Hey guys! Hope your Monday has gone well!
Thanks for all the sweet compliments on my glassware collection! It’s a little wacky, but I like it!
After lunch, I got to work with a fun activity: baking! Over Christmas break, I bought Colleen Patrick-Goudreau’s first book, The Joy of Vegan Baking, but I hadn’t had a chance too make anything from it…until now!
To thank Lee and Steve for a wonderful brunch, I baked up a loaf of Mediterranean Olive Bread to take to their house (they’re our neighbors…as of right now, that is!).
This bread was a winner! I won’t share the recipe on the blog, but it was a basic quick break recipe, flavored with fresh olives, sundried tomatoes, fresh rosemary, and walnuts. Yum!
Mmmm…LOVE the big chunks of olives and rosemary rising out of the bread.
I made a tiny mini-loaf for me and Ryan, and we gobbled it up as an afternoon snack, so I can attest to this bread’s deliciousness! This was the first time I’ve used ground flax whipped in water as an egg substitute, and it seemed to work just fine!
After letting the bread digest, I headed to our “workout room” for a workout with another new DVD:
Wow—this DVD was intense! I did three of the five sections, and I was shaking during parts of it! I hopped on the treadmill afterwards for some cardio—4 miles in about 45 minutes. I watched Rumor Has It on Lifetime during my run—is it just me, or was that movie kind of…bad?
Around 6:00, Ryan and I headed downstairs to get started on dinner.
It was a winner! And, it was one of my own, so I’m happy to share it with you!
Butternut Squash and Black Bean Vegan-chiladas (clever, right?)
Ingredients
1/2 butternut squash, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
2 tsp. cumin, divided
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1/4 tsp. red pepper
1 15 oz. can black beans
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 10 oz. can enchilada sauce
4-6 whole wheat flour tortillas
1 avocado, cubed
salsa
fresh cilantro
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450.
Place butternut squash on a baking sheet. Spray with olive oil cooking spray and toss with 1 tsp. of cumin, paprika, and garlic salt. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until squash is tender. Set aside, and reduce oven heat to 400 degrees.
In a pan, heat olive oil. Add onion and cook for about 5 minutes, until onion has begun to turn transparent. Add the second tsp. of cumin and red pepper to the onions and cook for another minute or so. Add beans, butternut squash, tomato paste, and about 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce. Cook for 2-3 minutes more and remove from heat.
Spread another 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce on the bottom of a baking dish. Fill the tortillas with about 1/2 cup of the mixture and place, seam-side down, in the baking dish. There should be enough filling for about 4-6 tortillas, depending on how full you stuff them (we stuffed ours VERY full!).
Once the enchiladas are arranged in the baking dish, pour the remainder of the enchilada sauce over them and bake in the oven for another 10-15 minutes.
Remove from oven and top with avocado, cilantro, and salsa.
Here are some pics from the process:
Butternut squash, ready for the oven:
And on their way back out:
Onions, beans, and squash heating up in the pan:
Filling ‘em up:
And coming back out:
Garnishes:
Plated and ready to eat:
I hated it:
These enchiladas were a GREAT example of how easily something that would traditionally be VERY non-vegan (hello, cheese!!!) can be just as delicious in a “veganized” version. Seriously, I didn’t miss the cheese at all! And, I also didn’t sink into a cheese-induced stupor after eating them, which is usually the case with traditional enchiladas.
Could these enchiladas be considered *gasp* healthy?!?
I think so!
In fact, they were so healthy that I had room for dessert! I had a coconut flax seed Caveman Bar (ingredients: coconut, brown rice syrup, flax), plus a piece of dark chocolate. The combination of the two was basically a grown-up health food version of an Almond Joy. Delicious, in other words.
Well, we’re settled in for the night watching…you guessed it! The Bachelor!!!
This episode has been crazy so far! He just dismissed Michelle, aka “Crazy Eyes.” That might prove to be a bad decision…I could totally see her sneaking into his house and having a Psycho! moment. Eek!
Hope your Monday went well!
See you tomorrow!
inmytummy said,
January 19, 2010 @ 3:12 am
Ooh, those enchiladas look good. I love squash.
