Entries from September 3rd, 2011

Fall Picnic

9.28.2011

It seems that I’ve managed to fall into a repetitive routine with my blog posts. Blurb, picture, recipe. Repeat. Well, dang. I am soooo sorry. When did I become so predictable? Well, I’m going to spice today’s post up by dun dun dun…not posting a recipe!

I skipped making dinner yesterday and let Wyatt cook for me. I know, I know…it was really hard for me to accept that OTHER people can cook too but it’s nice to swap roles. I did, however, have to have SOME control and demanded we go on an evening picnic with the grub he made and get dessert at Chocolate Moose (a ice cream stand that has perfected the concept of vegan ice cream that actually has the texture of creamy ice cream).

He made his specialty: grilled cheese with tomato soup.I know this sounds simple (which for the most part…it is) but it’s the fanciest comfort food you’ll ever eat! It’s got slices of fontina and cheddar cheese with a layer of basil leaves and slices of tomatoes fresh from my garden. Damn, now that is a grilled cheese. And he adds yummy spices of oregano and crushed peppercorn to the tomato soup for a perfect complex flavor to a simple soup.

Wyatt and I live about a block apart and there is a lot of going back and forth between houses. We live in a college neighborhood but for some reason there is a museum in this neighborhood that has a beautiful garden in the back. I’m talking sunflowers taller than me and vines that wrap around a pathway to create a walkway tunnel.

You could probably talk to anyone who lives in our neighborhood and they would have no idea this museum is here. I lived in this neighborhood for three years until finally noticing it ONLY AFTER moving right next to it. This is awesome because that means the museum is closed by 5 and always abandoned so I love to break into the garden after hours and enjoy it’s peacefulness.

Yup. We ate all of it.

And watched the sun set.

DIY Vegan Bagels with Pumpkin Cream Cheese

9.27.2011

There are very very few things I like about the weather getting colder but fall flavors is by far my favorite! All the smells and spice…the pumpkin, cinnamon, apple, cloves, nutmeg. Mmmmmm Sooooo please excuse me if I get carried away with the season baking for the next few months!

I will admit the process of making bagels is a bit tedious and my boyfriend doesn’t understand why you would make anything that involved 3 different methods of cooking to get to the final product (boiling, baking, and toasting) but they are a fun weekend project that are well worth the effort if you have the time. They have a crunchy outer layer with a soft, fresh center that you won’t even need to toast.

Vegan DIY Bagels

(Adapted from Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s Vegan Brunch)

3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/3 cup lukewarm water
1 ounce active dry yeast
4 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons xanthan gum
2 teaspoons salt
poppy seeds
oil

Lightly coat a bowl and set aside. Dissolve the sugar and yeast in lukewarm water. Combine the flour, xantham gum, salt, and water mixture until a sticky dough forms. Knead the dough by hand for ten minutes (make sure you have some good music going to make the time go byyyy). Put in the greased bowl and cover with a damp towel. Let rise for one hour.

The dough will not have rose too much but that is okay. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and adjust to a simmer. Divide the dough into twelve pieces and roll into circles. Use your thumb to puncture a hole in the center then add to simmering pot. Let boil for one minute and then flip. Take turns putting 2-3 bagels in a batch of water.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place boiled bagels on it. Sprinkle with poppy seeds and bake 18 to 20 minutes. Let stand for an additional 20 minutes to cool off and harden.

Top with pumpkin spice cream cheese or nutella or sunflower seed butter or honey and devour.

AND THE MOST IMPORTANT PART…..

Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese

(Adapted from Pinch My Salt)

8 ounces of cream cheese (use tofutti if you’re vegan!), softened
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
5 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons maple sugar (or agave)
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
dash of nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Combine all ingredients and use a mixer to blend together.

Spread over everything and munch down.

Baked French Toast

9.26.2011

One of my roommate use to live in a shack. A literal shack. It was behind a full size house and was a cozy one room with a loft for the bedroom. The walls were made of wood panels and you could see the sun shining through the cracks. It was awesome. It was like a peaceful hide out cottage in the middle of a city that no one knew about unless they knew her. She loved that place and I loved that place. I have very fond memories of laying on her couch and lusting about life while she made me food (the living room and kitchen were the same room). Anyways, this recipe was made in this shack and I can’t help but reflect on that place every time I make this.

