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Quick Vegetarian Refried Beans
This is a quick, healthy side dish I came up with while I was cooking the rest of the meal for my friends. I had the enchiladas and rice. I was serving homemade salsa and guacamole with chips before dinner but something was still bothering me. I felt I didn’t have a balanced meal as yet. That is when beans came to mind.
As I started looking for recipe ideas for the refried beans, I realized most recipes called for frying the beans in pork fat or bacon. Normally I would add pancetta or bacon to the mix because as far as I am concerned, everything is better with bacon- but in this case I needed to make the dish vegetarian.
I started by cooking canned pinto beans in water and mashing them but left still them a bit chunky. As I was sauteing them with the onions and garlic, I kept thinking of a flavoring that would mimic the smokey flavor of bacon. Smoked paprika came to mind. That’s it- I thought. It was delicious paired with the creamy pinto beans, the onions and the garlic. In fact I would make this dish the same way again- why add extra calories with the bacon when I can achieve a similar flavor with the paprika?
I topped the dish with cilantro and queso fresco and the meal was well balanced, healthy and delicious!
Try these refried beans and you will never use the canned ones again!
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Green Rice
- I made this rice with the Mexican/Latin entree I was making for a small get together. I had initially thought of making Spanish rice with tomatoes, onions and garlic and lots of lime juice but when I thought of my main entree, I realized the enchiladas were cooked in a red sauce- and I didn’t want to make red rice with it. It would be drab looking. After doing some thinking- I came up with this green rice.
- One of the things I think of when coming up with a menu is presentation. I strive to have a colorful mix when serving any meal. We eat with our eyes first and it is very healthy to have foods of all different colors.
- In this case, I had baby spinach in the fridge- it is one of the staple vegetables you will always find at my house.
- I blended spinach, cilantro, green onions and garlic together and used the paste as the base for rice. It was delicious and paired really well with the enchiladas.
- This side dish is very versatile- serve it with chicken, fish or a steak. Pair it with a quesadilla or serve with some eggs and refried beans for breakfast. Speaking of refried beans- wait till you see how easy they are to make- recipe will be up tomorrow!
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Mushroom Enchiladas with New Mexico Red Chile
This is a fabulous meal to make for company or if you just want to impress your family. It is a vegetarian meal but you can substitute any kind of meat in here including chicken, pork, shrimp or even fish.
I made this fabulous meal for a friend who was coming over with her family. They are vegetarian so I had to be careful and use vegetable broth where ever I normally use chicken broth, etc.
I made a delicious stuffing for the enchiladas with cremini mushrooms, onions and garlic. I added paprika and unsweetened cocoa. I wanted to emulate the mole sauce flavor which is a very labor intensive dish to make requiring lots of ingredients. I decided to introduce just the cocoa part to the stuffing to bring out the earthiness in the mushrooms.
I used whole-wheat tortillas- and guess what- no one noticed. Once the tortillas are doused with the super flavorful sauce, you can’t tell the difference. A perfect, sneaky way to make the dish healthy without anyone knowing.
I also cooked up some green rice and some quick vegetarian refried beans- recipes to follow tomorrow and the day after.
Definitely try making the mushroom enchiladas with new mexico red chilies- you will be impressed with yourself.
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Do You Get Enough Fiber? Eat These- GG Crackers
I heard about these crackers on Joan Hamburg’s show when she was talking about a diet called the F-Factor which amongst other things, stresses on fiber. What got my attention was that most of us don’t get enough fiber in our diets. Even those of us who take the time out to make sure we are having enough fruits and vegetables. The crackers are called GG crackers and they claim to control appetite and are only 12 calories each.
Well, I thought these sounded really good. I went to Whole Foods to find them and there they were. I brought two packs home to test them out. First of all, they are not the kind of crackers you look forward to eating ever day. Four crackers a day will take care of about 80% of your required fiber intake- for that I don’t care what they taste like- I will eat them. I tried them with a smear of peanut butter and another time I spread some jam. I had them as a snack in between meals. I didn’t see much difference in terms of appetite control. I liked that I was getting a lot of fiber.
