Double-Post Tuesday

Besides being Taco Tuesday, it's also Double-Post Tuesday. Today's offerings include White Bean Enchiladas and Old Fashioned Onion Rings. Enjoy!

VEGETARIAN SKILLET CHILI

This is from Melissa Clark in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this recipe, Melissa wrote, "If you keep canned beans, tomatoes, onion and garlic in your pantry, you can make this dish on any weeknight without having to shop. The pickled onions aren’t strictly necessary, but they are simple to make and add a welcome tangy contrast to the beans. Pickled peppers are a fine substitute. If you have a bell pepper or jalapeño or two, chop them up and sauté them with the onions. And if you want to be fancy, grate the zest off the lime before juicing for the pickles, and stir it into the sour cream."

Total Time: 30 minutes; Yield: 4 servings

This was featured in "5 Easy Meals for the Distracted Cook," and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017704-vegetarian-skillet-chili.

You might also want to check out Sam Sifton's guide, "How To Make Chili." While you're at it, if you haven't already signed up for The New York Times cooking enewsletter, now is as good a time as any to sign up.

Ingredients

For the Pickled Onions

1 lime

1 red onion or shallot, thinly sliced

Large pinch of kosher salt

Small pinch of granulated sugar

For the Chili

Olive or grapeseed oil

1 large onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, or to taste, minced

1 teaspoon chile powder, plus more to taste

1 teaspoon dried oregano, plus more to taste

2 (15-ounce) cans beans, drained

1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes with their juices

Kosher salt

Fresh cilantro, diced avocado and sour cream, for garnish (optional)

Preparation

Make the pickled onions: Squeeze lime juice into a bowl, and add onion, salt and sugar. Let rest while you make the chili.

Prepare the chili: Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Add the oil. When hot, add onion and sauté until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic, chile powder and oregano and sauté until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Add beans and tomatoes and a few large pinches of salt and let simmer until the tomatoes break down, about 20 minutes.

Taste and add more salt, chile powder and/or oregano to taste. Serve with the pickled onions and any of the garnishes you like.

WINTER SQUASH POT PIE WITH SWISS CHARD AND CHICKPEAS

This comes from Vegetarian Times (November 2013, page 55), and begins, "The edible skin of delicata or red kuri squash adds color and texture to this rustic pot pie." Makes 12 servings

View this online at https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/winter-squash-pot-pie-with-swiss-chard-and-chickpeas/.

Ingredients

4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (1 qt.)

1 delicata or 1/2 red kuri squash, unpeeled, seeded, quartered, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick crescents (2 cups)

1 lb. Yukon gold or fingerling potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1-inch chunks

1 12-oz. bunch red Swiss chard, stems sliced, leaves coarsely chopped, divided

1 Tbs. fresh thyme leaves

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen organic corn kernels

1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas, or 1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup olive oil

2 large onions, quartered and thinly sliced (4 cups)

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

4 cloves garlic, minced (4 tsp.)

1 cup plain almond milk, rice milk, or soymilk

1 sheet frozen puff pastry (1/2 17.3-oz. pkg.), such as Pepperidge Farms, thawed

Preparation

Bring broth, 3 cups water, squash, potatoes, Swiss chard stems, thyme, and salt to a boil in stockpot. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook 5 minutes. Add Swiss chard leaves and corn, and cook 3 minutes more. Drain vegetables, and reserve broth. Measure broth, and add enough water to make 6 cups liquid. Transfer vegetables to large bowl, and stir in chickpeas.

Wipe out stockpot, add oil, and heat over medium-high heat. Add onions, and sauté 7 to 10 minutes, or until beginning to brown. Sprinkle with flour and garlic, and cook 1 minute. Add reserved 6 cups broth liquid, and cook 5 to 7 minutes, or until sauce thickens, stirring constantly. Stir in almond milk. Stir sauce into vegetable mixture, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Cool. (If making ahead, transfer filling to bowl, cover, and refrigerate up to 2 days.)

To assemble pot pie: Preheat oven to 375°F. Pour filling into deep 13- x 9-inch baking dish.

Gently roll out puff pastry sheet to size of baking dish on lightly floured work surface. Transfer to baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and chill 30 minutes.

Place chilled puff pastry sheet over filling on top of baking dish, and press around edges to seal. Use tip of sharp paring knife to score 4 rows of diagonal incisions into puff pastry (without cutting completely through), alternating directions with each row.

Bake 30 minutes, or until top crust is golden brown. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

BAKING POWDER BISCUITS

This is from the July/August 2004 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 45. It begins, "If you want to make your own baking powder, the formula is very simple: Combine 1/4 cup cream of tartar with 2 tablespoons baking soda, and sift the two together three times. Store the powder in a tightly sealed container away from sunlight. When cutting out biscuits, don’t twist cutter; cut straight through dough to work surface. This recipe makes 8 biscuits."

To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/baking-powder-biscuits/.

Ingredients

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 Tbs. baking powder, preferably homemade (see above)

1 tsp. salt

4 Tbs. cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

3/4 cup heavy cream

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside.

Put flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl, and whisk to mix. Using fingers or 2 forks, quickly work butter into flour until it is the texture of oatmeal with some larger lumps remaining. Make a well in center of flour, and pour in cream. Stir just until blended.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead briefly but strongly, for 6 or 7 strokes. Roll out dough to a thickness of 1/2 inch. Using a floured fork, prick surface of dough all over at 1-inch intervals, taking care that fork goes through dough.

Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter, stamp out dough. Place biscuits close together on baking sheet.

Bake in center of oven for 8 to 12 minutes, or until biscuits are crusty and are a rich golden brown. Remove from oven, and serve.

