Menudo Remix and Frito Pie

EDIT: I just cut a lot of blogs from my reader, but only if they hadn't posted since 2010.  If you are one of the aforementioned slackers and plan on reviving your blog, just comment and I'll add you again.  Muahahaha.

Howdy all!  This winter break has reached the point of excruciating!  Classes don't start again until the 30th so I have been doing a lot of cooking, focusing on Texas classics lately.  For the new year, I had a hankering for menudo and decided to tackle the dreaded chile paste again.  This time...SUCCESS!  This is the best menudo yet!  I am so stoked.  If you haven't tried menudo yet, you are seriously missing out.  Onto the recipes...

this menudo is from MoFo 2010...same basic recipe, though

Vegan Menudo
(Serves 6)
gluten free
soy free option: Replace TVP with 15 oz can of rinsed and drained pinto beans.

1 cup TVP pieces (not granules) rehydrated in 1 cup of boiling water
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 small white onion, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
½ Tbsp Mexican oregano, crumbled
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, more or less to taste
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp fine sea salt
6 cups beef-flavored or regular vegetable broth
⅓ cup Ancho Chile Paste (recipe below)
15 oz can hominy , drained and rinsed
minced red, white, or green onion
cilantro
lime or lemon wedges

Heat the oil in a large saucepan medium high heat. Add the onion and carrot. Cook until softened, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.

While the onion and carrot are cooking, get the spice mix ready. Mince the garlic and set aside. Mix the oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, cumin, and salt together.

When the vegetables are softened, add the garlic and spice mix to the pot. Cook for about a minute before adding the broth, chile paste, hominy, and TVP to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and lower the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 25 minutes. Garnish with onion, fresh cilantro, and lime or lemon wedges.

Ancho Chile Paste

soy free

gluten free

This can be made with any dried chile you like, though I favor ancho for its deep, bitter flavor and mild spice.  You can store this in a glass jar in the fridge for up to a week.  If storing in the freezer, I suggest doubling the recipe and freezing in 1 Tbsp cubes.

2 oz dried ancho chiles, seeded and stems removed

1 small garlic clove, minced

½ tsp cumin

¼ tsp Mexican oregano, crumbled

¼ tsp fine sea salt

¼ tsp sugar

½ cup vegetable broth

Toast the dried chiles in a pan over medium heat until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Watch them carefully so they do not burn. Empty the chiles into a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Let them soak for about 15 minutes.

Drain the chiles and place them in a blender or food processor along with the garlic, cumin, oregano, salt, sugar, and vegetable broth. Blend until completely smooth.

The chile paste is great mixed into soups instead of chile powder!  It's also fantastic in chile or used in sausages instead of tomato paste.

Now I leave you with this picture of Frito pie.  I came up with a most excellent recipe for Texas chili yesterday.  Really good stuff.

frito pie with Isa's cashew queso, onion, and pickled jalapenos

I hope everybody has a Happy MLK Jr Day!!!

VeganMoFo V: Salsa Lovin' Had Me a Blast

This is kind of an impromptu post. Last night, Era and I went to a family friendly Halloween party...only I didn't know it was family friendly until we got there.  My costume was Zoe from Fanboys (Picasso's blue period), so I had dyed tampons all over me.  Awkward.

Anyway, it was totally not vegan friendly.  Can a mothatrucka get a veg tray?!  However, the hosts were awesome AND made some damn fine salsas.  Era and I had an in depth talk about it last night.  At the very least, the two states I've resided in know their frickin salsas.  The host was telling us that the secret to their chunky variation was relish.  Whaaat?!  I even hate loathe abhor sweet relish, but that salsa was the jam!

my 30 second salsa.  recipe here.

My favorite salsa is definitely red, but I love all kinds.  Fruit ones, bean ones, corn, pepper based.  It's all good...

Pico de gallo-Fresh salsa.  Everything is diced.  This makes a perfect addition to quesadillas.  Just throw it in with the cheeze.  This recipe looks super.

Salsa Verde-I don't eat this nearly enough, but I used to go to a place that made poblano enchiladas with delicious salsa verde.  Cooking In Mexico has a few recipes.

Mango Salsa-This always reminds me of tropical things.  I really want to try it on some coconut tofu or something.  This recipe looks kinda nice because the huge mango chunks caught my eye.

Black Bean Salsa-I have served this at many a Festivus.  It's so easy and a bit more filling than your regular tomato variety.  Check out this droolworthy one.

Salsa Roja-Maybe the most complicated salsa to me.  It's got such a depth of flavor that I loves it.  However, working with dried chiles is scary to me.  I've not had very good experiences with getting great flavor from the.  User error for sure.  Peep the recipe I found.

