Huevos Rancheros

When the stars align we enjoy this classic Mexican dish; breakfast lunch or dinner.  We eat a lot of Mexican food around here. Sometimes it is nice to mix it up, same great flavors but a completely different combo.  Typically this meal is all about leftovers, hense the stars align reference.  I use my flour or corn tortillas and green chili beans.  Sautee some hash browns, fry some eggs, yummo.

If you ever find yourself at Liberty Market during breakfast hours, they have a burrito variation of this that is excellent.

1+ tablespoon coconut oil
2 medium potatoes, grated or cut into matchsticks
1 pepper (sweet or hot) diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 cup pinto beans
4 eggs
1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
salt and pepper
6 warm tortillas

Cook and brown potatoes in coconut oil in a fry pan over medium heat.  When mostly cooked, push to the side and sautee veggies.  After about 5 minutes add beans and salt and pepper to taste.  Cook and season eggs (we like over easy) in a separate fry pan.  Mash them and divide amongst the tortillas.  Sprinkle each taco with cheese and add a couple scoops of hash browns and top with the bean mixture.  Optional topping include sour cream (kefir cream), salsa and guacamole.
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Green Chili Beans

Beans are an excellent means in keeping your real food budget down.  They are super nutritious and add bulk to any meal.  There are two key items to note when making beans a regular part of your diet; soaking and fresh dried.

Soaking is imperative to proper bean digestion.  Gut issues are so prevalent that many steer clear of beans entirely.  While soaking will not alleviate all problems associated with an unhealthy gut, it is one piece to the puzzle.  Once you get into the habit to think ahead, it becomes a very simple thing to do.  To learn more about soaking, be sure to register for my class this Wednesday.

 We started using a lot more beans since finding a source for fresh dried beans.  The beans in grocery stores have been stored for a number of years before packaging, then stored some more before making it to the shelf on the grocery store. Fresh dried are from the most recent growing season resulting in a very noticeably superior product.  They cook up so plump and tender every time.

This is one of my favorite bean recipes.  I can the green chili sauce and chicken stock, actually I can beans too, but not enough to keep up with our needs!  The green chili sauce is such a staple, if you don’t can, freeze it in containers and keep it on hand.  It has such great flavor and many yummy applications.  The sauce is pretty easy to make, but making a large batch once and having it stored it really the way to go.

3 cup fresh dried pinto beans, soaked overnight

2 cups chicken stock

1/2 batch green chili enchilada sauce

Strain beans from soaking liquid.  Rinse well.  Add to pot with stock and sauce.  Simmer for 1 hour or pressure cook on high for 20 minutes, natural release.
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Cooking Chart

Per many a request I have put together a quick reference cooking chart for grains and beans. The water ratios are for cooking, unsoaked at a gentle simmer on the stovetop, harder boil = more water. When grains and beans are soaked for 12-24 hours, half the water listed is used for soaking and the other half for cooking.  When pressure cooking reduce the water ¼ cup (per cup of grain) for both soaked and unsoaked. The times listed for pressure cooking are from the time the pressure builds up to high to the time the heat is turned off and reflect that of natural release in an insulated pot. If you are using a traditional stove top pressure cooker you may find you need to add a minute or two.

Although it is great for my stats and makes me feel like I am changing the world when you come to check back again and again, I would suggest printing this chart and keeping it in a handy place in your kitchen.

Grain	Ratio Grain: Water (unsoaked)	Cook Time (Minutes)
		Stovetop (soaked/unsoaked)	Pressure Cooker (soaked/unsoaked)
Amaranth	1:1.5	10/25	2/6
Barley, Pearled	1:2	20/50	4/10
Barley, Hulled	1:3	30/75	5/12
Buckwheat, Hulled	1:1.5	8/20	1/4
Kamut	1:2.5	35/75	6/15
Millet	1:2	12/30	3/8
Oats, Groats	1:2.5	15/45	4/10
Oats, Steel Cut	1:2	12/30	2/6
Quinoa, Red	1:2	8/20	2/5
Quinoa, White	1:2	6/15	1/4
Rice, Brown	1:2	20/45	7/14
Rye	1:2	20/45	6/12
Sorghum	1:2	10/25	2/6
Spelt	1:2	25/60	5/12
Teff	1:3	6/15	1/4
Wheat, Berries	1:3	25/60	6/12
Beans
Small (black, adzuki, anasazi)	1:2.5	1.5/3 hours	15/45
Medium (pinto, pink, cranberry)	1:3	2/4 hours	25/60
Large (lima, cannelloni, kidney)	1:3	2.5/5 hours	35/76
Extra large (scarlet runner, mortage lifter, fava)	1:3.5	3/6 hours	45/90

Soy Story

I want to thank Jennifer for her question on my last post Vegetarian-ish. There are so many things I avoid in terms of food that I loose track of what I have covered.

