substituting pinto beans

4 cups unsalted chicken stock (homemade is best of course)
2 (15.5-oz) cans white hominy, drained and rinsed
2 (4.5-oz) cans diced green chiles (I used hot Hatch diced chilis)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or more to taste)

accoutrements
1 ripe Hass avocado, diced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup queso fresco (or Monterey Jack) cheese, crumbled (I used a bit of cheddar)
1 lime

Steps

1. Preheat large stockpot on medium-high 2–3 minutes. Place oil in pan, then add onions and poblano; cook 4–5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and cumin; cook and stir 1 minute.
2. Stir in chicken, stock, hominy, chiles, and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer 7–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until hot and flavors have blended. Meanwhile, dice avocado.
3. Top each bowl of soup with cilantro, cheese, avocado, and a squeeze of lime juice. Serve. (Makes 8 servings.)

chicken spinach enchiladas

Based on this.

Chicken spinach enchiladas

• 2 chicken breasts (about 8 oz. of cooked chicken meat)
• 1 small yellow onion (diced)
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 can diced tomatoes with jalapenos (partially drained)
• 1 can white beans (drained)
• 1 package taco seasoning
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• ½ cup light Greek yogurt
• 1 (6 oz) bag baby spinach
• 1 jar green salsa
• 8 corn tortillas

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375F.
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large saucepan and sautee the onion until slightly soft (about 3 minutes).
3. Add the can of tomatoes (with juices), lime juice, yogurt, and taco seasoning. Stir well to combine.
4. Bring mixture to a boil, stir in the chicken, spinach and drained white beans, then reduce heat to low and let simmer (about 20 minutes).
5. Place the tortillas between two damp paper towels and steam in the microwave until soft (about 15 second).
6. Fill each tortilla with 1/8 of mixture, wrap and place in a greased casserole dish.
7. Top enchiladas with verde sauce.
8. Bake covered for 20 minutes. Then remove cover and bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes to finish.

tamale pie

I brought back some Trader Joe's taco seasoning mix last time I visited the US and it needs to be used, so tamale pie it is! (If I want to make this in the future, I'll just my own mixture of spices. For whatever reason when I was standing there at TJ's, I just had to have that packet. Who knows my thinking.)

Crust: (Combine and put in bottom of pie tin or casserole)
1 cup cornmeal
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
(1 cup whole kernel corn, drained)

Saute together in a little oil:
2+ small onions
3-4 cloves garlic

Add:
1# ground beef and cook until browned.

Take off heat and add:
taco meat seasoning packet
diced peppers (fresh or canned)
diced tomatoes (1 can) and/or tomato sauce
black beans (1 can - or kidney or pinto)
frozen or canned corn (I omit)

Stir together. Put on top of crust. Bake at 350 degrees about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and put back in oven to melt.

Eat with sour cream/yogurt and salsa and cilantro.

**

Update from August 2025 - this vegetarian tamale pie from NY Times popped up on a feed, and while it's more labor intensive (broiling peppers), it seems tasty and I plan to make it soon.  I think it may freeze well, which has become a common food prep thing for me which really helps when too busy to cook.  Bonus is that I have almost all the ingredients on hand (only need to pick up jalapenos, as I pickled them all yesterday), and I have just about that amount of cornmeal needing to be used up.  

Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

For the Chili

• 1large red or white onion, halved
• 2jalapeños, halved lengthwise and seeded (if desired)
• 1poblano or green bell pepper, sliced in half lengthwise, seeds removed
• 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
• 1¾teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal), plus more as needed
• 1(28-ounce) can whole plum or diced tomatoes
• 3fat garlic cloves, finely grated or minced
• 2tablespoons mild or hot chili powder, more as needed
• 2teaspoons dried oregano
• 1¾teaspoons ground cumin
• 3(15-ounce) cans black or pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems (optional)

For the Cornbread

• ¾cup/135 grams fine cornmeal
• 2tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1½teaspoons baking powder
• ½teaspoon kosher salt
• 1large egg, at room temperature
• ⅓cup/80 grams sour cream or whole-milk yogurt, plus more for serving
• ¼cup/57 grams unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2teaspoons honey
• 2scallions, whites and greens thinly sliced, plus more for serving
• 1cup grated Cheddar (optional)

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Prepare the chili: Move a rack as close to the heating element as possible and heat the broiler. Cover a baking sheet with foil. Finely dice half of the onion and set aside for later.

2. Step 2

   Slice remaining onion half into ½-inch-thick half-moons and arrange on the prepared baking sheet. Place jalapeños and poblano next to onions, cut sides down. Lightly brush vegetables with oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Broil 2 to 4 minutes, until vegetables are charred on one side. (If the chiles are small, they will be charred after 1 to 2 minutes.) Flip vegetables and broil until the other side is charred, 1 to 3 minutes.

3. Step 3

   Transfer pan to a rack until cool enough to handle, then stem the peppers. Transfer charred vegetables and any accumulated juices to a blender (or use a bowl and immersion blender). Add canned tomato and ¼ teaspoon salt, and blend to a coarse purée. You can make this up to 4 days ahead, and store in the refrigerator until needed.)

