Recipe
My favorite go-to recipe lately is black bean pineapple enchiladas. Not only are they delicious, but they are so easy to fix it’s hard to find a reason not to make them every night.
They’re also easy to fix ahead of time and pop in the oven just before dinner time or pop in the freezer for another day.
They’re also easy to drop on the floor if you’re tired. {And yes, I did eat them. They’re too good not too.}
Black Bean Pineapple Enchiladas
8 whole wheat tortillas
2 cans black beans, drained & rinsed
1 can crushed pineapple {if you have the really big can, only use half}
1/2 packet low sodium taco seasoning
2 chilies in adobo, diced
1 can enchilada sauce {or make your own enchilada sauce}
Mix together black beans, enchiladas, taco seasoning, and chilies. Scoop into whole wheat tortillas. Fold in edges of tortillas and place in baking dish. 
Top with enchilada sauce.
{Not going to lie, these are so good I’ve even used spaghetti sauce in a pinch. Not bad. Not as good though.}
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, then broil on high until edges start to brown.
You can certainly add cheese before you broil the enchiladas, but I promise you won’t even miss it if you don’t.
They’re also delicious smothered in a pile of jalapenos and served with a Pale Pale Ale to wash away the heat. Mmmm,
Saranac Pale Pale Ale…if you like IPAs and hoppy beer, I definitely recommend giving this one a try.
Recipe
Surprisingly, the hardest meal during the husband’s vegan week was lunch. He likes deli meat and pimento cheese, not tofu and hummus.
I was determined to find a solution that was both satisfying and delicious. And healthy of course.
Luckily, we both love Mexican:
Once I gathered all the ingredients together, it was as easy as pie burritos. I’d venture to say just as easy as a sandwich- and a lot more filling.
At the beginning of the week, I gathered a bunch of toppings and had them ready to go in the fridge. {I know, opening a can can be tough.} Then for the rest of the week, it was just a matter of mixing and matching.
Refried beans
Black beans
Corn
Salsa
Brown rice
Jalapenos
Onions
Spinach
Hot sauce
Grilled veggies
The list goes on and on….
I’ll even tell you a secret: grilling the burrito makes it 67% better.
Favorite burrito fillings?
Recipe
If I started this blog today, I’d probably call it “The Best Blank Ever”. Every post would be titled “The Best ____ Ever”.
The Best Cinnamon Rolls Ever, the Best Breakfast Ever, the Best Pancakes Ever. Today’s post would be The Best Enchiladas Ever.
Hmm. I guess the Food Network beat me to it. Hard to blame them. Who doesn’t eat something delicious and then proclaim it’s the best ___ever?!
Well, these really are the best enchiladas ever. I’m biased because I made them but I don’t care.
I didn’t even mean for them to be the best ever. I just wanted beans. Beans wrapped in tortillas. And I didn’t feel like cooking an elaborate meal, so I wasn’t expecting much.
Well of course-
A lesson my mother taught me: Lower your expectations & you won’t be disappointed.
Another lesson that I don’t care to admit to: Your mom’s always right.
I don’t even know if these classify as enchiladas. Maybe they’re burritos? Or chimichangas? I know they’re not tacos. I deem them enchiladas. I mean, I’m the cook, what I say in my kitchen goes.
You, however, can call them whatever you want.
I call them good.
Best Enchiladas Ever
1 can refried black beans
1/2 packet low sodium taco seasoning
1/2 onion, sliced
1/2 cup salsa
5-6 whole wheat tortilla wraps
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
Sauce
1/2 can tomato paste
1/2 c water
1/2 T Worcestershire sauce
splash hot sauce
dash of spices: cumin, cayenne pepper
1/2 T white wine vinegar
1/2 T flour
Heat sauce ingredients in pan over low heat. Whisk in flour.
Cook onions over high heat in pan. Don’t touch them. Let them brown. Then you can give them a stir and turn the heat down. I’m serious. Don’t wimp out on me- let ‘em almost burn.
While the sauce simmers, mix taco seasoning and black beans. (FYI I didn’t like the brand I used. I had to add a ton before I could taste it- I usually use Old El Paso and hardly ever use more than a spoonful or two, so you might want to taste as you go.)
