Hi everyone! Sorry I am so late posting this. RonChops and I went to a dinner party last night and got home so late that we were both nearly falling asleep. So better late than never is my motto... and the best part.... is that you get to bask in this interview and recipe for a few days.. it's extra special.
My guest needs no introduction. Well ok maybe a little one.. I am pretty much going to let her take over after this next sentence (she's the take charge and make you laugh your horse wearing socks off kind of girl (you'll get that reference in a sec)).
Everyone... meet Rachel from OnePrettyThing.. Rachel... everyone!
First I want to give a big huge Pinata-and-Rachel thank-you to Lolly
for having us on her fantastic blog. I feel funnier and craftier just
being here! One of my all-time favorite places on the Internet and now
I'm ON HER PAGE. I'm honored and giddy. A fun combination let me say.
So, the recipe. I decided to share a super easy enchilada recipe with
you. One that's so easy, I might as well toss in a bean side dish and a
rice side dish as well. Totally yum, right? Right! But, in the interest
of full disclosure, I've gotta tell you guys that these recipes are all
vegan. As in, no animal products whatsoever. I'm sure you're thinking,
"where did Lolly find this weirdo (yet freakishly hot) hippie with even
weirdo-er eating habits? She can't expect us to actually eat this can
she?" YES! Give it a shot I bet you'll like it! Throwing a vegan meal
into your rotation every once in awhile is great for your body and your
wallet. Or if you'd like, add cheese and you're still rocking a
vegetarian meal. These are all super healthy, easy, delicious and
cheap! I cook entirely with local, organic ingredients and when you buy
and cook your beans and rice in bulk it's easy and inexpensive to eat
amazing well. Just what your body needs after a month of indulging!
But first... let's do a little interview so you can get to know Rachel better!
Lolly Chops: Have you ever started a vegetable garden. If the answer is yes - what did you grown in your last one. If no, what would you grow in one if you started it.
Rachel: Currently growing! In fact a lot of the ingredients in the
recipe below came from my garden. I went nuts over the summer and fall
and managed to save and freeze a ton of produce and herbs. Right now
it's winter so all I have are greens (lots of lettuce, spinach, chard,
kale, etc), squash, garlic, and fennel but in the warmer months I go
nuts with 8,640 types of tomatoes, squash, asparagus (don't even go
here until you have a few years to devote) peas and lots and lots of
flowers! I also had baby hummingbirds nest in my blackberries this
year. By far the cutest thing that has ever been "grown" in my garden!
Lolly Chops: Wow... 8,640 types is a lot. So folks, Rachel will soon be starting "Rachel's Fun Time Farmers Market"..(I can so see that being the name). You would walk in for peas and carrots and walk out laughing your horse wearing socks off.
Lolly Chops: What is the most unusual fruit or vegetable you have ever picked?
Rachel: I went on a multi-day horseback vacation once where we picked tropical fruit as we went along. I picked and ate all types of fun guavas, rambutans and bananas, but what I remember most was picking up a severe case of "I'vegottagetoffthishorseandgettoarealbathroomnevereatingfruitagain!" TMI?
Lolly Chops: Say no more... Last time I went on a horseback guava picking ride I had the exact same experience (or would have had if I had actually done that).
Lolly Chops: Sharp, silky, mild, tangy, moldy, stinky... what kind of cheese would you be?
Rachel: I try pretty hard to stick to a vegan diet but cheese is
my downfall. My favorite appetizer is honey baked brie. Cover a brie in
honey, toss on sliced almonds and bake for 15 minutes at 350. Serve
with crackers. HEAVEN. If I could be BAKED BRIE I could simply chew off
any excess weight I gained from eating it in the first place. It would
be a freakish cycle of disgusting deliciousness.
Lolly Chops: Ok so yeah.. if I were honey baked brie I would def be eating my excess weight too. Sooo...speaking of my all time favorite food - ever..have you ever made cheese before? If so what kind?
Rachel: Not intentionally, but I have grown cheese-like skins on various types of dairy products. I'll occasionally buy a container of milk or cream only to use a tablespoon for cooking. What's left is a donation to SCIENCE!
Lolly Chops: Speaking
of all time favorite foods in general, what's yours?
Rachel: Is beer a food? It's high calorie. Hmm...everyone is gonna hate me when I say vegetables but it's true. Asparagus, brussel sprouts, broccoli in that order. (hangs head in shame)
Lolly Chops: Gosh...what a weirdo vegetable eating freak...wait.. did I say that out loud?
Lolly Chops: How do you like your coffee..heck.. do you even drink coffee?
Rachel: There is this misconception that because I eat pretty healthy that I don't do caffeine or alcohol. This usually works in my favor because if people aren't looking for beer at my house, they'll never find it. More for me! But back to the coffee. Black. Black, black, black. If you put stuff in it, how are you going to taste the coffee? If I'm not cooking for other people, I eat and drink most things plain. Plain veggies, plain beans, dressing-less salad. It's a little weird I guess but I'm really into tasting the actual food over sauces and condiments. If I wasn't married I might not make any type of sauce or even own spices. Scary bland thought, hmm?
