Lemon Curd Breakfast Topping

As you know by now, I am a big fan of breakfast. So, here is a recipe for lemon curd, which is great on everything breakfast: crepes, scones, pancakes, French toast... Yes, it is a bit indulgent, but for a treat once in a while, why not?! Here is a great article about lemon curd on the Fine Cooking website. It has a link to a recipe they recommend, but here is my adaptation:

Lemon Curd
yields about 2 cups

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (or just cut into small cubes if using a stand mixer)
2/3 cup of maple sugar (or sweeten to taste with crystal sugar of choice, up to one cup)
3 large eggs
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1. With a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the butter with the sugar until fluffy, about two minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating. Once well incorporated, add the lemon juice and mix to combine. Don't worry how it looks at this point.
2. In a heavy saucepan, heat the mixture at low heat, stirring until the mixture is smooth and then thickens, about 15 minutes. Don't allow the mixture to boil.
3. Remove from heat. Add the zest and transfer to a bowl. Place plastic wrap to touch the top of the curd so a skin doesn't form. Refrigerate. It will thicken a bit more in the refrigerator. After it is cooled, cover tightly and it will keep a week refrigerated or 2 months in the freezer (if you can resist it... )

Barley Risotto with Greens

This dish is adapted from a recipe appearing on page 45 of the November/December Vegetarian Times. The published recipe is "Barley Risotto with Spinach and Tofu." In that issue there are several risotto recipes that do not call for Arborio rice, which is what is normally used for risotto. This recipe calls for quick-cooking barley, but I didn't have enough on hand to make the complete recipe, so I used a mixture of barley and rice. Also, since I had on hand some beautiful organic mixed greens from my CSA veggie basket, I substituted them for the spinach. So I steamed the greens separately before adding them to the dish. And I omitted the tofu.

I found that it took much much longer to cook than the recipe says, and that I needed much more hot broth/liquid than the recipe called for as well. But perhaps if I had used the stated amount of barley instead of a combination of rice and barley, it may have cooked more in line with the recipe. In any event, the flavors are delicious, so it is worth sharing.

Barley Risotto with Spinach and Tofu, adapted from Vegetarian Times
Serves 6

six cups of vegetable broth (or more, as needed)
2 cups quick-cooking barley
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 large shallots, chopped or one cup chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2/3 cup dry white wine or sherry cooking wine
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped (and drained if oil packed)
12 oz fresh baby spinach or if substituting fresh greens: steam, squeeze out excess water, then chop
1 8 oz package baked garlic-herb tofu, cubed (optional)
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (plus more for garnish, if desired)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

1. Put the broth in a pot to boil, then keep simmering on the back burner.
2. In a medium-hot dry skillet, toast the barley, stirring often, about five minutes. Set aside.
3. In a heavy pot, heat one tablespoon of the oil and saute the shallots or onion for about 4 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and the toasted barley and stir about 2 minutes. Add the wine and simmer for about 3 minutes or until the liquid is almost all absorbed.
4. Add 1/2 cup of the hot broth and the sun-dried tomatoes and simmer about 4 more minutes or until liquid is mostly absorbed, stirring constantly. Add fresh spinach a few handfuls at a time and cook until wilted. Continue adding the hot broth about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until mostly absorbed and then keep repeating: add broth, stirring until liquid is mostly absorbed, then adding more broth... If using steamed greens instead of fresh spinach, stir them in bit by bit.
5. When the barley is just about tender, add the cubes of tofu (if using) and chives or sage and heat through and let the flavors blend. Then, stir in the shredded cheese and remaining tablespoon of olive oil.

Karma-Free Cooking

I just wanted to be sure to let everyone know that my friend Madelyn now has a vegetarian cooking blog, Karma-Free Cooking. I have previously posted on my blog several of her delicious recipes. She and I took a cooking class together in the Spring through Conscious Gourmet. Anyway, check out her blog!

Papa a la Huancaina

I do hope all of the Peruvians will excuse me for taking liberties here with one of the Peru's national dishes. The way I present the dish in the photo above is not quite authentic.

As a part of our Thanksgiving festivities this year, DH and I went to a party at some friends' house where there were people from all over Latin America. Many people brought dishes to share, and the result was a very interesting feast, with a wide variety of authentic, native American dishes, none of which happened to be dishes that are traditionally eaten for Thanksgiving! There were many Peruvians at the party, so of course, there were Papa a la Huancaina. Papa means potato in Spanish.