Karla said,
January 19, 2010 @ 3:28 am
Ahh so jealous! Everything looks oh so good! I went to the movies tonight so I got back at 10pm and had frozen veggies and veggie patty for dinner. Not as fun
Also, as usual, I love your plate! Where do you get all these lovely plates??
Chelsea Ward said,
January 19, 2010 @ 3:30 am
Those enchiladas look exquisite! I love the garnishes and toppings you used for them. Thanks for the step-by-step how to.
Have a great week!
kbwood said,
January 19, 2010 @ 3:41 am
umm can i come ova for dinner?!
YUMM!
OK SO THE BACHELOR.. THANK God MICHELLE IS GONE!! i dont like elizabeth either-thought she was too devious!
Anna said,
January 19, 2010 @ 4:54 pm
Yeah, I agree, I’m glad she kind of cooked her own goose with the whole “not kissing” thing…you know that’ll never fly on The Bachelor!!!
greensandjeans said,
January 19, 2010 @ 4:41 am
I’ve actually been looking for a good butternut squash enchilada recipe and yours looks incredible! I can’t wait to make it!
Suzanne said,
January 19, 2010 @ 4:59 am
Everything looks healthy and delicious, but I must say, I’m ohhing and ahhing over the Mediterranean Olive Bread the most. It reminds me of the bread they used to serve at one of my favorite restaurants… sadly, the restaurant went out of business a few months ago. I bet your friends were very happy!
Ginger said,
January 19, 2010 @ 1:51 pm
Those enchiladas look wonderful – can’t wait to try them. Remember me talking about the fabulous enchiladas at Karam’s Restaurant in San Antonio (YEARS ago!)? They were red like yours, and I just realized it was because they didn’t have cheese on top, only the sauce, and I think they were probably more authentic than the ones we eat today, that are swimming in tons of cheese! Of course, they weren’t made with squash, but yours look wonderful. (Look for packages today!!!)
Bonnie said,
January 19, 2010 @ 2:46 pm
Love the glasses! I grew up with them on our breakfast table. Mother purchased them from the grocery store (Kroger’s, mostly) and they came filled with either cheese spreads or jam. Ah, “juicy” memories!
Heather (Where's the Beach) said,
January 19, 2010 @ 3:15 pm
Oh that bread looks so good. I love olives! Your enchiladas sound similar to a sweet potato and black bean recipe I use. Such great flavor combinations. Because of those flavors, I have to agree, cheese isn’t necessary.
Heather said,
January 19, 2010 @ 3:28 pm
What a creative dish!! I’m adding this to my growing list of meals I need to make
The Candid RD said,
January 19, 2010 @ 3:47 pm
WOW this post was filled with some of my favorite foods! First of all, that quick bread is my dream. It contains literally all of my favorite Mediterranean ingredients. I’ve never seen such a bread before in my life!!! Also, those vegan-chiladas (haha, love that name) are amazing. I may try that and use sweet potatoes instead! Nick is obsessed, and so am I.
Karin said,
January 19, 2010 @ 3:51 pm
Mmmm I love olives in bread!!!
.
Those enchiladas look amazing!
Will go to pilates tonight – I really like it when it’s super challenging
Kelly said,
January 19, 2010 @ 4:08 pm
WOW…those look great! I am going to have to try those soon!
lpskins said,
January 19, 2010 @ 4:15 pm
Hey Anna, good times like that do happen less and less as we get older. So sad! That’s why we must live it up while we can! Everything looks phenomenal. You’re really kicking ass in the kitchen!
Katie said,
January 19, 2010 @ 5:49 pm
That baerd looks so good! Olive is one of my favorites, and I don’t eat it nearly enough.
Mary (Food Fit & Fun) said,
January 20, 2010 @ 8:37 pm
I am adding this recipe on my list of recipes to try! Looks so good!
kilax said,
January 21, 2010 @ 7:14 pm
I received that book for Christmas and that loaf really stood out to me! I haven’t tried anything yet though
A first. « food, fit & fun said,
January 31, 2010 @ 10:02 pm
[...] feel like I am on a role using Anna’s recipes, first her Barley Vegetable and now her Butternut Squash and Black Bean Vegan-Chiladas. Both amazing recipes. Thanks, [...]