Burrito Night

There has been a long standing tradition of Friday night burritos in my husband's family.  We have carried that over into our family, with some small changes.  We look forward to the smell of pinto beans cooking in the crock pot every week.  This is an easy way to feed a large group of people or just your family.  But, regardless, it is delicious!

For the beans:

In a medium or large crock pot, cover the bottom with washed pinto beans (about 2-3 cups).  Fill at least half way with water.  Add 1-2 cloves crushed garlic, 1-2 tsp salt, and 1-2 jalapeno peppers, whole - stems and all.  You can pierce the peppers a couple times to allow more flavor to soak into the bean.  Cook on high for at least 4-5 hours.  I usually plug them in first thing in the morning and by lunch time they can be turn to medium or low.  You can serve them whole, mashed by hand, or pureed in a food processor.  You will need to add some of the water the beans cooked in to mash or puree, so reserve some of it.


Burritos are all about the toppings.  I will prepare an assortment of things to add to the beans, such as:

Diced tomatoes
Diced onions
Warmed veggie burger crumbles (such as Morningstar Farms or Boca brand crumbles)
Shredded jack cheese
Sliced black olives
Shredded lettuce
Sour cream
Guacamole*
Salsa*
Serve on warmed corn or flour tortillas or over tortilla chips for nachos.

*See below for recipe

For the guacamole:

3-4 medium sized avocados
1-2 jalapenos and/or habanero peppers
Salt to taste
1/2 red onion, minced - optional
1/2 C chopped fresh cilantro - optional
Juice from 1/2 lime

There are a few different ways to prepare this.  You can place the avocado, peppers, green sauce, garlic salt, and lime juice in a food processor mix until well combined.  Then, add in the onion and cilantro if using.  Or, you can mince the peppers and mash the avocado by hand before adding in the rest of the ingredients.  Just depends on how smooth or chunky you like it.

For the corn salsa:

2 cans sweet corn, drained
1 medium sized sweet or red onion, minced
1 bunch fresh cilantro, shopped
2-3 tomatoes, seeds removed and diced
2 jalapeno peppers, seeds removed and diced*
1 habanero pepper, seeds removed and diced*
1 serrano chile pepper, seeds removed and diced*
1 poblano chile pepper, seeds removed and diced
juice from 1 lemon
juice from 1 lime
1 avocado, skin and pit removed and diced
Salt to taste


Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
*Use more or less depending on preferred level of spice.  I often times will use a combination of 2-3 of these peppers - for example, using only jalapeño and poblano.  The habanero is the hottest, followed by the Serrano.  The poblano and jalapeño are about the same spice level, but totally different flavor.  They work well together for a more mild salsa.

Fusilli Pasta with Lemon and Arugula

If you are looking for a bright and fresh pasta dish to serve this summer, try this one out.  Check out the alternate recipe below...I can't decide which I like better with this sauce!

1 C heavy cream (*if you want a richer and thicker sauce, use 2 cups of cream and eliminate the broth.  **see below for vegan substitutes)
1 C vegetable broth
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
Zest from 2 medium sized lemons
Juice from 2 lemons
1 pound dry fusilli pasta
1 1/2 C broccoli florets
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
4-5 oz fresh baby arugula
1/2 C freshly grated parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium sauce pan, warm oil over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook for about 1 minute.  Add in the cream, broth, lemon juice and zest, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.  The sauce will thicken slightly. 

Meanwhile, steam the broccoli florets either on the stove top or in the microwave until it just starts to get tender.  Bring a large pot of water to boil, add salt, and cook the pasta until just tender.  Drain the pasta and return to pot.  Add sauce and cook for about 3-4 minutes.  Place the pasta in a large serving bowl and immediately add the tomatoes, cooked broccoli, and arugula.  Stir to combine.  Top with Parmesan cheese.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Serve warm.