Corn Salsa-I love this salsa so hard.  Actually, it always makes me want to go to Chipotle.  Fresh corn is the best, but holy crap I have to try this roasted corn salsa!

Hope everybody had a great weekend.  Expect many comments from me once MoFo is over and I have time to breathe.

VeganMoFo V: Capirotada (Mexican Bread Pudding)

Since last year's MoFo, I've been trying to compile recipes that remind me of home.  Bread pudding, at its finest,  makes me feel so cozy that I feel like I'm back in SA.  Capirotada is a traditional bread pudding usually eaten around Lent.  I, however, am not religious so I eats it whenever.  Different ingredients have symbolic meaning, and you can read about it here.  What you mainly need to know: it's versatile and topped with cheese!

Basically, capirotada is layered bread, fruit, nuts, syrup "tea," and cheese.  It's baked off to perfection.  I've even seen some recipes containing tomato and onion, but that's a little too much for me.  The key to this is definitely stale bread.  Staler is better.  Also, go for the cheese...it cuts through the sweetness and tastes awesome.

fresh out the oven

Capirotada (Mexican Bread Pudding)
(serves 10)
Orange is not traditional in capirotada, but I love the flavor it lends. When making the “tea,” it should be just slightly thicker than actual tea.

4 cups water
2 piloncillos (Mexican brown sugar cones), broken
2 medium oranges, juiced
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp anise seed
½ tsp ground cloves
1 Tbsp vanilla
zest from 1 medium orange
1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
1 cup raisins or cranberries
2 small granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced
1 lb loaf of French bread, stale or toasted and sliced
1 cup melty vegan cheese, optional

Make the syrup “tea” first. Combine the water, piloncillos, orange juice, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, anise seed, and cloves in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower to a simmer for 20 minutes, until piloncillos have dissolved and the mixture thickens slightly, though it will still be thin. Remove from heat and stir in the zest and vanilla. Discard the cinnamon sticks.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch pan and add half the bread in a single layer. Layer half of the pecans, raisins, and apples on top of the bread. Spoon half of the “tea” over this layer, making sure the bread soaks up the syrup. Repeat with the remaining bread, nuts, fruits, and “tea.” Let sit for 15 minutes so the bread can soak up the syrup.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, add the cheese, and bake for 10 more minutes or until cheese is melted.

the crustier the bread, the better

Feel free to replace the dried fruit and nuts with whatever you like best.  Today I used a cranberry and date combo.  I like pecans, but peanuts and almonds are also used.  I didn't use cheese this time because I didn't have any.  I really love cheddar on this.  So good!

Eggplant Milanesa Torta and More!

Howdy howdy, y'all!  With grilling season all up in herre, we decided to get our cook on for the long weekend.  Today's menu includes tortas, cucumber salad, grilled corn, and grilled pound cake.

Tortas are a Mexican sandwich that can be filled with pretty much anything.  Usually, you've got your main protein and fill the sandwich up with great things like refried beans, onions, avocado, tomato, lettuce, salsa, etc.  This eggplant milanesa variety is one I've been making for awhile, and it's definitely my favorite!  Milanesa is just a thinly sliced piece of protein that has been breaded and fried.  The eggplant works wonderfully here because it gets a super crunchy outside but stays chewy in the middle.

torta insides

Eggplant Milanesa Torta
(serves 4)

The key to getting crispy eggplant is to dredge lightly.  There should only be a thin coating of the starch mixture and a quick dip in the non-dairy milk.  Use your fingers to sprinkle the bread crumbs onto each side.  If you can’t find bolillos or teleras, feel free to use small hoagie rolls or mini baguettes.

¾ lb eggplant
⅓ cup potato starch or cornstarch
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp ancho chile powder
1 tsp fine sea salt, more or less to taste
½ tsp cracked black pepper
⅓ cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
1 cup Panko bread crumbs

4 bolillo or telera rolls
thinly sliced tomatoes
shredded romaine or iceberg lettuce
2 small avocados, thinly sliced
½ small red onion, thinly sliced into half moons
1 recipe Chipotle Chile Limon Mayo

Remove the top and bottom from the eggplant.  Thinly slice lengthwise into 8 pieces.  Salt each slice and place in a colander or on a cooling rack.  Set aside for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Get three shallow bowls together for your breading station.  Add the potato starch, cumin, ancho chile powder, sea salt, and black pepper to the first bowl.  Add the non-dairy milk to the second bowl.  Add the bread crumbs to the third bowl.

