After the holidays and travelling for so long, the last thing I wanted to do after I came home was cook. There's nothing worse than coming home after living out of a suitcase for 2 weeks and having to come up with a complete meal when the fridge and pantry are basically empty. It's not motivating in the least.
We ended up running to the grocery store and making some paninis with our panini grill, but I was reminded later that I probably had some freezer meals left over.
I love freezer meals. Once in a while I'll do a huge cooking haul, and prep meals enough for the month. The freezer is a wonderful thing, especially on days I don't want to cook, or know I will be too busy to do so. It's mostly for the benefit of my husband, who requires good and balanced meals. I suppose I do too, but I'm honestly the eat-cereal-for-dinner kind of gal when I'm too tired to care.
On those days, it's very handy to have my freezer stocked with some of our favourite meals. It's win-win, since I don't really have to cook, and we still get to enjoy a homemade meal. That being said, we don't eat a meal from the freezer every day - I'm not that lazy! Today I'm going to share with you one of our favourite freezer meals!
I've been experimenting with all sorts of enchilada recipes, but I keep coming back to this basic recipe, since it's quick, simple, and still really yummy! Spinach is probably my favourite thing to add to dishes, so naturally, I love this.
On meal prep days, sometimes I will make double the amount so that our freezer is always full of enchiladas!
They're quick to make up too, which makes Sunday prep days really painless. I can't complain when something is easy, and still tastes like a lot more effort went into it.
I'm hoping to share some more freezer friendly meals soon, but for now, try this one out. You will love it.
Spinach and Black Bean Enchiladas
For the Enchiladas
15 oz. can black beans
1 cup frozen corn
6 oz. baby spinach
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small red onion
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
2 tsp. cumin
2 cups shredded vegan cheese (optional)
Green onion for garnish
10 large tortilla shells
Sauce (or use this recipe)
3 cups vegetable broth (try this homemade one!)
1/2 C tomato paste
1/4 C flour (I use whole wheat white flour)
2 TBSP olive oil
2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp each: garlic powder, onion powder, chilli powder
salt/pepper to taste
1) Make the sauce by heating olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add tomato paste, flour and spices.
2) Whisk for about a minute and add broth, slowly bringing it to a boil.
3) Reduce to simmer and cook until slightly thickened. Add salt/pepper for taste and set aside.
4) Saute red onion and garlic until softened. Add spinach and cook until slightly wilted.
5) In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients and add onion, garlic and spinach mixture.
6) Fill tortillas with mixture and roll tightly
7) Coat a 9x13 inch baking dish with some enchilada sauce and line the dish with rolled enchiladas, seam side down.
8) Pour remaining sauce generously over the enchiladas. Sprinkle some cheese on top (optional)
9) Bake at 375 degrees F for about 20 minutes
10) Garnish with fresh cilantro and green onions and try it with some homemade vegan sour cream
Freezer Friendly: As mentioned, I love freezing these for a quick meal on a busy weeknight. To freeze, line rolled enchiladas up on a parchment-lined baking sheet and place in the freezer until firm and ready to transfer to a freezer bag.
Freeze enchilada sauce separately.
To prepare, heat up sauce slowly in a saucepan and prepare as normal (see above). Bake covered for about 30 minutes and uncovered for another 20, or until done.
Do you prepare meals in the freezer? Let me know if you try this or anything else by posting to social media and tagging #MapleAlps!
