Tofu Enchiladas with Green Sauce

Pin It

Don't be alarmed. This is just a small baking dish I filled with enchiladas. Recipe makes A LOT more than this.

It's been awhile since we had enchiladas. VB was very enthusiastic when I mentioned making enchiladas, but a bit puzzled by the green sauce part. I got the idea for this tofu enchilada from a daytime talk show. Who said TV rots your brain?

For this tofu enchiladas, you'll need:

• 16-ounce block firm tofu, finely crumbled (I passed the tofu through my trusty food mill)
• 1 15-ounce can black beans
• 1 15-ounce can corn
• juice from 1 lime
• 15 corn tortillas
• 1 cup shredded oaxaca cheese (or mozzarella if oaxaca cheese is hard to find)
• 1 portion green tomatillo sauce, recipe below

For the tomatillo sauce, you will need:

• 6 tomatillos, husk and stem removed and rinsed
• 1 Anaheim pepper
• 2 Serano peppers (adjust for your desired heat level)
• 1/2 medium white onion, large diced
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1 cup loosely packed cilantro
• 6 cups water
• salt and pepper to taste

Begin by boiling water in large pot.  Add tomatillos, Anaheim pepper, Serano peppers and white onion. Reduce heat to simmer. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Peppers and tomatillos should turn dull green. Reserve 1/2 cup boiling liquid. Strain. Remove any tough stems that are still attached to the peppers. Add boiled tomatillos, Anaheim pepper, Serano peppers and white onion to a blender. Add boiling liquid, garlic and cilantro. Puree content into sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Allow sauce to stand in room temperature for 30 minutes.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large prep bowl, combine crumbled tofu with black beans, corn and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well and set aside. Spread about 1/3 cup of green sauce into a baking dish. Make sure that the sauce covers bottom of the entire dish. In a dry hot non-stick pan, gently toast corn tortilla on both sides. Add about 3 tablespoons of tofu mix in the middle of the toasted tortilla. Wrap tortilla tightly around the tofu mix. Place the enchiladas seam side down into the baking dish with green sauce. Repeat until baking dish is filled. Drizzle the remaining sauce over the top. Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Cheese should be golden brown and melted. But if it's not, you can broil on high for a few minutes until cheese browns. Allow enchiladas to cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Taquitos

Pin It

I've been promising VB that I would make taquitos for over a week. Things keep coming up and I keep having to say: "maybe tomorrow." Well, "tomorrow" finally came yesterday and I made taquitos while testing a new product -- Harmony Valley Vegetarian Hamburger Mix. So, for this recipe, keep in mind that I used a particular product that is crumbly and unflavored. Certainly you don't have to use this product to make this recipe, but be mindful of the amount of seasonings you use if you choose a flavored product.

For this taquitos recipe, you will need:

• 1 pableno pepper
• 1/2 large onion, finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried cayenne pepper (you can adjust it to your desired heat level)
• 1 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 pound imitation meat crumble (I used Harmony Valley Vegetarian Hamburger Mix. Trader Joe's Soy Chorizo or El Burrito's Soyrizo are also good options.)
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 4 tablespoons water
• salt to taste
• about 15 corn tortillas
• your choice of salsa, guacamole, and/or sour cream

Begin by charring the skin of the pableno pepper on all sides over open flame. If you do not have a gas stove, you can broil on high for 3 to 5 minutes on each side until the entire pepper is charred. Place charred pepper in a container. Cover container tightly with plastic wrap. Set aside for 15 minutes. Remove the pepper and peel away the charred skin. Remove the core, seeds and ribs. Finely dice and set aside.

In a nonstick skillet, heat up 1 tablespoon canola oil. Gently sweat diced onion and pepper until onion becomes translucent, about 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about a couple more minutes. Remove and set aside.

Brown imitation meat product with a tablespoon of canola oil in a nonstick skillet. Once the mix is browned, add back the onion pepper mixture. Season with salt, ground cumin, dried oregano and dried cayenne pepper. Cook gently for about 5 more minutes. Set aside.

Gently mash pinto beans until there are no whole beans left. Add 1 tablespoon canola oil into a nonstick skillet. Once the fat shimmers, add mashed beans. Stir gently until all the oil gets absorbed. Add 4 tablespoons water. Mix together water with mashed beans quickly and cook until the mixture reaches a paste consistency. Remove. Combine together refried beans with the meat mixture. Set aside and allow mixture to cool.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease an ovenproof dish with nonstick spray.

