Baked vegetarian taquitos

Before I made this I hadn't had a taquito in probably 15 years. I haven't done a ton of looking around for them, but the ones you can find in the freezer section are definitely not vegetarian. They sometimes sound really delicious though. So I decided to create my own. The secret here is to not let them rest too long before baking because the tortillas will split open like mine did.

Ingredients:

10 corn tortillas

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 of an onion, diced

1/3 green bell pepper, diced

1/3 red bell pepper, diced

1 roma tomato, diced

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 can water

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

2 dashes cayenne pepper

salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray it liberally with cooking spray. Heat a sauce pan over medium heat and saute onion and bell peppers in oil until tender, about 5 minutes. Add tomato and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Add beans and water and stir to combine. Add garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, and cayenne and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until the beans are soft. Smash the beans with the back of a spoon (or fork) and mix until the beans become thick and relatively smooth, adding more water if necessary. Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Allow this mixture to cool in the fridge for about 10 minutes. When the filling has cooled, take the tortillas and wrap them in damp paper towels and microwave for 30 seconds to allow them to soften. Take one tortilla at a time (and cover the rest) and spread about 2 spoonfulls of bean mixture about 1/4 of the way up the tortilla. Roll up tortilla as tightly as possible and place seam-side down on the pan. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas. Spray the taquitos with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the tortillas have crisped up and have begun to turn brown. Serve with salsa, guacamole, or lime-cilantro sour cream.

Sweet potato, corn, and black bean enchiladas

This meal is so good. It is one of those meals that feels like it is really bad for you but really it is fairly healthy, especially if you limit the cheese on the top. I didn't really care about it being healthy so I loaded mine up with cheese. Make sure you let these rest a bit after you take them out of the oven, that way they can set up a bit and you make sure you don't burn your mouth.

Ingredients:

1 small sweet potato
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon oil, divided
1/2 small onion, chopped
1/3 cup corn
1/2 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves
salt and pepper to taste
1 small can enchilada sauce
6 corn tortillas
1/3 cup - 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop sweet potato into small cubes and toss with garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, and 1 teaspoon of oil. Roast in preheated oven for 15-25 minutes or until tender. While the sweet potato is roasting, heat remaining two teaspoons of oil in a small sauce pan. Add onion and cook for 3-4 minutes or until tender, add frozen corn and heat 2 more minutes, or until corn has heated through. Add black beans, garlic, cumin, and chili powder and heat for 2 more minutes so the beans warm through. Remove from heat. Add the sweet potato chunks when they are done and stir to combine, season with salt and pepper. Turn oven down to 350. In a small baking dish, place 1/3 cup enchilada sauce in the bottom. Take a corn tortilla and stuff with 1/4 cup (or so, just eyeball it) of filling and roll up. Place it seam side down in the pan and repeat with the rest of the tortillas and filling. Once the pan is full pour the remaining enchilada sauce on top and sprinkle with cheese. Place in oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling. Allow it to rest for about 5 minutes, then top with sour cream, avocado, lettuce, or whatever toppings you prefer.

Pineapple salsa

This salsa is really tasty. It is definitely a little different than your typical tomato salsa but it is worth a try! I used fresh pineapple and I really wouldn't bother with the canned stuff for this since you want it pretty acidic.

Ingredients:

1 cup of diced fresh pineapple
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/2 a small jalapeno, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 a lime, juiced
1 large handful cilantro, torn in small pieces

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a small mixing bowl and stir to combine. Taste and add more lime or cilantro if necessary. Allow it to chill for about 30 minutes to let flavors come together. Serve with tortilla chips.

Corn cakes

These corn cakes are just as good for dinner as they are for breakfast. For dinner, serve as is or with black beans. For breakfast, serve with eggs. These are really delicious and they also freeze well just in case you can't eat all of them. I served mine with easy blended salsa.


Ingredients:

1 box jiffy cornbread mix
1 egg
1/3 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons shortening
1 cup corn
1 green onion, chopped
1 small handful cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon jalapeno (adjust to your taste)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter

Directions:

Mix all ingredients except butter and vegetable oil in a bowl until just combined. Let rest for 5 or so minutes. Heat a cast iron skillet over low-ish heat and melt butter and vegetable oil together in pan. Take approximately 1/3 cup of batter and pour into hot pan (I cooked about 3 at a time). Cook until edges look cooked and are starting to brown, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook another 2-3 minutes on the other side. Repeat with the rest of the batter, adding more oil and butter if necessary. Serve with sour cream, salsa, and/or black beans.

