Chilaquiles

Happy New Year!

I know I have not blogged in months but the end of the year always gets so busy! Most of the recipes from now on will probably only have the final picture with the recipe to make it easier for me. Taking pictures with each step really increases the time it takes me to cook and blog. I am hoping this will allow me to post more often :) So here is my first recipe with only the final picture.

Chilaquiles is typically made to use up leftovers and that is why it was perfect for me to make yesterday. Plus my husband loves chips and salsa and this is pretty similar considering it has a spicy sauce and crunchy tortillas chips. And the best part is that it is a nice warm dish to enjoy on a cold day like yesterday.

Serves 4 fans

The Players:

Tortilla Chips

• 4 tortillas
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt
• Taco Seasoning

Sauce

• 1 can of whole peeled plum tomatoes 
• 3-4 chipotle peppers 
• 1 large onion diced
• 5 garlic cloves minced
• 1 cup of soy chorizo
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro plus more for garnish
• Salt 

• 4-8 Eggs
• 3 green onion sprigs
• Cotija cheese

The Game Plan:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut tortillas up into triangles. Place them on a baking pan and spread out evenly. Spray them with olive oil using something like a Misto. Then sprinkle some taco seasoning on the tortillas. Turn all of them over and repeat. Once oven is preheated, place the baking tray in the oven for about 10-12 minutes or until crispy.

*If you do not have an olive oil sprayer before cutting the tortillas up, brush them with olive oil on both sides and then cut them up into triangles. 

Place the whole can of tomatoes in a blender along with the chiptole peppers. Blend it together until it is a smooth sauce. Then taste it to see if you want more spice, if so add more chiptole peppers and re-blend. Taste again and add salt as needed.

Heat a large pan or pot to medium heat. Place all onions and let saute for about 10 minutes or until slightly browned. Then add garlic and let cook for another 2 minutes while stirring so the garlic does not burn. Place all sauce into a pan and also add chorizo. Let it all simmer while stirring occasionally until thickened. About 10 minutes. Add cilantro to the mixture. Taste to make sure it is all to your liking if not re-season. 

Make the eggs as you wish. We had them over easy and it was delish.

To assemble, place sauce in a bowl, place egg on top. Top with cotija cheese, cilantro, and green onions. Then place the tortillas on top. Smash the tortillas in the sauce and enjoy! 

*Another great addition would have been avocado, however we did not have any in the house :(

Red Pepper Sauce Huevos Rancheros

I was having friends over for brunch and was trying to figure out what to make. I knew that they liked Mexican and liked a good kick, so I decided to make heuvos rancheros. I have made huevos rancheros many times, but each time I have made it, it is a little different. Now, there is obviously faster versions of making this recipe but I felt like making it extra special by making the sauce from scratch. So warning, this recipe is not a super quick one and I would make it when you have a little more time. If you make the sauce ahead of time, this will be super easy to make.

This sauce recipe is my favorite! I originally used it for my enchiladas but now when I have left overs use it in my huevos rancheros also! It is so good and worth taking the time to make it. I usually use two types of dried peppers and ancho chilies are always one of the two. The other pepper, I have changed up quite a few times. When I make the sauce, I make a whole batch so I can freeze it and have it on hand. The sauce recipe below will make a ton of sauce, so just remember to make less if you don't want a ton of left overs.

Serves 4 fans

The Players:

• 8 corn tortillas (if you prefer flour you can use those also)
• Garlic infused canola oil*
• 1 Avocado diced
• Approx. 1/2 cup grated cotija Cheese
• 8 eggs
• Garnish: green onions and cilantro
• 1 15 oz can of black beans
• 1 package of veggie chorizo
• 1 tsp of taco seasoning
• 1/2 tsp of cumin

Red Chili Sauce:

• 3 oz. of California Chilies
• 8 oz. of Ancho Chilies
• 4 cups of vegetable broth
• 5-6 garlic cloves
• Handful of cilantro
• 2 tsp of ground cumin
• 1/2 cups of adobo chiptole sauce and 2-3 chiptole chilies with some sauce that it comes in
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups of water

The Game Plan:

For the sauce:

Add broth to a medium to large pot. Place all the dried chili's in the broth and let soak for 10 minutes.

Then place the pot on the stove and heat it on medium low for 10 more minutes. 

 Place all ingredients into blender and blend till you get a nice sauce. Taste to see if you need more adobe sauce and/or chiptole chili's. 

Everyone's spice level is different. Recheck and add more salt if needed. If sauce is too thick, add more stock or water to make a smoother sauce.

For the tortillas:

Preheat oven to  400 degrees. Take the corn tortillas and brush them with the oil and place them on a baking sheet. 

