Cilantro-Lime Shrimp Tacos

During my "spring break" Josh got off work early one day, so we decided to go have lunch together. We sat on the patio at Yucatan Taco Stand and split a giant pile of veggie nachos. Josh also got a couple tacos, and I got one for myself as well. I chose the Spicy Tequila Shrimp, and I've been craving shrimp tacos ever since. I decided I just needed to go ahead and throw some together for dinner, and I did just that last night. I took the easy way out and used frozen, pre-cooked shrimp. They thaw so quickly, and now I've got more taco-fillers in the freezer for another dinner soon. I looked for a quick and easy marinade and found this one from, who else, Martha Stewart. I kept things super simple by buying ready-to-go taco toppings and heat-and-eat Goya brand Black Bean Soup. I thawed the shrimp while I made the marinade, and was able to do most of my math homework while they marinated in the fridge. Then it was just a matter of heating the shrimp and black beans, putting our topping choices out on the counter, and we were ready to chow down. I'm definitely going to be doing this again; so quick, easy, and delicious. I know you can barely even see shrimp poking out at the edges, but the taco fillings are so yummy, I piled them on high!

Cilantro-Lime Shrimp Tacos
Adapted from Martha Stewart; Serves 2

1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 jalapeno chile, coarsely chopped
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
Appx. 30 small shrimp, fresh or frozen, thawed
6 corn tortillas, warmed
Toppings: Shredded cabbage (I used bagged coleslaw mix), pico de gallo, crumbled feta, sour cream, reserved marinade

• Puree oil, lime zest and juice, cilantro, garlic, jalapeno, and salt in a blender or food processor. Combine marinade and shrimp. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 1 hour.
• Head grill or grill pan over medium-high. Grill shrimp until opaque and slightly charred, 3 to 4 minutes per side. (I just heated ours on the grill pan, since they were pre-cooked.)
• Divide shrimp among warmed tortillas, and add toppings of your choice.

My notes: I reserved around 2 tablespoons of the marinade before pouring it over the shrimp. We drizzled it on top of some of our tacos, and I mixed a little into some sour cream for two of mine.

Pure Imagination- Veggie Tacos

Sorry about being gone for a bit there. I'm always doing that, huh? Saying I'm back and then wandering away, no doubt distracted by some shiny object. Well, you see, the deal with last week was there was a lot of schedule shifting going on, and so dinners didn't go exactly as planned. And when things don't go as planned, it usually means that we're falling back on stand-by meals I've already shared, frozen burritos, or grabbing a quick bite out. And I can't exactly snap a pic of my Chipotle burrito bol and be all, "Look y'all, I eated this". So, yeah, that was the deal with last week. Which is a shame, cause I was planning to try a new recipe out. That didn't happen, but I tried to turn that into a bonus last night, and it worked! I decided Sunday morning while doing my menu planning that I needed to get to work using up our corn tortillas. I thought I'd take a stab at making up some veggie tacos, especially since I had an onion and squash on hand for that recipe that I didn't get to make. These turned out really yummy! And, thanks to some early effort, pretty quick too. I normally have a couple heads of lettuce and some other veggies to clean and chop after our grocery shopping, so that I can make our lunch and dinner salads throughout the week. While I was doing just that this weekend I also chopped up some of the veggies for my taco filling, cutting down the pre-eating prep work last night. I also got a little imaginative when it came to putting the tacos together. Originally I was going to make some spicy black beans on the side, but I had the idea to instead mash the beans and spread them on my warmed tortillas. It was one less thing going on the stove, and it helped keep the taco fillings in the tortillas. So, let's see what my little mind cooked up.

Veggie Tacos
Recipe by moi; Makes 8 tacos

Olive oil
1 large russett potato, scrubbed and diced
1/4 onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and ribbed, large mince
1 zucchini or yellow squash, quartered and sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms, roughly chopped
8 corn tortillas
1 15 oz. can black beans, mostly drained
Garlic powder
Ground cumin
Pepper Jack cheese, shredded
Salsa

• Heat olive oil over medium heat in a skillet. Add diced potatoes and allow to cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to brown and soften. Add salt and pepper.
  