Rinse the eggplant with plenty of cold water and drain.  Use a towel to pat them dry.  Dip each piece in the potato starch mixture, then into the milk, and finally into the Panko.  Add them to a greased cookie sheet.  Spray the tops with nonstick spray, and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven, flip, give another spray of oil, and return to the oven for 15 more minutes.

To assemble a sandwich, spread the mayo onto each half of the bolillo.  Add avocado, tomato, onion, and lettuce to the top bun.  Add 2 slices of eggplant milanesa to the bottom bun.  Close the sandwich and enjoy!

closer look at the eggplant

The chipotle chile limon mayo is really good, and we also love it slathered on our grilled corn. This mayo really can be as spicy or non spicy as you like. To make the chipotle puree, just empty a can of chipotles in adobo into a small bowl and use an immersion blender to puree (you may want to seed them if you aren't a fan of spicy things). Store in a clean glass jar in the fridge.

delicious corn

Chipotle Chile Limon Mayo
(makes about ¾ cup)

½ cup vegan mayonnaise

2 ½ Tbsp chipotle puree, more or less to taste (see above)

zest and juice of 1 small lime

Mix everything in a small bowl.  Chill until ready to use.

grilled pound cake!  with strawberries!  and rad whip!

For the pound cake, I just used the Vcon recipe. I did a thin layer of margarine on both sides of each slice, and placed it on the bbq grill. I had to finish them in a grill pan, though, because it was taking way too long outside. The pound cake was soooo ridiculously good! Seriously.

Wishing all of y'all a Happy 4th of July!!! Whatcha making?

Sopa de Repollo

It has been a crazy week of illness in the Martin-Cisneros house.  Last week, Era got sick.  I basically mocked him for whining and talked about how strong my immune system was.  Then karma kicked my butt.  I've been sick since Saturday and spent the past two days battling a high fever.

I'm just starting to get my cooking energy back, so I decided to make one of my favorite and easiest soups: cabbage.  Sopa de repollo is a Mexican cabbage soup that contains cabbage, squash, and a gang of veggies.  It really hits the spot for when you feel sick.  Plus, it's super easy to make.  The best thing to do is to cut the veggies on the thick side so they don't break down too much during the cooking process.

veggie heaven

Sopa de Repollo
(serves 8)
gluten free
soy free

2 Tbsp canola oil
1 small white onion, diced
3 large carrots, cut diagonally
4 small red potatoes (about ¾ lb), diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, more or less to taste
2 tsp ground cumin
2 small zucchinis, sliced in half moons
2 celery stalks, cut diagonally
½ medium head of green cabbage, roughly chopped
8 cups water
1 ½ tsp fine sea salt, more or less to taste
pepper to taste
1 cup tightly packed cilantro, minced

Heat canola oil in a large stockpot over medium high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and potatoes. Cook them until the onions start to turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, and cumin and cook for another minute. Add the zucchini, celery, cabbage, water and salt. Bring to a boil before turning the heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the fresh cilantro.

Now, I must take some more meds and relax.  Later this week I'll be doing a Caribbean Vegan review!  I'm way excited about that.  Also more cookbook challenge stuff to come.

Happy Festivus!

The video is finally finished after multiple setbacks!  Sorry about the quality.  We are away from our usual equipment.



Onto the recipes...  This salsa is really good and perfect for winter when the tomatoes are pink and disgusting.  Letting it sit overnight is non-negotiable.  The flavors have to mesh, but it's worth it.  I like adding lime right before serving to make it taste extra fresh.

muy caliente!

30 Second Salsa
28 oz can diced tomatoes, rinsed and thoroughly drained
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded or not, roughly chopped
1 small onion, roughly chopped
1/2 cup tightly packed cilantro
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 tsp salt
lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

In a food processor, pulse the tomatoes, garlic, jalapenos, onion, cilantro, vinegar, and salt until the consistency of chunky gazpacho.  Pour into a bowl and refrigerate overnight, the longer the better.  Right before serving, add the lime juice and taste for salt and pepper.

Ginger Balls are a variation of Oreo Truffles.  Super easy to make, which works great for a party.  Save money by using store brand cookies and buying chocolate chips in bulk.

Ginger Balls
1 pkg creme-filled ginger cookies (like Ginger-Os)
8 oz vegan cream cheese
12 oz (generous 2 cups) semi sweet chocolate chips
crystallized ginger, chopped

In a food processer, chop the cookies into fine crumbs.  Add the cream cheese and blend until combined.  Scrape into a bowl and refrigerate for 45 minutes, until easy to roll into balls.  Roll into balls and place in the freezer until firm.  Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave (stir every 30 seconds).  Dip the balls into the chocolate and top with ginger.  Freeze until solid.  Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.

