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Tag: Latin

Foods from South of the Border

Tortilla Chip Casserole

Tortilla Chip Casserole

3/4 cup chopped onion
2 T. butter
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
1 can (4 oz.) diced green chilies
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. red pepper
1 pkg. (7-1/4 oz.) tortilla chips, crushed
2 C. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 cup dairy sour cream
1 lb. ground beef
1 cup cheddar cheese

Sauté onion in butter. Add sauce, chilies, cumin, salt, red pepper. Simmer 10 minutes. Layer in buttered 9 inch square pan, half of each of the following: Tortilla chips, Monterey Jack cheese, beef and sauce. Repeat once. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven, about 25 minutes. Spread sour cream on top and cheddar cheese. Return to oven 10 minutes.

Mexican Baked Polenta with Salsa Beans & Sautéed Veggies

Mexican Baked Polenta with Salsa Beans & Sautéed Veggies

1 (24-oz.) tube polenta, cut into 16 slices (I used Sun-Dried Tomato)
1 T. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. oregano
Pinch of cayenne
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 (15-oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 C. jarred salsa
4 oz. queso fresco, crumbled
Chopped cilantro, lime wedges, and additional salsa for serving

Preheat oven to 450ºF. Use an oil mister filled with a high smoke point cooking oil (like grapeseed or olive oil (light, not extra-virgin) to coat a large baking sheet. Place the polenta slices on the sheet and spray the tops with additional oil. Bake for about 30 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking time, until the polenta is crispy and golden brown on the edges. While the polenta is baking, start the sautéed veggies. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until softened and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cumin, chili powder, oregano, and cayenne; cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the zucchini and red pepper to the skillet and cook, stirring often, about 3 minutes more, until slightly softened. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper. Combine the beans and salsa in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Divide the polenta slices onto 4 plates, then top each with salsa beans, veggies, and queso fresco. Serve with chopped cilantro, lime wedges, and additional salsa.

Chiles Jalapenos en Escabeche (pickled Jalapeno Chiles)

Chiles Jalapenos en Escabeche (pickled Jalapeno Chiles)

¼ C. Canola Oil
½ lb. Carrots, peeled and sliced on the bias
1 lb. Jalapeno Chiles (do not remove seeds), sliced into strips
1 White Onion, quartered and sliced
30 cloves Garlic
6 Whole Allspice
10 Black Peppercorns
4 whole Cloves
3 sprigs Thyme
3 springs Marjoram
2 C. White Distilled Vinegar
1 C. Water
Salt, to taste

Heat the oil in a large non-reactive pot or Dutch oven. Add the carrots and sauté for 8 minutes or until soft. Add the sliced chiles and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the onion and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. Cook the escabeche on low heat for 10 minutes. Season with salt. Remove from the heat and cool. Place the escabeche in a sterilized glass container with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate. Marinate the escabeche for at least 24 hours prior to serving. These will last up to 4 weeks in the refrigerator.

Gorditas de Frijol Estilo Veracruz (Veracruz Style Inflated Bean Gorditas)

Gorditas de Frijol Estilo Veracruz (Veracruz Style Inflated Bean Gorditas)

1 C. cooked Black Beans
1 lb. White Masa (for tortillas)
2 T. Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
Salt, to taste
½ C. Lard
¾ C. Salsa
½ C. Crema Mexicana
½ C. Queso Fresco, grated

Place the beans in a food processor and process to form a thick purée. In a large bowl, mix the masa, puréed cooked beans, flour, baking powder, and season with salt to taste. The masa should feel firm, but not dry (almost like play-doh). Cover with plastic wrap and let the masa rest for 20 minutes. Form ½ inch balls, covering them while you work. In a deep skillet, heat the lard or oil over medium-high heat. Form the tortillas in a tortilla press covered with 2 rounds of plastic wrap. Place the ball in the middle and press, turn 180°, and press lightly again. Transfer each tortilla to the prepared skillet, and deep fry until they inflate, remove and drain. Serve immediately with the salsa of your choice, crema mexicana and grated queso fresco.

Sopapillas

Sopapillas

4 C. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. salt
2 T. shortening, lard or butter
1-1/4 C. water
Oil, for frying
Honey, Cinnamon Sugar, Whipped Cream, and / or Strawberry Syrup, for serving

Sift together dry ingredients. Add shortening and water and knead until smooth. Put into plastic bag and let stand for 2 hours. Roll very thin and cut into small triangles. Fry in deep fat heated to 375 degrees until golden brown. Turn once. Drain on paper towels and serve with honey or strawberry syrup and whipped cream or sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Adobo-Seasoned Chicken and Rice

Adobo-Seasoned Chicken and Rice

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Adobo Seasoning
2 T. kosher salt
2 tsp. granulated garlic
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. granulated onion
1 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp. ground turmeric
1 T. finely chopped fresh oregano leaves

Chicken & Rice
10 chicken thighs (bone-in, skin on)
3 T. olive oil
1 large Spanish onion, finely diced
2 medium red bell peppers, finely diced
1 Serrano chile, finely diced
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 C. long-grain rice
5 1/2 C. low-sodium chicken broth
1 bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 C. frozen peas (not thawed)
2 C. green olives (Cerignola or Picholine)
Freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley
Finely chopped fresh oregano leaves
Zest and juice of a lime

