Meatless Monday: Summer Bean Enchiladas

We had a party at our house on Saturday afternoon’actually, it was a fundraiser to help me reach my goal of $2,000 to qualify me for the Weekend to End Women’s Cancers 60k walk this September. Best Health has put together a team for the Toronto version of the walk; check us out at Endcancer.ca. We had a Cuban chef we know come over and cook up a storm. Ridel made SO MUCH food: yellow rice (a typical Cuban dish that gets its colour from the annato seed), fresh-made corn tortillas, spiced chicken, pork marinated with bitter-orange nectar, black-bean salad with coriander and red peppers, refried beans, garlicky guacamole, and salsa‘one spicy, one mild. He made all of the dishes from scratch, except the fresh corn tortillas, right in our kitchen. The fact that he kept the kicthen neat and orderly through all this was pretty impressive; I can’t do that even when six people come over for dinner, let alone 40!

Everyone loved the food, and had plenty’including the vegetarians in the crowd. So, with all the leftovers, it’s perfect for making a Meatless Monday dinner for my husband and I. I took the photo of these enchiladas before I rolled them up so you can see what’s in them. I garnished with arugula leaves’since we’re trying to keep up with the growth of this plant in our backyard, I’m using it in almost everything.

Even if you didn’t have a party on the weekend, often you end up with leftover rice or salads, and enchiladas are a great way to use those leftovers. Here’s how to make these ones. First, spread two fresh corn tortillas’not the crispy deep-fried ones’with refried beans. You could use wraps, too, of course. For the refried beans, you can get it pre-made in cans, or, even better, simply mash up some canned, rinsed pinto beans really well (no need to fry!). On top of the beans I added a layer of Ridel’s yellow rice‘though any rice will do. Then I added a couple of spoonfuls of a black-bean/sweet-pepper salad with coriander, topped it all with a bit of guacamole and salsa and added some leafy greens (arugula in this case, but spinach leaves or any leafy green will do). Add cheese if you want, roll them up and enjoy!

What’s your favourite way to use up leftovers? Feel free to share your tips and recipes below!

Related:
‘ The ultimate healthy summer meal plan
‘ How to prepare for a charity walk
‘ 5 must-use summer cooking ingredients