We had “Family dinner” night number 2 last week (Note: Family dinner number 1 was Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas with Avocado Fries) and decided to do breakfast for dinner. I live with four girls all with different diets (some of us are vegetarian, some lactose intolerant, and some meat eaters) so it’s hard to find something that works for everyone: there is, of course, one thing we can all agree one: alcohol. We needed mimosas…wellllll vamosas. Vamosa is a drink that I created years ago when I was in love with OJ and champagne but needed something more to get the job done. Vamosas are orange juice and champagne with a shot (or two!) of vodka. Bam. done. delicious. I highly encourage you to try one.

Okay, well I’ve managed to write 200 words that pertain nothing to the dish I’m making so time to get serious. Baked french toast is really the only way to eat french toast. The corn flakes give a crispy crunch to the outside while the toast is so thick with eggy batter that it stays soft and fluffy on the inside. And french toast is so versatile that you can serve it with powdered sugar and syrup or go a bit healthier with fresh fruit (My house hold managed to go through an entire bottle of maple syrup when we made these. Just sayin. We’re not glutenous….. we just know how to enjoy some quality french toast).

Baked French Toast

4 Eggs
1 1/2 cups Milk
dash of nutmeg
dash of cinnamon
Loaf of stale bread, cut into 1 inch thick slices
1 cup crushed corn flakes
Fresh fruit (optional- for topping)
butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk together the eggs, milk, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Pour crushed corn flakes onto a plate. Heat skillet and butter over medium heat.

Dip bread into the egg mixture (make sure its drenched all the way to the center! You might have to let it sit in the mixture for a few seconds) and then dip onto the corn flakes plate so it coats all of the bread. Cook in the skillet for about 2 minutes on each side.

Once you have done that to all the bread pieces, transfer to a greased baking sheet and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes or until the pieces have noticeably puffed.

Top with yummy fruit and syrup. Mow down.

Chipolte Butternut Squash Burrito Bowls

9.25.2011

I really wanted to start this post of by talking as if I was the burrito but my editor (AKA my roommate) highly discouraged me against it so I guess I’ll just talk about the food instead. But before I talk about the food, let’s talk about beergaritas. Have you ever had one? Well you need to fix that and preferably soon. I’m not going to go into details about why you need to because the name itself is pretty self explanatory and although it may not be the classiest drink you’ll ever have…who wants classy anyways?

Yummy yummy mix ins

Please keep in mind that the ingredient amounts can be adjusted completely for this recipe…I mean I’m sure you knew that but if you like sour cream with a side of burrito than have at it (My point being don’t take the ingredient list too seriously down below). Also, the great thing about Mexican food is that it makes mass quantities and all the supplies are always super cheap so feed your friends. Or your entire 12 piece family. Or the cat lady next door. Whoever.

Porch burrito bowl!

Chipotle Butternut Squash Burrito Bowl

(Adapted and simplifed Closet Cooking)

Chipotle Butternut Squash

1 small onion, sliced
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 chipotle in adobe sauce, chopped
1 teaspoon adobe sauce
couple dashes of cumin
2 tablespoons ketchup
3 cups butternut squash, peeled and chopped into bite size pieces
oil

Burrito Bowl Add ins:

1 cup cooked rice
handful of chopped cilantro
half a lime
sour cream
salsa
can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 large avocado, diced
1/4 cup shredded pepper-jack cheese

First, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and saute for five minutes or until softened. Throw in garlic and cumin and cook for another minute. Add chipotle, adobe sauce, ketchup, and butternut squash and cover. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until the butternut squash is cooked all the way through.

While letting the squash cook, combine the rice, cilantro, and juice of half a lime in a bowl. Let sit for 10 minutes to absorb their flavors.

Assemble burrito bowl in this order (or dont- I don’t really care either way and it’s gonna be amazing regardless): Cilantro-lime-rice, chipotle butternut squash, black beans, salsa, avocado, cheese, and sour cream.

Munch.

*Important Side Note: Eat on a porch to make it a porch burrito (and preferably with a beergerita)

Vegan Chicken[less] and Dumpling Stew

9.22.2011

Okay Okay Okay. I may be getting ahead of myself with jumping into fall and winter recipes buuuuuuut it’s been rainy and cold for the past week….. so not my fault!

