Jackfruit and Black Bean Enchiladas

Happy Spring! The days are getting longer and I love waking up and finding out that the sun has gotten up before me. It’s time for the snow to melt - like now!

The gardening season is beginning to heat up. I’ve been working on a Master Gardener project about microgreens. I’ve learned so much and I’ve started to grow some on my own. There are so many options from spicy radish to sweet broccoli - the options are amazing. 

We’ve been laying low recently and trying to empty out the freezer and pantry. I had a can of jackfruit that I purchased a while ago and it just seemed like a good time to use it. If you haven’t heard of jackfruit before - it is a tropical tree fruit grown in Asia, Africa, and South America. It belongs to the same plant family as figs and mulberries. It’s very versatile; if you use it when it’s green it is a great replacement for meat especially BBQ meats as it has a neutral flavor and nice texture. If you let it ripen it is sweet and delicious. 

To get started, I did some Pinterest searching and found several possibilities but decided on enchiladas - mainly because we haven’t had them in ages. So, I chopped, sautéed, stuffed, and baked - the result was delicious. 

Ingredients:

2 T olive oil

1 can jackfruit - shredded

2 T chopped cilantro

2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/4 tsp salt

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 onion - diced

1 1/2 cup delicata squash, seeded and chopped in small pieces

10 corn or wheat tortillas

vegan cheddar cheese 

1 small can of diced green chiles

1 1/4 cups enchilada sauce

 Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Coat a baking dish with cooking spray
2. Drain and shred jackfruit. 
3. Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add onions and saute until translucent. Add jackfruit, squash, cilantro, garlic, smoked paprika, and salt, and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the black beans, and 4 tablespoons of the enchilada sauce and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat, mix well, and set aside
4. Spread ½ cup of enchilada sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. Spread 1 tsp of the enchilada sauce on each tortilla. Fill each tortilla with a heaping amount of the jackfruit mixture.  Roll them and place them seam-side down on the baking dish.  Spread the remaining enchilada sauce in the middle of the rolled tortillas, leaving the ends without sauce
5. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil, and sprinkle the remaining cheese and diced chiles as desired. Bake, uncovered until the cheese is melted. Serve warm

Vegan Italian Wedding Soup

Good news, bad news. The good news is that Dan is just about over his cold and is feeling ready to be out and about. The bad news is that he gave it to me and I am feeling crummy. 

We’ve been cautiously going out - flew to Ft Myers Florida to visit my sister (masks on the plane), eating out once in a while, and for the first time since 2018 we went to the Home and Garden Show, which is where we think Dan got the bad cold from. 

I have also been meeting with other Master Gardeners at a few events, although most of those are asking for masks. We have still not gotten COVID, which means we are doing something right, right? I think in time COVID will be like the flu, we will get an annual vaccination and move on. This is not to diminish the incredible loss many people have felt during the pandemic. My heart goes out to you and your families.

When Dan was feeling bad I made a batch of Vegan Italian Wedding Soup - it was so good. Carrots, onions, and celery sautéed in olive oil then add veggie broth and orzo pasta and finally some vegan meatballs from Aldi (they are soy based but delicious) the result is a delicious and tasty soup that warms your soul. And the leftovers tonight have definitely warmed me up. 

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 medium carrots, diced

2 stalks of celery, diced including leaves

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup dry white wine

8 cups vegetable broth

1 teaspoon dried thyme

3 large handfuls of spinach  

1 package Earth Balance Vegan Italian Meatballs (from Aldi)

Instructions:

Coat the bottom of a large pot with olive oil and place it over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion, carrots and celery. 

Sauté until the veggies begin to soften a bit, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until very fragrant, about 1 minute more. Stir in the wine and bring it to a simmer. Cook until reduced by about half, about 4 minutes. 

Add in the broth and thyme and raise the heat to high. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and allow to simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Stir in the orzo and spinach. Continue to simmer until the orzo is fully cooked and the spinach is tender about 8 minutes.

While the soup is cooking place the entire bag of vegan meatballs on a baking tray and bake according to the package directions

Ladle the soup into bowls, then add a few meatballs to each bowl. serve.

For those of you who know about Dan's robot passion, here is a little sneak peek of his new project - I love the faces!

Thanks for stopping by!