Our friends kindly gave me some aji chiles, as I expressed interest in wanting to try to make the dish at home. I am sorry I didn't take a photo of the aji chiles, but they are bright, deep orange and look similar in shape and size to banana peppers but are very spicy. They can sometimes be found in bags in the freezer section of Latin American specialty grocery stores.

The recipe below was given to me years ago by a classmate in one of my Spanish classes, who got it from her Peruvian mother-in-law.

Papa a la Huancaina

2 tablespoons oil
2 aji chiles, seeds removed or 1 jalapeno, seeds removed (or more chiles depending on how spicy you like it)
2 cloves garlic
4 oz queso fresco or feta cheese
4 soda cracker squares for texture (I admit I omitted them but still liked the results)
1 cup milk or half-and-half or evaporated milk, or amount needed for sauce-like consistency
salt and pepper to taste

Blend in blender the first three ingredients to make a nice paste. Then add the cheese and crackers and pulse to combine. Keep blending and pour in the milk, bit by bit, until blended into a sauce of a nice consistency.

Hard boil eggs. Boil potatoes and sweet potatoes until tender. Slice the eggs and potatoes. Arrange the eggs and potatoes and some olives on a lettuce-lined platter. Pour the cheese sauce on top and serve.

Note: in the photo above, I roasted potatoes, onions and butternut squash instead of boiling potatoes and sweet potatoes. I also admit that I roasted the aji peppers and garlic before blending them into the sauce, with great results. And, I topped my dish with ground toasted pumpkin seeds, as my own personal touch.

Tamales Dzotobichay

What does a vegetarian make for Thanksgiving? Well, at my house, our tradition is to imagine what the Pilgrims would have eaten at a feast if they had landed on the shores of Yucatan, being that is where DH is from. It's all part of living in a multi-cultural household. This year we made a very old Mayan dish called Dzotobichay, which means chaya tamales. Chaya is a dark leafy green vegetable similar to chard or collard greens and is native to the Yucatan. I have never found it in the States, and in any case, I find it rather harsh, being unaccustomed to it. So I substitute whatever greens I can find for the chaya in making these tamales: spinach, kale, collard greens, chard, etc.

For the first time, DH and I decided to try making the masa (tamale dough) from scratch, rather than using a dry instant masa flour mix like Masa Harina. This isn't going to be a recipe, but I am at least going to describe the process of making it. In the photo above, I am bringing a pot of hominy to a boil. The white cloudiness in the water is cal, slaked lime. The cal is essential to get the hominy to become soft enough to grind into the masa dough. In any event, I boiled the hominy for a short time and then set it aside to soak. After it soaked, I rinsed it well to remove all traces of cal and rubbed the hominy with towels to dry and to clean them.

We put the hominy in a grinder, pictured above, and ground it into masa. We decided to make the masa more indulgent than we normally do, being that it was Thanksgiving. So, we whipped pure butter, added the ground masa and beat it together, adding enough hot vegetable broth to make a moist dough. Salted as needed. Then we stirred some chopped, steamed greens into the dough.

These tamales are made using banana plant leaves, rather than corn husks. The banana leaves impart a flavor to the dough as it cooks. The dough is spread on the banana leaf and is topped with chopped boiled eggs, ground pepita (toasted pumpkin seeds) and salsa de jitomate. The banana leaf gets wrapped around the filling into a little bundle and the bundle is steamed for at least an hour to cook.

Here are some links that show more about the process of making fresh masa and making banana leaf tamales:

Vegetarian Banana Leaf Tamale Recipe

Masa Dough for Tamales and Tortillas

Turnips Au Gratin

I got some turnips with my basket of vegetables this week from my organic CSA farm. I was going to put them into a soup, but at the last minute, I was inspired to make them into a cheesy casserole along with a sweet potato. I served it with Agave-Glazed Tempeh and my Mixed Greens and Walnuts.

Turnips Au Gratin

3 turnips, cubed
1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
2 tablespoons of butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk, warm
dash of picante sauce (optional)
salt and pepper
grated cheese
whole grain bread crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Boil the turnips and sweet potato until tender, about 20 minutes. Save one to two cups of the water they boiled in. Drain the rest of the water. Set aside.

