Black Bean and Pineapple Enchiladas

This is a recipe I just kind of made up. I think it's really yummy, and I like how healthy it is. It's also so easy. I think every time I make it the amounts of the ingredients change a little bit, but here is the recipe as best as I can write it down:

6 whole-wheat tortillas
1 14 oz can green enchilada sauce (mild)
1 8 oz can salsa verde
1 can low-sodium black beans
1 can pineapple tidbits
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1-2 TBS cilantro, chopped
1 small bunch of green onions/scallions, chopped

Black pepper, to taste

Ground cumin, to taste

1 cup monterey jack or mozzarella cheese, grated

In a bowl, mix the chopped tomatoes, chopped cilantro, chopped green onions, pepper, ground cumin, and drained pineapple. Drain the can of black beans and pour most of them into a strainer to rinse off the salty liquid. Mash the remainder of the beans in the can to make them kind of pasty. Add all the beans to the bowl. Add just a little bit of the enchilada sauce, a tablespoon or so, and mix.

Fill each tortilla with a few large spoonfuls of the filling, roll them up, and put them seam side down in a 9X13 inch baking dish. You should be able to fit 6 enchiladas in the pan, which should use up all of the filling. Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce and the salsa verde over the enchiladas. Bake, covered with foil, in a 350 degree oven for 35 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle the grated cheese over the enchiladas, and bake uncovered for another 5 minutes or so. Let the enchiladas sit for a few minutes before dishing up.

Salsa

4 medium tomatoes
1 small onion, finely chopped
2-3 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced
1-2 small cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 TBS lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut tomatoes in half; remove seeds. Coarsely chop tomatoes. Combine tomatoes, onion, jalapeño peppers, cilantro, garlic, and lime juice in medium bowl. Add salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour, or even up to 3 days for flavors to blend.

Note: Letting the salsa sit at room temperature for a while will make it even spicier.

Blaser Enchiladas

Probably our favorite family recipe! We learned it from Grandma Bea who learned it from her brother who learned it while serving a mission in New Mexico.

Corn tortillas
Vegetable oil
Lean ground beef
At least one can of enchilada sauce
Cheddar cheese
Lettuce, shredded
Tomatoes, chopped
Eggs

Heat oil in a small frying pan. Cook tortillas for just a few seconds on each side. Cook beef. Heat enchilada sauce. Drain most of the oil from the frying pan, and fry the eggs in the remaining oil. Put together individual enchiladas by dipping a tortilla in the enchilada sauce and laying it flat on your plate. Add the beef, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and egg. Top with extra enchilada sauce.

Ham Fried Rice

3 TSP oil
6 cups cooked white rice
2 cups ham, cubed
1 1/2 cup cooked peas
6 eggs
1/2 to 3/4 cups reduced sodium soy sauce

Heat oil in wok (or large, deep pan). Add rice and coat it with the oil for 3-4 minutes. Add the ham and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the peas and cook for 1 minute. Push everything to one side to make a clear spot in the wok. Add eggs and scramble them until they are nearly cooked, then incorporate them into the rice mix. Add enough soy sauce until it is brown and moist, but not wet.

Note: This makes an extremely large amount, so you may want to reduce the recipe

Chicken Empanadas

1 box (15 oz) refrigerated pie crusts (2 11-inch crusts)
4 oz cream cheese
2 TBS salsa
2 TBS chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 cup finely chopped cooked chicken
1 egg, beaten
Additional salsa

Remove pie crust pouches from box; let stand at room temperature 15-20 minutes.

Heat cream cheese in small heavy saucepan over low heat; cook and stir until melted. Add slasa, cilantro, cumin, salt and garlic powder; stir until smooth. Stir in chicken; remove from heat.

Unfold pie crusts; remove plastic film. Roll out slightly on lightly floured surface. Cut crusts into 3-inch rounds using biscuit cutter or drinking glass. Reroll pie crust scraps and cut enough additional to equal about 20 rounds.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place about 2 tsp chicken mixture in center of each round. Brush edges lightly with water. Pull one side of dough over filling to form half circle; pinch edges to seal.

Place 10-12 empanadas on foil-lined baking sheet; brush lightly with egg. Bake 16-18 minutes or until lightly brown. Serve with salsa. Makes 10 appetizer servings.

Note: Empanadas can be prepared ahead of time and frozen. Simply wrap unbaked empanadas with plastic wrap and freeze. To bake, follow directions baking 18-20 minutes.

African Pineapple Peanut Stew

Yet another recipe that we tried and loved! Thanks to Christine, who I love to talk food with, for the recipe. This is the original recipe, but we changed just a few things. I didn't take this picture, but ours looked the same.

1 cup chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (we used olive oil)
1 bunch kale or Swiss chard (4 cups sliced)
2 cups undrained canned crushed pineapple (20-ounce can)
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce (I used a dash of cayenne pepper)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
salt to taste (I didn't add salt because my peanuts were already salted)
crushed skinless peanuts
chopped scallions

In a covered saucepan, saute the onions and garlic in the oil for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are lightly browned. While the onions saute, wash the kale or chard (we used kale). Remove and discard the large stems and any blemished leaves. Stack the leaves on a cutting surface and slice crosswise into 1-inch-thick slices (I just gave them a rough chop).

Add the pineapple and its juice to the onions and bring to a simmer. Stir in the kale or chard, cover, and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring a couple of times, until just tender (I think it needs to simmer a little longer than this to become tender). Mix in the peanut butter, Tabasco (cayenne), and cilantro and simmer for 5 minutes. Add salt to taste (I don't think it needs salt), and serve.

We just served this over white sticky rice, and it was delicious! It was very filling, and all of the textures and flavors went really well together. We were thinking, since it is a sweet meal, that sliced bananas added at the very end would be good (we actually tried this on our second helping and it was yummy), or that sauteeing a chopped apple along with the onions would also be good. Dirty rice would also be delicious and healthy.
This meal was super easy, super fast, and delicious. It's fairly healthy, especially if you use a low-fat peanut butter.