Quick Fix: Carrot and Green Chile Tacos with Ricotta and Cilantro

TACOS!!!!

These tacos need no explanation-- simple and awesome.

What you need!!
Super delicious tortillas (try Abbo Blue and Abbo Blanco local--to Boulder--heirloom, organic tortillas!)
Olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 carrots, grated
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 roasted Hatch chile (you can have these frozen from last year or from the can!)
1 tablespoon of plain almond/milk or 1/2 tablespoon of cream
Cumin
Salt

1/2 cup of ricotta cheese
1/2 cup of finely chopped cilantro
Salt
Pepper

To Garnish
Avocado*optional
Pickled Onion*optional (see previous recipe)


Saute your onions and carrots in a light coat of olive oil, until slightly sift and golden brown over medium-high heat (about 5 minutes)

Add green chile, almond milk (or cream) and let it evaporate, stirring to coat all of the veggies. Add 1 teaspoon of cumin and salt to taste. Stir and let ingredients simmer on medium low for about 7-10 minutes.

While veggies are simmering, mix ricotta, cilantro, salt and pepper in bowl...boom. Done.

Heat your tortillas (I prefer to heat mine in a lightly oiled, hot cast iron pan) and then top your tacos. Enjoy-- these were super tasty.

Chicken Tinga (for spicy shredded chicken tacos, tostadas, etc.

Ally, do you remember long ago when we had a BIG Mexican fiesta for your dad's birthday? And I made that REALLY spicy shredded chicken? Well this is the recipe, only I have since toned down the spice. **Though I did love how spicy that batch turned out, I didn't realize how spicy it was until the next day...and that is never fun. So this is a more, uh, forgiving recipe.

This chicken is good on tacos, on tostadas, in enchiladas, on a salad, with beans, with rice-- the possibilities are endless. I however, am always partial to tacos.

What you will need:

1/3 of an onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 lb of boneless skinless organic chicken breasts
1 32 ounce can of organic diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon of chipotle in adobo sauce or 3 tablespoons of fresh/previously frozen/canned green chili (either come canned in the "ethnic" aisle of the grocery store// you can get at Mexican grocers)
Ground cumin
Mexican oregano
Salt

To serve:
6-8 tortillas
"Stuff for ensalada" (today I used romaine, red cabbage and cubed cucumber, pickled onions and cilantro)
Sour cream/Crema or crumbly Mexican cheese

First, in a soup pot (that has a lid) saute the onion and garlic briefly over medium heat in a scant amount of olive oil two-three minutes, then add the whole chicken breasts, tomatoes and chili/chipotle. Cover the pot and let this simmer on medium heat for 45 minutes. 

While the tinga was cooking, I prepped a small salad to top my tacos with, chopped romaine, shredded red cabbage and cubed cucumber. I then discovered that I still had pickled onions in my fridge, and chopped them into small pieces and used them with a tablespoon of their juices to dress the salad. Wa-la. You have a light salad to top your tacos with.

After 45 minutes of simmering, remove your chicken breasts and let them cool. Turn the heat down on the tomato/tinga sauce that is still on the stove. Shred the chicken once it is cool (with your fingers or a fork) and add it back into the sauce. Season with cumin (about two tablespoons), Mexican oregano (about one hefty tablespoon) salt and pepper. Add up two half of a cup of water or broth to bring moisture back into the shredded chicken so that you may return it to medium heat without it burning or sticking to the pan. Let the shredded chicken simmer with the sauce and spices for about another 10 minutes, stirring regularly.

 Meanwhile, heat up your tortillas, today we did it the quick way in our cast iron, over high heat.

Ready whatever other toppings you have (cilantro, sour cream, cheese, lime).

Top your tortillas with all of the fixins.

Happy taco eating!!!

xoxooxoxoo

Black Bean and Vegetable Stew

In a distant universe, long-long ago, I used to have a non-profit called The Good Food People, we made all organic, super nutritious meals for people terminally ill with AIDS in Boulder county--- and would deliver them a weeks worth of meals, made with their diet needs in mind, to their door. It was great! But I had to make money to support the Good Food People-- so I made soups and salads that the cafe at the Boulder Public Library and the cafe at the Dairy Center for the Arts purchased (back then the cafes were called "Express-O!") AND this black bean stew was a top seller, always. Its easy, hearty and delicious. 

You will need:

6 cups of black beans, cooked and mostly** drained (check previous homemade black bean recipe if you need!)
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup green pepper, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
8 tablespoons olive oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon cumin
7 tablespoons white vinegar

4 tablespoons of soy sauce

salt to taste

Ready your beans, make ahead the day before as per previous recipe-- and then drain off about 75% percent of the "bean juice"(that sounds so appetizing, doesn't it?!)

Saute onions, pepper, celery & carrots in olive oil until the onions turn golden brown over medium high heat, about 5 minutes. 

Add garlic, cumin, vinegar & soy sauce. Cook over medium heat, stirring for about 3 
minutes.

Add the beans to the saute. Stir well.

Cook over a low heat for 30 minutes. Add salt to your liking.

****Tonight I served this with finely chopped cilantro and cubed avocado because I had extra of both in the refrigerator  (you could also try sour cream, hot sauce, etc. be creative!!) and if you are REALLY needing a treat, a quesadilla, cut in quarters and stuck into your stew.

LOVE!!!!!

Peasant's Veggie Chilaquiles

Ingredients:

One casserole dish
Olive oil
One large onion, sliced in thin quarters
Three small leeks, in thin slices
Two summer squash (yellow, zucchini or Mexican), diced
One large handful of Swiss chard or other greens
Six large cloves of garlic, minced
Salt
Half of a lime
Sixteen corn tortillas
One 16 ounce can of green enchilada sauce
10 ounces of  grated or crumbled cheese of your choice (today I used Cremosa a fresh, soft Mexican farmer's cheese)

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees

In a cast iron pan, drizzle olive oil and saute onions and leeks over medium-high heat until translucent, about 6 minutes.

While the onions are cooking, wash your chard and chop coarsely.

First, add your chopped squash and let brown slightly in the pan. Then add your chopped chard, and garlic and cover on medium heat, until slightly wilted.

Add salt and lime juice into the veggie mix to your taste preference. Take off of heat and cover.

In your casserole dish, slightly oil with a basting brush (or your finger) eight tortillas and line the bottom.

Cover your tortillas with your now cooked veggies and half of the grated or crumbled cheese you have.

Cover with the remainder of tortillas, again slightly coating them in oil. 

(If you had more layers you would like to add or other ingredients, this can be a multi-layer dish similar to a lasagne). Pour your enchilada sauce evenly over the top of the tortillas and scatter the remainder of the cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30-40 minutes.

Eat warm! If you end up with leftovers to enjoy over the following days, fry and egg and eat it with day-old chilaquiles for breakfast.

XO!