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.