• Meanwhile, mash your black beans in a bowl, adding garlic powder and ground cumin to taste. You want to keep a little liquid with your beans to make a smooth mash.
• Add your bell pepper, onion, jalapeno, and squash to the potatoes. Allow to cook for several minutes, stirring occasionally, and then add the mushrooms. Cook for a few minutes more, until mushrooms have started to soften.
  
• While veggies finish cooking, wrap tortillas in damp paper towels and warm in microwave for 30 seconds - 1 minute. Spread your beans on each tortilla, warm in microwave for 15- 30 seconds if you wants your beans to be warmed.
• Top your tortillas with veggie mixture, cheese, and salsa of your choice.

My notes: Just cook the vegetables until they are softened to your liking. My potatoes were a little undercooked, but it made for a nice texture. And definitely add your mushrooms last, you don't want them to get too soft. They add a nice meaty texture to the filling. We had three tacos each, and there was a little filling leftover. The only other thing we had with these were small side salads, so if you were serving any other side dish I would say two tacos per person is a good serving and just equally distribute your filling. I had two tacos with salsa verde, and one with picante. Both were delicious, so you go where your taste buds take you. I think this filling would also be great with some scrambled eggs. Breakfast tacos anyone?

Black-Eyed Pea Tacos

Does that sound odd to you? I know that Josh was definitely apprehensive when I told him what we'd be having for dinner the day this recipe was on the agenda. And to be honest I had been a bit skeptical myself. This recipe had been on my to-cook list for about two years, in part because every time it caught my eye I just thought that I wasn't feeling that...experimental. Of course, I probably should have known better because it is after all an Everyday Food recipe. Considering I cook almost exclusively from that branch of Martha's tree, why I was concerned it wouldn't work out I just don't know. But lately I've been more and more furtive in my search for vegetarian recipes to try. My list of recipes to try is increasingly populated with chicken and beef meals, awaiting to be crossed off due to the cut back in our meat purchasing. So, with the vegetarian recipes on the list dwindling each week I finally decided to give this one a go. We are no longer apprehensive. These tacos were really, really good. I mean, Josh told me several times that they were good. That's a big accomplishment for a meal, as half the time I have to ask him if he liked dinner. He assumes that I just know he likes what I make for him, but I like to hear him say it. This time his approval was loud and clear. :)

Black-Eyed Pea Tacos
Recipe from Everyday Food; Serves 4













2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno chile, seeded and ribbed, minced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 15.5 oz. cans black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 10 oz. package frozen corn
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas, heated
4 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled shredded lettuce, salsa, and sliced radishes, for garnish (optional)

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and jalapeno; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Add peas, corn, and 2 cups water. Simmer over medium-high heat until corn is tender and most liquid has evaporated, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in cilantro; season again with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
• To serve, fill heated tortillas with black-eyed pea mixture, goat cheese, and garnishes, as desired.

My notes: I halved this recipe to just make enough for the two of us. I served them with fresh salsa and a little feta on top, and cilantro-lime rice on the side.

Cumin Rice and Beans

I have been on a bit of a Mexican food kick lately. Well, I'm pretty much always in the mood for Mexican food, but I find that I crave it even more in the summer. I was planning on making a quick and easy dinner of Huevos Rancheros one night to use up some extra tortillas and eggs we had and I needed something just as quick and easy to serve on the side. I spied this recipe on my to-cook list and figured it might just fit the bill. And boy did it. There isn't anything particularly amazing about this recipe. It's just fast, easy, and tastes good. But sometimes that more than enough, isn't it?

Cumin Rice & Beans
Recipe from Everyday Food; Serves 8














Coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup long-grain white rice
1 can (19 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained

• In a medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, bring 1 1/2 cups salted water and cumin to a boil. Add rice; cover, and reduce to a simmer. Cook 15 minutes; remove pan from heat, and add beans. Cover, and let stand 1 minute. Fluff rice with a fork.

