Corn Chile Rellano with Refried Black Eyed Peas, Garlic Crema and Mango Guacamole

One Year Ago Today Lemongrass Springrolls with Sriracha Aioli

Two Years Ago Today Marionberry Pie

Three Years Ago Today Ratatouille Ravioli in Tomato Basil Marinara

Charred poblano peppers stuffed with fresh corn, green chilies and a whole lot of cheese. Serve with mango guacamole, roasted garlic-cashew crema and refried black eyed peas.

Corn Chile Rellano
serves 4
4 poblano peppers

3 tbl extra virgin olive oil, divided
12 oz fresh or frozen corn kernels
1-3oz can roasted green chiles
1 1/2 cups shredded vegan cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 cup diced vegan jalapeno garlic havarti cheese (Such as Daiya)
1/4 cup shredded vegan mozzarella cheese
2 cups of your favorite chile or enchilada sauce

Preheat the oven to broil.
Drizzle the poblano peppers with 1 tbl of olive oil and broil until charred, turning the peppers over once to ensure even cooking. This will take about 10 minutes total. Once the peppers are cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and cut a slit down the top, to open up the pepper. Pull out the seeds and stem on the inside and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 400.
Saute the corn and green chiles in 2 tbl of olive oil until tender, 10 minutes. Add 1 cup of cheddar and the havarti and stir to cook until the cheese has melted. Remove from the heat.
Stuff the peppers with the corn filling and top with your remaining cheddar and mozzarella cheese.
Place the peppers back on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes until the cheese has melted on the top.
Heat up your chile sauce and serve with your poblanos along with garlic crema and beans.

Garlic Crema
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
5 garlic cloves, whole
1 cup raw cashews, soaked in room temperature water for 1 hour
1/4 cup coconut water, or plain water
 salt, to taste

Combine the oil and garlic in a small sauce pot and turn on the heat to medium-low. Cook the garlic until it is golden brown and soft, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit for 15-20 minutes.
Drain the cashews and combine in a blender with the oil and garlic as well as the coconut water. Blend for 5 minutes until white, creamy and smooth. Taste and season with salt.

Mango Guacamole
2 ripe avocados, small dice
1 plum tomato, seeded, minced
1/4 cup minced fresh mango
2 tbl minced shallots
juice of 1/2 lime
salt, to taste

Combine all of the ingredients and mash with a fork to your desired consistency. Taste and season with salt.

Refried Black Eyed Peas
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
1 jalapeno, seeded, minced
1 red chile pepper, seeded, minced
1/2 sweet onion, minced
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1-15oz can black eyed peas, undrained
1-15oz can pinto beans, undrained
2 cups water

Saute the jalapeno, red chile and onion in olive oil until tender and fragrant, 5-7 minutes. Season with cumin, paprika and salt. Add the black eyed peas and pinto beans along with the water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes or until all of the liquid has been absorbed. Use a potato masher to break up the beans and mash to your desired consistency. I like to keep a little texture. Taste and season with salt.

Sopes with Refried Beans and Papaya Slaw

Sopes, or originally called Gorditas, are a traditional mexican dish made of masa. Mine are first grilled, then fried to cook through and taste like thick tortillas. Fill them with anything you can imagine! My pinto bean filling soaks gently into the dough and holds perfectly in each vessel, keeping them moist.

Homemade sopes filled with pinto beans, fire roasted chilies and red onion topped with a fresh slaw of papaya, poblano, red cabbage and cilantro.

Sopes
makes 8-3" sopes
1 1/4 cup masa harina
1 cup water
1 tsp cumin
1 tbl vegetable shortening
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
canola oil for frying

Combine the masa, water, cumin, shortening, salt and baking powder into a smooth dough. Divide into 8 balls and flatten each into 3" circles, about 1/4" thin.
Preheat a grill pan. Fill a saute pan with oil 3/4" up the sides and bring to 350 degrees.
While the oil is heating, grill the sope discs on each side for 20 seconds. Remove from the grill.
Create walls with each disc, pushing dough from the center to the outside. Place back on the grill, flat side down and cook 1 minute more.
Once the oil is hot, cook the sopes, flat side up, for 1-2 minutes until golden brown and crispy.