Black bean quinoa salad

This salad is so good. It actually tastes like the inside of a chipotle burrito. The boyfriend was hesitant about trying quinoa, which he imagined tasted "like poop" but after he tried a bite he said, "oh, I'd definitely eat that" and then took all the leftovers. I served mine cold but it would be fine served warm or room temperature as well. 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup veggie stock
1/2 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup corn kernels
1/4 of a red pepper, diced
1/4 of a green pepper, diced
6 cherry tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 green onion, chopped
1 handful cilantro, leaves torn
1 teaspoon minced jalapeno
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/2 lime, juiced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 dash crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 an avocado, diced

Directions:

Cook quinoa in veggie stock according to package directions. Set aside and allow to cool. In a medium bowl, combine black beans, corn, red and green bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, red onion, green onion, cilantro, and jalapeno and stir to combine. In a separate small bowl, combine oil, vinegar, lime juice, salt, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir sauce until everything is incorporated. When quinoa is cool, add it to the black bean mixture and top with the oil and vinegar sauce. Stir to combine. Serve chilled or at room temperature and top with avocado and cilantro.

Easy blended salsa

Normally if I choose to make a red salsa I will almost always make a pico de gallo, however, this is not a great option in the middle of winter when tomatoes are sort of a pale red color and have almost no taste. This kind of salsa can be easily and cheaply made using canned tomatoes, which do not have the same problems with mid-winter quality. This salsa is really tasty, much more so than you'd expect from a can of tomatoes.

Ingredients:

1 can of diced tomatoes
1/4 of a sweet onion, chopped
1/2-1 jalapeno, diced (depending on how spicy you want it)
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 (rounded) teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 a lime, juiced
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cumin (depending on taste)
1 very large handful cilantro leaves

Directions:

Dump everything into a food processor. Pulse it 4-5 times, wipe down the sides, and then turn on for 10 seconds. Check the consistency as well as the levels of sugar and salt. Season again if necessary and continue to blend until it is the consistency you want. Leave it sit in the fridge for at least an hour for the best flavor.

Roasted sweet potato and black bean tacos

These tacos take a little bit more time but they are definitely worth it. The sweet potatoes are sweet, a little smoky, and a little crispy and when mixed with the black beans it is the perfect filling for a slightly less traditional taco.

Ingredients:

1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 can black beans, drained
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon chili powder, divided
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, divided
1/2 teaspoon cumin, divided
1/3 cup chopped onion
cilantro
red onion slices
avocado slices
queso fresco
corn tortillas

Directions;

Preheat oven to 425 and grease a cookie sheet. While oven is preheating, toss sweet potato with olive oil, and half of your spices (so 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, and 1/4 tsp cumin). When oven is preheated spread the sweet potatoes on the pan and roast for 30-40 minutes, turning once or twice during that time. While sweet potatoes are cooking, prepare your black beans. Place beans, the remaining half of your spices, and onions in a small sauce pot and top with water. Bring to a simmer and continue cooking until the beans are tender and water has mostly evaporated. When sweet potatoes are tender, remove them from the oven and cool for a minute. To assemble: place one scoop of sweet potato in a corn tortilla, add a scoop of black beans over top, and then load it up with cilantro, red onion, avocado, and queso fresco.

Chilaquiles

These are so much more amazing than they look. This dish is basically just corn tortillas, slightly fried, and then cooked in green salsa until they soften again. The salsa you use is important here since it is really the main flavor you taste so make sure you either make it yourself or buy a kind you really like. You can serve this with scrambled eggs or rice and beans like I did, and definitely don't skimp on the toppings!

Ingredients:

3 corn tortillas
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup tomatillo salsa
1/3 cup veggie stock
salt
avocado slices
red onion, diced
tomato slices, chopped
cilantro
queso fresco
hot sauce
sour cream

Directions:

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. While oil is heating, cut corn tortillas in half and then in strips. Fry strips of tortilla until they are slightly crunchy, turning as necessary to crisp both sides. When tortillas are crisp, reduce heat to low, add salsa and veggie stock and cook for 3-5 minutes or until tortillas begin to soften again and the sauce thickens up a bit. Season with salt and transfer to a plate. Top with avocado, red onion, tomato, cilantro, queso fresco, hot sauce, and sour cream. Serve with scrambled eggs or a side of rice and beans.

Migas

It's sort of hard to tell what is going on in this picture, but trust me, what migas lack in presentation they more than make up for in taste. Migas are made a bunch of different ways depending on where you get them, but basically they are corn tortillas, veggies, and eggs all scrambled together. This is such a great brunch food but I also really like it for dinner as well if I have some leftover tortillas to use up. This recipe serves 1 but can very easily be increased to feed as many as you want.

