Black Bean Cornbread - Take II

If you follow this blog regularly, you know my household is making some dietary adjustments because of my husband's recent heart procedure. I wrote my recipe, Black Bean Cornbread with Quick Chile Sauce long before we had to watch salt, sugar, and fat intakes (see 10/24/08 entry). But with leftover cornbread, black beans, and low-fat organic mozzarella on hand, plus a quick grocery run to get canned green chiles, I revised this recipe a bit to make it more heart-healthy.

Black Bean Cornbread - Take II
Makes 5-6 large servings

1 red onion, diced fine
2/3 pan cornbread
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 can black beans, drained

2, 4-ounce cans diced green chiles
(VOE- Interesting thing about these green chiles versus
the green chile sauce I previously used; 15 ounces of green chile sauce has 15% of the
RDA for salt, while two cans of chiles only has about 6%)

4 sandwich slices of low-fat mozzarella

Saute red onion over medium heat until limp; set aside. Puree green chiles in food processor; set aside. Slice cornbread in half between top and bottom 'crusts.' Place slices in a 9 x 13 baking pan beside each other.

Spread black beans evenly over cornbread and then spread red onion over beans. Spread green chile puree over beans and onion. Top with mozzarella.

Bake at 350 degrees for about half an hour. Garnish with cilantro and serve with stir-fried zucchini.

Black Bean Cornbread with Quick Chile Sauce

After spending two weeks in Northern New Mexico, within a month, I definitely have cravings for Mexican/New Mexican-inspired flavors. Such was the case yesterday, after hours of heavy rain and a temperature drop of more than 10 degrees.

Once again, I looked to my pantry for relief. I began with a quick and easy cornbread recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook and then added three ingredients to create a meal in a pan. Add a generous drizzle of my ultra easy chile sauce, a handful of cheese, cilantro sprigs, and a crisp green salad, for a simple and satisfying cold-weather feast.

Black Bean Cornbread with Quick Chile Sauce

8-9 servings

1 recipe cornbread (see below)

1 cup frozen corn

15 ounces canned black beans, rinsed & drained

1 cup shredded Colby Jack or medium Cheddar cheese

15 ounces tomato sauce

1 tablespoon chile powder

1 cup shredded cheese

cilantro

Cornbread

1 cup all purpose flour (I use whole wheat pastry flour because I'm so fond of it)

1 cup cornmeal

2 (to 4) tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 beaten eggs

1 cup milk

1/4 cup cooking oil (or shortening, melted)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of a 9x9x2-inch baking pan; set aside. In a medium mixing bowl stir together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and set aside.

In another bowl combine eggs, milk and cooking oil. Add egg mixture all at once to dry mixture and stir just until moistened.

Now here's my twist on this classic: Stir corn into batter. Pour two thirds of batter in pan. Spread black beans over batter and then top with 1 cup of Colby Jack. Pour remaining batter on top and spread evenly over beans and cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

Quick Chile Sauce: Combine tomato sauce and chile powder over medium high heat, bring to a boil, and then reduce to simmer for 5-10 minutes.

To serve, cut one square of cornbread, drizzle 3-4 tablespoons sauce on top, add cheese and cilantro. ENJOY!

Shrimp and Black Bean Rice

The cold snap that is due to arrive tomorrow, and hang around for several days, likely signals a true taste of fall. Soups, stews and other one-pot meals are perfect dinner fare when the wind grows colder and the temperature drops lower. They also can be a great vehicle for using what's in your pantry while saving some pennies.

This recipe features precooked shrimp (either from the store or cooked at home), and rice, combined with tomato sauce, black beans, and chili powder from the cupboard. Enjoy!

Shrimp and Black Bean Rice
Makes 4-5 large servings

3 cups cooked brown rice
1 can (16 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (16 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 pound cooked shrimp (it's okay to leave tails on; they soften with cooking)
1/4 cup chili powder

cilantro

Combine rice, tomato sauce, black beans, shrimp and chili powder. Stir together thoroughly over medium-high heat and then bring to a boil briefly. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Top with chopped cilantro.

Mexican Comfort Food

Although our family is far from vegetarian, I do make a vegetarian entree at least once each week. We also like Mexican food, so I created this recipe to satisfy both requirements. I knew I had a hit on my hands when I shared some extras with our Hispanic neighbor, who said they were the best enchiladas he had ever eaten. See if you agree!

Red and Black Enchiladas
Makes 7-8 enchiladas

1 large red onion, rough chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ½ cans (15 ounce) black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups Colby Jack cheese, grated
7-8 multi-grain tortillas (may substitute traditional flour tortillas)

Easy Enchilada Sauce at http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_10360,00.html
*For a vegetarian version of this sauce, use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.

OR 3 cups canned enchilada sauce

9 x 13 pan
2 frying pans
tea towel

Cilantro for garnish

Spread half of the sauce (approximately 1 ½ cups) evenly across the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Sauté red onion in one frying pan until soft but not limp, about 5 minutes. Turn off heat and set pan aside.

Heat a dry frying pan to medium. One at a time, heat each side of a tortilla in the pan until small brown spots appear and the tortilla becomes pliable. Wrap 'fried' tortillas in the tea towel to keep them warm and soft. When all tortillas are fried, begin assembly.

Lie first tortilla flat and spread approximately 1/8 cup of onions on tortilla, about 1/4 of the distance in, from the right edge. Top with 1/4 cup black beans and 1/4 cup cheese. Draw right edge of tortilla over filling and then roll tightly, towards the left, to use entire tortilla. Transfer filled tortilla to 9 x 13 pan, open edge down.

Fill the remaining tortillas and add to pan, with sides touching. Spread the remaining enchilada sauce, and any extra onion or cheese, evenly across the enchiladas and then cover with foil. Cook at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Remove foil and allow to cool slightly.

Serve with chopped cilantro, and rice or a vegetable side dish, such as sautéed corn and zucchini.