Spicy stuffed acorn squash

You may remember my acorn squash recipes from awhile ago - Winter Stuffed Squash and Stuffed Squash. As it's autumn, nearing winter, I thought I'd try this again but change it up a bit.

Ingredients
1 acorn squash
1 clove garlic, diced
1/2 cup red onion, diced
1 carrot, chopped
Peppers of choice, chopped
1 can black beans, rinsed
Dash of spices - cumin, cayenne
Cheese of choice, shredded

1. Following squash cooking instructions as in previous posts.
2. Meanwhile, heat veggies in a pan in oil until slightly browned.
3. Scoop out the pulp from the squash and mix with veggies. Spoon the mix back in to the shells. Top sith spices and cheese.
4. Bake for another 10-15 minutes.

Mexicali Burgers

A friend of mine told me about this recipe years ago, but I never got around to making it until recently. Big mistake. Instead of making sliders, I made big burgers, because I had big burger buns and it just made more sense. And I skipped the Spicy Mango Sauce, because I hate both mangoes and spicy food. And in the salsa I used my new favorite salsa, Trader Joe's Organic Tomatillo & Roasted Yellow Chili Salsa.

Chef Chloe's Mexicali Sliders

Fiesta salad

Somewhat similar to my fiest corn salad, here's a tasty sidedish from A Teaspoon of Happiness that's really easy and quick to prepare. No cooking involved!

I cut the recipe in half. That makes more than enough for two people.

Huevos rancheros

Just realized, my last few posts have all been breakfasts! Guess that's been on my mind recently.

I never realized huevos rancheros were so easy to make. I foresee this meal a lot more in my future.

I followed the recipe from SmittenKitchen.com but with a few changes:
1. I sprinkled cheese on the tortilla itself, but then on the finished cooked product. We love us some cheese.
2. I used my favorite fresh pre-made salsa rather than making my own. Saved a lot of time.

Mexi-Salad

Need an easy, affordable, yet filling meal? Nothing better than a Mexican salad!

Mix together:
Lettuce
Sliced bell peppers - red, orange, yellow
1 can black beans
1 cup frozen sweet corn
Shredded Mexican mix cheese
Salsa of choice

In a large pan in 2 tbsp olive, heat up the veggies and beans. Mix with other ingredients and serve!

I had my pinto bean queso as a side with homemade tortilla chips.

Roasted Corn, Black Bean, and Mango Burritos

I'm always seeing black beans and mangoes together. I couldn't help but want to try a recipe for my bean and mango loving husband and kid. I adapted this recipe for a salad into a burrito recipe by (dush) putting it on a tortilla and also made some changes to make it more friendly to my family. It's also incredibly easy and takes less than 20 minutes INCLUDING chopping all of the veggies if you do your chopping and lime-squeezing while the corn is cooking.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cups corn kernels (frozen or about 6 ears, fresh)
• 2 cups diced peeled ripe mango (about 2 pounds)
• 3/4 cup chopped red onion
• 3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 drained canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce, chopped (optional, I didn't use them because of the spice-averse baby and it was super tasty anyway)
• 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained or 3 cups cooked beans (I only had 2 cups on hand and it was great anyway)
• Tortillas

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds. Stir in corn; cook 8 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Add beans and warm through. While corn is cooking, add the rest of the ingredients together in a large bowl (I kept mangoes on the side). When everything is ready, add corn and beans to the veggies & seasonings and mix well. This is when I took a big scoop out, because I do not like mangoes. Then add mangoes in and mix well again. Scoop a nice spoonful onto a tortilla for each person and enjoy. Would be nice garnished with avocado or sour cream.
2. 
   
3. Place corn mixture in a large bowl. Add mango and remaining ingredients except greens; stir well. Arrange 1 cup greens on each of 8 plates. Spoon onto tortillas.