Spiced Caucasians are just a holiday tradition at our house.  There really is no measuring.  Just add as much alcohol as you like.  Here's what I do...

deliciousness

Spiced Caucasian
ice
lowball glass
1 oz coffee liqueur like Kahlua
1 oz espresso vodka like Seagram's
vegan nog
freshly grated nutmeg, optional

Fill the glass with ice.  Top with liqueur and vodka.  Fill will nog.  Stir.  Top with nutmeg, if so desired.  For a truly caffeinated version, try Mocha Kahlua!

I hope everybody has a great holiday season!  Happy Festivus and Happy New Year!

VeganMoFo IV: On Some Nerd Ish

Many moons ago, when I was struggling with veganism (going back and forth to vegetarianism), I bought Vegan with a Vengeance.  The book really and truly changed my life.  I became enamored with food in a way that no other vegan cookbook ever made me before.  While flipping through the pages one day, I read the message from Isa about how to start a cooking show.  That was the moment I wanted to do it.  Why?  Because Food Network still thinks vegetarianism is a niche market.  Why else?  Because I love to cook and only gained that appreciation years ago.

Here's the email that I sent to Isa at the time and her response.  I had forgotten I kept it until I was cleaning my inbox several months ago:

My name is Mo.  I was just a kid from Texas with a passion for animal rights...  Until Post Punk Kitchen and VWAV changed my life!

I have so much hope that society will eventually evolve to a place where we "see", truly SEE the damage we are doing.

I want to thank you for sparking a revolution in me.  Really soon I hope to create the southern version of PPK.  It's in the works right now, but I would like to present the world with vegan Tex Mex, BBQ and Dirty Souf Soul Food.  Cross your fingers for me.

Thanks again.  Your recipes are turning non-believers into believers....at least down here they are.

Have a fantabulorgasmictastic day!

Monique Martin

San Antonio, Texas

And from Isa:

Hi Mo!

Thanks so much, that means a lot to us that we are having an impact on people's lives. All we really meant to do was have a little fun and cook some good food!

ox Isa

Note the usage of the word "fantabulorgasmictastic."  Hey, look, I've always claimed to be a cheesy nerd.  That is who I am through and through, but I just don't give a fork!  I was giddy as a schoolgirl that I got an email back from an actual author!  Shortly after, I joined the PPK and the rest is awesome history.  I love veganism to my core, so doing a show was on my list of things to do before 35.  Now I only have to join the derby, run a marathon, write a novel, and perform a one woman show.  Baby steps.

So Era and I spent way too frickin long with this first episode.  We learned a few things (mostly about how we need more lighting).  Partly because I'm a never-satisfied perfectionist when it comes to myself, and also because I hadn't edited video since high school.  There's plenty of dancing because it's my favorite thing!  Oh, and I dance way better than that.   It's just unnerving to be videotaped dancing when a birthday party is setting up 20 feet away from you.  Bust it!

Kiki would be proud!

**Update: 1-16-12 Below is an updated version of my menudo.**

Vegan Menudo

(Serves 6)

gluten free

soy free option: Replace TVP with 15 oz can of rinsed and drained pinto beans.

1 cup TVP pieces (not granules) rehydrated in 1 cup of boiling water

1 Tbsp canola oil

1 small white onion, diced

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

2 large cloves garlic, minced

½ Tbsp Mexican oregano, crumbled

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, more or less to taste

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp fine sea salt

6 cups beef-flavored or regular vegetable broth

⅓ cup Ancho Chile Paste (recipe below)

15 oz can hominy , drained and rinsed

minced red, white, or green onion

cilantro

lime or lemon wedges

Heat the oil in a large saucepan medium high heat. Add the onion and carrot. Cook until softened, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.

While the onion and carrot are cooking, get the spice mix ready. Mince the garlic and set aside. Mix the oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, cumin, and salt together.

When the vegetables are softened, add the garlic and spice mix to the pot. Cook for about a minute before adding the broth, chile paste, hominy, and TVP to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and lower the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 25 minutes. Garnish with onion, fresh cilantro, and lime or lemon wedges.

Ancho Chile Paste

soy free

gluten free

This can be made with any dried chile you like, though I favor ancho for its deep flavor and mild spice. You can store this in a glass jar in the fridge for up to a week. If storing in the freezer, I suggest doubling the recipe and freezing in 1 Tbsp cubes.

2 oz dried ancho chiles, seeded and stems removed

1 small garlic clove, minced

½ tsp cumin

¼ tsp Mexican oregano, crumbled

¼ tsp fine sea salt

¼ tsp sugar

½ cup vegetable broth

Toast the dried chiles in a pan over medium heat until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Watch them carefully so they do not burn. Empty the chiles into a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Let them soak for about 15 minutes.