Heat up a dry nonstick skillet over medium heat. Quickly toast corn tortillas in the skillet on both sides until softened. Place about 2 tablespoons of the bean mixture on the tortilla, in a log shape on the upper half of the tortilla. Take the short (top) edge and tuck it firmly under the bean mixture. Push that edge slightly away and roll tortilla firmly into a taquito. Place it seam down into the greased ovenproof dish. Repeat the process until the dish is filled. Spray the taquitos liberally with nonstick spray to allow it to become crispy in the oven. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, rotating them half way through the cooking process to allow them to crisp on all sides. Serve with salsa, guacamole and/or sour cream.

Pumpkin, Black Beans and Cheese Pupusas

Pin It

I got the idea for pumpkin pupusas from our local El Salvadorian restaurant. They often stuff a pumpkin mixture with cheese and meat into pupusas. And those are delicious! I decided to make something similar, but with a twist. Instead of stuffing pumpkin into the pupusa, I mixed pumpkin puree into the masa mix and stuffed it with a black bean cheese mixture. They turned out flavorful and moist -- a little different from the restaurant version, but tasty nevertheless.

You'll need:

• 1 15-ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 cup grated cheese (I use soy cheese to keep this vegan, but you can use easy to melt cheeses like cheddar or Monterey Jack)
• canola oil for pan frying
• salt to taste
• 1 portion pumpkin masa mix, recipe below

For the pumpkin masa mix, you'll need:

• 2 cups masa harina
• 2 cups warm water
• 1 cup (or half a 15-ounce can) pumpkin puree
• 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
• a pinch of salt

Begin by mixing all the ingredients for the pumpkin masa mix together in a large bowl. The masa mixture should be moist and can easily be manipulated. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat up 2 tablespoons of canola oil until shimmering. Add red pepper flakes and garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add black beans. Allow beans to cook over medium heat until softened, about 5 to 8 minutes. Gently mash the beans with the back of a spatula. Set aside.

To make pupusas, take a golf ball size masa mix and flatten into a cake with thinner center and thicker edges. Place about a tablespoon of black bean mix and some grated cheese in the center. Fold the edges over to cover the filling. Roll into a ball and flatten into a pancake by transferring it back and forth between two hands. Grease non-stick pan or hot griddle with canola oil. Place pupusa onto the hot griddle or non-stick pan. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Repeat. This recipe should make about 10 to 12 pupusas. Serve immediately with some slaw, salsa, and/or guacamole.

Cheese and Beans Pupusas

Pin It

When we're not eating at home, we like to try new things. I especially like to go to one of those authentic hole-in-the-wall eateries with no English on the menu and just point. I'd eat what I end up with -- it could be soup, weird animals parts, whatever. It doesn't matter what ends up on the plate. Chances are, I'd love it (even if I don't, I'll just point to something else next time). Recently, we tried a Savadorian restaurant in Mountain View that is exactly one of those places. And it makes awesome pupusas. So much so that I have random cravings for them. So why not make some at home?

My recipe is pieced together by reading a bunch of recipes online. The technique, however, comes from gawking at the ladies who make pupusas behind the counter.

For these cheese and beans pupusas, you'll need:

• 3 cups masa harina
• about 2 1/2 cups water, divided
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/3 cup finely diced onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
• juice from 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon canola oil plus more for greasing the pan/griddle
• about 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese mix (mozzarella, monterey jack, cheddar or something like that)
• salt to taste

Mix masa harina and 1/2 teaspoon of salt with about 2 cups water. Mix in the water a bit at a time. The texture of the dough should be smooth and easily formed into a ball. If it crumbles or breaks easily, add more water. Knead for 5 minutes and set aside.

Heat up a tablespoon of oil in a medium pan. Add red chili pepper fakes, onion and garlic. Stir frequently until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add beans, oregano, cumin, chili powder, Bay leaf, lime juice and about 1/4 cup water. Season with salt. Stir. Let the mixture cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Make sure there is sufficient liquid at all times to cook the beans. If not, add a little more water. Once the beans are softened, mash them into paste like consistency. Mix well with any remaining liquid. You should have pasty but not runny beans.