3. Melt the butter with the olive oil in an oven-proof pot. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Add milk and stir continuously until the sauce thickens.

4. Add the tender turnips and sweet potatoes and stir to combine. Add the reserved water from the turnips. Stir. Season with salt and pepper and optional dash of hot sauce.

5. Top with grated cheese and bread crumbs. Bake uncovered until the cheese melts and the bread is toasty, about 25 minutes.

Mushroom Sandwich on Ciabatta

We are still enjoying the variety of breads from our recent bread classes. We made some shitake mushroom and some black olive ciabatta breads which are great for pressed or baked sandwiches. Below you can see the structure of the ciabatta bread with the pieces of mushroom or olive inside. We didn't put much of either in the dough. Next time we will put a bit more.

We could have cooked our sandwiches in a sandwich press. But this time, we baked them on a pizza stone in our oven at 350 degrees until the crust became crisp and the cheese melted. The filling is Swiss cheese with sauteed onions, garlic, herbs and mushrooms.

Mixed Greens with Walnuts

This week, my vegetable basket that I received from my CSA farm was filled with a wonderful variety of greens. So, I made a saute using a mixture of them and walnuts. Cooked greens are not especially photogenic, but if I wax poetic enough about how tasty they were would you believe me? The greens we had this week were Tatsoi, Red Russian Kale, Wasabi Spicy Lettuce, Arugula and Turnip Greens. I used a bit of each. I adapted this recipe from one that appeared in the Natural Gourmet Cookbook.

Mixed Greens with Walnuts

Up to two pounds total of a variety of greens, washed well, coarse stems removed
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
sea salt to taste
1/2 cup walnut pieces
freshly grated nutmeg

1. Toast the walnuts in 350 degree F oven for about 10 minutes, stirring once, until fragrant.
2. Boil the washed greens a large pot of water for about 10 minutes, uncovered. Drain. Spin in a salad spinner to remove excess water. Chop roughly when cool enough to touch.
3. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan. Add the garlic and saute briefly to flavor the oil. Add the greens and saute for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and freshly grated nutmeg. Stir in the walnut pieces. Serve.

Variation for ginger lovers: I think a nice addition would be to add about 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root at the same time as the garlic.

Making Fruit-Filled Ciabatta

One of the breads we made at The Art of Artisan Bread Class at Johnson & Wales was Cranberry Raisin Pecan Ciabatta. Here are some photos showing some of the steps in making it. Above is the very wet ciabatta dough, just as it has begun to hold together.

Here the fruit and nuts have been mixed into the dough. Notice how densely packed it is!

Here the dough is shaped and ready to go into the oven.

The bread is being loaded into the oven. We have been enjoying it with butter for breakfast for the last few days.

When the artisan breads come out of the oven the crusts have a beautiful crunchiness. Eventually though, the crusts will soften. We prefer to eat the bread when the crusts are crisp.

To revive and re-crisp the crusts of artisan breads:

preheat oven with a pizza stone inside to 350 degrees F. Place the bread on the pizza stone and bake for about 8 to 10 minutes. The inside of the bread will stay soft while the outside will crisp. Enjoy!

Artisan Bread Class at Johnson & Wales

For the second weekend in a row, DH and I have attended a bread baking class offered through the Chef's Choice program at Johnson & Wales in Charlotte, NC. This class was The Art of Artisan Bread which lasted eight hours, over two days. It was taught by Chef Harry Peemoeller. Pictured above are a sampling of the fabulous breads we made during the class. At the top is Ciabatta with Cranberries Raisins and Pecans. Below that is Sourdough with Onions. Below that from left to right: Ciabatta with Shitake Mushrooms, Ciabatta with Black Olives, a Sourdough Boule and three Baguettes with three different shapes. At the bottom are Multi-Grain breads, one shaped in a boule, and the other in a loaf.

Above is a tray of freshly baked sourdough and fruit-filled ciabatta. The sourdough was made with 100% wild yeast. The focus of the class was on the slow fermentation method of baking bread. We prepared the doughs the first day and left them in the refrigerator overnight to develop. The dough was shaped and baked the second day.

Here are slices of fruit-filled ciabatta and multi-grain. Everything was so delicious! The classes we took were exceptional. We wish we had signed up for more!