Drain the chiles and place them in a blender or food processor along with the garlic, cumin, oregano, salt, sugar, and vegetable broth. Blend until completely smooth.

Clarification on pasillas/anchos.  Anchos are dried poblanos and are sometimes smoked.  Pasillas are dried versions of the chilaca pepper.  I couldn't remember what it was called when I did the video.  Haha.

Now For a Journey Through Time and Space

The Mighty Booooosh!

Sorry.  I've just got Vince and Howard on the brain right now.

So,  I love this time of year.  The first week of June just begins summer for me.  June 3rd is our wedding anniversary and June 6th is my birthday.  Class is about to end...and it's cool enough to be outside.  Come late June, not a creature will be stirring outside (yes, not even a mouse).  So to kick off summer, we've been putting good use to our grill and enjoying some wine, beer, and liquor.

For Memorial Day, we made Mexican hot dogs.  Our friend, Roy, introduced me to them.  Just imagine the tastiest, messiest chili dog you ever did eat!  It's so effing good I don't know that I'll go back to my standby of mayo, deli mustard, and dill relish!

Traditional Mexican dogs are wrapped in bacon, grilled, and served on bolillos with a ridiculous array of toppings from beans to grilled onions to a variety of salsas.

The above featured wonder is gonna be a mainstay for Era and me.  I've read that these can be served in regular hot dog buns, but I recommend something sturdier.  This is so messy, we don't even pretend it's anything but a sandwich.  Below is how we built this bad boy:

• Warm bolillo smothered in Vegenaise (chipotle mayo will be tried next)
• grilled tofu dog
• soyrizo (homemade or store bought)
• meltable vegan cheddar (the above is FYH)
• grilled onions
• yellow mustard
• pico de gallo (our corner store sells pico with nopales in it!  HOLLA.)
• avocado

We served it with tots and Micheladas.  When the drinks got too spicy for me, I just switched over to ice cold beer.  Greatest Monday of all time.

To celebrate our anniversary, we went EPIC!  Era and I have been married 4 years, so we decided to do THE RETURN OF VEGAN CHEEZE TASTING.  Not as many cheeses this time, as they were all homemade.  So maybe it was epic lite.  Haha.

A horribly rushed shot of the table.  That wrinkle in the cloth bugs me so bad right now! :)

 

The centerpiece: Vegetarian Times' almond feta (covered in olive oil, balsamic, and black pepper) and The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook's white bean boursin.  Served with grapes and cucumber.

Focaccia, watermelon, blackberries, and black pepper water crackers.

Sweet and salty agave cheese spread minus the mint (an adaptation of this recipe)

Vegetarian Times' cheddar cheeze recipe served with sourdough crisps.  The seitan and olive stuff are Kittee testers!

So good.  I really liked the cheddar cheeze recipe.  It was amazing with mustard and seitan.  I suggest letting it sit for awhile so the lemon taste mellows, though.

Vegan MoFo III: Bluebonnets and Lonestar Beer

This is the second part of my ode to Tejas.  I love that place.  Wink.  I should probably tell you that I pretty much loathe Lonestar Beer, though.  Blech.

I'm going to give the recipes for the enchiladas, rice and sopapillas, but the enchiladas need to be tweaked.  First, the ricotta was too thick.  I think I'll leave out tofu next time and just use cashews.  Maybe.  It needs to be thinned out at the very least.  The tomatillo sauce is missing something.  I'm thinking it needs more cumin and maybe jalapenos?  Also, I found the jackfruit distracting.  It didn't add to the dish at all.  And my Teese didn't melt (even after I did that broiler thing)!  What the frack?!  I need Daiya to come this way already.  It's the only consistently reliable melty cheese for me.

First Attempt @ Enchiladas Poblanas

*Note: This recipe is considered a fail. Prepare at your own risk*

20 oz jackfruit (in brine NOT syrup), drained and marinated*

Cilantro Cashew Ricotta (recipe below)

6 halved poblanos, stems and seeds removed and roasted (skins removed)

12 corn tortillas

Tomatillo and Avocado Sauce (recipe below)

vegan cheese, optional

Make the Cilantro Cashew Ricotta and the Tomatillo and Avocado Sauce first. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9x13 casserole pan with nonstick spray. Coat the bottom of it with a thin layer of tomatillo sauce. Heat a skillet over medium high. Set up an assembly line: corn tortillas, hot skillet, tomatillo sauce, filling, then your enchilada pan. Take a corn tortilla and warm it up in the skillet, don't cook it. It just needs to warm up to be pliable. Next dip the tortilla in the sauce. This keeps it moist. Finally add your filling: cashew ricotta, poblano half, and some jackfruit. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Pour the rest of the tomatillo sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese if you are using it. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese is nice and melty and the exposed tortillas are a little browned.