To make pupusas, you'll need to the masa mix into balls that are a bit smaller than tennis balls. Mold the masa mix into a cup shape by pressing the middle of the ball with your thumbs. Add cheese and bean mix. Push the sides together and form a ball. Pinch off any excess masa mix. Pat the ball lightly into a pancake by transferring them back and forth between two hands. Place pupusas into hot pan or onto hot griddle greased with a bit of canola oil. Flip pupusas over when browned, about 5 minutes. Serve with cabbage slaw, sliced avocados and/or salsa.

The cabbage slaw is traditionally served with pupusas. You just need some shredded cabbage and carrots, white vinegar, salt, sugar, dried oregano and cloves. I sort of just threw it together without measuring, but it tasted like what was served at the restaurant. The cabbage slaw is best if made a bit ahead of time and allowed to marinate.

Black Bean Chorizo Tamales

Pin It

I like making tamales. Sure, they are a bit labor intensive, but always fun and tasty. Unwrapping a tamale is like unwrapping a tasty little present. VB would know -- he wolfed these down in super human speed. Here, I made tamales with Trader Joe's Soy Chorizo and some black beans. Totally delicious and definitely worth the time and effort.

You'll need:

• 2 cups masa harina flour
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 2 cup vegetable stock
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 package dried corn husks
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
• 1 portion of black bean chorizo filling, recipe below

For the black bean chorizo filling, you'll need:

• 1 package soy chorizo product (El Burrito's Soyrizo, Trader Joe's Soy Chorizo or other similar products), plastic casing removed
• 1/2 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, small diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• salt to taste

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Turn off heat and soak corn husks for 15 minutes. Make sure the husks are immersed completely. Remove husks and set aside.

Cream vegetable shortening in a stand mixer. Turn off mixer. Add masa harina flour, salt, cumin, chili powder, baking powder and mix well together in medium low speed. While the mixer is on, stream in vegetable stock slowly. The mixture should be thick but spreadable.

In a medium non-stick skillet, begin sauteing onions in canola oil until translucent, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add garlic, black bean, cumin, oregano, and cayenne. Lightly mash black beans with spatula or back of a spoon. Add soy chorizo mix. Saute for another 5 minutes. Check seasoning. Soy chorizo tends to be packaged with enough salt and spices that you don't necessarily need to add more salt.

To assemble tamales, lay out a corn husk, spread an even layer masa mix across the middle. You should leave at least 4 inches at the bottom. Top masa mix with black bean chorizo mix and some cheese. Fold corn husk over length-wise. Be sure that your masa mixture wraps around the filling completely. Then fold the bottom up. The top of the husk should be open. Steam covered for 45 minutes to an hour. I steamed them by placing a metal steamer inside a large pot with about an inch of water and then placed tamales onto the steamer. Remember to make sure that you have enough water throughout the steaming process. Serve with your favorite salsa on top.

Tofu Mole Enchiladas

Pin It

It's been a light cooking week for me, partly because there are other things in my life that need attention. For example, I have not yet figured out how to walk out of a routine car maintenance at the dealership not completely frustrated and broke. Those folks are good at finding problems. And once they do, they will make sure that you pay handsomely to fix those problems. And it seems like no one can be trusted to do a good job honestly. If you want a good scare for Halloween, you should read YELP reviews on car dealerships.

So. I do have some exciting ideas and some future food projects in mind. It's just taking me a little longer to get to the point of execution.

In the meantime, I made some tofu mole enchiladas for dinner one night. Mole can be labor intensive. So it's probably good to make the mole sauce ahead of time so assembly is easy and quick.

For the mole sauce, you'll need:

• 2 medium to large pableno chiles
• 1/2 pound or 6 medium tomatillos
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 2 medium Roma tomatoes
• 10 dried chile de arbol
• 1/4 cup of raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds), toasted
• 2 teaspoons of dark coco powder
• 1 teaspoon of cumin
• 1 teaspoon of oragano
• 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
• salt and pepper to taste

Start by broiling pableno chilies on high until skin is charred. Depending on your oven, this may take anywhere between 3 to 8 minutes. My oven generally takes about 5 minutes. If you don't know how long it would take, monitor the process carefully and take the peppers out when the skin is nicely blistered to black. If you have a gas stove, the peppers can be placed directly over the flames to char. Turn so that all sides of the peppers are charred. Remove the peppers and place in a food prep bowl and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Let the peppers cool down in the bowl. After peppers cool down, remove skin, seeds and stem. Set aside.

