The Charmed Kitchen

Rice and Beans Enchiladas – Vegan

When my niece and her boyfriend were in town recently, I invited them for brunch. They are vegan, which is always more of a challenge for me. I am comfortable with cooking vegan, but I always want to make them something new and fun. I decided to make enchiladas. Not a difficult dish to make, but a  little more challenging without cheese.  I ended up making a creamy tomato sauce using almond milk. The dish came out great. They liked it so much they asked for the leftovers for home. Here is the recipe.

Rice and Bean Enchiladas –Vegan

Filling:
1½ c. brown rice
3 c. vegetable broth
2 T. oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 sweet pepper, seeded and chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 can beans, any type you want, drained and rinsed (I like black beans in this recipe)
2 T. chili powder
1 T. paprika
2 t. cumin
2 t. oregano
1 t. smoked paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot sauce to taste

9 – 10 (8-inch) flour tortillas

Sauce:
3 T. oil
3 T. flour
1½ c. almond milk (you could also use coconut, soy or rice milk)
1 can ( 14.5 oz.) canned tomatoes, I used a pint jar of home canned tomatoes
1 t. cumin
1 t. oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot sauce to taste

Place rice and broth in saucepan and cook, covered, over medium low heat until rice is cooked, about 40 minutes. While rice is cooking heat oil in skillet and cook onions until golden. Add peppers and garlic and cook until peppers are tender. Combine pepper mixture with the rice, once cooked, the beans and the seasonings. Adjust seasonings. Lightly oil a 13×9-inch baking dish. Spoon some filling into a tortilla and roll up. Place seam side down in baking dish and continue with remaining tortillas and filling. Dish will be pretty full. Start sauce. Combine oil and flour in a saucepan. Add almond milk and cook over medium heat, stirring, until mixture comes to a simmer. Cook until mixture thickens and is bubbly. Add tomatoes and seasonings, adjusting to your taste. Pour sauce over the tortillas in the pan. Try to get sauce down in between the tortillas as much as you can. At this point you can bake them or cover and put in fridge until ready to bake. These can be made a day ahead, if you like. When ready to bake, heat oven to 350 degrees. Cover pan with foil and bake for 45 minutes, if freshly made, 55 minutes if cold from the fridge. Uncover and let enchiladas cook 10 minutes longer. Allow to stand 10 minutes before cutting. Makes 9-10.

Apple Pie Blintzes

I had friends over for brunch yesterday and wanted a dessert to go along with the meal.  I looked at what I had on hand and decided to use flour tortillas and fresh apples. I ended up with apple-filled tortillas that tasted like warm apple pie.

I soaked the tortillas in milk – actually I soaked them in almond milk because my guests are vegan- but you could use regular milk if you prefer. By soaking the tortillas in milk, they soften up and can be used like a crepe. Soak them for at least 30 minutes, or up to an hour. I placed the tortillas in a shallow baking pan and made sure to drizzle each one with almond milk as I added them to the pan.

For the filling, I peeled a couple of large apples and cored them. Then I sliced them thin and placed them in a skillet with sugar, cinnamon and a tablespoon of water. I cooked the apples until they were just soft.  The amount of sugar depends on how sweet the apples are and how sweet you want your filling. Same thing with the amount of cinnamon. Add the amount that tastes right to you. I also added a little lemon juice and a pinch of salt. I wanted them moist, but not too watery.

To assemble the blintzes, place a softened tortilla on your work surface and spoon a little apple filling in the middle. You can do this with hot filling, or even make the filling ahead of time and use it cold. Don’t over fill them or you won’t be able to fold them up. I used 8-inch tortillas and used about 1/4 cup of filling for each one. Fold the sides in until they almost meet in the middle and them roll the tortilla up to cover the filling. Place seam side down until ready to fry them.

Heat oil ( or butter if you like), in a skillet,  and brown the blintzes over medium heat until lightly toasted on both sides. They will be crispy on the outside, but tender in the middle. Put on a serving plate, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve while warm.

My guests really liked them and said they did not realize they were made from tortillas. I have made these before and use different fruit fillings. I’ve even made a cheese filled version a few times. It seems I usually have a package of tortillas, so it is a go-to dessert for me in a pinch.

Vegan Banana Muffins

My niece and her boyfriend are visiting from out of town.  They are both vegan and I invited them over for brunch. I use their visits as a chance to try out new recipes. They are great testers. They give two thumbs up to these muffins. Moist, tender, and really tasty, they would be enjoyed by vegans and non-vegans alike. I liked them a lot, too.

Vegan Banana Muffins

3 c. flour

1 c. brown sugar

2 t. baking powder

2 t. cinnamon

1 t. nutmeg

1 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

2 c. mashed bananas

1 c. oil

1 c. almond milk

2 t. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 muffin pans with paper liners, or grease lightly. Set aside. Combine dry ingredients in large bowl and set aside. In medium bowl combine bananas with oil, milk and vanilla until smooth. Make a well in dry ingredients and pour in banana mixture. Stir until smooth, but don’t over mix. Spoon batter into muffin tins, filling just over half full. Bake 28-30 minutes, or until tester comes out clean. Cool a little before serving. Makes 24. Freeze well.

