I was inspired to make this dish for my friend Wendy who is on a low salt diet and whose husband is on a low carb one. I like adapting recipes I have had before by either making the ingredients shorter or simpler. This has less ingredients than the previous ones I have prepared before (here and here). The enchilada sauce is also simpler in the sense I use part of the filling as one of its ingredients. I resorted to using commercial vegan cheddar cheese for this prep. I showed a photo above of the one from a similar recipe with the cheese sauce. The advantage of the latter is Wendy can control its salt content.
Easy Black Bean Corn Enchiladas
Filling;
1/4 cup water
1 cup diced onion
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1-14 oz can whole kernel corn, drained
1-14 oz can black beans, drained
1 red or yellow pepper, diced
5 stalks green onion, sliced and divided (set aside two stalks for topping)
1/2 tsp miso paste or to taste
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 cup salsa
1 tsp garlic powder
6 -8 oz fresh spinach leaves, chopped coarsely
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cook onion and garlic in water till soft. Add the other ingredients from corn to spinach.
Cook till mixture is well blended and most of liquid has evaporated. Set aside 1/3 cup of filling for sauce.
Assembly
Filling (recipe above)
Enchilada sauce (recipe below)
8 8-inch medium sized corn or low carb whole wheat flour tortillas
2 cups vegan cheese or cheese sauce (recipe below)
rest of green onions
cilantro
Spray a 13 by 9 inch glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place filling into each tortilla and roll it. Place each roll in baking dish seam side down. Top with enchilada sauce and cheese. sauce. Cover with foil and bake in the oven in the middle rack for 20-25 minutes. Top with green onions and cilantro..
Easy Enchilada Sauce
1/3 cup of filling
1 cup salsa
1 cup water
1 tbsp chopped jalapeños from jar
1 tsp chili powder
Place ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth.
McKeever Cheese Sauce
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp onion flakes
1 tsp salt or miso paste
1/2 of 12 oz jar roasted red pepper in water
1-2 tsp garlic powder
1 -2 tbsp chopped jalapeno from a bottle
2 cups warm water
Using a blender, like VitaMix, with the ability to cook food, blend the ingredients for 5 minutes until the cheese sauce begins to get thick. Once you feel the sides of the blender to get hot and the blender slows down, stop the blender and quickly transfer the sauce in a container that holds at least three cups. The sauce continues to thicken as it cools.
Note: You can also mix the ingredients in a blender and then transfer it to a sauce pan. Cook at medium to high heat.
Wonderful delicious dip to smear onto a plate or board or to dip into. It is also healthy with fiber and herbs and no added sugar, salt or oil It is a good recipe for use of your leftover pumpkin purée from a can or fresh. I adapted this recipe from the site shown in the recipe below and skipped the sautéing of the garlic and sage in oil
I have succumbed to creating the so-called butter board. The latest trend in tik tok and the culinary world..
I did not use butter or cream cheese to create a savory board but instead I chose to do a dessert one namely, a chocolate peanut butter board. I used ripe bananas as the sweetener.
For the stuff to dip, I chose apple slices and graham crackers but you can use what you wish. For toppings, I chose sprinkles to save on calories but nuts and dried fruit like cherries etc would be great. Even a drizzle of icing will be awesome but I wanted a low calorie board. It is a vegan one by the way. Only three ingredients were used. No salt, processed sugar and oil were used.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Board
Dip
2 ripe bananas
1/2 cup peanut butter
3 tbsp cocoa
Other Components
Sprinkles for topping.
Sliced fruit and graham crackers
Add the ingredients for the dip in a bowl and mix them well with a fork.
Spread the dip using a spoon on a board or a plate or several ones for individual servings. Add sprinkles or any topping. Serve with sliced fruit of your choice or cookies.
Nutrition Facts For the Dip
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories
126
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8.5g
11%
Saturated Fat 1.9g
10%
Cholesterol 0mg
0%
Sodium 75mg
3%
Total Carbohydrate 11g
4%
Dietary Fiber 2.3g
8%
Total Sugars 5.2g
Protein 4.7g
Vitamin D 0mcg
0%
Calcium 4mg
0%
Iron 2mg
11%
Potassium 261mg
6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Dear Lord, show us how to live in a place where we are aware of our constant communion with You.
As Your child I humbly come before You. Thank You that I get to rest under the shelter of Your wings, here in the secret place of Your presence. I praise You, and I worship You, Lord.
�He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.� (Psalm 91:1 NKJV)
I humbly hand over my heart to You, and I say, �Lord, here's my heart, search me and know me, show me anything in my life that is keeping me from being as close as I can be with You.�
�Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.� (Psalm 139:23-24 NIV)
As You show me these things in my heart and in my life, Holy Spirit, will You show me what You would like me to do? Will You show me how to let go of these things? Will You show me if there is any unforgiveness or pride in my heart?
�Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.� (Psalm 51:10-12 NIV)
Anything I am hanging on to that belongs to You, anything that I have willingly allowed into my life that is not in alignment with You and Your ways, I lay it down at the foot of the cross. I surrender all to You, Lord Jesus. Thank you for taking these burdens, Lord. Thank you for what You did on the cross to set us free from death. In You I have victory! I praise You, Jesus!
�Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.� (Matthew 11:29 NIV)
Live simply and without thinking too much, like a child with his father. Faith without too much thinking works wonders. The logical mind hinders the Grace of God and miracles. Practice patience without judging with the logical mind. —Elder Paisios of Mount Athos
The dualistic mind is essentially binary, either/or thinking. It knows by comparison, opposition, and differentiation. It uses descriptive words like good/evil, pretty/ugly, smart/stupid, not realizing there may be a hundred degrees between the two ends of each spectrum. —Richard Rohr
Listen and attend with the ear of your heart. — Benedict of Nursia
We Americans Christians have a real problem with over thinking. Our burning desire is to have a definitive answer for everything, even things that are unanswerable. Richard Rohr points out that there are a hundred degrees of truth between right and wrong. Methodist founder John Wesley felt that in most cases there was more than one right answer. Today we face a real danger of narrowing the love of God by over thinking the words and work of God. It is a sad day when religion is more interested in certainty than mystery. Without mystery there is no God, because He is the ultimate mystery.
Art Courtesy of Irvin J. Boudreaux
Overthinking
Our first consideration should be the concept that logic hinders the work of God. Would Jesus have ever healed the first person, preached the Sermon on the Mount, or raised Lazarus from the dead if He wanted people to believe in His mission based on logic? The things He did, the words He uttered, defied Jewish, Greek, and Roman logic. By what He did, he proclaimed Himself as not of this world. Jesus didn’t come into the world to teach us to be logical, but to urge us to be mystical. The church is not about logic but about grace and mystery.
Now we need to think about the truth that we hold so dear. Jesus said to Pilate. “What is Truth?” I believe that truth is where you intersect with God and become one with Him. One man’s truth can be another man’s enemy. Our God calls us to love Him and His creation. He gives each of us the proper amount of grace to accomplish this elusive task. God never intended faith to be a “one size fits all” concept. Faith is an ongoing journey of personal experiences with God. Our interaction with his indwelling spirit forms us every day. There is no single handbook that tells us how to practice our faith. The reason we are told in scripture to not forsake the assembling ourselves together is so we might share the diversity of our journeys. In these assemblies we find out what the work of God looks like today, not 2,000 years ago. Rest assured there will be many similarities, but there will also be some things that are laser-focused on current time and place. Never forget the degrees of truth on the spectrum.
Art Courtesy of Irvin J. Boudreaux
Heart Listening
Oh, how different would the world be if we listened with the ears of our heart? Heart listening would surely end racism, war, crime and all other manner of sin. Long ago it was conceded that we will never attain perfection on this side of heaven, but we must try. Winston Churchill’s famous and short speech was given at his alma mater, Harrow. Here’s the complete text, “”Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.” I urge you to never give up the idea of listening at all times with the ears of your heart. Heart listening will march us steadily on to Christian perfection and an ultimately more peaceful world.
The simplicity of living without overthinking every little detail of our spiritual walk will lead us to that peace that surpasses all understanding that is referenced in the Bible.
4. PRAYER
Lord help me to truly listen to you without allowing my thinking to block you out. I submit myself to your way and cast aside the way of the world. free me from the chain of my logic and open up for me your infinite river of grace.
Sunday Prayer is not primarily saying words or thinking thoughts. It is, rather, a stance. It’s a way of living in the Presence, living in awareness of the Presence, and even of enjoying the Presence. —Richard Rohr
Monday Prayer is not primarily something we are doing to God, something we are giving to God but what God is doing for us. And what God is doing for us is giving the divine Self in love. —Ruth Burrows
Tuesday Quiet, contemplative prayer happens when we are still and open ourselves to Christ’s Spirit working secretly in us, when we heed the psalmist’s plea: “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalms 46:10). These are times when we trustingly sink into God’s formless hands for cleansing, illumination, and communion. —Tilden Edwards
Wednesday In prayer, we know we’re not being manipulated, we’re not being used, we’re not being judged, we’re not being evaluated. Who wouldn’t want to go there? It’s the place of ultimate freedom. —Richard Rohr
Thursday We can imagine God as our intimate friend, with whom we share everything. We can talk to the Divine about our needs, complaints, and difficulties. We can ask for advice, offer thanksgiving, and make acts of faith or reparation for our sins. We can seek guidance for our children, or shed tears about illness and death. —Beverly Lanzetta
Friday Prayer is the longing of the human heart for God. It is a yearning and desire for relationship with God, and it is God’s attention to our desire: God-in-communion with us. —Ilia Delio
4. Breath Prayer
Minister Adele Ahlberg Calhoun suggests a form of breath prayer that allows us to bring our heart’s deepest longing into our intimate relationship with God:
Breath prayer reminds us that just as we can’t live on one breath of air, we can’t live on one breath of God. God is the oxygen of our soul, and we need to breathe [God] in all day long. After all, it is in [God] that “we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). Breath prayer reminds us that each breath we are given is God’s gift and that God’s Spirit is nearer to us than our own breath. . . .
To practice breath prayer, ponder the nearness of God. Settle deeply into the truth that Christ is in you. Deeply breathe in, repeating any name of God that is dear to you. . . . As you exhale, voice a deep desire of your heart. When you exhale, offer up the desire of your heart. The brevity of the prayer allows it to be repeated over and over throughout the day.
Examples of breath prayers are
breathe in “Abba,” breathe out “I belong to you.”
breathe in “Healer,” breathe out “speak the word and I shall be healed.”
breathe in “Shepherd,” breathe out “bring home my lost [ones].”
breathe in “Holy One,” breathe out “keep me true.”
breathe in “Lord,” breathe out “here I am.”
breathe in “Jesus,” breathe out “have mercy on me.”
Reference:
Adele Ahlberg Calhoun, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices That Transform Us (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2005), 205–206.
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