I'm not the biggest fan of stats.
All those numbers and variables and exactness. I don't like it. It's the opposite of cooking. Even if you screw up and add a T of cumin instead of a t (not a t-test, mind you), it will come out fine, mainly because, in my housemate Ana's words: "The more cumin, the better." You can improvise and still have a great result. You cannot do this in stats. Believe me, I tried. I have the exam grade to prove it. However, improvising culinarily can show 'great success' [/borat] in the end. This is my story.
Yesterday, I woke up late and decided to have, as my breakfast and lunch, 3 bowls of cereal. 2 bowls of Lucky Charms, and 1 bowl of Frosted Flakes. However, due to the lack of fiber (don't we love those sugar-loaded cereals? I certainly do), I was hungry again in about an hour. I was all cereal'd out and wanted something savory. I thought of something I had made last semester that was totally improvised--Pumpkin Black Bean TVP Enchilada Casserole. But I was out of TVP. And didn't have tortillas. What I had? Pumpkin, black beans, refried beans, onions, garlic, a can of tomatoes, green chiles, and tortilla chips. And spices, of course. I had no recipe. So, I attempted to make that same casserole, just without TVP.
I did not succeed at making an enchilada casserole.
What I did succeed at, however, was making a delicious chip dip. One reminiscent of my Aunt Ro's seven-layer dip with lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, hormel chili (....), sour cream, and I really don't remember what the last 2 layers were. Scallions, maybe?
Anyway, Caligiuris were all over that whenever we went to Aunt Ro's. It was warm, it was creamy, it was gooey, it was cheesy (I'm such a poet). It was a classic. However, seeing as I cleaned a good 1/3rd of the 9x13" pan of the dip last night, I think this is on par with the Banks's 7-layer dip (it's not).
All those numbers and variables and exactness. I don't like it. It's the opposite of cooking. Even if you screw up and add a T of cumin instead of a t (not a t-test, mind you), it will come out fine, mainly because, in my housemate Ana's words: "The more cumin, the better." You can improvise and still have a great result. You cannot do this in stats. Believe me, I tried. I have the exam grade to prove it. However, improvising culinarily can show 'great success' [/borat] in the end. This is my story.
Yesterday, I woke up late and decided to have, as my breakfast and lunch, 3 bowls of cereal. 2 bowls of Lucky Charms, and 1 bowl of Frosted Flakes. However, due to the lack of fiber (don't we love those sugar-loaded cereals? I certainly do), I was hungry again in about an hour. I was all cereal'd out and wanted something savory. I thought of something I had made last semester that was totally improvised--Pumpkin Black Bean TVP Enchilada Casserole. But I was out of TVP. And didn't have tortillas. What I had? Pumpkin, black beans, refried beans, onions, garlic, a can of tomatoes, green chiles, and tortilla chips. And spices, of course. I had no recipe. So, I attempted to make that same casserole, just without TVP.
I did not succeed at making an enchilada casserole.
What I did succeed at, however, was making a delicious chip dip. One reminiscent of my Aunt Ro's seven-layer dip with lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, hormel chili (....), sour cream, and I really don't remember what the last 2 layers were. Scallions, maybe?
Anyway, Caligiuris were all over that whenever we went to Aunt Ro's. It was warm, it was creamy, it was gooey, it was cheesy (I'm such a poet). It was a classic. However, seeing as I cleaned a good 1/3rd of the 9x13" pan of the dip last night, I think this is on par with the Banks's 7-layer dip (it's not).
"Aunt Ro will you PLEEEASE make the magical 7-layer dip????"
Pumpkin Black Bean Green Chile Dip
note: ingredients are amounts are highly customizable--this is just what I used and liked
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 15oz. can pumpkin
- 4oz. can green chiles
- 15oz. can black beans
- 15oz. can fat-free refried beans
- 15oz. can fire-roasted tomatoes (feel free to add another if you want)
- 3 T cheeze sauce (optional, see mac & cheeze post)
- 1 c shredded cheese
- tortilla chips (I like the 'bite-size' ones from Tostito's)
- cumin
- chipotle chili powder
- paprika
- adobo seasoning
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- In a large pot, fry onion in some olive oil. Add garlic and spices; sauté until fragrant.
- Add black beans, green chiles, and pumpkin. Add more spices.
- Add refried beans, cheeze sauce, and 1/2 c shredded cheese. Stir.
- Add fire-roasted tomatoes and stir. Let cook on low for a few minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste.
- How you want to eat it is optional. I personally like to throw the chips in there or layer them and then scoop the chips&dip into a bowl and just eat it with a spoon. All about personal preference!
- Bake for about 10 minutes, and then sprinkle on remaining 1/2 c cheese and bake for another 5-7 minutes.
- Devour, and make again.
Really, it's quite good. And healthy. Pumpkin, beans, and tomatoes! No sour cream or dairy in this batch (unless you use dairy cheese). I used Daiya, of course. You can even omit the cheese and it'd be delicious, I'm sure. You can even omit the chips and just eat the dip with a spoon! I think I'll do that the next time I make it.
That entire pan was gone in less than a day. Granted, there are only 4 people in my house. I'm sure if you were at a party it'd be gone in about 7 minutes. Approximately.
Another alternative: midnight nachos!
"We killed TWICE that amount in under two minutes." -the lovely Debbie
Okay I've gotta go make a ton of baklava, falafel, and mjaddara for the kick-off to WeSJP's Palestine Awareness Week!!
Song of the Day-- gorgeous orchestral rendition of an awesome song in the Phoenix Wright series. I still don't understand how a game can be that amazing.
Recovery Link of the Day-- great article and great picture. "Don't let your mind bully your body."
Cheezily,
Carina
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