Once oven is preheated, place in the oven. They don't take very long so keep an eye on them. About 6-8 minutes. Every oven is different but you are looking for the tortillas to be slightly golden and crispy.

For the beans and "meat":

Heat a medium sauce pan to medium heat and add 1 tsp of olive oil and then add chorizo. Cook for about 3-4 minutes. Add black beans, cumin, and seasoning. Once the bean mixture is heated through, adjust seasonings to your taste.

For the eggs:

Make them to your liking: Scrambled, fried, poached.

Now all you do is place the tortilla on a plate with the bean mixture on top, sauce, then the egg with some more sauce on that. Add the avocado, cotija cheese and garnish with green onions and cilantro!

Enjoy!

* I had made garlic infused oil but you do not need to use this at all. You can use olive oil or canola oil and it will still taste delish!

Banana Nut Bread

My mom's best friend makes the best banana bread and it always satisfies my sweet craving. When my husband and I first started dating, he would request it frequently. I never had a problem with making it because it was super easy to make and it always turned out great!

I decided to make it today because tomorrow is our physical therapy student's last day at work. I figured it would be a nice treat and a thank you for her hard work. Also, if you are ever looking for a reason to use up ripe bananas this is a great way. When I do not eat my bananas on time and they are super ripe, I stick them in the freezer and save them for making this recipe.

I did make some adjustments from the original recipe to make it perfect for my taste. I halved the amount of sugar from the original recipe, added cinnamon, increased the amount of vanilla, and occasionally add chocolate for fun! I hope you enjoy this delicious and moist banana nut bread as much as we do!

Yields: One loaf

The Players:

• 3/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar (if you want the bread sweeter you can add more sugar)
• 1 overflowing tsp of vanilla
• 1 tsp of cinnamon
• 2 cups of self rising flour
• 4 smashed very ripe bananas (if using frozen bananas, make sure they are fully thawed)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 4 tbs buttermilk or 4 tbs of the watery part of yogurt
• 3/4 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup of chocolate chips (optional)

The Game Plan:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Using a mixer, mix up the oil, eggs, sugar, and vanilla.

Note the color of the egg on the right side. Now that is farm fresh!

Once mixed well add the rest of the ingredients and mix all up until smooth. Do not over mix! 

Place in a greased loaf pan (8 1/2" x 4 1/2" x 2 3/4" high). Also, if for some reason this makes more batter than what you loaf pan will hold, do not fill it all the way to the top. You need to leave room at least an inch of room at the top. Otherwise, it will overflow and leave you with a mess! Either toss the extra batter or use it to make mini banana breads or muffins.

Place in oven for one hour and 15 minutes. Poke with a tooth pick in the middle to make sure it is cooked all the way through. Every oven is slightly different, so check on your banana bread after 50 minutes frequently to make sure it does not over bake. Once done, take the banana bread out and let cool completely before taking out of the pan. Enjoy!

Homemade granola

Over the holidays, my sister and her family made breakfast for us. Parfaits were on the menu. It consisted of greek yogurt, sprinkled with homemade granola, and topped with berries. It was a huge hit!

I was in the process of making a care package for my brother-in-law who is in grad. school and has very little time to do anything, let alone eat healthy. So it made sense to add this along! I've never made homemade granola before, but if my nieces, ages six and nine, could help make it, how hard could it be right!? It was fun, easy, and made the whole house smell like I had been baking all day!

So here's how I made it happen!

Yields roughly 4 cups

The Players:

• 2 cups of rolled oats
• 1 cup pecans
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup dried orange infused cranberries*
• 1/4 cup of honey overflowing*
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract*

The Game Plan: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking pan with foil. Spray or lightly spread olive oil around it and set aside. Then start with a mixing bowl big enough to hold all the ingredients. Add oats and sliced almonds.

Use a food processor to chop pecans into smaller pieces. Add that into the bowl along with the cranberries, cinnamon, and sea salt. Give it a quick toss with a spatula.

Now for the binders! Add the honey and olive oil. Give it a good mix. And then lastly add the vanilla extract and give it a final mix. Taste to make sure all seasonings are to your liking.

Evenly spread the granola on the baking pan. Then place in oven for 20-25 minutes. Half way in between give it a toss. Once it is done you will know because your kitchen will smell AMAZING! Use the foil to help you lift the granola mixture out and onto a cooling pan. Let cool for about 20-30 minutes. The granola will be nice and crunchy!

Store in an airtight container and it will keep for months!

* Any type of cranberries are perfect, so don't worry about finding a specific type :). I highly recommend using high quality vanilla extract because it will make a tasty difference. I also used local honey from the farmer's market and it was delish!