Black Bean & Red Quinoa Enchiladas

Ingredients

4 tomatillos

4 garlic cloves

2 limes

1 large bunch cilantro

1 poblano pepper

1 onion

½ c. red quinoa

15-oz. can black beans

1 tsp. cumin

4 flour tortillas

1 c. Monterey jack cheese, shredded

Directions

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Heat a medium pot of salted water to boiling, on high. Wash and dry the fresh produce. Remove the papery layer from the tomatillos. Peel and mince the garlic. Cut the limes into quarters. Roughly chop the cilantro. Peel and small dice the onion.

Add the red quinoa to the boiling water. Cook for about 18 to 22 minutes, or until tender. Drain thoroughly and transfer to a medium bowl.

Place the poblano pepper and tomatillos on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast 9 to 11 minutes, or until the skin of the pepper is browned. When cool enough to handle, carefully remove and discard the skin and seeds from the pepper, then finely chop. Finely chop the tomatillos.

In the same pot used for the quinoa, heat a little olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the onion and garlic and cook 4 to 6 minutes, or until softened. Stir in the poblano pepper, tomatillos, and ½ cup of water; season with salt and pepper. Simmer 4 to 6 minutes, or until thickened and slightly reduced in volume, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and add the juice of two lime quarters.

While the salsa simmers, drain and rinse the black beans. To the bowl of cooked quinoa, add the black beans, the cumin, half the cilantro, the juice of two lime wedges, and about a tablespoon of olive oil. Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread about ½ c. of the quinoa mixture into the bottom of a baking dish. Divide the remaining mixture between each tortilla, placing it on half of the tortillas. Roll them up, then place them in the baking dish, seam side down.

Pour the salsa verde over the enchiladas, then sprinkle the cheese over the top; lightly season with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cheese is browned and bubbling. Let stand 1 to 2 minutes before serving. Garnish with the remaining cilantro and lime wedges.

Chickpea & Dill Pitas

Ingredients

1 c. plain yogurt

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

½ tsp. curry powder

¼ tsp. cayenne

1-15 oz. can chickpeas, well-drained and rinsed

1/3 c. fresh dill, finely chopped

½ c. shallots, finely chopped

2 tbsp. plain dry bread crumbs

2 tbsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed

2 tbsp. tahini

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. black pepper, freshly ground

¼ tsp. ground cumin

Vegetable oil

6 pita pockets

Directions

Lightly mash half of the chickpeas in a medium bowl. Add the dill, shallots, bread crumbs, and lemon juice and mix well. In a food processor, combine remaining chickpeas, tahini, salt, pepper and cumin, until smooth. Add to the mashed chickpeas, mix well, and form into six to eight patties.

Oil a 12-inch skillet over medium heat and cook the burgers until very crispy and dark golden on both sides, about six minutes. Don’t flip them too often. Drain on paper towels or brown paper bags on a wire rack.

For yogurt sauce, combine yogurt, garlic, curry powder and cayenne. Stir until blended thoroughly.

Stuff the patties into pita pockets. Drizzle with yogurt sauce. Serves 3. 

Blueberry Turnovers

Ingredients
3 sheets of puff pastry, thawed
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. lemon zest
2 tsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 egg yolk
1 c. blueberries
2 tsp. corn starch
pinch of salt
egg wash (one egg beaten with 1 tbsp. water)
powdered sugar, for garnish

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In a bowl, add the cream cheese, lemon zest, half of the sugar, vanilla, and egg yolk. Mix it together with a wooden spoon and set aside. In another bowl, add the blueberries, remaining sugar, corn starch, and lemon juice and set that aside for a few minutes as well.

Dust some flour on your work surface, and working with one piece of puff pastry at a time, roll it out slightly with a rolling pin until it's 10" square all around. Using a 4-inch round cookie cutter, cut out four circles out of each piece of puff pastry. Place the cutouts on the parchment-lined baking sheets. Dollop about two teaspoons of cream cheese in the center of each one, and top that with a tablespoon of the blueberry mixture. Brush the edges of the cutouts with the egg wash. Fold over one half and seal it shut in a half-moon shape. Brush the top with the egg mixture as well, and make a tiny slit at the top of each one with a sharp knife.

Bake them for 25 minutes or until golden brown, making sure to rotate the baking sheets halfway through for even coloring. Let them cool a few minutes and then dust with powdered sugar.