Even if they don’t admit it, every vegetarian misses some sort of comfort food from their childhood that has those gunky chunks of meats. I personally have always loved dumplings (dough in general. Give me cookie dough, bread dough, gnocci and I’m set for the day). So when I think of laying in bed with a big bowl of soup, I dream of thick chunks of celery, dumplings, and I guess…chicken?

Honestly though, I don’t care about the chicken so why not revamp the soup and make it without? Exactly what I was thinking. This soup has so much flavor with plenty of texture from the veggies and dumplings that it doesn’t even need any animal products. This stew is thick so you really don’t even need a side for this guy but we made simple grilled cheese because…well we we’re on the comfort food kick.

Oh and there’s loads of leftovers so you can be eating this stuff for days! (or share with your friends)

(This was me trying to capture the rainy day outside but we can all see how that turned out…)

Vegan Chicken[less] and Dumpling Stew

(Adapted from www.fresh365online.com)

6 servings

4 T Earth Balance
1 large onion, chopped
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons of cooking wine (whichever kind you have on hand)
5 cups vegetable broth + 1 cup water
1/2 c almond milk (NOT FLAVORED. THAT WOULD BE GROSS)
2 teaspoons salt
couple dashes of pepper
2 bay leaves (if you don’t already some some than just buy 2 in your bulk section at your local co-op)
1 teaspoon dried thyme (or basil if you don’t have thyme)
4 cups chopped mushrooms
2 cups chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup frozen peas
3 tablespoons minced fresh chives

Dumplings

2 c all-purpose flour
2 t baking powder
3/4 t salt
1/8 c minced basil
1/8 c minced chives
dash of garlic powder
2 T Earth Balance, melted
3/4 c almond milk (NOT FLAVORED)

In a large skillet, melt the earth balance and saute the onions over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until they start browning. Next, whisk in the flour and cooking wine until it clumps. Then add vegetable broth, water, milk, salt, pepper, bay leaves, and thyme (or basil). Let this come to a boil and then add the mushrooms, celery, carrots, peas, and chives. Reduce heat and let simmer for 30 minutes.

To make the dumplings, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, basil, chives, garlic powder. Melt the earth balance and combine with the dry ingredients and milk to make a thick dough. Be careful not to over mix or the dumplings will become too sticky to deal with.

Make dough into heaping, round teaspoons (the dumplings will expand as they cook) and drop into the stew. Cover and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes (or until the dumplings are all the way cooked through).

Garnish with extra chopped chives. Eat in the freezing cold so you can really get the full affect of the stew (not seriously though). But you should let your kitty lick the bowl clean (seriously!).

Caprese Breakfast Bake

9.18.2011

With generous growing from both my tomato and basil plants this summer, I’ve really embraced caprese style things. Not only is it a perfect combination of colors and texture but it also is super fresh when using your own produce.

These are like the best secret ever to exist in breakfast making. Really you could put any type of vegetable and herb combination and these would really accent the freshness and flavors of what you have on hand. I really like these because not only do I get bored with the traditional scrambled eggs and over easy, but because you can just pop these in the oven and continue to get ready in the morning while it bakes instead of slaving over a stove top watching their progress.

Also, since you make littler personal guys (the little remekins I use for this recipe are in abundance at every Goodwill ever to exist so don’t hesitate to pick up a few for 50 cents the next time you’re thrift shopping) you can make as much or as little as you’d like which is awesome when I’m only cooking for Wyatt and me (we just don’t need an entire pie size quiche for breakfast, ya know?)

Anyways, enjoyyyyy.

Caprese Breakfast Bake

(to make 2 rememkin’s full)

4 eggs
1 cup mozzarella, cubed or shredded
6 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
10 basil leaves, torn
4 Tablespoons heavy cream
Salt/Pepper

Spray the remekins with cooking spray so the egg doesn’t stick. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Divide the mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil leaves evenly between the two remekins. Top ingredients with two eggs in each remekin (be careful not to break the yolk so that it’ll be running when you’re finished and can drip all over your toast!). Pour a tablespoon of heavy cream over each each yolk (this helps it from drying out). Sprinkle with salt and Pepper.

Bake for 5-7 minutes and then turn the broiler on for another 2 minutes so the top gets crispy and yummy. Keep under broiler for a minute longer IF you want your yolk to harden.

Serve over yummy buttered toast and eat immediately (without burning yourself!). Yup Yup.