Refried Filling
2 tbl canola oil
1/4 cup small dice red onion
3 oz fire roasted green chilies
1/2 tsp salt
1-15oz pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup fire roasted tomatoes
1 cup refried beans

In a small pot, saute the onion and chilies with salt for 7 minutes until they start to become tender. Add the whole pinto beans and tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the refried beans and simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Papaya Slaw
1 cup red cabbage, core removed, thinly sliced
1/2 papaya, peeled, seeds removed, thinly sliced
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/2 poblano pepper, thinly sliced
3 tbl chopped fresh cilantro
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
juice from 1/2 lime
1/4 tsp sea salt

Combine all of the ingredients and let chill for 15-20 minutes to allow the vegetables to soften and marinate.

Hominy & Tempeh Tacos

Tonight we got home slightly later than usual from picking berries at a local farm so I wanted to make something quick and satisfying. If I had the time, I would have insisted upon making the picante salsa and re-fried beans myself but time was not on my side so I took some help from the store.

Golden hominy and crispy tempeh simmered in picante sauce and topped with cumin scented vegetables, quick re-fried beans and loads of fragrant cilantro.

Hominy & Tempeh Tacos
4 tbl canola oil
10oz tempeh, thinly sliced and cubed
1-28 oz can yellow hominy, drained and rinsed
12 oz picante salsa
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 yellow squash, halved, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbl cumin
salt and pepper
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro, divided
1-15oz can vegetarian re-fried beans
1/4 cup vegetable broth
12 hard taco shells

In a medium pot, heat 2 tbl of oil and saute the tempeh until golden brown. Season with salt and pepper. Add the hominy and salsa and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Stir in 1 tbl of cilantro and taste to season.
In a large saute pan, heat the remaining 2 tbl of oil and saute the onion and bell peppers for 7 minutes until they start to become tender. Add the squash, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper and saute over medium-high heat 5 minutes more. Sprinkle in 2 tbl of cilantro.
Combine the beans and vegetable broth in a small pot and season with a bit of salt. Bring up to heat and stir to combine.
Stuff the tacos with beans on the bottom, hominy, then vegetables and sprinkle with the remaining cilantro.

Grilled Taco Salad

It's days like these and meals like this that really make me jealous I don't have a backyard or an outdoor grill. Until then, I can open up all the windows and use my trusty grill pan to get the job done.
I ate this just as is but it would also do well rolled up in some soft corn tortillas, in a tostada bowl or with some blue corn chips.

Grilled radicchio, bell peppers, onions and squash, creamy avocado, spiced pinto beans and chickpeas scented with lime and cilantro.


Grilled Taco Salad
1 orange bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 yellow squash, thin wide strips
1 head radicchio,core removed, thinly sliced
1-15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 jalapeno, seeded, thinly sliced
1/4 cup vegetable broth
juice and zest from 1 lime
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
salt and pepper
1-15oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 tbl cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 avocado, sliced into wedges

Preheat a grill and brush with oil. Grill the bell peppers, onion, squash and radicchio until slightly tender with grill marks. Season with salt.
While the vegetables are grilling, prepare both bean dishes.
In a small pot, combine the chickpeas, jalapeno, vegetable broth, lime juice and zest, turmeric, salt and pepper. Simmer until all of the liquid has evaporated and the jalapeno has softened, 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and add 2 tbl cilantro.
In another small pot, combine the pinto beans with cumin, garlic powder, cayenne, salt and pepper. Mash to desired consistency and cook until warmed through, 5 minutes.
Serve both bean dishes with grilled vegetables, avocado and remaining cilantro to garnish.