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Archive for the ‘Mexican’ Category

Sweet Potato, Black Bean and Kale Tacos

Posted in Avocado, Beans, Black Beans, Mexican, Vegan, tagged , , , , , , , , , on February 10, 2013| 2 Comments »

I ended up with the flu this past week. First time in more than 12 years. But it got me. I made these the day that I was starting to get sick, but I was still in denial. I was SURE I was just getting a bad cold. Nope. But luckily I didn’t lose my appetite while I was sick. And these leftovers called my name all week in the frig. I had to make a deal with the hubby to split the last of them, we both loved them so much.

We enjoyed these topped with a dab of sour cream, chopped avocado and my homemade tomatillo salsa with its tangy taste, which is a nice complement to the other sweet and savory elements.

Sweet Potato, Black Bean and Kale Tacos | Beyond Rice and Tofu

Sweet Potato, Black Bean and Kale Tacos

1 pound of sweet potatoes, 1/4″ dice

2 tsp oil, divided

2-1/2 tsp cumin, divided

2-1/2 tsp chile powder, divided

3/4 tsp salt, divided

1 onion, chopped

2 cups cooked black beans

3 cups kale, torn

Corn tortillas

Sour cream (omit for vegan or dairy-free)

Avocado, chopped

Tomatillo Salsa (Salsa Verde)

Preheat oven to 450*. Line a baking sheet with foil. In a bowl, toss the potatoes with 1 tsp oil, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp chile powder and 1/2 tsp salt. Arrange potatoes on baking sheet. Roast for about 10-15 minutes, depending on how small you cut them, turning once.

In a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tsp oil over medium-high heat. Saute onion until tender. Add remaining 1-1/2 tsp cumin, 1-1/2 tsp chili powder and stir, cook for 1 minute. Mix in black beans. Add kale and 1/4 cup of water and stir well. Cook until kale is wilted down. Add roasted sweet potato and cook until potato is heated through again. Stir in remaining 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste. Add more cumin and/or chili powder as desired.

Heat a skillet or griddle on medium heat. Add a drizzle of oil and allow to heat through. Lightly fry corn tortillas in oil on both sides.

Assemble tacos with sweet potato mixture, sour cream, chopped avocado and tomatillo salsa in corn tortillas.

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Pinto-Poblano Stew

Posted in Beans, Mexican, Soup, Vegan, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on October 30, 2011| 5 Comments »

Looking for something to have ready for your little ghouls and goblins tomorrow night? Something hearty to soak up all that sugar?

And do you avoid making bean soups because of how long it takes to cook beans? I used to, or I would only make soups to which I added canned beans. But not anymore. I have become friends with my pressure cooker, thanks to cookbook author Lorna Sass. I’ve had one of her cookbooks now for a year or two and I am finally starting to feel comfortable improvising with my pressure cooker. Recently I had a pair of poblano peppers lingering in the crisper drawer and I had spotted the new crop of New Mexico pinto beans at the farmer’s markets. Thus a new recipe was formed.

The recipe does require pre-soaking the beans, but it isn’t hard. I typically will soak my beans during the day, while I am at work, when I am planning to prepare such a soup in the evening. I like to place the beans and water in my big batter bowl since it has a lid.

Pinto-Poblano Stew

Adapted from Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure by Lorna Sass

Serves 6

1-1/2 cups pinto beans (or Anasazi beans), soaked overnight or at least 8 hours

1 tbsp oil

1 tsp whole cumin seeds

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 large onion, chopped

2 poblano peppers, seeded and chopped

2 cups frozen roasted corn*

1-1/2 tsp dried oregano

4 cups hot water

———————-

1-15oz. can diced tomatoes

Juice of one lime, about 2 tbsp

Salt and pepper, start with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper, add more to taste

Place your tea kettle on to boil the 4 cups of water. Heat the oil in your pressure cooker over medium-high heat. When the oil is rippling and hot, add the cumin seeds. They will begin to pop and turn darker brown. Add the garlic and stir constantly until the garlic begins to become fragrant. Add the onion and pepper and stir well. Add the beans, corn, oregano and water.

Lock the cooker’s lid in place and bring it to high pressure. Then lower the heat just enough to maintain high pressure and cook for 6 minutes (more if you live at high altitude like myself). You can either allow the pressure to come down on its own, or if you’re impatient like me, use a quick-release method and remove the lid carefully. Taste your beans and make sure they are tender. If not, you can cook them a bit longer on the stove without the lid or bringing to pressure.

Stir in the diced tomatoes. Then use an immersion blender to puree a portion of the soup to your desired consistency. Stir in the lime juice, salt and pepper and taste. You’ll probably want more salt.

Top with chopped cilantro, chopped avocado, chopped tomatoes, cheese, whatever you fancy. Serve with warm corn tortillas or corn muffins.

Notes:

* I like to use Trader Joe’s frozen Roasted Corn for a little extra flavor.

This post is linked up to Gluten Free Wednesdays and Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays. Check out the links for more inspiration!

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New Mexican Green Chile and Pinto Bean Enchiladas

Posted in Beans, Mexican, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 23, 2011| 8 Comments »

We’ve only lived in New Mexico for a few years now. And before we moved, I knew virtually nothing about the state. But now I know one thing, they are passionate about their food, in particular their chile. In fact, the official state ‘question’ is: Green or Red? This of course, refers to green or red chile sauce. And no, it’s not ‘Texas’ chili with an ‘i’, that’s a soup or stew (I’m not going there, Texans!); it’s chile with an ‘e’, as in chile peppers.

You’ve probably heard of Hatch green chile and you’ve probably seen little cans of chopped green chile in the Hispanic foods section of your grocery. And to be honest, I had never really used them much. After moving here, that had to change, as everyone asks you which is your favorite, red or green, and you had better have an answer!