*Jackfruit is completely optional.  I marinated mine in beer and chikn broth powder.

Cilantro Cashew Ricotta

1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked for a few hours

juice of 2 small limes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove of garlic

1 lb firm tofu, drained and crumbled

1/4 cup lightly packed cilantro

1 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)

Combine everything in a food processor and blend until silky smooth.

Tomatillo Sauce

2 Tbsp oil

1/2 medium white onion, roughly chopped

2 lbs tomatillos, roughly chopped

3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp oregano

pinch of sugar

1/2 cup of water

1/2 cup tightly packed cilantro

2 large avocados, pitted and roughly chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil over medium high heat. Cook the onions and tomatillos until the mixture goes from bright green to pale green. Add a pinch of salt and the garlic and cook for about a minute more. Add the cumin and oregano and cook for 30 seconds. Add the sugar and water. Bring it to a boil.  Remove from heat and add salt and pepper to taste.  You may need to add more sugar to balance out the tartness.  Let cool for a few minutes. Meanwhile, add cilantro and avocado to a food processor or blender. Add the tomatillo and onion mixture. Blend until you get a sauce. Adjust the seasonings. Pour into a saucepan or dish so it's ready for tortilla dippage.

Not the prettiest picture, but tasty for the most part!  Oh, those refried beans are out of a can.  I always add a little oil and water to thin them out because I hate that super thick canned refried bean thing.

The rice is pretty easy.  I used achiote oil for it, which is a Terry tester for her Vegan Latina cookbook.  Achiote adds a very subtle flavor and gorgeous color.  Any oil works.  You may want to up the cumin to 1 tsp if you don't use achiote.  I just like saying achiote.

Rice w/ Peas and Carrots

1-2 Tbsp oil

1/2 medium white onion, diced

1 carrot, peeled and diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2-1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup long grain white rice

1/3 cup frozen peas

1 3/4 cups water (1.5 cups for a firmer rice)

salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and carrot. Saute until they just start to soften. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Add cumin, salt, and rice. Cook until rice gets a little toasty. Add water and peas. Bring to a boil and cover the pot. Lower the heat to a simmer for about twenty minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Okay...sopapillas!  They are little fried pieces of heaven.  Now I openly admit this is a complete bastardization of actual sopapillas.  The traditional stuff is made from dough and fried.  Whatever.  This is just as tasty and takes about as much time to prep as it would take to just gather ingredients for that dough.  So there.  Ha ha.  Traditionally, sopapillas are served with butter and honey.  I've added margarine and agave but it's optional.  They aren't too sweet as is.  I like that the margarine and agave make them crispy and gooey/chewy.  Also, this is a combo between just plain ol' powdered sugar and cinnamon sugar because I like how delicate powdered sugar makes these seem.

Cheater Sopapillas

5 refrigerated flour tortillas

1 cup vegetable oil

¼ cup powdered sugar

¼ tsp cinnamon

Vegan margarine, optional

Agave nectar, optional

Take the tortillas and cut each one into four wedges and set aside. Mix together the powdered sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside. And have a cooling rack prepared. Heat a wok on medium high heat and add the vegetable oil. (NOTE: If you don’t have a wok, use a medium saucepan but a wok heats faster and hotter).

Drop the wedges into the oil, but don’t over fill. 2 to 3 at a time is enough, depending on how big your wok is. I only did one at a time, though.  You want to flip them as soon as the edges start to go golden.  Then again after 3-5 seconds or so.  It shouldn't take longer than 10 seconds per batch.  The temperature is perfect if the wedges puff up and turn golden brown. Remove from oil and place on a cooling rack. This is crucial for them to stay crispy.

Repeat until finished. Let the sopapillas cool to just above room temperature. Sift the cinnamon sugar over them and serve with margarine and/or drizzle with agave nectar. 4-5 servings.

Now, if you'll excuse me...I'm going to collapse in a food coma.  Mmmm.

Vegan MoFo III: Sucka Emcees Call Me Sire

I wish I was the [Queen] of Rock, but I'm actually the queen of losing recipes.  I cannot tell you how many recipes I've lost because I wrote them down on scratch paper and accidentally recycled it.    Today marks the beginning of food memories week.  One of the things I was totally set to do was revisit and rework my menudo recipe from last year.  I have a special connection to menudo.  It has helped many a vegan hangover.  So of course, I couldn't find the recipe.