*Alternate:  Instead of broccoli, try sauteed baby portobello mushrooms and asparagus.  I start with about 1 tbsp olive oil warmed over medium heat in a saute pan.  Add mushrooms and a sprinkle of salt.  Cook until softened.  Add one bunch of asparagus, cut into bite sized pieces.  Cook until just slightly tender.  Add to the recipe as you would for the broccoli above.
**I recently tried a vegan version of this recipe and it came out great!  As a substitute for the heavy cream, blend together 1/2 block extra firm silken tofu with 1/2 cup plain soy milk.  Combine until smooth.  I also added a dash of salt.  In place of the parmesan I used nutritional yeast flakes.

Corn and Poblano Lasagna

I discovered this recipe, as I do many, on foodnetwork.com.  But, I tweaked it a bit and it came out great!

Ingredients:

4 tbsp olive oil, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced, divided
2 cups fresh corn kernels (from about 2 ears), or frozen and thawed
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, or 1/4 tsp dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced white onion
1 large zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise
4 poblano chiles, charred, peeled, stemmed, seeded and cut into 1-inch strips
12 (7 by 3-inch) no-boil lasagna sheets
2 cups shredded jack cheese, or mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add 2/3 of the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Mix in the corn and saute for 5 minutes. Stir in the cream and thyme. Cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes for the flavors to incorporate. Turn off the heat and let cool slightly. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.


Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining garlic and cook for 1 minute. Mix in the zucchini and poblano strips and cook for 5 minutes for the flavors to incorporate. Season with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat.

Spread about 1/4 of the corn mixture over the bottom of an 11 by 8-inch baking dish. Cover with a layer of 3 lasagna sheets. Spread 1/4 of the poblano mixture and 1/4 of the cheese over the pasta. Repeat the layering 3 more times. Cover with foil and bake until the pasta is cooked and tender, about 50 minutes. Remove the foil and turn up the oven temperature to broil. Broil until golden brown and bubbly, 8 to 10 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

 

Chipotle Plum "Chicken"

This recipe calls for the same Quorn Naked Chik'n Cutlets that I have used in the past.  However, this is by far my favorite sauce that I have cooked them in.  Not only is the sauce sweet and spicy, but it made the cutlets very moist. 

Ingredients:

1 package of 4 chik'n cutlets, frozen
3/4 C plum sauce
1/2 C fresh orange juice
2 tbsp minced chipotle in adobo sauce (more or less depending on how spicy you like it)
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 C coffee (I used leftover coffee from the morning, but you can use instant as well)
Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Continue cooking at a light boil for about 5 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened and reduced slightly.  Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 more minutes.  Place the cutlets in an oven safe dish coated with cooking spray.  Pour the sauce evenly over the cutlets, cover, and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the chicken is warmed through.  Serve with the sauce poured over the top.

Quinoa with Purple Potatoes

Quinoa is relatively new to me but rapidly becoming one of my favorite things to make.  This recipe has a delightful mix of flavors and textures and can compliment a number of main dishes.

Ingredients:

12 oz purple potatoes, scrubbed clean and cut into bite sized pieces.

For the quinoa:

1 C quinoa
2 C vegetable broth
4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
12 oz (or 1 small package) frozen peas, thawed

For the dressing:

1/2 C medium black pitted olives
1/3 C fresh oregano
1/4 C agave nectar
1/4 C olive oil
4 tbsp fresh lime juice
salt & pepper to taste

Place the purple potatoes in a medium pot, cover with cold water, sprinkle with salt, and bring to a boil.  Continue to boil for 10-12 minutes, or until soft.

In a dutch oven (or large, shallow pot) place the broth, quinoa, and garlic.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Cover and reduce heat to a simmer.  Allow to cook for about 20 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed.  Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.  Fluff the quinoa with a fork, add the peas and potatoes, and toss lightly.

In a food processor, add all the dressing ingredients and combine until chunky.  Pour the dressing over the quinoa and toss to coat.