My notes: Tada! The only way it could be easier is if it came in a container and was passed to you through a drive-thru window, I think. Although, I'm not totally clear on why they think this serves 8 people. The recipe is part of an entire meal plan, but it's still hard to imagine splitting 1 cup of rice and 1 can of beans between 8. I think that 4 or 6 servings might be a little more reasonable.

Hello and Chicken Enchiladas

Well, I'm back. That vacation went a bit longer than I had intended it to. If only the part of it that was spent in Cozumel had gone longer too! I've been getting back into the habit of meal-planning and cooking more and more, but it has still been a rather sporadic thing. Josh has been practicing several nights a week, and along with shows, plans with friends and a good pinch of laziness cooking hasn't been a full-time thing again just yet. And just as some of this stuff will be slowing down after Friday, other things will be picking up. We'll be starting the house hunt this weekend, which I'm sure will only make me crazier, and then lazier. So things won't be quite back to normal for some time I would guess, but I am back to cooking and will be happy to share the new recipes I make when I get the chance. :)

So, we had a little Mexican/Caribbean vacation earlier this month and upon our return I wanted to keep us in the vacation spirit. To help I decided to make these Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Green Sauce for dinner the week after we got back. This recipe had been sitting around on my To-Cook list for an embarrassingly long time. I figured like crossing it off would be a good way to jump back into the kitchen habit. I halved this recipe, just using the two chicken breasts I had in the freezer. That was apparently more chicken than I needed cause I ended up making two extra enchiladas and still had some chicken leftover. The extra enchiladas threw off my salsa ratio a bit, so these enchiladas were truthfully a little dry. But they were also truthfully delicious! And I can only imagine that they will be that much better when I get the math right.

Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Green Sauce
Recipe from Everyday Food; Serves 6













3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves
Coarse salt and ground pepper
5 garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 jars (16 ounces each) medium green salsa
3/4 cup heavy cream
12 corn tortillas (6-inch)
12 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, coarsely shredded (3 cups)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Season chicken with salt and pepper; place with garlic on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of breast (avoiding bone) registers 165 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine salsa and cream.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Once chicken is cool enough to handle, shred meat, discarding skin and bones. Peel and chop garlic. In a large bowl, combine chicken, garlic, and 1/2 cup salsa mixture.
• Stack tortillas flat, and wrap in damp paper towels; microwave on high for 1 minute to soften. Working with one tortilla at a time, dip in salsa mixture, lay flat, and fill with 1/3 cup chicken mixture. Roll up and arrange, seam side down, 8 enchiladas lengthwise and 4 crosswise in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Top with remaining salsa mixture, then cheese.
• Bake until cheese is browned and salsa is bubbling, 40 to 45 minutes; let rest 10 minutes. Serve, sprinkled with cilantro, if desired.

My notes: I will definitely be making this recipe again, and probably just make the full-size batch so I don't have to worry about any of that pesky dividing. The only other change I might make would be to add a bit of cheese to the filling. I served this with Cilantro-Lime Rice on the side and our usual pre-dinner salad.

Spinach Fest 2008- Spinach Quesadillas

Boy, you'd think I'd married Popeye the sailor man what with all these spinach recipes in a row. And I even have one more in my pocket! This is a little something I whipped up a couple weeks ago. I had one night open on my menu plan that I just couldn't think to fill. I wanted something that would be really easy to put together, so I decide I would just come up with some kind of quesadillas. I decided on using chopped spinach and black beans for my filling, along with some cheese of course. These were really great! I think I might make a batch to tuck into the freezer for emergency meals. I can't remember now what I served with them, aside form our usual salad. I think we just had some chips & salsa with them. I would have liked cilantro-lime rice, but I think cilantro and peppers were off the shelves at the time.

