Homemade Nachos

In this weeks post for Avant Garde Cookies,  we are trending Mexican foods and I was running late with my post and decided to keep it simple - I had bought these awesome jalapeño infused tortillas.
I cut them up in triangles and fried them to make some really tasty and delicious tortillas -Now that you know it can be as simple as that, give it a shot the next time you buy soft tortillas. For those who prefer to make their own tortillas from scratch, you can fry them directly - but i think the pre-made ones serve this purpose well - A quick fix dish to serve with you favorite salsa -here is a recipe for a neato salsa or bean dip

Adios Amigos

Garden Fresh Salsa

When you have a garden that gives you the freshest ingredients to make the finest salsa, I say, heck why not make the most of it! :) The garden truly is on its way out with the chill of Autumn setting in. Nevertheless that chilies are putting out their last produce for the season as are the tomatoes. The cilantro is still going strong although not for much longer, perhaps and the bell peppers are finally making an appearance. So whatchya waiting for? That's right! Get that salsa made already, will you?!
Chop up some onions and garlic and squeeze some fresh lime juice into the above ingredients and a smidgeon of salt and voila - And what is the secret ingredient? Habanero peppers of course :)
A quarter goes a looooooooong way so be judicious in your use of this dynamite pepper

Ingredients

• 2- 3 medium sized tomaotes
• 1 small onion
• 1/2 cup of fresh cilantro
• 1/2 habanero
• 1/2 bell pepper
• 2cloves of fresh garlic
• 1-2 tsp of lime/lemon juice
• salt

Method

1. Chop all ingredients finely if you do not have a mixer that can make the salsa for you
2. Otherwise, chop roughly and put in your vitamix or magic bullet and let it go until it is blended but retains some texture
3. Refrigerate immediately if you are not using right away

NOTE: this tastes best fresh or made half an hour before use - keep refrigerated for best taste.

Enjoy amigos!

Black Beans in Guilt-free White Sauce

Entertaining this weekend? Need a quick, delicious dip to wow your family or friends? Well here is an under-10-minute wonder – And a guilt free white sauce at that! Here is my recipe do the Can-Can

Ingredients

Canned or boiled black beans (1 can or ½ cup) I used a can

1 Can Campbell’s Low Sodium Mushroom soup

½ cup of water

1 Habanero chopped round(optional)

1tbsp olive oil

1-2 cloves of garlic

Add caption

Preparation

Wash black beans and strain

Heat ½tsp of oil in a saucepan.

Add minced garlic

Add the beans and stir

Now add the can of mushroom soup and rinse the can with half cup of water and add to the pan

Allow the black beans to simmer in the sauce for 2-3 minutes or until you see it bubble

Remove from flame

In a separate pan, add about 1tsp of olive oil and add the chopped habanero and allow it cook for a minute in the oil

Note: if you do not want too spicy, remove the habanero and just dribble the oil into the dip

Some like it HOT – for you (and me) we garnish the dip with the habanero and serve with chips or soft tortilla

Hint: This can be served hot or cold – make and refrigerate for an hour or two before serving should you choose to serve it cold. This would also soften the tingle of the habanero! Decorate with a few sprigs of fresh basil before refrigerating so that its beautiful aromas infuse into the soup! 

Adios Amigos! Have a great weekend folks and hope to serve you again early next week!

Pumpkin-Black Bean and Corn Curried Enchiladas

This is a very popular Mexican dish. it's easy to make and can be made as healthy as you want it to be..
As you can see, I am trying to exhaust all my frozen pumpkin packs. This was our Super Bowl special and I must say it was an easy one and as always the intent was to make it as healthy as possible – truly that does not take much – you know … Go easy on the cheese and practically no oil needed…I also made a corn enchilada which I am giving the recipe for as well.

Pumpkin & Black Bean Enchiladas in Green Sauce

In Words

Ingredients for Pumpkin Black Bean Enchiladas

2 cups of cubed pumpkins

2 cans of black beans washed and drained

3 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup of diced tomatoes

4-5 green chilies (not for the faint-hearted)

2 dried red cayenne peppers (optional

2 tbsp of chopped cilantro

1tsp of cumin

1 tsp of rasam powder (optional)

1 can of Enchilada –verde sauce (green)

1 tsp of olive oil

Corn Curried Enchiladas in Red Sauce

For Corn Curried Enchiladas

1 medium sized pack of frozen baby corn

1 mediun sized red onion

2-3 green chilies (adjust to taste)

1 tbsp medium hot salsa (I used President’s Choice)

½ cup of grated Mozzarella and Sharp cheddar grated

I tsp olive oil

6 Tortillas – I bought multi grain ones  - Each about 130 calories

And 1 cup of grated cheese to sprinkle on before baking

Preparation of Pumpkin Black Bean Enchiladas

Thaw the pumpkin – If you are using fresh ones, microwave-cook them until soft.

In a sauté pan, heat the oil and add the spices and throw in the pumpkins

Let it cook well. Add the black beans and cook together adding required amount of salt

NOTE: You can either stuff as is or blend it which is what I did

Prepare the Corn Curry similarly –

Thaw the Corn

Allow 1 tsp of oil to heat, add the chopped onions and green chilies and cumin

Add the corn and allow them to cook.

