Spicy Black Bean Dip

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This vegan black bean dip packs some serious heat and is layered with the flavors of jalapenos, onions, and fresh herbs and spices. It’s a great appetizer or addition to any sandwich or quesadilla!

Spicy Black Bean Dip | danicaliforniacooks.com Hi friends and a very happy Thursday to you all! Tonight I head to Virginia to spend the weekend with Nate and his family, and then return to Washington next week. It’s been a busy week at work, and I look forward to a weekend on the farm. You see, I don’t get cell service on the farm! We get wifi, so we’re pretty plugged in, but I do kind of look forward to not being able to receive calls/texts, and just being able to enjoy time on the farm. Last time I was there I was working remotely for the week so I didn’t get to fully relax, and I’m looking forward to a weekend of tending to chickens and cooking and snuggling on the couch with the cats and puppies! And also seeing what new spring vegetables and plants are being put in the ground for me to eat later in the season. That’s definitely my favorite part of the farm - the delicious goodies that come out of it (especially that I don’t have to do any of the planting myself). Nate has also arranged a date night for us on Friday night, and here’s to hoping its dinner and a movie…

Spicy Black Bean Dip | danicaliforniacooks.com Speaking of delicious goodies - this black bean dip would not be popular among members of the farm because it is SPICYYYYY! Some people are sensitive to certain spices, and Nate can’t handle a jalapeno. It’s kind of hilarious. He can handle all sorts of asian chilis, but a jalapeno or a habanero? Not happening. His parents aren’t fans of spicy foods in general, but my family LOVES spicy food so this was a perfect addition to our meal. This dip has so many interesting, complex layers of flavor, and while we served it with chips as an appetizer, I know it would be a great spread on a vegetarian sandwich or protein substitution in a quesadilla.

Spicy Black Bean Dip | danicaliforniacooks.com It’s really easy to make, and would be the perfect thing to bring to a game day viewing party (March Madness anyone? My bracketology is all sorts of messed up!). It’s the best kind of appetizer to bring to a potluck - easy to make, easy to make ahead, and tastes professional and special. If you’re tired of being the chips and salsa gal, step up your game and make this black bean dip! And then save some for yourself to use throughout the week for lunch, snacks, or dinner! I do have to admit something here. The entire time I made this recipe, I thought I was using fresh cilantro which I had purchased at the farmers market today. TOTALLY FALSE. It was italian parsley! So this was made with parsley instead of cilantro! We LOVED the dip and didn’t even realize the swap - italian parsley is super, super mild - but yeah. That happened. I recommend using cilantro, but if you happen to toss in some parsley, so be it!

Spicy Black Bean Dip | danicaliforniacooks.com

Spicy Black Bean Dip
 
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This vegan black bean dip packs some serious heat and is layered with the flavors of jalapenos, onions, and fresh herbs and spices.
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Serves: 1 cup
Ingredients
  • 1 can of black beans, rinsed
  • 2 jalapenos, chopped and seeded
  • ½ white onion, chopped
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tbsp fresh cilantro
  • Salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. In a pan, sautee the onions, garlic and jalapeno until softened, about 5-7 minutes
  2. In a food processor, place all ingredients and pour in the cooked vegetables
  3. Pulse until smooth
  4. Add salt and pepper to taste
  5. Cool in the fridge, and then serve!

Huevos Rancheros with Sprouted Grain Tortillas

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These simple huevos rancheros are made with only four fresh ingredients! Huevos Rancheros with Sprouted Grain Tortillas | danicaliforniacooks.com
There is something about huevos rancheros that will always have a special place in my heart. Maybe it was the Sundays at The Firehouse where we used to run into The Rock (remember him?!) and I would always order these. Or maybe its because my dad and I always choose the huevos rancheros and it became our little tradition. Maybe it was this one brunch me and my friends had in DC at the Commissary over President’s Day Weekend when there were like 10 of us and we were all in such good spirits. I think I always associated it with dining out, but what I didn’t realize is that this wonderful breakfast dish is really easy to recreate at home, and even more enjoyable when you add a healthy twist.

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Anyone else as big as a fan as I am of Ezekial products? Love their sprouted grain bread, tortillas, english muffins, you name it. Growing up, my mom always made our PB&Js on sprouted grain bread, so I grew to love the taste (even though no one at school would trade lunches with me…womp womp). Fannetastic Food recently posted an awesome blog article on nutrition of sprouted grains, which was really interesting to read about just beyond flavor. They are often easier to digest than your normal grain, and offer different health benefits. Kind of like when you eat raw spinach vs cooked spinach - different compounds within the foods are activated and your body absorbs them in different ways! Nutrition science fascinates me.

