November 4, 2015
CHOCOLATE!
People are coo coo for cocoa.
Me? I like it. Sure.
But I wouldn’t consider selling my offspring for the last bar on earth as some people I know might. It’s good. I enjoy a quality piece of dark chocolate or a chocolatey dessert as much as the next girl, but when I like chocolate best is when it’s paired with something else, for example, peanut butter, raspberry, or in this case PUMPKIN!
If you’ve never had chocolate and pumpkin together, you’ve been missing out! The warm spices we associate with pumpkin taste great with the rich chocolate. This recipe calls for healthy whole foods like black beans and pumpkin, uses very little flour, and no refined sugar or oil, and no eggs or dairy of course. The only not-so-healthy part is the chocolate chips but we only use 1/4 cup. I really like to use the Wonderslim cocoa powder as it’s lower in fat and caffeine than typical cocoa powder.
Go ahead, make these.
And try not to eat the whole pan.
I dare ya.
This delicious, hardy dish has flavors similar to chili, with the texture and consistency of a thick chowder. I love it! Top with avocado and/or Sour Un-Cream.
I have made this using both canned black beans and beans I made from scratch with the pressure cooker. As is usually the case, I preferred the version with the homemade beans. If you have a pressure cooker, it’s SO easy. Soak 1 pound of dried black beans overnight or 6 hours (some say soaking isn’t necessary but I always do). Rinse and place in your pressure cooker and add just enough water to cover the top of the beans – the water should be just touching the beans. Add 4 cloves crushed garlic, a few bay leaves and 2 tsp cumin seeds. Cook at high pressure 14 minutes, and let the pressure come down naturally. Beans are done! Makes about 5 cups of black beans. Remove the bay leaves, stir and add the whole batch to the rest of the Chili Chowder ingredients.
I order my dried beans online from Rancho Gordo, a farm in Northern California. They are heirloom beans, which are open-pollinated seeds that can be planted and you’ll get the exact same bean. They tend to have a lower yield and can be much more difficult to grow but the pay off is in the unique flavors and textures that you don’t find with bland commodity beans. They are always fresh too, which is great. You never know how old the beans at the grocery store are, and old beans can take forever to cook. I highly recommend Rancho Gordo beans. It’s fun to experiment with all the different varieties they offer. Now get cooking!
These delicious morsels are a cross between fudge and a brownie, hence the name Fudgy Brownies. They are so rich and sinful tasting, it’s amazing they are low-fat, contain very little flour, no refined sugar, and BLACK BEANS. That’s right, black beans. A whole can. I know it’s weird, just work with me. And be sure not to tell anybody until AFTER they tell you how awesome the brownies taste. 🙂
Doesn’t get much easier than this.
When I bake sweet potatoes, I usually do 1 or 2 extra for leftovers. They are a quick, easy snack and great for dishes like this.
You can use whatever type of tortillas you like, but I really enjoy the brown rice tortillas. I don’t need to eat a gluten-free diet but for the sake of variety and not wanting to overdo it on wheat, whenever I can I opt for the alternative, as long as it’s a healthy one. Many gluten-free alternatives are filled with fat and have little to no fiber. These brown rice tortillas I get from Trader Joe’s are really nice.
I made this for lunch one day and it took all of 10 minutes. I couldn’t believe how good it was. My girlfriend Lori, who likes to be difficult :), says I shouldn’t call these quesadillas because there is no cheese. I wholeheartedly disagree. We can eat pizza without cheese and it’s still called pizza, omelets without cheese and it’s still an omelet (though I don’t eat those anymore), cheese-less burritos….you get my point. So, sorry Lori but these are being called Quesadillas and that’s that!
*gluten-free if you use gluten-free tortillas (i.e. brown rice).
Never have I made these when they weren’t loved by all. When I first created them, I couldn’t decide if they should be called burritos or enchiladas. Ultimately I decided they were a combination, hence the name “enchilito”! Several of the ingredients listed are brand specific but I’ve no doubt these would still be delicious regardless of the brand.
Since I advocate a primarily whole-foods diet, I’ve listed the meat (Soyrizo) and cheese (Daiya) substitutes as optional. While these foods are tasty, they are processed and contain oils. Use them sparingly, if at all, and save them for situations in which you’re serving to a meat-eating crowd or if you yourself are slowly attempting to move towards a more plant-based diet. This dish is plenty flavorful without those ingredients, but for the transition process, small amounts of mock meats and cheeses can be helpful.
Delicious served with Avocado Cream Sauce.
