Bean and Veggie Burger Enchilada Casserole

Bean and Veggie Burger Enchilada Casserole (adapted from Better Homes & Gardens, Servings: 6-8, Total Time: 1 hour)

Ingredients

·         4 Morningstar Farms Veggie Burger Patties, chopped

·         ½ cup chopped onion

·         1 tsp. chili powder

·         ½ tsp. ground cumin

·         1 15 oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

·         1 4 oz. can diced green chile peppers

·         1 8 oz. carton light dairy sour cream

·         2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

·         ¼ tsp. garlic powder

·         1 10 oz. can enchilada sauce

·         1 cup shredded taco cheese

Directions

1.      Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2.      In a large skillet cook the chopped burger patties, onion, chili powder, and cumin until onion is tender. Stir pinto beans and undrained chili peppers into burger mixture; set aside.

3.      In a small mixing bowl stir together sour cream, flour, and garlic powder until combined; set aside.

4.      Spoon burger mixture into casserole dish (or use an oven-safe skillet in the first step),  top with the sour cream mixture, and enchilada sauce. Cover dish with foil.

5.      Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until bubbly. Uncover; sprinkle with cheese and bake 5 minutes more.

I decided to omit the corn tortillas in the original recipe because we had wheat tortillas that needed to be consumed.  We spooned the mixture into the tortillas – worked just as well (if not better, I know that in these casseroles the tortillas can get a bit soggy).

I really like this dish, but my husband found a tad too spicy.  I’ll admit, there was a little kick to it (I used green chile enchilada sauce, which is spicier than red), but that was fine by me.  I used the Burger Patties instead of Burger Crumbles because I had a large pack that needed to be used.  I think that it worked out quite well.  I liked the firm texture of the patties (and the beans) with the creamy sour cream, enchilada sauce, and cheese.  Just a total winner in my book and I cannot wait to make it again!

Southwestern Breakfast Bake

Southwestern Breakfast Bake (slightly adapted from Better Homes & Gardens, Servings 6-8, Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes)

Ingredients

·         1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

·         ¾ cup canned enchilada sauce

·         2 4.5 oz. cans diced green chile peppers, drained

·         ¼ cup thinly sliced green onions

·         2 cloves garlic, minced

·         1 cup shredded taco cheese

·         3 egg whites

·         3 egg yolks

·         2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

·         ¼ teaspoon salt

·         ½ cup skim milk

·         1 tsp. dried cilantro

Directions

1.       Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2.       Spray a 2-quart square baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. In the prepared dish, combine black beans, enchilada sauce, green chile peppers, green onions, and garlic. Sprinkle with cheese.

3.       In a medium mixing bowl beat egg whites with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form (tips curl); set aside.

4.       In a large bowl combine egg yolks, flour, and salt. Using a wire whisk, beat mixture until combined (mixture will be stiff). Gradually whisk in milk until smooth. Fold the beaten egg whites and cilantro into egg yolk mixture. Carefully pour the egg mixture over the bean mixture in baking dish.

5.       Bake in oven for 45 minutes or until egg mixture appears set when gently shaken. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Both my husband and I liked this dish, and he even ate some of the leftovers!  I used green chile enchilada sauce, which was a bit spicy, but tasty.  If I had used regular or mild enchilada sauce, I may have added a dash of hot sauce (as recommended in the original recipe).  I cut back on the green onions (using ¼ as opposed to ½ cup) because my husband claims that he doesn’t like them – although, I will say, he didn’t seem to notice that they were in this dish (the blend in with the green chiles).  Sneaky, sneaky!

I served the egg dish in soft taco shells and I don’t think that it needed anything extra (i.e. salsa or sour cream).  The black beans were firm and provided a good texture difference against the soft and chewy eggs.  The 1 cup of cheese was also plenty – it made the whole mixture creamy and everything bound together quite nicely.

