Pozole (Take 1)

Menudo and Pozole are traditional dishes that are important in Mexican culture. It’s time consuming to make, so restaurants will usually only serve it on the weekends and households will only make it for special occasions or during Christmas time. Most importantly, it is said to cure any hangover.

The major difference between the two, is the meat content, but this of course varies in each restaurant and household. Menudo is usually made with beef tripe (stomach), and pozole is made with pork and has more hominy (pozole/posole is Spanish for hominy). I don’t really recall my parents making menudo from scratch at home. We usually went out to restaurants to eat it, or we would crack open a can of Juanita’s Menudo.

Yesterday, I thought I would try my hand at making a vegetarian version of pozole. I wasn’t really satisfied with the results, but I’ll share the recipe anyway. It tasted good, but it came out way to thick. Pozole should have a brothy consistency. I didn’t have any room in the pot to add more broth or water. I think I know what I need to do next time, which will include using canned hominy. I bought frozen pozole and didn’t realize it was uncooked (you have to cook it for 2-3 hours!).

Notes on ingredients: I used frozen posole (nixtamal, uncooked hominy) that I bought from Walmart. I also used red chile that I buy at Ardovino’s Farmers’ Market (You can contact them @ 575-650-1237). The package of posole suggested using Alburquerque Tortilla Company Red Chile Puree.

Veg Pozole

This recipe makes A LOT. You might want to cut it in half.

3 garlic cloves minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
3 quarts water
2-3 cups mushroom or ‘beef’ broth
24-28 oz. red chile puree
2 lbs. frozen posole corn (nixtamal)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder

1. Place garlic, salt, water, spices, and broth in a large pot. Bring to a boil.
2. Prepare chile as directed, and add to pot.
3. Rinse frozen posole and add to pot. Boil for 2 hours.
4. Reduce heat and simmer for another hour, or until posole is cooked through.
5. Adjust seasonings. Serve with diced onions, lime wedges, dried oregano, and crushed red pepper (optional).
6. Serve with bread (bolillos or francesitos) & butter (Earth Balance) that is toasted.

What's missing besides the meat, Mexicans? The onion! I hate raw onion, so I didn't include it. Sometimes radishes are also used as a garnish.

Taco Tuesday: Frijoles y Salsa Verde

I know today is Wednesday, but I did make and eat tacos for dinner yesterday in celebration of the Taco Tuesday theme. It just got too late to blog about it. So, now you can celebrate Taco Tuesday any day of the week with these two recipes.

 

To me, the foundation for good Mexican food is good beans and salsa, especially if it’s fresh and homemade. The best refried beans begin with frijoles de la olla (beans from the pot). We’re told to soak dried beans overnight before cooking them, but my Mom never did that, and I’ve found that not many Mexican women do either. They just pick over and rinse the beans very well, and throw them in a crock pot with raw onion, garlic, and plenty of water. Sometimes jalapenos and cilantro are added. About, 4-6 hours later, you have a house that smells totally Mexican and some beans just asking to be turned into frijoles refritos (refried beans).

After you’ve made the beans, you now need a fresh and spicy salsa that hopefully is not from a jar or can. There are so many different types of salsa, which then vary by household and restaurant. Salsa ingredients can be raw, roasted (oven or open flame), boiled, or a combination of the three. I tend to prefer my salsa roasted, but boiling ingredients can be quicker and more convenient.

The recipe below is a version of salsa verde that utilizes both boiled and raw ingredients. I use jalapenos, but you can roast up some mild green chile or poblanos if you don’t want to risk the heat. It’s been difficult to consistently find hot jalapenos in El Paso. It seems like the green chile has been hotter than the jalapenos. Mild jalapenos are seen as a huge problem in El Paso. If it’s not hot enough, El Pasoans will complain that the salsa tastes like hierba (grass).

Salsa Verde

Salsa Verde

You can also add a couple of tomatoes to the pot during the last few minutes of boil time. Before adding them, score the bottoms of the tomatoes with a knife, making an X, so that they are easier to peel.  

