I made these tacos for the New York Times, Local a few weeks ago. It was right after my daughter and I returned from our trip to Austin. We go there almost every year to visit family and really enjoy the Mexican food- it tastes a lot more authentic and it is available almost everywhere.

One of the things I really enjoyed was something called migas tacos. Eggs were cooked with onions, jalapenos, tomatoes and topped with cheese. The one ingredient that makes these tacos different are the tortillas chips- yes thats right- crunchy tortillas strips are added to the eggs while cooking. The chips provided a great texture and flavor to the eggs. The cooked eggs are placed on a tortilla and topped with cheese- what could be better than that? Well, how about a roasted poblano and avocado crema…

I made this yummy, creamy sauce to complement the tacos. It was delicious on top of warm, savory tacos.

Overall, the meal was a big success. I made some vegetarian refried beans and roasted potatoes on the side. I made them for dinner and everyone loved them- including my daughter. For her, I skipped the jalapenos and tomatoes. She had some of the beans but doesn’t like potatoes.

Try these tacos for a brunch or dinner – you will love them.

• 4 eggs, beaten well with a tablespoon water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup cilantro, chopped

Beat the eggs and add the salt and cilantro. Keep aside.

• 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
• ½ cup tortillas chips, crumbled
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, chopped- deseeded if necessary
• ½ cup tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 3 large or 6 small flour tortillas

In a large non-stick frying pan heat the olive oil. Add the tortilla chips and sauté on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onions and jalapeno. Saute on medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes and add the tomatoes. Pour the beaten eggs on top of the tomato mixture and cook on medium heat. Spread the eggs evenly and lower the heat. Spread the cheese on top and cover the pan with aluminum foil. Cook till the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes. Divide the eggs into either three or six pieces.
In the mean time, heat the tortillas in a toaster oven or stovetop. Top the tortillas with the egg pieces and serve with the avocado crema.

Roasted Poblano and Avocado Crema

• 1 poblano pepper
• 1 teaspoon extra light olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Spread the oil all over the pepper and roast in the oven for 20 minutes till charred and soft. Place the pepper in a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 30 minutes. Remove the skin off the pepper and take the seeds out. Place the pepper in a blender.

1 avocado, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons light sour cream
¼ cup low fat milk
Juice of one lime
Salt

Add the avocado, sour cream, milk, limejuice and salt to the blender and blend till smooth. Taste for seasonings and serve with the tacos.

I had the Mexican pork chili in the fridge and wasn’t in the mood to cook a whole new meal. I always have all kinds of tortillas and cheeses in the fridge. So, I immediately thought of enchiladas. I had enough to make 3 to 4 enchiladas which was perfect for my husband and I. A big salad with the enchiladas was perfect for a healthy, delicious dinner.

I separated the meat from the sauce and then shredded the pork with my fingers. I then placed the sauce in a flat platter so I can dip the tortillas in there to make them soft and pliable. I stuffed the tortillas, placed them in a shallow platter and then topped the whole thing with a mixture of Mexican cheeses- how easy was that!

This method can be used for any kind of leftover. Even if your leftover has no sauce, you can use a jar of your favorite salsa or tomato sauce and bake your enchiladas to perfection.

Dinner was delicious and didn’t look like old, boring leftovers…

• Left over Mexican chili- about a cup
• 4 corn tortillas
• ¼ cup queso fresco
• ½ cup mixed shredded Mexican cheeses

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Separate the pork from the tomatillo sauce and shred. Pour the sauce on a flat platter and dip each tortilla on both sides to make them pliable. Stuff each tortillas with a ¼ cup of shredded pork. Top with one tablespoon queso fresco. Roll like a cigar and place seam side down in a small ovenproof platter. Repeat for the remaining three tortillas and top with the shredded cheese. Bake for 20 minutes and serve.