OLD FASHIONED ONION RINGS

I've loved onion rings since the first time I tried them from a local fast-food restaurant, so I have no problem with whipping up a batch of them. In fact, I may just whip up some today. (It's a rainy wintery day, so eating something yummy while curled up on the couch and watching a movie or reading would be a perfect way to spend the day.)

This is from JeanieMomof3 at AllRecipes. This recipe begins, "Onion rings are a popular appetizer at many restaurants, and with this recipe, you can satisfy your craving at home. This is an actual recipe from a former employee of a popular drive-in restaurant. Sweet and tender on the inside, crispy and crunchy on the outside — just like the pros make!"

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 30 minutes; Makes 3 servings

To view these online, go to https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/82659/old-fashioned-onion-rings/.

Ingredients

1 large Vidalia or other sweet onion

1 quart oil for frying, or as needed

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk, or as needed

1 large egg

3/4 cup dry bread crumbs

1/8 teaspoon seasoned salt, or to taste

Directions

Slice onion into 1/4-inch-thick rings.

Heat oil in a deep-fryer to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C). Place a wire rack over a sheet of aluminum foil.

Prepare breading station by setting out 3 wide, shallow dishes. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in the first dish. Whisk milk and egg together in the second dish. Place bread crumbs in the third dish.

Dip each onion ring into the flour mixture, turning several times until fully coated with flour. Transfer to the egg mixture and use a fork to turn until coated. Lift onion with the fork and shake gently so excess liquid drips back into the dish. Place onion in the bread crumbs and turn several times to coat, scooping crumbs over the ring if necessary. Lift again with the fork, tap any excess bread crumbs back into the dish, and place on the wire rack while you prepare the remaining onion rings.

Deep-fry 3 to 4 onion rings at a time in the preheated oil until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels while you deep-fry the remaining rings.

Sprinkle with seasoning salt before serving.

CREAMY BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE

This is from Eric Kim in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this recipe, Eric wrote, "This macaroni and cheese recipe, inspired by Stouffer’s, delivers the best of all worlds: creamy, saucy comfort, with a consistency that’s slightly more set than a stovetop version, thanks to a final bake in the oven. It stays voluptuous and molten as a result of a higher ratio of sauce to noodles, which are cooked completely so they don’t soak up as much liquid. The Velveeta is necessary here, as it has sodium citrate, which prevents the sauce from separating in the oven. Elbow macaroni works fine, but cavatappi is an especially fun shape to eat with its telephone-cord bounciness."

Total Time: 1 hour; Yield: 6 to 8 servings

This was featured in "The Platonic Ideal of Macaroni and Cheese", and can be viewed online at https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/04/dining/baked-macaroni-cheese-recipe-homemade.html.

Another link to check out is for Alison Roman's guide, "How to Make Mac and Cheese." While you're at it, you might want to sign up Eric Kim in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. Great recipes, helpful guides, etc. I highly recommend it.

Ingredients

Salt

1 pound cavatappi or elbow macaroni

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

6 cups whole milk

1 pound sharp or extra-sharp yellow Cheddar, coarsely grated (5-1/4 cups)

8 ounces Velveeta, torn into pieces

4 ounces Pecorino Romano, coarsely grated (1 cup)

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Pinch of ground cayenne

Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season generously with salt. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until just past al dente. Drain and set aside.

Return the empty pot to the stove (no need to clean it) and set over medium heat. Melt the butter and simmer, whisking occasionally, until the butter stops spurting and quiets down, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the flour and cook, whisking, until smooth like gravy, about 1 minute.

Step 4

Whisk in the milk. Raise the heat to high and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly, then immediately reduce the heat to low and continue simmering until the sauce lightly coats the back of a spoon, 2 to 5 minutes. At this stage, the sauce should be smooth but relatively loose. Take the pot off the heat.

To the pot, add the Cheddar, Velveeta, Pecorino Romano, mustard powder, onion powder and cayenne, and season generously with salt and black pepper. Whisk until the cheese is melted and smooth like nacho cheese. Add the drained pasta, breaking up any clumps, and stir until evenly coated in the cheese sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Transfer to a 9-by-13-inch baking pan or dish and bake until bubbling at the edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

WHITE BEAN ENCHILADAS

This comes from MyRecipes (originally from the November 2000 issue of Cooking Light, and begins, "The reader loves experimenting in the kitchen, and is always on the lookout for low-fat ideas. This reader once came across a lasagna recipe that called for white beans instead of cheese; that's what inspired this dish. These enchiladas are really easy to make, and you can put them together up to a day ahead. They reheat well in the microwave, too."

Makes 3 servings (serving size: 2 enchiladas)

To view this online, go to https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/white-bean-enchiladas-0.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons fat-free sour cream

1 (16-ounce) can cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup (2 ounces) preshredded reduced-fat Mexican blend or cheddar cheese, divided

2 tablespoons canned chopped green chiles

1 tablespoon sliced green onions

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 (10-ounce) can enchilada sauce (such as Old El Paso), divided

1/4 cup water

6 (6-inch) corn tortillas

Cooking spray

1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine the sour cream and beans in a food processor; process until almost smooth. Stir in 1/4 cup cheese, chiles, onions, chopped cilantro, and cumin.

Combine 1/3 cup enchilada sauce and 1/4 cup water in a small nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Dip one tortilla in the sauce mixture to soften; transfer to a plate. Spread 1/4 cup bean mixture down center of tortilla; roll up. Place roll, seam side down, in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas and bean mixture. Add remaining sauce to pan; cook 1 minute. Spoon over enchiladas; sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheese.

Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with minced cilantro, if desired.