Vegetarian Enchiladas with Cilantro Lime Rice and Vegetarian Refried Beans

Cooking for a vegetarian is like... well, I don't know what it's like, but it's HARD! It's hard to be able to create a variety of meals with different flavors... we usually just rotate between macaroni and cheese, spaghetti, and bean and cheese burritos. But, I also don't know many recipes, so maybe it's all my fault! I came across a recipe for vegetarian enchiladas and decided to roll with it. I decided to pair it with cilantro lime rice and refried beans, and this is what came out of the oven...

And this is what came out on my plate...

Before I give the recipes, I'll tell you how it all tasted: The enchiladas were good, although not fantastic. After the first couple of bites it got better, although I don't think that means much. The rice... how to put this... weird. The recipe calls for sugar, but I think next time i'll leave that part completely out of it because the sweetness was just weird. Everytime I took a bite of rice, I had to put something else in my mouth at the same time to avoid the sweetness. Just not my cup of tea... Although if I ignored the sweetness, the rice was really good! The beans were good, but I didn't MAKE them, I just used a can of vegetarian refried beans and added some stuff to it. Yums.

Vegetarian Enchiladas

(Yields 4 Enchiladas)

1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1 1/2 tbsp flour

1 cup vegetable broth

1/2 of a 15 ounce can of diced tomatoes, drained

1/2 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 tbsp ancho chili powder

3/4 tsp ground cumin

1/2 of a 16 ounce can of black beans, drained

2 tbsp cilantro leaves, chopped

4 whole wheat tortillas

colby jack cheese (for topping enchiladas)

salt

black pepper

sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F, spray large baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

2. Sauce: heat olive oil and garlic in small sauce pan over medium heat until garlic is golden. Whisk flour into olive oil and cook for a few minutes until mixture turns golden. Gradually whisk in vegetable broth. Bring mixture to boil, then reduce heat so sauce can simmer. Stir in diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chili powder, and cumin. Season to taste with salt. Allow to simmer for about 10 minutes

3. Filling: combine cottage cheese, black beans, and cilantro in mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Spread a little more than 1/2 a cup of sauce on the bottom of prepared dish, spread the filling in the middle of each tortilla, roll the tortilla and place fold down in the baking dish, side by side. Pour remaining sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle as much cheese as you like on top. 5. Bake for about 30 minutes until dish is bubbly or cheese is golden. Let rest about 10-15 minutes before serving.

Serve with sour cream if you want! If you like sour cream, definitely add it on top.

Cilantro Lime Rice

(Yields enough for probably 4 servings)

1 cup uncooked rice

1/2 tbsp butter

1 clove minced garlic

2 vegetable bullion cubes

1/2 tsp lime zest (I didn't have this, so I just used a LOT of lime juice)

2 cups water

1 tbsp lime juice (I used more)

1 tbsp sugar (I wish I hadn't used this)

3 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

1. In a large skillet, combine rice, butter, garlic, lime zest, bullion cubes, and water. Bring to a boil and stir well all the while.

2. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 20-30 minutes.

3. In a small bowl, combine lime juice, sugar, and cilantro - pour over and then stir into the cooked rice.

For the beans, I used about 3/4 can of Vegetarian Refried Beans, cooked some roughly diced onions in olive oil sprinkled generously with oregano, and mixed it into the refried beans that were warming in a sauce pan. I also sprinkled some chili powder (but didn't taste it).

Now I want to make some dessert!!! Maybe there will be another post tonight...... haha