bean and veggie tortilla casserole

adapted from Everyday Food

makes 6 servings

• Ingredients
• 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 ounces crimini or white mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cans (15.5 ounces each), black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) or 3 cans (10 ounces each) diced tomatoes with green chiles
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/2 cup frozen corn
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 10 corn tortillas
• 6 ounces shredded cheese (Monterey Jack, Mexican blend, or Mozzarella)
• Optional: reduced-fat or fat-free sour cream, sliced green onions, avocado, jalapenos for garnish

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

In a medium pot, heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and sliced mushrooms over medium heat, until softened, 3 – 4 minutes. Put the mushrooms in a bowl and toss with the frozen corn and peas. Return the pot to the heat.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the pot, as well as the garlic. Heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the beans and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a simmer, about 5 minutes. Slightly mash some of the beans.

In a food processor or blender, puree the tomatoes (with juice) and cilantro. If you don’t have one of those, finely chop the cilantro and mix it with the tomatoes.

Lay 4 tortillas in the bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish, overlapping a bit and slightly going up the sides of the dish. Spread 1/3 of the tomato mixture on top. Spoon 1/2 of the black beans in, then evenly distribute 1/2 of the veggies. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheese. Top with 3 tortillas and repeat the layering process. Finish it with the remaining 3 tortillas, last 1/3 of the tomato sauce, and last 1/3 of cheese.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Bake for another 20 minutes.

To serve, top with sour cream, green onions, avocado, or jalapeno slices.

buffalo cauliflower

inspired by Mohawk Bend

makes 2 servings

• Ingredients
• 1/2 head of cauliflower
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup water
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the cauliflower into florets, about bite-sized. You want to still be able to grab them up with your fingers (okay, I guess a fork is more civilized, but whatever…).

Stir the flour, water, salt, and pepper together until smooth. Toss the cauliflower in the flour mixture. Shake the excess batter off each piece of cauliflower and place in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown on the edges. Remove the cauliflower from the pan with a spatula and place into a bowl. Toss with Frank’s Red Hot and serve!

mushroom nut roast

makes 8 servings

• Ingredients
• 1 sheet of puff pastry
• 1/3 cup green lentils
• 1/2 cup raw almonds
• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups finely chopped leeks OR 2 finely chopped onions
• 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 6 medium white button mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 ounce (3/4 cup) dried wild mushrooms (porcini, oyster, portabello, morel) OR 5 ounces white button or portobello mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon sage
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable broth

Allow the puff pastry to thaw for about 40 minutes.

Cook the lentils according to package instructions.

If using, soak the dried wild mushrooms in a bowl of 1 1/4 cups hot water for about 20 minutes. Squeeze the excess water out of the mushrooms and into the bowl. Reserve 1 cup of the mushroom water and set aside to use for gravy. Finely chop the mushrooms.

In a pan over low heat, toast the nuts until fragrant, stirring frequently to keep from burning. Remove from heat and place in a food processor. Pulse until the nuts are ground into a fine texture. Transfer to a large bowl.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the leeks (or onions), celery, and garlic. Saute for about 5 minutes, until everything begins to soften. Add all the mushrooms and saute until soft. Add to the bowl of ground nuts.

Add the lentils, vegetable broth, breadcrumbs, oregano, thyme, sage, and basil. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

Crack one egg into a bowl and beat. Pour over the mushroom mixture and mix well.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with nonstick spray.

Roll out the puff pastry. It should be wide enough to fit inside your loaf pan, covering both long walls, with enough overhang on each side to fold back over the filling we put inside.

Place the puff pastry in the loaf pan. Evenly spread the mushroom mixture into the pan, pushing down to compact it if it seems like there’s too much. Stretch and fold the flaps of pastry over the filling, enclosing it.

Beat the second egg in a small bowl. Brush the egg over the top of the pastry. You won’t need to use all of it, just give it a nice, even coating. This will help the loaf to brown.

Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 40 minutes, until the loaf is golden brown. Slice and serve with the mushroom gravy recipe below.

mushroom gravy

makes 8 servings

• Ingredients
• 4 ounces white button mushrooms
• 4 ounces portabello mushrooms
• 1 cup reserved mushroom water
• 1 can vegetable broth (add 1 cup plain water if not using reserved mushroom water)
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch or flour
• Dried sage
• Dried thyme
• salt and pepper

Saute the mushrooms in a pan with a drizzle of olive oil until soft.

In a saucepan, mix the vegetable broth and mushroom water (or regular water) with the cornstarch or flour until smooth. Add the mushrooms and the herbs, to taste.

Heat the gravy over medium-high heat until your desired thickness is reached, adding cornstarch or flour as needed to thicken it. If it’s too thick, add some water or vegetable broth.

easy pumpkin soup with maple-glazed banana and pecans

adapted from Food & Wine

makes 4 servings

• Ingredients
• 1/4 cup pecans
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup or pancake syrup
• 1/2 banana, diced
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 6 teaspoons light sour cream
• Pinch of cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Spread the pecans in an even layer and toast for about 7 minutes, or until they’re fragrant. Let cool and chop. Toss with the syrup and bananas.

In a medium saucepan, heat the pumpkin, water, and vegetable stock. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Heat until warm, then stir in the sour cream and cinnamon.

Ladle into bowls and top with a dollop of the pecan-banana mixture.

chicken chili verde

makes 4 servings

• Ingredients
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 4 oz green chile peppers
• 4 oz diced jalapenos
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/4 teaspoons oregano
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 2 – 15.5 ounce cans cannellini beans, not drained
• 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken breast
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Light sour cream, if desired

Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a large pot. Add onion and cook until golden and soft, about 5 minutes. Add the chiles, jalapeno, garlic, oregano, cumin, and chili powder. Stir and cook for 3 minutes.

Add the broth, beans, and chicken. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper. Add the fresh cilantro and cook for another 5 minutes. Serve each portion topped with light sour cream, if you desire!

Per serving, with chicken: 350 calories, 6.5g fat, 1439mg sodium, 42g carbohydrates, 37g protein

Per serving, vegetarian with black beans: 337 calories, 4g fat, 1472mg sodium, 60g carbohydrates, 22g protein