 

4 jalapenos
½ of an onion, peeled
1 garlic clove, peeled
kosher salt
1 tablespoon white vinegar or lime juice
handful of cilantro, roughly chopped

1. Place the jalapenos & onion in a small saucepan & cover with water. Bring the water to a boil, & simmer for 10-12 minutes. Allow the mixture to cool a bit.
2. Don’t throw out the water. Remove the stems from the jalapenos. Place the onion & jalapenos, salt (begin with ¼ tsp, adding more if needed), vinegar, and about ½ a cup of the reserved water in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth, adding more water until it reaches your desired consistency.
3. Place in a bowl & stir in cilantro. Keep refrigerated. Will keep for about 5 days.

Refried black beans never look appetizing, do they? At least they taste really good! I ate the tacos with a baked potato (Earth Balance, salt, & pepper).

Refried Black Beans

I hate to admit this, but refried beans have taken me a long time to perfect. For some reason my Mexican genes would fail me when it came to this simple dish. I’ve picked up tips from friends, family, and cookbooks, and now I can consistently make some decent refritos.

If you use canned beans, you might want to fry up some onion and garlic before adding the beans to the pan, or you can just add onion powder and granulated garlic.

 

2 cups black or pinto beans
about 1 cup of water (preferably the cooking water from the beans, aka bean juice)
1-2 tablespoons canola oil
salt & pepper
smoked paprika (optional) or 1 tablespoon of canned chipotle (optional)

1. Heat the oil in a pan or skillet (I use a 9″ stainless steel omelet pan). Add the beans.*
2.  If you want quick refried beans, add just enough water to cover the beans. If you have time and want a creamier taste and texture, add plenty of water.
3. Bring to a boil, lower heat, & simmer for a few minutes. Season if necessary and add paprika or chipotle (optional).
4. Begin mashing with a potato masher or the back of a spoon. Simmer, stirring frequently, until thickened to your desired consistency.
5. Serve as a side dish or as a taco filler.

*Local author, Denise Chavez, describes the “güiso stage” in her book A Taco Testimony:

Place a cupful of beans in the sartén (frying pan) to “güiso.” A lovely cloud of steamy bean heat will rise skyward, and you will know that you have done the güiso correctly. Many people don’t know that the güiso stage of cooking adds a caramelized topping and incredibly delicate and lovely flavor to beans.

Güiso can mean stew or seasoning. It’s pronounced like geese.

Coconut Battle

My favorite use of coconut milk is in curries, so I thought it would be fun to combine red curry with spring rolls. It might seem weird to put rice in a spring roll, but I really wanted the filling to be simmered in  and absorb the red curry sauce. This might be my new way of cooking red curry from now on.

Red Coconut Curry Spring Rolls

w/Peanut-Coconut Dipping Sauce

Red Curry Rice w/Tofu

1 cup Basmati or Jasmine rice
1 tablespoon red curry paste
1 tablespoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon brown sugar
1-2 cups extra firm tofu, drained & cut into ¼″ cubes
1 cup canned coconut milk

3/4 cup water

In a saucepan, combine the coconut milk, curry, soy sauce, & sugar, and bring to a boil. Add rice & tofu. Cover & simmer for 20 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.

Dipping sauce

¼ cup coconut milk (or the remainder of the can)

1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter

¼ teaspoon brown sugar

½ teaspoon soy sauce

a squeeze of fresh lime juice (optional)

Sriracha (optional)

Mix all ingredients together and chill.

Spring Rolls

Your choice of fillings, thinly sliced/julienned (I used carrots & japapenos because it’s all I had on hand. I would have liked to have added broccoli slaw, red bell pepper, or cucumber).

Basil or cilantro

Tofu Rice Curry

Round rice paper wrappers (I used the 16 cm size)

Bowl of warm water

Dip a wrapper in the bowl of warm water for a few seconds. Set the wrapper down on a cutting board or plate. Place a basil or cilantro leaf at the edge of the wrapper. Spread the tofu rice curry on top of the leaf and  top with your choice of fillings.

Begin rolling until the filling is covered, and then fold in the left and right sides of the wrapper. Continue rolling tightly. Cut in half and serve with dipping sauce.

