Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas

This was one recipe experiment that turned out so, so well.

I made these Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas for a catering client this week, and...I have to admit...it was kind of an experiment. I had visions of having to tell him his food would be a day late, and I would have to start all over again. But, thankfully, I didn't have to do any of that - the first batch came out borderline perfect. (I love when that happens!).

Chock-full of tender sweet potatoes, sweet corn, and hearty black beans, these "meaty" enchiladas are satiating - and delicious. The spice from the salsa verde, chili powder, and cayenne give each bite a ton of flavor, without being over-the-top spicy. 

Make these. Please.

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Enchiladas

Yields: 9 enchiladas (about 3-4 servings)

Inspired by Damn Delicious

-2 cups salsa verde, divided
-2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
-1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
-1 1/2 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapenos
-1/2 cup diced red onion

-3/4 cup frozen corn

-1 clove garlic, minced
-3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves, divided
-1 teaspoon chili powder
-1/2 teaspoon cumin

-Pinch of cayenne
-Salt and pepper, to taste
-2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
-9 flour tortillas, warmed
-1 Roma tomato, diced
-Sour cream, for garnish (optional)

Directions:
1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour 1 cup salsa verde in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish; set aside.
2.) In a large pot of boiling water, cook sweet potatoes until tender, about 12-15 minutes; drain well and let cool slightly.
3.) In a large bowl, combine sweet potatoes, black beans, jalapenos, red onion, corn, garlic, 2 tablespoons cilantro, and spices.
4.) To assemble the enchiladas, lay tortilla on a flat surface and spoon a heaping 1/4 cup of sweet potato mixture in the center; sprinkle with cheese. Roll the tortilla and place seam side down onto prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and sweet potato mixture. Top with remaining salsa verde and cheese.*
5.) Place into oven and bake until bubbly, about 20 minutes.
6.) Garnish with remaining 1 tablespoon cilantro and chopped tomato. Serve with sour cream, if desired.

*Please note that you will probably have leftover filling; I cooked a few additional "test" enchiladas with the remaining filling, but it wasn't really enough to make three more enchiladas with. I highly recommend spooning the extra filling into the baking dish with the enchiladas, or simply having it on top of your eggs the next morning (or in your salad for lunch the next day).

[Print this recipe]

Melted cheese. And lots of it. Do I really need to give you another reason to make these enchiladas, like, now?

I didn't think so. ;)

P.S. Just a friendly reminder that today's the last day to enter my Birds Eye giveaway for some FREE frozen vegetables! I'll be announcing a winner tomorrow morning.

Stuffed Shells (with Kale, Ricotta, Parmesan, and Mozzarella)

Cheese and pasta. It doesn't get much better than that. Unless you add kale - and then cheese and pasta become extra delicious, and somewhat healthy (right?).

I made these stuffed beauties for a catering client last week. He loves one-pot, easy-to-reheat meals that make a lot of servings, so I thought these stuffed shells would do the trick. And they did.

The kale and cheese filling is super flavorful, and after being topped off with some homemade tomato sauce - all bets (and diets) are off.

Stuffed Shells
Yields: 20-22 stuffed shells
-1 teaspoon plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
-1/2 (12-ounce) box jumbo pasta shells (20-22 shells)
-2 cups diced onion
-1 clove garlic, minced
-2 cups baby kale, roughly chopped
-Salt and black pepper
-15 ounces ricotta cheese
-2 large eggs
-1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
-2 cups grated mozzarella cheese, divided
-1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
-1 teaspoon dried basil
-1 teaspoon dried oregano
-Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
-Tomato sauce

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13 x 9 baking dish with 1 teaspoon olive oil.
2.) Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta shells and cook until al dente, about 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Drain again.
3.) In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until very soft, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the kale and cook until wilted, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.
4.) In a large bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, eggs, Parmesan, and 1 cup of the mozzarella. Add the kale mixture, the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, basil, oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes, and stir to combine thoroughly. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the kale-ricotta filling into each cooked pasta shell. Place the filled shells in the prepared dish.
5.) Pour tomato sauce over the filled shells and top with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Bake, uncovered, until bubbly, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

[Print this recipe]

I made a few extra than this recipe calls for - hey, I had to taste the final product! - and, I must say, these are some tasty pasta shells. I loved how the kale and onions helped balance the richness of the cheeses, while the tomato sauce is just light enough to prevent this from being an overly heavy dish.

What's your favorite one-pot dish?

Very Full Tart

Last week, Z and I went to Z's godfather's house to check out his brand new kitchen. While there, I spent more time swooning over the Jerusalem and Plenty cookbooks (by Yotam Ottolenghi) he had out on the counter. I've been hearing a lot of good things about these cookbooks...and now I can see why. The photos are gorgeous and the recipes are impressive yet approachable. So, when Z's godfather asked if I wanted to borrow one of them, I quickly said yes.

The book I ended up borrowing was Plenty, and I decided to make a variation of the Very Full Tart recipe when my cousins came over for dinner. Knowing everyone at the table loved all things eggs, vegetables, and cheese, I knew this would be a hit. And it was.