When it comes to vegetarianism I believe soy to be the element that commonly gives this lifestyle a a downward spin. Soy is heavily relied on as a health food, especially where meat in avoided.

So here is why I avoid soy in a nutshell;

Almost all soy is GMO - they have this pesticide called "round -up" that is super toxic and kills everything in a field. They have genetically modified soy (and other crops) to withstand this harsh chemical. Aside from that gruesome fact, soy is super high in phytic acid, anti nutrients and inhibitors that create problems with mineral absorption and digestion, with longer term affects of cancer, infertility, thyroid problems, autoimmune diseases and stunted growth. When soy beans undergo processing, their fragile proteins are denatured. Toxins and carcinogens are formed along with MSG and aluminum.

There is tons of technical terms that I avoided that would add about 10 more reasons that it is bad for you. With fairytale marketers any food can appear to be an amazing super food. Do research, pay attention to your body, use new products in moderation and be skeptical of anything a company is pushing on you as they are in it for the money.

Black Bean Salad

Beans are so healthy, they have it all; the fiber, the protein, lots of vitamins, minerals and protective phyto-chemicals. I have been learning about the benefits of soaking grains and beans in a slightly acid solution. The purpose is to neutralize the phytic acid which blocks absorption of some of the minerals. Just a tablespoon of kefir, lemon juice or apple cider vinegar per cup of beans in the the soaking liquid for 12-24 hours does the trick. Of coarse they cook up faster this way too.

Black beans are so versatile as they are fairly small and become soft while holding their shape. The texture blends well with lots, try them in sloppy joes, shepard's pie, tacos or enchiladas. I added quinoa to my salad, another power house, which is totally optional. It should be soaked and cooked separately. I cooked it for 2 minutes in my pressure cooker. I bet avocado would be good in this too. I love the light dressing, it brightens the flavor of the salad/salsa.

1 pressed garlic clove
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3 cups black beans (cooked)
1 cup corn (I like the roasted corn from Trader Joe's the best)
½ cup cooked red quinoa
¼ cup red bell pepper, finely diced
¼ cup red onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

Whisk together garlic, vinegar, oil, honey and spices to form a dressing. Combine all other ingredients, pour dressing over and toss. Serve as a side dish alone, with chips or in tacos.

This post is part of Kitchen Stewardship's October Fest Carnival of Super Foods, Whole Foods for the Holidays

Sloppy Joes

Feed a crowd well at your summer get-togethers. Kid friendly food meets adult friendly flavor. Stretching the meat with grains and vegetables not only saves a buck, but makes for a more nutritionally balanced meal. Another good meat extender is beans, add in place of the grains or even the meat. I have subbed one cup carrot purée for a cup of the tomato sauce and also added a grated zucchini and with great results.

Don’t be a slave to a recipe, if something doesn’t suit you, change it up. Most of the time grains, sweeteners, herbs, spices, oils, even liquids like chicken broth and milk are all interchangeable. If you’re scared, just ask, I’ll tell you how it will turn out.

This recipe can easily be made over to be used with food storage...dried onion, garlic powder, canned meat or beans. What a treat in lean times.

1/2 pound ground beef
1 cup cooked millet
1 cup cooked red quinoa
1/4 cup sucanat
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
2 cups tomato sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Spread the meat around the pan and begin to break it up. Combine brown sugar and seasoning. Add sugar and spice mixture to the skillet and combine. When the meat has browned, add onion and red peppers to the skillet. Reduce heat to medium and cook vegetables. Add garlic, grains, red wine vinegar and worcestershire sauce to meat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and paste to pan. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to simmer and cook mixture 5-10 minutes longer or until desired consistency.