Mix together the salt, granulated garlic, cumin, granulated onion, paprika, black pepper, turmeric and oregano in a small bowl. Season both sides of the chicken pieces generously with the adobo seasoning mixture (I used all of it). Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Heat 3 T. of oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Place the chicken in the oil, skin side down (you’ll need to do this in batches), and saute until the skin is crispy and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Turn the chicken over and cook until the second side is golden brown, another 4 minutes or so. Transfer the chicken to a baking sheet, and roast in the oven until tender and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove chicken from oven and cover with foil to keep warm. Pour off all but 2 T. fat from the Dutch oven, and place it over high heat. Add the onions, red bell pepper, and Serrano chile, and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and garlic and cook for another minute. Add the rice to the pan, stir to coat the rice in the mixture, and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock, bay leaf, and salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Stir well, cover, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10-12 minutes. During the last few minutes, quickly stir in the peas, cover, and continue cooking until rice is tender and liquid is mostly absorbed. Remove the pot from the heat and let sit 5 minutes covered. Remove the lid, fluff the rice and gently fold in the olives, parsley, oregano, lime zest and lime juice. Add the chicken, stir to combine, and serve.

Brazilian Limonade

Brazilian Limonade

Brazilian Limonade

4 juicy limes, washed and scrubbed clean

6 C. water

1 C. sugar

6 T. sweetened condensed milk

Wash limes thoroughly by, scrubbing the skin with hand or dish soap to remove any pesticides or wax.  Slice off the ends of each lime, then cut them into 1/8ths.    In a blender, combine half of the water, half of the sugar, and half of the limes, then pulse 5-7 times.  Pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a pitcher, pressing the lime pulp with a spoon to help release juices, then discarding the remaining skins and pulp.  Repeat with the other half of the water, sugar, and limes. Stir the sweetened condensed milk into the limeade and serve with lots of ice and thin slices of lime for garnish.  If the drink tastes bitter at all, you can add a little extra sweetened condensed milk or sugar as needed.

Esquites

Esquites

Esquites

 

2 cups fresh corn kernels, just cut from cob

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 serrano pepper, diced (about 2 tablespoons)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons mayonnaise (low fat is fine) or Mexican crema

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

2 tablespoons queso fresco or cotija cheese, crumbled

1 lime cut into wedges (optional)

 

Heat the butter in a medium pan. Add the serrano pepper and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the corn kernels and salt. Sauté for another 4 minutes and remove from heat. Let the mixture cool slightly and stir the mayonnaise in. Move to a serving bowl. In a separate small bowl mix the cayenne pepper and chili powder. Sprinkle as much of the powder mixture on top of the corn as you want. Top with queso fresco and lime juice (optional). Serve immediately.

“Que Rico’’ Breakfast Tostada

“Que Rico’’ Breakfast Tostada

“Que Rico’’ Breakfast Tostada

 

8 large egg whites

Kosher salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

3 T. chopped scallions

Cooking spray or oil mister

1 cup fat-free refried beans

1 tsp. ground cumin

4 corn tostadas

1 cup reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend

1 fresh jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced, optional

1/4 cup pico de gallo, homemade or store-bought

1/2 medium (2 ounces) Hass avocado, cut into 1/2-inch chunks

4 sprigs of fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)

 

Preheat the oven to 3 50°F. In a medium bowl, beat together the egg whites, TA tsp. salt, and a pinch of black pepper. Add the scallions and mix well. Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. When hot, lightly spray the pan with oil and add the eggs. Cook, stirring occasionally, until set, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. In a medium bowl, combine the refried beans, cumin, and Vs tsp. salt. Arrange the tostadas on a baking sheet and spread *A cup of the bean mixture over each tostada. Top each with 1/3 cup of the scrambled egg whites, *A cup of the cheese, and a few slices of jalapeno. Bake the tostadas until the cheese melts, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the tostadas to serving plates. Top with pico de gallo and avocado, and garnish with cilantro, if desired.

Breakfast Tostadas

Breakfast Tostadas

Breakfast Tostadas

 

4 (6-inch) corn tortillas, (I use Mission Extra Thin Yellow Corn Tortillas)

2 large eggs

salt and pepper, to taste

1 cup fat free refried beans

1/8 tsp. chili powder

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 tsp. cumin

2 oz peeled and sliced avocado

4-6 cherry tomatoes, sliced or chopped

4 T. salsa

4 lime wedges

2 tsp. chopped cilantro

 

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the tortillas on it in a single layer. Mist the tortillas with cooking spray and then flip each tortilla over and mist the other side. Place the tortillas in the preheated oven for 5 minutes*. When the 5 minutes is up, flip each tortilla over and put them back in for another 5 minutes until firm and crispy. *During the first 5 minutes the tortillas are cooking, I like to use the time to slice up my avocado, cherry tomatoes and cilantro so that the topping are ready to go. Once the tortillas are flipped and go back in the oven for the second five minutes, I prep the eggs and refried beans as follows. Crack the eggs into a bowl and add a splash of water (I turn on my faucet and run the bowl under real quick). Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper as desired and then beat the eggs with a whisk. Mist a small skillet with cooking spray and bring over medium heat on the stovetop. Once hot, add the eggs and cook, pushing them around with a spatula, for a minute or two until fully cooked/scrambled. Place the refried beans into a microwavable bowl and microwave on high for about a minute until hot. Add the chili powder, garlic powder and cumin and stir to combine. When the tortillas come out of the oven, spread ¼ cup of the warm refried beans over the surface of each tortilla. Top the beans on each tostada with ¼ of the scrambled eggs and ½ ounce of the sliced avocado. Add the tomatoes and a T. of salsa and then squeeze a lime wedge over the top. Sprinkle with cilantro if using and serve warm.