Calabacita Soup

One of my favorite Mexican dishes to make in the summer is calabacitas when the vegetables are fresh.  This soup works great in the winter with my frozen vegetables and still packs a powerful flavor punch.

Epazote will give your dish a very authentic taste, but you dont have to have it.  Epazote is actually stink weed.  It has a lot of flavor, but you cant add too much.  You can find it in any Mexican Market or order is online.

Calabacita Soup

2 quarts chicken broth
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
4 medium zucchinis
1 teaspoon epazote
2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup roasted pablano peppers (canned chilis work too)
2 cups corn
s and p

Saute onions and zucchini in oilve oil and butter and cook until onions are transluscent.  Add garlic, cook one minute more.  Add remainder of ingredients except corn. Simmer gently for 20 minutes. Add corn, cook a few minutes more.  Serve.  Add a dollop of sour cream if you like.  I was going light here.

Enchilada Sauce

Usually when I make enchiladas I am busy making the filling and totally not in the mood to make enchilada sauce.  I usually will pour some of my canned tomato sauce with a little taco seasoning in it and call it done.  That's okay but sometimes I want things really cooked through and thought out for a better depth of flavor.  So on my canning bucket list this summer was enchilada sauce.  I didn't think I was going to get to it but the end of summer tomatoes were a perfect fit for the sauce.  I ended up having 6 pints when all was said and done but it will largely depend on how long you boil it down.

I am pretty stoked about having ready made enchilada sauce in my pantry!

Canned Enchilada Sauce

24 cups  (about 3/4 peck) tomatoes
juice of 2 lemons
4 large cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons cumin
1 teaspoon chipotle powder
2 tablespoons Kosher salt
2 teaspoons oregano
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1.   Fill the canner with water, cover and turn the heat on medium.
2.   Cook tomatoes, boiling them down for about 60 minutes.
3.   Add the remainder of ingredients and taste.  If you want more heat, add in some more chipotle.
4.   Bring to a boil again for about five minutes.
5.   Blend the sauce being careful not to burn yourself as hot liquid in a blender builds pressure and can blow the lid.  I always put a towel over top.  I also only fill my blender 2/3's full.
6.   Strain seeds and skin out.
7.   Sterilize jars and while still warm pour the sauce into jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space.
8.   Run fingers around the rim to insure there are no chips or food particles on that would get in the way of a good seal.  Put lids and rings on.  Tighten rings firmly.
9.   Place jars in canner.  Add more water if necessary.  Water should be one inch above the tops of the jars. Once the water starts to boil, this is called processing, process for 30 minutes.
10. Turn off flame, remove lid of canner and wait five minutes.
11.  Use the canning tongs to remove the jars and lids one at a time from the canner. 
12.  Listen for a ping as the jars cool and the lid pops into place. You dont have to be there to hear the ping but it is a gratifying sound.  It means the lids have sealed.  
13.  Before you store them you do want to check to make sure the lid is depressed.  This means they are sealed properly.  If the lid is not depressed store in refrigerator and eat. Let the jars rest 24 hours.
14.  Store in a dark place.

Chicken Tacos

I wanted some tacos and I had chicken thighs and we were going to be at the beach.  Some seemingly unrelated, random thoughts, melded together into this idea.  Place in crock pot for the day, while enjoying some beach time with the girls and their friend.  It was a success.  So easy!

Here is my peach salsa.  We love it with chicken.  You can find the recipe here.  I just brightened it up a bit with cilantro and green onions.

My daughter likes to put all her ingredients on her plate in a deonstructed fashion and then load up tortilla chips one at a time.

The meat was very tender and very tasty.  Totally going to make this again, as in real soon.  As my Mother would say, "That tastes like another" and proceeds to have seconds of whatever it is.

Chicken Taco Meat

8 - 10 chicken thighs
1 cup water
2 tablespoons taco seasoning or a packet of it
1 onion quartered
1 tablespoon minced garlic
pinch of oregano
1 bay leaf

Pour water in crock pot/slow cooker.
Place chicken thighs over bottom of crock.
Sprinkle taco seasoning and oregano over thighs.
Place quartered onion in different spots between the thighs.
Add bay leaf.
Cover.  Slow cook on low 5 to six hours.
Inhale amazing smell wafting through house.
When ready, remove from slow cooker. Let cool a little.
Take skin off and shred chicken with forks.
Voila, chicken taco meat ready to go.