Very Full Tart

Yields: 2 tarts (8-10 servings)

Adapted from Plenty

-2 red bell peppers*

-2 yellow bell peppers*

-Olive oil

-2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice

-Salt and pepper

-2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced

-2 bay leaves

-8 ounces white button mushrooms, sliced

-2 frozen deep-dish pie crusts 

-Fresh thyme

-2/3 cup whole milk ricotta

-8 ounces feta 

-4 medium eggs

-2 cups heavy cream

Directions:

1.) Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Use a small serrated knife to cut around the stems of the peppers and lift it out along with the seeds. Shake the peppers to remove any remaining seeds. Place the peppers in an ovenproof dish, drizzle with a little of the olive oil, and put on the top shelf of the oven.

2.) After 12 minutes, place the cut sweet potatoes on a baking sheet in an even layer. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Place in the oven on the rack underneath the peppers. After about 12 more minutes, turn the peppers and toss the potatoes to ensure everything cooks evenly.

3.) After an additional 10-12 minutes, the peppers and potatoes should be cooked. Remove from oven and reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Cover the peppers with foil and cool, then peel and slice into strips.

4.) Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. Saute the onions with the bay leaves and some salt for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they turn brown, soft, and sweet. Remove from the heat, discard bay leaves, and set aside.

5.) In a separate, smaller pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-low heat. Add mushrooms, and cook until browned, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat.

6.) Scatter the cooked onion evenly over the bottom of both crusts and top with roasted vegetables and mushrooms. Scatter thyme leaves over. Next, dot the vegetables with small chunks of both cheeses.

7.) Whisk the eggs and cream in a bowl with some salt and pepper. Carefully pour this mixture into the tart. Place in the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the filling sets and turns golden. Remove and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.

*You may not need all of the peppers, as the tart gets too full; I had about 1/4 of a roasted pepper left (and used it in eggs the next morning!).

[Print this recipe]

This tart is chocked full of flavor - and ingredients, as you can see. The sweet peppers, onions, and potato mixed with the meaty mushrooms and tangy feta - followed by the creamy ricotta and eggs - was an incredible combination of flavors and textures. Z and I aren't usually big leftover people, but we plowed through the leftovers of this.

I highly suggest serving this rich tart with a simple green salad. We served an arugula salad on the side, and it provided a great balance to all of the tart's richness.

Also, the directions for this recipe may seem long, but these tarts were surprisingly easy to whip up within an hour or so. You could also make them ahead of time and just heat them through before serving. 

Which cookbooks are you loving lately?

Honeymoon in San Francisco: The Food

Six days in San Francisco left me full. And very, very happy.

Z and I went into our honeymoon with a list of restaurants and beer bars (more on that tomorrow) that we wanted to try. [Side note: Thank you for all your recommendations!]. We hit just about every place we wanted to, and every meal - with the exception of one (at Greens) - was a delicious success. It was difficult to narrow them down, but here are some of my favorite places that we visited on this trip:

Breakfast:

Holey Bagel, Noe Valley: We stayed in Noe Valley, and one morning, when Z ventured out to find us breakfast, he came back with Holey Bagels. I had an egg, cheese, tomato, and avocado sandwich on a sundried tomato bagel (he had the same on a jalapeno bagel), and every bite was flavorful and satisfying. 

Martha & Bros. Coffee, Noe Valley: Martha & Bros. has several cafe locations throughout San Francisco, but we were lucky enough to have one right up the street from our rental (on 24th Street). They have a ton of coffee concoctions, pastries, and more, but we always went for the iced coffee or iced mocha. Both were delightfully strong and delicious each time. 

Omelette Express, Santa Rosa, CA: We paid a visit to Russian River Brewing Company (more on that later), and the next morning, an employee at our hotel recommended Omelette Express. It was just a few short steps from our hotel, so we decided to check it out. This is a casual spot with a great staff, good food, huge portions, and very affordable prices.   

Lunch and/or Dinner:

Monk's Kettle, Mission District: We came here for the beer, but were pleasantly surprised by the food. I highly recommend trying the Grilled Flatbread ($13), which, when we visited, was slathered with asparagus pesto and piled high with cantaloupe, lightly dressed arugula, and goat cheese.

Gracias Madre, Mission District: The wait for this 100 percent vegan Mexican restaurant might be long (we waited a good hour), but every single minute is worth it. I'd go for the Coconut Ceviche ($10.50) and/or the tacos (any of them).

Coconut Ceviche.

The Slanted Door, Embarcadero: Z's parents graciously gave us a gift certificate to this highly acclaimed restaurant, and it was honestly one of the best meals we had on our trip. I had the Vegetarian Spring Rolls ($11) and Green Papaya salad ($12) to start, followed by the Dirty Girl Farm Spicy Haricots Vert ($11). For dessert, we had the incredible Doughnuts ($9), which came with an addictive butterscotch dipping sauce. Their cocktails are also fantastic, and the atmosphere is upscale without being pretentious. Oh, and be sure to make reservations - this place books up fast.

boon eat + drink, Guerneville, CA: One day, on our way to the Napa region, we stopped to check out the Russian River. When we got hungry for lunch, Yelp recommended boon - and thank gosh it did. Boon sources most of their ingredients right from Sonoma County, and they had a small yet all-local wine list that we were excited to dig into. For lunch, I enjoyed an incredibly fresh kale and peach salad (I don't have the price, but it was around $8 or $9), and the waiter even gave us a free order of Truffle Fries ($8) because we had to wait a few extra minutes for a table. 

