Layered Black Bean & Quinoa Enchiladas

Black bean & quinoa enchiladas with Mexican rice
photo courtesy of Brandon Boren

Enchiladas are one of the most well-known Mexican dishes. It consists of a corn tortilla that is placed around an array of ingredients and is then smothered in a of chile sauce. This recipe tastes best when made with a bold red chile sauce to balance the flavors since the filling is quite zesty. The quinoa and black beans make an awesome replacement to meat or cheese enchiladas, not to mention that they are much more healthier. To make this recipe vegan, just omit the cheese.


Ingredients for enchilada filling:

3/4 cup uncooked quinoa

Black bean & quinoa filling
photo courtesy of Brandon Boren

1 1/2 cups water
2 cups black beans or 29oz canned (rinsed & drained)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 lime (juiced)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

Filling preparation:
Heat a bit of oil in a small saucepan. Add the quinoa and toast until it becomes golden brown. Add water, cover with the lid, drop the heat to a simmer and leave it to cook for 15 minutes. Once the quinoa is finished, mix it together with all of the remaining filling ingredients in a large bowl.

Ingredients (additional):
Oil for frying
Red enchilada sauce (click here for recipe)
Tortillas (enough for layering in baking dish)
Cheese (optional)

Preparation for layering enchiladas:

Black bean & quinoa enchiladas
photo courtesy of Brandon Boren

Heat oil in a deep frying pan. Once hot, fry the tortillas one at a time on both sides just until the tortilla is softened and easily pliable without ripping apart. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
To assemble the enchiladas, spread enough enchilada sauce to cover the bottom of an oven-safe dish. Arrange the softened tortillas over the sauce, cover with more sauce, and spread the quinoa & black bean filling over it. Add another layer of tortillas and top with more red chile sauce. Next, cover with a generous sprinkling of cheese. Repeat these layers until a minimum of 3 layers thick. It is easiest to remember that everytime you assemble a layer of tortillas, you must cover it with the sauce.
Once you have your desired amount of layers, spoon enough sauce to cover the top and edges of the tortillas. This will keep the enchiladas moist while baking. A final sprinkle of cheese is optional. Place in the oven for 20 minutes or until cheese is browned to your liking. Let cool a minimum of 5 minutes before serving and serve with your favorite toppings.

Black-Eyed Pea Ceviche

Ceviche is a dish that is seen in Mexico generally prepared with seafood, or in more modern interpretations, ground beef. The seafood or meat is then marinated in citrus juice until 'cooked' thoroughly. This is then mixed in with a blend of vegetables and seasonings and served on top of a tostada. The problem with many vegetarian preparations of this dish is that the ingredient used in place of the seafood or meat does not provide enough flavor and ends up tasting similar to a simple pico de gallo. The taste of the black-eyed peas does not entirely resemble the more conventional ceviche, but it certainly has it's own unique tastiness!

Black-eyed pea ceviche
photo courtesy of Brandon Boren

Ingredients
15 ounces black-eyed peas
3 large limes
2 roma tomatoes (chopped)
1/2 large onion (finely chopped)
1/2 bundle cilantro (chopped)
1 jalapeño (finely chopped)
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
salt to taste

Preparation
Mix the onion, jalapeño, cilantro and tomatoes. Drain the cooking liquid from the black-eyed peas or if using canned, make sure to drain and rinse thoroughly. Add cumin powder, garlic powder, ground coriander, lime juice, black-eyed peas and salt to taste. Mix gently to keep the black-eyed peas as intact as possible. Ceviche typically should not be consumed right away because it takes time for the flavors to come together. Give it at least an hour in the refrigerator, or even better, a whole day!

Black-eyed pea ceviche tostada
photo courtesy of Brandon Boren

Serve with salsa, your favorite veggie toppings and tostadas or corn chips. This ceviche also makes a scrumptious and healthy salad!

 Recipe makes 10 tostadas