Bean enchiladas

Wanted something spicy and Mexican one night, but I make tacos/burritos/fajitas pretty often. Time for something different.
Ingredients
Flour tortillas
Black beans
Yukon gold potatoes, mashed
Kale Pepitas
Shredded cheese
Medium salsa
Cumin
Paprika

1. Spoon some salsa on the bottom of a glass baking dish. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat tortilla in a pan on the stove top for a few minutes until soft and flimsy.
3. Line tortilla with the beans, potatoes, kale and cheese. Throw on a dash of spices. Roll up and place in dish.
4. Spill some salsa on top of tortillas. Cook covered for about 30 minutes and serve.

Pinto Bean Queso

A yummy alternative to salsa, and very filling. Use at your next picnic!

A recipe from VegNews.com

One thing the recipe neglects to mention is to blend the queso before serving. It never says to mash the beans or anything like that, so unless you like chunky queso, be sure to blend to tasty smoothness.

Lentil tostada

A really quick meal, if you use pre-cooked lentils. And tasty! A recipe from Better Homes and Gardens Be sure to use fresh cilantro - it really adds all the flavor.

A Saucy March - Mexican relish

March is here! Are you seeing signs of spring? Feeling twitterpated? To celebrate, I'm trying out new sauces and relishes every Tuesday so stay tuned!

My first was an idea I had for a topping. I was making black bean burgers, but wanted something a little more creative than sliced tomato or ketchup. I took a look around the kitchen and decided to make a mess, I mean, chop up some veggies and make a new relish for us!


2 parts chopped tomatoes
2 parts frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 part diced jalapenos (or more if you're a fan of hot)
1 part lime juice

How to Make Enchilada Sauce

Matt made an awesome enchilada sauce that we used tonight, based on the following recipe from About.com.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
2 cups water
1 8 ounce can tomato paste
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt

Preparation:
Heat the oil, flour and chili powder together in a large pot.

Allow to cook for a minute or two.
Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a slow simmer.

Stir well to combine and dissolve tomato paste in water.

Allow to cook for at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add more spices as desired.

Winter Enchiladas

I'm always looking for new ideas to use seasonal vegetables. I realized I hadn't made enchiladas in awhile, and then Bam! It hit me. A seasonal enchilada recipe:



Ingredients
2 large sweet potatoes, chopped
1/4 acorn squash, chopped
1/2 Anaheim pepper, diced
1 cup Frozen corn
Corn tortillas
Cranberry salsa (I love Trader Joe's cranberry & mango salsa)
Pepitas

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and dump in potatoes and squash. Boil until soft.
2. Drain and mash with a fork. Add pepper and corn.
3. Spread a few tablespoons of the salsa along the bottom of a cassarole dish.
4. Heat a small pan. Warm the tortillas on each side for about 30 seconds. Lay a tortilla on top of the salsa in the dish. Fill with a few spoonfuls of the potato mix. Roll up.
5. After all tortillas are rolled, top with a few more spoonfuls of salsa and sprinkle with pepitas.
6. Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 10 minutes more.

A sweet alternative to your regular enchilada!

Tempeh Tacos

I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner. I wanted something different than our normal bean burritos. Something more... dare I say meaty? Looking through the fridge, I saw a package of tempeh, which I had no specific plans for. Tempeh crumbles up nicely and would make the perfect substitute for traditional taco meat! I found this simple-sounding recipe online and got to it.

Changes made by me: I grated my tempeh in the food processor with the grater blade. I also added a lot more cumin and a sprinkle of chipotle, because I was worried it would be too bland.

Our homemade tacos were topped with a totally improvised pico de gallo - two roughly chopped tomatoes mixed with a little bit of chopped onion and a big handful of fresh cilantro.

Tortilla soup

My final post for my month-long Mexican meal holiday is one I've been meaning to make for along time. Though most people would find this an obvious south-of-the-border dish, I have never actually made it before.
So here it is: my version of Tortilla soup:




Ingredients
Olive oil
2 large jalapeno peppers, diced
1 large bell pepper, chopped - red or green, or half of both
1/2 red onion, diced
2 tsp cumin
3 cups veggie broth with 1 cup water
2 tomatoes, chopped
1-2 cups frozen corn
1-2 cups black beans (optional)
2 tbsp lime juice
Cheddar/Mexican mix cheese
Fresh cilantro
Tortilla chips


1. Heat oil in a large pot. Add peppers and onion and cook until soft, ~5 minutes.
2. Add cumin, tomatoes (with their juices), corn, and beans. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 15 minutes.
3. Add lime juice. Stir well.
4. Serve with cheese, cilantro, and chips. (Homemade chips will taste best and be greatly appreciated by the foodie!)