Unfortunately, the green and red chile sauces that are slathered over burgers and omelets and enchiladas and everything else, at the restaurants around here, are frequently made with flour. You should always ask. Sometimes the green chile sauce is made with cornstarch instead of flour. It’s even rarer to find a red chile sauce made with cornstarch. So for a couple of years, I had never eaten red chile sauce, not being adventurous to make my own. Last year though, a co-worker of mine mentioned she was making red chile enchiladas for another friend of hers with celiac disease and I mentioned that I had never eaten red chile before because of the flour issue. The next week, she brought me some for lunch as she had made the red chile with cornstarch and had decided that she preferred making it that way as compared to with flour. They were wonderful!

So, you’re probably asking, which is her favorite? I have to say that I like green better but maybe that is just because that is what I am most familiar with. And so recently, at our local Costco, they were selling huge jars of the 505 Roasted and Diced Green Chile (blue label). Of course I bought some, and every time I’ve been there since, and then I got to thinking about what I wanted to make with it (and all the other jars in the pantry now!). And since you all know I have been on an enchilada kick…here it is.

(Oh, and I forgot, pinto beans are big here in New Mexico too….)

New Mexican Green Chile and Pinto Bean Enchiladas

An original by Renee

1# potatoes, 1/4-1/2″ dice – I used yellow Dutch baby potatoes

1-1/2 cups of onions, diced

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

3 cups roasted and diced green chile (like 505), divided use

2-3 cups of Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

24 corn tortillas

sour cream

Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil. Add potatoes and cook potatoes until ‘al dente’ (Can you say that for potatoes?). Drain and reserve.

In a large skillet, saute the onions with a bit of oil. When they have softened, add the garlic and saute a minute or so longer. Stir in the spices and cook for a couple more minutes, stirring frequently. Then mix in beans, potatoes and 1/2-1 cup of green chile. Taste and add more chile if desired. (Some batches of chile are hotter than others. So depending on who you are feeding and their spice preferences…). I added 1 cup of chile to this batch. Heat through, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Then turn off the heat and stir in 1 + cups of cheese.

Preheat the oven to 375. Grease a couple of large baking dishes. Spread some green chile in a shallow, wide plate or bowl. Heat a small skillet, with a little drizzle of oil. Heat the tortillas, one at a time, flipping them over, until pliable. (This is key! Otherwise your tortillas will break when you roll them!) Add more oil as needed during the process.

Immediately turn the tortilla into the green chile and rub the chile all over both sides of the tortilla. Place tortilla in baking dish. Add filling (not too much!) and roll up, placing the seam side down in the dish. Continue with remaining tortillas and filling. Spread additional green chile over top of enchiladas and sprinkle with additional cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or so. Serve with sour cream to cool your mouth!

Option:

You could also omit the green chile in the filling and make Karina’s quickie green chile sauce (and her enchilada recipe is wonderful too!) and pour over the top before baking, then top with cheese. This would be a more traditional style of enchiladas, baked with a sauce.

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Spinach and White Bean Enchilada Casserole

Posted in Beans, Mexican, Spinach, tagged , , , , , , , , on January 9, 2011| 7 Comments »

I have had a hankering for enchiladas. Especially after finding a huge jar of 505 Diced Roasted Green Chile at Costco. And after spotting some Kroger brand, jarred, gluten free enchilada sauces. I also had some Sandwich Petals languishing in the freezer that desperately need to be eaten.

Originally these were supposed to be rolled enchiladas. But, unfortunately, after defrosting the Sandwich Petals and warming them slightly in the microwave, they didn’t want to roll up very easily, and instead cracked, so I immediately came up with plan b, a warm and cheesy, gooey, enchilada casserole. Serve it up with a green salad and some gluten free cerveza (or Crispin hard cider, like I did!)

So… I don’t have a photo yet because we were too anxious to dig into this tonight and thus it was a little runny since we didn’t let it set up at all, which didn’t make for a good photo. Maybe later this week I will add one…?

Spinach and White Bean Enchilada Casserole

Recipe by Renee

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

1-1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder

2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed

1 can petite diced tomatoes

12 oz fresh spinach

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp sweet rice flour

2 cups milk, divided

4 oz cream cheese

12 corn tortillas, depending on size you may need more or less (or Sandwich Petals)

2 cups monterey jack cheese, shredded

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Heat oil in large saute pan. Add onions and saute until they are beginning to soften. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds more. Add cumin and chipotle chili powder. Cook 1-2 minutes more. Mash up 1/4 of the white beans and add all beans to pan along with tomatoes. Stir well, add spinach and salt and cover pan. Cook until spinach is wilted. Then remove the lid and let it simmer while you prepare the white sauce. Simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated.

In a small saucepan, melt butter. Add flour and stir well. Slowly whisk in milk, a small amount at a time. Add cream cheese and cook until thickened, stirring frequently. (Thanks to Book of Yum for this aspect of the recipe.)

Spread a small amount of the white sauce into the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Arrange corn tortillas so that the bottom of the dish is covered (you may have to cut some in two to make it work). Spoon part of the bean mixture over tortillas, then a bit of the white sauce, then some of the monterey jack cheese. Repeat layers and top with a thicker layer of cheese on the very top. Bake until bubbly and cheese is beginning to brown, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to set up for about 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

And I just may have another enchilada recipe up my sleeve this week since I still have that giant jar of green chile in the cabinet!

This post is linked to Seasonal Sundays at Real Sustenance. As well, it is linked to Real Food Weekly at The WHOLE Gang. Click on over for more delicious recipes.

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