Mexican Cornbread

2 eggs, beaten
3 tsp. baking powder
1/3 cup oil (I used refined coconut oil)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup cream style corn
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup corn meal
1 small can whole green chiles
1 cup grated cheese ( I used cojack)

Mix all ingredients together except chiles and cheese.  Pour 1/2 the batter into a greased 8X8 baking pan.  Lay chiles in strips on top of batter and sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese.  Pour/spread remaining batter on top and sprinkle 1/2 cup of cheese over.  Bake 50 to 60 minutes at 350 degrees.  Makes 9 servings.
*can be made gluten free if you make with GF corn meal and cream style corn.

Chicken Tacos (ish)

Another new recipe from Miller Manor Kitchen!  Today I was cleaning out more stuff from my refrigerator, and put this together.  Mmm. It was mighty tasty!

• 1/2 rotisserie chicken, boned and chopped
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and very finely chopped
• 2 small cloves of garlic, pressed
• 1 small red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 large tomato
  
• 1-2 T. olive oil

Combine all above ingredients and cook over medium heat until heated through and veggies are tender.  Then add 8 oz. fresh baby spinach and cover.  Steam will cook spinach until wilted.  Remove from heat.   Mix together and put in prepared taco shells, or over corn chips, or just serve plain topped with:

• shredded cheese
• guacamole made with green onions, one avocado, 1/4 large tomato, 1/2 lime, cilantro and salt to taste.
  

Fresh Guacamole

There must be as many different ways to make guacamole as there are people who make it, but this is the way we have been making it lately. Frequently. Often. A lot. We love it!

Guacamole

2 ripe medium sized Haas avocados
1 medium sized ripe tomato, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
cilantro to taste
Kosher salt to taste
fresh lime juice

Finely chop onion and place in small mixing bowl. Add salt and cilantro and mash/grind together. Add avocados, tomatoes and squeeze of fresh lime juice and mix well. If the avocado is a little chunky, that is OK. Serve in fresh warm corn tortillas, or with blue corn chips, or on tacos, or in burritos, or... Yeah, anything is better with guacamole!

Enchiladas

There must be as many variations of enchiladas as there are cooks who make them, but this is what I am making right now...

Enchiladas

Makes 12

One dozen corn tortillas

1.5 lbs. boneless skinless chicken (thighs, breasts or combination)

Enchilada sauce (see recipe below)

finely chopped onions

shredded jack cheese

sour cream

Cook chicken in crock pot with salsa and a little water until it falls apart--about 4-5 hours. Shred chicken and set aside. Lightly fry tortillas in hot oil until soft, but not crispy. Stack on a paper towel. Shred cheese, chop onions and set up all in an assembly line fashion.

Assemble enchiladas: dip tortilla in enchilada sauce, place on the bottom of a lightly greased baking dish (9X13). Add about 2 Tbsp. of chicken, some onion and cheese, then roll tightly and set at edge of dish. Continue assembling until tortillas are all used up. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over top, sprinkle with additional cheese, and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Serve with sour cream.

Enchilada Sauce

2 whole tomatoes

1 whole jalapeño pepper

1/4 onion

2 cloves fresh garlic

water

2 T butter

Salt

Boil tomatoes and pepper in enough water to mostly cover them in a small saucepan until the skin pops on tomatoes and pepper turns slightly brownish green. About 10-15 minutes ?

Pour contents (including water) into blender jar. Add onion and garlic and blend about 2 minutes until thoroughly liquified. In the same small saucepan, melt butter, then add blender contents and salt or other seasoning to taste. (Ale uses the chicken bullion mix, but I avoid MSG, which is the primary ingredient, so I used some chili seasoning mix I had.) Cook until thick and bubbly. I added some sour cream because the jalapeño pepper I used was REALLY hot!

Enchilada Casserole

Poor memory on my part necessitated a substitution in my usual enchilada casserole. We liked the results so well, we may not go back!

Easy Enchilada Casserole

1/2 recipe of Mango Salsa Chicken (I used 1 lb. boneless skinless thighs, and 1 whole boneless, skinless chicken breast-about one pound.)
1 package corn tortillas (12)
1/2 onion, chopped
1 can cream of mushroom soup (I buy the organic kind that doesn't have MSG in it)
1 cup mild salsa
2 cups shredded mild cheddar (or pepper jack if you prefer more heat)

In medium sized bowl, mix soup and salsa until smooth. Spray or lightly oil 9X13 glass baking dish. Pour about 1/2 cup of soup mixture in bottom of dish and spread around to prevent sticking. Dip corn tortillas in remaining soup mixture, tearing to fit shape of the dish. Evenly distribute layers in this order: Sauce, dipped tortillas, chicken, dipped tortillas, 1/2 cheese, chicken, all of the chopped onions, dipped tortillas, chicken and remaining sauce. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top and bake in preheated (350 degrees F) oven for about 35 minutes.