Spinach Quesadillas
Recipe by me; Makes 6












6 wheat flour tortillas
1 10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed of excess liquid
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 4.5 oz. can chopped green chiles
Coarse salt and ground black pepper
Ground cumin
Shredded cheese- I used cheddar and pepper jack
Olive oil

• Mix the drained beans, spinach, and chiles together in a bowl. Add salt, pepper and cumin to taste.
• Heat a skillet over medium heat. Rub surface with paper towel dipped in olive oil. Place one tortilla into the pan. Top with shredded cheese. Once the cheese starts to melt place about 1/3 cup of the filling on one half of the tortilla. Gently fold the tortilla over the filling and press down. Let sit for a moment on each side of the tortilla to warm the filling through and finish melting the cheese. Remove quesadilla from pan and repeat process with remaining ingredients. Serve, cutting into wedges if you like.

My notes: The chile amount is a guess. Jalapeños were hard to come by, and I had a 7 oz. can of chopped green chiles, of which I used half or more. And the cumin I really did just sprinkle liberally over the filling, so just use your personal judgment. I love using wheat tortillas to make quesadillas this way. They are a little sturdier than white flour tortillas, so the don't tend to split when folded or become soggy from cheese or fillings. What are you favorite quesadilla fillings?

Nacho Ordinary Dinner

Uh, so yeah. Long time no post. Well, you know how it is- you get busy, things come up, and some things sort of slip through the cracks. Like cooking, plating your food, taking pictures of your food, editing the pictures, and putting together a post all about it. Don't get me wrong, I have been cooking. But it's the kind of stuff that's so easy and convenient that I would even think of putting it up on here. Or repeat recipes, some that I've even posted repeatedly on here. Or stuff pulled from the freezer (I do have a recipe for one of those meals, coming soon). But I've got at least a few photos in the can, so there'll be a bit more posting to come. This definitely falls in the category of easy and convenient, assuming like me you always have tortilla chips and pepper jack cheese (why wouldn't you?). Last Friday night I was going to make my favorite Bean, Corn and Tortilla Salad for dinner. But my lettuce was looking a bit raggedy, to say the least. So, I thought to myself, "What do I have when I remove the lettuce?". The answer of course was some pretty good nacho toppings.

Nachos
Adapted from Everyday Food by me












Tortilla Chips, your personal favorite
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 10 oz. frozen corn, thawed
1 small bunch scallions, diced
1/3 cup salsa, your personal favorite
1 or 2 plum tomatoes, seeded and cut to your preference- sliced, diced, chopped
Shredded Cheese- I used a little cheddar, a lot of pepper jack

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees. In a small bowl mix together the beans, corn and salsa. Warm in the microwave for about a minute.
• In a baking dish (I used a pie plate), lay out a layer of tortilla chips and sprinkle with scant amount of cheese. Top with half of bean mixture, then scallions and tomatoes. Top generously with cheese. Repeat for one more layer, using rest of bean mixture.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes, will warmed through and cheese is well melted.

My notes: Maybe next time I'll do it in just one layer and we can each have our own pie plate of nachos! I also had an avocado, which is part of the salad recipe. I just diced that up and served it on the side as a nacho topping for us. Guacamole would be preferable, but the whole cilantro and hot pepper thing tends to put a damper on that.

Mexican Lasagna

If you haven't proclaimed your opinion in my little poll then please scroll down to the next entry and do so! Thanks!

Recently I made a little dish that I came up with when I first started getting interested in cooking. I like to call it Mexican Lasagna and we both really enjoy it. This is a really easy recipe to toss together, and would also freeze well if you're looking for something you can make ahead of time.

Mexican Lasagna
Recipe from me; Serves 6-8












12 corn tortillas
1 lb. ground beef
1 packet taco seasonings
1 bag frozen Mexican mixed veggies
1 jar prepared salsa
2 cups shredded cheese

• Brown the ground beef in a skillet; drain fat, return to skillet and cook with taco seasonings according to packet instructions. Drain liquid from the meat, stir in frozen veggies and let warm over low heat.
• While meat/veggie mixture warms layer bottom of a 9" x 13" pan with corn tortillas. Top with layer of meat/veggie mixture, then layer of salsa, and layer of cheese. Repeat finishing with a layer of tortillas and top with cheese.
• Bake at 300 degrees for 20-25 minutes, till warmed through and cheese is melted.

