Fit Is The New Black

chippedbowl:

Pumpkin and Black Bean Empanadas

I love empanadas!  These are hearty, healthy and flavorful.  Make them asap.  Feel free to substitute mashed sweet potato for the pumpkin.  This recipe makes a lot of filling, so you may have leftovers—serve it with tortilla chips as an appetizer.

Pumpkin and Black Bean Empanadas, adapted from Vegan Yack Attack

Ingredients

• Crust
• 2 cups flour
• 4 tablespoon cornmeal
• 4 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup water

• Filling
• Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1 Large Onion, Diced
• 3 Cloves of Garlic, Minced
• 1 1/2 Cup Red or Orange Bell Pepper, Diced
• 1 cup Tomato, Diced
• 1 can pumpkin
• 1 14 oz. Can No Salt Added Black Beans, rinsed and drained
• 1-8 oz. Can Tomato Paste
• 1 Jalapeño, Minced
• 2 tsp. Chili Powder
• 1 tsp. Smoked Paprika
• 1 tsp. Cumin
• 1/2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
• 1/4 cup Cilantro
• 3/4 Cup Daiya Cheddar Shred

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium. Once hot place onions and garlic in pan and cook until the onions are clear, making sure to stir almost constantly. Next, add the bell pepper, tomato and pumpkin to the onions; saute together for roughly 5 minutes. Then add beans to the pan along with the tomato paste, jalapeño, and spices.
2. Let it simmer for 5 minutes while you make the dough: Combine all of the crust ingredients, except the water in a bowl and mix until it looks like coarse meal. Add a little bit of water at a time, mixing until the dough comes together in a ball (I added less than a cup of water).
3. Sprinkle the Daiya Cheddar Shreds throughout the pumpkin mixture and stir together so that everything is mixed well, and lower the heat of the pan to low-medium until the shreds are a little melted.
4. Sprinkle a bit of cornmeal on the work surface and rolling pin so the dough doesn’t stick. Divide the dough into 8-10 balls and roll out each into 7″ circles that are about 1/8″ thick.
5. Place the filling on one side, leaving about an 1/2 inch edge, do not over stuff. Carefully bring the other side over the top and press along the edges to seal. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
6. Place the pockets on a well-oiled baking sheet and brush the tops with olive oil. Bake for about 20 minutes until the top and edges are lightly browned and warmed through.