Turn your oven to 400 degrees and roast tomatoes, tomatillos, and garlic for about 25 minutes or until the fruits are softened and lightly brown. In the meantime, remove the stems and seeds of chiles de arbol and soak in hot water for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove chiles de arbol and set aside. Reserve 1/2 cup of the soaking liquid. In a blender, process pableno peppers, roasted tomatoes, tomatillos, garlic, chiles de arbol, soaking liquid, toasted pepitas, coco powder and all the seasoning and spices. Blend until smooth. You can make the mole sauce up to this point in advance.

For the remaining components of tofu mole enchiladas, you'll need:

• 6 flour tortillas
• 1 block of extra firm tofu, diced
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 15-ounce can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 portion of enchilada sauce (I used this recipe)
• 1 cup of shredded Mexican blend cheeses
• 1 tablespoon of canola oil
• chopped cilantro for garnish (optional)

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Begin by sauteing diced onions in canola oil until softened. Add mole sauce and let the sauce heat through. Add a bit of vegetable stock or water if the sauce gets too thick. Add tofu and pinto beans and cook for about 10 minutes, stir frequently. Meanwhile, ladle one third of the enchilada sauce into a rectangular baking dish and spread sauce evenly to cover the bottom of the dish. Divide tofu mole to about 6 equal portions. Fill each of the six tortillas with one portion of tofu mole and place each enchilada seam down into the baking dish. Ladle the remaining enchilada sauce on top. Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Do not overbake. Sadly, mine were a bit overbaked. But they were still delicious! Garnish with chopped cilantro, if desired.

Tamales with Calabacitas

Pin It

I'm not exactly sure why, but I love to stuff stuff into stuff. Don't believe me? Look here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here aaaaand finally here. That's not even counting all the sandwiches that I made. I also like to make portable handheld food devices, so they go where I go and I can eat them whenever I please. The logical next step, of course, is tamales -- the ultimate portable handheld stuff in stuff... er, stuff. For my first time making (vegan) tamales, these are pretty good!! I do need to practice wrapping them tightly so they don't fall apart on me.

The filling is made with calabacitas, also known as Mexican summer squash or Mexican zucchini. VB has suggested that next time, we fill the tamales with soyrizo. I also want to add some cheese into the mix. Cheeeessseee......

Fajitas + Trader Joe's Chicken-less and Beef-less Strips

Pin It

This is my standard I-really-don't-have-time-to-cook-and-all-the-restaurants-are-closed-and-there's-no-way-I-will-eat-more-pizza-or-bad-Chinese-delivery dish. It's really pretty simple -- slice up one onion, one green bell pepper, one red bell pepper, one jalapeno pepper, add some mock chicken (or beef) strips and some salsa. Voila! Fajitas!

It brings us to the second installment of the product review feature, where I eat fake meat and tell you just how they taste. Some are good, some are okay, others are just downright inedible. For our fajitas, I used Trader Joe's Chicken-less Strips and Beef-less Strips. These meat-less strips are mushy when compared to meat -- there is no density, chewiness or "meaty-ness" in these strips. The texture is all wrong and not at all similar to meat. But appearance-wise, these strips can fool you into thinking they are the real deal if you're not looking closely. If you bite into a strip, you can see that the cross section looks similar to the muscles in real meat.

Taste is where these strips really fail to emulate meat. Before you ask, there is no significant difference in taste between the two products. If there is, then I'm sorry because my palate is not sophisticated enough to discern those subtleties. There are some red pepper flakes that are packaged in with the strips, but the strips are pretty bland and don't taste like either chicken or beef. But they don't taste like soy either, which is a big bonus. Spicy salsa is a good condiment to add to this product because it provides flavor that this product clearly lacks.

Texture: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Taste: 3 out of 5 stars
Overall: 3 out of 5 stars

In A Nut Shell: Meh. Not horrible, but not awesome. It's edible with some spicy salsa.

Spicy Tofu Quasadillas

Pin It
I've been trying to make good food fast these days, considering that I don't have a ton of time to make elaborate meals. So tonight, I made some truly delicious spicy tofu quasadillas in a flash.

You'll need:

• 1 block of extra firm tofu or unflavored bean curd, diced small
• 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro
• 2 teaspoons of soy sauce
• 1 small jalapeno pepper, chopped small
• 1 small yellow onion, diced small
• 1 tablespoon of canola oil
• juice from 3 limes
• 3 cups of shredded Mexican cheeses (basic mozzarella, monetary jack and cheddar will do nicely)
• 6 flour tortillas
• salt and pepper to taste
  

Start by marinating diced tofu in soy sauce, lime juice, cilantro and jalapeno peppers. Let the tofu marinate for at least half an hour. Ideally, you should marinate it for a couple of hours, but today, I only had half an hour. But that's enough time to make this very flavorful.

