Black Bean, Sweet Potato, Kale Enchiladas

Ingredients

• 1 can black beans
• 2 Large Sweet Potatoes - peeled, diced
• 1 bunch Kale - chopped
• 1 onion - diced
• 1 14.5 oz can of tomatoes with garlic
• 10 corn tortillas
• Enchilada sauce
• 8 oz. Cheddar cheese - grated
  
• Cumin to taste
  
• Chili Powder to taste

1. Preheat oven 350F. Saute the onions add spices for last minute. Mix together: beans, sweet potatoes, kale, onion and tomatoes.

2. Coat tortilla with enchilada sauce. Stuff tortilla with bean mix. Roll and put seam sides down in a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

3. Cover with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese (lots of cheese). Bake until done (about 45min).

4. Let cool, serve with sour cream.

Blueberry Maple Syrup Smoothie

With the arrival of Spring, I've been craving fruits and colour. So I'm experimenting with smoothie recipes. More to follow!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 25ml apple juice
• 3/4 cup bio-yogurt (Greek works well too!)
  
• 2 soup spoons of oats

1. If using frozen berries, defrost first. Place berries, syrup, juice & yogurt in blender. Puree until smooth. Add oats, pulse quickly. Fin!

NP

Curried Sweet Potato Soup by NP

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup thinly sliced onion
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 5 garlic cloves, crushed
• 6 cups chopped, peeled sweet potato (or butternut squash)
• 6 cups water
• 4 cups granny smith apple (peeled)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

1. Heat oil in large soup pot over medium heat. Add onion & next 5 ingredients; cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add sweet pot., water, and apple; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes or until tender.
2. Place 1/2 of soup in a blender and process until smooth. Pour pureed soup into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining soup. Return to pan; add salt and whipping cream (optional).
3. Serve with yummy crusty bread!
   

Makes 10 servings.

Grilled Eggplant and Goat Cheese Salad

This is an easy and simple recipe that is also amazing. Just the thing for my favorite ladies on the go.

Ingredients:

- 7 Japanese Eggplants, ends trimmed, cut into one inch circles

- 3 tablespoons olive oil

- 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves

- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the Eggplant:

Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat gas or charcoal grill.

Place the eggplant slices on a sheet or in a large bowl and drizzle with the olive oil; toss to coat with the oil.

Grill the eggplant slices until tender and grill marks appear, 3 to 4 minutes per side.

Once the Eggplant is done:

Place the eggplant slices side-by-side on a serving platter.

Sprinkle with the pine nuts, goat cheese, basil, and mint.

Drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

This recipe (like so many of mine) comes from Giada de Laurentiis.

Hope you are both well!

HB

30 Things to do in 30 Days

I have 30 days remaining before 3+ years of grad school. I plan on enjoying them. I still have 5 more to fill in. Suggestions are welcome.

1. Trip to Montreal
2. Remove Absolut Ads
3. Visit beach
4. Take a day class - sewing, pottery.
5. Go hiking
6. Dinner & beer with Tim
7. 1x/week yoga in Florence
8. 1x/week yoga at Heart Song
9. knit baby hats
10. make apron
11. wall pockets
12. find apartment
13. learn to say hello in 60 languages
14. Eat Greek food
15. Horseback ride
16. Trip to NYC
17. Cut grass under fence
18. Fix bike & bike ride
19. Make avocado pesto linguine
20. Rock wall
21. Roast marshmallows/make s'mores
22. Make ice cream
23. Make & put up garden signs
24. Watch the shining
25. Make plastic bag holder
26. Make strawberry rhubarb pie
27.
28.
29.
30.

Avocado Pesto Linguine

Serves 4
Prep: 10 min
Cook: 10 min

Ingredients
400 g dried linguine pasta
2 ripe Hass Avocados
2 cloves garlic
juice 1/2 lemon
20 g fresh flat leaf parsley
80 g fresh basil
1 red chili, deseeded and chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
50 g grated hard cheese (parm or castelli)
25g toasted pine nuts

Directions
1. Cook pasta, partially drain, leaving about 3 tablespoons of cooking liquie. Cover to keep pasta warm

2. Make pesto: cut and peel avocado, slice into 8 wedges. Place avocado, garlic, lemon juice, herbs, chili, olive oil, and half of cheese in blender. Blend until smooth.

3. Stir pesto into pasta. Divide into 4 bowls. Serve immediately, sprinkle with remaining cheese pine nuts, and freshly-ground black pepper.

Bon Appetite
NP

Nettles!!

Now that these lovely plants are abundant but still pretty young, it's the perfect time to use them! I was playing around with a bunch I picked earlier today and came up with a pretty awesome recipe (plus you're making nettle tea at the same time!). As you probably know by now, I don't do measurements... but here are the ingredients and steps.

• fresh nettles
• rice pasta (or any pasta)
• extra virgin coconut oil
• rice milk (or any nut milk, regular milk would work too)
• (optional: eggs)
• extra virgin olive oil
• fresh basil
• spices (I used salt, pepper and lots of cayenne)
• love (add liberally)

1. Pick newest shoots from nettles (using gloves) and rinse.

2. Blanch the nettles in some boiling water and set aside. Save the water (nettle tea) and drink at another time.

3. Cook the pasta and drain.

4. Place cooked pasta, nettles, coconut oil and some milk in pot on medium heat until the coconut oil is fully melted.

5. Add spices and if you're adding eggs, add them now and stir into the pasta (I didn't leave them in long because I don't like to cook my eggs too much, but leave for as long as feels right to you).

6. Remove from heat, add olive oil and mix.

7. Add freshly torn basil leaves and serve with love and candles.

With the eggs, it's kind of got this spinach and ricotta pasta taste but better (thanks to the nettles). Without the eggs, it's really good too though.

CJO