Green Chilaquiles

Finally! My first authentic Mexican recipe. Kinda funny that I waited until I was visiting Iowa for Christmas, but I wanted my home grocery store where I can read everything and be absolutely sure what I'm buying. (I've had more than a few failures in locating items in my Mexico City grocery store). So, I've finally gotten around to making a homemade rendition of my absolute favorite Mexican dish! Chilaquiles are a popular breakfast food, so this recipe will be filed under the breakfast category, but tonight for me they were dinner :) De-freaking-licious. I heart chilaquiles. There are several ways of preparing chilaquiles--for one you can make them with a red or a green sauce (the ones here are made with green sauce, they're less spicy), it's also popular to make them with eggs and/or shredded chicken, if you're not a vegan. The recipe you'll find here, of course, is vegan. They can be made spicier by adding more serrano peppers to the sauce, if you like, but two peppers are usually enough for those not accustomed to the uber spicy Mexican food. Here is your homemade green chilaquiles recipe!

Ingredients:

Corn tortillas (I recommend homemade, since they're tasty and easy, but you can find good ones at the store as well. Regardless, let them sit out for a few hours or overnight to dry out a bit.)

Refried black beans (Or or they don't exist in your store, as is the case in central Iowa, make them at home by draining a can of black beans and whipping them up in the blender.)

Vegan sour cream

Vegan shredded cheese (Daiya dairy-free mozzarella style is my favorite)


For the green sauce:

1 pound tomatillos

2 serrano chile peppers

1/8 - 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro

1 heaping tablespoon minced garlic

1 cup vegetable broth

1/2 white onion

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. Chop tomatillos in half, and place in foil-covered baking dish, along with whole serrano chile peppers. Roast in oven for about 25 minutes.

While the tomatillos and serranos are roasting, cut or rip the corn tortillas in to bite-sized bits. Coat a large frying pan in 1/8 inch vegetable oil, and fry the tortillas over medium-high heat until they are a golden color. Remove from heat, pat dry, and set aside.

Roughly chop the white onion and sautee in hot oil until just before it begins to brown.

Place the roasted tomatillos (don't forget the juice collected by the foil during the roasting process!), serranos, cilantro, garlic, onion, and vegetable broth into your blender. Blend for about 30 seconds.

Change the oven temperature to 350. Divide the fried corn tortillas into two or three oven-safe bowls. Cover lightly with the green sauce from the blender, and stir around with a spoon until evenly coated. Top with a layer of refried black beans, then a layer of vegan sour cream, then cover with a layer of vegan shredded cheese.

Place in the oven and cook until the cheese has begun to melt, or about 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and garnish with extra sliced onion and green sauce, if you want it more spicy.

Serve hot, and enjoy!!

(Pictured is the dish, just before it goes into the oven. Yum!)

Neon PinkJuice

A tropical-style juice that has several anti-inflamatory and anti-arthritic properties.

Ingredients:

15 frozen raspberries

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup very strongly brewed peppermint tea

1/2 cup regular applesauce

A squeeze of lemon juice

Directions:

Brew peppermint tea in boiling water and allow to steep for several minutes.

Meanwhile, measure out the orange juice, 15 raspberries, and applesauce. Toss them all in the blender. Pour in the peppermint tea, and add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Blend until smooth, and add ice if the frozen raspberries haven't made it cool enough.

Enjoy! Makes a serving for one.

Recipe Index

Featured New Recipe: Lorna Rae's Sugar Cookies!

Drinks:
Creamy Hot Chocolate
My Favorite Fruit Smoothie
Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Milkshake
Neon PinkJuice
BOSP Smoothie

Breakfast Foods:
Autumn Spice Granola
Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal
Cappuccino Chocolate Chip Muffins
Southwestern Style Scrambled Tofu
Green Chilaquiles
Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes

Lunches:
Couscous and Veggies
Quinoa and Hummus Salad
Power Protein Bowl
3 Vegan Sandwiches

Dinners:
Sweet Potato Bowl
Vegan Quiche
Quinoa and Meatballs
Tofu Tagine Pasta

Sides--Vegetables
Roasted Asparagus
Stuffed Mushrooms

Snacky things
Chocolate-Almond-Strawberry Soft Granola Bars
PB-Banana Protein Bars
Olive-Topped Crackers

Desserts
Craving-Killer Chocolate Cake for One
Apple-Date Cakes
Black Bean Brownies
Gingerbread Cookies
French Silk Chocolate Pies
Snickerdoodle Cookies
Lorna Rae's (Sugar Cookies)

Roasted Asparagus

Sometimes, veggies can be comfort food. I know some people would initially disagree--comfort foods include chocolate things, ice cream, and hot and calorie-rich meals laden with not-the-healthiest-but-delicious ingredients. Right? Okay, right, those are some comfort foods. But, when veggies are prepared a certain way, they can have a comforting, yummy, just-like-mom-used-to-make appeal. Instant cure for homesickness. Or a really bad cold. (Seriously, self, of all the times to get miserably sick...) Cue roasted asparagus. As a kid, I really didn't like the taste of it, but now, I can't get enough of it! Maybe it's this recipe. Even if asparagus isn't your favorite, just try one spear prepared this way: it might change your mind about this veggie :) Because, there are so many wonderful things in asparagus--Vitamins A, C, E, K, chromium, folate, glutahione, lots of antioxidants, and fiber. Helps prevent cancer, has anti-aging properties (who doesn't want to look young longer?), and helps prevent cognitive decline. Read more about why asparagus is so good for you here. So, at least give it a try! Here's a recipe to make a delicious roasted asparagus lunch or snack:

Ingredients:

Asparagus spears, washed and dried, with the tough bottoms broken off

Olive oil

Juice from half a lemon

Garlic salt

Black pepper

Optional: shredded veg-mozzarella cheese (Daiya brand is awesome), or regular mozzarella, if you're a non-veg

Directions:

Preheat the oven to a little more than 400 fahrenheit. (Maybe 415-425ish? The ovens here are in Celsius, and I turned that up to a little past 200)

Lay asparagus spears side-by-side in a shallow dish (I used a pizza pan)

Lightly drizzle olive oil over the spears, just enough to cover them in a very very thin layer. Roll the spears back and forth with your hands to coat all sides.

Squeeze the juice from the lemon half over the spears, as evenly as possible.

Sprinkle garlic salt and black pepper over the spears. A little goes a long way--these aren't so good if they're too salty!

I highly recommend adding a small handful of mozzarella cheese (vegan or non, whatever your preference). Works really well if you are trying to get kids to eat their greens! Again, not much is needed to give a huge flavor boost, so a small handfull sprinkled sparingly will to the trick.

Place in the oven and allow to roast for 15 minutes. Remove, and allow to cool for a minute or two. Serve hot, and enjoy!