Another frigid winter weekend down, only 987453 5 (technically) to go!
This weekend was actually nice and relaxing. On Saturday, H and I got up and out for a Ragnar training run, and then he surprised me with a trip to an indoor mini-golf course (located inside a greenhouse!).
After mini-golf, we headed to a golf outlet store where I got my very first set of clubs! Taking practice swings with them was a welcome reminder that summer isn’t as far off as it sometimes feels…
H had to do some work yesterday, which meant lots of kitty cuddle time for me:
And, of course, kitchen time! First up was some recipe testing for Richa:
I obviously can’t reveal what it is, but I can tell you it was delicious!
Then, as is typical, I was in the mood for something spicy, so I made this:
Refried Bean Tortilla Pie
Yield: Approximately 2 cups bean mixture, or 4 servings (1/2 cup beans over 2 tortillas per serving)
Vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, can be oil-free
This is a cheap, simple way to jazz up ordinarily boring/bland refried beans! I called it a “pie” because it reminded me of a little pizza 🙂
Ingredients
2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil OR water/broth (enough to thinly coat the bottom of the pan)
1 small yellow onion, finely diced (about 2/3 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 16-oz. can vegetarian refried beans
1-2 tbsp. chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced (omit for less heat)
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt, or to taste
1/8-1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (omit for less heat)
1 tsp. lime juice
8 corn tortillas
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Empty beans into a medium saucepan and heat gently while you prepare the other ingredients.
In a medium skillet, heat oil or water. Add onions and garlic and saute for 3-5 minutes, until softened and translucent. Add chipotle, chili power, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, and cayenne and stir well.
Pour the mixture into the saucepan with the beans and stir to fully incorporate. Add lime juice and stir again.
Spread mixture onto corn tortillas (I find about 1/4 cup per tortilla to be a good amount) and bake for 5-7 minutes or until bean mixture has a light crust.
Serve warm with whatever toppings you like! I enjoyed mine with black beans (beans on beans, I know…sue me), avocado, and cilantro. I bet some melted Daiya pepperjack shreds would also taste swell. Just have fun with it!
Notes:
For crispier pies, you can bake the tortillas for 2-3 minutes on their own before spreading on the bean mixture.
It’s also fun to layer the tortillas for a taller pie!
Blog News
You may have noticed a few changes around the blog (well, most likely you haven’t but now you will!)…
1) After 5 years and 8 months of blogging I have FINALLY purchased the domain acookinthemaking.com. I know it’s not like a huge process and it doesn’t actually mean or change anything, but to me it feels really special and exciting!
2) I have removed the Blog Cast of Characters page. It made me sad to do it, but it just wasn’t really relevant to the blog anymore. When I started A. Cook in the Making, I was 23 years old and living at home in NJ briefly before moving to Boston to start law school. My life has changed drastically since then, and most of what I write about on here really only involves my husband, myself, and occasionally the cats. Obviously my parents and siblings are still incredibly important to me and I will post about them when I see them!
2b) I’ve updated the About page accordingly to show H, Stewie, and Marty.
3) I have made serious improvements to the Categories, editing them all the way back out to my first posts in 2008, and expanding them to include seasonal-themed posts. Check them out on the right-hand toolbar.
4) After many months of drafting, I have finally published a Recipes page! Not that I’m suddenly some prolific recipe guru, but I’ve posted enough of them now that I thought it might be helpful to have them all listed and linked in one place.
Next up will be going back and sprucing up the [abysmal] tagging that I did back in the day. That one’s definitely a work in progress.
A.Cook in the Making 
That sounds like a stellar weekend and a lovely pie!
It was a good one–hope you enjoyed yours too!