Mexican Lasagna

This recipe sounds kind of complicated... If you don't want to bother with the whole arbol chile business I would recommend just using a couple of cans of enchilada sauce.  It is a really great casserole.  My husband went back for seconds.

SAUCE:

• 2 large arbol chili peppers 
• 2 cup boiling water
• 1 28-ounce crushed tomatoes 
• 4 garlic cloves, minced 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
•  black pepper
• salt

LASAGNE:

• 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa 
• 1 1/2 cups water
• Salt
• 1 zuchini diced
• 1 yellow squash diced
• 1 can Ro-tel
• 1/2 onion diced
• 12  corn tortillas 
• 1 can black beans 
• 1/2 bunch coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 400F.

 For sauce: Soak arbol chilies in boiling water 20 minutes. Cool and drain, reserving soaking water. Remove stems, seeds, and strings inside chilies and add to soaking water. Drop chilies into food processor and set aside.
 Strain chili soaking water into second ungreased 13 x 9 x 2 -inch baking dish, add tomatoes, garlic,  cumin, and black pepper. Stir well, then roast uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove from oven (turn down oven to 350) and cool 15 minutes. Add to food processor with chilies and pulse about I minute until smooth; set ancho sauce aside.

For lasagne: Place quinoa, water, and salt in medium-size heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over moderately high heat. Adjust heat so water bubbles gently, then boil quinoa uncovered until all water is absorbed-about 15 minutes.  If you have a rice cooker like I do, it makes this process much easier.

In a large skillet over med heat saute onion, garlic, til soft and add zuchini, and can of diced tomatoes w green chilis.  When everything is heated through and kind of soft, add can of black beans.
To assemble lasagne, cover bottom of prepared baking dish with 6 tortillas, overlapping as needed. Layer quinoa on top, spread with half the reserved arbol sauce.   Cover with remaining 6 tortillas, again overlapping as needed, spoon black bean mixture evenly over all, and spread with remaining sauce.  Top with a package of veggie shreds (I used cheddar jack)
Cover with aluminum foil and bake until bubbly-about 30 minutes.
Let lasagne stand at room temperature 10 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro, cut into squares, and serve.

Serves 6-8

Veggie Enchiladas

While perusing the food 52 website, I came across a recipe for Summer Squash Enchiladas.  I prefer zuchinni squash to summer squash, but like to combine them for a more colorful meal.   I had already been soaking some pinto beans and wasn't sure what I was going to do with them.  So I made a variation of these, of course leaving out the mixed cheese blend and using store- bought enchilada sauce.   They came out great!  Even my meat-eating husband liked them.  Another good idea if you have plenty of dough would be to add some diced avocado inside of each of your enchiladas to make them more creamy.

• 22 corn tortillas
• 1 small onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 cups cooked pinto beans(or any other)
• 2 cans enchilada sauce
• 2 tsp cumin powder
• salt to taste
• 2 tbsp EVOO
• 2 med zuchini squash, chopped
• 1 med yellow squash, chopped
• 1 med jalapeno, diced seeds removed (optional)
• 2 small tomatoes, chopped
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 1 med avocado, chopped

Saute onion in EVOO over med heat for about 5 min.  Add minced garlic.  When you can smell the fragnant garlic, add squash and jalapeno.  Add a small bit of your enchilada sauce.  Once the squash starts to soften, add  the beans.  Mix together and turn down the heat a little.  You want the flavors to blend together then set aside to cool so it is easier to handle.  Pour a little bit of the sauce in a bowl so you can dip the corn tortillas in before you fill them.  You want your tortillas to be soft and pliable.  You can dip them in some hot oil for a few seconds if you are not worried about calories or dip them in warm enchilada sauce.  Preheat your oven to 375.  Put a small amount of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9x14 pan.  Then fill tortillas with 1/4 cup of filling and roll up laying them crease side down.  I made 22 enchiladas with this recipe.  Bake for 25 minutes or util warmed up.  When plating, garnish with diced tomatoes, cilantro and avocado.

Breakfast Smoothie

I got the idea for a smoothie from one of my colleagues at work who is in the process of reinventing herself into a healthier, happier, slimmer version of herself.

• 1 small banana
• 1/4 cup frozen, organic blueberries
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1/2 cup ice

...blend for 30 seconds.
This adds fruit to your diet and is very filling.  If you use the 40 calorie almond milk it is only 2.5 WW points!