Start by sauteing diced onion in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat, until it softens and browns on the edges, about 10 minutes. Drain tofu and add to the pan. Continue to cook over medium-high heat until the tofu pieces turn golden brown. Season with salt and pepper.

In another non-stick pan, lay down a flour tortilla and turn the heat to medium-low. Add about half a cup of shredded cheese on top. Let the cheese melt and add a third of the tofu mixture. Spread the mixture out evenly, then add another half a cup of cheese. Top with another flour tortilla and flip when the bottom tortilla becomes crispy, about 3 to 5 minutes or so. Repeat with the remaining tofu mixture and cheese. You'll make about 3 quasadillas.

We paired our delicious melt-y quasadillas with homemade pico de gallo. Sadly, our avocados were past their prime, otherwise we would've had guacamole to go with our quasadillas. The tofu and the cheeses really give these quasadillas a nice chewy and gooey texture. It's the ideal casual finger food and our wonderfully quick dinner.

Gameday Overload

Pin It
It might look like we were having a big Super Bowl party for six, but all this food was just for us. Yes, we overdid it. Major food coma ensued and we ended up napping on the couch during the game. Let's take a closer look at this lineup, shall we?


Homemade tomatillo salsa made of roasted tomatillos, onion, garlic, one chipotle chili in adobo sauce, a pinch each of salt and sugar.


Homemade guacamole. A lot of it.


Homemade hummus with chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic, and tahini paste.


Potato skins stuffed with minced jalapeno peppers, Mexican Monetery Jack, cream cheese and topped with bread crumbs.


Veggie hot dogs wrapped in Pillsbury crescent dough.


And finally, chili cheese fries made of store-bought fries and chili topped with onions and Mexican Monetery Jack cheese.

Tofu Lentils Taco

Pin It
This recipe is a variation of the spicy lentils taco recipe, which was delicious but suffered from poor execution. The lentils were slightly undercooked last time. I'm not blaming the recipe for my failure, but it's tough to cook lentils properly. So to avoid the pitfall, this recipe calls for a combination of cooked components. I added tofu and brown rice for more substance and texture. This recipe is also less spicy.

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1/2 an onion, diced small
• 1 celery stalk, diced small
• 2 jalapeno peppers, seeds and ribs removed, diced small
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  
• 1 1/2 cups of cooked lentils
• 1 cup of cooked brown rice
• 1 block of unflavored bean curd (or firm tofu), drained and diced small
• 1 teaspoon of chili powder
• 1 teaspoon of paprika
  
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon of flour
• 2 teaspoons of soy sauce
• 2 cups of vegetable stock
  
• 10 flour tortillas
• salt and pepper to taste
  
• guacamole (optional)
• salsa (optional)
• shredded cabbage (optional)
• grated Mexican cheese (optional)

One note about prep -- it's important to dice all the components to a size similar to the lentils. It will look pretty and provide a good texture.

Combine chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, cayenne pepper and flour. Set aside. Sweat celery, onion and jalapeno peppers in olive oil over medium-low heat until soft, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add vegetable stock, lentils, rice and tofu. Simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the flour and spices mix and soy sauce. Stir to combine.

Simmer over low heat until sauce thickens, about another 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning. Serve wrapped in tortillas and topped with salsa, guacamole, shredded cabbage and grated cheese.

This would also be good as filling for burritos on days that rice and beans are not enough. This taco is filling and has a good meaty taste. It tastes especially delicious when paired with all the different trimmings.

Spicy Lentils Tacos

Pin It
We have some leftover corn tortillas from enchilada night, so the logical solution is to continue with our Mexican theme and make some spicy lentils tacos.

• 1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 chipotle chilies in adobe sauce, chopped
• 2 1/2 cups of vegetable stock
  
• 1 tablespoon of chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon of oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon of paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
• juice from 1 lime
  
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
  
• 10 corn tortillas
• salsa (optional)
• cilantro, chopped (optional)
• sour cream (optional)
• grated Mexican cheese (optional)

Saute chopped onions and garlic in olive oil until onions become soft, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add lentils, chipotle chilies, chili powder, garlic powder, crushed red pepper flakes, oregano, paprika, ground cumin and vegetable stock. Bring to boil. Turn heat down to simmer. Cover and cook until the liquid is absorbed, about 25 to 30 minutes. Add lime juice, salt and pepper to taste. Fill tortillas with lentils, salsa, cilantro, sour cream and cheese.