Quick Vegan Pancakes with Simple Strawberry Topping

9.17.2011

Vegan baking is different from regular baking in the fact that the end product is denser but much more moist (I know that seems like an odd combination but really the best way for you to get what I’m saying is to just trying some vegan baking!). It’s funny because people just assume vegan baking is so much harder than regular but it’s all just about substituting the right ingredients. (I mean we can make it more challenging by adding expensive chickpea flour, arrowroot starch, and xantham gum but why bother when it turns out just as good with a few of these cheap substitutions?) .

This is my “go to” breakfast recipe when I’m looking for something sweet or needing to feed a big crowd (there’s a reason we have 5 beds and 2 pull out couches in this house- there are always plenty of people sleeping over).

I would suggest just using fresh fruit and maple syrup on this guys. However, if you’re fresh out of syrup or have some sad looking fruit, feel free to cook them with a few tablespoons of sugar on the stove (on low!) for a few minutes to create a simple syrup that will make the fruit extra sweet and create a melt in your mouth texture.

Perfect Vegan Pancakes

(Adapted from Isa Moskowitz’s Vegan Brunch)

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/3 cup water
1 cups almond milk
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Spray the skillet with cooking spray (or use a little olive oil) and heat skillet over medium heat while you prepare the batter.

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Once mixed, make a hole in the middle of the bowl by pushing all the dry ingredients to the edge. Put oil, milk, syrup, and vanilla in the center and fold dry ingredients in to mix.

Pour batter in the middle of the pan and cook one at a time for about 2 minutes on each side. They are ready to flip when bubbles have formed almost all the way around the edges.

Lather with maple syrup and fruit. Or peanut butter and jam. Or Nutella. Or ice cream and chocolate. Or what[Evs]

Margherita Pizza

9.16.2011

As I’ve mentioned 100 billion times previously, the tomatoes at the farmer’s market right now are spectacular and this is by far one of my favorite pizza recipes (which works out great since it’s so simple!). This recipe is also a great way to show off the beautiful color and size of these heirlooms. Mmmmmm.

Yup. This recipe is so simple that I’m going to keep this whole post simple and not ramble. I will say that you should never bother buying delivery (OR FROZEN-EWWW) ever again because this is faster, cheaper, and soooo much better.

2 colorful and big heirloom tomatoes, sliced
1 pizza dough (you could make it by hand but we used Trader Joe’s herb pizza crust and it was scrumptious)
1 package of miniature fresh mozzarella balls
3 cloves garlic, mined
olive oil
handful of fresh basil, torn into small chunks

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out pizza dough and place on a oiled baking sheet.

Spread olive oil on the first layer instead of pizza sauce. Next top with fresh garlic, mozzarella, tomato pieces, and the basil.

Cook for 12 to 15 minutes.

Damn. That’s it. Eat quickly before the roommates get it. Or share with your dog. Whichever.

Oh and please enjoy with yummy, cold beer.

Preferably this one:

Vegan Chai Latte Cupcakes

9.13.2011

Since I haven’t had much time for baking lately (and have been totally neglecting my vegan baking skills) I thought this was much overdue. This is my “go to” cupcake recipe. It has a very complex taste to it with all the spices but isn’t difficult to master. It’s also a perfect fall recipe because I don’t know what the temperature is like where you are but fall has been poking at Bloomington this past week. It has all the spices that many people associate with apple dishes or the tea that we all get addicted to when the cold comes and your roommates refuse to keep the thermostat above 60 (oh wait…or is that just mine?)

Anyhoo, if you are looking for a cupcake that is completely different from anything you’ve ever made than this is the guy. It may seem like a lot of ingredients but anyone who has a spice rack aimed at baking should have these spices. Also, I vary with which frosting I use on these guys. For example, if I know I’m not cooking for a vegan audience then I’ll do cinnamon cream cheese frosting (which is pictured in the photo below) but feel free to just use a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg on the top (or use vegan cream cheese).

Vegan Chai Latte Cupcakes

(adapted from Isa Moskowitz’s Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World)

1 cup almond milk
4 black tea bags
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup soy yogurt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
pinch of ground pepper

First, preheat the oven to 375 and fill a cupcake tin with 12 adorable cupcake liners.

In a small saucepan, dip the tea bags in the almond milk and bring to a boil. As soon as it boils, remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes (so the tea flavor is absorbed into the milk. mmmm). Ring out the bags to get out as much flavor as possible.