4. Step 4

   Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a large Dutch oven, heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high. Add diced onion and sauté until lightly browned, 6 to 9 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in chili powder, oregano, remaining 1½ teaspoons salt and cumin, and cook until spices darken, about 30 seconds.

5. Step 5

   Add beans and the reserved tomato purée, and let mixture simmer until thick like a chili, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in cilantro, if using. Taste and add more salt and chili powder, if needed.

6. Step 6

   While the chili simmers, prepare the cornbread: In a medium bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt.

7. Step 7

   In a small bowl, whisk together egg, sour cream, butter and honey. Whisk egg mixture into cornmeal mixture until combined. Fold in scallions.

8. Step 8

   Spread cornbread topping over the chili, then top with grated cheese, if using. Bake, uncovered, until cornbread is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve hot or warm, topped with sour cream and more scallions.

Mexican rice for a little crowd

Sadly, my childhood was bereft of culinary delights - unless you call tater tots, "cream of ..." soups, and canned vegetables delightful (I do not).

But there was something served in the school cafeteria I liked, and I spent years trying to recapture it - and this comes the closest!

This goes great with beans and other Mexican dishes to stretch the food dollar for a crowd.

***
*oil or butter
*1# bag of white rice
*garlic cloves, chopped
*onion, chopped
*cold water (1 1/2 times the amount of rice)
*can of diced tomatoes with chilies (generic Ro-Tel)
*small can of tomato sauce
*1 T ground cumin
*2 bouillon cubes (or just use broth instead of water)
*salt, to taste
(a little kick would be good - a jalapeno or two, or some cayenne)

Heat the oil/butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the rice and stir it as it browns (don't have to stir a lot at first, but keep an eye on after it starts to brown). Add in the garlic & onion to saute them a little.

Then add in everything else, stir it up well, and then cover it with a lid. When it starts to boil, turn it to low, and let cook undisturbed for 20 minutes.

***
This makes quite a bit - probably 10 good servings depending on what else you're serving.

easy chicken enchiladas with salsa verde

From here. Extremely yummy!

Yield 4 servings (serving size: 2 enchiladas and 1 lime wedge)
Ingredients
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (7-ounce) bottle salsa verde (such as Herdez brand) (I used a 16-ounce bottle which was perfect)
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
• 1/3 cup (3 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• Cooking spray
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled queso fresco
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 4 lime wedges
• Cilantro sprigs (optional)

Preparation
Preheat oven to 425°. Combine first 4 ingredients in a blender; process until smooth. Combine chicken and cream cheese in a large bowl. Stir in 1/2 cup salsa mixture. Reserve remaining salsa mixture.
Bring broth to a simmer in a medium skillet. Working with one tortilla at a time, add tortilla to pan; cook 20 seconds or until moist, turning once. Remove tortilla; drain on paper towels. Spoon about 1/4 cup chicken mixture down center of tortilla; roll up. Place tortilla, seam-side down, in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas, broth, and chicken mixture. [OR - just steam or microwave the tortillas and stuff them then - no broth nonsense to deal with.]

Pour remaining salsa mixture over enchiladas; sprinkle evenly with queso fresco and chili powder. Bake at 425° for 18 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve with lime wedges. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.
Nutritional Information
Calories: 327 (26% from fat)
Fat: 9.5g (sat 4.4g,mono 2.9g,poly 1.3g)
Protein: 28.5g
Carbohydrate: 31g
Fiber: 3.3g
Cholesterol: 78mg
Iron: 1.8mg
Sodium: 493mg
Calcium: 149mg

tamale pie in the slow cooker

From Stephanie's wonderful crockpotting blog. 

Spray cooking spray into the crockpot first. 

Filling.  Mix together and put into crockpot:

• 2 jars black beans 
• 1 can tomatoes (rotel)
• 1 can corn (or frozen equivalent)
• cheese, about 1/2 c. shredded
• onion diced
• spices (taco seasoning mix or):
• 1 T chili powder
• 1 T cumin 
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp oregano  
  
• Optional meat: I would brown it with onion, then add it. 

Topping, mix together and put on top:

• 1/2 c cornmeal
• 1/2 c flour 
• 1/2 tsp baking power
• 1 tsp sugar 
  
• 1/3 c milk
• 1 egg
  

Turn on crockpot. On high, in my pretty hot crockpot, it was done in about 4 hours.  Stephanie sad on low it was 6 hours for her. The top middle didn't really brown, but it got hard so that's good enough. It did stick to the crock, so spraying is worth it.

black bean chili

from here (with modifications) - it's soooo good!

* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 1 onion, diced
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 3/4# or so ground turkey, buffalo, or whatever you have
* equivalent of 3 (15 ounce) cans black beans, undrained
* 1 (29 ounce) crushed or canned tomatoes (or fresh, chopped finely)
* 1 1/2 T cumin (but I am a cumin freak)
* 1 tsp paprika
* 1 tsp cayenne pepper
* 1 tablespoon dried oregano
* 1 tablespoon dried basil leaves
* 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

EASY, QUICK DIRECTIONS:

Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat; cook onion and garlic until onions are translucent. Add meat and cook, stirring, until brown. Stir in everything else. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 60 minutes or more, until flavors are well blended.

