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MY FAVORITE VEGETARIAN RECIPES

Butternut Squash & Black Bean Enchilada Casserole

10/24/2022

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I know that I already have a few enchilada-type recipes on here…but some of them take a prohibitively long time! This is the simplest, most delicious version that I’ve found, and doesn’t require the messy rolling, trying to get the perfect coverage of sauce on top of the tortillas, etc. In short: It has all the elements of delicious enchiladas with none of the fuss. AND, you can use the 2 lb pre-cubed butternut squash from Costco to get you on your way even faster! 
6 cups Butternut Squash, cubed
1 Green Pepper, diced
1 Red Pepper, diced
1/2 Yellow Onion, diced
2–3 tsp Olive Oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3/4 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp paprika
3/4 tsp garlic powder
2 15 oz cans Black Beans, drained and rinsed
8 Corn Tortillas, cut into bite size pieces
28 oz can Green Enchilada Sauce
2 cups Grated Cheddar, divided

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil, and toss butternut squash, bell peppers, and onion with olive oil and spices. Roast vegetables until tender, about 45–50 minutes, flipping a few times.

Lower oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine the roasted veggies, black beans, corn tortillas, enchilada sauce and 1 cup of the cheese. Evenly spread on the bottom of a large baking dish, then top with the remaining cheese. Bake until bubbly and cheese is melted, about 20 minutes.
Top with garnishes like chopped cilantro, avocado or tomato and dig in!

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Simple Veggie Enchiladas

2/22/2015

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I have this tried-and-true (and loaded with nutrition) Butternut Squash version of enchiladas, but let’s be honest—there are a lot of steps that make it rather time consuming. So when I found this recipe from Real Simple the other day, I decided to add it to my repertoire. It’s filled with just a few diverse ingredients that make it really bright and delicious!

I tweaked just a bit to make it even simpler—grab presliced mushrooms and grated cheese—and to incorporate the green chili flavor I love.  

3 tbsp Olive Oil
1 large Onion, chopped
1 Poblano Pepper, seeded and chopped
8 oz White or Cremini Mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp Ground Cumin
15.5-oz can Black Beans, rinsed
8 oz Cheddar, grated (about 2 cups)
Salt & Pepper, to taste
14 oz can/jar Green Chili Enchilada Sauce (about 1 1/2 cups)
10+ Corn Tortillas
Fresh Cilantro and Greek Yogurt, for serving

Heat oven to 400° F. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and poblano. Cook, tossing often, until the onion is browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cumin. Cook, tossing frequently, until the mushrooms are browned and tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the beans, 4 oz of the cheese and salt and pepper.

Spread 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Roll up the filling in the tortillas, dividing evenly and place seam-side down in the dish.

Top with the remaining enchilada sauce and the remaining 4 oz of cheese. Bake, uncovered, until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted, 14 to 16 minutes. Serve topped with the cilantro and Greek yogurt.

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Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

9/15/2014

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A few years ago I got to go to Ojo Caliente Hot Springs Resort outside of Taos, NM…my husband was skiing and I was looking for something a little more relaxing. I booked myself a massage, soaked in the springs and treated myself to lunch at their fantastic little restaurant. It was there that I had the most amazing Tortilla Soup of my life.

Since then I’ve been searching for something comparable, and now that rumors of fall are twinkling in the air, soup seems just about the only thing I want to eat these days. Luckily, I happened upon this recipe from Blue Apron and made it for the first time tonight. It was sheer bliss. A warm, tangy, salty soup with all of my favorite flavors. I even had to tweak the recipe a bit since I didn’t have everything perfectly right, and it still tasted amazing. Here’s what I came up with.   