This recipe is inspired by a similar recipe that appeared in Self Magazine awhile ago. The last squeeze of lime really brightens the flavors and keeps it from being too spicy. It's a fun and delicious recipe for a casual no-fuss Mexican dinner.

Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Pin It
The Internet is great, isn't it? It is the best source for recipes. But sometimes, the number of variations can be daunting, especially if you're looking for one good recipe for an unfamiliar dish. In times like this, I would often take ideas from a few recipes and make one original oddball recipe. This is one of those recipes.

For the enchilada sauce:

• 1 8-ounce can of tomato sauce
• 3 tablespoons (no, not a typo) of chili powder
• 1 teaspoon of coco powder
• 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced fine
• 1 teaspoon of olive oil
  
• 3 tablespoons of flour
• 3 cups of vegetable stock
• salt to taste
  

For the enchiladas:

• 3 medium sweet potatos, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 1 14.5-ounce of diced tomatoes
• 1 15-ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  
• 10 corn tortillas
• 2 cups of grated Mexican cheese (I used enchilado queso anejo, which is an aged pressed cheese rolled in paprika. Sharp cheddar, Monetery jack and/or mozzarella will also be fine)
• salt to taste
  
• chopped cilantro for garnish (optional)

Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray sweet potato chunks with non-stick cooking spray and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, turning once at the 15 minute mark. Set aside. Turn oven to 350 degrees.

In the meantime, saute minced garlic in 1 teaspoon of olive oil over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add flour, chili powder, coco powder, dried oregano, and cumin. Cook for about 1 minute. Add tomato sauce and vegetable stock. Stir to combine. Bring mixture to boil. Turn heat down so the mixture simmers. Add salt to taste. Contine to cook, uncovered, until the liquid is reduced to half or about 20 to 30 minutes. Set aside and allow sauce to cool.

In a large skillet, saute minced garlic and jalapeno peppers in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add diced tomatoes and black beans. Cook until the beans are tender. Add roasted sweet potatoes. Mash the sweet potatoes with spatula. Add salt to taste. Mix well.

Ladle enough enchilada sauce to cover the bottom of a large baking pan. Wrap the sweet potato mixture with corn tortillas. Place the tortillas seam down into the baking pan. Line the baking pan with wrapped tortillas. Ladle the remaining enchilada sauce over the tortillas. Sprinkle grated cheese over the top. Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes, until bubbly. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

The result was surprisingly delicious. The enchilada sauce is the star of the dish. The sweet and spicy enchiladas pair well with the sauce and the gooey cheese. I have to say, this is one of the best dishes that I've ever made.

Nopales in Chipotle Sauce

Pin It
We were off to Cabo del San Jose last week for a quick getaway. We stayed at a wonderful all-inclusive resort, sipped a lot of Pina Colada and stuffed ourselves silly. A week of poolside sun and delicious Mexican food later, neither of us wanted the vacation to end. So we re-created a small piece of Mexico at home with this nopales dish.

Nopales is a type of edible catcus. It's certainly something that I've never worked with. This recipe also calls for tomatillos, another ingredient that I've never used before. Thankfully, living in California gives me access to ingredients that may be hard to find elsewhere. I'm a novice when it comes to Mexican food, so I found and followed this recipe.

Even though I don't have an original recipe to share, here are a couple of things that I learned from preparing this meal:

Cleaning nopales is thorny business. I remove the spines and the nodes by running the flat side of my knife along the pod from different directions, sort of like scaling a fish. Nopales can be slimy, so the pods have to be rinsed frequently during the cleaning process. Finally, the edges are also removed. Clean nopales are then cut into 1/4 inch slices.

To roast tomatillos, first, remove the husks and clean the fruit. Then, place the tomatillos in an oven-proof skillet. I use my trusty cast iron skillet. Broil tomatillos for about 7 to 10 minutes until the skin turns slightly brown. Remove and allow them to cool.

To round off the meal, we wrap nopales in flour tortillas and add some vegetarian refried beans, salsa and rice. The nopales are crunchy, slightly bitter and tart from the tomatillo chipotle sauce. The chipotle adobe sauce adds smoky spice to the dish. Overall, this meal is a wonderful end to our Mexican vacation.