I will definitely make this dish again, but I plan to make a few changes.  8 oz. of green chiles is a lot and the dish might work just a tad better with 4 oz. green chiles plus a can of diced tomatoes and green chiles (or just one can of diced chiles and one can of plain diced tomatoes).  The regular enchilada sauce would definitely add some color, but I think that some variation of veggies would also be nice.  I think that adding corn would also be a nice addition.  Enjoy!

Distrito (Philadelphia, PA)

Distrito

My husband and I went to Distrito with two of our friends.  I originally planned on ordering a salad and maybe one tapas plate (or two), but everyone else at the table wanted to try one of the Tasting Menus.  We were told that everyone at the table had to order the same Tasting Menu, so I reluctantly agreed on the condition that they included some vegetarian options for me.  They more than came through on that promise!

We started with a pitcher of White Sangria (Chardonnay, Brandy, Orange Liqueur, Apples, and Strawberries), some Spiced Nuts, an order of Traditional Guacamole (with Cotija cheese) and an order of Salsa Mexicana.  The Sangria was OK, but I would definitely recommend the Red Sangria (Burgundy, Brandy, Orange Liqueur, Apple, Strawberries, and Spices – we had a pitcher of that as well and it was so good, the spices were a perfect mix in the sangria).  The nuts had a bit of a kick to them (they were peanuts and cashews) and very tasty.  The guacamole was homemade and was blended well (no large hunks of avocado), the Cotija cheese on top gave it just a touch of saltiness.  The Salsa Mexicana was OK – it was the type of salsa with chunks of tomatoes, onion, and cilantro.  Not my type of salsa, but OK.  They served both of these with chips that were lightly salted.

The second part of the meal included a Angelica’s Fresa salad – Strawberries, Spinach, Melon, Blue Cheese, Serrano-Balsamic Vinaigrette, and Poppy Seeds.  The vinaigrette and poppy seed dressing had a little kick to it and paired well with the fruit and spinach – I steered clear of the blue cheese that they added to the salad.  They also brought out a little samosa-like dish for me that included cheese and spinach – I don’t remember what it was called and cannot find it on the menu.  The dough was thick (but not too thick) and the filling was delicious, not spicy at all.  I also received a Tostada with black beans, charred red onion, rajas smoked tomato sofrito, and avocado which was good, but I was starting to get full, so I don’t remember the taste all that well.  An Enchilada de Verduras (which had spinach inside and was coated with a smoked tomato salsa ranchera) was delectable – the ranchera sauce was thick and makes my mouth water just thinking about it. My main meal ended with a side of Arroz Con Frijoles Negros (black beans and rice), although I don’t recommend it.  This dish seemed very bland as related to my other dishes. 

The meal ended with two desserts: Churros (served with Spicy Valrhona Chocolate Sauce and Coconut Crema) and Futas Con Crema (Coconut & Lime Panna Cottas, Tropical Fruit, Wedding Cookies).  I am surprised that the second had coconut in it because I loved the top layer of this dessert (it was the coconut layered on top of the lime) – it was very creamy and rich.  I did not like the lime portion and did not eat it.  The wedding cookies were crunchy with just a hint of cinnamon.  I did not like the churros – the texture was a little too crisp for me and there was a bit too much cinnamon.  The chocolate and coconut cream were good though.  When eating the chocolate with the churro, you cannot taste the spiciness; however, when you taste it on its own, there is quite a kick.  It’s the same way with the cream – you cannot taste the coconut until you try it on its own.

All in all, I definitely recommend Distrito for a vegetarian meal – maybe skip the Tasting Menu, I’m not completely sure that I, as the only vegetarian, got my money’s worth.

Mexican Lasagna – Lite

Mexican Lasagna – Lite (adapted from AllRecipes, 6 servings, Total Time: 1 hour)

Ingredients

·         1 package Morningstar Farms MealStarters burger crumbles

·         1 envelope taco seasoning mix

·         ¾ cup water

·         1-2 cups crushed tortilla chips (can also use corn tortilla shells)

·         1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chiles, drained

·         2 (10 oz.) cans enchilada sauce, divided

·         1 (8 oz.) carton nonfat sour cream, divided

·         1 (16 oz.) can vegetarian refried beans, divided

·         1 (8 oz.) package shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided

Directions

1.      Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

2.      Put frozen crumbles into a skillet over medium heat, breaking up into as it cooks.  Continue until no longer frozen, about 5 minutes.

