Black Bean & Sweet Potato Enchiladas

When Ben and I started dating, he was living in Abingdon, VA for work and we have such fond memories of that (very) little town.  Abingdon doesn't have a lot of restaurants, but we found several that were really excellent and one of my absolute favorites was a place called Harvest Table.  It is tucked away in the town square of Meadowview, VA and is a true 'farm to table' restaurant. Everything is grown, caught and raised, either locally, or regionally.  Because of their commitment to local farms, their menu is very seasonal.  I loved walking in and finding out what their specials were that day!

I found a staple item that I couldn't get enough of!  I also couldn't find it anywhere else...they had a black bean and sweet potato burrito that was unreal.  It was full of unique flavors!  Ben and I soon got married and he moved to Nashville, thus ending our leisurely lunches at Harvest Table, but I couldn't get that burrito out of my mind!  I started making a black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili and became more comfortable with that flavor profile in my own kitchen.  I decided to experiment one day and attempted to replicate that burrito with my own twist.  We now call these 'Abingdon Enchiladas' and I love the memories that come flooding back of that time with Ben whenever we enjoy this meal!

One of my favorite things about this recipe is it's simplicity.  It requires a handful of ingredients, but delivers big flavor!  It's also waistline friendly and freezable, so feel free to cook up multiple batches and throw in the freezer for a night you're short on time or hosting a dinner.

Abingdon Enchiladas

Ingredients:

• 1 large sweet potato
• 1 can of black beans
• 1 small sweet onion (or half of a medium size)
• 1 large jar verde salsa
• 1 cup feta cheese
• 2 cups shredded pepper jack
• 2 sliced avocados
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• salt 
• pepper
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 8 flour tortillas (I use whole wheat)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. While the oven's heating, chop up your veggies. After cleaning the sweet potato, cut it up into small pieces (I leave the skin on, but you can certainly peel the potatoes if you enjoy doing more work ;)  Dice the onion, and throw into a baking dish with the sweet potatoes. Toss together with olive oil, cumin, salt and pepper. Cover and bake until everything is very soft, usually about 30 minutes.

While that's in the oven, drain and rinse the black beans in a colander. I'll usually grate my cheese and chop my cilantro at this point as well.  Once the potatoes are done, it's time to assemble.  Scoop a generous helping of the potato/onion mixture into a tortilla.  Add an equal serving of black beans. Sprinkle in as much feta as you like.  Wrap the tortilla up, leaving the ends open, and place in a greased baking dish. Repeat until you've used your tortillas (or run out of space in your dish). If you still have some of the bean/potatoes/onions left, feel free to spoon around the edges of the dish.  Next, pour the verde salsa all over the enchiladas.  Then sprinkle the pepper jack cheese across the middle of your enchiladas.  Feel free to add more if you're a cheese lover!

At this point you can freeze for later, or pop in the oven at 375 for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese gets nice and bubbly.  I serve with sliced avocado and fresh cilantro on top, sometimes the hubby adds sour cream as well.  This dish is SO tasty, but not heavy and wonderful with some grilled corn or asparagus.  

Enjoy!

Easy and Healthy Weeknight Dinners

These are two of my favorite recipes, mainly because they're easy, affordable, healthy and make delicious leftovers!  I'm incapable of making portion-appropriate size meals for my family, so it's perfect when I find recipes that are still tasty when eaten later because we will without a doubt, have leftovers.  These recipes are great to make the same week because there's some crossover in ingredients, so you can buy the black beans, vegetable broth, onion, olive oil, cumin all at once!  I discovered both of them on Pinterest, and they've become staples in our home.  

First up, we have a Black Bean, Sweet Potato and Quinoa Chili.  This is one of the most flavorful and filling vegetarian meals that I've found.  I love any recipe that doesn't require a lot of prep or  'watching' and this one definitely doesn't.  Once you've thrown all your ingredients in the pot, you can get back to doing other things. Here's the link to the original recipe at the Ambitious Kitchen.  
Ingredients:

• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon Smoked Chipotle Tabasco sauce
• salt, to taste
• 1 can (15.5 oz) low-sodium tomato sauce
• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 2 can black beans (15.5 oz), drained
• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable stock, plus more to thin if desired
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced into small cubes

The original recipe calls for carrots as well, but having made it both ways, I just prefer it without. I also don't peel the sweet potato (I hate peeling and it looks a little more 'rustic').  I usually start by getting my quinoa cooking and once that's going, I start chopping the onion and cutting the sweet potato.  Here's the step-by-step instructions:
1. Heat the olive-oil in a pot over medium heat.  Add onions, garlic and salt and cook until onions become translucent.
2. Add tomato sauce, followed by the black beans, vegetable stock, quinoa and all the spices.  Bring to a boil, turn down to medium heat and then add the sweet potatoes.  
3. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.  Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking. 

I end up freezing about half the chili and have an awesome meal just waiting for a day that I don't feel like cooking.  The hubby even likes this vegetarian recipe, which is not always the case ;)

Next up we have a healthy Chicken and Black Bean Casserole.  This one comes from Six Sister's Stuff and is so delicious!  I like to use leftovers from roasted chicken for this recipe.  This is a great casserole to take to new mommy's as it's not pasta based and has lots of yummy veggies.

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup brown rice
• 1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/3 cup diced onion
• 2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
• 2 cups pulled roasted chicken or 2 cooked skinless chicken breast halves
• 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• salt to taste
• ground cayenne pepper to taste
• 1 15 oz. can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 4 oz. can of diced green chiles, drained
• 1-2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, swiss or monterey jack are all great options!)

1. Start by combing the rice and broth in a pot and bringing to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 45 mins, or until rice is tender.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a casserole dish.
3. Heat the olive oil over medium heat and cook the onions until translucent.  Add the zucchini, mushrooms and chicken.  Season with spices and cook until zucchini is lightly browned and chicken is heated through.
4. In a large bowl, mix zucchini, chicken, mushrooms, cooked rice, black beans and chiles with half the cheese.  Transfer to casserole dish and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top of the casserole. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes covered.  Remove foil and cook another 10 minutes uncovered. I liked to add a little sour cream and jalapenos for myself once it's served :)  This is another dish that's great the next couple of days. I've made it without chicken and it's still really tasty!  

Happy Cooking!