Rio Tomatlan in Canandaigua, Finger Lakes Region, New York

My friend and I stopped in and had lunch at Rio Tomatlan in Canandaigua.

I ordered the Pollo con Mole, Chicken with Mole Sauce.  There were elements to this dish that I liked and elements that I did not like.  The server said if you like peanuts, you will like it.  Its pretty nutty. Sadly, I found the sauce to be watered down and definitely no nutty taste at all.  Peanut taste is pretty easy to pick up on, so I am kind of surprised it was so vastly different then her suggestion.  Just so you know, I can pick out flavors pretty easily in dishes.  I definitely have a trained palette. (Amateur but knowledgeable, yah know).

The parts of the dish I really liked is the cilantro, cojita, pickled jalapeno peppers and the pickled purple onion.  It was a nice foil to the sauce.

The refried beans, which I really like usually, were a bit bland, they totally could have used some garlic and more salt.

This was the first Mexican restaurant, like, ever, (and I have been to many) that did not serve salsa and chips automatically.  It was an appetizer you could choose to pay for, or not.

The atmosphere of the restaurant was bright and colorful.  Beautiful table cloths and colorful bird cages hanging from the ceiling.  Paintings all over the walls of Mexican people and Mexican life.  Lots of visual appeal.

I would go again but I certainly would not order the mole.

My friend ordered the chorizo and sweet potato tacos (pictured above) which were the special of the day.  She reports that they were flavorful and delicious.  

Lentil Tacos

This Tuesday Taco thing is going on is killing me.  You see we are not the typical household family. I am a foodie.  I have some things that I do every year but I like to try new things.  If I do Taco Tuesday like my daughter wants me to, this severely limits my exploration.  Not to mention beef can be pretty expensive and to my other daughter that is a vegetarian, it does not seem like a good idea at all.  Mind you, I am not complaining because these are good problems.  Having food and food choices is a very good problem.  What to do?...

Enter the lentil.  I could wax on poetic about the virtues of lentils. I probably have already done so in previous posts.  I actually was listening to The Splendid Table and learned even more great things about lentils.  They are my heroes.

It seems the lentil is quite a good crop to grow.  Lentils have the ability to take bacteria in the soil, combine it with nitrogen an make their own fertilizer.  Genius.  These fabulous little legumes are amazing!

Meatless Tacos

1 tablespoon Bold Chipotle Seasoning
1 teaspoon cumin
1 cup black beluga lentils*

3 teaspoons taco seasoning or a packet**
2 tablepoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons corn starch
3 tablespoons water

In a sauce pan boil about 3 cups of water, Chipotle Seasoning, cumin and a cup of lentils.  Cook until the lentils are cooked but not falling apart.

Drain the water from the lentils.  In that same pan add in the taco seasoning.  Spoon in tomato paste. Keep it stirring.  Make a slurry of corn starch with about 3 tablespoons of water.  Pour the cornstarch mixture into the lentils.  Stirs until it kind of thickens.  Add in salt and pepper to your taste.

*If you can not find black beluga then just use brown.  But under cook them when boiling rather than overcooking.
**If you have a taco seasoning packet, skip the cornstarch and sugar.

Mexican Corn Deconstructed

This is a great summer meal for when all the fresh corn is in.  Something different than the usual corn on the cob go to.  Great to use corn from my freezer too, which is what I did here.  I ate about half of this as my lunch.  Hmmm.

Limes are really a game changer for this dish.  You really need the limes.  As my friends Mexican friend says, if you want to make a dish Mexican, just add limes.  I dont know if it is exactly that simple...  This is definitely a dish with lots of Mexican flavor.  Ay, caramba!


Mexican Corn on The Cob Deconstructed
Idea from here at Bon Apetit.


