Black bean, sweet potato enchilada

Healthy Holiday Recipe:
Black bean, sweet potato enchilada
This is a delicious entrée ideal for entertaining. It can be made the night before and it travels well, so it’s great for a holiday party or a potluck. It is vegetarian but is sure to impress the omnivores as well.
Sauce
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 ¾ cups low sodium vegetable broth
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano

Filling
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 ½ lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (3 cups)
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1 16 oz jar prepared salsa
2 ccloves garlic, minced
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

Enchiladas
Extra virgin olive oil, for brushing baking dish
16 6-inch corn tortillas, warmed
1 avocado, diced, for garnish
12 oz. goat feta cheese
cilantro, for garnish

1. To make sauce: Bring all ingredients to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk to combine, then remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper.
2. To make Filling: Heat oil in separate saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté 3-5 minutes. Add sweet potato, tomatoes, salsa, spices, and ½ cup water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to med-loww, and simmer 30-40 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are soft. Mash mixture until combined. Add black beans and cook 5 minutes.
3. To assemble Enchiladas: Preheat oven to 350 F. Brush 13x 9 inch baking dish with oil. Spread ½ cup sauce in bottom of dish. Fill tortillas with Filling. Roll, and pack close together seam-side down in baking dish. Top with remaining sauce and feta cheese. Bake 20 minutes.
4. Broil last 5 minutes, or until cheese is browned. Garnish with avocado slices and cilantro.

Super Easy Chia Pudding

This takes less than 2 minutes to make. Once you combine the ingredients you chill it for a couple hours and voila-you have a nutrient-packed super pudding! Kids LOVE this! It makes a nice energy-packed breakfast, snack or desert.

I often speak about super foods- kale, coconut, flax, salmon. Chia can rightfully be added to the list. In just a tablespoon, there is 6 grams of protein and 3 grams of omega-3 fatty acids. You may not eat salmon everyday, but you can easily eat this everyday. Chia seeds nourish the brain and decrease overall inflammation.


Chia Pudding

• 1/4 cup of chia seeds

• 1 cup unsweetened almond or coconut milk

• 1 tbsp raw organic honey (more or less depending on how sweet you want it)

• Flavors of your choice- vanilla, cocoa powder, blueberries, strawberries, pumpkin spice

Combine the above ingredients. Stir well. Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours.

Preventing Cancer with Collard Wraps

Cece and her grandmother, "Mimi," planted collard greens this summer. They have flourished over the past couple months, and my go-to recipe for these greens are collard wraps. I've posted about collard wraps in the past. I've been experimenting with different fillings, and I especially like this one (see below). The basic idea is that you use collard leaves to make wraps in place of tortillas.

One of the beauties of collard wraps is that they make you feel ultra-gourmet. You can whip them up for a dinner party as they have a nice aesthetic appeal and do not require a lot of time or effort...not to mention, they taste divine and the nutritional benefits are endless!

Collard greens belong to the cruciferous vegetable family.  Cruciferous vegetable consumption has been implicated in the prevention of many different cancers, including lymphoma, breast, prostate, bladder, and lung cancer. Cruciferous vegetables contain the anti-cancer substances, sulforophane and indole-3-carbinol. Sources of cruciferous vegetables include broccoli, broccoli sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and kale.

A study in China found an inverse relationship between cruciferous vegetable intake and breast cancer risk. In addition, the Nurses’ Health Study revealed the association between a high intake of cruciferous vegetables (defined as five or more servings per week) and a 33% reduction of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

The flavonoid indole-3-carbinol found in cruciferous vegetables modulates several nuclear transcription factors. Indole-3-carbinol also induces phase 1 and phase 2 enzymes in the liver that metabolize estrogens and other carcinogens. This provides rationale that a high consumption of cruciferous vegetables, including collard greens, should be included in cases of breast cancer.

Ok, ok...enough with the nutrition lesson and on with the recipe!

Collard Wraps with Black Beans and Olives

Ingredients:

• 8 large collard green leaves
• 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives
• 1/2 cup cheese (I like to use shredded parm, but crumbled goat cheese would be good as well. If you are vegan or sensitive to dairy, you could use dairy-free cheese or sprinkle on nutritional yeast). 
• Italian seasoning- thyme, oregano. 
• Marinara sauce

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large saute pan or soup pot, blanch each collard green leaf in about an inch of boiling water for 30 seconds-1 minute. Remove from water and pat dry. (I do 2 at a time and pull them out after 30-60 seconds in boiling water. Then add the next 2...)
2. Fill each collard (on stem end) with 2 tbsp of beans, 1 tbsp chopped olives, 1 tbsp of cheese or cheese alternative, and spices.
3. Wrap like you would a burrito wrap. Place in a greased pyrex pan.
4. Top each collard wrap with 1 tbsp marinara sauce. 
5. Bake for 30 minutes.