My notes: The frozen veggie mix I use has black beans, corn, tomatoes, onion, and bell pepper. You could easily toss some canned beans, frozen corn, and chopped onion together and use if you can't find a frozen mix. This time I made a half-batch of lasagna because I had a half pound of ground beef I needed to use, and so we wouldn't have as much leftover. The smaller pans makes for a lot more overlap with the tortillas, when you make a full pan the layers won't be as thick as pictured above. I needed to use up my tortillas though, so I didn't bother with trimming to cut back on the overlap. As for the cheese, I have used just cheddar, cheddar & jack, and a mixture of cheddar & jack and pepper jack. All are great. :)

Stuffed Poblanos- Chiles Por You, Chiles Por Me

Monday night I made one of the many recipes that caught my eye from the new April issue of Everyday Food. This recipe was actually easier for me than I thought it would be, and I definitely look forward to making it again. I can also see that this is a recipe that could be good a myriad of ways, depending on the variations you make. You could add corn, pinto beans, or rice to the filling to try more flavors, or even some chorizo or chicken if you don't want to stay in the veggie territory.

Stuffed Poblanos
Recipe from Everyday Food; Serves 4












1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes in puree
1 jalapeño chile, ribs and seeds removed, minced
2 small onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves (2 whole, 1 minced)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 19 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup shredded pepper Jack cheese
1 teaspoon ground cumin
4 large poblano chiles, halved lengthwise (stems left intact), ribs and seeds removed

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a blender, combine tomatoes in puree, jalapeño, half the onions, and 2 whole garlic cloves; puree. Season with salt. Pour sauce into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; set aside.
• In a medium bowl, combine beans, cornmeal, 1/2 cup cheese, remaining onions, minced garlic, cumin, and 3/4 cup water; season with salt and pepper.
• Dividing evenly, stuff poblano halves with bean mixture; place on top of sauce in baking dish. Sprinkle poblanos with remaining 1/2 cup cheese; cover baking dish tightly with aluminum foil.
• Bake until poblanos are tender, about 45 minutes. Uncover, and continue to cook until sauce is thickened slightly and cheese is browned, 10 to 15 minutes more. Let cool 10 minutes.

My notes: I was going to serve some of our favorite Spanish rice with this, but I couldn't find it at the stores I went to. Instead I made some brown rice, heated up some frozen corn, and mixed both with some of the tomato sauce from the dish. It tasted good and married well with the peppers. Again, I used a 15 oz. can of beans. These mysterious 19 oz. cans still elude me. My peppers could have been a bit bigger though, cause I had a little filling leftover.

Fish Tacos

Last week I made fish tacos with some great trout that my father-in-law caught on one of his frequent fishing trips. It's great having such an outdoorsy father-in-law, especially when you reap the rewards of his hard work. To prepare the fish I cut the fillets into small chunks. I used the Cornmeal Crusted Tilapia coating for the trout and then fried them in a small amount of olive oil over medium heat for no more than 2 minutes per side. If your fish chunks were thicker you would need to increase cooking time. I let the fish nuggets drain on a paper towel while I got the rest of the taco fixings ready. I also chopped up a quick and easy pico de gallo- two plum tomatoes, 1/4 medium red onion, appx. a tablespoon of chopped cilantro, juice of half a lime, and a pinch of coarse salt. This is what I did, but really just eyeballing what's going into the ball and making sure that there is a good ratio of flavors will get you a good result. This was the first time I'd made pico de gallo and it was delicious. We had our fish tacos on warmed corn tortillas, with the pico, shredded green cabbage, and some sour cream. Josh added bit of cheese to his tacos as well. I have some more fish in the freezer and I'm thinking I need to make this meal again very soon.

