Meatless Monday: Roasted Vegetable and Blackbean Enchiladas...

**I made a correction to the recipe below...please note that you should use 2 pkg of baby bella mushrooms (8 oz each).


Is it Portabella or Portabello?  I googled the fungi, and it came up that both were correct...so I'm going with Portabella in this post.


Either way, I tend to prefer meat in my Enchiladas...usually chicken, but occasionally beef.  But, then I came across this recipe on Pinterest, and knew I had to give it a go for Meatless Monday...oh, man are they good.  Unfortunately, my camera battery was dead to capture the enchiladas in all their glory, so you'll have to drool over these delicious photos from Perry's Plate...

I made a few changes from the original recipe.  I didn't have time to make my own enchilada sauce, so I used two cans (one mild and one medium) of enchilada sauce, adding sauteed shallots, garlic, cumin, paprika, and a roasted poblano to give it a bit more flavor.  I also roasted the red bell pepper for the filling right along with the mushrooms and onion to save myself a step (I didn't have a jar of roasted red peppers on hand).

Overall these were a hit!  I hope you enjoy them!

Roasted Vegetable and Blackbean Enchiladas

adapted from Perry's Plate

For the Sauce:

*One poblano pepper 

(roasted until blackened over the open flame of a gas stove)

 2 Tbs vegetable oil

1 small shallot finely chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp paprika

2 cans enchilada sauce

1/2 cup fresh cilantro for garnish

4 oz Queso Fresco 

1/4 cup shredded cheddar/jack

Filling:

2 red bell peppers, seeds removed and finely chopped

2 pkg (8 oz. each) baby bella mushrooms, thinly sliced

1/2 red onion, diced

olive oil for drizzling

kosher salt and pepper to taste.

1/4 tsp cumin

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

12 corn tortillas (I used white corn)

Directions:

In a large roasting pan, add chopped red peppers, mushrooms and onion.  Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt pepper and cumin. Roast for 10-20 minutes at 475 degrees or until vegetables are brown and tender.  When vegetables are done, transfer to a large bowl and stir in blackbeans.  

Using tongs, roast poblano until blackened on all sides over the open flame.  Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap and set aside to steam for about10 minutes.  Rinse poblano under water to remove blackened skin.  Remove stem and seeds and chop finely.  In a saucepan, saute shallot in olive oil until tender.  Add garlic, poblano, cumin and paprika and cook for about 30 seconds.  Add enchilada sauce and reduce temperature to a low simmer.    

Spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick spray and spread about 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce in bottom of pan.

To assemble enchiladas, warm tortillas in microwave about 20 seconds.  fill each tortilla with about 2-3 tablespoons of filling, roll up and place seam-side down in baking pan.  Repeat with remaining tortillas.  Pour remaining enchilada sauce over enchiladas and top with cheddar/jack and crumbled queso fresco.  Bake in a 375 degree oven about 25 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

Top with chopped cilantro and serve.

*If you're not a fan of poblanos, you can certainly skip them...you want to make sure to roast them completely and remove all seeds as they can pack a little punch in the spice department.

Ideas For An Engaging Advent...

Hi friends!  I can't believe it's the 2nd of December already!  The last several weeks, I have been pinning ideas on Pinterest to come up with a way to incorporate Advent in our family.  In the past we did sort of a countdown to Christmas, but this year our wee ones are old enough to really get involved.  I wanted the celebration to be Christ centered, and really focus on what this season means for our family!  I really wanted our Advent celebration to be about loving Jesus, serving others and having fun as a family.


I saw so many cute Advent ideas, but ultimately decided on a simple (and free!) paper chain printable from here.  

I decided against printing on both sides of the paper, and instead hand wrote our Advent activities on the unprinted side of each slip of paper.


I searched all over the internet for activity ideas, but really sort of struggled coming up with an exhaustive list. It took a while, but we finally came up with some activities that are a good combination of just plain fun, and some that are meaningful for our family!  We started yesterday with Day 1, and our kids are already having a great time!  I am happy to share how we are celebrating Advent, and maybe something will be a good fit for your family this season!

Day 1...Each child pick out a new toy to donate to another child     for Christmas.

Day 2...Make Christmas cards and send them to grandparents.

Day 3...Make gingerbread cookies.

Day 4...Watch a Christmas movie in our jammies.

Day 5...Learn about Christmas celebrations around the world and pray for the various countries.

Day 6...Have an indoor picnic dinner.

Day 7...Make a card and gift for teachers.

Day 8...Visit our friends at the nursing home.

Day 9...Watch a Christmas movie.

Day 10...Take a drive and look at Christmas lights with our international friends.

Day 11...Make an ornament for the tree.

Day 12...kids choose dinner!

Day 13...Play board games with mommy and daddy.

Day 14...Read the Christmas story from Luke 2 during bedtime devotions.

Day 15...Go to the library to check out Christmas books.