Green Chili Enchilada Sauce

This one is dedicated to my SIL Jill who frequently asks "do you have any new recipes?" Because of this simple inquiry, I was able to resurrect this lovely recipe from my sent mail. Three cheers for Gmail! I worked hard on this recipe tweaking this and that and the end result was amazing. I made triple batches and canned this stuff so I hadn't made it in a while, recreating would have been a long time coming.

I got inspiration from Cafe Rio's medium enchilada sauce--heavenly. Ask for a sample next time. We had burritos last night, I had one again for lunch today. So yummy! I use the sauce to flavor my brown rice, pinto beans, shredded beef or chicken and then pour some over the top "enchilada style." Really, I can't get enough. Control the level of heat with cayenne pepper and thin it out with water if needed.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoon fresh ground cumin seed
2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
cayenne pepper to taste
1 large can (27 ounce) Hatch green chilies, chopped
2 tablespoon white bean flour (or other flour)
2 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sucanat
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Saute onion in olive oil until soft. Add garlic, and spices, stir until fragrant. Dump in chilies with juices, sprinkle with flour and mix well. Let cook until paste forms and juices evaporate. Stir in stock and sucanat. Simmer for at least 15 minutes. Blend slightly with immersion blender. Take off of heat and stir in vinegar. Salt to taste.

Falafel

This is one of my favorite meals. My family loves it too, even my husband and he is a meat and potatoes kind of guy. Who woulda thought? These vegetarian pita fillers are crunchy and fla-vor-ful. I hate the ones that are served in some restaurants that are so dry and hard. I prefer making falafel patties verses balls, they make a better sandwich that way. The mix should be tender, not wet. If it is too loose to handle, add more bread crumbs or flour.

Frying is not the most healthy forms of cooking, but the crispness it brings to the party is often unreplicateable. For the healthiest pan fry, use clean , coconut, grapeseed or extra light olive oil. These oils can stand up to high temperatures without becoming toxic. Clean oil is important for two reasons; if the oil has been heated and cooled the smoke point has been lowered and the fats have started to oxidize. And if there are foreign particles in the oil these will burn as the oil reaches temperature which imparts bad flavor. Heating the oil to 375 degrees before food touches the pan ensures the steam will push most of the oil away from the food. When the oil is cool, it soaks into the food leaving it greasy. In this case it is fine to cover a wide pan with a quarter inch of oil, just keep the heat on medium high. For most frying applications more oil for cooking = less oil in the food. This is because cold food drops the temperature and the less oil there is to sustain the temperature the lower the temperature drops. Another solution to this is to fry in very small batches.

There is a tool, you can get quite cheaply at hardware stores called and infrared thermometer. This allows you to check the temperature of the surface of a pan, pizza stone, or oil. It is also fun to take it outside in the summer and check the temperature of the sidewalk.

2 cups chickpeas
1 onion, roughly chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 egg
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
1 dash fresh ground pepper
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup dry whole grain bread crumbs
refined coconut oil for frying

In a large bowl mash chickpeas until thick and pasty; don't use a blender, as the consistency will be too thin. In a blender, process onion, parsley and garlic until smooth, drain onto paper towel. Stir into mashed chickpeas. In a small bowl combine egg, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, cayenne, lemon juice and baking powder. Stir into chickpea mixture, slowly add bread crumbs until mixture is not sticky but will hold together; add more or less bread crumbs, as needed. Form balls and then flatten into patties. Heat 1 inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry patties in hot oil until brown on both sides. Serve in whole wheat pita's with lettuce and cucumber yogurt sauce, or on top of a salad or just a finger food snack (great for toddlers).

Store to Store

When Fresh and Easy Market's popped up all over the place I was very excited. I heard it was like Trader Joe's so my expectations were high. My first experience was a huge letdown. I left without buying a thing, I was revolted by their packaging and the "cafeteria food" look everything had. Their produce was expensive and the grocery section was VERY limited, I've seen gas stations with better selections. It was all very ordinary from Heinz Ketchup to Honeycombs Cereal.

I thought I would never be back, but then I started hearing things like $2.99 for a case of 24 water bottles - that's cheap! And cans of beans for a great price with nothing added- not even salt! I heard about their discounted produce and was a little skeptical because I am a freshness freak and didn't want wilted lettuce and brown bananas. But I found things like pears and avocados that were perfectly ripe. Why not let them ripen on the store shelf instead of my counter?

