Southwest Grilled Mushrooms

I wasn't sure what this recipe was going to be until it was on the table.  I found some great vegetables at the store today, combined with a few things I already had from home, and...PRESTO!  It turned out to be a good presto this time ;-)  You will need:

6 mini portobello mushrooms, cleaned and stems removed
1 medium yellow squash, diced
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 poblano pepper, grilled until blackened with skin and seeds removed, diced
1 anaheim pepper, grilled until blackened with skin and seeds removed, diced
1 small onion, diced (I used a combo of red and sweet onion)
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1/3 C sour cream or vegan sour supreme
1 roma tomato, seeds removed and diced
1 small avocado, diced
3 tbsp habanero pesto*
2-3 tbsp chopped cilantro
2 limes
salt & pepper to taste

Warm oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and cook until soft.  Add yellow squash and zucchini and continue to cook for about 6-7 minutes, or until soft.  Add the poblano and anaheim peppers and reduce heat to medium low.  Add the pesto and stir to combine.  Allow to cook for about 5 minutes.  Add sour cream, the juice of 1/2 lime, and stir.  Reduce heat to low and simmer.

Meanwhile, brush the mushrooms with oil and place on the grill, stem side down.  Cook for 6-7 minutes, turn, brush with oil, and continue to cook until softened.  They will likely fill with liquid, which you can discard once removing from the grill.

Place the mushrooms on a place, top with vegetable mixture, and sprinkle with the tomatoes, cilantro and avocado.  I sprinkled some crumbled goat cheese over the top, but it is optional.

*I found the habanero pesto at a farmer's market in California.  You can use regular pesto, especially if you don't want the extra spice from the habanero.  If you like the flavor and spice, mince some habanero and add to store bought pesto or blend into homemade pesto.

**An alternate use for the vegetable mix is to combine with the pasta of your choice.  Reserve some pasta water to thin out the sauce.

Red and Green Huevos Rancheros

I love Mexican food!  So, when I came across this breakfast recipe, I had to try it.  The original recipe wasn't vegetarian, so I made a few substitutions and the result was fantastic.

For the red sauce:

4 plum tomatoes, cored
1 large shallot, peeled
1 serrano chile, stemmed
1/4 cup vegetable broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the green sauce:

5 tomatillos, husked and rinsed
1 Anaheim chile, halved
1/2 small white onion
1 clove garlic, unpeeled
Salt and freshly ground black pepper 

For the huevos rancheros:
 
4 eggs, cooked to your preference
corn tortillas

For the red sauce, place all ingredients in a preheated skillet and cook until charred on all sides.  Immediately place in a blender or food processor along with the broth.  Puree until smooth.  Return the sauce to the stove and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until it is bright red.  Salt and pepper to taste.

For the green sauce,  cook the ingredients in a skillet just as you did for the red sauce.  Keep the peel on the garlic while cooking.  Once charred on all sides, peel the garlic and place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.  Salt and pepper to taste.

For the corn tortillas, warm a skillet over medium heat.  Lightly wet the tortillas and place them one by one on the skillet.  Cook for about 30-60 seconds on each side, just enough to soften and dry the tortillas.  Remove the tortillas, place on a plate, and put 1-2 cooked eggs on top of the tortilla.  Pour the red sauce over half and the green sauce over the other half.  Enjoy!

To make this recipe vegan, simply use vegan tofu "egg" scramble:

Saute in a little olive oil or water in a large pan:
1 small onion diced or 1 tsp onion powder
2-3 cloves crushed garlic or 1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 pounds Tofu, extra firm or hard
(drain, rinse, and crumble into small pieces into the pan)

Stir in well:
2 T Chick-it seasoning
4 T Nutritional yeast flakes
1/4 tsp Turmeric
Salt to taste
Sprinkle with parsley to garnish(optional)

Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
you can add 1/2 green or red bell pepper with the onion when you saute