Corn and Black Bean Enchiladas

Enchiladas are delicious. I could eat these at least once a week and not tire of them. They're spicy, but in a flavorful way. Another awesome comfort food to brighten up a dreary winter day. Did I mention these are omni approved? 

Corn and Black Bean Enchildas

Enchiladas

1 medium red onion, diced

1T coconut oil

1 can of corn, drained and rinsed

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2t chili powder (or more to taste)

1/4C fresh chopped cilantro

juice from 1/2 lime

8 corn tortillas (or about 6 flour tortillas)

Enchilada Sauce

1 - 16 oz can chunky salasa (I used medium heat)

1t cornstarch

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

2. Spray a 9x11" pan with oil.

3. In a large skillet, add oil and diced onion and saute over medium-high heat until the onion softens and begins to brown around the edges.

4. Add corn, beans, chili powder and cilantro to the skillet. Stir that sucker up over medium heat and squeeze the juice from 1/2 lime into the skillet. Mix well and heat through until the cilantro begins to wilt. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. (Don't want to burn your hands stuffing the enchiladas!)

5. Make a tortilla-size envelope out of aluminum foil and wrap the tortillas in it. Put it in the preheating oven for about 3 minutes. This softens the tortillas so they don't split as you wrap them around the filling.

6. While the tortillas are warming up, puree the can of salsa in food processor, add cornstarch and mix well. If you're in a rush, just use 2 cans of store bought enchilada sauce.

7. The fun part: Filling tortillas. I admit, I should have taken pictures of this step.  Place about 2 serving spoons of filling in a row in the center of the tortilla and fold the tortilla like a letter but without the creases.

8. Place the tortillas in your oiled 9x11" pan with the fold side down.

9. Once your pan is full of filled and folded tortillas, pour the sauce over your delicious enchildas.

10. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

11. Serve!  I topped my enchiladas with Toffuti sour cream and guacamole. Soooo delicious.

Tofutti Sour Cream - Best vegan sour cream in my opinion.

Wholly Guacamole. I pick these up at Sam's Club and freeze whatever I don't use right away. Freeze guacamole? Yep! As long as it's in an air tight container.

Red Bean Chili with Cinnamon and Cocoa

Cinnamon and Cocoa in chili? Yes! It's delicious. The cinnamon adds spiciness and a pleasing aroma while the cocoa adds an almost smoky richness. The absence of sugar keeps this chili from tasting like candy. This is a great comfort food dish for a day like today when it's a windy 21 degrees (-6C) outside.

Red Bean Chili with Cinnamon and Cocoa topped with Tofutti Sour Cream

Red Bean Chili with Cinnamon and Cocoa

1 medium red onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2T olive oil
2 cans red beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans petite diced tomatoes
1t ground cinnamon
1t unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2t cumin
1/2t chili powder (or more to taste)

In medium sauce pan add olive oil and onion. Saute on medium-high heat until the edges of the onion begin to brown. Add minced garlic and continue to saute for 3 additional minutes. Add remaining ingredients to the sauce pan and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.

A friend suggested serving this dish as Cincinnati chili over spaghetti noodles. Perhaps I'll try that next. This time, I topped it a dollop of Tofutti (vegan) sour cream and ate it with a spoon. Yum!

Barbecue Tofu

Valentine's Day is coming up and I've received a couple requests to post a recipe for barbecue tofu. BBQ tofu sounds complex or even fancy but it is actually super simple. I promise. Impress the vegan/vegetarian love of your life with this tasty dish. I've even served BBQ tofu and this vegan mac and cheese to omnivores with rave reviews.

BBQ Tofu

Barbecue Tofu with extra BBQ sauce for dipping and vegan mac and cheese

1. Purchase a block of extra firm tofu and your favorite BBQ sauce. The type of tofu that is packed in a tub of water. (Do NOT buy the hermetically sealed silken tofu in the shelf-stable box because it will fall apart and turn into mush.)

2. Take the unopened tub of tofu and stick it in your freezer for a day (or longer). Freezing the tofu will give it a chewier "meaty" texture. In my opinion, freezing helps the tofu absorb more of the sauce.

3. Thaw the tofu by putting the unopened pack in your refrigerator. It takes about 24hrs to thaw completely. If you need it to thaw faster, you can set the package out on the counter.

4. Press tofu. This is very easy. Take 2 plates, line the bottom plate with paper towels, put tofu on top of paper towels, then put the second plate on top of the tofu. Place a heavy book on top of the top plate. Pressing removes some of the moisture from the tofu which allows it to soak up more sauce. I usually press the tofu for 30minutes while I'm prepping other dishes.

5. Slice the tofu into whatever shape your heart desires. I like triangles that are about 2in long and 1/2in thick.

6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

7. Place the tofu on a well oiled cookie sheet and brush with your favorite BBQ sauce.

8. Bake for 15min.

9. Remove tofu from oven, flip each piece, and brush with BBQ sauce so that both sides are coated in sauce.

10. Bake for 15min.

Finished Product. The tofu will have a lightly crispy layer where the BBQ sauce has carmelized and a chewy texture that my omni friends compare to chicken nuggets.