The best part are the coupons that are EVERYWHERE. Most of them end up being twenty percent off if you spend the right amount. This makes each water bottle only ten cents a piece and perfect for food storage. Now that I go back fairly regularly I have learned to accept the store's quirks and embrace the good deals. My latest find is their organic heavy cream. I love to whip fresh cream for waffles and the only kind I liked was at Trader Joe's- a ways away for me to skip on by. The Shamrock Farms and store brands all have a nasty plastic taste to me. Fresh and Easy has pint sized carton of cream that tastes great and is comparable in price to the plastic kind.

Please leave a comment if there is anything else I should be checking out at this green market chain. If there is a place where you have come across some great finds, shoot me and email, I will check them out and report back.

Taco Tuesday

This is a super yummy way to get more grains and beans into your diet. Use ground meat of choice; beef, chicken, turkey, venison or buffalo. And bean of choice; pinto, black, kidney, anasazi (recommended for beginner bean users because of the texture and is more easily broken down ie less gassy) or pink (cooking chart). Grains, beans and vegetables are all so, so easily interchangeable, so if you don't have on hand what the recipe calls for just substitute. I also hid some zucchini (could also do spinach) can you find it?

It is great to have your own spice mixes made up for ease of use. The store bought packets are handy, but are overpriced and contain lots of gross filler...and salt...and sugar. You can use already ground spices and mix them together if you don't have a spice grinder. The flavors are cleaner when you grind your own, so consider it. NOTE: Do NOT put the entire recipe for the spice mix in one batch of taco meat. My sister in law made this mistake and boy, did it have some kicked up flavor. It is intended to make things easier on you so it is all ready to use the next time. Use this mixture in taco's, burritos, on salads, nachos, or cold as a snack like my kids do--weirdos. Great in corn or flour tortillas.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, minced
1 small bell pepper, diced
1 medium zucchini, grated
3 garlic cloves, pressed
3 tablespoons homemade seasoning*
½ lb. extra lean ground meat
2 cups cooked beans
2/3 cup corn
1 cup cooked red quinoa
1 cup cooked millet
1 1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 teaspoons sucanat
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
Salt to taste

Sautee onion and pepper in olive oil. Add zucchini, garlic and spices, cook for 1 minute. Add meat and brown. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer about 10 minutes or until sauce is thickened.

*Spice mix
½ cup fiesta chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin seed
1 tablespoon whole coriander
2 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
½ teaspoon black pepper

Grind all spices except the fiesta chili powder in a spice grinder, mix thoroughly.

Now, looking for a great salsa recipe?

This post is part of Kitchen Stewardship's October Fest Carnival of Super Foods.

Red Pepper Hummus

Hummus is a great dip and spread. It is made of healthy ingredients, not the common sour cream, processed cheeses, sugars and mayonnaise that make up most veggie dips and cracker spreads. Costco has a delicious hummus, but even though it advertises “all natural” on the front of it’s label, it is loaded with preservatives. Iwill use it when time for food preparation is low, but the rest of the time we enjoy this from scratch version. I love to play around with the flavors. Use fresh garlic (not the old stuff that is starting to sprout, which is bitter) the more the garlic is roasted the more mellow the flavor. Raw garlic will give the hummus a really sharp flavor. If you like a sweeter spread, add a bit of honey. If you like more sesame seed flavor, add a teaspoon of dark sesame oil. Some people like more lemon juice or even some zest and some prefer garlic powder to fresh garlic. For a plain hummus, leave out the peppers or get creative and add things like jalapeno, cilantro, pine nuts, olives, sundried tomatoes, basil or just extra garlic.

15 ounce can garbanzo beans
½ cup tahini
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons salt
2 cloves garlic, toasted or 2 teaspoons garlic powder
14 ounce jar roasted red peppers
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Place all ingredients in vita mix or food processor and puree until smooth. Refrigerate to thicken. Serve sprinkled with olive oil and paprika. Serve with vegetables, pita chips, crackers or pita bread.

This post is part of Kitchen Stewardship's October Fest Carnival of Super Foods.