Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Zucchini-Refried Bean-Corn Enchiladas (cooking from the freezer stash)

Zucchini-Refried Bean-Corn Enchiladas (cooking from the freezer stash)

These vegetarian enchiladas are stuffed with shredded zucchini, refried beans, and sweet corn. This hearty filling can be made with previously frozen squash, helping you to use your August zucchini crop in recipes year round.


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A zucchini recipe this week?  And it's March and there's snow all over?  The blog is about using the farm share all year long, you know.  And where I live (not much grows during the winter) that means getting creative!
http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2013/03/zucchini-refried-bean-corn-enchiladas.html
Yep, that's over 7 pounds of Squashzilla one week in July.  Volunteer--I didn't plant that.

When your garden gives you this overabundance, you need to be creative.  When your garden is producing this amount and you're getting weekly boxes from the farm share, you need to think outside the box.


Unfortunately for me, when I'm surrounded with farm fresh vegetables at the height of the season, I am not always thinking clearly.  It's so easy to have a salad, or zucchini pancakes, or some simple unadorned veggies in the summertime.


Fortunately for me (and you!) my family gave me a rockin' awesome food processor for Mother's Day. I'd put an affiliate ad link in here to show you, but the only ones coming up are ridiculously expensive.  It's a simple Kitchen Aid, I think it's a 9 cup.  Beats the snot out of the Braun food chopper I was using before. Bed Bath and Beyond coupon-worthy.


Luckily, while my brain was unable to think outside the (farm share) box in the summertime, I grabbed the Fine Shred disc of my food processor and reduced all the Squashzilla to freezer bags of shredded squash.  I've added a few here and there to meals.


Today I had a hankering for enchiladas.  We so enjoyed these enchiladas, but I didn't feel like waiting to roast a squash out of the Strategic Winter Squash Reserve in the corner of the breakfast nook.  I did, however, have a can of refried beans and my put up veggies in the little fruit and veg freezer.


http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2013/03/zucchini-refried-bean-corn-enchiladas.html






Thinking outside of box?  Got it covered.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2013/03/zucchini-refried-bean-corn-enchiladas.html

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2013/03/zucchini-refried-bean-corn-enchiladas.html

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2013/03/zucchini-refried-bean-corn-enchiladas.html

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2013/03/zucchini-refried-bean-corn-enchiladas.html
I foolishly thought this would ease the clean up.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2013/03/zucchini-refried-bean-corn-enchiladas.html
First layer.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2013/03/zucchini-refried-bean-corn-enchiladas.html
Second layer.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2013/03/zucchini-refried-bean-corn-enchiladas.html

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2013/03/zucchini-refried-bean-corn-enchiladas.html
The dog would like some attention.
http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2013/03/zucchini-refried-bean-corn-enchiladas.html










Zucchini-Refried Bean Enchiladas 


Ingredients


  • 2 cups finely shredded zucchini (fresh or partially thawed is fine)
  • 1 cup finely chopped onion and bell pepper (fresh or partially thawed)
  • 1 cup corn kernels (frozen is fine)
  • 1 can (15 ounces) refried beans of your choice, or homemade too!
  • 1 can (11 ounces) enchilada sauce of your choice
  • 1 package (8 fajita size) tortillas (Chi chi's cafe style are a favorite here)
  • 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese


Instructions


  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and a large skillet over medium heat.  Add a splash of oil. 
  2. If you're using partially thawed veggies from your freezer stash (yay, you!) drain any accumulated juices before popping them into the skillet.  Cook until all the liquid has seeped out (so they are pretty much dry), this took me 10-15 minutes.  
  3. Add the corn and refried beans, stir to combine, and heat through for another few minutes.  Set aside.
  4. In the baking dish of your choice (oval French white Corningware for me today) GREASE IT FIRST (see below) with a spray of oil or a swipe of butter.  Then add a Tablespoon or two of enchilada sauce, straight outta the can.
  5. Divvy up the contents of the skillet into 8 portions, and spread each portion onto a tortilla.  
  6. Roll up and lay, seam side down, in the baking dish.  I ended up stacking mine in 2 layers, which worked fine.  I put about 1/4 of the can of enchilada sauce and a handful of cheese between the layers.  Top with the rest of the sauce and a couple more handfuls of cheese.
  7. Bake for 45 minutes or until the top is bubbly. Enjoy alone, with a salad, or with rice.




These vegetarian enchiladas are stuffed with shredded zucchini, refried beans, and sweet corn. This hearty filling can be made with previously frozen squash, helping you to use your August zucchini crop in recipes year round.


And tell me, do you think more clearly during the height of the farm share season or during the end of winter??

This post is linked up with the Wednesday Fresh Foods Link Up at Gastronomical Sovereignty,  What's Cookin' Wednesday at Buns in My Oven What's In The Box at In Her Chucks, Taste and Tell Thursdays, and the newly-expanded Farm Girl Blog Fest at Let This Mind Be In You.
http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2013/03/zucchini-refried-bean-corn-enchiladas.html
Do what I say, not what I do.  Grease the pan first. This did come off with an overnight soak.

