Week 42, Recipe 2: Easy Beef & Bean Enchiladas

Not a great picture but they were really good!

NOTES

• The amount of green onions in my garden inspired this recipe. You could substitute a white or yellow onion for inside the burrito but stick to topping them with green onions.
• This recipe made two 13-9 inch pans - about 7 flour tortillas (not the huge burrito size) in each. Freeze the extra pan for later!
• This recipe froze easily and I meant to put them in the oven, frozen, and set the timer so they were ready when we got home but forgot. Luckily they went straight from freezer to oven and cooked in about an hour.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 cans refried beans (I used Rosarita Zesty Salsa kind and thought they were good and not too spicy for kids)
• 1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp fresh oregano (if you have it) or 1 tsp dried
• 1/2 c. chopped green onion plus extra for topping (you can use a white or yellow onion for inside the enchiladas)
• 8-ish oz cheddar cheese, Mexican cheese, or Colby Jack
• 1 large can (28 oz) enchilada sauce
• 14-16 regular sized flour tortillas

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large saucepan, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain if necessary.
2. Add all the green onions but what you need for topping them and cook over low heat for another minute or two. Stir in the beans, tomatoes, chili powder, salt and heat through.
3. Pour about 1/4 c. enchilada sauce in the bottom of two 13x9 inch pans. Place some meat filling down the center of each tortilla, sprinkle with cheese and roll up. Place seam-side down in the pan. Continue with the remaining tortillas.
4. Pour the remaining sauce over the top of the tortillas and sprinkle some cheese over the tortillas.
5. Bake at 350, covered, for 25-30 minutes if cooking right away or for about an hour if cooking frozen.

Week 37, Recipe 2: Spicy Bean Burritos

NOTES

• Original recipe from Annie's Eats
• For lunch leftovers, take your tortilla with the bean filling inside and fold in half. Cut up your toppings and take separately in a container. When ready to eat, warm your burrito in the microwave under a damp paper towel or clean dish cloth, add desired toppings then fold and enjoy.

INGREDIENTS
For the bean filling:

• 2 tsp. canola or vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. minced chipotle in adobo sauce (I buy a can of it, take what I need then freeze the rest in the freezer in a zip-lock bag. Next time you need some, remove the frozen chunk and cut off what you need).
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• ¼ tsp. kosher salt
• Dash cayenne pepper
• 2/3 cup vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 6 tbsp. fresh salsa or a salsa of your choice
• 6 (9- or 10-inch) flour tortillas, warmed

For serving (optional toppings):

• Shredded cheese
• Diced tomatoes
• Shredded romaine lettuce
• Chopped green onions (optional)
• Sour cream
• Avocado slices or guacamole

DIRECTIONS
1. To make the bean filling, heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic through the cayenne and stir, cooking just until fragrant, 30-60 seconds. Add the drained/rinsed beans and the broth to the pan.
2. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce the heat to medium-low and allow the mixture to simmer for 5-10 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove the skillet from the heat, stir in the salsa and mash the mixture with fork or a potato masher.
3. Spoon about a third of a cup of the bean mixture down the center of each tortilla. Top each serving with desired toppings and roll the tortilla up tightly while folding in the ends, burrito style, and serve immediately.

Week 34, Recipe 1: Black Bean & Rice Skillet

NOTES

• This comes together quickly (45 minutes if using brown rice) but you can also make it ahead of time.
• Modified from Simply in Season Cookbook
• A delicious vegetarian weeknight meal that makes great lunch leftovers the next day!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 green or red bell pepper
• 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained or the equivalent in cooked dry beans (click here then scroll down a bit for conversion)
• 3 c. chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 c. uncooked rice (brown or white)
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• Cheddar, Monterrey Jack or Mexican blend cheese for serving
• Other optional topping - avocado, sour cream, salsa, fresh tomatoes, etc.

DIRECTIONS
1. In a saucepan, saute onion and pepper in oil until soft, about 5 minutes.
2. Add all ingredients except cheese and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered until rice is done; 20 minutes for white rice 40-45 for brown.
3. Remove from heat and remove bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Serve with cheese and any other optional toppings.

Week 1, Recipe 2: Two-Bean Tamale Pie

NOTES:
• From Better Homes and Garden Cookbook


Ingredients
• 1 cup chopped green pepper (1 large)
• ½ cup chopped onion (1 medium)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small jalapeno (if you want a little kick) (optional)
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 15-oz can kidney beans, rinsed, drained and slightly mashed (just use a fork to lightly mash some of them)
• 1 15-oz can pinto beans, rinsed, drained, and slightly mashed
• 1 6-oz can (2/3 cup) vegetable juice
• 1 4-oz can diced green chile peppers, undrained
• 1 tsp chili powder
• ½ tsp ground cumin (or more to taste)
• 1 8 ½ oz packaged corn muffin mix
• ½ - ¾ c. (according to taste preferences) shredded cheddar cheese
• ¼ c. snipped fresh cilantro

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 2-quart baking dish and set aside. In a medium skillet cook sweet pepper, onion, and garlic in hot oil until tender. Stir in kidney beans, pinto beans, vegetable juice, chile peppers, chili powder and cumin; heat through. Spoon bean mixture into prepared dish.
2. Prepare corn muffin mix according to package directions (except for baking it); add cheese and cilantro, stirring just until combined. Spoon cornbread mixture evenly over the top of the bean mixture. Bake, uncovered, about 25 min or until golden. Serve with salsa and sour cream if desired.