Huevos Rancheros with Sprouted Grain Tortillas | danicaliforniacooks.com

So I decided to try making homemade huevos rancheros using sprouted grain taco tortillas. They are so easy!! Simply cook a can of black beans with some salsa while you heat up your tortilla. You can use an oven or a microwave to warm it up. Then layer the beans/salsa mixture on the tortilla and an over-easy fried egg on top. Feel free to add more hot sauce, cilantro, cheese, or even avocado! I love when a fancy-looking recipe couldn’t be simpler to throw together.

Huevos Rancheros with Sprouted Grain Tortillas | danicaliforniacooks.com I made these for myself and my dad and we enjoyed the nostalgic flavors, but also appreciated that one serving each was still a light, healthy and protein-packed breakfast. I love that you get so much vegetarian protein from the sprouted grains, the egg and the beans. It’s a really good start to the day! And the ingredients are often stuff that you have on-hand already in your kitchen, because ain’t nobody got time to go grocery shopping for specific breakfast ingredients. If you’d like to make these gluten-free, swap out the sprouted grain tortilla for corn tortillas. If you are trying to cut carbs, you can put the beans/salsa and egg on top of a bed of spinach for almost a “huevos rancheros florentine”. Huevos Rancheros with Sprouted Grain Tortillas | danicaliforniacooks.com Enjoy, and happy breakfasting!

Simple Huevos Rancheros with Sprouted Grain Tortillas
 
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Homemade healthy huevos rancheros couldn't be easier with four ingredients!
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Serves: 1 serving
Ingredients
  • 1 sprouted grain taco-sized tortilla (I used Ezekial brand)
  • 1 egg, over-easy
  • ½ cup canned, drained and rinsed black beans
  • ¼ cup pre-made salsa
  • Cilantro (optional)
  • Hot sauce (optional)
  • Avocado (optional)
Instructions
  1. Warm up your tortilla to your level of desired crispiness in the microwave, toaster oven or regular oven
  2. In a small skillet, cook your black beans with the salsa mixed in
  3. In a separate skillet, fry your egg over-easy
  4. Place your tortilla on a plate, and then top it with the black beans and salsa mixture
  5. Place your egg on top, any additional toppings, and enjoy immediately!
Notes
Swap a corn tortilla for the sprouted grain tortilla to create a gluten free breakfast!

Huevos Rancheros with Sprouted Grain Tortillas | danicaliforniacooks.com

Lightened Up Chicken Enchiladas (WITH KALE!!!!!!!)

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Lightened Up Chicken Enchiladas | danicaliforniacooks.com

Let’s call the photo above - Enchilada Still Life with Avocado. Now that would be an exhibit I’d attend.

I really wanted to do a research study and post two versions of this recipe title - one with kale and one without the trendy vegetable at the end. Worth it just to see the power the word kale has in driving traffic to a website? I’d say pretty high. I love kale - raw in salad, crisped up in the oven into chips, or using leftovers in every stir-fry version possible. So why not include them in my perfect, skinny chicken enchiladas? This was actually my first time making enchiladas, and I have to say it was a major success. There is something that is hard to screw up about rolling up a beautiful sauteed mixture of chicken, black beans, kale, green peppers into whole wheat tortillas, delicately placing them in your baking sheet, and then smothering with enchilada sauce (canned - let’s be real).
Lightened Up Chicken Enchiladas These enchiladas are PACKED with super foods. Black beans, kale, green peppers, and then topping it off with avocado at the end. You can certainly leave out the chicken if you would prefer a vegetarian-friendly version and double the beans, or substitute other vegetables in. Once you sautee your enchilada innards (ew, sorry), let the fun begin!

Lightened Up Chicken Enchiladas Spread a little enchilada sauce on your tortilla, place some mixture in the middle, top with a little bit of 2% cheese, and roll up and place in a baking dish. Roll these up like taquitos, not like burritos or wraps - just FYI. And no oil necessary when you bake.

Lightened Up Chicken Enchiladas | danicaliforniacooks.com This recipe is meant to make 8 enchiladas, but I think I stuffed my tortillas a little too aggressively and I was only able to fit 7 in my baking sheet. Oh well! Pour the sauce evenly over the tortillas and allow it to pool at the bottom of your baking dish for extra flavor as it bakes. Top with a little more cheese! Pop these babies into the oven for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
Lightened Up Chicken Enchiladas | danicaliforniacooks.com Then, create you own works of art with your toppings of choice. We used avocado and a little more hot sauce. I would also recommend some chopped cilantro, plain yogurt, or more cheese. Either way, it’s Smithsonian-ready.

