I guess technically these would be Sloppy Jose’s… 
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Mexican
Mexican Bell Pepper Casserole
You know what’s no fun? Growing out a pixie haircut. 90% of the time you just have to deal with looking stupid. The other 10% is the two days right after you get it trimmed (because you have to get it trimmed like every other month so all your layers can catch up) when you look fairly decent. Then day three hits and you’re back to looking stupid again. And there are only so many ways you can hide your stupid-looking hair. It’s too short to really do much with and the things you can do with it require 5,498 bobby pins, half of which you lose throughout the day causing you to wonder if your body is absorbing the bobby pins and if at this point you are made up of 50% bobby pins. You could always wear hats and scarves and bandannas unless of course, you are one of those people who look stupid wearing those things so you get to pick between looking stupid in a hat or walking around with stupid-looking hair.
This is my life. Every. Day.
Can you tell I’m having some emotions about growing out my pixie? Continue reading
Butternut Squash & Black Bean Enchiladas
Last
Friday, I posted a picture of these enchiladas on Instagram and people went nuts. Ok, maybe not nuts. BUT this picture did get 55 likes which is like way more than I ever get. Plus 9 people commented on it. Watch out folks. I’m gonna be an Instagram star!
I get it though. These enchiladas are fabulous and they are really easy to make. When I posted these pictures, one of the things that I said was that I loved that I could make them ahead of time and then just throw them in the oven at dinner time. Meals like that make me happy.
Little side story about why I went with the butternut squash filling. A few weeks ago, Adam went on an Alaskan fishing trip. It was a boys trip with his stepdad and other boys in the family and they spent two days out on a boat in Homer, Alaska fishing for halibut, rockfish, and salmon. They all caught a ridiculous amount of fish and Adam came home with about 35 pounds of frozen fish. Now, I have a VERY tiny freezer and it is well stocked. So when he came back with all that fish I had no idea how it was going to fit. 
It turns out, my husband can Macgyver about 20 lbs of fish into an already full freezer. When I opened my freezer, I was met with a wall of frozen fish. Literally. Just one wall of fish. So in order to create a little space, I started going through the freezer to see what I could use up. I found some cubed frozen butternut squash from last fall and decided it was time to put it to good use. 
Long story short: Alaska + fishing + tiny freezer = delicious enchiladas.
Butternut Squash & Black Bean Enchiladas
- 6 to 8 corn tortillas
- 2 to 3 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 3 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 can fire roasted tomatoes
- 3/4 cup water
- juice of 1/2 a lime
- 2 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp oregano
- 2 tsp roasted garlic or 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
- Preheat oven to 400 and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat.
- Place the cubed squash into a bowl and drizzle with a little olive oil, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp chili powder, and 1/2 tsp salt. Toss to coat and spread evenly on the baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 10 minutes and then flip and roast for 10 more minutes.
- While the squash is roasting, make the enchilada sauce. Place the fire roasted tomatoes and 3/4 cup water into a blender. Pulse a few times and then add in lime, garlic, and rest of the seasonings. Blend everything until you have a smooth sauce.
- Once the squash is done put it back into the large bowl, add in the drained and rinsed beans, and mash things up a bit. You want a few chunks left in the filling. Stir in the fresh cilantro.
- Get a 9 x 13 casserole dish and pour a thin layer of enchilada sauce on the bottom. Warm the corn tortillas a little so they are pliable and then fill with 1/4 cup of the filling. Roll the tortillas and place into the casserole dish, seam side done. Complete until the filling is gone and dish is full.
- Pour the rest of the sauce over the top of the tortillas and then cover with aluminum foil. At this point, you can keep them in the fridge until you’re ready to cook. When you’re ready to cook them, preheat oven to 350 and cook for 25 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and take off the aluminum foil. Let the enchiladas cool for at least 5 minutes before serving. Top with more fresh cilantro if you want.
Ok, it might look like there are a lot of ingredients and a lot of steps but I promise you this meal is not complicated. You can also make substitutions to fit your dietary needs. You can use sweet potatoes or pumpkin instead of the squash or you can use shredded chicken, pork, or beef if you want to have meat. You can top it with cheese if you want and serve it with sour cream, guacamole, or cashew sour cream. These also make phenomenal leftovers and once they are cooled completely, freeze really well. So go make some enchiladas and love life! 
What is your favorite make-ahead meal?
P.S. Did you know you can follow all my healthy cooking adventures on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook? I know. Life is good again 🙂
Mexican Shepherd’s Pie & TV Talk
Friday’s have always been for recipes. I like coming up with new and creative ways to make food not only healthy but tasty too. Healthy food doesn’t have to be boring and I have a whole page of recipes to prove it. Friday’s are still going to be for recipes, but they are also going to be for something else.
TV and movies.
Yeah, that one probably came out of the blue. Why would a health blog talk about TV or movies? Because I love them and want to talk about them just like everyone else. Plus it’s something fun to add in with a yummy recipe. Even better. Go make my food and then come back and talk about TV while you’re eating it! Best of both worlds!
I work from home and usually have a show on in the background to pretend like I’m not alone with my cats for the majority of the day. Don’t worry it isn’t as sad as it sounds. I tend to be a solitary person and my cats are awesome. Netflix is amazing because I’ve been able to watch shows that I’ve always wanted to watch but never had the time. And no commercials. It’s a dream.