I love Mexican cuisine, especially since it is full of very strong, bold flavors. I make all sorts of preparations including tacos, enchiladas, salsas, guacamole.. the list goes on. I especially love using tomatillos and all the different Mexican chilies out there. For this preparation I used a poblano pepper- which looks like a large jalapeno pepper closer to a regular green pepper. It sometimes has a bit of heat and once its roasted, the sweetness comes out.

I roasted tomatillos, garlic, green onions and the poblano chili with a drizzle of olive oil and salt. I then made a thick sauce by blending all the roasted vegetables and I had a fabulous start to my chili. I had a pork shoulder with bones cut into small flavors for the dish. Any stew meat can be used as long as it can stand up to 2 to 3 hours of cooking. The house smells wonderful while the delicious chili is on the stove. The result is tender, juicy, falling off the bone meat flavored with the most yummy sauce.

I served the chili with corn bread, guacamole and Spanish rice. It was a big hit with everyone, especially since it wasn’t too spicy.

Green Sauce

• 5-6 medium tomatillos, husked removed, cut into quarters
• 4 garlic cloves, with skins
• 3 green onions, cut in half
• 1 poblano chili, cut into half, seeds removed and chopped
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons salt

• 2 cups cilantro, cut roughly

Preheat broiler on medium.

In a lined cookie sheet, add the tomatillos, garlic, green onion and the poblano chili. Drizzle olive oil and salt. Mix well and broil for about 7 to 8 minutes or till the vegetables are light brown and charred on the top. Place the roasted vegetables in a blender and add the cilantro and blend till smooth. Keep aside.

• 3 to 4 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 1 inch pieces (bones can be part of it as well- they provide great flavor)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt

In a heavy saucepan, brown the pork in batches sprinkling salt to flavor. Take the pork out and keep aside.

• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano

Reheat the saucepan and add the onion and garlic. Saute on a medium high heat till the onions are soft. Add the green sauce and oregano. Mix well and add the pork and the chicken broth. Mix well, bring to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for 2 to 3 hours uncovered till the meat is tender. Check for seasonings and serve with guacamole and corn bread.

Smoked salmon is always in my fridge. I try to eat it as much as possible especially since the other two people in my family don’t care for the fish at all.

I wanted to make a substantial yet healthy lunch for myself. I took out the mushroom filling and the salmon. I decided to add some spicy low fat cheese- just a few, very thin slices to add some creaminess to the dish. I also always have whole-wheat tortillas in the fridge- and that was it- a quesadilla was born. I added the mushroom filling, salmon, cheese and baby spinach- also, always in my fridge. It was a well-balanced, quick and delicious lunch. Best of all, I ate it with some delicious homemade salsa.

Try the quesadilla next time you run out of ideas for a healthy lunch…

• 1 whole-wheat tortilla
• 2 teaspoons extra light olive oil
• 3 to 4 thin slices low-fat pepper jack cheese
• 3 to 4 thin slices smoked salmon
• ¼ cup mushroom and onion mixture
• ¼ cup red chile salsa
• ½ cup baby spinach
• Salt

Heat a medium non-stick frying pan. Add the oil and place the tortilla. Add the cheese and the smoked salmon on half the tortilla. Top with mushroom mixture, salsa and the baby spinach. Sprinkle some salt and fold the tortilla in half pressing it down with the spatula. Brown both sides 3 to 4 minutes on each side till golden brown.

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!

• 1 can of (15 ounces) pinto beans
• ¼ cup water
• 1 teaspoon salt

Place the beans in a saucepan and add the water and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Mash the beans in the pan with a potato masher. Leave it a bit chunky if you like. Keep aside.

• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon extra light olive oil
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ¼ cup queso fresco, shredded
• ¼ cup cilantro, chopped

Heat the oil in a medium sized frying pan. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 7 to 8 minutes- till onions are soft. Add the mashed beans. Mix well and sprinkle salt and paprika. Mix well and top with the cheese and cilantro and serve.