2 cups corn
1 large bell pepper chopped
juice of 1 juicy lime- about a 1/4 cup
salt and pepper
chives or green onions chopped thinly
cotija cheese or feta if you cant find it
garlic, minced

Cook corn, peppers and garlic in frying pan.  Let it sit at the bottom- don't stir too much.  You want to char it a little.  I was going to say brown there but char just sounds so much more sexy! Add in salt and pepper.  Once it is browned quite a bit, remove from heat and sprinkle with some fresh feta and chives or green onions.

Kale and Quinoa

For all you parents you know how busy the end of the school year is.  Concerts, picnics, get togethers.... its crazy.  When you are the sandwich generation, it just gets even crazier.  Suffice to say between helping my parents lately and being Mom to two children, I have my hands full.  I am sure many of you know what I am talking about. We always think we are the ones that are so busy.  But really everyone is busy.  And busy changes over time, doesnt it?  My Fathers idea is busy, is that he had a doctors appt in the morning and had to roll his coins.  The elderly woman I know, her idea of busy is that she had to do dishes and make her bed.  I say this not as a criticism.  When you are tired or ailing in some way, things can seem busy because it just takes so much energy.  You know what I am saying.  Its all kind of relative.  For me, busy means I don't have much "me" time.  Lets be clear, I love my "me" time.  I can be downright selfish in this way.  I need "me" time for sewing, creating things in the kitchen, puttering around, organizing, whatever. It helps me keep my sanity.  (Which is pretty relative, I might add).  An hour of "me" time is wonderful!  Four hours of "me" time is amazing, rejuvenating and awesome.  So as we head into summer, I don't really expect too much "me" time.  And it's okay.  I love when my kids are home.  At least, that is, when they are not fighting.  Its unscheduled time for the most part for us.  Sleeping in a little longer, a little slower pace.  I enjoy that.  I am going to miss my "me" time though! I promise to blog as much as possible.

This post is kind of a hodge podge of stuff.  You see this here "bouquet" from Edible Arrangements?  Isn't it pretty!  We received this a week or so ago.  It disappeared kind of fast.  I did use the kale, which you see above.  I boiled it a little bit and put it in the refrigerator.  I had some leftover quinoa.  I thought how about this combination.  I sautéed the kale in a little olive oil with garlic.  Then I added the quinoa, just so it was heated.  It was incredibly good.  I like quinoa but there was something about this combination that made it stellar.  Definitely a do over around here.  Simple easy, nutritious and delicious.

This here was an amazing meal I had at a local Mexican restaurant called, Salena's.  I usually get the mole chicken. One of my faves! A glass of sangria made it all the better!

Enchilada Sauce

Enchilada's have become a way for me to clean up leftovers.  There are a couple other leftover-cleaner-uppers- soup and fritatta's.  For the enchilada's, if you are armed with some Mexican flavors (cumin, lime, chili, cilantro...) and some tortillas, you too can clean up your leftovers and no one would be the wiser.  Shh, don't tell the family.  Like especially the kids.  My husband does a little happy dance (well, not really) when I clean up leftovers.  He hates wasting food (as do I). For the most part I can keep on top of stuff in the fridge.  Mostly due to him as he is a champ for cleaning up leftovers.  Sometimes I am sad about this because leftovers from some meals are even better than the night they are first served.

My friend, knowing I love Mexican food, sent me this recipe for enchilada sauce.  You can go to the link here, at A Simple Pantry.  This blogger has lots of Mexican meals, lets of good food to check out and drool over.

I did change up a few things from the original recipe.  First, because I had no chili powder (that, like, never happens, me- running out of a spice!) I had to grind some of my chilies.  OMG, let me tell you, while it upped the flavor quotient, it also upped the spicy quotient.  I was okay with it- but the kids, not so much. I recorded what I did in the recipe below but honestly, if you use fresh dried chilies, lower the amount unless you can take the heat! I also, added the tomato juice to kind of buffer the heat.

BEST DAMN ENCHILADA SAUCE

Recipe adapted from this recipe at A Simple Pantry Blog.  Swoon, people, swoon.