Tostadas!

Another tasty treat from Cooking All Things Trader Joes.



Ingredients:
Whole wheat flour tortillas
Eggplant Garlic spread (I used Red Pepper Spread w/ Eggplant and Garlic)
Chopped tomatoes
Mexican blend cheese
Cilantro

1. Cover the tortilla with the spread evenly on a baking sheet. Top with the tomatoes and cheese.
2. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes, until tortillas are crispy.
3. Top with cilantro, cut into slices, and serve!

Make sure you make enough because these go fast!

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Stew

Happy 1-11-11!

My next post for Enero comes from the December/Janary 2011 issue of Readymade magazine:



See the Readymade.com website for the recipe.

This is a full meal in itself, so don't be so generous with other side portions.

Macho Nachos

Happy New Year!

As many of you are probably tired of the cold and snow already, close your eyes and imagine yourself on a warm beach in Mexico.

I'm celebrating January with none other than delish Mexican meals. Keep your eyes here on Tuesdays for a spicy treat!

Today's post: Macho Nachos from Cooking with All Things Trader Joe's.



Ingredients:
Tortilla chips of choice
1 can chili
2 cups Mexican blend cheese
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 cup salsa of choice
1/4 cup cilantro
Avocado & sour cream

1. Scatter chips in a cassarole dish. Top with chili and cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for ~10 minutes (when cheese is melted).
2. Top with tomatoes, salsa, cilantro, avocado, and guac.

Can't be easier!

Winter Chili

Nothing says winter is coming quite like a big bowl of chili. I've blogged before about my search for the perfect vegetarian chili. So when my husband's co-worker passed along this recipe, we were obliged to try it.

We followed this recipe, with a few tweaks. Only one can of black beans (out of necessity... it was all we had), one can of tomatoes was with chipotle peppers to add a smokey kick, and red pepper instead of green.

Unfortunately there's no picture, because sometimes when something's good I just gobble it up. But that's a good sign, I swear.

Ingredients

• 1  tablespoon  vegetable oil
• 2  cups  chopped onion
• 1/2  cup  chopped yellow bell pepper
• 1/2  cup  chopped green bell pepper
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  tablespoon  brown sugar
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  chili powder
• 1  teaspoon  ground cumin
• 1  teaspoon  dried oregano
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  black pepper
• 2  (16-ounce) cans stewed tomatoes, undrained
• 2  (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1  (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1  (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

Preparation

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell peppers, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add sugar and remaining ingredients, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.

Spicy Tomato Soup

Tired of the same old tomato soup over and over again? I figured out a cheap and quick way to spice it up a notch.
Based on a recipe from PostPunkKitchen to serve two.



Ingredients:
1 can Campbell's tomato soup
1/2 frozen sweet corn
1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup tomato-based salsa of your choice
3-4 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp cumin
2 tsp cayenne
1 tbsp basil

1. Prep soup as directed.
2. Throw in the corn (frozen okay) and the salsa.
3. Bring to boil for about 5 minutes. Add lime juice.
4. Add seasonings and mix.

Serve with shredded cheese, crushed tortilla chips, whatever your stomach's desire.

Fiesta Corn

Another great TexMex dish from VeggieMealMaker.com:



2 cups corn
1/2 small red onion, diced
1/2 med green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 med red bell pepper, chopped
1-2 green chiles, diced
1/2 tsp paprika
A dash of salt

Instructions

1. In a medium pan, saute onion and peppers in olive oil or a splash of water until tender.
2. Add corn, chiles, and liquid as needed and heat thoroughly.
3. Add spices and serve!