Black Bean Loaf with Quick Chipotle Red Pepper "Gravy"

Hubster: So what's for dinner?

*silence*

Hubster:That bad eh?

Me: Well I don't know that yet....it's a bean loaf (see how that "loaf" word sounds so horrible in a recipe title).

Hubster: /groan

We are still running on pantry meals...can you tell?? And despite my husbands not so subtle objections, he had seconds, and DS had thirds. I thought it was quite good myself, perfect for a chilly day like today. It didn't hold together as well as some of the other loafs I make, probably could have used an egg in it....perhaps next time. It would probably hold together better with oats, instead of rice too.

Black Bean Loaf

1 block cream cheese (softened)
1/3 cup salsa
3 cloves of garlic minced
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt
Tabasco to taste
3 cups black beans
1 cup rice
1/2 cup shredded cheese (mozzerella, cheddar, pepper jack, whatever you have handy)

Stir together the first 5 ingredients until smooth, add in beans, rice, and cheese until evenly mixed. Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350 for....a while...dang I really wasn't paying attention...I want to say like a half hour to forty five minutes...man why am I doing this blog thing again.


chipotle Red Pepper "Gravy"*

3tbs unsalted butter
3tbs flour
1/8 tsp salt
1 chipotle pepper in adobo chopped
1 cup Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Melt the butter over medium heat and whisk in the chipotle, flour, and salt. Continue to stir for about a minute to two minutes to get that floury taste out (we're making a roux here). Lower the heat to medium low and pour in the heavy whipping cream, and soup. Keep stirring intermittently, this should get thick and and ever so slightly bubbly....but never boiling. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Vegan Version:
For the loaf, replace the cream cheese with a box of silken tofu. Puree the tofu, garlic, Tabasco and spices, and add an extra 1/8 tsp salt. Continue with above directions (omitting the shredded cheese of course).
For the sauce, simply replace the butter with vegan butter or olive oil, and replace the cream with coconut cream.

* I don't know exactly what qualifies as a gravy, nor if this fits the criteria...however I feel that the quotation marks make that......
A.) clear
and
B.) ok