Best Guacamole Ever

Okay, I don't usually make grandiose statements like the one above. But by now I hope you can trust that I wouldn't mislead you. And I feel pretty secure in the truth of the title of this post. One of my great tastebud pleasures is guacamole, and this recipe comes from my favorite guacamole purveyor, Chipotle. Yes, I said Chipotle. No, not some fancy authentic Mexican restaurant, nor some shack in the Yucatan. I heart lots of guacamole, but my favorite comes from the local fast food burrito bar. So, when I wanted to make guacamole I wanted to know that I was going to love it. I searched the interwebs for the Chipotle recipe, and I found it. And to my great pleasure, it's just as good as the stuff I get with my burrito bowl. So, if you have any faith in me, give it a shot. I really don't think you'll regret it.

Guacamole
Recipe from Chipotle Mexican Grill; Makes appx. 1 cup




















1 large ripe Hass avocado, peeled and pitted
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup finely chopped red onions
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 serrano chili, seeded,chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt

• In a bowl, mash avocado with fork (or potato masher, like me). Add lime juice and mix. Add all other ingredients and blend well. Serve with tortilla chips. If preparing in advance at all, be sure to place plastic wrap directly on surface of guacamole to help prevent discoloration, and store in refrigerator.

My notes: Confession time- when I made it Monday night I totally forgot the garlic. Result? Still totally delicious. Josh and I ate it all that night, despite that we were practically out of chips. We scooped with tiny shards of tortilla to try and not waste any of it. Make sure you've got plenty of chips when you make it (unlike yours truly), because you won't want to waste any of it either. Also, be sure you don't accidentally throw away your one lonely serrano when you get home and unload the groceries. Not that I'm speaking from previous experience or anything. But they are so small, and can easily wander off.

Roll With It

Well, this week is just chock full of cooking for me. I'm sure you're saying to yourself that it's about time. Hush. :) This week I'm making meals that are either recipes that make double batches or have good freezable leftovers. My bro-in-law and his wife had their first baby yesterday, a little boy, and I told her last week that I would get together some meals for their freezer. Kim is a planner, like me, but she didn't have as much energy to stock her deep freeze up for the lean newborn months as she hoped she would. Luckily I fluttered in, like a dinner guardian angel, and told her I was gonna be bringing some grub their way. We still have to go see the new addition to the family, but that will be later this week once Josh doesn't have evening lessons. Anyhow, I am making a lot of repeat recipes this week, since I wouldn't want to stick them with an icebox full of untested and untried foods. Last night however I did try one new recipe that I was eager to make as soon as I saw it in the December issue of Everyday Food. These Vegetable Enchiladas looked delicious, but the recipe also looked hard to halve. Since it makes two 8" pans worth this was the perfect opportunity to give it a shot. One for us, and one for the new threesome!

Vegetable Enchiladas
Recipe from Everyday Food; Serves 8












2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for baking dishes
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium vegetable broth
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3 cups grated pepper Jack cheese (12 ounces)
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 box (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 box (10 ounces) frozen corn kernels, thawed
6 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
16 corn tortillas (6-inch)

• Make sauce: In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add 1 teaspoon cumin, flour, and tomato paste; cook, whisking, 1 minute. Whisk in broth and 3/4 cup water; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, 5 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
• Make filling: In a large bowl, combine 2 cups cheese, beans, spinach, corn, scallion whites, and remaining 1 teaspoon cumin; season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil two 8-inch square baking dishes; set aside. Stack tortillas, and wrap in damp paper towels; microwave on high for 1 minute. Or stack and wrap in aluminum foil, and heat in oven for 5 to 10 minutes. Top each tortilla with a heaping 1/3 cup of filling; roll up tightly and arrange, seam side down, in prepared baking dishes.
• Dividing evenly, sprinkle enchiladas with remaining 1 cup cheese, and top with sauce. Bake, uncovered, until hot and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool 5 minutes; serve garnished with scallion greens.
• To freeze: Prepare enchiladas through step 3; top with cheese, and cover baking dishes with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Place sauce in an airtight container. Freeze enchiladas and sauce for up to 2 months.
• To bake from frozen: Thaw sauce in refrigerator overnight (or microwave on high 2 minutes, stirring once halfway through). Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove foil and plastic wrap from baking dishes, and pour sauce over enchiladas; cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes; remove foil, and bake until bubbly, about 15 minutes more. Cool 5 minutes before serving.