Squash Macaroni and Cheese

I consider this dish an adult, sophisticated version of the classic Mac-n-Cheese. I got the recipe from my friend Madelyn, and it is a winner! The orange-yellow color comes from squash. You can use any squash, but pumpkin or butternut squash work very well. It's creamy and satisfying while being packed with extra nutrition.

Squash Macaroni and Cheese

1 pound whole grain elbow macaroni: boiled until tender but still firm
2 pounds squash or 2 10-oz packages frozen pureed squash
1 1/2 to 2 cups milk
6 ounces of shredded cheese (a variety of favorite melting cheeses works nicely)
1/2 cup to 1 cup ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard or mustard powder
dash of picante sauce (optional: my addition)
Parmesan or other cheese for topping

If using fresh squash:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Slice squash in half and place face down on a greased pan and bake about an hour, until the squash is tender. An alternative for faster cooking: peel, seed and cube squash and coat with oil and bake for 20 to 30 minutes until tender.
2. Puree the cooked and peeled squash with 1 1/2 cups of milk in blender or food processor. Add to a large saucepan and simmer on low until heated. If it is too thick, add more milk, a 1/2 cup at a time. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and stir in the ricotta cheese, starting with 1/2 a cup, and tasting to see if you want to add more. Stir in the mustard and optional picante sauce. Stir in some of the shredded cheeses, reserving enough for topping. Adjust oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Proceed to step 3 below.

If using frozen squash:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Place the frozen squash and two cups of milk in a large saucepan and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, breaking up the squash as it defrosts. Once the squash is defrosted and heated, blend either with an immersion blender or in a blender if the mixture isn't smooth enough. But, if it is smooth enough already, skip that step. Add the ricotta, mustard and picante sauce (if using) and stir in some of the cheese, reserving enough for topping.

3. Combine the squash sauce with the cooked pasta and place in a greased baking pan. Top with cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted, and it is hot and bubbly. Turn up the heat or turn on the broiler to for a few minutes to crisp and brown lightly, if desired.

Note added November 2007: be sure to check out Madelyn's blog, Karma-Free Cooking.

Two sandwiches

We are so enjoying sampling the nice variety of breads that we made at the bread baking class we took over the weekend. We find we can't decide which breads to have with our meals, as we want them all! So, for lunch, we decided to use two of the breads. We made peanut butter and banana sandwiches with the Spent Grain Loaf and cream cheese cucumber sandwiches with the Vollkornbrot. A nice thing about whole grain breads is that they stay fresh for a nice length of time. They actually taste better and better.

Here are some interesting notes about the breads:
The Spent Grain Bread is made using the grains left over from brewing beer. The Vollkornbrot is 100% rye. The dark color comes from cocoa powder and molasses.

Sopa de Elote (Mexican Corn Soup)

Sopa de Elote is so comforting and delicious. And it is surprisingly easy and quick to make. Above is a version we were served at Fonda San Miguel, a restaurant in Austin, Texas. It is garnished with thin strips of fried corn tortillas. Below is a version I made at home using mostly white corn, but also some yellow corn, so the color is much lighter. I garnished mine with thin strips of Gruyere cheese.

Sopa de Elote (Mexican Corn Soup)

• 4 1/2 cups fresh raw corn kernels (husked from approximately 8 or 9 ears), divided
• 1/2 cup to 1 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoons minced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 of a poblano chile, stem removed, seeded and chopped (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste
• strips of cheese or fried strips of corn tortillas for garnish (optional)

1. In a blender, blend 3 cups of the corn kernels with 1/2 cup of milk. Set aside.
2. In a pot, heat the oil and fry the onion and poblano chile until tender.
3. Add the blended corn mixture and the rest of the corn kernels. If the soup is too thick, add extra milk, a little at a time, until desired consistency is reached.
4. Heat at medium low until it simmers, then reduce heat to low. Stir occasionally. Simmer uncovered until well heated, and the corn is tender. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish as desired.

Making Country Miche Boules

Here I am showing some of the steps involved in making the High Extraction Flour Country Miche Boules we baked in the Wheat to Eat class at Johnson & Wales. After making the dough and letting it rise for its first rise, the dough is formed into the boule (round loaf) shape and is placed in a highly floured banneton (a basket made of willow), where it rises a final time.

Above we have flipped four of the boules out of their bannetons onto a floured peel (wooden board). The reason for placing them on the peel is that it makes it easy to slide them into the oven. Before going into the oven, the tops of the loaves are scored. Note, due to the time limitations of the class, we couldn't wait for them to rise to their prime. They would have benefited from about fifteen more minutes of rising time. But they still turned out plenty beautifully.

Here we have placed several dozen loaves of bread into the oven. During the first five minutes, steam is produced by the special ovens. On the racks in front are loaves (shaped into batards) that are ready to enter the ovens. They are not waiting on peels, but rather on parchment lined sheet pans, an alternative. Chef Reinhart gave us tips on how to adapt the baking methods to home ovens.

The boules are shown baking in the oven above. They have risen slightly more in the oven, and the score marks have become quite expanded. I like how the flour from the bannetons leaves pretty white flour stripes on the top of the bread.

Chef's Choice Baking Class

This weekend, DH and I attended a bread baking class at Johnson & Wales in Charlotte, NC. The class was called "From Wheat to Eat: Flavorful Whole Grain Breads" and was taught by Peter Reinhart, the author of several baking books. We loved the class and had a great time. Above Pedro is standing next to Chef Reinhart as he is signing our copies of some of his books.

Here I am standing near Chef Reinhart as he is explaining the process of creating a soaker and its role in whole grain bread baking.

Here we are rolling out dough for whole grain crackers.

This is the bounty of bread we brought home from the class. Clockwise from top left, Spent Grain Loaf, Vollkornbrot Loaf, High Extraction Flour Country Miche Boule, Whole Wheat Mash Batard, and in the bowl are Three Seed Crackers. I can't even come close to picking out my favorite. I love them all! And a bonus, not pictured, is that we were able to bring home some 100% whole wheat starter and some 100% rye starter.

Mustard Roasted Potatoes and Veggies

Here's another dish for which to thank Madelyn. The original recipe is for Potatoes Poupon, but I think that this variation is really great, as there is no limitation to using Dijon Mustard. Madelyn says that other varieties of mustard, such as grain mustard, also work great. And my addition to the recipe is to add a variety of vegetables, rather than just using potatoes. In the photo above, I used red skinned potatoes, yellow zucchini and carrots.

Mustard Roasted Potatoes (and optional veggies)

3 tablespoons Dijon, grain or your favorite gourmet mustard
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 pounds red skinned potatoes (about six medium) cut into chunks OR 2 pounds total of potatoes and veggies cut into same sized chunks
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Mix together all of ingredients except the potatoes and veggies in a bowl. Add the chopped potatoes and veggies and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Lightly grease with olive oil a roasting pan. Add the coated veggies. See photo below.
4. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.

LynnH's Pumpkin-Vanilla Loaf (vegan)

Now that it is fall and pumpkin season, I absolutely must recommend Lynn H's Pumpkin-Vanilla Loaf recipe. It is a vegan recipe with few ingredients, and yet it has so much flavor! Also, it's amazingly moist. The recipe calls for Kamut Brand flour which adds some of the flavor. However, I have also had success using a combination of whole grain flours, such as spelt and barley. Instead of using sugar, I have had success sweetening as follows: 1/2 cup (heaping) of maple sugar (not syrup) plus 3 tablespoons agave nectar. Bake at 335 instead of 350 if you use my sugar substitute.

Also note that the recipe is for two loaves, but my loaf pan is large, so I put all of the batter in my one pan and it turns out great. In my oven it look 50 minutes to bake the one large loaf.

Maple Vanilla Carrots

Here is another recipe that my friend Madelyn recommended I try. It's very easy, but gives the carrots an unexpected and sophisticated flavor. The original recipe was featured in a magazine. I am presenting the recipe as Madelyn described it to me.

1 pound of carrots, sliced 1/4 inch thick on the diagonal, so they look pretty
1 vanilla bean
maple syrup
unsalted butter
salt and pepper to taste

1. Place the carrots in a deep skillet with a small bit of water, enough so the carrots will be able to steam.
2. Slice the vanilla bean in half and scrape the seeds into the carrot pan. Put the vanilla bean pod in the water as well. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Cover and simmer over medium heat until the carrots are cooked and most of the water has evaporated. Drain any excess water. Remove the vanilla bean pod. The tiny seeds will remain on the carrots.
4. Add a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of maple syrup to the carrots. Stir so the butter melts and the syrup coats everything. Madelyn suggests adding a bit of honey if more sweetness is desired.