Ingredients:

1 corn tortilla
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
3-4 slices of green pepper, diced
2-3 slices red onion, diced
2 slices tomato, diced
2-3 slices jalapeno, chopped
2 teaspoons (or a small pat) butter
2 eggs, slightly beaten
salt
pepper
1 small handful cilantro, chopped
3 slices avocado, diced
1 small hunk of queso fresco
1 spoonful sour cream
hot sauce

Directions:

In a cast iron (or other large)skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Fry tortilla until it is slightly crisp on both sides. If your oil is hot when you add the tortilla it should only take about 30 seconds to a minute on each side. Remove from pan and turn the heat down to low. Add green pepper, red onion, tomato, and jalapeno. While these are cooking, cut your tortilla into strips and then cut again so that you have small squares. When the veggies have cooked down but before they brown, add the tortilla pieces and the butter. Add eggs and gently fold everything together. Cook until the eggs are just set (don't brown them) then season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and place on a plate. Top with avocado, cilantro, queso fresco, sour cream, and hot sauce.

Tamale pie

If you look at the ingredients listed below this meal seems like it requires a lot, but luckily it is super flexible so you can use the kind of beans you have on hand and you can change up the veggies or leave some out if you want. This meal is really tasty and is great because it only uses one pot. The cornbread gets cooked right on top of the beans and veggies, which also keeps it from getting too dry.

Ingredients:

1 onion, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 orange bell pepper, diced
1 tomato, diced
1 teaspoon tomato paste
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 jalapeno (more or less depending on taste)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 dash crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup veggie stock (or more)
1 box jiffy cornbread mix
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In an oven/stove safe dish saute onion in oil over medium low heat for 2 minutes. Add peppers and continue to saute until they are soft, approximately 5-8 minutes. Add tomato, tomato paste, garlic, and jalapeno and cook for about a minute. Add beans, chili powder, cumin, and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir to combine. Add enough veggie stock to just cover the beans and veggies. Bring to a simmer and cook approximately 5 minutes, or until you can crush some of the beans easily. Crush enough of them to thicken the liquid and cook for 2 more minutes. In a separate bowl, combine jiffy mix, buttermilk, egg, and cheese. Top the pot with the cornbread mixture and evenly spread it around the pot. Transfer to the over and cook uncovered for 15-20 minutes, or until the cornbread has set and begins to turn light brown. Serve with fresh tomato, avocado, cilantro, sour cream and hot sauce.

Pinto bean tacos

Yes, another taco recipe. I really do make them a lot. This is the kind that I make the most often because it is super quick and I usually have all of the ingredients on hand. The boyfriend and I planned to make dinner together and he really wanted tacos but he feels weird cooking meat at my place, despite my insistence that it is ok (he's nice like that). When he learned that all I had were pinto beans he was pretty bummed and told me they were the grossest beans. After trying them (and finishing like 5 tacos) he admitted that they were great and that he was wrong (!!!). He even said he would try changing up his standard Chipotle order because he liked the pinto beans so much.

Ingredients:

1 can pinto beans, rinsed

2/3 cup water

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chopped jalapenos

corn tortillas or taco shells

onion, chopped

avocado, sliced

cilantro, cut in ribbons

lettuce, shredded

hot sauce

other toppings: shredded cheese, sour cream, salsa, chopped tomatoes, etc

Directions:

In a small sauce pot heat beans, water, garlic, chili powder, cumin, and jalapeno over medium heat until beans are soft, usually about 5-8 minutes. Mash a few of them so that the beans thicken up a bit. If using corn tortillas, soak them in water and then heat one at a time in a frying pan for about 30 seconds per side, or until they are pliable but not falling apart. Fill tortillas or taco shells with beans, top with onions, avocado, cilantro, lettuce, and hot sauce (or the toppings of your choice) and serve immediately.

Hot sauce

Full disclosure: this is absolutely not a recipe I created. This comes from Bon Appetit. I've made this a few times and it is seriously some of the best hot sauce I've had and I really didn't see the need to change it or adapt it at all. It doesn't have the consistency of mass produced hot sauce - it is pretty thin so it pours rather than drips like store bought so just be careful when you're using it.

Ingredients:

1 pound of hot peppers (jalapeno, serrano, cayenne, habenero, etc)*
2 tablespoons of salt
1 1/2 cups white vinegar

Directions:

Throw the peppers and the salt into a food processor and pulse until you have a nice puree going. It won't be smooth yet, but that's ok, you're going to process it again anyway. Transfer the mixture to a non-reactive container (preferably glass) and let it sit, covered, at room temperature for anywhere between 1 and 7 days. I usually let mine go for 3-4, otherwise it gets too intense for me. Put the puree and the vinegar into a food processor and turn it on continuously until you get a nice, smooth consistency. Strain the mixture through a coffee filter, pressing slightly on the solids to extract all the sauce. Store in a glass container and keep in the refrigerator for up to four months. Shake it before using.