Add the salsa just before you are ready to remove from flame

But don’t add the cheese until you are ready to wrap…

Blend and set aside in a bowl

In the open fire, lightly toast the tortillas – if you have an electric stove, do so on a pan

Set oven at 350 degrees

Making Oven ready

Lay the first tortilla in a baking pan- spread stuffing and fold – I made a simple half-fold for the pumpkin ones – the corn ones lent themselves to a total rolling wrap – if that even makes sense…

I split them up as 4 tortillas per kind.

Once they are laid on the baking pan

Pour the green sauce on the black bean ones and the red sauce on the corny ones

Sprinkle the grated cheese evenly and bake for 20 minutes

Now Serving… Hot! Hot! Hot!

In Pictures

Sautee


Grind


Get the Cheese grated and good to go


Add the paste to the lightly toasted tortilla


Add the Green Sauce


Oven Ready


Sautee


Stuffed and oven ready

This is day 5 of the week long blogging marathon and I am doing this 24 other lovely bloggers -
Bhagi Pavani Champa, Padma, Sowmya, Gayathri, Harini, Minu, Meena, Priya Suresh, Rujuta, Saraswati, Santosh, Savitha, PJ, Shobana, Smitha, Priya Vasu, Usha, Veena, Kamalika, Jayashree M, and Srivalli, who has started this wonderfully challenging event :)
last but not least Suma of Veggie Platter 

Sending this to My affair with Legumes Hosted by Sandhya's Kitchen 

Black Bean-Cucumber Salad

It is 1:30 pm, I haven't had a decent breakfast and now I am really hungry and I want something spicy, hot but healthy. I open the fridge - the veggie draw - 1 cucumber among other things I did not care for was making goggle eyes at me. Just plain cucumber salad - No! BORING! I open my pantry to see if there was some ready to eat packets - Cans of black beans were the first thing to strike me - Pulled one out... Good I had my cuke and I had a can of beans - how can i make this interesting? I open the fridge again and I see the beautiful remains of an orange and yellow bell pepper - The idea is becoming clearer - I am now back at the pantry swiping a can of dice tomatoes. The rest was instinctual! Exactly 10 minutes start to finish, since when you do decide to make this, you already have a plan :-)

Ingredients

I used 1 can of black beans (washed and drained)

1 cucumber

1/4 each of red and yellow bell pepper

1/4 can of diced tomatoes or 1 fresh tomato

2 green chillies

Some tortilla chips (optional)

Cheddar cheese and Cilantro to garnish

Preparation

Add the tomatoes, beans and chillies to a pan with a teaspoon of olive oil. 

Toss them around

Add some salt 

Put it in a bowl, 

Arrange peeled and diced cukes around

Add the peppers in a similar manner

dress it up with shredded cheddar and cilantro

OR crush some tortilla chip atop

There is a certain satisfaction to have the hot beans with the cold cucumbers and peppers...Satisfies the temperature needs as well.

Note: if you want more spice, you can add some salsa and mix it in to the beans

Last Word: Don't forget the key ingredient - LOVE 

Bountiful Black Bean Soup

Black bean soup is one of THE most favorite lunch or dinner ideas in my home - Luckily, it also happens to one THE best foods to eat - We have a win-win situation :-) The children (the little one included) seem to go for it in a big way and has been the summer savior when the kids were home and needed instant gratification and in need of a  hearty meal- this again is one of those, "have no ideas today - what can i make that is quick simple and delish, recipes. Talking to my sister the other night reminded me to put it on the blog.
Just can it - I mean that's all you need cans of black beans and diced tomatoes; and, a few spices and garnishing

To serve 4 people substantially:

Ingredients:

4 cans of black bean soup - Kroger brand works just fine

2 cans of Hunt's diced tomatoes with no added flavors

1 teaspoon of cumin seeds

1or 2 green chilies (I used 3 because we like it HOT :-)

2 - 3 cloves of garlic

1 spoon of Rasam powderr

1 cup  of chopped cilantro  (most to cook with and some to garnish

Olive Oil - 1 teaspoon

Preparation:

Open cans and drain and wash the black beans thoroughly in a colander

In a pan, get the oil heating lightly, add the cumin seeds and allow them to pop, add the garlic and the green chili all uncut. 

When they are slightly browning, add the tomatoes and let it cook for couple of minutes - this is a good time to throw in the coriander powder.

Next add the washed beans and let it all boil together until you see the tomato sauce bubbling- salt as needed  - go easy on the salt because both the canned substances already have salt. 

Switch off the stove and let the soup cool down. Then put in a blender and blend well - Add warm water to rinse off the remaining beans in the blender and add to the soup. 

Put it back on the stove to warm it, stirring it frequently. 

Once it is the desired heat, garnish with cilantro and serve hot

Secret tips: set aside a 1/2 cup of beans or more if you like more texture and add to the blended soup

Add a small dollop of yogurt in your soup for extra pleasure - Avoid sour cream to keep it healthy.

Serve with warm bread or tortillas - Also good to serve with tortilla chips and cheddar cheese

Black Bean Dip

This was a quickie project for my son's Spanish class. Super easy and super tasty.

Ingredients

1 can of black beans (washed and drained)
2 green chillies
1/2 teaspoon of crushed cumin seeds
1/2 red onion
1 tomato
a pinch of garlic salt
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
1 tablespoon of cilantro chopped finely

Preparation

Mix all the ingredients (except the lemon juice) in a bowl with a whisk  until you've somewhat crushed the black beans.
Add the lime juice and mix one more time
Serve chilled with tortilla scoops