Black Bean Enfrijoladas #WFPB Style

This is another wonderfully simple recipe from Chef AJ, my only adjustment would be because she makes it too mild and I like it hot. 

My Mexican friends constantly ask for mas caliente, mas caliente... And of course, you are free to make it as hot as you'd like... or you have the option to leave it up to the individuals, but depending on the situation, that can be unmanageable, to put out a set of trays with the toppings. So I usually prefer to make a single bowl and mix everything. Or a mild and a spicy bowl. 

 My principal adjustments are some jalapeños, some serrano peppers and perhaps a habanero or two. as well as some cut up sweet peppers, and some lime juice to keep it fresh as well as some medium salsa to create a more blended taste. This is simple, quick and delicious. 

Vegan Black Bean Enfrijoladas and Q & A with Dr. Niki Davis! - 

YouTube Chef AJ with Dr. Niki Davis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttkTPb5q574 

Ingredients 

• 2 15 Oz cans of low sodium Black Beans. 
• White or yellow corn tortillas, or tostadas if you serve it immediately (they tend to get soft). 

Toppings: 

• Avocado 
• Tomato
• Scallions 
• Red Onions 
• Chopped Greens (Spinach) 
• Jalapeno
• Serrano Peppers 
• Habaneros
• Green, jellow, orange, red bell peppers 
• Juice of one lime 
• medium Salsa 

Directions: 

Heat over stove on medium until blended beans are nice and hot! 

While the beans are heating, heat up your corn tortillas on a non-stick pan (both sides) on medium heat. 

Once the tortillas and beans are both hot, dip the tortilla into the blended beans completely, then remove and place folded in half onto a plate. Repeat until you have 3-4 folded tortillas on the plate. 

Add desired toppings and voila! 

Enjoy while hot.

Tostadas, Tostadas & Tostadas

 I like tostadas as a way of serving some types of salad and salsa, but some popular brands that are in the stores are loaded with fat.

One good one that can be hard to find is Tostadas Buena Vista, which comes in three varieties, Corn, multigrain and a whole wheat with flax. They contain only 2% fat. In our area you can get them at Frutas y Vegetales La Reyna, on the corner of Westchester Avenue and Beach Avenue.

Another brand which is also very good is La Gavillera, which has 4% fat, and that is still acceptable to me. In our area it is available at Chang-Li Supermarket on Benedict Avenue, across the street from St. Helena's church. 

Many of the supermarket brands, like Guerrero have very high fat content, and you want to avoid them if you are serious about whole foods, plant-based nutrition. In terms of recipes, I previously wrote about my favorite meals to serve on a tostada, cactus salad & black bean salsa, but this year I will be developing more.

A final word on Dr. Esselstyn's Black Bean Salsa

 Jose, who works at the Premium Halal Supermarket on the corner of Starling Avenue and Odell Street, has become my official taste tester for any Mexican-style dishes I try my hand at. Recently that was Cactus salad (approved), and lately I have been perfecting Dr. Esselstyn's Black Bean Salsa (From the book How to Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease). First time I gave it to him, I had forgotten the cilantro (pics), but yesterday I gave it to him with the cilantro, which was definitely better, but I am also fine tuning the number and blend of peppers that go into it. Recipe follows. 

By the way, while we're at it, there is an excellent site to research peppers, called Pepperscale.

I now like to use the following in my Black Bean Salsa:

• Jalapeño
• Serrano
• Poblano These last two are alternatives to each other.
• Chilaca Ditto, alternative to Poblano. Probably my first choice.

Now for the updated recipe:

• 2 cans of black beans, or 1 lb dry beans (cooked with some kombu in the pressure cooker or Instant Pot).
• 1 can of corn
• 3 stalks of celery, sliced paper thin
• 2-3 Jalapeños, finely sliced
• 2 Serranos, finely sliced
• 1 Chilaca or Poblano pepper, sliced fine
• 1 bunch of cilantro finely chopped
• 1 bottle of Salsa Verde
• 2-3 limes, juiced 

Clean all the ingredients, and slice the peppers fine, paper thin is the ideal. The celery also, paper thin is best (use the mandoline). I use all of the cilantro and again, just try to millimeter is. Now you'll understand why I love sharp knives. The finer you cut these things, the more the flavor spreads throughout. The secret to success here is the balance between aroma and heat.