4 tablespoons canola oil
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
7 tablespoons chili powder, freshly ground*
1½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon Mexican oregano
4 cups beef broth, chicken, or vegetable broth
2 cups tomato juice*

In a soup pot heat the oil, then add in the flour.  Toast the flour, stir frequently, when the flour is lightly golden add in the broth, then the remainder of ingredients.

*See italics in paragraph above.
 

Mexican Style Chuck Roast

My mind always goes to a classic beef stew when I am holding one of these roasts.  Or it goes to beef and barley soup.  But I wanted something different so I made some Mexican style beef with all the usual flavorings.

I made some corn tortillas.  You have no idea how good a corn tortilla is until you make one yourself.  The ones in the store are like cardboard comparatively speaking. These homemade ones, the flavor is incredible.

I love to add radish to my tacos- it just makes it that much more delicious.  We used some mozzarella, cilantro, radish, shredded cabbage and salsa.  Topped with a bit of sour cream.  Yum!

Mexican Style Pot Roast In The Slow Cooker

2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 boneless beef chuck roast (3 pounds)
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup water


Pan sear roast first.  Place the roast in the slow cooker.  Pour in water and add spices and place onions on sides of roast along with garlic. Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours. Remove roast from crock pot and shred with a fork.

Corn Tortillas
Makes about 8 to 10 tortillas

1 1/2 cups masa flour
1 cup hot water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lard or oil

Mix together and let sit for about 30 minutes, covered.

Stir in a little water if it is too dry- a tablespoon at a time.

Make balls and roll into rounds between plastic wrap.  Gently pull away tortilla on to you hand and slap on a hot griddle.

Mexican Style Quinoa Bake

When life gives you leftovers, make Mexican food.  It's no joke.  I can hide a multitude of leftovers in a Mexican casserole.  Flavor it up with all those delicious Mexican flavors, throw in some chips, salsa and cheese and none of the people in my family even notice.  (Well, my one daughter did pick the peppers out of it- and that wasn't even the leftover part).  I did see this amazing recipe on Pinterest and said- dang, I pretty much have all of that in my fridge at this very moment.  You can find the inspiration recipe here at Half Baked Harvest and believe me, it is totally drool worthy. The only thing I was missing was some cheddar.  I decided just to use some feta because I had a lot of it.  Its not nearly as pretty as molten cheddar cheese.  But equally delicious.

Dip a chip into that top it with some pico de gallo and we were good to go.

Mexican Style Quinoa Bake

1 can of black beans
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 tablespoon oil
2 onions, chopped
1 pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon taco seasonings
2 teaspoons cumin
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 cup of cheese- cheddar is best but feta is nice too


Sauté onions, peppers and garlic in oil in a large skillet that you can throw in the oven (if you like).  Once translucent add in the remainder of ingredients except cheese. Cook until all ingredients are heated through.  Once combined sprinkle cheese over top.  Either place under a broiler or you can cover and the pan and it will melt nicely.

Margarita

I am one spoiled margarita drinker.  Ask any of my family or friends who I have made margaritas for- they love them.  I am not saying this because I am boasting.  I say this because with the right ingredients, anyone can make a stellar margarita.  It takes some time and dedication to do it right.  Here are the keys to your margarita-licious success: limes (real limes), simple syrup, good tequila and Grand Marnier or Cointreau, salt on the rim and lots of ice. 

I can no longer order a Margarita from a restaurant anymore without first asking some questions about its origins.  If its sweet and sour mix- made-margarita, ick, yuck! I would rather have a beer.  Sweet and sour mix givens me a wicked sore throat.  Am I alone in this?  Does anyone else get a sore throat from sweet and sour mix?

Whenever you have extra limes and dont want to use them for whatever reason, juice them and freeze them in ice cube trays, this will make a very handy Margarita starter.

Margarita

1 cup lime juice, freshly squeezed, not bottled
3 ounces tequila
1 ounce Grand Marnier
1 cup simple syrup
Ice
Kosher salt

Rub a lime around the rim of a Margarita glass.  Place a couple tablespoons of Kosher salt on a plate.  Dab the rim in the salt, circling the glass so that you coat the entire rim with salt.  Alternately, if you have frozen lime juice, like I did here- use a dab of simple syrup around the perimeter of the glass.  Set glasses aside.