Lolly Chops: Woodchucks.. do they or don't they?
Rachel: They totally do but only when you're watching! Woodchucks with their stuffty little 'tocks and fat cheeks... They really burn me up! All cute when you're looking but you know they're lazy balls of fat when you're not around.
LollyChops: Do
you find illustrated tree stumps charming? I was thinking the world
needs some kickin tree stump fabric... like immediately. What are
your thoughts?
Rachel: IMMEDIATELY! I think that stump fabric would totally rock, especially if it was a Lolly-design. You could make wood chip fabric and it would be fantastic. Porta-potie fabric that would be sold out in seconds. ABC gum fabric with a mile-long waiting list. Not that I am comparing tree stumps to porta poties and ABC gum...I was just trying to think of "interesting items that I have never seen printed on fabric."
LollyChops: Illustrated Tree Stump Fabric coming up soon...
Lolly Chops: How do you open a stuck jar lid? Banging, knife, hub, fancy pry
bar jar device...? OR are you a Miss I never have a problem because I
have Abs of Steel (I just use my abs to open jars).
Rachel: Pfftt. Abs of Steel are for amateurs. I am totally rocking the Body of Steel. However, this does not prevent me from going to the husband with a stuck jar lid. I may spend hours a week working out but I am not above taking short cuts.
Lolly Chops: Favorite flour..and umm.. favorite flower too.
Rachel: I am all about unbleached whole wheat flour but lately I've been experimenting with various rice flours, even quoina flour. Did you know they make quoina flower? And quoina pasta? Madness. Flower is easy. I *LOVE* lilies. I used to keep a couple of bouquets in the house until I found out a couple of months ago that they're poisonous to cats. Apparently not my cats though. My lilies were shredded and my cats still had the energy to barf on my pillow and chew up books. I think it would take some serious hazardous material to keep them from their normal routine of sleep and destruction.
Lolly Chops: What made you start your smash hit ubber fabulous greatest gift to crafters everywhere website, One Pretty Thing?
Rachel: There are SOOO many amazing craft ideas and projects on the blogs (Lollychops.com anyone?) and I couldn't stand the idea of missing even one. I had hundreds of projects bookmarked but no time to do any of them because I was constantly looking up more. One day I was totally frustrated and thought, "someone really needs to go through the blogs, find all the cool projects and publish them so I don't have to sit here all day." And now look. I sit here all day. TOTALLY worth it though, I have a blast!
Lolly Chops: I understand you have a rather ummm unique pet (unique to me
anyway)...I am of course referring to Pinata the Wonder Horse (PtWH).
Have
you ever dressed him in costumes or had him wear human clothing
(socks for instance)? If so, can you please share a pic or two.
Rachel: Poor Pinata. What can I say? I went through a huge Rob and Big phase and decided I would learn to skateboard, procure myself a miniature horse and hire an oversized hip-hop body guard. Guess which of those three I actually managed to do?
Pinata has had many costumes, runway-show-worthy hair-do's and makeshift adornments. We have fun together. Sometimes we have fun together in the house. How else are we going to go through our closets and play dress-up? To provide Pinata with a little more around-the-house traction, I slip two pair of socks on him. And yes, he does have four legs, do not be fooled by the sock picture. If you're home a lot and have a bit of space, miniature horses make great pets! They're super smart, a blast to play with and they make fabulous compost for the garden. He and Puppy Jane are the best of friends. They play together during the day and my husband and I take them for walks together at night. How's that for awww? Want more aww? Here's a shot of him dressed up at a birthday party. Pinata gets invited to a lot of parties. That horse has a busy social life, let me tell you.
Thanks for a fantastic interview Rachel.. I think you broke the new interview questions in perfectly!
On to the recipes!
Rachel's Enchiladas
Ingredients:
1 bag of spinach (or a 1 lb. bunch of you grew it)
enchilada sauce
1 onion-chopped
tortillas
olive oil
salt and pepper
optional: cheese, roasted and pureed butternut squash
Note: I use pureed butternut as a cheese / butter / I'msocravingfatrightnow substitution. It totally cures my craving and is so healthy! If you'd like to try it simply peel and chop a butternut squash (no seeds) into-one inch cubes. Boil the cubes for 20 minutes, then puree in the food processor. You're ready to rock!
Preheat oven to 350 and dig out a baking dish. I'm all about Pyrex. I'd marry it if I could.
Make (or open a can) of enchilada sauce. I make a double batch of this recipe once a month, divide it into quarters and freeze in in bags for enchiladas on the fly.
