Slow Cooker Enchiladas

Although it has been a long time since I created most of the dishes I'm about to post, and many of them are no longer seasonal, they are a few of my favs. I think it's worth posting them for reference when they are seasonal again (or perhaps just another chilly day in the Bay Area).

At Christmas time I went to one of my favorite gift stores on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland, Nathan's. I meant to pick out little gifts for the Petes family grab bag, but I ended up only buying The Gourmet Vegetarian Slow Cooker cookbook for myself. Oops. It was definitely a good buy though, as there are hardly any slow cooker recipes for vegetarians. The Stacked Cauliflower Enchilada with Green Chile Sauce is absolutely delicious and really easy. I prepped everything the night before, put everything in the slow cooker in the morning, and came home in the evening to a wonderful meal.

Stacked Cauliflower Enchilada with Green Chile Sauce (The Gourmet Vegetarian Slow Cooker, Lynn Alley)

1 head cauliflower
1 white onion, cut vertically into 8 pieces
1 cup sliced pitted California olives, drained [or green olives with pimentos]
2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 (15-oz.) can black beans, drained
6 to 9 corn tortillas
1/2 lbs. smoked or regular cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1 (28-oz.) can green enchilada sauce
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
1/2 cup sour cream, for garnish

1. Trim and core the cauliflower, then wash and slice the head vertically. (You will be placing it in layers in the casserole, so you want the pieces fairly thin.) Pull the onion layers apart.
2. In a large bowl, combine the cauliflower, onion, olives, tomatoes, and beans using your hands.
3. Oil the inside of the slower cooker insert. Place 2 or 3 overlapping tortillas in the bottom of the insert. Add a layer of half the mixed vegetables and top it with a generous sprinkling of cheese (about one-third of the cheese). Pour 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce over the layer.
4. Add another layer of tortillas, then half of the remaining vegetables and another one-third of the cheese. Pour on another 1/2 cup of sauce. Finish with an additional layer of tortillas and the remaining 2 1/2 cups sauce. (Even though you may appear to have an excess of sauce, much of it is absorbed into the tortillas and vegetables as they cook.)
5. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours, or until the cauliflower is tender. Top the casserole with the remaining cheese, cover, and cook for an additional 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
6. Turn off the heat and allow the contents of the insert to sit for 10 to 15 minutes to set, then carefully scoop up generous individual servings of the enchilada into bowls. Top each serving with a sprinkle of cilantro and a dollop of sour cream.

Comforting Curry with a Kick

We had one really brisk week here, so I was inspired to make a bunch of warm, comforting meals. This Fall Vegetable Curry was one of them. It was quick and easy, not to mention healthful and delicious.

Fall Vegetable Curry with Cashew Basmati Rice (Cooking Light, October 2010)

1 1/2 tsp. olive oil
1 cup diced peeled sweet potato
1 cup small cauliflower florets
1/4 cup thinly sliced yellow onion
2 tsp. Madras curry powder
1/2 cup organic vegetable broth (such as Swanson)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 (15-oz.) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
1 (14.5-oz.) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
2 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro

1. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sweet potato to pan; saute 3 minutes. Decrease heat to medium. Add cauliflower, onion, and curry powder; cook 1 minute, stirring mixture constantly. Add broth and next 3 ingredients (through tomatoes); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with cilantro; serve with yogurt.

Cashew Basmati Rice

Cook 1 cup basmati rice according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Stir in 1/4 cup unsalted cashew pieces and 1/4 tsp. salt.

Cake for Dinner!

This savory cake is absolutely wonderful. I made it so that Adam and I could have lunches this week, but I could not stop eating it for dinner. I had to put it in the fridge so that I would stop! The array of vegetables mixed with cheddar cheese and the dill-spiced cake make a perfect combination. There is a lot of butter in this recipe, which I don't really like, but I think lessening the butter used to grease the pan and the amount to saute the onions can keep the fat in check without altering the recipe too much. I will look forward to my lunch tomorrow though!


Vegetable Upside-Down Cake (The New Enchanted Broccoli Forest, Mollie Katzen)

Part I: "The Vegetables"

3 Tbs. butter
1 heaping cup chopped onion
2 cups small broccoli florets
1 medium-sized carrot, diced
1 1/2 cups small cauliflower florets
1 cup minced red bell pepper
1 cup corn (fresh or frozen)
5 medium cloves garlic, minced
5 scallions, minced (whites and greens)
salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste
1 packed cup grated sharp cheddar

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8-inch pan with 2 Tbs. of the butter. Put up a medium-sized saucepan of water to boil. Have ready a strainer and a bowl of ice water.
2. Melt the remaining Tbs. of butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, and saute until translucent and soft (8 minutes).
3. Meanwhile, when the water comes to a boil, drop in the broccoli, carrot, and cauliflower, and blanch for just 30 seconds. Drain in the strainer over a sink, then immediately drop into the ice water. After a few minutes, drain again, dry with paper towels, and transfer to a bowl.
4. Add the sauteed onion and the remaining uncooked vegetables. Mix well, and season to taste with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Spread the vegetables into the buttered pan, and sprinkle the cheese over the top. (Wipe out the bowl so you can use it again for Part 2.)

Part II: "The Cake"

1 cup unbleached white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour [I didn't have any so I used whole wheat flour.]
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 to 2 Tbs. sugar
1/2 tsp. each: dried oregano and thyme
2 Tbs. minced fresh dill
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk or yogurt
2 Tbs. melted butter

1. Sift together flours, baking powder, soda, and salt into a large bowl. Stir in sugars and herbs. Mix well, and make an indentation in the center.
2. In a separate medium-sized bowl, beat together the eggs, buttermilk or yogurt, and melted butter.
3. Pour the liquid mixture into the well in the center for the dry ingredients. Mix by hand--minimally but thoroughly--until well combined, being sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.
4. Carefully spread the batter over the vegetables in the pan (PART I). Use a blunt knife and/or rubber spatula to distribute it as evenly as possible.
5. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes--until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Have ready a clean serving tray slightly larger than the baking pan. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then invert the cake firmly and carefully onto the tray. Bring the whole thing to the table to delight your dinner guests. Cut into squares; serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

My brother-in-law makes a bunch of soups out of cauliflower and squash. We received this odd cauliflower-like vegetable from the farmers' market when my parents were here and didn't know what to do with it. So, we decided to roast it and make a soup with it. We added regular cauliflower to the roasting mix, then boil all of the vegetables together with vegetable broth, salt, and a bit of curry powder and pepper. Next, we blended it all together with an immersion blender. If you don't have an immersion blender, blend the soup in a regular blender, making sure the top has a vent to allow the steam to escape. Then, we sauteed portobella mushrooms to top the soup along with plain yogurt and scallions. I know this soup sounds too simple and delicious to be true, but you should give it a try.