In a blender, mix the remainder of the ingredients together. Add the ice as desired. If you don't want it frozen just do it the usual way, shaking it up. Pour into prepared glasses.

Tamale Cups

What is it about cute little cups of food or food on a stick?  Cute just makes it that much more tasty, doesnt it?

I love tamales.  I miss the lady in AZ who use to come to the office where I worked and sell us tamales for a dollar.  I would buy half a dozen when she would come in and stick five of them in the freezer.  They were a great dinner item for a single girl- delicious and inexpensive to boot.

These are a quick and miniature version of tamales.  You could stuff them however you want- pork, chicken, beef, beans.. whatever.
 

Tamale Cups

For the crust:
1 1/2 cups masa harina
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup vegetable oil

For the filling:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1 medium yellow onion, small dice (about 1 cup)
2 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 cups crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth with 1 tablespoon corn starch mixed in
salt and pepper to taste

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (about 3 ounces) OR
1 cup queso blanco
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
radishes

Mix the masa harina with broth and oil.  If you find it it too dry add more liquid. You want it to form when you press it with your fingers.  If it is not forming then add more liquid.  Make sure you cover the bowl with a damp towel to keep it from drying out too fast.

In a frying pan saute onions in oil until lightly golden.  Add in beef and brown.  Add in garlic and remaining ingredients. Cook until it comes to a boil and remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 350F.  Lightly spray muffin tins with oil.  Press the masa harina mixture into the cups, evenly distributing the dough. Spoon filling into cup.  Place cheese over top.  Bake for about 20 minutes.

Garnish as desired.

Mexican Polenta Bake

My kids and husband love what I call, Mexican Lasagna.  It is basically layers of tortillas with all the stuff we Americans associate with Mexican food- well at least I do.  Add a litttle cheese on top and voila!  Done! 

I had no tortilla's this time but plenty of polenta so I changed it up a bit. I like the end result but I would put a layer of polenta at the bottom as well to absorb some of those juices. As you can see by the pic below, it was a wee bit juicy.  I did have double the amount of salsa written in the recipe.  Why I did that, I dont know. 

I loved the layer of polenta!

Mexican Polenta Bake


1 jar of salsa (16 ounces)
1 pound beef or sausage (chorizo)
2 cups corn
1 can black beans or pinto, drained
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup roasted pablano peppers, if you like some heat (optional)
1 green or red pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 1/2 cups polenta
6 cups water
12 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
1 can black olives, sliced
s and p to taste

Sauté the chopped peppers and onions, place in casserole dish.  Preheat oven to 350F.  Sauté beef or sausage until browned.  Mix everything into the casserole dish, except the cheese and black olives.

In a saucepan place your water and sprinkle some salt in, bring it to a boil.  Slowly pour the polenta in kind of sprinkling and stirring at the same time, to avoid lumps.  I often will add my polenta just before boiling.  I find it lumps less. Cook the polenta on a lower heat, stirring often. It will thicken- then you know it is ready.  Pour polenta over the casserole, evenly.  Add cheese on top and cover and bake 30 to 40 minutes. 

Uncover, sprinkle with cheese and place back int he oven or under the broiler.  Sprinkle sliced black olives over top. Garnish with sour cream if desired.

Mexican Style Casserole

I was digging through my freezer for chorizo and I thought I found it.  Lo and and behold, it was a long forgotten stick of chorizo- USE BY DATE of 2008.  Ugh!  I threw it out.  It probably would have been fine but it was not worth the risk.  So, I grabbed a few sausage sticks of andouille. Worked rather well- tasty and delicious with a little heat.

If you have some leftovers then this casserole will come together in a snap.  First, a layer of brown rice mixed with enchilada sauce.  I had a pretty big casserole dish so there is about five cups of rice there.  You want it a little soupy because the rice will absorb some of the liquid from the sauce as it bakes.