While searching for menudo recipes, I happened upon one by Michael Chiarello.  I glanced at the ratings and saw that two crassholes gave the recipe a 1 star rating (without making it) because it was made with chili powder and not chili sauce.  Uh?  Menudo is like every other recipe on the planet.  There are basic components, but beyond that it's familial.  But I was intrigued.  So I set out to make my own chili sauce.

Now, I've never had menudo with tripas because organ meats always creeped me out.  But I did have a basic idea on what I wanted to use.  As far as I can tell, menudo is a really simple soup.  It usually has chili powder/sauce, hominy, onion, garlic, oregano, meaty bits, and maybe cumin.  Easy, right?  Well I went for the recipe found here.  I halved the actual menudo recipe and only made a quarter of the chili sauce.  Here's what I did.

Vegan Menudo

*Note: This recipe is considered a fail. Prepare at your own risk*

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 small onion, roughly chopped

1/3 cup red chile sauce (recipe below)

2 cups vegetable broth

2 cups water

1.5 cups hominy, drained

2 cups seitan, cut into bite size pieces

1/2 Tbsp vinegar

1/2 Tbsp oregano (preferably Mexican)

1 tsp cumin seed

salt and pepper to taste

cilantro, lime, green onion, and/or chopped onion for garnish (optional)

Heat oil in saucepan.  Saute onion and garlic until translucent.  Add the chili sauce, vegetable broth, and water.  Bring to a boil.  Once boiling, add remaining ingredients (not the garnishes) and let simmer for 15 minutes.

Chili Sauce/Paste
2 oz dried ancho chiles, whole
1 small garlic clove, minced
pinch of ground cumin
3/4 tsp vinegar
1/4 tsp oregano (preferrably Mexican)
small pinch salt
1/4 tsp sugar

Put the whole dried ancho chiles on a hot dry griddle or frying pan and toss around a bit until they just barely begin to change color. Do this carefully, the chiles will scorch easily.

Remove chiles, place in a paper bag, and let cool. Remove stems and most of the seeds. Place in a pan, cover with boiling water and let steep 15-20 minutes. Reserve liquid.  Run through a food mill or a food processor, adding reserved liquid to help the paste along 1 tablespoon at a time if needed.

Return chile mixture to pan and add garlic, cumin, vinegar, oregano, salt, and sugar to the chile pulp.

Simmer over low heat for a 3 -4 minutes. Cool and refrigerate.

Okay.  Thoughts.  I am not a fan of the chile sauce!  Sorry food snobs!  Ha ha.  I much prefer ancho chili powder because this soup turned out somewhat bitter.  I had to add a bunch of lime juice to even force down the small cup I had.  Era ate most of this.  Blech.

Menudo makes me think of Sundays in San Antonio, but I will just have to perfect the recipe I created last year.  It was good to reminisce about home, especially because I miss it a lot right now.

Coming up this week: a Spike Lee joint Movie Monday, enchiladas poblanos, s'ghetti on my sweaty, chili 3 ways, green tofu and ham, and something Halloweeny!  I'm kinda sad this is the last week!  I've enjoyed reading all your blogs.

Vegan MoFo III: 20 Bucks Til Payday

The day after my husband and I got married we quickly realized the honeymoon was over.  Actually, we didn't have a honeymoon until our first anniversary because we were so broke.  We were in debt and had to learn to make a dollar stretch to ridiculous proportions.  This is where my love of inexpensive things began.  It wasn't until I had no other choice that I realized how much money we wasted.  The three best things I learned: buy store brand, choose fresh frozen or dried instead of canned beans and vegetables, and use foods that are cheap and filling (potatoes, rice, pasta).  And just because I'm feeling super nice, here's a free one: check on the top and bottom shelves.  These are the best deals usually because they're out of your line of sight.  Also, the clearance shelf is your friend a lot of the time.

Broke Ass Menu

Fideo

Pinto Beans

Simple Salad w/ Green Lettuce, Tomato, and Avocado

During that time in our lives we seriously only had $20 on food for two people.  That was a horrible time.  But I did love how much food I walked away with.  Often, I'd be way under budget.  A typical shopping trip would include a case of fideo ($1.69 for 9 boxes), some potatoes, tomato, avocado, cilantro, some fresh fruits, maybe a block or two of tofu.  I tried to get food that could easily be used in a variety of cuisines.  We'd do stirfries, pasta, bbq, etc.  Okay.  Enough about the past, here's how tonight's meal breaks down.