Giant “Pumpkin” Cinnamon Sugar Cookie

This is a fun treat for kids to make for Halloween. It is a large cinnamon sugar cookie, baked in a pizza pan, and decorated to look like a Jack o Lantern. They are fun to make for a Halloween party, but can also be made by kids at the party. If you get aluminum (disposable) pizza pans, you can have each kid bake and decorate their own cookie to take home. Once the cookie dough is made, it is spread in a pizza pan, then baked. When the cookie is cooled, spread with orange-tinted buttercream and let the kids make a face on it with assorted candies or frosting, tinted different colors.

Giant “Pumpkin” Cinnamon Sugar Cookie

½ c. butter, softened
½ c. packed brown sugar
1/3 c. granulated sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
1 c. flour
2 t. cinnamon

Orange tinted buttercream- recipe follows

Peanuts, M&M’s or candy corn

Beat together butter and sugars until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Stir in flour and cinnamon then press into ungreased 12-13-inch pizza pan. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 15-18 minutes. Remove from oven and cool down before frosting. Use remaining ingredients to make a Jack-o-lantern face on the pumpkin. Makes 12 servings.

Classic Butter Cream

1/3 cup butter
4 1/2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
In a bowl beat butter or margarine until fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups of the confectioners’ sugar, beating well. Slowly beat in the 1/4 milk and vanilla. Slowly beat in remaining sugar. Beat in additional milk, if needed, to make of spreading consistency. Tint with food color, if desired.

Wilted Kale and Bacon Salad

When I was a kid my Mom used to make a wilted spinach salad. I loved it. I used that as inspiration for this dish. I had a big bunch of kale from a local farm market. I also had some fresh local eggs.  I wanted something fast for dinner and wilted salad came to mind. What I ended up having was even better than expected. Smoky bacon, onion and a touch of maple syrup made this a dish I plan on having again soon.

Wilted Kale Salad With Bacon

2-3 slices thick sliced bacon, chopped

1 onion, sliced

4-5 cups kale, washed and torn into pieces

2 T. cider vinegar

1 T. maple syrup

dash of hot sauce

2 hard- cooked eggs, peeled and cubed

In skillet cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon from pan and set aside. Remove some of the fat from the pan- leaving about 2 tablespoonfuls. Add onion and cook until golden. Return bacon to pan and add the kale. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until kale in wilted. I don’t mind my kale on the firm side-cook it longer if you like it more tender. Drizzle in the vinegar, maple syrup and hot sauce and stir to coat evenly. Place on a serving dish and top with the eggs. Enjoy!!

Spiced Cider

It’s been chilly lately and I love a mug of hot apple cider to warm up. I made some recently and wanted to spice it up a little. I ended up adding ginger and cinnamon and the result was really good. I always keep ginger in my freezer. It is frustrating to buy a piece of ginger and then find it in the bottom of the crisper drawer weeks later looking like a science experiment gone bad. Freezing it solves that problem. When I want to use it, I just  take it out of the freezer, scrape off the peel and grate or slice off what I need. It keeps pretty much forever that way and I have fresh ginger whenever the mood strikes me.

Spiced Cider

2 cups apple cider

1-inch piece of ginger, sliced

1 cinnamon stick, broken in half

Place cider in a saucepan with the ginger and cinnamon. Simmer gently for 5 minutes- or a little longer if you want a more intense ginger taste. Strain and serve. Serves 2.

Note: Some of the cider will boil off so add a little more if you simmer it longer or keep the pot covered to reduce evaporation. I actually like the more intense flavor when it cooks down a little.

Spice Rubbed Steak

I had a friend over for dinner the other night and we were having steak. I love steak on the grill, but it was a rainy evening and I just didn’t feel like cooking outside. What I decided to do, was use a rub to give the steak more of a “cooked on the grill” taste. I have used this rub on chicken and pork, too. It has a slight smoky flavor from the smoked paprika. Combined with the other seasonings it is one of my favorite rub recipes. I sprinkled some of the mix on the steak and rubbed it in. I let the steak rest about 30 minutes, then broiled it. I also let the steak rest a few minutes before slicing it. It was fabulous!! So, while there is nothing better than the taste of a grilled steak, you can make do when grilling is not an option. Here is the recipe for the mix I used that night. You can also add some of the mix to baked beans.

Barbecue Seasoning/Rub

1/3 c. chili powder
¼ c. salt
3 T. onion powder
2 T. ground cumin
1 T.  paprika
1 T. garlic powder
1 T. brown sugar, optional                                                                                                      2 t. smoked paprika
1 t. cayenne
½ t. each dry mustard and dried lemon peel

Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Use with 3 months. Rub on chicken, steaks, etc, before grilling.

Halloween Goo Drink

If you want a fun beverage to serve for Halloween try this Goo Drink. It’s easy to make and will give guests a start. The secret is Jell-o. Make whatever flavor Jell-o you like. Once it is firm, mash it with a fork into pieces. Place some in a glass and add ice and whatever beverage you like. I used cherry Jell-o with sour cherry soda. The Jell-o is invisible that way. When your guests take a sip they get little gobs of Jell-o in every sip. You can also play with color combinations for fun. Grape Jell-o with orange soda looks like little black globs in the drink.  Play with color combinations. You can also do this with Jell-o shots, for the grown-ups.

Mash Jell-o with a fork

Add some Jell-o to the glass before adding ice and soda