Drizzle a bit of olive oil in a pan and saute the onion until translucent. Add the spinach and cook over medium heat until it has 1. cooked down for fresh spinach 2. defrosted for bagged spinach. Season with salt and pepper.
Lay five tortillas on the middle rack of your oven and warm them for about three minutes.
If you're using the squash, spread a thin amount of squash puree over your tortilla. Not ready for advanced hippie-substitutions? Move on to the next step!
Lay a thin line of spinach and onion filling down the middle of the tortilla and roll it up. If you're using cheese sprinkle some on before you roll it up. Lay the rolled tortilla in the baking dish and repeat until all five are done.
Cover with a thin layer of enchilada sauce (and cheese if you'd like) and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Ta-da! So easy! Makes five enchiladas so grab four friends!
Ingredients:
Cooked pinto beans (two 14 oz. cans or about four cups if you're using beans you boiled yourself)
2 white onions-chopped
2 cloves garlic-chopped
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1. tsp chili powder
olive oil
salt and pepper
Optional: hot sauce
Directions:
Saute onions with a small amount of olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat until the onions are translucent.
Add garlic and saute for one more minute.
Add beans, spices and season with salt and pepper. If you'd like to add hot sauce, add it now. Cook for five more minutes over medium heat.
TA-DA! Even easier and a fantastic source of vegetarian protein!
Ingredients:
2 cups of cooked brown rice. Yes really, brown. It's good for you and I promise it will taste good.
2 cups tomato sauce
1 bunch green onions-chopped
1 white onion-chopped
1 green bell pepper-chopped
2 tsp. chili powder
2. tsp. oregano
1 tsp. cumin
1. tsp cayenne pepper
olive oil
salt and pepper
Directions:
Saute all the vegetables in a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat until the onions are translucent, about five minutes.
Add rice, mix in.
Add tomato sauce, herbs and spices and cook for an additional five.
Season with salt and pepper.
And there you have it. A vitamin and protein packed super-healthy meal for not a lot of dough or work! Rock on with your bad self!
Thanks again Rachel!!!!
So guess what everyone!?! Just when you thought this post could not possibly get any longer..(there is always room for more right???). I have a little something extra for you today...
Yesterday I made matching recipe cards for every recipe that's ever been hosted here on LollyChops.com! You can think of them as "LollyChops Trading Cards" (collect them all!). This is something I have wanted to do for some time now but have not had enough time to get them done (a common problem with me). So what did I do on my first official day of vacation.. well actually I watched movies all day.. but on my second official day of vacation I made recipe cards AND watched movies all day (we are talking fun times here folks)!
So here you have them... (in order of appearance)...and all in PDF / print and cut them out / fold them on the dotted line and glue the two sides together AND make a cute LollyChops recipe collection out of them format...
Chicken Alfredo Pizza
KevinAndAmanda.com
Download the PDF HERE
Fleur De Sel Caramels
La Fuji Mama
Download the PDF HERE
Grammie's Applesauce
Turkey Cookies
Download the PDF HERE
Fish Tacos
Cook Something Even if it's Wrong
Download the PDF HERE
Carrot Cake Cookies
Robyn
Download the PDF HERE
Bag-O-Bones & Bowl Full-O-Blood
La Fuji Mama (recipe card coming soon.. Fuji and I are trying to work this one out)
Pumpkin Roll
Just Because I am Me
Download the PDF HERE
Tory's Cranberry Sauce
Cooking Something Even if it's Wrong
Download the PDF HERE
Sweet Potato, Butternut Squash, & Apple Casserole
Hippie Family
Download the PDF HERE
Strawberry Frozen Yogurt
Within the Corners of My Kitchen
Download the PDF HERE
Peppermint Candy Cane Brownies
Our Best Bites
Download the PDF HERE
Hummus & Tortilla Chips
LollyChops (you are here!!)
Download the PDF HERE
Homemade Caramel Popcorn
The Cookie Jar
Download the PDF HERE
Rachel's Enchiladas
One Pretty Thing
Download the PDF HERE
Rachel's Beans
One Pretty Thing
Download the PDF HERE
Rachel's Rice
One Pretty Thing
Download the PDF HERE
I hope everyone enjoys these little cards! I'll be making these for each guest that hosts a recipe with me from now on. I have some really killer ideas for cute recipe boxes with little dividers next Christmas (yeah you have to wait till Nov 2009 before I unveil them)! I am pretty sure that after a year of recipes we are going to have quite the collection going!
So with that said.. I need more volunteers to be my guest here on LollyChops.com! I would like to start working on Valentines recipes next.. so if you have a recipe for a romantic dinner, some fantastic homemade chocolates or some other decadent dessert, please email me (lollychops {at} gmail {dot} com) and let me know. I'll be posting the Sunday dates that are available on Jan 4 (with a complete year of recipes and themes calendar...more on that later...I am super excited about it!!!).
I'll officially be back in business on Jan 5! Happy New Year everyone!
