Perfect Pintos

Family in town, husband wants meat fajitas.  I'm not in the mood for meat tonight... so... it's bean time!!!

Here's my perfect Pintos:

4 c stock (I had a bag of homemade chicken stock in the freezer, veggie stock appropriate too)
2.5 c water
1 lb dried pintos, rinsed and picked over- no need to pre-soak
4 cloves garlic
1 spicy pepper, whole/seeds removed (this will be removed after cooking)- I used an anaheim from my garden
2 big sprigs of cilantro (also from my garden- I plucked off the soon-to-be seeding stalks- they were perfect for this)
2 stems of oregano (fresh from garden, can sub extra dried if you like)
1 t dried oregano
1 t smoked paprika
1 t salt (more or less to taste depending on stock used)- even better if it's smoked!
2 t cumin
2 t onion powder
dash of chili powder (not sure this even really did anything)
1 T liquid smoke (more if omitting the ham hock)
1 bay leaf

Optional: 1 smoked ham hock (I had one on hand so I threw it in).  I like picking the tiny bit of meat out of the hock and mixing it in when I'm done cooking.

Dump everything in the pot.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 2-3 hours more, until beans are soft.  Be sure to watch for the need for additional water! I started mine around 11:30 in the morning, and they were perfect around 3.

Could also be done in the crockpot, but without boiling first I would recommend cooking it much, much longer, or soaking overnight, or doing a quick soak before putting into the pot.  How much water you need gets wonky, though, so don't leave it unattended!

Veggie Enchilada Casserole

A few days ago I made a vegetarian enchilada casserole.  I wanted to get creative with the sauce, and I also had some leftover grilled fajita veggies.  Here's what ensued:

Sauce:

1 15ish oz can tomato sauce
1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper (I used green) diced
1 c carrots, finely chopped (Measure after they're chopped)
2 cloves garlic, minced
Chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt/pepper to taste
2 chipotle peppers (or to taste; from a can with adobo sauce)
oil or broth for sauteeing

Sautee off the onion and pepper until the onion is translucent, sprinkle seasonings on.  Add in carrots, tomato sauce, and let simmer for a good while (as long as you have- 20 min or 2 hrs is fine!).  I actually didn't simmer mine at all- just threw it in the blender, which is the next step anyway.  Put it all in the blender (and use caution, as always, with hot liquids in a blender!).  Blenderize it until it's completely uniform (unless you like it chunky), and viola, sauce is ready.

Casserole:

1 batch of sauce
1/2 can corn
1/2 can black beans
About 2 c roasted, grilled, or otherwise cooked veggies (again, I had leftover grilled fajita onions, red peppers, and poblano peppers- SUPER delicious!)
1/2-1 c cheese!  (Or, if you want to go vegan, use some crushed raw cashews for a nice crunch!)
Whole grain flour or healthy corn tortillas (I used 8 or so large flour tortillas).  Cut all but 3 of them in half.
9x9 square baking dish (or bigger, if you prefer)

Start by placing some sauce in the bottom to prevent sticking.  Then a layer of tortillas- a whole one in the middle, and 4 halves around it (so the straight part of the tortilla lines up with the edge of the baking dish).  Then a bit more sauce, and the beans and corn.  Then another layer of tortillas, the same way as the first.  Then more sauce, then your veggies, then your last layer of tortillas.  Top with sauce BUT NOT THE CHEESE YET (cashews can go on now).

Bake at 350 until sauce is dry on the top, 20-25 min, then top with the cheese and bake until the cheese is desired doneness (I like mine extra brown, so probably another 10-15 min for me!).

As for the sauce-- I ended up with extra that i threw away.  You could probably get a 9x13 pan worth of enchiladas out of that sauce recipe, just add more filling and tortillas.

And enjoy!  A healthy vegetarian or vegan meal!