29 comments:

  1. Now I am regretting turning all of our zucchini into fritters over the summer. I'll have to remember to freeze some next year for things like this!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Beth,
      No regrets! Zucchini fritters are da bomb! I just can't keep up with the load, so I had to come up with a way to store for winter. I hope you are blessed with an overabundance of zucchini this summer!

      Delete
  2. Great idea to shred and freeze. I will have to remember this.

    ReplyDelete
  3. You are So resourceful and have such great recipes with interesting ingredients and I can see the dog loves them too :)

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    Replies
    1. Marlene,
      Thanks! The pup is really wanting anything involving meat, or maybe just some attention. Can a dog be jealous of vegetables?

      Delete
  4. Beautiful! I had several squashzillas this summer. I shredded them too. When there is such a glut it is the only thing to do. You are probably forgetting that you were already having zucchini at every meal in the summer and just couldn't fit any more zucchini dishes in. Aren't you glad of your stash now!? I used some of my shredded bounty last week to make zucchini pesto pasta. A nice taste of summer on a cold March day!
    http://thecookslife.wordpress.com/2012/08/24/and-a-new-recipe-is-born-zucchini-pesto-pasta/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sarah,
      You're right--we were eating zucchini constantly last summer.

      Thanks for the pesto pasta recipe--it looks delicious!

      Delete
  5. Ooh, these enchiladas look SO delicious. You always have the tastiest, freshest looking dishes + this one does not disappoint. YUM!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amy,
      Thanks! My family are such enchilada fans, I need to keep trying new combinations so I have something new to post!

      Delete
  6. Damn you're clever and your dog is adorable.

    It's going to be my goal this summer to put some stuff up. My only issue is when I even freeze bananas using the Ziploc freezer bags, they get frost inside after only a couple days. What can I actually use that will keep them freezer burn free for months? It looks like you're using Ziploc bags too, so it must be user error. Humph.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Meghan,
      Apparently you have not hacked my Blogger account to see where I wrote a post specifically addressing your bananas in zip loc bags . . . for the record, the post is Creamy Dark Chocolate Banana Muffins and the post is due to come up on May 6th.
      Bananas in nature are packaged to withstand all sorts of crazy weather events, so I just chuck mine in the freezer without peeling or bagging them.
      My zucchini--I stuff the bags full, squash them flat, and suck the air out of them with a straw in the corner. That keeps them for a pretty long time.
      Thanks!

      Delete
    2. Aw look at this comment. It was still the early stages of our relationship. How sweet.

      These enchiladas just went into the oven. I added a finely diced jalapeno to the mixture from the garden, but the rest is the same. The filling tasted great, and they look fabulous so I can only imagine how delicious they will be once removed from the oven. Salivating over here.

      Delete
  7. I love that even in March people are trying to figure out how to get the upper hand on zucchini. This looks fabulous though, so once my CSA resumes and I'm flooded with zucchini, this is going on the list!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is NEVER too early to try and get the upper hand on zucchini. I've had a squash grow exponentially during the moments it took me to turn the compost, or weed another bed. That veggie needs to be watched like a hawk, and the more recipes the better.

      Thanks!

      Delete
  8. That is so awesome to freeze your goodies and then use them throughout the year instead of them going to waste in the summer because you have so many!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Elizabeth,
      I hate to waste food! It's taken a few years to really come into my own with the summer abundance--and why I started this blog--to share what I've figured out.

      Thanks!

      Delete
  9. Another great one! I just made a more wintery version of these a few days ago (with sweet potato and black bean) Way to go with freezing the summer veggies!

    Oh! And your dog is a cutie! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Shannon,
      Sweet potato and black bean enchiladas sound wonderful. I'll take a plateful right now!
      My dog is getting very bashful with all the attention.
      Thanks!

      Delete
  10. This looks great! Since I am slowly dipping my feet in the water with vegetarian Mexican and Tex-Mex fare (that actually includes vegetables - cheese enchiladas don't count, lol!), these look like a great one to try. Thanks for posting!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Julie,
      I never think that I'm doing real vegetarian fare. I wonder why?
      You can't go wrong with delicious veggies as your base.
      Thanks!

      Delete
  11. Kirsten, this post is making me SO hungry! I've pinned it so I can find it again for when we have a zucchini harvest. Mmmm!

    Thanks for sharing at the Farm Girl Blog Fest today!

    ~Kristi@Let This Mind Be in You

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kristi,
      I hope your zucchini harvest is abundant! (And now I really hope I didn't jinx you into multiple squashzillas or nothing at all!).

      Thanks for hosting!

      Delete
  12. Brilliant! Why have I never thought to shred and freeze zucchini before? I can't believe those were all from volunteers!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lauren,
      There is a small part of me that is slightly terrified at the thought of what my compost will come up with this year. I've been putting some strange veggies into it this past year.
      Thanks!

      Delete
  13. I'm wishing that I had some zucchini in my freezer right about now!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Deborah,
      I really debated posting this now, because it's so out of season, but I did want to share how you can eat from your farm share year 'round.
      Thanks for hosting!

      Delete
  14. I have made something similar to this before but it didn't look nearly as tasty as yours. I can't wait until zucchini and corn start rolling in. This will be the first recipe on my list!

    Thanks for sharing and linking up :)

    ReplyDelete