Next, a layer of fried peppers and onions, sprinkle some asiago or queso fresco over that and then sprinkle on your beans.

Next, fry the sausage in a pan.  This makes it a little more flavor because it browns but also you get rid of some of the grease by frying it and then laying it on paper towels.

And then, of course, a little cheddar sprinkled over the top.  Covered and baked in a 350F oven for about an hour.

Remove from the oven and voila, deliciousness.  If you like sprinkle a little cilantro over top- even better.

Posole Verde

 

What could be better than soup this time of year?  I love posole and this one is one of my favorites.  I think the thing that totally gets me about this soup is the fresh vegetables.  I know it might seem foreign to some people to put radishes in soup but in many countries radishes are cooked in lots of dishes.  This radish here is not cooked but its addition to the soup is amazing.  It's one vegetable I totally have to have in my posole. 

Green Posole Verde 

6 tomatillos, papery layers and stems discarded, roughly chopped
1 large red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1-tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Coarse sea salt
5 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock
1 28-ounce cans hominy, drained and rinsed
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup or one can of Pablano or Anaheim chilies
1 teaspoon cumin
shredded chicken (totally optional)

trimmings:
cilantro
avocado
cabbage
green onion
radish
lime wedges

In a 400F oven roast the tomatillos and onion, until tender.  Remove from oven and when cool enough to handle, puree in a blender.  Combine with broth, hominy, roasted chilies, cumin and garlic in a soup pot. Bring to a boil and gently simmer for about 20 minutes.  Ladel into bowls and add the trimmings you like with a little twist of lime. If you are like me, a big twist of lime.

Green Tomatoes and Salsa Verde

What do you do when you get a whole lot of green tomatoes at the same time?  Now that is a good question.  I have made green tomato jam before, well, actually a couple times because frankly it is just that good. But how much jam can you have?

I have made fried green tomatoes before, at least once per summer.

But now I have a new favorite with about six containers in my freezer to prove it.  Salsa verde.  Now, before you go getting your panties in a ruffle, I know salsa verde is traditionally made with tomatillos.  And yes, I make that and I love it.  But why not green tomatoes?  They are green and I turned them into sauce- thus salsa verde.

Then I used them for this great idea for zucchini and mushrooms  enchiladas.  An idea that came from here. A good idea in fact- they were quite tasty.  If you want to follow the recipe, hop on over to Closet Cooking.

I collected some ingredients that I would normally throw into tomatillo type salsa verde. But I added a few more things.

Salsa Verde, Green Tomato style
This recipe will make enough salsa that you can freeze about 3 cups of it and have some for this dish as well.  If you do not want so much, halve it or quarter it.


8 cups quartered green toamtoes
4 cloves garlic
1 large onion, chopped roughly
1 yellow bell pepper (this will help with the color)
1 jalapeno, more or less depending on your heat preference
3/4 teaspoon epazote (if you dont have this just omit)*
3/4 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon cumin seeds**
1 tablespoon oil

In a dutch oven or a heavy bottomed pot, saute onion until translucent.  Add cumin seeds and toast lightly.  Then add all the rest of the ingredients.  How easy is that.  Cover the pot and let it all cook for about an hour.  You want your green tomatoes to be tender.  Puree once it is all cooked.  Use salsa in recipes that call for salsa verde.


*  epazote is an herb used in Mexican cooking.  It is actually stink weed dried up.  It is pretty powerful stuff so you just want to use a little.  It really lends a lot of flavor and makes things taste mroe authentic.

**  cumin seeds are worth any time it takes you to find them. They are nice and fresh and give lots of flavor.  If you want them ground, just grind them in a spice grinder and voila, ground cumin with lots of POW.

Black Beans or Negro Frijoles

One of my most favorite parts of eating at a Mexican restaurant is the rice and beans. That is when it is done well. So often it is not. But better yet, you can make it at home and control the ingredients etc.This bean recipe I made was inspired from Homesick Texan.  She has a book that just came out.  Nice.  I may need to buy that book as a lot of her recipes appeal to me. 