My notes: These enchiladas were actually really awesome. Not that I didn't have faith in the recipe, but I didn't have a lot of faith in my execution of it. I have had trouble with making sauces with flour in the past. This time everything went exactly as it should, and I just almost couldn't believe it. I'm sure it sounds silly, but I really never thought I would make enchilada sauce. But I did, and it tasted fabulous, just like what comes to mind when I think of it. In typical fashion with anything Martha rolls I had extra filling leftover. No complaints though because I'll be eating two veggie quesadillas for lunch. I was going to make some Spanish rice as a side dish, but I was so engrossed in the process of making the enchiladas and preparing their batch for the freezer that I completely forgot about it until I sat down to eat. So I ate 3 enchiladas instead of two, ha. That left three for the hubster at dinner and two for his lunch today. I don't often freeze meals for ourselves, but this recipe was so delicious I think that next time it'll be great to know that I've got one of these tucked away for later.

Red and Black Bean Pie

I was chided by my sister-in-law for not updating, so here we go! With the weather getting colder I was looking for some hearty recipes. Finding vegetarian options that meet my idea of hearty can be a little difficult, but this one met expectations. This recipe is from the October 2006 issue of Everyday Food, and is their 'Freeze It' feature. I halved this recipe, since it was meant to make enough for two in the first place. This is the first time I've worked with polenta in any form. It was easy and yummy, so I'll definitely use it again. Maybe next time I'll try it soft.

Red and Black Bean Pie
Recipe from Everyday Food; Serves 8


2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 bunches scallions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 15 oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
2 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 14.5 ox can diced tomatoes in juice
1 16 oz. tube plain prepared polenta, patted dry
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped, plus more for garnish
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco
1 1/2 cup coarsely shredded Pepper Jack cheese
Salsa (optional)

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium; add white part of scallions and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until softened, stirring constantly, 2 to 3 minutes. Add beans, tomatoes with juice, and 1/2 cup water. As you bring to a boil, mash 1/4 of the beans with the back of a spoon against side of pan to release starch. Reduce to a simmer; cook until mixture has thickened 10 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, brush eight 10- to 12-ounce ramekins or custard cups or 2 deep dish pie plates with remaining oil. Slice polenta crosswise into rounds- 8 for ramekins or 16 for pie plates. Place one round in each ramekin or 8 rounds in the bottom of each pie plate.
• Remove bean mixture from heat. Stir in green part of scallions, cilantro, and hot sauce; season with salt and pepper. Spoon bean mixture over polenta; top with cheese. Bake at 400 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. If desired garnish with cilantro, and serve with salsa.
• To freeze- Let unbaked pies cool completely; cover with aluminum foil. Freeze up to 3 months. Bake frozen with foil on at 400 degrees until warm in center, 60-70 minutes for ramekins, 70-80 minutes for pie plates. Remove foil; bake until cheese is golden brown, about 15 minutes.

My notes: Aside from halving this recipe I also forgot to buy the cilantro. So in lieu of it I added a little cumin. I can't say any specific amount, I just sprinkled it in to taste. I think the next time I make it I'll do both cilantro and a bit of cumin. Also, instead of making double the pies I think you could definitely make one pie and use the leftover bean mixture for veggie burritos or even scoop and eat with tortilla chips. Yum!