3.      Stir in taco seasoning mix and water, bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer mixture until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in chopped green chilies and refried beans, remove from heat.

4.      Spread a scant 2/3 cup enchilada sauce evenly over the bottom of an 8x10-inch baking dish; top sauce with ½ of the crushed chips. Spread chips with half the sour cream, half the crumble/bean mixture, and 1/3 the cheese blend. Top with another 2/3 cup enchilada sauce and the remaining tortilla chips. Firmly press down on tortillas to compact the layers beneath.

5.      Spread remaining sour cream, crumble/bean mixture, 1/3 the cheese blend and 2/3 cup enchilada sauce onto chips. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese blend.

6.      Bake casserole uncovered in the preheated oven until the cheese topping is melted and bubbling and casserole is hot, about 20 minutes.

I was following the intiial recips (except using tortilla chips instead of shells) until I tried to spread the sour cream on top of the tortilla chips, then everything went to heck.  It is quite a difficult task to do without them moving around (so, use the shells if you like things a little easier).  I made a combination of the shells, enchilada sauce, and chips as the first layer, followed by the crumble/bean mixture.  The next layer ended up pretty much the same.  However, it doesn’t really matter how you make it – it tastes wonderful.  I used PepperJack cheese instead of a Mexican blend and it added a nice kick to the meal – I also used medium-style enchilada sauce.  It was spicy (not too much for my husband) and very creamy (I don’t think that even the tortilla shells would have held their crunch against this meal!).  The taste is absolutely declicious (my mouth is watering right now as I remember it) and a great Mexican bite.  I definitely recommend this one!

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

Chicken Enchilada Pasta (slightly adapted from Better Homes & Gardens, Total Time: 1 hour, Servings: 8-10)

Ingredients

·         1 12 oz. package dried jumbo shell macaroni

·         2 tsp. olive oil

·         1 large green and 1 large red sweet peppers, chopped

·         1 cup chopped red onion

·         1 fresh jalapeno chile pepper, seeded and chopped

·         2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

·         2 pkg. Trader Joe’s chickenless Chicken Strips, chopped

·         1 16 oz. can refried beans

·         1 package taco seasoning mix

·         2 10 oz. cans enchilada sauce

·         8 oz. shredded Mexican-style four-cheese blend

·         1 cup sliced green onions

Directions

1.      Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Rinse; drain and set aside.

2.      In skillet, heat oil over medium heat.  Cook sweet peppers, onion, jalapeno, and ¼  tsp. salt for 5 minutes or until tender.

3.      Stir in chicken, beans, taco seasoning mix, and ½ cup enchilada sauce. Cook and stir 5 minutes.

4.      Stir in ½ cup each of the cheese and green onions.

5.      Spread 1 cup of the remaining enchilada sauce in 3-quart rectangular baking dish.

6.      Divide filling among shells.  Arrange shells atop sauce. Drizzle with remaining enchilada sauce.

7.      Bake, covered, for 30 minutes.

8.      Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with remaining green onions.

I absolutely love this dish!  My husband thoroughly enjoyed the filling, but not the pasta (apparently, he’s not a fan of shells – never knew that before and I’ll never understand how people can write off one type of pasta, but that’s not for this blog).  They were pretty spicy, but the pasta helped tame that slightly.  The original recipe calls for 3 peppers, but I think that is too many considering the amount of filling that you have.  If you don’t have the Trader Joe’s chickenless Chicken Strips, you could make it without or use some other soy product (i.e. Morning Star Farms Burger Crumbles).  It adds some texture to the dish and some needed protein.  Overall, everything tasted delish and I wouldn’t change a thing to the above recipe.