As a practical matter, if you first pour the Salsa over the mixture, then you can wash out the bottle with the lime juice to get all of the salsa out. 

I prefer to let it marinate in the fridge for a day, and you can keep it for 4-5 days. You can serve it on tostadas, or rice cakes, or masa tortillas.

Peppers Galore, it's Mexico time!

 One thing is to know your peppers, and another thing is to know your eaters. Different people appreciate heat from peppers differently, and you want to be appropriate. I give the heat in SHU, Scoville Heat Units, and of course you have some control for you can always make any pepper milder by seeding them.

My repertoire of Peppers is based on what is prominently available in my neighborhood. And I will bring in some information from a site called Pepperscale.

1. Bell Peppers - Capsicum Annuum. I just include them for good order. They do not pack any heat necessarily, but they come loaded with vitamins and flavor. Get all the colors, they all represent a different nutrient profile and variation is the name of the game.
2. Jamaican Peppers - Capsicum Annuum (also). 
3. Poblano Peppers - slightly hot and aromatic, ca. 1,250 SHU.
4. Chilaca Peppers - 1000 - 2,500 SHU - slightly hotter than Poblano. VEry flavorful.
5. Jalapeño Peppers - 2,500 - 8,000 SHU median 5,250 SHU. Clearly hot, but aromatic. One of my favorites.
6. Serrano Peppers - Median 16,500 SHU, ranging from 10,000 - 23,000 SHU. Like Jalapeño, but clearly hotter (3x). 

I will keep on editing this list.

Today, I am making Black Bean Salsa, but with a poblano, a chilaca, a jalapeño and a serrano pepper, as well as thee stalks of celery,  so I am clearly trying to create some depth of flavor but with some zing to it. I make sure to slice the serrano and the jalapeño extremely thin.

The recipe then becomes something like this:

Black Bean Salsa

• 1 lb of black beans, soaked and cooked, or 2 15 Oz cans (or 1 25 Oz can) of black beans.
• 1 can of corn
• 1 bunch of fresh cilantro, cut up fine.
• 3 stalks of celery, sliced thin
• 1 16 Oz jar of Green Salsa
• Juice of 3 limes
• The simple version is with 3 jalapeños, or 2 jalapeños and a serrano pepper, sliced thin,
  but today, I made it with four peppers:
• 1 serrano pepper, sliced thin
• 1 jalapeño pepper, sliced thin
• 1 poblano pepper, sliced thin
• 1 chilaca pepper, sliced thin.
• 2-3 tbsp of nutritional yeast
• 1/2 lb of firm tofu, cut in small cubes

It is always best the next day, after it marinates in the fridge.

the tofu give the suggestion of cheese, and the nutritional yeast enhances the cheesy flavor.

En Español:

Salsa de Frijoles Negros

1 libra de frijoles negros, remojados y cocidos, o 2 latas de 15 Oz (o 1 lata de 25 Oz) de frijoles negros.

1 lata de maíz

1 manojo de cilantro fresco, cortado fino.

3 tallos de apio, en rodajas finas

1 bote de 16 Oz de Salsa Verde

Jugo de 3 limas

La versión sencilla es con 3 jalapeños, o 2 jalapeños y un chile serrano, en rodajas finas,

pero hoy lo hice con cuatro pimientos:

1 chile serrano, en rodajas finas

1 chile jalapeño, en rodajas finas

1 chile poblano, en rodajas finas

1 chile chilaca, en rodajas finas.

2-3 cucharadas de levadura nutricional

1/2 libra de tofu firme, cortado en cubos pequeños

Siempre es mejor al día siguiente, después de marinar en la nevera.

el tofu da la sugerencia de queso, y la levadura nutricional realza el sabor a queso.

Salsa de Frijoles Negros

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And, I am serving it on oil-free tostadas, this brand: Tostadas Buena Vista, has three varieties, Corn, Sesame, and Multigrain. They are all delicious.

I get them at Frutas Y Vegetales La Reyna at 1300-1302 Beach Avenue (corner Westchester Avenue), Bronx, NY 10472. (Across the street from South of France).

Recently, I also made cactus salad and served them on these same tostadas. Winner!