Serve and enjoy! Note that I placed the split vanilla pod on top as a garnish, but it's for presentation only, not for consumption!

Madelyn's Spinach Crepes

Hello everyone, sorry it's been so long since I've posted anything. My friend Madelyn that I met at the Conscious Gourmet cooking class in April sent me some wonderful recipes. She said I could share them here. This recipe is for a filling for savory crepes, and it is so delicious!

Madelyn said she picked up some pre-made crepes at the supermarket. So it was very easy to make this dish, just warming the crepes and folding them around the filling like a burrito. I have never seen pre-made crepes before, but I haven't looked either. So, I made my own using this recipe, substituting a mixture of whole grain flours for the white flour. They didn't turn out very thin, as I don't have a proper crepe pan, but the taste was great. I found that there was enough filling for eight crepes.

Madelyn's Spinach Crepes

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 leek, sliced and rinsed well
1/2 of a green bell pepper, diced
2 to 4 cloves garlic, depending on how much you love garlic
1 small container of fresh mushrooms, sliced (my addition to the recipe: it's optional)
1 teaspoon tarragon or Italian seasoning
salt and pepper
1 package of frozen spinach, no need to defrost, OR one bag of fresh spinach
a bit of half and half mixed with a bit of condensed cream of mushroom soup OR 2 heaping tablespoons sour cream OR cream cheese
shredded Swiss, Gruyere or Sharp Cheddar cheese
chopped walnuts to add inside or to garnish
agave nectar or honey to garnish: optional

1. Heat the oil in a saute pan. Add the leeks and green pepper and saute until tender. Add the garlic and mushrooms and saute until the mushrooms are tender (if using them). Season with salt and pepper and herbs. Add the frozen or fresh spinach and stir until defrosted or wilted. Add the cream of choice, a tablespoon at a time, until you get a nice sauce for the vegetables.

2. Prepare crepes or warm pre-made crepes. To each crepe, add a few tablespoons of filling, some shredded cheese and some walnuts to the center of a crepe. Fold over the edges in the way a burrito is folded. Place, seam side down on a hot griddle to get the crepe to stay folded and to melt the cheese inside. Turn carefully to warm a few seconds on the opposite side. Then serve, optionally drizzled with honey or agave nectar.

Variation: Here's a thought: you could substitute the crepes for flour tortillas. Assemble and prepare exactly the same otherwise. They would be Spinach Quesadillas instead of Spinach Crepes.

Black Bean Mole Enchiladas

The other day I made a pot of spicy black beans using a combination of ingredients I hadn't used before with blacks beans. The result were some delicious beans with a very flavorful sauce. DH insisted that the beans tasted incredibly similar to mole and that the sauce even had the color of mole. Below is shown a bowl of the beans, garnished with Mexican queso fresco and freshly made corn tortillas.

DH suggested using the leftover beans and tortillas to make Yucatecan-style enchiladas de mole. We strained the spicy broth from the beans so we could fill the enchiladas with the beans and top them with the sauce. It was a great vegetarian substitution for the traditional chicken filling. See the top photo. Unfortunately I don't know if I'll ever be able to recreate the beans, as I have no idea what I put in them! I was just tossing things in the pot.

The way we made and presented the enchiladas is the way enchiladas are commonly served in Yucatan. The only difference is that in Yucatan, shredded chicken is the most common filling. Also, many people use bottled mole (such as Dona Maria brand) rather than making mole from scratch. So, a super easy way to make these enchiladas would be to use bottled mole and canned beans. Assemble as follows:

Easy Vegetarian Black Bean Mole Enchiladas

1. Layer plates with lettuce.
2. Heat mole according to package's directions. Heat some black beans. Warm some corn tortillas so they are pliable.
3. Put a few spoons of beans in the center of each tortilla and fold two opposing sides over the center to form an enchilada with two open ends.
4. Lay the enchiladas on top of the lettuce as shown in photo, as many to a plate as you want per serving.
5. Top the enchiladas with the mole.
6. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds, chopped cilantro, blanched minced onion, and crumbled queso fresco. Serve.