*Sometimes I'll add a clove or two of garlic as well. The one pictured is made with 100% serrano peppers. If you don't want it so spicy you could replace some of the hot peppers with a bell pepper of the same color.

Spicy potato tacos

I love tacos. There are so many delicious kinds you can make whether you're a vegetarian or not. Tacos are one of those meals where you can make several fillings and then people can decide what kind they want, making it a good choice for when you are serving meat eaters and non-meat eaters. I love this version because it is a little different than you're typical taco. Feel free to adjust the level of spice to your liking. The amounts listed below made three tacos (enough to feed just me), obviously increase the amounts if you're making it for more than one person.

Ingredients:

4-5 red potatoes, diced (I cut each potato in 6ths)
1 1/2 cups veggie stock (or water with a bullion cube dissolved in it)
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1-2 good shakes crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 of a large jalapeno, minced
3 corn tortillas
Toppings: avocado, tomatoes, red onion, sour cream, shredded lettuce, chives, cilantro, hot sauce, etc.

Directions:

Combine potatoes, stock, tomato paste, and spices in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Cover the pan with a lid that is tilted to the side to allow some of the steam to escape. Continue to cook the potatoes until they are a step or two past fork tender - they should be soft but not falling apart. Mash a few of them and continue to cook until most of the water has evaporated. Add oil and jalapenos and keep cooking, uncovered, until potatoes begin to crisp up, making sure to scrape the pan every once in a while to make sure nothing burns. Heat tortillas by wetting them and then placing them on a hot saute pan, flipping them after about a minute. Fill tortillas with crisped up potatoes, then top with whatever toppings you'd like.

Black bean soup

I love soup. I once told someone that soup was my favorite food but I was told that soup isn't a food, it is a method of cooking. I'm sticking by it though. Soup is delicious. This soup can be easily adjusted to your preferences (just like most soups) so feel free to play around with it. I like to top this soup with lots of things but it is good just on its own as well.

Ingredients:

1 large clove (or 2 small cloves) of garlic, minced
1/2 small (or 1/4 large) red onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
4-6 slices green pepper, chopped
1/2 a tomato, chopped
1/2 a jalapeno, minced (adjust to your taste)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups veggie stock (or 1 bouillon cube mixed with 1 1/2 cups water)
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
Toppings: sliced avocado, chopped red onion, chopped tomato, sour cream, cilantro, hot sauce, etc.

Directions:
In a medium sauce pot saute garlic, onion, and green pepper in olive oil over medium low heat for a few minutes or until the onion softens but before it browns. Once soft, add the tomato and jalapeno and continue to cook for another minute or two. Add black beans, stock, cumin, and chili powder and stir to combine. Turn heat up to medium and bring to a low boil for 5-10 minutes or until the beans are soft and can be easily smashed. At this point you can puree the whole thing and make it smooth, or you can do what I do and smash the beans with a potato masher until most of them have broken down but stop before it becomes smooth. Turn heat down to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the soup thickens up to the consistency you like. Ladle into bowls and top with any combination of toppings you like.

Tomatillo salsa

Tomatillos are these really weird looking fruits (veggies?) that grow with this papery stuff covering the outside. They taste like a cross between a green tomato (which is an entirely different thing) and a lemon, and they have the texture of a cross between an unripe tomato and an apple. Growing up, we planted them in our backyard and I didn't realize until moving away that they would be sort of challenging to find. Luckily my grocery store usually has a small amount of fresh tomatillos available and they almost always have canned. I've made this salsa with both fresh and canned before, both of which resulted in really tasty salsa, but I definitely prefer the fresh.

Ingredients:

1 clove garlic

1/4 small red onion, chopped

1 small (or 1/2 a large) jalapeno, or more if you want it spicier

6-8 fresh tomatillos (or 1 can, drained)

1 small lemon, juiced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 good handful of cilantro

Directions:

Mince your garlic really finely, then sprinkle it with salt and smash/drag it across your cutting board a bunch of times with the back of your knife until it makes a paste. Throw this in the food processor. Chop your onion and your jalapeno and add those to the food processor too. Turn it on a few times so that your pieces become even smaller. Rinse your tomatillos to remove any of the sticky coating and then quarter them. Add the tomatillos, lemon juice, and salt to the food processor. Pulse a few times to break things down, then turn it on and let it run continuously for a while until things are really starting to come together. Turn it off, throw in your cilantro, pulse a few more times, then turn it on again and let it run until it is the consistency you like. I like mine on the smoother side, so I let it go for a while. It tastes best immediately, but it can stay in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. I just  give it a good stir if it has been sitting for more than a day.