Meatless Monday!

Last week I made so many delicious meals, I could hardly decide which one to write about. I decided to go with the one that was so hearty, you really don't miss the meat at all! Honestly, I think it's better without the meat! These are my bean enchiladas inspired by this BBC recipe- yummy!

Simple, delicious ingredients, baked to ooey gooey goodness

Here's what I used:

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 large onion , chopped
• 2-3 carrots , grated
• 2-3 tsp chilli powder (mild or hot, according to your taste)
• 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
• 2 x 400g cans beans (red, black, pinto, lentils - whatever you've got!)
• 1 x 400g can corn
• 6 small whole grain tortillas
• 200g natural yogurt (I used one of the small cups of Greek variety)
• 50g cheese (or veg alternative), finely grated

Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Cook the onions and carrots for 5-8 mins until soft - add a splash of water if they start to stick. Sprinkle in the chilli powder and cook for 1 min more. Pour in the tomatoes and beans and bring to the boil. Add the corn. Turn down the heat and simmer for 5-10 mins, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Remove from the heat and season well. 

 

Heat the oven to 180 degrees C (350F). Spread a spoonful of the bean chilli over a large ovenproof dish. I layered the tortillas so they overlapped one another and then spooned the chili mixture over the tortillas followed by yogurt and cheese. Next, I added another layer of tortillas followed by the chili mixture, yogurt and cheese until I used it all. Spoon the remaining chilli on top.

 It may look messy but it's oh-so-good!

 Bake for a few minutes until the top is golden and bubbling. Mine ended up looking like a tortilla/enchilada lasagna!

 

This recipe will seriously satisfy even the biggest carnivores!

A Very Croatian Thanksgiving

I was very happy to spend the whole day cooking yesterday for T-Slav's first Thanksgiving and even happier with how everything came out! I'm proud of myself for cooking my first Thanksgiving dinner ever and honestly, I wish I could cook like this all the time. It was fun to plan the menu, a little less fun trying to find certain ingredients and spices. It was difficult to find sweet potatoes and I can't find celery stalk anywhere in Croatia. I was shocked when I couldn't find sage at the super-supermarket because Croatians use tons of sage in their cooking! Eventually found it with the help of several employees and curious fellow shoppers observing my searching and questioning employees about "kadulja."

 Hungry Chef

 Thankful :)

We finally got to drink the prosecco we bought a few weeks ago to celebrate our wedding planning. Loved it, reminds me of such happy times like when we went to Venice or Dominika and Paul's engagement party.

 

 Is that everything? Almost forgot the cranberry sauce because I had made it so much earlier that day!

 My sweet potatoes, corn, green beans (à la Alton Brown), cranberry sauce, and delicious gravy that I want to put all over everything!

 Our turkey, done 2 ways with the dark meat and light meat and one of my other favorite dishes of the day, the stuffing muffins! Carmelizing the onions first totally made the difference in the taste.

 It was so worth it.

 Leftovers are my favorite!

 

Hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving!

Leave a comment if you want any other recipes! I looked for inspiration and understanding of flavors in several recipes but put my own spin on everything (ie: extra garlic...everywhere). We still have leftovers and I'm excited to make it all again!