After a week or two of eating the crackers as a snack, I decided to incorporate them into a meal. I thought breakfast would be ideal- so I took three crackers, smeared some jam and scrambled an egg. Eating the crackers with the egg made them more tolerable and I was able to wash them down with my delicious coffee. I also had one more cracker with my lunch- which consisted of a salad with some protein and lots of veggies.
What a difference- I was far less hungry the whole day! I am hooked- I don’t miss eating regular bread with my breakfast and I certainly have not eliminated bread or pasta. This is just an additional thing I have incorporated into my daily routine.
Since it is Friday- it is a day to either highlight a top ten list or inform you of something I am very excited about- I thought writing about GG crackers would be ideal. They have the highest dietary fiber. Dietary fiber is a natural substance obtained from fruits, vegetables and cereals. Adequate fiber leads to lower cholesterol and is overall a good thing to add to your diet.
It is great to get fiber from fruits and vegetables but we would need to eat a whole lot to get about 25 grams for women and over 35 for men. So, if you want to incorporate more fiber in your diet- try these crackers.
Chicken Curry Pizza
This creation came about without any planning. I love using leftovers for things like pizza toppings, quesadilla fillings, etc.
I believe it was a Friday and I bought pizza dough from our local pizzeria. I didn’t have any specific toppings in mind. I had my homemade tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese in the fridge- so I wasn’t worried.
I knew my daughter would ask for a plain pizza. I made her a delicious pizza with the tomato sauce and shredded cheese with some lettuce leaves on the side- good, healthy meal.
I decided to do pizza carbonara for myself. Since it would be made without tomato sauce, I knew my husband would not be interested. He loves his tomato sauce. So, for him I added the tomato sauce and the cheese and looked for a topping in the fridge. That is when the chicken curry stood out. I also took out half a green pepper and some onion. I decide to saute the vegetables and add them to the pizza with the chicken chunks.
My husband’s pizza definitely passed the ‘look’ test- it was gorgeous with all the vibrant colors. Once it came out of the oven oozing with melted cheese, my husband was very excited. It was delicious. The crunchy green pepper and velvety onions went really well with the savory chicken pieces.
Overall it was a big success. So, the next time you have leftovers in the fridge- consider using them as a pizza topping.
South Indian Style Chicken- Hyderabadi Chicken
This recipe is inspired from my favorite Indian cookbook- Prasad. I have been cooking from this book for over ten years. When I first bought it and looked through i, I was quite intimidated. The recipes are very complicated the instructions are not very clear.
Over the years I have learned to simplify the recipes and still capture the essence.
This dish is extremely flavorful and delicious. Chicken thighs are marinated in ginger, garlic and salt for a few hours. They are then sauteed with onions, ginger and garlic with lots of curry leaves. Curry leaves have a very distinctive flavor and if you are not able to find them- just eliminate out of the recipe. There is really no substitution.
The chicken was a big hit. I cooked it for a dinner party. Everyone loved it.
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Indian Style Spiced Omelet
I make this for dinner, lunch or brunch whenever I run out of ideas. Most of the times I forget about this easy to make, spicy omelet. I grew up eating this at home for breakfast. It is flavorful and gorgeous to look at. Indian omelets unlike the french ones are cooked thoroughly and are cooked with all the flavorings and herbs instead of being stuffed with them.
It is also easy to make since most of the ingredients are always available. I have green chilies, green onions, tomatoes and of course cheese at home. I feel lost if there is no cilantro in the house. It is a pantry meal- pair it with a delicious green salad and it is a healthy, balanced meal.
You can make this omelet with almost anything in the fridge. My daughter was eating some leftovers and my husband was going out after work and so I was the only one without dinner plans. I made this delicious meal for myself and enjoyed it with a glass of white wine.
Make this spiced omelet when you run out of ideas…
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