6 Corn Tortillas (6-Inch, Taco-Sized)
1 tbsp Olive Oil

1 Onion, diced
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 Jalapeno, seeds and membranes removed
1 Anaheim Pepper, seeds and membranes removed
1 tbsp Olive Oil

1 14.5 oz can Diced Tomatoes
1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
4 cups Vegetable Broth (I used 2 veggie bouillon cubes and 4 cups of water)
1 14.5 oz can Black Beans, rinsed and drained

1 Avocado, diced
2 Ounces Queso Fresco, crumbled or cubed
1 Bunch Cilantro, separated from stems
1 Lime, cut into wedges

Preheat oven to 475*. Stack the tortillas and cut them into ½ inch by 2 inch strips. Add 1 tbsp olive oil to cookie sheet, and toss strips to coat. When oven is hot, bake for 6-8 minutes, until lightly brown and crispy.

Dice onion, garlic, jalapeno and anaheim peppers. Add to soup pot with 1 tbsp olive oil and heat on medium. Sauté for 4-5 minutes, until veggies are soft. Add cumin and combine. Add tomatoes and vegetable broth and increase heat until it comes to a boil. Simmer for 3 minutes, then add black beans. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium again and let sit for 10-12 minutes, until soup starts to thicken.

Divvy diced avocado, tortilla strips and queso fresco among 4 bowls. Ladle soup into the bowls and top with a handful of cilantro and serve with lime.  

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Seven Layer Dip

11/28/2009

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An old classic, but with a fresher twist. Try making your taco seasoning mix with easy ingredients you’ve probably got around the house. Whip up your own guac, too. Recipes below.

1 16 oz. can Refried Beans (make sure they’re veg!)
1 package Taco Seasoning Mix*
8 oz. Sour Cream (or Greek Yogurt)
8 oz. Guacamole**
1 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1 cup Salsa
1 4 oz. can Diced Green Chiles
2 large Green Onions, sliced
1 small can Sliced Black Olives
1 cup fresh Cilantro, chopped

Combine beans and seasoning mix in a small bowl. Spread on the bottom of square baking dish. Top with sour cream/yogurt, then guacamole, cheese, salsa, green chiles, green onions, and black olives.

*Taco Seasoning Mix

6 tsp Chili Powder

5 tsp Paprika

4 1/2 tsp Cumin

3 tsp Onion Powder

2 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper

Mix all ingredients until well blended. You only need about 7 tsp of this mix to equal a package, so pack up the rest in a tightly sealed container and save for later!

**Fresh Guacamole

1 ripe Avocado

1 tsp Lemon or Lime Juice

Dash Garlic Salt

4 Cherry Tomatoes, diced

3 tbsp Red Onion, diced 

3 tbsp fresh Cilantro, minced 
 


Smash everything together. Add additional salt to taste. 
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Butternut Squash Enchiladas

10/22/2009

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I picked up a good-looking butternut squash when we were out at the corn maze farm the other day. Not wanting to just roast it, I searched for something interesting to do with it. 

I found a version of the following on the Delicious Living site, upping a few things and downing a few others. I basically halved the recipe because I had way too much filling, but you could always double it and freeze one.

Find squash baking instructions here.

1 cup cooked Quinoa
1-1/2 cups cooked Black Beans
1/2 baked Butternut Squash, flesh scooped out and diced
1 small Onion, diced
1 Bell Pepper, cored and diced
14 oz. can Diced Green Chilies, drained
1 cup Cilantro, chopped
8 oz. Cheddar Cheese, grated and divided
Salt, to taste
16 oz. Red Enchilada Sauce
2 dozen Corn Tortillas, fresh if possible
2 15 oz. cans Green Enchilada Sauce

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine rice, beans, squash, onion, pepper, chiles, cilantro, and four ounces of the cheese in a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and mix well.

Pour red enchilada sauce into a deep plate; dip each tortilla to coat. Fill each tortilla with one large spoonful of enchilada mixture, roll tightly, and place in a 9" x 13" baking dish or lasagna dish. When dishes are full, cover each dish with one can green enchilada sauce.

Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes. Remove foil and top enchiladas with remaining cheese. Bake 10 more minutes. Serve immediately.  
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Seitan and Veggie Fajitas

9/25/2009

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Seitan is one of my favorite meat substitutes, great to have around to add a little protein and texture to dishes like fajitas. Last night I looked around the kitchen at a fab looking red pepper I found on sale at Whole Paycheck, the rest of a very large squash from our garden, a just-ripe avocado, and some juicy cherry tomatoes and came up with this…the best fajitas I’ve ever made. Makes about three servings.