MY SLOW COOKER VERSION:

1. Fill a crockpot (I have 4-quart) about 1/3 full of black beans; wash them. Soak black beans overnight (or at least a few hours).
2. Cook them in the slow cooker (suggestions here). (I like to cook them overnight because then I have a great breakfast AND can use the beans to make the chili in the day.)
3. Keep the crockpot about 1/2 full of beans (take out the others and freeze in containers to use later, or eat!).
4. Saute the ground meat in a pan on the stove until brown. Can also cook the onions/garlic this way but it's not necessary.
5. Dump browned meat and everything else into the crockpot and cook on high for about 4 hours or low for about 6-8. It won't burn so is a good thing to cook when gone a long time.

Super good! And healthy!

tomatillo papalo salsa

So, if you saw my garden blog entry today, you'd see quite a major insect infestation. I'm led to believe these are assassin bugs, which are beneficials (devouring plant pests) ... but it made me a little nervous about the future of my tomatillos. Some tiny ones are already coming out of their husks and I'm not sure what to do. I had fantasies of canning up oodles of tomatillo salsa to get me through the winter (I love green salsa), but that might not happen. Further, my papalo is almost as tall as me and it's only good fresh - can't cook it.

So ... when life gives you assassin bugs, make salsa!

1/2 pound husked tomatillos - boiled (about 10 minutes) or roasted until starting to blacken (I will probably cut them in half and put on the grill - but because so many are tiny, they'll need to go in a container or a pan)

Chop those up with:

onion (maybe 1/2 red)
garlic (3-5 cloves)
jalapeno or other peppers, stemmed and deseeded (2-5 - depending on the pepper heat and size)
lime juice and salt & pepper to taste
papalo - I'll start with a small amount and add in gently - it's a distinct taste so don't want to overpower

a little sugar and/or water if necessary

***
I'll eat the salsa with black beans, but it'd be splendid with chips or quesadilla (oh ... actually, that sounds really good ...)

along the lines of chicken chilaquiles

I will never again throw away old, stale tortilla chips!

This is definitely a "use up whatever leftovers you have" kind of dish and it's perfect! Yum!

Saute until translucent:
*onion, chopped
*garlic, minced
*chili and/or bell peppers, minced

Add and simmer for a bit:
*red salsa (red or green)
*fresh tomatoes

Add:
*chopped cooked chicken
*coarsely chopped spinach
*crushed stale tortilla chips

Cook through then eat with black beans on the side!

Good with cheese or sour cream on top, pero no los tengo - y tampoco no los necesito.

black beans

I'm a bit loathe to post my black bean "recipe" here because after 23 years of making them fairly regularly, I don't pay attention to what I do.

But, black beans are a POWERHOUSE - they're super good for us, a cheap form of protein (even when organic), and just super darned yummy.

****
soak dry beans overnight in a crockpot with clean water (after washing them). Cover at least a couple inches above the beans level. Know that they will approximately double or triple in size, so don't overflow the crockpot or make too many (though, I frequently freeze leftovers and that works well too).

Add:
onions (dried are fine)
garlic, chopped up, or powder
cumin
oregano
epazote if you can find it
cayenne
cilantro
peppers: chili, bell, etc.
celery
tomatoes (fresh or canned, or sauce/paste)
black pepper
Anything else your heart desires! (I think most important are the onions, cumin, and oregano.)

For two cups of dried beans I put in (everything approximate) 2-3 T dried onions (I don't buy them, but inherited from a friend moving away), four cloves garlic, 1 T cumin, 1+ tsp oregano, three pinches epazote, dash of cayenne, few grinds of fresh black pepper, five chopped of peppers that were sweet instead of hot); the point is that whatever you do will be yummy! I also freeze the last bits of salsa that's left when the beans run out, and I thaw & toss that into cook with the new pot of beans.

Note that I didn't include salt. When they're all ready, taste to see if salt is necessary (I find it never is) and add then. If you add during cooking, I'm told it makes the beans tougher.

Cook in the crockpot on high about 4 hours - but it really varies a lot depending on crockpot but also how old the beans are. Sometimes it can take more like 7 hours, sometimes less. I'm not picky about how firm they still are - it's fine if they start to disintegrate to me, but if it really matters to you you'll want to check. Before cooking check the water level - make sure the beans still have at least an inch of water. I think it's better to have too much than too little water because I can drain them if they're runny, but burning them is a bummer.

The crockpot is amazing for bean cooking because you never have to check or stir - making it perfect for days away at work or even overnight (soak all day, cook all night - it's a wonderful aroma and breakfast to wake up to!)

To serve: I just ate on rice, with salsa, yogurt, and cilantro. Super yum! Also very good on tortillas.