Stir in salsa. This might go without saying, but use a salsa you like. It’s gotta taste good. 🙂
Heat tortilla wraps in microwave on paper towel for 10 seconds. (It’ll keep them from tearing and making a sloppy mess.)
Fill tortillas with bean mixture. Top with a few onions.
Wrap ‘em up and stick ‘em in a baking dish.
Repeat. x4. or 5.
Pour sauce over enchiladas. I guess this is the part that makes them enchiladas?
Cover with cheese if you so please. Cheese for the mister, none for me. (Ok later I felt left out and added a little bit of cheese for me too.)
Broil enchiladas on low until cheese gets bubbly and starts to brown. I have no idea how long. I’m almost positive it was less than 10 minutes.
Optional: top with chopped jalapenos.
Served with cumin-spiced corn: yellow corn, cumin, and chopped jalapenos. Mmmm.
If I could change anything: don’t completely cover in sauce- the crispy parts of the tortillas were the best bites of the dish! Oh and make double.
[FYI these were super scrumptious left over- even better than leftover lasagna. For reals.]
If you don’t believe these are the best, try one of my other faves:
Squash & Bean Enchiladas or
Jess’ Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
Dinner
A package was waiting for me on the door step when I got home yesterday:
My iHerb order! I figured out during my last trip to Whole Foods that some of the ingredients I wanted were actually cheaper on iHerb, so I went ahead and placed an order.
That meant I immediately had to start experimenting!
I also had some old blackified bananas, which only means one thing…
Banana bread time!!!
My mom and I have baked banana bread together for as long as I can remember (we had a lot of bananas go bad ;)). We always used the recipe from the Fanny Farmer cookbook, which is fabulous, but I thought it was time to try something new.
I’m totally one for experimenting with recipes while cooking; however experimenting with baking is a no-no for me. Until today!
Banana Bread
1 c spelt flour
1/3 c buckwheat flour
2/3 c all purpose flour
3 T flax seed
1 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 t salt
1 t vanilla
1/4 c agave nectar
1/4 c coconut oil
1 T molasses
1/4 cup homemade applesauce (see below)
2 very ripe bananas
Combine dry ingredients in bowl. Add wet ingredients and stir to combine. You may need to get your hands in there and get a lil dirty. I promise it’ll come together. Spray loaf pan with cooking spray. Place dough in pan, form loaf shape. Top with extra flax seed and crushed walnuts. (Optional). Bake 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees. Toothpick should come out clean.
For homemade applesauce:
Cut Granny Smith apples into small chunks. Squirt with agave nectar, cinnamon, and lemon juice. Spread out on sheet pan and roast 30-35 minutes 325 degrees, stirring halfway through. Let cool; puree in food processor.
It seems like every time I get this food processor sucker cleaned up and put away, I pull it out again!
The possibilities for banana are endless: chocolate chips, walnuts, etc.
I was pretty pleased how the banana bread turned out! Especially for my first stint with not following a recipe. It can use some tweaking, but I’m definitely enjoying it 🙂 I’d probably bake it a few minutes less- the bottom’s just borderline dry. Can’t wait til I have some more black ‘naners. 🙂
At one point I looked down at my hand and saw I was bleeding profusely. My thoughts were in slow motion as I thought “when did I cut myself”…”why doesn’t it hurt”…”why’s it so….red?”
Yeaaa that’s when I realized the red food coloring spilled in the cabinet.
That was fun to clean up.
Dinner
The husband really wanted to go out to dinner tonight, so we went to Poblano’s for some authentic Mexican.
I got the veggie quesadilla with black beans on the side. Yum! SO much food though.
Then I came home and had a slice of that banana bread I’d been smelling all day!
By the way, I finally decided I needed to be realistic- there was no way I was going to get all that reading done. I did as much as I could, then bit the bullet and took the test for the conference. Fingers crossed!!
Are you watching the Oscars tonight? For the red carpet? For th
e hosting? For the winners? I’m pretty sure the only movie I’ve even seen that’s nominated is The Blind Side.