Refried Beans

FRIJOLES DE OLLA
(Pot Beans)

1 lb. dry beans, such as pinto or black turtle beans
2 tsp. minced garlic
salt to taste, at least 1 tsp

Run beans through your hands to pick out any small stones or trash. Wash twice in cold water and drain. Place beans and boiling water to cover by about 4" in a 3 qt crockpot. Turn heat to high and let simmer for 1 hour. Add the garlic then turn on low heat and cook for about 8 hrs, depending on temperature of crockpot. Simmer until skins of beans are soft, then add the salt and continue cooking until the beans are very soft and the broth soupy. Example: (I put mine on about 10 pm and at 7 am added the salt and cooked another 30 minutes.) Beans are better eaten the next day after they are cooked, when the flavor matures, so cook yours ahead.

FRIJOLES REFRITOS
(well-fried beans)

(This is how you re-fry after they are cooked, and I take the garlics out once they are cooked)

1/2 recipe of Frijoles de Olla
6 Tbsp. lard (or substitute vegetable oil)
1 Tbsp. finely chopped white onion

Heat the lard in a heavy 10" frying pan. Add the onion and fry over gentle heat until transparent, about 1 minute. Add a cupful of beans and their broth and mash down over fairly high heat. A wooden potato masher works best. As they begin to reduce, add some more and keep mashing until they have all been incorporated. Continue frying, scraping sides and bottom of pan to prevent sticking, until the mixture becomes a thick paste and you can see the bottom of the pan as you stir.
Shortening can be substituted for lard, but the taste won't be as good!

(This recipe is from Alejandra. I am going to experiment with them to see if I can make them tasty w/o the lard.)

Beef & Bean Burritos

Beef and Bean Burritos

makes 16

For Ryan!

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 can ro-tel style tomatoes and chilies
1 tsp. chili powder
2 large cans vegetarian Refried beans
1 small onion, chopped fine
1 - 1-1/2 lb. shredded colby cheese
2 pkg. 10" flour tortillas

Brown ground beef with chili powder and drained rotel. Pour into large pan or bowl with refried beans; add onions and mix well. Use a large spoon to put about 1/3 cup of bean mixture in a row down the middle of the tortilla. Sprinkle cheese over top of beans. Tuck both ends in about 1 inch, then roll up. Wrap in waxed paper to freeze and store in the bag that the tortillas come in. To heat, microwave in the paper on a plate for 2-3 minutes, or until hot. From thawed state, these can also be fried like a chimichanga.

Avocado & Bean Burrito

Avocado and Bean Burrito
Serves 2

2 c. shredded romaine lettuce
2 T. yellow onions, chopped
1/2 (or whole) avocado, peeled, pitted and chopped
2 T. chopped cilantro (optional)
4 T. chunky tomato salsa
1/2 c. nonfat vegetarian refried beans
2 sprouted corn tortillas (frozen section of the health food store)

Mix the lettuce, onion, avocado and salsa in a medium bowl until the vegetables are evenly coated. Smear half of the beans on each tortilla, fill with vegetable mixture and wrap burrito style. OR double the ingredients and layer two bean smeared tortillas and two layers of the veggies like a tostada. These are really good!

Chicken Vegetable Fajitas in Sprouted Grain Tortillas

Chicken-Vegetable Fajitas in Sprouted Grain Tortillas
Serves 4

2 T freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 t chili powder
1/2 t ground cumin
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breasts, sliced into 1/2 inch strips or 1 lb. chicken tenders
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 med. green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 med. red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 med.yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
Four 10 inch sprouted or whole-grain tortillas (I am using hemp)

Optional garnishes:
Avocado
Chopped green chiles
Low-fat sour cream
Salsa
Shredded cheese

Combine the lime juice, chili powder, cumin and garlic in a medium bowl and mix well. Add the chicken and marinate, covered, in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook the chicken and vegetables, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 15 minutes. Divide the mixture among the tortillas.

You can substitute hickory-smoked tofu or tempeh in place of the chicken in this recipe for a delicious vegetarian meal.

Black Bean Salsa

Black Bean Salsa
makes 6 cups

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 large avocado, chopped
1 purple onion, chopped
2-3 vine ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 T. olive oil
1 T. red wine vinegar
3-4 T. fresh squeezed lime juice
1 t. sea salt
1/2 t. ground pepper

Mix all ingredients together in large bowl. Refrigerate for a few hours if possible for the flavors to mix. This keeps fairly well for a few days in the refrigerator, and added to lettuce, corn chips and a bit of dressing makes an outstanding taco salad!