Tweet Treat: Pasta alla Vodka

This Tweet Treat happens to feature yet another pasta dish. It also begins the same way most of my recipes/blog entries begin: “I needed to get rid of…so I decided to…”
In this case, I had to get rid of roasted red bell peppers, and I decided that I was craving penne alla vodka and wanted to attempt a vegan version.

Penne alla vodka is a rich, savory-sweet pasta dish with a sauce made of tomatoes, vodka, and heavy cream. The vodka really brings out the sweetness of the tomatoes. The alcohol evaporates as the sauce cooks, so you may want to make this a raw dish.

I put a twist on penne alla vodka by changing out all of the ingredients except for the vodka. The result was a tasty, bright colored sauce. You can view Lidia Bastianich’s classic version over at Epicurious. Lidia says she likes the sauce a little feisty, so she is generous with the crushed red pepper.

Cell Phone Pic: Linguine alla roasted red pepper vodka

Roasted Red Pepper Vodka Sauce 

I initially used  1/3 cup of vodka, but I think that was a bit too strong, so I lessened the amount here. You can lessen it even more if you like. You can also add lemon zest at the end to brighten up the flavors.

1/3 cup raw cashews
water
1 cup of roasted red bell peppers, pureed
1 garlic clove, minced
crushed hot red pepper
¼ cup vodka
salt & pepper
fresh basil, chiffonaded (optional)

1. Soak the cashews in enough water to cover them in the refrigerator for at least half an hour.
2. Meanwhile, cook pasta or whatever you’re going to use this sauce for.
3. Drain and rinse the cashews. Cover them in water again and puree until smooth (I use the knockoff Magic Bullet from Bella Cucina).
4. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic & red peppers & cook until fragrant.
5. Add pureed red peppers & vodka. Season with salt & pepper. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
6. Stir in cashew cream & cook until heated through.
7. Add basil & serve over your favorite pasta, veggies, beans, or faux meat or all of the above.

Worthy Causes

For the past two Wednesdays during Vegan MoFo, I’ve blogged about my favorite apps. Well, that didn’t happen yesterday, nor is it going to happen today. I want to take time to draw your attention to a few good charitable events that are going on right now. You’ll need to act quickly if you want to help out, because some have deadlines that are drawing very near.

Some are local and some are (or can) be national. If you know of any other charitable happenings or causes, leave a comment and I’ll add them in (please try to keep it food or animal related). I hate that some of these nonprofits even have to exist, but since they do, I love that they coincide with food and/or animals.

Many times, giving can be self-serving. Like if you decide to purchase $10 worth of groceries at Albertsons (if you have one) and give it to a food bank, you’ll earn a sticker to potentially get Cuisinart stuff. Or, if you decide to donate to Sunny Day Farms, you get a cool cookbook zine.  Details below.

Warning: Ranty part about giving ettiquette

Before, I list the causes, I want to personally comment on giving non-perishable food items to organizations. I’m not sure if this is the case for all food banks and organizations, but I used to volunteer with a group that handed out meals to homeless individuals every Saturday. I was thrown into volunteered to coordinate food donations and meal planning for a short while. We were really grateful to receive so many food donations at a fundraising event, but it was difficult for me (especially since I had no experience) to handle the odd assortment of food items. We received a mishmash of strange items that people were obviously trying to get rid of and some of it was even expired.

So, before you clean out your pantry and feel good about your generosity, consider this:

• Non-perishable items are actually perishable. Don’t give someone your expired food. Throw it away! If there’s no expiration date, and you can’t remember when you bought it, throw it away. When in doubt, throw it out!
• If you don’t want to eat it, why would someone else want to eat it?
• If you don’t want to purchase food to give, try donating your time or talent.

Pennies Fur Pets

Deadline: October 21, 2011 You can still donate after the deadline!

Last week, eight-year-old Ellen, was featured in the El Paso Times for her awesome Make a Difference Day project. You can read the article online while it’s still available. She’s been volunteering at the Animal Rescue League for 6 years! She decided to collect $2,000 for this no-kill animal shelter. This will help save 10 animals! Coincidentally, she was at the Farmers’ Market when I went last week and I was able to donate to her cause. As of today, she has raised $820. Please help her out, regardless if you’re from El Paso by visiting the site and donating online. How can you say no to an 8 year old or to 10 animals that might be killed?