Lightened Up Chicken Enchiladas | danicaliforniacooks.com

Lightened Up Chicken Enchiladas (WITH KALE!!!!!!!)
 
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These chicken enchiladas use whole wheat wraps and lots of veggies and lean proteins for a healthier take on this classic.
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Serves: 8 enchiladas
Ingredients
  • 8 Whole wheat tortillas
  • 2 cooked chicken breasts, diced
  • ¾ cup black beans
  • 1 green pepper, chopped
  • ½ white onion, diced
  • 1 cup kale, chopped
  • 1 can pre-made enchilada sauce
  • 1 cup shredded low-fat cheese (I used 2% mexican shredded blend)
  • Olive oil
Instructions
  1. Heat your oven to 350 degrees F
  2. In a medium saucepan, sautee your onions in a little olive oil until translucent - about 5 minutes
  3. Toss in green pepper, black beans, chicken breast and kale and cook for another five minutes. Turn off the heat
  4. Assemble your enchilada making station!
  5. In each tortilla, spread a little enchilada sauce. Top with several tablespoons of chicken and vegetable mixture, and then sprinkle on a little cheese
  6. Roll up enchilada (like a taquito - not like a burrito!) and place in baking sheet
  7. Repeat 7 more times for to make all 8 enchiladas
  8. Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce in the baking pan, allowing for it to pool at the bottom of the pan
  9. Top with remaining cheese
  10. Place in oven for 20 minutes and then serve with your additional toppings of choice!

One-Pot Vegan Black Bean Chili with Butternut Squash and Kale

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This past Sunday we went for a 75 and sunny bike ride along the beach and for some reason, I decided that we needed to have the most fall-inspired, warming chili for dinner. So here’s to introducing the most delicious, hearty, vegan black bean chili that is stuffed chock-full of butternut squash, kale, tomatoes and spices. My taste testers declared that this stew could cure any ailment and it really is the ultimate Sunday detox. Little did they know that I accidentally threw in a couple of tablespoons of balsamic vinegar at the beginning of this recipe, thinking the bottle was olive oil. Maybe that was the secret ingredient to why it tasted so damn good?!

One-pot vegan black bean chili with butternut squash and kale | danicalforniacooks.com

This chili would take about 5 minutes to throw together if you use pre-cubed butternut squash (which I generally do). However, we purchased a beautiful whole butternut from the farmer’s market which I preceded to become veeeery close with that afternoon. This baby wanted to play hard to get. Oh sure, you look so innocent all snuggled up against that gorgeous bunch of kale.

One-pot vegan black bean chili with butternut squash and kale

I turned up my Pandora workout station and broke a sweat. Butternut conquered, and so worth it.

One-pot vegan black bean chili with butternut squash and kale

Once you have peeled and cubed your squash, this chili could not be easier to throw together. Cook down some onions and garlic in olive oil (and, uh, balsamic vinegar, if you’re me), and toss everything else in the pot to simmer for really however long you please. This is a great dish to prepare on a Sunday and eat throughout the week, as the flavors get better as the days go by. We gobbled this down in one evening, with only one or two servings left over to nibble on over the next couple of days.

One-pot vegan black bean chili with butternut squash and kale | danicalforniacooks.com

Feel free to top this chili with avocado, shredded cheese, green onions, toasted pumpkin seeds, or even a spoonful of greek yogurt to tame the spice. We kept ours plain and simple. We may have had to turn on our AC later in the evening, but hey, at least our kitchen is attending to the changing season accordingly!

One-Pot Vegan Black Bean Chili with Butternut Squash and Kale
 
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A hearty vegan chili stuffed full of butternut squash, tomatoes, black beans and spicy kale.
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Serves: 5-6 servings
Ingredients
  • Medium butternut squash, cubed
  • Large bunch of curly kale, chopped
  • 1 small white onion, chopped
  • 1 can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes (I used the Trader Joe's brand)
  • 1 box of vegetable broth
  • 2 cans of black beans
  • 2½ tbsp chili powder
  • Dash (or a few) of cayenne pepper
  • 1 clove of garlic, chopped
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt
  • Pepper
Instructions
  1. In a large pot, sautee the olive oil, onion and garlic over medium heat
  2. Add in the vegetable broth and canned tomatoes and bring to a boil
  3. Bring down to a simmer and add in beans, butternut squash, chili pepper and cayenne
  4. Allow chili to cook for a half hour or so before adding in the kale. The kale will cook down considerably, so don't be afraid to fill your pot to the brim with freshly chopped kale
  5. Let chili simmer for a minimum or one hour, or on the lowest heat for up to three hours
  6. Spoon and serve!