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You know what I just made? No, not breakfast casserole. Where would you get that idea? I made brownies. Finally! I was craving them so badly. Let me tell you why.
Before my desire for brownies turned into a full blown craving, I picked up my favorite brand from the store. I usually check ingredients but I was in a rush so I would just do that later. I've made these a thousand times before so it was probably fine. I'm sure you see where I'm going with this...
I get home and start prepping to make the brownies. With food allergies and intolerances, I check literally every product before eating it and as I was looking at the label, that's when I saw a milk ingredient. They put a warning on the front of the box in very discrete print "now contains a milk ingredient".
I'm telling you, these brownies were perfect. Nothing needed to change. But somehow the company felt compelled to "improve" them with a top 8 allergen. That means Lenny gets a whole pan of brownies (his favorite) to himself. He's so lucky.
However, for somebody who loves brownies, eating sweets is not among one of his talents. I'm sorry, I know I picked on him in my last post too but that's just crazy. I couldn't make a pan of brownies last three days if I tried yet he can somehow make them last over two weeks. I've been eyeballing that pan forever it seems so I can replace the contents with dairy free brownies. That last square sat there for what felt like four months so I finally transferred it to a storage container for Lenny to finish, probably around the same time he retires. Then I made my own. They are so dang good! And almost gone.
That has nothing to do with this recipe but I thought I'd remind you to always check labels. Plus, I wanted to share the highlight of my day today. (There's a reason why I include a skip to recipe link at the top of each post.) Now let's talk about what you need to make for breakfast this weekend!
Recently, we made a ropa vieja recipe that we are obsessed with and had family over to enjoy it with us. I was going to prepare some black beans for my mom who is vegetarian but I wasn't sure what to put on them so my grandma took over. She used whatever I had on hand in the pantry and they turned out so good! Ever since then, I've been making them nonstop.
We've been enjoying the beans as sides but I like to use the leftovers for omelettes. I just stuff the beans in there with some dairy free cheese and spinach. So good! If I were eating spicy foods right now (still breastfeeding), I'd douse the whole omelette in hot sauce but I'll just have to save that for another day. I miss hot sauce.
Since I was enjoying the beans with breakfast so much, I figured I'd make a breakfast casserole. The beans are made with enchilada sauce and no shortage of spices so they're very rich in flavor. Because of that, I decided to balance the stronger flavor with some starchy roasted potatoes on the bottom layer and some bright greens on top. It's the perfect combination.
It would be nice to cut a hunk off of this every morning, but if you make it with eggs, you'll have to top it with a fresh egg each time (although I have to admit, I don't mind reheated eggs!) If you need an egg-free breakfast or want it to last through the week, it's just as good and filling without the eggs. Omitting the eggs makes it vegan too.
Recipe
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PinDescription
A hearty breakfast casserole with layers of roasted potatoes, seasoned black beans, greens, eggs, and dairy free cheese. Omit eggs for vegan option.
Ingredients
- 2 russet potatoes
- 2 Tbsp olive oil or avocado oil
- ½ tsp salt (or to taste)
- ½ tsp pepper (or to taste)
- 2 cans black beans, drained & rinsed
- 8 oz enchilada sauce
- 2 tsp chili powder
- ¾ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp oregano
- 2 tsp cumin
- hot sauce and/or cayenne pepper to taste, optional
- 2 C spinach
- 1 Tbsp fresh chives, chopped
- ¼ C Daiya cheddar style shreds
- 6 eggs (omit for vegan option)
- jalapeno slices, halved cherry tomatoes, salsa, and/or avocado slices for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425ºF.
- Peel (if desired) and dice the potatoes into bite sized chunks. Toss in the oil, salt, and pepper then place in a single layer in a 7x11 inch glass baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Meanwhile, in a microwave safe bowl, stir together the beans, enchilada sauce, chili powder, garlic powder, oregano, cumin, plus cayenne or hot sauce to taste if you want the dish to be spicy. Loosely cover and microwave on high for 8 minutes, stirring halfway through. (You an cook these on the stovetop too if you prefer.)
- When the potatoes are down, remove from oven and reduce the temperature to 350ºF.
- Give the potatoes one last stir then use the back of a spoon to gently press the potatoes into a solid "crust" layer without any gaps.
- Pour the black beans on top of the potatoes and use a spatula to spread them out evenly.
- Roughly chop the spinach and mix with the chives. Sprinkle this over the bean layer. If you want to top this with eggs, then use the back of a spoon to make 6 evenly spaced indentions to hold the eggs. Crack an egg into each indention and top with additional salt and pepper and shredded cheddar.
- Return to the oven for an additional 10-20 minutes or until the eggs are cooked to your preference or until the dairy free cheese is melted if you are not using eggs. Cut into 6 servings then add any additional toppings you might want (jalapeño slices, halved cherry tomatoes, avocado slices, salsa,...). Enjoy.
Notes
This is also great wrapped in a tortilla!
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