Black bean enchiladas

This is an original recipe by me. Recipes by Raime (lol)

Normally I am VERY recipe-dependent.  I need a paper with a list of ingredients and directions to tell me how to cook something. 

But this time, the creative mood struck me by surprise.  

I had been thinking of making enchiladas for a couple of weeks now. I even had it on my list of "recipes to make" on the list app on my phone (yes, I am a nerd).  

But I didn't feel like making chicken enchiladas, and although I love cheese, I wanted something more healthy than cheese-stuffed enchiladas.  I had a boat-load of black bean cans in my pantry that were begging to be used, and that's when i came up with this:

 Black bean enchiladas

one can black beans (drained and rinsed)
one can diced tomatoes
1/4 to 1/3 of a large onion, diced small
one small can diced green chilis
1 tsp cumin
8-10 small corn tortillas
shredded cheese for topping


Preheat oven on Broil.
Combine black beans, onion, green chilis, cumin, and 1/2 can diced tomatoes (drained).
Take 1/3 of that mixture and pulse in a food processor until smooth
Take another 1/3 of the mixture and pulse in food processor just until chunky
Leave the last 1/3 of the mixture as-is (whole).  combine all three.
Fill tortillas with mixture, roll, place seam-down in a casserole dish sprayed with oil.
Broil for 5-7 minutes or until tortillas are slightly golden brown on top.
Cover with salsa (or the remainder of the drained diced tomatoes) and some shredded cheese and bake just until cheese is melted.

Filling mixture (the cumin really adds something special to the flavor of this):

Little enchilada babies ready to be broiled:

cheesy, fiber-y glory:

 I'm not gonna lie---this was REALLY GOOD.  I'm rather proud of this recipe.  It tastes great, it is vegetarian, and it is full of protein and fiber so it will satisfy even a meat-eater's hunger.

homemade granola, photo fail

I had a photo fail today.  For some weird reason, I couldn't get my pics to load.  So, you will just have to use your imagination for now.  Sorry about that.

Made some homemade granola last night.  I was inspired by this granola recipe by Ina Garten.  Of course, I made some tweeks to it to make it "Raime-fied" though.

My version for homemade granola is:

2 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup sliced almonds
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 to 1 cup dried cranberries
1 tsp cinnamon1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil

Directions: Place all dry ingredients in a bowl and mix.  Then add oil and honey and stir until fully dispersed throughout the mixture.  Spread evenly on a baking sheet. Bake for 20-ish minutes, stirring at least once during the bake time.  Let cool.


For variety, I am considering the following add-ins for next time:
cocoa powder (I heart chocolate)
sunflower seeds
pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
pumpkin spice (for fall/seasonal flavor)
dried apples
chocolate chips (after it has cooled off, of course)

Nom nom nom. mmmm granola. 

Carb-less Pizza...oh, yeah.

I did it again...

Homemade Reese's cups. 

But this time i used Mara Natha almond butter, and i mixed some dark-chocolate chips in with the semisweet chips.  I dare say this version is better. (sorry about my shadow on that picture--photography is not my strong suit. I'm still a work in progress).

And another little creation that I am mighty proud of is this:

It's a portabella pizza.  Thats right...the portabella mushroom cap IS the crust. Amazing...I know.

I suppose it isn't completely carb-free, but it does not have the typical carbohydrate crust...so that's why i'm calling it a carb-less pizza.

The inspiration came from this recipe from the foodblog Oh She Glows. She made a vegan cheese sauce, but i was in the mood for real cheese. So I did it..oh yes I did.

Just top each mushroom cap (belly-side up) with:
marinara sauce
mozzerella cheese
red bell peppers, red onions, etc (the topping of your choice)
then broil for about 10 minutes until cheese is ooey-gooey melty and slightly golden.

After baking, i topped mine with some fresh basil and a sprinkle of parm.

Sooooo good and veggie-licious.


I will post more later when my brain is working. Sinus congestion is taking over me.  Someday soon, I fear I will cease to be human and just transform into a giant ball of mucus. Gross...I know.
 Raime