Here is a nice visual of how to make the wraps. Get creative and experiment with the filling. Hope I have inspired you to make collard greens part of your diet!

Coconut Flour Blondies

I have been baking with coconut flour a lot these days. I like it because it is grain-free so it is well-tolerated even by those who have problems digesting and metabolizing grains. And in general, I am a big fan of coconut-- coconut flakes, coconut milk, coconut oil, coconut water and now, coconut flour! If you are curious about the health benefits of coconut, here you go!

I use the "Let's Do Organic" brand of coconut flour. You can easily find it at any health food store!

These blondies make a nice desert for you and your family. They are grain-free (thus gluten-free) and refined-sugar free.

Coconut Flour Blondies

• 8 dates, pitted
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine all wet ingredients in a food processor- dates, coconut oil, maple syrup, eggs and vanilla. Process until smooth.
2. Combine all dry ingredients (almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda and salt) in a bowl. Mix together.
3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix.
4. Add in chocolate chips.
5. Spread dough in greased 8x8 inch pan. Bake for approx. 22 minutes. Let cool completely before serving.

Enjoy!

Coconut-Curry Chickpeas and Cauliflower

This dish is super satisfying. Creamy, savory and sweet all in the same bite. I especially like it because of the nutrition is provides. Lulu, my 9 month old, devoured it (despite it having a bit of a spicy kick to it). The coconut provides nourishing good fats for a healthy nervous system and developing brain; the curry powder makes this dish an anti-inflammatory power-house; and the cauliflower is a member of the anti-cancer cruciferous vegetable family. And did I mention it only takes about 25 minutes to make?! You can't go wrong with this one!

Ingredients
1 tbsp coconut oil (could also use olive oil)
1 small yellow onion, minced
1 carrot, thinly sliced
3 cups small cauliflower florets
2 tbsp curry powder or paste (or more if you are seeking extra anti-inflammatory benefits)
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup vegetable broth
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 cup frozen peas
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
unsweetened dried coconut flakes (optional as a topper)

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the carrot, cauliflower, and curry powder to taste. Add the tomatoes and broth, cover, and cook until the vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas, peas, coconut milk, salt and pepper to taste. Cook uncovered until the flavors are well blended and the mixture thickens slightly, about 10 minutes longer. Serve hot. Top with coconut flakes if desired. Serve over quinoa or brown basmati rice.

Source: Quick-Fix Vegan  by Robin Robertson

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes Topped with Spiced Nuts

If you and your family are as big of fans of sweet potatoes as we are, you'll love this recipe! I am always looking for healthy new twists on how to prepare the antioxidant-rich root vegetable. Cece helped me make these and she termed them "sweet potato boats." Enjoy!

Topping
 1 cup hazelnuts or blanched whole almonds (I used both)
1 tbsp ground coriander
2 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup sesame seeds

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spread almonds and/or hazelnuts on baking sheet, and toast 5-7 mins. Transfer to bowl.
2. Add coriander, cumin, and salt to nuts. Mix well.
3. Coarsely grind nut-spice mixture in a food processor or grind with mortar and pestle. Transfer to bowl and stir in sesame seeds.

Twice-Baked Potatoes
5 medium sweet potatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
4 oz crumbled goat or feta cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Poke sweet potatoes all over with fork; bake on baking sheet 1 hour, or until soft. Cook 10 minutes.
2. Halve sweet potatoes, scoop out the flesh into a bowl and mash with oil until smooth; fold in feta without breaking up crumbles. Place potato skins on baking sheet, spoon mashed sweet potato into the skins, and sprinkle each with 1-2 tbsp of the nut topping above.  Bake 10-15 minutes.

Spiced Chocolate Pumpkin Seed Balls

These make a great  post-nap (or after-lunch) snack or desert. I love making fruit and nut/seed balls with Cece. We have fun getting our hands sticky while rolling the mixture into balls, licking the bowl and eating the finished product together. These are packed full of energizing minerals, antioxidants, protein, and essential fats. The ginger and pumpkin pie spice give them a kick of flavor with the finished product reminiscent of a chai tea meets mocha. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1-2 tbsp ground flax
• 2 tsp fresh grated ginger
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or a blend of nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon)
• 1/2 cup pitted Medjool dates
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp ground maca powder (optional- see post on maca for all its health benefits. It is super energizing as it tonifies your hard-working adrenal glands!)

Blend ingredients together in a food processor. Process until the mixture holds together when pinched between 2 fingers. If they are not sticky enough add a tiny amount of water so that they hold together. Roll into bite-size balls and freeze.

Recipe adapted from Daily Bites blog. Check out this blog- lots of yummy dairy-free, gluten-free recipes.