Food Day

Now through October 24, 2011

This is a national initiative that seeks to “bring Americans together to push for healthy, affordable food produced in a sustainable, humane way.” Hmmm….kind of sounds like they’re promoting vegetarianism/veganism. There’s a lot of info on the site, including recipes of which the majority are vegan. Oh, wait. Except for the ones that have meat?! The majority of Americans don’t have access to so-called ‘humane, sustainable’ meat. So, why include it? Anyways, you can also type in your zip code to view the events that are taking place in your city (if there are any).

I found out about Food Day through a work email received from the Mayor asking us to take part by donating food items to the West Texas Food Bank. I wish I knew about this sooner, because it seems like El Paso is participating halfheartedly (to put it nicely). Las Cruces is totally upstaging us. They actually have a co-op and NMSU is participating. You can view the El Paso/Las Cruces events here.

Sunny Day Farms

Ongoing

This farm animal sanctuary is located near San Antonio, and is currently fundraising due to struggles recently caused by the drought, extreme heat, and rising cost of hay. I know we, El Pasoans often feel isolated and not very Texan at times, but this is a worthwhile cause. All you have to do is either donate money or purchase a fundraising zine loaded with delicious sounding vegan recipes. If a vegan cookbook sounds gross to you, just head on over to Lazy Smurf’s blog. She’s making and posting pics of all the recipes in the book this month! I still need to purchase my copy. I’m dying to make that jack fruit brisket everyone’s been talking about. Buy the zine here.

Vegan Bake Sale

Upcoming (November 12)

Eastsiders are always complaining that everything happens on the westside. Well, in November the Vegetarian Society is hosting a vegan bake sale at the Cielo Vista Natural Market at 8900 Viscount from 9:30 am-2pm. You can participate by donating vegan baked goods, purchasing them, or manning the table. This time, proceeds will go to From the Heart Animal Rescue. Eastsiders better represent this time!

Taco Tuesday: Calabacitas

This edition of Taco Tuesday was inspired by tacos I had at El Pisto, which is now closed. El Pisto was Chef Bobby Griffing’s restaurant that served pricey southern Mexican cuisine in the historic downtown space that used to be La Nortena. The menu was a pleasant change from typical El Paso Mexican fare, but it was pricey and not at all veggie friendly. The black beans were refried in lard, and everything seemed to contain meat or animal products.

Once in awhile, we would go there for drinks and dollar tacos on Mondays. I would order the calabacita tacos, which were so simple and delicious. Calabacita literally translates to “little squash”, but usually refers to zucchini. At El Pisto, it was tender and buttery yellow squash seasoned only with salt and cilantro and topped with queso fresco in a handmade corn tortilla.

I miss El Pisto’s atmosphere and it saddens me that another local restaurant went under. Not sure what went wrong, but service was kind of spotty, food was inconsistent, and their hours seemed irregular. Even though they weren’t very veggie friendly, their menu did inspire me. It made me want to make my own tortillas and pay more attention to yellow squash.

You can still view the menu and pictures of El Pisto on their website.

This needs jalapenos or salsa ASAP!

Cilantro Lime Crema

This doesn’t really taste like sour cream, because of the pronounced soy taste, but it does have a tangy, rich creaminess with an added protein bonus. Once you add it to the tacos, you can’t really tell the difference. Use the aseptically packed tofu that’s not in the refrigerated section.

 

1 package of silken extra firm tofu
1 tablespoon canola oil (Or 2 tablespoons. I accidentally did.)
4-6 teaspoons fresh lime juice (or lemon juice)
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon brown sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
handful of cilantro (optional)

1. Crumble the tofu into a food processor & process until smooth. Stop machine & scrape down sides.
2. Mix the remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Turn the machine on again & pour mixture in through the chute while the machine is running.
3. Add cilantro, process, & transfer to a bowl. Chill. Keeps for up to 5 days.

