Delishytown

Smoky and Spicy Sweet Potato & Black Bean Empanadas

These Sweet Spicy empanadas are so delicious! I make the pastry with cream cheese, butter and extra fine pastry flour.  It's just like the pastry crust my Mom makes for her Christmas kolachy cookies. Yum! I decided to use the kolachy cookie pastry and added some smoked paprika and chili powder as an experiment to make it savory and spicy. It came out so delicious.

I'm making these for a party. Empanadas are great party food because they're delectable little bites that don't cost a whole lot to make, so you can feed a crowd for very little money.

In a food processor, cream together 2 sticks butter, 1 package cream cheese.  Add 2 cups sifted flour and 1 tsp salt, along with a little smoked paprika and chili powder (optional)

For the Sweet Potato and Black Bean filling, saute 2 chopped sweet potatoes, 1 sweet onion, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 1 or 2 carrots, 2 stalks of celery,1 chopped Jalapeno pepper, 1 red bell pepper from the garden, fresh chopped cilantro, fresh chopped parsley, salt and pepper, smoked paprika, Ancho chili powder, 1/2 cup raisins, 1 can of rinsed and drained black beans, 1/4 cup chopped olives, and 2 tblsp worcestershire sauce. 

Let the filling cool down in the fridge while you roll out the pastry and cut it into circles. 

Fill each pastry disk with about 1 tsp filling and crimp the edges with a fork or crimp and roll them with your fingers. I prefer this method because it's more fun. Stick the top of the empanadas with the tip of a knife forming air holes for steam to escape.

Brush the empanadas with a scrambled egg wash and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until piping hot and delicious. Serve with salsa and guacamole.  

Organic Sweet Potato and Black Bean Empanadas

Yum! I made these delicious vegetarian empanadas yesterday to take to my friend Rachel's birthday party. They were a big hit! Empanadas make great party food because you can serve them at room temperature, no utensils required, and you can make a lot of empanadas for very little money. Also, the organic veggies inside are really healthy and delicious. 

Heat a large skillet to medium high, add 2 tblsp olive oil, 1 large diced sweet potato, 1 small diced onion, 1 diced carrot, 2 diced celery stalks and salt & pepper. Saute until the veggies start to soften, about 6 - 7 minutes. Add 1 ear of organic corn, cut fresh off the cob, 2 minced garlic cloves and 1/2 red bell pepper, diced. Season with celery salt and pepper, 1/4 tsp coriander powder, 1/2 tsp ancho chili powder, a sprinkle of red chili flakes, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, and a small bunch of fresh chopped cilantro. Cook all of this together for another 3 or 4 minutes and turn off the heat. Add 1 can rinsed and drained organic black beans and 1/4 cup golden raisins.  Transfer to a bowl and cool in the fridge for 20 minutes or more.

For the pie crust, use your favorite pie crust recipe. I used frozen pie crust*. Roll and cut into large circles, add a teaspoon or so of the filling to the center of each pie crust circle, pinch and roll the edges and shape them into half moons.

Place on a buttered cookie sheet. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.

* I used frozen pastry crust from TJ's. They come in a box in two rolls and you just thaw them out on the counter for an hour or so, and roll them a little bigger on your counter or cutting board.  I usually like to make pastry crust from scratch, but I had a lot of work to do yesterday, so I just used frozen. 

Sweet Potato Empanadas in Ancho Chili Cream Cheese Pastry

I brought these to a party last night and they were a big hit.

I never made pastry crust until recently because I thought it was so complicated. Not true! Using the food processor makes it very easy. It comes out flaky and fresh beyond any pre-made crust  you might buy at the Piggly Wiggly. Remember that if you over process, it'll make the dough tough. So go easy on that pulse button.

The hardest thing about making your own pastry is having the will power not to eat too many empanadas. 

For the Cream Cheese Ancho Chili pastry crust:

In a food processor combine 1/2 cup cold butter with 1/2 of an 8 oz package cream cheese, 1/2 tsp chili ancho powder, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1 tablespoon sugar. Blend them together till creamy.

Using the pulse button on the food processor, slowly mix in 1 & 1/2 cups all purpose flour or whole wheat flour, whichever you prefer. Pulse till it forms big crumbs being careful not to overmix. Add 2 tablespoons ice cold water and just pulse till it becomes crumbly dough, but not to the point of forming a ball. Remove to a clean, floured work surface, knead it a couple times to bring it together, form it into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

While your pastry rests:

Chop 1 small onion and saute in a large skillet in 1 tblsp olive oil. Add 2 sweet potatoes, and 1 red potato, cut into small cubes. Season with salt and pepper. Once the potatoes are mostly cooked, add 1 cup cooked organic chicken, cut into small pieces, thighs or breasts, whichever you prefer. 

Deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup chicken stock. Season with a pinch of celery salt, 1/4 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp chili ancho powder, a pinch of cinnamon. Add 2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped, ½ cup seedless raisins, ½ cup chopped black or green olives, 3 cloves garlic, minced, 1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro, 1/4 cup chopped green onion. Let this mixture cool completely. 

Pre-heat the oven to 375

Cut your dough ball in half. On a floured work surface, roll your dough,  flipping and turning, adding more flour as needed to prevent sticking. Roll 1/4 inch thick, cut with a circle cutter. Fill the center of the empanada with the cooled chicken mixture, fold in half and pinch the edges together, pinching & flipping the edge over as you go around the half circle. I might have to film this to show everyone how I do it. You can also just crimp the edges with a fork. 

Place the pastries on a buttered cookie sheet. Poke the top of each one with fork marks.

Scramble 1 egg with a tblsp of water. Brush the top and sides of the pastries with the egg wash.

Bake for 10 - 15 minutes till golden brown and heated through.

Serve with salsa or yogurt cilantro dipping sauce. the yogurt dipping sauce I made is similar to a Greek Tzatziki type sauce.  I mixed 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt with 1/2 cup low fat sour cream, 1 crushed garlic clove, the juice of 2 lemons, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt & pepper, a pinch of cayenne pepper, and 1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro.