meatless monday: karina's sweet potato black bean enchiladas

Life was really tricky when Henry was allergic to both wheat and dairy. I realized how often I threw cheese into things to make them taste delicious and often struggled with the "what's for dinner" dilemma. I really didn't like the idea of a "mom and dad dinner" and  "Henry dinner". Early on in my search for tasty gluten-free recipes, I came across the Gluten Free Goddess blog. I would say that I used her recipes for about 90% of my cooking for a good year until Henry became tolerant of wheat. I recall a few times when Eric and I would be chopping vegetables together, commenting on the food and ingredients, to which we'd then typically say, "Oh Karina...." and then we'd smile and take a sip of our wine.

One of our family favorites of hers are the sweet potato black bean enchiladas. The first time I made these, I remember thinking that they were going to be horrible. Enchiladas without cheese? Not possible. Trust me though. The vegan version of these is delicious. De. Lish. Us.

meatless monday: rotini and black bean salad

Yesterday was the 2nd Annual Love Fest/Potluck with the Northfield mommas. It turned out to be a beautiful afternoon with the greenest body of water I've ever seen, Lake Byllesby, as the background. Anyway, it was great to get all of the families together once again. I will no doubt remember this potluck as the one where Thisbe ran away. And away. And away. :)

In any event, today's recipe is the pasta salad (yes, another pasta recipe) I made for the potluck. Of course, all credit goes to Epicurious/Self Magazine.

Rotini and Black Bean Salad

8 oz whole-wheat rotini (or any pasta)
6 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp minced garlic
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (or grapeseed oil)
1 can (19 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup fresh corn kernels, blanched (or frozen corn, thawed)
1/4 cup chopped green onions, white parts only
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 ripe avocado
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. While pasta cooks, whisk together vinegar and garlic in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in oil until dressing thickens. Set aside. Drain pasta and rinse briefly under cold water. Drain completely. Place pasta in a large bowl; add beans, tomatoes, corn, green onions, chives, and cilantro. Toss gently. Pour dressing over pasta mixture and toss again, gently but thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours. Peel and slice avocado and toss with lemon juice; use as garnish. Serve immediately.

Meatless Monday

Whenever I hear "Monday" I think of 6th grade choir when we sang The Mamas and The Papas' "Monday, Monday". I was stuck singing nothing but, "Ba-da ba-da-da-da." This comes as no surprise from any of those who have heard me sing. I made choir solely by the fact that our school was so small they couldn't turn anyone away. Of course, I was a bitter 12 year old because I truly believed I should have had a solo singing Monday's praises.

In any event, my blog has been a bit dry lately. It's true. It has. It won't hurt my feelings if you agree. I've been trying to think of something that I could undoubtedly post once a week to keep things going. The solution? Meatless Monday.

The Thorkelson household has significantly cut down our meat intake over the past year. This has been for many reasons. Primarily, it's because we want to live a long, healthy life. I won't get on my soap box, because I firmly believe "to each their own"and a lot of people prefer to get their protein from animal sources. However, we've been pretty inspired by reading books like The China Study and following blogs of those like Kris Carr. All of this information has had me seriously consider the transition to a plant-based diet. I'm not there yet. But I think it's safe to say I'm *almost* there. Eric is even considering it, which surprises me the most. When we first started dating, he said it'd be a deal breaker if I were a vegetarian. I then ordered a double bacon cheeseburger to make sure I would seal the deal. Kidding. Kind of.

Anyway, I thought I would start posting a weekly meatless recipe to join in on the "Meatless Monday" movement. Of course, these said recipes will be posted on Monday.

Now for the first recipe....

Roasted Eggplant and Tomatoes with Pasta
This one is super easy and perfect for these summer days....

Ingredients
Penne pasta
1 Eggplant, diced into 1/2 inch cubes
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Ricotta cheese (about a dollop per serving)
Fresh basil, chopped (as much or as little as you like)

Directions
Toss eggplant and tomatoes in olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast your eggplant and tomatoes in oven until tender (about 45 minutes). Meanwhile, cook pasta. Toss eggplant, tomatoes and fresh basil with pasta. Drizzle with olive oil and top with ricotta cheese. Voila! So easy.