Yellow Squash Saute

You can also use any other squash you have on hand. Use a large enough pan so that the squash isn’t overcrowded, or else the squash won’t cook evenly & the water from the squash won’t evaporate.

 

1 tablespoon Earth Balance Buttery Spread or oil
4 yellow squash, ½″ dice
1 garlic clove, minced (optional)
½ teaspoon cumin seeds (optional)
kosher salt & freshly ground pepper
handful of cilantro, roughly chopped (optional)

Optional add ins: diced onion, diced tomato, diced jalapeno.

1. Heat the butter or oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.
2. Add cumin & garlic. Cook until fragrant.
3. Add squash & season with salt & pepper.
4. Cook for about 10-15 minutes or until tender, stirring often.
5. Stir in cilantro & serve.

Sunday Stew

There’s something about Sundays that demands a hearty, delicious homestyle meal. This is especially true in the fall when the temperature begins to drop. Even if you work on Sundays, there’s a certain slow and lazy feeling in the air. Eating a slow simmered or baked meal rounds out the day perfectly.

I loved when my mom would make pot roast back in my meat eating days. My favorite part of the dish was the vegetables. I reluctantly ate the meat, but the vegetables were so soft and had a carmelized flavor from being cooked for so long. Vegetables that I usually hated, were savored.

I first made this stew for one of our Ru nights, and have been longing to make it again. The recipe was adapted from a recipe on the Food Network site, called Pot Roast with Roasted Vegetables. I omitted the roasted vegetables out of laziness and lack of the ingredients. It’s a relatively quick version of meat stews, only taking about 45 minutes to make.

Beefy Stew

If you can’t find the Gardein beef tips, try using cannelini beans or your favorite beans/meat sub instead.

1 package Gardein beef tips
1 small onion, chopped
4 carrots, peeled & sliced
3 ribs celery, sliced
3 cloves garlic, smashed & chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ cup red wine
1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 cups water (or ‘beef’ or mushroom broth)
3 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1. Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add beef tips and cook for 3-4 minutes. Remove from pan, and set aside.
2. Add a little more oil. Add onion & cook for a couple of minutes. Add a splash of the wine to deglaze the pan. Add carrots, celery, & garlic. Cook for about 8 minutes or until veggies are tender.
3. Add flour, stir, & cook for 1-2 minutes. Add wine, water, tomato, potatoes, thyme, & bay leaves.
4. Bring to a boil, turn down heat, & simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through.
5. Add beef & cook for about 5 more minutes. Add red wine vinegar.
6. Season with salt & pepper if necessary.

App Review: Gardein Recipes

This is part of a series of reviews of apps for iPhones that are veg friendly.

Title: Gardein Recipes
Platform: iPhone, iPod touch, & iPad
Cost: free
Key features: all recipes are vegan, recipe search by product, vibrant colors & pictures, clean & sleek layout

Gardein is a fairly new line of meat substitute products that has quickly become a favorite of many veggies, including myself. All of their products contain recipes and meal ideas on the back of the package, and their site has a searchable recipe page. With a content rich website and an active presence on Facebook and Twitter, it makes sense that they would release a recipe app for their products. There are a few cons, but for a free app, it’s a great deal and one that will inspire many menu ideas. Those that don’t have an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad can view all of the recipes on the Gardein site.

• Contains over 50 recipes
• Search recipes by course, keyword, or product
• Each recipe provides a partial shopping list with the ability to edit, add, & email items
• Share recipes via email, Facebook, & Twitter
• Cons: Keyword search doesn’t function very well, store locator doesn’t work, shopping lists aren’t complete

For more info on the app, visit this page.

Screenshots:

 

Taco Tuesday: Guacamole Tacos

Last Tuesday, I shared my version of potato tacos. Today, I’m sharing another favorite of mine that’s less carbolicious and healthier. Sure, you’ve had it as a dip or condiment, but have you ever had a guacamole taco? It’s a shame that many Mexican restaurants don’t include them on their menu (or is this just an El Paso thing?), especially since they most likely already serve guacamole.

