Sunday, November 16, 2008

Black Bean Chilaquile


I love the Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites cookbook because I can flip through it and pick practically any recipe knowing that it's vegetarian and healthy. Not everything I've made from it has been awesome and some things have been just okay, but there have also been some things that turned out quite yummy like this one. One of my favourite things to do is sit down and look through cookbooks cover to cover, but when it comes time to making a grocery list an hour before I want to go grocery shopping, I hate it. It's impossible for me to find recipes I want to make under a time constraint - I'm always thinking I have to pick recipes that use different vegetables and different proteins, providing me with a wide variety of nutrients. Too much pressure! But if I were to just be looking at the same cookbook for pleasure I'd most likely be tagging tons of recipes.

Anyway, I realize now that maybe the picture looks like a big glop of something but you can see that on top is a layer of chips/sauce/cheese, and there's a layer of vegetables/spinach/beans, etc.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Baked Bean Soup
Santa Fe Pasta Salad
Balkan Roasted Vegetable Salad

Black Bean Chilaquile
Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites

My modifications were to use only 1/2 tsp salt, just chop up an onion instead of measuring it to be 1 cup, and using frozen spinach instead of 2 cups fresh. I made the blender hot sauce, recommended and given in the cookbook, but I think you could just use whatever salsa you have on hand. I'll add the recipe for the blender hot sauce below, but I didn't find it that amazing on its own. Mixed into the chilaquile it was yummy though.

Serves 4 to 5

1 onion, chopped
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans (15 oz can, drained)
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
300 g frozen chopped spinach, thawed (or 2 cups fresh rinsed, stemmed and chopped Swiss chard or spinach)
2 cups crushed baked tortilla chips
8 oz grated sharp Cheddar cheese (low/reduced fat if you want)
2 cups salsa or blender hot sauce (see recipe below)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Saute the onions in the oil for about 8 minutes, until translucent. Stir in the tomatoes, corn, black beans, lime juice, salt, and pepper and continue to saute for another 5 to 10 minutes, until just heated through.

If using fresh spinach, otherwise use this time to thaw out the spinach by microwaving it a bit: In another saucepan, blanch the greens in boiling water to cover for 1 to 3 minutes, until just wilted but still bright green. Drain immediately and set aside.

In an 8x8 casserole dish or baking pan, spread half of the crushed tortilla chips on the bottom. Spoon the sauteed vegetables over the tortilla chips and sprinkle on about two-thirds of the grated Cheddar. Arrange the greens evenly over the cheese and spoon on half of the salsa. Finish with the rest of the tortilla chips and top with the remaining salsa and Cheddar. Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown.

Blender Hot Sauce

I omitted the 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro.

1 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped bell peppers
1 or 2 fresh green chiles, seeds removed for a milder "hot"
5 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
4 cups chopped fresh or 3 cups chopped canned tomatoes with their juice (28 oz can)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp dried oregano
salt to taste

In a blender or food processor, combine the onions, peppers, chiles, garlic, tomatoes, cumin, coriander, and oregano and puree until smooth. Transfer the sauce to a soup pot and simmer on low heat, uncovered for about 30 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened and the flavors have mellowed. Stir often as it cooks and use a heat diffuser if needed, to prevent sticking. Add salt to taste.

Hot sauce will keep for about 2 weeks, refrigerated and tightly covered.

29 comments:

Jacqueline Meldrum said...

I am so glad it is not just me who is like that! I stop at the supermarket on the way home, tired, hungry and with no list. So, half the time I end up making old favourites I know the ingredients for.

This does look delicious!

Steph said...

That looks delicious and looks packed full of nutrients!

I agree, I think I forced myself to accept that CCC's do turn soft the next day. I've never made madelines, but I noticed that white/butter cakes change texture a few hours later. My latest obsession has been trying to find the perfect white cake recipe that's fluffy, tight crumbed but also moist. It would be nice if I could get cake mix textured cakes without the cake mix chemicals. So far, Billy's vanilla has come the closest to what I want. After they're completely cool, they're still soft and fluffy, but come night time the texture turns a 180 and becomes dense! That's so annoying because I would have to make a cake right before serving (how are people getting such great results doing them a day before hand?) Btw, I do the 'resting in the pan' variation for cakes too.. so far I think I've settled on 5 minutes.

Well... that was totally off topic from your yummy black bean chilaquile.. haha

Unknown said...

oh i know! the pressure when you're hungry isn't good either :) this sounds incredible, has all my favorites!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Looks like a glop of DELICIOUSNESS!!! :-D

Anonymous said...

wow this looks great!!! i can never decide on recipes either. i just always try to buy my staple foods like tofu and bananas. i just know whatever i'll make will have one of those in it haha

Anonymous said...

yea, i'm like that too! now, the only books i read are cookbooks!

Anonymous said...

This looks so delicious!

Anonymous said...

That looks fabulous--and the layers are very distinguishable :)

I love reading cookbooks, but end up doing just what you do! Next time I'm browsing for fun, I'll have to make the shopping list as I go along. I bet this was just delicious, though.

Amy said...

Yum yum and yum!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

I love Moosewood but also Rebar from your neck of the woods:D

grace said...

yeah, it looks like a big glop...a big glop of deliciousness! i would eat that entire mound and go back for more--this is fabulous. :)

Dawn said...

Yum! I love this take on chiliquiles. My husband grew up on them, I will def give this one a go....love your site!

Maria said...

I love Moosewood's recipes!! Thanks for sharing this one. It looks fabulous!

Snooky doodle said...

yummy sounds delicious

Cakespy said...

This looks so yummy I can barely stand it.

Usha said...

Such a wonderful combination, looks healthy and yummy...

Fitness Foodie said...

This is my kind of recipe. I think I might have to get that cookbook. Nice photo.

Johanna GGG said...

looks excellent - and nice to read your little intro - that is how I am feeling tonight - so many recipes and I still struggle to find what to cook for dinner! This one is on my list!

RecipeGirl said...

You know, I had that cookbook long ago and ended up giving it away. Wish I had kept it. Like you, I love to go through a cookbook cover to cover. I got a couple of cookbooks at the library yesterday and I just love to sit and explore!

Looks like a good veg. recipe :)

Amy said...

Mmmm this looks so good!

Susan from Food Blogga said...

This is just my kind of comfort food. I wish I had some for dinner right now, actually.

Cookie baker Lynn said...

That looks like layers of deliciousness; a perfect dinner for a chilly evening.

Lisa Turner said...

What a fabulous creation. I would love to have that in front of me right now.

Deborah said...

This looks absolutely delicious! I like to go through cookbooks and magazines from time to time and mark recipes - that way when I'm under a time crunch I can just open it to the bookmarks!

Anonymous said...

Looks great, and so simple too. Can't wait to make this!

whd said...

I forgot I had this book - thanks for the inspiration (I made it tonight)!

Jennifer said...

This looks AMAZING!!!

Amy said...

I just made this again tonight! I've had that Moosewood cookbook forever and I agree completely that many of the recipes in it are just average, or they're a lot of work for what you get, but this chilaquile recipe I put a big "YUM!" next to a long time ago.

Anonymous said...

really good reminder of a delicious recipe. I added green pepper, chili powder, oregano, and cumin and used 12 baked corn tortillas in place of the chips. Also mixed everything together--spinach, sauteed veggies, and salsa--before layering.