I made the fideo with 1/2 a small onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 1/4 cup of tomato sauce, salt, pepper, 1/2 of a large tomato, maybe a quarter cup of cilantro, and some cumin.  The beans were so simple.  My mother-in-law only adds salt to her beans so you can really taste the flavor of them.  Today I added some salt free spice blend and salt.  Season them however you want, though.  The salad was green lettuce, tomato, avocado, salt, pepper, and a squirt of lime juice.

Price Breakdown*

Fideo (serves 4)-$0.60

• fideo-$0.28
• tomato sauce-$0.07
• tomato-$0.19
• cilantro-$0.06 

Pinto Beans (serves 4)-I forgot to check how much it was in bulk so this is based on bagged beans.  $0.41

Salad (serves 4)-$1.04

• lettuce-$0.21
• tomato-$0.19
• lime-$0.15
• avocado-$0.49

Total Spent on Dinner-$2.05 or $0.51 per person with possible leftovers!

That is kinda shocking to me.  No wonder we had it so much.  Notice how that damn avocado is so expensive?!  But it's oh so very delicious.

Tomorrow, I'm making snacks because nothing says budget friendly more than making your own convenience meals.  Holler!

*All price breakdowns are assuming you have basic things like flour, oil, non dairy milk, common spices, etc. Everything else will be factored in. Also, the price listed is based on the amount used in the recipe.

Pre Payday Meals

I don't know about you, but I've definitely had to get creative with the meals between paydays. I am an obsessive person when it comes to grocery lists. I have ingredients down to the exact number I need for the recipes I'd like to make. Sometimes we grab extras just because, but we mostly stick to the list.

A couple of weeks ago, I ran out of ingredients needed to test for Viva Vegan. It was a couple of days before we planned to shop, so I pieced together some things out of random ingredients I had leftover. Here's what I did. I had one poblano pepper, a bit of garlic, and some rice. I fashioned together this killer poblano rice. It was so good, but I knew it was missing something. My husband wanted peas, but I knew it was corn. I made it again a few days ago with the corn and that made the difference!

poblano rice with cashew crema (Viva Vegan tester) and avocado

Of course, rice just isn't complete without a little bean action. I swear I could live off of rice and beans. So, all I had to work with was about a cup of dried black beans, some garlic and an orange. I just recently discovered how fantastic black beans and orange taste together so I came up with these sun kissed black beans. The orange adds a subtle fruity flavor. The garlic, jalapeno, and cilantro pair well with it.

poblano rice, sun kissed black beans, and yuca with cuban mojo sauce (Viva Vegan tester)

I'm gonna post the recipe for the rice and beans soonish. My friend gets back from Indiana in a couple of weeks, so we'll discuss getting this show/vlog thing up hopefully some time in August. Until then all I can promise is that I'll post more frequently so I don't disappoint my mom. Sheesh. Hee hee.

So what's your favorite pre payday meal?

My 27th Birthday

Saturday was my birthday so my husband flew my brother and sister into LAX to spend the weekend in LA. We went to Venice Beach, Hollywood BLVD, drove down to Coachella, and witnessed some people getting spanked in an S&M club. Good times!

Ebony, Michael and me in front of Glauman's Chinese Theatre (my head looks ginormous!)

My sister wanted to see celebrities so badly while she was there. I tried telling her we wouldn't find any at the tourist spots. We did end up going to a bar in Hollywood where shots were 10 bucks! A little rich for my blood. Next door was an S&M club where you got in free if you dressed in black.

Met up with a friend from high school, Akemie, and I hadn't seen her in 10 years!

We stayed at the bar for a while. It was fun and the first time all of us were of age. My brother was checking out girls. This made me want to vomit.

My brother and husband drunk

We also managed to go to some restaurants. On Saturday we went to Cinnamon. It's a Mexican restaurant. My brother and I ordered chickn fajitas. My husband, Era, ordered the mango "salmon" and my sister ordered hummus. Yes. Hummus in a Mexican restaurant.

Ebony's hummus

My fajitas with black beans and rice

We dropped my brother and sister off on Sunday morning and went to eat at Vegan Village Cafe. They specialize in Mexican and Soul food. I will post a review tomorrow. SO GOOD.

The Soul Plate (greens, sweet potatoes, corn, fried chikn)

Era got the Sampler Plate (greens, sweet potatoes, bbq tofu, hot wingz, cajun shrimp)

We also did some shopping. Went to Locali and Figueroa Produce Market in search of Sheese. No luck! I did pick up some Dandies (ZOMG!), soya bleu, cashew spreads, and tamarind paste.

Raw Cashew Spreads

We had a fun weekend in LA and now I totally miss my family even more. Plus, it was awesome being in a city with something going on. Such a great way to begin my 27th year.