Beany Egg Tortilla (my version of Huevos Rancheros)

I have a bag of avocados, a little bit of salsa and a can of organic spicy black beans that was time to use up and had all of the fixings for an easy and tasty tortilla lunch. It's also great for breakfast brunch or dinner!

This recipe is per serving. Easy enough to double or triple. You can, of course, make two or three eggs rather than one per serving to your taste.

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1 serving

Ingredients:

1 egg

2 tortillas

1/3 cup salsa of your choice (I love Green Mountain HOT myself)

1/3 cup canned black beans (I prefer to make them myself, fresh, but in a pinch these are great!)

1/2 fresh avocado, mashed

*(see avocado tips at bottom of post)

1/8 cup shredded cheese (I used a Mexican blend containing

Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Asadero & Quesadilla cheeses.)

salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

I love my cast iron pan for this dish. It's well seasoned and the eggs don't stick with only a small amount or no oil sprayed on. You can substitute with your favorite frying pan if you haven't a cast iron pan.

A broiling pan with a sheet of foil on top large enough to hold the tortilla.

I began with making my favorite sunny side up egg. Cracking the egg into the cast iron pan, immediately cover it and let the egg begin to cook. I love a good runny yolk (you may not), and this allows the entire white portion of the egg to cook leaving the yolk nice and runny.

While the egg cooks, mash the avocado and spread it onto one of the tortillas.

When your egg is cooked to your desired doneness, add a little salt and pepper and slide the egg(s) onto the non-avocado covered tortilla that you have placed onto the foil covered broiling pan. I use the broiler in my toaster oven if I'm making only one. I use my regular oven if I'm making multiples at once so they are all ready at the same time or in batches.

While the pan is still hot, toss in the salsa and black beans to warm them up. If you are not using a cast iron pan, you may need to turn the heat back on to do this. I've found when I turn off the heat from cooking the egg in my cast iron pan, it's still hot enough to do this job without any more flame. Pour the salsa/bean mixture over the egg and top with the avocado covered tortilla.

Sprinkle the cheese on top of the mashed avocado and pop under the broiler. Heat until the cheese has melted. Keep an eye on things under the broiler as they can go from yummy and melty to burnt and destroyed in a flash.

With the help of a spatula if needed, slide your finished tortilla onto your plate. Sprinkle on additional salt and pepper to your taste. I added some heated leftover cooked asparagus and a mescaline salad before serving.

AVOCADO TIPS:

* When selecting avocados in the market, if you can easily remove the stem base (brown woody looking spot on the end of the avocado) with your fingernail, the avocado is ripe and ready to eat now. Keep your avocados out on the counter to ripen fastest rather than in the refrigerator.

* After slicing the avocado in half lengthwise (as shown in photo), firmly whack a sharp knife blade into the pit and gently twist. The pit will come out easily. Scoop the avocado out with a spoon and mash away. I use the now emptied avocado skin to hold the slippery pit and wiggle the knife back out of the pit. Be careful to not cut yourself. Slow and steady here.

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Tomato-Onion Masala with Shrimp

This is a recipe that has developed over a period of time. A bit of this and that until we got it JUST RIGHT!
It's spiced and tangy with just enough bite to make things interesting!

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Serves 4-5 as a main entree

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 large onions, chopped (see Tip below)
4 medium fresh tomatoes, chopped
2 cups tomato puree (see Tip below)
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
2 teaspoons garlic paste*
2 teaspoons ginger paste*
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (with more to your taste)
1/2 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/2-1 teaspoon red chili powder (to your taste)
3 teaspoons coriander powder
2 teaspoons garam masala powder
1- 1.5lb shrimp, cleaned and deveined

Dutch oven sized pan

Heat the olive oil in pan. When hot (not smoking), add the cumin seeds. When they begin to darken, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are well browned.

Tip: I peal and chop in half all of the onions, then pulse a few times in my food processor until they are chopped.

Once onions are browned, stir in the garlic and ginger pastes and cook for 2 minutes. Add the turmeric powder and mix thoroughly

With heat at medium, stir in the fresh chopped tomatoes and cook for 4 minutes. Next mix in the tomato puree, vinegar and salt. Cook for 4 minutes.

Tip: If you don't have canned puree in your closet, drop two cups of crushed or whole tomatoes including some liquid into a food processor or blender and zip it smooth!

Add all powdered spices, coriander, red chili and garam masala. Stir well, cover and cook until the oil begins to separate from the paste you have created. This timing varies to your pot, heat and stove. Stir occasionally as it cooks.

When oil begins to separate, add your shrimp. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Stir and cook further until all shrimp has turned orange with no grey areas.

Serve with paratha bread, roti bread, french bread or basmati rice.

Have you tried it? What did you think?

*If you don't have these pastes, finely chop either garlic or ginger as called for. Garlic paste and ginger paste may be found at your local Indian market and at many specialty markets.

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Ma Po Tofu

This recipe comes from my Sister-in-Law, AC. (Thanks AC!) It's a fast favorite around our house and hers for adults and children alike!

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Ingredients:

1 box soft silken tofu, chopped

1 lb. ground pork

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2" ginger, chopped

1.5 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons seasame oil

2 teaspoons corn starch

1 cup petite green peas (optional)

3-4 scallions, chopped

vegetable oil

Mix ground meat with some soy sauce, sesame oil, and corn starch. Set aside.

Cut the tofu into chunks. Heat a bit of vegetable oil in pan. Toss in the garlic and ginger and sautee until fragrant. Put in the ground meat and brown, breaking it up as it cooks.

When the meat is mostly done, toss in the tofu and peas (if you're using them - they are not in the photo above). Stir.

Add 2 tablespoons of water and cover to heat the tofu and defrost the peas.

When it's just about done, add the scallions and salt to taste. Serve over steamed rice. Delicious and fast!!

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