I wish I had more time to visit blogs.  I feel like I have been in a whirlwind for a while.  First, it was the kids being home for summer vacation.  Next, it was school starting and canning season and now, it is the holidays.  Whew.  I love it, don't get me wrong.  It is no complaint but I wanted to explain why I have been MIA. 

Black Beans
From Homesick Texan.  Click here to see the recipe in its original form.

16 oz. dried black beans
1 tablespoon of lard or bacon greas
1 cup onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
4 chipotles in adobo, chopped
1 tablespoon of epazote 
1/2 teaspoon of cumin
1/2 cup cilantro. chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup lime juice
Six cups of water
Two cups of chicken or vegetable broth
Salt to taste

Soak the beans covered in water overnight. Next day drain the soaked beans.

In the pot you’re going to cook the beans, sauté the onions in the fat for 10 minutes and then add the garlic for one minute. Add the beans, chipotles, epazote and half the cilantro.

Cover beans with water and chicken broth, bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to low.  Stir occasionally.

After 1 1/2 hours, add the cumin, tomato paste, lime juice, and salt and cook for 30 more minutes or until beans are tender. At this point, smash a few against the side of the pot with a spoon to thicken the broth a bit, stir the pot and serve. Add the remaining cilantro.  (Cilantro is a very delicate herb that has most of its flavor when eaten fresh- cooking takes away a lot of the flavor).


Serve with fresh cilantro, avocado, salsa and my favorite sliced radishes.

Cheesy Chicken and Bean Enchiladas

 
It was a last minute thing to use up some leftover ingredients.  And wow I am posting it because I want to make it again.  It may seem like nothing special but when my husband says something like this is your best ever I have to write it down.  If you have leftover chicken, this recipe is a snap to put together- five minutes- baking time 40 minutes. If I wasn't watching calories I would have added a lot more cheese but I have to say

Cheesy Chicken and Bean Enchilada's

filling:
1/4 cup sour cream
6 ounces mozzarella, shredded
4 green onions chopped
15 ounces shredded chicken
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon Lowry's salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 cup beans (I used some black chick peas)
1/4 cup of bean liquor (cooking liquid of the beans)

enchilada sauce:
1 can tomato paste
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder

8 inch flour tortillas

Combine all the ingredients for the filling in a bowl.  Set aside.

Mix enchilada sauce, adding water to the consistency you like.  Pour half of the sauce into a 9 x 13 baking pan.

Scoop out a packed 1/2 cup of filling and roll up in the tortilla.  Place the rolled tortilla in the 9 x 13, seam side down.  Repeat process 8 times. Pour the remainder of the sauce on top of rolled tortillas, spreading it out so that it covers them.  Sprinkle about 2 tablespoon of mozzarella over top.

Calories per serving according to my rough calculations.  I did not use "light" anything.  The mozzarella was part skim. The tortillas I used were 150 calories a piece.  It works out to 330C per enchilada.

Pork and Hominy Stew

I have posted Posole before but this way to do it, caught my attention.  The recipe is from Cooking Light so if you are counting calories this baby clocks in at 300 for a 1 1/3 cups- not too shabby.  It's real BIG on flavor.  Add some fresh vegetables and wow it cranks it up even more.  For some reason the cabbage, lime juice and radishes really make the dish!

I did not have pork tenderloin thawed out.  I had some ground pork which I think worked really well.  However it was probably a bit more calories.

PORK AND HOMINY STEW
Adapted from this recipe at Cooking Light.

2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 pounds ground pork
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
1 1/2 cups chopped green bell pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1 (28-ounce) can hominy, drained
1- 16 ounce jar of my fire roasted salsa (what? you dont have it, okay substitute your favorite salsa here)

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; set 1 1/2 teaspoons spice mixture aside. Add pork to remaining spice mixture in bowl, tossing well to coat.

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pork mixture to pan; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Add onion and bell pepper; sauté 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.  Add reserved 1 1/2 teaspoons spice mixture, broth, hominy, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Partially cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes.

Serve with some or all of the following accompaniments:  cilantro, avocado, cabbage, radishes and lime juice.
Hmmmmm.