Day 16...Make cupcakes to celebrate Jesus and share them with friends.

Day 17...Go to an indoor play place to have some fun.

Day 18...Make a card and Christmas treats for daddy's work.

Day 19...See mom for a special treat after dinner.

Day 20...Act out the Christmas story.

Day 21...Drink hot chocolate.

Day 22...Pick out food to donate to the church food pantry.

Day 23...Make a nativity craft.

Day 24...Listen to Christmas music and have a dance party.

Day 25...It's Christmas!  Spend the day praising God for our Redeemer!  

Happy Friday friends!

Thrifted Thursday...Those Boots Again...

I don't remember with whom I was having the conversation...maybe my grandma...maybe my sister, but it went something like this:

"I love your boots!"

Me gloating grinning: "Thank you!  They're thrifted!"  

My gloating ended as B piped up, "Yeah, and she'll never take them off of her feet as long as the weather is cold.  I can bank on not seeing her calves until Spring."

Not only is he handsome and insightful, but sarcastic as well.

He's right though...here's yet another thrifted outfit post with my boots as the main attraction:

boots...um thrifted.  Garden...dead.

Anyone know how to get rid of the boot muffin top?  I tuck and tuck my jeans in all day and still they stretch out and over-floweth.

Paisley scarf: via swap party

ch: 

Wrap bracelet: Wal-mart

Watch: Donna Karen

Happy Thursday friends!

Meatless Monday: Make Yourself A Dang Quesadilla...

We like quesadillas in this household.  There are times  when I'm stuck on what to have for dinner and then B will come to the rescue with this brilliant idea, "Why don't you make us some dang quesa-DILL-as!"  And then I do...



No meat in the house?  Check.  Mushrooms on hand?  Check.  A little cheese?  Check.  Maybe some spinach? Check.  You're well on your way to deliciousness.


So, in honor of my favorite awkward 80's boy who made geek 'cool', I bring to you a favorite meatless recipe...

Dang Spinach and Mushroom Quesadillas

*adapted from PW's Spinach and Mushroom Quesadilla

16 oz sliced baby bella mushrooms 

1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion

2 Tbs olive oil

2-3 Tbs white wine

1 bag spinach 

12 flour tortillas

2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

4 oz pkg soft goat cheese (plain chevre)

Saute onion and mushroom in 2 Tbs of olive oil until golden.  Deglaze pan with the white wine and cook until liquid is evaporated.  Season with a bit of kosher salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside.

Top a flour tortilla with monterrey jack cheese.  Dot with the goat cheese, and layer spinach leaves over the cheese.  Top with a generous amount of the onion/mushroom mixture and a bit more cheese.  *Place another tortilla on top and grill on a griddle or nonstick skillet about 1-2 minutes on each side or until tortillas are golden and cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

*you can butter the tortillas first, but I've noticed the tortillas brown just fine without the added butter.

Explaining Thanksgiving...

Hi friends!  Are you in full-on Thanksgiving prep like I am?  Right now I have two loaves of pumpkin bread in the oven, and four more loaves to go!  I also have several baskets of laundry to fold and put away and bags to pack for four people before tomorrow afternoon...yes, I am a procrastinator.

Last week, I was talking with one of my international friends from Yemen, who has only been in the states for a short time.  We were discussing Thanksgiving, which was a perplexing holiday to her.  She asked, "Who do you celebrate with this holiday?  A saint?"  I explained to her that we aren't celebrating any person in particular, it's just a time to be thankful to God for his goodness.  She was quiet for a bit...sort of processing what I said, then she asked, "Thank God for everything?" Yes. "For all that we have?"  Yes. "For our health and for our home?" Yes.  She smiled then said, "Ahhhhh...thank you to God because all is from Him!"  


I love having these conversations with my international friends.  It forces me to really think about why we celebrate the holidays.  To them, they see the food and the presents and boisterous celebrations, but don't often hear the true meaning behind our expressions of celebration.  These conversations force me to stop and look past the feast-filled table and remember that all that I have is from Him.  I listened to my friend talk about the strife in her country, what it's like to have to flee for your safety and that of your child--all the while leaving behind your husband.  My heart broke as she said flatly, "We had nothing.  We come here and are safe.  We have everything."  


I have never faced religious persecution.  Never. I have never packed up my children in the middle of the night for fear of their safety.  My children have never had to give up a meal.  And my home, though modest, is sturdy, protects us from the elements, and is a mansion compared to many dwellings around the world.  Our water is clean and safe for drinking, cooking and bathing.


I have so much to be thankful for.  I live in a country that, even in a poor economy, is rich by world standards.  We can peacefully walk our streets without the fear of bombs or fear of being forced to leave because of our religious beliefs.  Our grocery store shelves are stocked with such an abundance that we can hardly decide which item to choose.  


For some reason, God placed me here, and how sad it is that there are times that I live out my days in discontentment because I want more. more. more.  A bigger house.  The latest technological wonder.  More stuff.  That is not thankfulness...it's greed.  