You can substitute almond milk for soymilk or hemp milk(higher in calories) and switch out blueberries for any other kind of berry.  If I want to lower the calorie count even more I take out the banana and use strawberries and blueberries. But it isn't as filling.

Good Luck Stoup

I adapted this recipe from FatFree Vegan's Spicy Collards and Black-Eyed Pea Soup...   It is a MUST to eat black-eyed paes and greens on New Year's Day for good luck.  I prefer something less watery and more substantial than a soup.  But with a little more liquid than a stew as Rachel Ray would say.  This is quick and easy.  The ro-tel gives it some kick.  So if you prefer it less spicy you could use mild ro-tel or substitute with a can of crushed tomatoes.  We serve this in bowls over brown rice and top it with hot sauce.  I named it Good Luck Stoup because it brings us good luck every year...


1 onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1 carrot, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
6 cups veg. stock
1 bag frozen chopped collard greens
1 can Ro-tel (diced tomatoes with green chilis)
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 -2 teaspoons salt (to taste)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Spray a large pot with a light coating of olive oil or non-stick spray.  Heat (med heat) and add the onions. Sauté for about 3 minutes, until they begin to soften. Add the celery, carrot, and garlic, and cook, stirring, for 5 more minutes.

Add the ro-tel and collard greens and let cook for about 5-7 minutes to heat up greens, then add black-eyed peas, and vegetable broth. Cook until peas are tender and greens are cooked, about 25 minutes. Serve over brown rice or quinoa. 

Easy Mexican Soup

• 4 or 5 garlic cloves minced
• 1 small onion diced
• 1 zuchini diced
• 1 small carrot diced
• 2 tablespoons corn oil
• 2 corn tortillas, cut into 1-inch squares
• 1 can Ro-tel
• 1 can black beans
• 1 can hominy
• 1 can tomato sauce
•  3 teaspoons cumin
• 2 quarts vegetable stock
•  salt and black pepper

• 2 corn tortillas, cut into strips 
• 1 ripe avocado, diced
• 1/2 cup grated Veggie Shreds
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Coarsely chop the garlic, onion, zuchini, and carrot. Set aside.

In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat and add diced onion.  Saute until soft and add garlic, zuchini, carrots. Stir in the Ro-tel, hominy, black beans and tomato sauce. Add salt pepper and cumin and continue to simmer for about 10 minutes. Slowly pour in the stock and cook over med low heat until the soup is reduced by 1/3.

Ladle the soup into soup bowls and garnish with tortillas, avocados, veggie shreds, and cilantro.

Sleepy kitty...

I haven't posted in a while because I really haven't been cooking and I really haven't been inspired.  Just a couple of batches of Veggie Soup and salads and baked tofu.  But I felt like I needed to post so I am sharing pics of our big kitty Buster Drake.  We adopted him from the Harlingen SPCA a couple of years ago.  It was love at first sight.

Tofu a la Mexicana

I was hungry for a Mexican breakfast, but didn't want all the calories, fat, and didn't want to contribute to all the dead, suffering animals you get from local eateries or a Stripes "Q" taco.  After surfing the internet and getting inspired...  Tofu a la Mexicana!  I made the scrambled tofu and topped it with a cheeze sauce recipe I found on Fat Free Vegan. On the side you see 1/2 small avocado and a slice of Ezequiel sprouted grain bread.  This would have been better with refried beans   and some fresh corn tortillas or whole wheat tortillas. Next time for sure!

1 pound extra-firm tofu, drained (NOT silken)
1/2 onion, minced
1/2 diced  zuchini
1 minced garlic clove
5 mushrooms, sliced
1 large roma tomatoes, sliced

Seasoning Mix (mix all together):

1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. turmeric
2 tsp. corn starch

Mash the tofu and add the seasoning mix. Set aside.

Brush or spray a large non-stick skillet (use one that has a lid) with oil and heat to medium-high. Add the mushrooms, onion, zuchini and garlic. Wait a minute or two and then add tomato.  Cook until the mushrooms exude their juices.  Add the tofu to the skillet, and stir and cook it for a couple of minutes.  Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for about 10 minutes.

While it's cooking, make your Cheeze Sauce. Blend all ingredients together in a blender (I use my emmrsion blender and do it right in the pan) and pour into a saucepan. Heat it at medium-high, stirring constantly, until it boils and thickens. Add enough water or plain soymilk (a couple of tablespoons) to make it just pour-able. Keep it warm until ready to use.