Once you’ve got that done, combine the oil, yogurt, vanilla, sugar, and the almond milk mixture in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Once well combined, mix in the rest of the dry ingredients and fold in until completely combined.

Fill the cupcake tins about 3/4 full and cook for 20-22 minutes.

Top with cinnamon/nutmeg. Or cream cheese frosting. or oreos. or whatever your craving is bitching about.

Yup.

Sweet and Sour Tempeh

9.12.2011

I have this thing for Chinese food. This thing is actually a deep, semi-yearning, lust and I get these longing cravings for it on a regular basis. The problem is I can’t find a good Chinese place in this town (go figure! They can perfect Persian food but they can’t do your basic sodium induced American Asian flair!). Anyways, I’ve asked several of the take out places to substitute their chicken for tofu General Tao or tofu Sweet and Sour and it always comes out horrible. This has led to me taking matters into my own hands (for the better). I have an amazing general Tao tofu recipe that I will have to share with you but until then…enjoy this sweet and sour tempeh recipe that I perfect this evening.

Tempeh is my favorite meat substitute. It has a simple soft, grainy texture (not nearly as slimy as tofu) when cooked properly and does a fantastic job of absorbing the flavors of the dish(without having to drain an hour prior). I prefer the Lightlife brand of tempeh because you can get it in all sorts of different variations (wild rice, flax, garden veggie, soy, and three grain). I used three grain for this recipe but feel free to pick out whatever you think tastes the best or is the cheapest or prettiest or something.

Anyways, this is a super easy dish and an easy way to use up lots of produce while still getting your protein in! The sauce is ridiculously simple and it’s fantastic because you know exactly what is coating your food instead of dumping some store bought sauce where you can’t pronounce half the ingredients.

Sweet and Sour Tempeh

(Adapted from www.theflourshingfoodie.com)

8 oz package of tempeh, cut into chunks
Half an onion, cut into chunks
1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks
1 8 oz can of pineapple chunks, drained
1 large tomato, sliced and cut into chunks
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tbsp soy sauce
6 tbsp ketchup
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp sugar
Cooked rice of your choice

Saute the tempeh chunks in olive oil over medium low until crispy and browned on all sides (about 10 minutes). Turn the heat up to Medium and add the garlic, onion, and pepper to saute for another 10 to 15 minutes. Next, add the pineapple and tomato followed by the soy sauce, ketchup, water, and sugar. Continue to cook for about another 10 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.

Top the cooked rice with your tempeh mixture. Eat and enjoy your protein buzz. Or share with a friend while playing Wahoo. Whichever.

Ricotta and Spinach Dumplings

9.06.2011

Yesterday was my 22nd birthday (I’m getting super old…Don’t remind me) and I had a big grill out/pot luck gathering in the afternoon… sooooooooooooo expect a huge post with lots of yummy potluck recipes and pictures ASAP! But until then, I had a super lazy day of board games and documentaries so I’ll share my dinner recipe for this evening with you now.

Anyways, this is a recipe that my Ma reccommended to me because I am a spinach nut and anything that is 70 percent cheese couldn’t possibly be bad (minus mayo and american cheese sandwiches with white bread…because they don’t count for reasons of them ruining my point and for the fact that they shouldn’t exist). And I’m a big fan of doughy…. doughy brownies, cookies, bread, you name it and I’d prefer it half cooked.

There was a jabbing feeling of fall in the air today which made me crave soup. Chicken and dumpling soup was my shit when I was little (before I entered into the food realm of vegetarian at the modest age of 13). I’m getting off topic…the point is this is a great substitute when you don’t want a whole lotta flour in your diet and are looking to get those yummy benefits that only spinach can tackle.

Ricotta and Spinach Dumplings

1 10 ounce package of frozen chopped spinach (thawed and drained)
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
2 cups parmesan cheese
6 tablespoons + 1 cup flour
2 eggs
dash pepper/salt
pinch of nutmeg
2 cups marinara sauce

Fill a large pot with salted water and bring to a boil.

Mix the spinach, ricotta, 1 1/2 cups parmesan, 6 tablespoons flour, eggs, salt/pepper, and nutmeg. Spread the rest of the flour on a plate for rolling . Shape the cheese mixture into golf ball size (the recipe I went off of suggested you’d have about 24 but we made ours kind of big and got about 12 which was a perfect amount for 4 people- all personal preference, though!) and roll the dumplings in the flour (make sure that they are coated super well or they will fall apart in the water!)