I am thankful for the reality check and I am thankful that God saw fit to place these amazing friends from many cultures and backgrounds in our lives.  They give abundantly, though they have less by American standards.  They rejoice in the small things and show appreciation for a simple act of kindness.  They hunger for truth and the word of God.  But, most of all, they are thankful.

And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury.  And He saw a poor widow putting in two small copper coins.  And He said, "Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; for they all out of their surplus put into the offering; but she, out of her poverty, put in all 

that she had to live on."

Luke 21:1-4

I love this verse, and every time I read it, I am struck by the visual of thankfulness and true worship.  I venture to say that the widow Jesus was speaking of was giving all that she had as an outpouring of thankfulness and gratitude for the blessings God had given.  It was all that she had, and in her thankfulness and obedience, she recognized that is was God's to begin with. 

I have much to learn about true thankfulness.

Meatless Monday...Spaghetti Squash Gratin

First of all, a little bidness...today is B's birthday!  Happy birthday love!  I don't write a lot about B because frankly, he's the only normal one in our little family.  Ha!  He doesn't write on the walls or feed his lunch to the dog.  He doesn't unroll the toilet paper from the tube, or flush toys down the toilet.  I'm not so sure he signed up for our craziness, but he handles it with style and we love him for it!

He's an amazing husband and father!  I never would have imagined that we would go from junior high crushes to married with kids.  He is a blessing to our family and I am so grateful to be able to 'do life' with him.


Now, while I am sharing a Meatless Monday meal with you today, I am not forcing B to eat meatless on his birthday!  Birthday boy gets to choose his meal, and I have a feeling carne asada may be on the menu. 


But, let's talk meatless right now.  I am typically not a big fan of squash in general, but I made this spaghetti squash gratin  from Naturally Noshing, and I've totally changed my mind.  It is so delicious and while eating it I completely forgot I was eating squash and thought I was eating a creamy pasta bake!  Yum!  When I took the gratin out of the oven, it was so bubbly and golden and smelled amazing!  This recipe is definitely a winner.  We ate ours as a main dish with a salad, bread, and green beans, but I may just make it to take as a Thanksgiving side!  I hope you enjoy it as much as our family did!

Photos from Here

Spaghetti Squash Gratin

1 large Spaghetti Squash, halved, seeds removed

1 bunch of greens (I used kale) stems removed and chopped

1/2 red onion finely chopped

2 garlic cloves minced

1 egg beaten

3 green onions chopped

6 mushrooms chopped (I used baby bella)

1/4 sour cream (I used light)

3/4 cup cottage cheese

1/2 cup parmesan cheese + 2 tbs for topping 

(I used a parm/asiago blend)

salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbs sliced almonds

Roast squash halves cut side down in a pan with about an inch of water at 400 degrees for about 25-30 minutes.  Cool slightly then using a spoon scrape out the squash strands and place in a bowl large bowl.
Heat olive oil in a pan (about 2 tbsp) and saute onion until softened. Add the garlic and mushrooms and saute until garlic becomes fragrant.  Add kale and saute until wilted.


Add mushroom/kale mixture, green onion, egg, sour cream, cottage cheese and 1/2 cup of parm to the squash and stir until combined. Add salt and pepper to desired taste.
Pour mixture into a greased casserole dish and top with remaining parm and almonds.
Bake at 400 degrees until golden and bubbling about 30 minutes.


Enjoy!

Thrifted Thursday, Cashmere-Yes, Crafty-No...

For some reason I felt like wearing a dress...which is so rare you may not see it on the blog again... 

This dress was an amazing find.  It's cashmere, so you can imagine my surprise when I spotted it at the thrift store for like $3!  It's in perfect shape and is probably the most comfortable item in my closet.  I usually pair it with denim, but today felt like a leggings day, so I went with it.  Now, my mama always had a rule when I was growing up that dresses should be no longer than your finger tips...just kidding...they should be longer than your finger tips.

This dress just barely passes mama's test...

scarf:  swap party

belt: thrifted

cashmere dress:  thrifted

leggings:  target $5

boot socks: target

boots: thrifted...sick of seeing them yet?

And now for your crafty delight, I present a bracelet I made myself:

Kidding again.  It's just a thrifted skinny belt wrapped around my wrist and buckled to look like a cuff bracelet.  I did not inherit my mama's crafty gene.  She only passed on her resourceful gene.  She also did not pass on her good-decision-making-gene. Honestly, I couldn't decide which accessory to wear with the dress...maybe you can give your opinion!  I loved the above belt bracelet, but I wanted to wear this one too...

excuse the dry hands...it's that time of year.

It's from Forever 21 and I really love it...it was cheap too!  I really love the chevron pattern, and it was a fun pop of color that tied in with the yellow belt.  Decisions.  Decisions.

Anyway, I hope you have a wonderful Thursday friends!

And if you haven't called your mama yet...do it!