Eating In Week Day 5: Tempting Tempeh Tacos

Well, Eating In Week is going well and we have stuck to it!  The only challenges have been all the dishes and leftovers.  The more we cook, the more we have of both.  We were both a little tired today, so we grilled up some tempeh with Patak's Sweet and Smoky Marinade, chopped it up and served it in tortillas with black beans and onions.  It was an interesting Indian-Mexican fusion.

Tortilla Soup

I threw together this soup last night and the result was good enough to eat two bowls!  You can make it pretty quickly in a pinch or you can go for the longer version.  I put the quick ingredients in the parenthesis.  This is a nice meal served with a side of rice and vegetables.  Enjoy!

Saute in a large pot:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large chopped onion
1 chopped jalapeno
2 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon salt

Then combine:

2 cans black beans
1 can pureed whole tomatoes (or 2 cans diced tomatoes)
1 small can chopped black olives
handful of chopped cilantro
4 cups of water

Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer 15 minutes.

Garnish with tortilla chips.  You can either use chips from a bag or bake sliced corn tortillas at 450F until crisp.

Exceptional Enchilada Pie

As you know, I am a bit lazy when it comes to foods, hence the Chunky Chef concept.  Well, I love enchiladas, but they are a lot of work!  I found this recipe in Sunset magazine a couple of years ago and have loved making lazy enchiladas. If you want to make it quickly, you can used canned beans and ranchero sauce.  I like to make the ranchero sauce fresh.  Click on the link for fresh Ranchero Sauce.  You will also need fresh 10 inch tortillas; corn are nice for that authentic taste.  You can use smaller tortillas to build a smaller pie.

Preheat oven to 350F.  Grate 12 ounces of monterey jack cheese and set aside.

Mix in a large bowl:

1 cup or can black beans
1 cup or can pinto beans
1 bell pepper (I like red) chopped
1 chopped medium onion
12 ounces frozen corn kernels
2 cloves minced garlic
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Use a large round casserole dish to build your enchilada pie.

• Cover the bottom of the dish with Ranchero Sauce
• Tortilla
• Large spoonful of bean mixture
• Large spoonful of monterey jack cheese
• Tortilla
• Ranchero Sauce

Repeat layers until you have reached the top of the casserole dish.  Spoon remaining Ranchero Sauce over the pie and cover with cheese.  Bake uncovered for 40 minutes.  Serve with rice, avocados, etc.

Rocking Ranchero Sauce

This recipe is from The Border Cookbook and it is amazing!

Saute in a large pan:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
2 garlic cloves
2 large green chilies (your choice)
2 cups diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon white vinegar

Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes.  Stir in 1/3 cup chopped cilantro and juice from 1/2 medium lime.  Use sauce with enchiladas, beans, rice and tacos.  Smile.

Holy-Guaca-Mole Salad!!

This is a really satisfying mexican salad. Once again, I'm the Chunky Chef, so I am too lazy to smash guacamole all together.

1 head small romaine lettuce (or any flavorful lettuce)
1 fresh avocado
2 tomatoes (romas are nice)
1/2 yellow onion
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 lime
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2-1 teaspoon red pepper

Cut up all the vegetables and toss with lettuce. Add salt and pepper. Squeeze lime over the salad and serve!!

Mexican Corny-bread Casserole

I made this recipe up about 10 years ago. It can be prepared super quickly and when you have the bare minimums in the pantry. Here is the super speedy version. If you have a little more time, you can make the chunkier version.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Super Speedy Version

• Empty two cans of black beans into a casserole dish. (rinse and drain first). Can easily substitute pinto beans.
• Stir in salsa to make a wet mixture.
• Prepare one pack of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix.
• Pour cornbread batter over the beans.
• Bake in oven until cornbread is golden brown and toothpick comes out of cornbread clean. (30 plus minutes).

Chunky Version

Mix in the following chopped ingredients into the beans:

tomatoes
onions
cilantro
corn

• Make homemade cornbread.
• Pour cornbread batter over the beans.
• Bake in oven until cornbread is golden brown and toothpick comes out of cornbread clean. (30 plus minutes).

You can serve this dish with salsa, brown rice, avocados, tortilla chips, etc.