I’ve just started Orange Is The New Black. I know I’m behind but I had other important things to watch, like every single episode of Doctor Who. Twice. Don’t as questions. I don’t know how I feel about the show yet. I know everyone is crazy about it and I’m only 4 episodes in so I don’t have a strong opinion yet. I always give a show a whole season to find their groove before I pass my judgment. Even though I don’t have an opinion yet, I can already tell I’m gonna like Sophia. Girl is fierce. And Dayonara Diaz. Something about her I like.
Have you watched OITNB yet? Do you have other show recommendations for me? Are you only here for the food?
This meal is another one of my Sunday throw all the leftovers in a dish and hope something good comes out at the end dinners. If you have leftover taco fixin’s then you are all set to make this Mexican Shepherd’s Pie. If not you can still easily throw this together and have dinner on the table fast.
Mexican Shepherd’s Pie
- 2 cups cooked black beans, about 1 can’s worth
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
- 3 corn tortillas, torn into bite-size pieces
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 cup mashed potatoes (you can also use pumpkin or butternut squash puree)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 tbsp cilantro, chopped
- 2 tsp taco seasoning
- 2 tsp chili powder
- salt and pepper, to taste
- Preheat the oven to 425. In a skillet, saute the sliced peppers and onions over medium-high heat until they are slightly softened. About 7 minutes.
- While the onions and peppers are cooking, mix the beans, rice, tortillas, and 2 tablespoons of cilantro in a medium bowl. Add the taco seasoning and salt and pepper and stir to combine. Add the peppers and onions and stir.
- In a separate bowl, mix the mashed potatoes, tomato paste, the rest of cilantro, and chili powder together. Taste and add salt as needed.
- Pour the bean and vegetable mix into a deep pie dish or casserole dish. Spread out evenly. Spread the mashed potato mix on top and make sure all the bean mix is covered.
- Cook in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until the edges are just starting to brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Like I said, if you have taco fixings you can just use those and add whatever else you would like. Use ground beef or turkey, shredded pork or chicken, or add shredded cheese if you want. This can be totally customized to your tastes.
Have a happy Friday and an awesome weekend!!
Lentil Taco Filled Empanadas
These
empanadas have been a labor of love. The first time that I made them I was basing them off another recipe and they turned out really well. I made them a few times to make sure they worked and was happy with the outcome. But I couldn’t just leave them alone.
The first version I made used eggs, which is fine because I love eggs and use them daily. I wanted to try and make a version that didn’t use eggs. That’s when the labor part of “labor of love” started. I won’t say I failed, I just found 452 ways to NOT make empanadas without eggs. Finally I had a breakthrough and came up with an eggless empanada. I might have done a little dance in my kitchen….
I included both versions of the empanada here so you can choose which version you want to make. The ingredients will be different but the process will be the same. I’m also including my recipe for taco lentils as a filling for the empanada, but you can use any filling you would like. Try shredded chicken or pork or ground turkey or beef. Whatever your little heart desires. Dream big my friends, dream big.
Empanada with Eggs- based on this recipe from Barefoot Provisions
- 1/2 cup brown rice flour
- 4 eggs
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
Empanada without Eggs
- 1/2 cup chickpea flour
- 1/2 cup aquafaba
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
1. Whatever version you make, combine all the dry ingredients and mix together. Then add in the wet and stir to combine. For the version with eggs the batter will seem very runny but that is fine. The eggless version should be a little thicker like pancake batter.
2. Preheat oven to 350 and line a large baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper.
3. Heat a little olive oil in a small skillet over medium high heat. Pour a little bit of the empanada batter into the skillet and cook for about 3 minutes. You want the bottom to be cooked but the top to still be a little doughy.
4. With a spatula transfer the empanada from the skillet over to the lined baking sheet. Spoon a little of your filling onto one side of the empanada. Fold over the opposite side pressing along the edges to seal. Repeat this process until you have used all the batter. I usually get about 5 empanadas out of this recipe.
5. Bake the empanadas for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. You can top with avocado cream, cashew sour cream, salsa, or hot sauce.
Lentil Taco Filling
- 1 cup cooked lentils
- 1/2 cup cooked black beans (canned or dry)
- 1/4 cup chopped onions
- 1 14 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
- 1/3 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2-3 tsp taco seasoning
- 3 tbsp fresh cilantro chopped
- 2 tsp tapioca starch or cornstarch mixed in 1/4 cup water
1. Mix the tapioca starch/cornstarch into the water and set aside.
2. Heat a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Saute the onions until soft and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add in garlic and saute for another minute. Add in everything else except for the seasoning, starch, and cilantro. Cook for about 10 minutes.
3. Sprinkle the seasoning over the lentil mix and then pour the starch mix over everything. Cook until the sauce begins to thicken. Turn off the heat and stir in cilantro.
It might seem like a lot but this meal actually comes together pretty easily. You can even make your filling ahead of time and then just pull it out when you’re making the empanadas. Whichever version you try I hope you enjoy these yummy empanadas!
Have a great weekend and enjoy the last few days of May!
What’s your favorite Mexican dish?
Life Healthfully Lived 