Add dumplings to boiling water and let cook for 5-7 minutes (depending on how big you made them) or until they are floating. Scoop out the dumpling and put on a paper towel to absorb excess water.

Heat up the marinara any way you’d like- stove top, microwave, water boiler. And add your own fixins to make it your own: garlic, oregeno, basil, more cheese.

Top dumplings with warmed sauce and the rest of the parmesan.

Enjoy with Andre Champagne (classy) and prepare while listening to the new St. Vincent’s album ‘Strange Mercy’ (trendy)

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas with Avocado Fries

9.03.2011

As I’ve mentioned, I recently moved and am living with 4 new girls from all sorts of backgrounds (which makes me so excited for new food ideas) in this huge old vintage house. It’s kind of crazy having 5 people in the house with 5 different schedules because you never see all of them at the same time (and have to repeat your stories 4 separate times) so we decided to attempt to have ‘family dinner night’. This seems overwhelming but I think it will work better than expected because there are two of us that love to cook, one that likes to clean (dishes clean up, score!), and one that has serious sugar problems (shes got the desert aftermath under control).

Anyways, so we attempted this family dinner last night and this was the menu: Sweet potato and black bean enchiladas and avocado fries (+loads of Corona and lime! I also suggest tequila if you are trying to REALLY get to know your new roommates). The enchiladas were a great recipe for a large group (we doubled the recipe for 5 of us but really shouldn’t have because we have loads of leftovers!) and a good group activity since you can have several hands stuffing and rolling the fillings in the tortillas.

I first came across fried avocado when I visited Austin two years ago for South By Southwest (AKA the best music festival to exist this side of the Atlantic Ocean). I got them at a small trailer-restaurant with some spicy aoili and I went back this spring to find that they exploded all over Austin. They are now a huge trend with the TexMex cuisine and for good reasons: crispy on the outside with a melt-in-your-mouth center. Also lots of places seem to be serving them inside tacos, but we stuck to fries here for a nice side.

Also, I should warn you that you do have to fry the avocado fries. I realize frying is really a big no no to 90 percent of cooks and if it’s not a no no for you than it’s probably intimidating, but I promise you that it’s really not as messy as you’d think and it won’t take you any longer than cooking something in a skillet.

Okay, I’m done with warning and suggestions. Let’s make some yummy grub.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas

(Adapted from www.wholefoods.com)

1 bottle green chili sauce
1 (15-ounce) can organic black beans, rinsed, drained
4 cloves garlic, minced
juice from 1 lime
2 cups COOKED sweet potatoes, cubed in small chunks
1/2 cup chopped roasted mild green chiles
Big dash of ground cumin
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
8 tortillas
8 ounces shredded Montrerey Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350 and find a big casserole dish for the enchiladas.

Make the guts of the enchiladas but combining the black beans, garlic, juice of the lime, cumin, cilantro, green chilis, half the cheese, and sweet potatoes in a bowl.

Pour half the green chili sauce in the bottom on the dish. Assemble enchilidas by making a straight line of the filling and roll tightly. Lay filled enchiladas in dish and top with the rest of the sauce and cheese.

Cook for 20 to 25 minutes.

Enjoy one or two (warning: consuming more than that in one sitting could cause a food coma. Probably. Maybe. Yeah).

Avocado Fries with Cilantro Lime Dipping Sauce

Oil For Frying
2 Avocados
1 Eggs, beaten
1 Cup Bread Crumbs
1 Teaspoon Lemon Pepper
Dash of salt
1 Teaspoon Lemon Pepper
1/4 Teaspoon Cumin

5 Tablespoons Mayonnaise
3 Tablespoons Fresh Cilantro, chopped
Juice of half a lime

Combine the Mayo, cilantro, and lime juice in a food processor (or blender) to blend. Set aside to let the flavors mix while you prepare the rest.

First prep a bit: Cut avocado in half and then slice into even strips. Beat the egg and set in a shallow bowl and combine the breadcrumbs, salt, lemon, pepper, and cumin in another shallow bowl.

Fill a small skillet with about an inch of oil and let it heat up over medium heat.

Dip avocado slices in breadcrumbs, eggs, and back in breadcrumb mixture. Repeat with the rest of the slices. Fry in the skillet for about 2 minutes on each side.

Serve with the sauce and eat your heart out.