Nine Days Bonus Recipe: Whole Grain Lentil and Black Bean Enchiladas

(photo coming soon)

This is an amped-up version of Claire's Corner Copia enchiladas, which everyone should order if they go to New Haven. Claire's is a vegetarian, kosher restaurant that is really a unique place with lots of delicious flavors and neat entrees. The desserts are also spectacular: Claire's Lithuanian Coffee Cake with buttercream frosting is something not to be missed.

Anyway, on to a Nine Days high protein, low-fat treat:

8 whole grain flour tortillas
one white onion, chopped
one red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots or 10 mini-carrots, minced
8 cups fresh spinach leaves
15.5 oz. cooked black beans (I use Goya brand canned black beans)
15.5 oz. cooked lentils (I use Goya brand canned lentils)
2-3 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp pepper
4 tbsp sour cream
8 oz. light monterey jack or muenster cheese, shredded
8-10 oz. prepared salsa (or make your own!)

Saute the onions and garlic until deeply browned. Add the carrots and the spinach, and mix and then cover until the spinach is wilted. Add the black beans and lentils and heat thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper. Taste for flavor and correct seasoning if necessary. Add 4 oz., or half of the shredded cheese, mix well and remove from heat. Add the sour cream and mix again until everything is incorporated.

Place 2-3 oz. of the mixture into the center of a tortilla and place it, seam side down, at the bottom of a casserole dish. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas, placing tortillas in a straight line, closely together. Cover entire mixture with salsa and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the salsa.

Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes to 1 hour until cheese is melted and enchiladas are heated through. Enjoy!

Recipe Roundup for the Nine Days

As you may know, the first nine days of the Jewish month of Av are characterized by some traditional mourning-style activities, because the 9th of Av concludes with a fast day for the destruction of the First and Second Temples. This year, the nine days begins Sunday night, July 11th. In addition to people not wearing new clothes, Jews typically refrain from doing unnecessary laundry, getting haircuts, listening to music, and even eating meat. That's where Classically Kosher comes in.

Here's a roundup of various Nine Days-friendly recipes so you won't have to eat pizza the whole time (not that there's anything wrong with that). I hope they will provide some helpful ideas for menu-preparation!

Herb Crusted Sun Dried Tomato Quiche

Three-Cheese Mac n' Cheese (pictured above)

Potato Leek Soup

Braised Red Snapper with Lemon and Wine

Salmon Shallot Frittata

Fire-Roasted Eggplant and Chickpea Fusili

Stuffed Shells