I’ve known several people that hate guacamole until they try mine. I’m not by any means tooting my own horn here. It’s probably because they share my same love-hate relationship with guacamole. I love the avocado, but I hate biting into chunks of raw garlic or onion. I don’t even care how small you dice it, the flavor is so pungent and overpowers the taste of the avocado. When I make guacamole at home, I don’t put onions, garlic, or tomatoes in it it. I love tomatoes, but chunks of them are banned by a certain member of this household.

Guacamole w/lettuce, tomato, & jalapeno

Lisa’s Guacamole

This is such a quick & simple recipe. The only trick is finding or having perfectly ripened avocados. Need some pointers on how to cut up an avocado? View the nice little tutorial from eHow below. 

2 small avocados or 1 large avocado
1 fresh lime
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
handful of cilantro, roughly chopped

Optional add ins: diced tomato, diced jalapeno, hot sauce, salsa, garlic salt or powder. Sometimes my mom would season her guacamole with meat tenderizer.

1. Cut & slice the avocados (tutorial below), and place them in a bowl.
2. Squeeze about ½ of the lime juice or 1-2 tablespoons over the avocado (depends how limey you like it). Season with salt & pepper, and mash & stir to combine.
3. Add cilantro & jalapenos if desired, stir to combine.
4. Serve as a dip or use as a taco filling/topping.

Chickpea Battle

As part of Vegan Month of Food, the Vegan Mofo site has begun hosting weekly Iron Chef challenges. This week’s secret ingredient is chickpeas (dried, fresh, flour, hummus, etc.).

You can imagine the difficulty of creating a recipe that utilizes this extremely versatile legume that is present in so many different cuisines. I had a lot of fun with this challenge and am extremely happy with my outcome. I initially wanted to make a falafel-like pancake, but that was a big fail. When all else fails, you resort to soup, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

I used ingredients that were already in my pantry. Here’s a list of them and the substitutions you can make:

• 1/2 cup dried chickpeas. I would recommend using more chickpeas.
• 1 can of Muir Glen Fire Roasted Tomatoes with Chipotle Peppers. This can has been sitting in my pantry just waiting to be used. You can sub whatever canned tomatoes you have on hand, just add about 1-2 tablespoons of canned chipotle, diced. Or use smoked paprika if you don’t want the heat.
• Besan Gram Flour. I bought this for a previous recipe, so it’s been sitting in the pantry unused. You can omit or use all-purpose flour.
• Ground coriander. Either omit, or use fresh cilantro (add at the end).
• Cumin seeds. Omit or use ground cumin.
• Leeks. Omit or use diced onion.

Smoky Tomato Chickpea Soup

1 cup or more cooked or canned chickpeas, divided

1 14.5 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes, pureed (or left as is if you want a chunkier soup)

2 cups water

1½ teaspoons cumin seeds, divided

1-2 tablespoons besan gram flour (chickpea flour)

½ teaspoon ground coriander

2 garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup leeks, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon Earth Balance Buttery Spread, margarine, or oil

salt & pepper

fresh cilantro

Toast spices & flour:

• Toast the cumin seeds in a dry pan until fragrant. Set aside.
• Toast coriander and 1 tablespoon of flour in the dry pan until fragrant. Mix together with 1 teaspoon of the toasted cumin seeds & set aside.
• Grind the remaining ½ teaspoon of cumin seeds in a mortar & pestle.

For roasted chickpeas (optional):

• Preheat oven/toaster oven to 400°.
• In a small bowl, drizzle olive oil over ½ a cup of the chickpeas.
• Sprinkle ground cumin seeds, salt, & pepper  over the chickpeas and toss to coat evenly.
• Transfer to a shallow baking pan & roast in oven until lightly browned & crunchy, stirring occasionally for about 35 minutes.

For soup:

• Heat butter or oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add garlic & leeks, stirring until garlic is lightly browned & leeks are wilted.
• Add spice-flour mixture & cook until fragrant (less than a minute), stirring frequently.
• Add tomato puree & stir. Add about 2 cups of water. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
• Add chickpeas. Season with salt & pepper if needed.
• Add more flour if you want a thicker soup.

Garnish with chopped roasted chickpeas & cilantro.