Fajitas
1 lb carton of Seitan (the non-soy-sauce marinated kind works best for this)
1 small can Mushrooms, or a few fresh mushrooms
1 tbsp. Olive Oil
1 tbsp. Lemon Juice

½ of a Red Onion, cut in one-inch strips
1 medium Red Pepper, cut in one-inch strips (green works too)  
1 cup Yellow Squash, diced
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 clove Garlic
Dash Salt

3 large Flour/Whole Wheat Tortillas
2/3 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded

In a large skillet, put the seitan and mushrooms in the olive oil and lemon juice. Saute on medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. The goal is to get both ingredients to sear up a little, creating those crispy bits we all love in our fajitas.
 
In a separate skillet, heat the olive oil for the veggies. Add the onion first, giving it extra time to cook. After a minute or two, add the pepper, squash, garlic, and salt. Saute on medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Meanwhile, whip together a quick guacamole topping like so:

Guacamole
1 ripe Avocado
1 tsp. Lemon or Lime Juice
Dash Garlic Salt
4 Cherry Tomatoes, diced
3 tbsp. Red Onion, diced  
3 tbsp. fresh Cilantro, minced
 
Smash everything together. Add additional salt to taste.  

Fill tortillas with seitan and veggie mixture, and top with shredded cheese and guacamole. Enjoy.
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Salsa Verde

6/29/2009

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We had a Mexico-themed party at the Boulder Reservoir the other day, so I had to try out this new recipe. I've never made salsa before and it was a hit (though my salsa connoisseur friend Mike said it needed more heat--feel free to adjust accordingly).

Got this one from Sunset, I think. I've always loved the green salsa, more tangy than a plain old tomato-based one. This one was good and fresh--I've upped the cilantro (surprising) and salt.

Lesson learned: The small serrano chiles will roast before everything else, so take them out of the oven earlier so they don't get burnt to a crisp. Seriously.

½ lb. Tomatillos, husked and rinsed
1 thick Onion slice
1 large Poblano chile
1-½ medium Serrano chiles
¾ cup Cilantro, coarsely chopped 
1 clove Garlic
2 tbsp. fresh Lime Juice
¾ tsp. Kosher Salt

Preheat broiler and set a rack about 3 inches from heating element. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and place tomatillos, onion, and both chiles. 

Broil the veggies, turning as needed, until tomatillos and onion are speckled brown and chiles are black all over, about 12-15 minutes. Transfer done vegetables into a covered bowl, and let sit for 5 minutes until chile skins loosen.

Remove stems and blackened skins of chiles. Don’t rinse—it’s okay to leave some of the black bits on. Open the poblano pepper and remove seeds. For extra mild flavor, remove seeds and veins from serranos as well. 

In food processor, pulse vegetables and any juices from the oven, cilantro and garlic. Coarsely puree. Put into a bowl and stir in ¼ cup water, lime juice and salt.
 

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Brent's Salsa

6/26/2009

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I was with the fam last week and got to enjoy some of my brother’s famous salsa. He’s long been perfecting this recipe, and the combination of sweet, spicy, salty and tangy gives it a fantastic fresh flavor. And it’s got a whole BUNCH of cilantro in it, which you know makes me happy.

The most important variable is the jalapeno—for a really mild version use a small pepper and remove all the seeds. Up the size and seed content to add some heat!

1 8 oz. can Crushed Tomatoes (a good brand, organic if possible)
1 8 oz. can Tomato Sauce (again, good and organic)
1 medium Jalapeno
1 medium sweet Yellow Onion (like a Vidalia), roughly chopped
1 bunch Cilantro
1 large clove Garlic
1 tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
¼ tsp. salt (or to taste)
1 tsp. Maple Syrup (only the real stuff)
Juice of ¼ lime

Place everything except the crushed tomatoes in the food processor and mix well. Add crushed tomatoes at very end, pulse until everything is combined, and serve with good chips.

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