Tacos for me, Tacos for you

Well, last night's dinner didn't happen. I realized I had forgotten an ingredient, and then the more I thought about it the less I felt up to making a mess in the kitchen. So I made a sandwich instead. In thinking of how I would have liked to have something to post today I remembered that I never wrote about the dinner that Steph and I made together a while back. We created quite a feast, but my main contribution was the recipe for the Shrimp & Corn Tacos. This recipe is super yummy, and of course is from my favorite source of inspiration, Martha Stewart.

Shrimp & Corn Tacos
Recipe from Martha Stewart; Serves 4
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, (seeds and ribs removed, for less heat), minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 10 oz. frozen corn kernels, unthawed
1/2 lb. large peeled and deveined shrimp, cut into 1/2" pieces
12 6" corn tortillas, heated according to package instructions
2 cups shredded cabbage
1/2 cup green or red salsa
1/2 cup sour cream
Lime wedges, for serving

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add onion, jalapeño, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Add tomatoes and corn; cook, stirring occasionally, until corn is heated through and tomatoes are soft, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Add shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until opaque throughout, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately with tortillas, cabbage, salsa, sour cream, and lime wedges.

My Notes: I often like to take the easy way out (as you may have noticed by now), so I often will use 1/2 lb. of the small salad shrimp you can buy in the freezer section. They are already the perfect size so it saves me some time. Also, I've yet to be convinced that I need cabbage on my tacos. We typically just toss some cheese and salsa on. In the picture you might notice some guacamole which is also delicious as a topping. We served our tacos with some spicy black beans, lime & cilantro rice and sipped on some sangria with our dinner.

Blog begets blog

I am really having a blast lately cooking and baking up some great things I've found on other blogs. This is the third or fourth recipe I've found on Crystal's blog poco-cocoa. And they have almost all been awesome. There was one lone recipe that didn't turn out for me, but that hasn't soured me on pillaging her recipe index for ideas and inspiration! As soon as my eye fell upon the title of this recipe I was hooked, and knew I just had to make it.

Baked Black Bean Flautas with Tomatillo-Avocado Sauce
Recipe from poco-cocoa; Makes 8
1 15 oz. can black beans
8 corn tortillas
cooking spray
3/4 cup grated Colby Jack cheese
1 7 oz. can La Costena Green Mexican Salsa
1 avocado, seeded and scooped out of shell

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• In a small bowl, mash black beans and their juice with a potato masher or a fork.
• Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray (line it with foil first for easier clean-up). Heat the corn tortillas in the microwave for about 1 minute, wrapping them in a moist towel, until they are soft and pliable. Spray both sides of one tortilla with cooking spray. Spoon a few tablespoons of the beans down the center of the tortilla, and top with a sprinkle of cheese. Roll up the tortilla tightly, and lay, seam side down, on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
• Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until tortillas are crispy and slightly browned.
• Meanwhile, puree the salsa with the avocado in a food processor until smooth. Serve the flautas topped with the Tomatillo-Avocado Sauce.

My notes: I used pepper jack cheese instead of Colby jack, cause I like it spicy! And the green sauce is spicy! Not overwhelmingly so, but if you don't like much heat you could probably tone it down by adding another avocado. I served the flautas with Mahatma Spanish Rice. It is our favorite and it's usually only 75 cents or less. I usually mix in frozen southwestern veggies too, but I haven't been able to find any lately. Weird! The recipe makes 8, so we each had 3 for dinner and that left 2 for Josh to take for lunch the next day.

Inspiration?

Our good friend Diggy will be in town this week visiting from California. He'll be coming over to hang out tomorrow night and I haven't completely decided if we will go out to eat or if I'll pull something together here. I've settled on Mexican, but I can't decide if we should just go to one of our old haunts, Fuzzy's Taco Shop, or if I should put something together here. If I do put something together here, I'm thinking chips with salsa and guacamole, shrimp & corn tacos, spicy black bean, and then maybe some brownies if I get around to making those tomorrow afternoon. Hmm, even if I do cook I think I'm gonna have to get some Fuzzy's soon.