Recipe Review from 9/26/11

Fall is here! Fall is here!  Beautiful temps in the 70's, bright sunny skies during the day and sparkling stars at night.  Hint of crispness in the air that heralds colder temps to come.  Love it! 

Meal planning didn't quite go as planned this week.  A dish that I thought would easily cover three meals barely did two.  Ended up eating out one night after a walk on the Munger Trail (a paved old RR grade, yellow aspen were just glowing in the setting sun).  And re-made dish number one to use up some leftover ingredients.  Lunches were a hodgepodge of planned meals and scrounging. 

Black Bean and Cheese Enchiladas with Ranchero Sauce  (Ckng Lght, Oct 2011)
So this had good flavor, the sauce was easy to prepare.  I made the sauce in the morning to save on some prep time in the evening.  My big complaint with this recipe was the filling needs to be doubled.  Seriously doubled.  As prepared below - and measured out! - it didn't come close to filling 12 6" tortillas and left me with a slew of Ranchero Sauce.  For a dish that is supposed to fill a 9x13" pan, this made enough to feed two of us for two meals.   Not good in my opinion.  I had some leftover 8" tortillas in the freezer, leftover sauce and bought another can of beans and bag of cheese and made this a second time during the week so as not waste the sauce. 

 
2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 cups water
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion
5 garlic cloves, sliced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups organic vegetable broth
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
2 tablespoons no-salt-added tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
 
I recommend doubling these:
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups (8 ounces) preshredded reduced-fat  4-cheese Mexican-blend cheese, divided
3 thinly sliced green onions, divided
 
Cooking spray
 
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
 
6 tablespoons light sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Combine chiles and 2 cups water in a saucepan; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Drain chiles in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid.

3. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add onion; saute 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium; add garlic and salt. Cook 5 minutes or until golden, stirring occasionally. Add broth and next 3 ingredients (through cumin); cook 8 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.

4. Pour onion mixture into a blender; add chiles and reserved liquid. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in lid. Blend until smooth; stir in lime juice and red pepper.

5. Combine the beans, 1 cup cheese, and half the green onions in a bowl. Spread 1/2 cup sauce in the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon 3 tablespoons bean mixture down center of each tortilla; roll up. Place, seam-side down, in prepared dish. Pour remaining sauce over filled tortillas. Top with the remaining cheese. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Sprinkle with remaining green onions; serve with sour cream.

David Bonom, Cooking Light
OCTOBER 2011


Curried Turkey and Israeli Couscous Salad with Dried Cranberries
A snap to prepare, definitely citrusy, sweet and subtly spiced.  Was a little bland but perked up with a dash of salt and pepper. 

You can use light or dark turkey meat in this citrusy, sweet, subtly spiced salad. No turkey on hand? Use rotisserie chicken instead.


1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1/2 cup dried cranberries
Kosher salt
1 cup Israeli couscous
6 oz. skinless roast turkey meat, cut into medium dice (1-1/2 cups)
1/2 cup toasted almonds, chopped
2 medium celery stalks, finely chopped
2 scallions, thinly sliced
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
4 tsp. white wine vinegar
1-1/2 tsp. curry powder
Freshly ground black pepper

In a 1-quart saucepan, bring the orange juice to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the dried cranberries, stir, and set aside.

In a 3-quart saucepan, bring 2 quarts of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the couscous and simmer until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water until the couscous is cool. Drain again thoroughly and transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the cranberries and orange juice, turkey, almonds, celery, and scallions.

In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, and curry powder. Add to the couscous mixture and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Variations
Israeli couscous is similar to regular couscous but is larger and pearl-shaped. If you don’t have any, use orzo or another tiny pasta shape instead.

From Fine Cooking 113, pp. 26
September 1, 2011