Smokey Mango Black Beans

 

Black beans have got to be one of the most perfect foods on the planet. Great source of protein, fiber, and phytonutrients -- even the World Health Organization utilizes them as a good "bang for your buck" food when distributing resources to impoverished nations.

They are good for your colon and your blood sugar and your cholesterol and even your cardiovascular system. They are filling and inexpensive and have little to no risk of contamination or spoilage. And if that weren't enough, black beans also have a healthy dose of antioxidants (i.e. they may help prevent cancer).

I mean, my goodness, there are few foods in the universe that can make all those claims AND still taste delicious.

And they are even better with mangoes!

Admittedly, I didn't come the black bean and mango flavor pairing on my own, but I liked the sound of it and wanted something easy to add a little variety to my already delicious and well loved black bean.

Plus mangoes are chock full of Vitamin C (which black beans lack) as well as A and E! What a beautiful and nutritious pairing.

I added some liquid smoke, a touch of agave and some spices (and Sriracha of course) to really give these black beans some kick.

Smokey Mango Black Beans

• 1 can black beans
• 1 large, ripe mango, diced
• 2 tsp agave nectar
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp Sriracha sauce (use less to reduce spice)
• 1 tsp liquid smoke

Add black beans and mango to a small sauce pan over low heat and cover. Allow to warm for about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, and then add the remainder of the ingredients.

Cook over low heat (again, covered - stirring occasionally) for anywhere from 10-20 minutes to allow flavors to combine! 

So simple and yet so good. Use as a stand-alone side dish, in a burrito or to top a salad (like the one pictured). You could also possibly do this dish or some modification of it in a crock-pot and make a delicious side dish for a BBQ!

They store beautifully and can be eaten for days - if you can keep them around long enough!

Live long and prosper! Black bean style.

Spinach and Black Bean Enchiladas

 

A couple nights ago, my mom opened the pantry cupboard, pulled out the hatch chili powder I brought her back from New Mexico and said "you need to make enchiladas." Being the creative, obliging and indentured daughter that I am, I went ahead and concocted this delicious enchilada recipe for the following evening. It was actually perfect because I've been looking for a recipe to try Daiya's new pepper jack blend (which I happily discovered at New Seasons last week) and this was just the ticket!

I used tofu in addition to the black beans and spinach, but you could also use sweet potatoes, zucchini or butternut squash; it's all a matter of what is accessible. I wanted the extra protein kick and I haven't been cooking with tofu very much lately, so tofu it was!

Whatever filling blend you decide on to compliment the spinach and black beans, the spices are what really puts these enchiladas over the top. My mom randomly has like 3 containers of saffron in the spice cabinet (either she has started hoarding expensive spices or she keeps forgetting that she has already purchased saffron, which, ironically, I have never seen her use, and purchases more - I'm not really sure) so I went ahead and helped myself to a little of that. If you have hatch chili seasoning that is awesome, but if not you can make a blend of paprika, cumin, garlic powder, and chipotle and/or cayenne seasoning work.

Spinach and Black Bean Enchiladas
Yield about 5-6 servings

For the Sauce

• 1 bottle Trader Joe's (or other) Enchilada Sauce
• 5 Tbsp Hatch chili powder (red)
• 3/4 cup vegetable broth
• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 Tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice

For the Filling

• 1 14 oz package extra firm tofu 
• 1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced or pushed through a microplane grater
• 1 can black beans
• 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 3 Tbsp hatch chili powder
• 10-12 strands saffron
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 4-5 cups fresh spinach 
• 10 "handmade style" (or truly handmade if you can find them) small corn tortillas
• 2 cups daiya pepperjack (or more if you like lots o' cheese)
• 1/2 cup Trader Joe's Avocado Salsa Verde (YUM YUM YUM - GET IT)

Preheat the oven to 425

Combine all sauce ingredients in a small sauce pan over low heat and place on the back burner. You want to give the sauce about 15-20 minutes to simmer so the flavors can all fuse together.  

Meanwhile, in a large saute or fry pan over medium heat, crumble your tofu into small crumbles (no oil necessary!) Allow it to "dry fry" for about 5-6 minutes and then add the onion and garlic. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes before throwing in the black beans. Cook for yet another 5 or so minutes and then sprinkle in all of your seasonings, distributing equally. Finally, throw in your spinach and allow it to wilt down for 2 or 3 minutes before removing the pan from the burner to let it cool slightly.

 

To prepare your tortillas, take a pan that is as close in size to the circumference of the tortillas as possible. Over medium heat, heat your tortillas one at a time with the lid on the pan to produce a steaming effect.

After each tortilla is lightly steamed (about 45 seconds on each side), dip the entire thing in enchilada sauce (either straight in the pan or, if you pan isn't big enough, pour the sauce into a bowl or plate and dip the tortillas that way). Fill each tortilla with somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 a cup of filling, roll it up like a big taquito and place into one corner of your baking pan (I used an 11"X 7" baking pan for these enchiladas)

Continue to do this with the remaining 9 tortillas until your pan is full! Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas and then sprinkle daiya pepperjack over the top (here is where you can add more daiya if you want a cheesier enchilada).

Cover with tin foil and place in the over for about 20-25 minutes. Remove tinfoil and continue to bake for an additional 5-7 minutes or until the cheese looks melty and gooey.

Remove from the oven and let cool for just a couple of minutes. Then use a spatula to dig some out, top with TJ's creamy Avocado Salsa Verde salsa and munch!

Don't mind the Christmas plates. I really like the size and weight of them so I use them year round. The point is the food!


Live long and prosper, loves! And always respect yo mama.

Black Bean Brownies

I asked a room full of people what they thought the "secret" ingredient in these brownies were. No one could guess. Well, that's only half true - someone guessed banana, which is true, but that wasn't the ingredient I was looking for.

These brownies are really, really good. And really good for you (fiber, protein, chocolate - I mean, come on). And they are super easy.

Basically, the recipe looks like this:

• 1 can black beans (15 oz)
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 3 tbs agave nectar or 1/4 cup sugar (or a mixture of the two)
• 1 large, very ripe banana
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup chopped nuts/1/4 instant coffee/1/4 cup oats (all optional - I used nuts in this recipe)

Preheat the oven to 350

Put all of the ingredients (except the nuts) into the food processor and blend until smooth. I drained the beans but then realized I needed a little more liquid so feel free to add about 1/6-1/4 a can of water back into the mix.

Mix in the nuts/optional ingredients and pour into a greased 8X8 pan.

Place in the oven for about 30 minutes. Be careful not to overcook them because they will continue to bake and firm up after you remove them from the oven. But don't undercook them either. This is a science, people.

ALTERNATE RECIPE FOR A LAZY PERSON/A PERSON WITH LIMITED TIME

• 1 can black beans (15 oz - drained and rinsed and then can refilled with water)
• 1 large, ripe banana
• 1 box brownie mix - try this one, it's good:

• 1/4 cup chopped nuts/1/4 instant coffee/1/4 cup oats (all optional - I used nuts in this recipe)

Follow all the steps from "Preheat oven to 350"

It's just like the first recipe - only easier.






Cheers! And try to make people guess what the ingredient is - unless they have had these brownies before I bet they won't be able to :)


Live long and prosper.