Hawker Fare, Oakland, CA: We flew in and out of Oakland (much cheaper), and the night before our red eye home, we met up with some friends at Hawker Fare. Our waiter at boon actually recommended it, and we definitely had one memorable meal there. The Blistered Green Beans ($7) were a big hit with our table thanks to the curry paste they were tossed in (we got them vegetarian, but they're usually served with pork bacon). For my entree, I had the Gang Dang Tofu ($9.50) which is tofu and pumpkin simmered in a spicy coconut milk red curry with bamboo and herbs. Let's just say this meal was the perfect grand finale for our eating adventures in SF!

Tomorrow, I'll give you the lowdown on the beer we washed all of this food down with. San Francisco has some damn good beer bars and breweries!

Common Ground in Allston

Few restaurant owners are as passionate as Bob O'Guin, owner of Common Ground Bar and Grill in Allston. I recently attended a dinner at Common Ground, with the rest of the Boston Brunchers  (Dinnerers?), and I was really impressed with O'Guin's enthusiasm and obvious dedication to his restaurant.

I have to admit, before I walked into Common Ground, I didn't know what to expect. Several people told me that they remember the Common Ground being a dive bar and dance club, when they were in college. Thankfully, the atmosphere at Common Ground - at least on this particular Wednesday night - was nothing like a college dive bar. The dark wood walls were shining with cleanliness, and I immediately fell in love with the exposed brick wall behind the [also very clean] bar. The setting is very casual, but clearly fit for the older-than-college crowd.

Common Ground had prepared a tasting menu for us bloggers, but, per usual, my difficult vegetarian self caused Chef Jaime Suarez to create several veg-friendly dishes. I was really impressed at how no one on their staff flinched at the thought of having to come up with meatless dishes on the spot. Several bloggers in our group had other dietary restrictions, too, that were met with the same ease. Very hospitable!

After a few words from O'Guin, we dug into our first course, which was Sweet Potato Soup (soups range from $3-$7) topped with blue cheese crumbles and green onions.

The soup was wonderfully silky in texture, and I loved the combination of the tangy blue cheese with the sweet soup. The cheese definitely helped to make this a savory vs. overly sweet dish.

After the soup, my omnivore diners enjoyed Brisket Turnovers ($7) and Steak Salad ($10). I heard mixed reviews of the Brisket Turnovers, but since I didn't eat them, I can't tell you for sure. Regardless, I enjoyed a steak-less salad, made with mixed greens, pickled red onions, and feta cheese, served with grilled pita bread.

Unfortunately, there was a bit too much Green Goddess dressing on my salad - I actually had a hard time finishing it because of that. The description of the salad also promised cherry tomatoes, which were nonexistent (this was also the case on all but one salad at my table). 

Thankfully, the Three Grain Veggie Burger ($10) made me forget about the salad mishap. Common Ground's veggie burger is one of the best I've tried in/around the city, hands down (and I eat a lot of veggie burgers). 

Made with white beans, lentils, and chickpeas, this hearty burger was also topped with fresh tomato and cucumber fennel relish, as well as tarragon mayonnaise. The cool, creamy mayonnaise was the perfect complement to this crispy-on-the-outside burger, and I loved the hint of fennel seeds in each and every bite. The soft, airy burger bun was also ideal - it allowed me to actually taste the burger, while still providing a necessary "glue" to prevent everything from falling apart.

As a table, we also shared some Truffle Fries ($5), which are steak fries topped with truffle oil and Parmesan cheese. Pesto mayo was served on the side for dipping.

The fries were beautifully crispy on the outside, with a fluffy, piping hot interior (I wasn't patient enough to wait for them to cool down). I loved the thick curls of fresh Parmesan melting over the top of the fries, too. Seriously addicting.

To wash all of my food down, I enjoyed a glass of Southern Tier Old Man Winter Ale, which was the perfect brew to warm up with...considering it was -500 degrees outside at the time.

Dessert ended the meal with a bang: Chocolate Butterscotch Bread Pudding (desserts are typically $7).

Topped with housemade whipped cream, this was one decadent dessert. I loved the combination of the rich chocolate with the sweet butterscotch, and the fresh whipped cream just enveloped everything as it melted. 

Overall, our meal at Common Ground was a very successful one, and I will definitely return for dinner or brunch (which is served seven days a week) sometime soon. The accommodating staff, the dedication to quality food, and the passion in O'Guin alone all made this a restaurant I'd highly recommend visiting. 

Where did you recently have a great meal out?

Our food was complimentary, but, as always, the opinions expressed in this post are honest and 100 percent my own.