Mexican Chilled Chocolate

Here is a quick and easy, chilled and spicy treat for a hot late Summer’s night when you’re craving something thick, rich and abundantly chocolate.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Pudding

Ingredients:

2 boxes firm silken tofu

1/2 cup + 2 T unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp almond extract

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp ground cinnamon

chili powder, to taste [I used 1/2 tsp.]

cayenne pepper, to taste [I used 1/8 tsp.]

1/2 tsp espresso powder

pinch of salt

agave syrup, to taste

Dandies vegan marshmallows

Directions:

Add tofu to a food processor and pulse.  Add cocoa powder, extracts, salt, espresso powder and spices.  Process until incorporated, scraping down the sides at times.  Add agave syrup until it’s as sweet as you wish.  [The agave will also loosen up the consistency a bit because the cocoa powder will thicken the tofu.]  Place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to chill.

Anytime I get to use my kitchen torch is awesome.  I love this nifty little tool and used it to toast the tops of the marshmallows.  Serve in a mug and garnish with a cinnamon stick, and/or dried chile pepper.  Toasted almond slices would also rock the top of this.

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Tempeh Tacos

If you’re craving Americanized Mexican food, this is a wonderfully quick meal to toss together and makes a great portable lunch the following day rolled into a tortilla.  Garnish them up with freshly cut radishes, crisp romaine and heady cilantro, or grilled onions and green peppers.  You could, and I often do,  add some diced bell pepper, kale, carrots, zucchini or any other vegetable to the onions as they sauté and add yet more goodness to the mix.  It’s also wonderful garnished with some chili beans.

 

Tempeh Taco/Burrito Filling

Ingredients:

8 oz tempeh, ground to crumbles in a food processor [Careful not to overprocess and turn it pasty.]

1 medium onion, diced ~ ½ cup

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 T tomato paste

8 oz tomato sauce

1 T chili powder [I used Ancho chili powder]

1½ tsp cumin

1 tsp Mexican oregano

¼ tsp onion powder

¼ – ½ tsp red pepper flakes, depending upon your tastes

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp sweet paprika

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp freshly-cracked black pepper

water

oil for sautéing the onion and tomato paste [I use a small dollop of coconut oil, macadamia nut or olive oil.]

Directions:

Sauté the onion and garlic until softened.  Add the spices and cook until fragrant.  Clear a spot in the pan and add the tomato paste.  Cook for a couple of minutes to rid it of the metallic flavor from the can.  Add the tomato sauce and tempeh.  Mix well and add water to the consistency you prefer, I used ~4 oz of water. 

Serve with chili beans and garnish with fresh cilantro.

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Green Chile Rice

 

This is a quick Mexican-style rice that we like to wrap up in a whole wheat tortilla with some seasoned pinto beans and avocado slices.  It beats the pants off that quick yellow rice that comes in a foil package on so many levels.  It’s also a great way to take leftover plain rice and morph it into an entirely different meal. 

 

Green Chile Rice

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, medium dice

1 green bell pepper, medium dice

2 cups cooked brown rice [This is a great use for leftover rice]

3T diced green chiles [I used roasted canned chiles, like Ortega for this]

4 cloves garlic, minced

½ tsp annatto seeds [These give the rice a beautiful yellow color and distinctive flavor]

¼ cup Bill’s Best Chik’Nish Vegetarian Seasoning

1 lime

1 T neutral oil [I use rice bran oil]

Optional garnishes:  cilantro, lime wedges, radishes, green onion, jalapeno pepper

Directions:

Add the annatto seeds to the oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Stir the seeds around for a couple of minutes, keeping them in the oil.  Remove the seeds from the pan and discard.  Add the onions and bell pepper.  Sauté until softened.  Add the garlic and chiles.  Cook for another minute or so.  Add the rice and Chik’Nish seasoning.  Mix well to combine.  [If your rice is leftover it may have dried out a bit in the refrigerator.  If this is the case, just add a little bit of water to moisten it back up.  I’d start with a tablespoon at a time until it’s soft again.] Squeeze the lime juice over the rice and serve hot.

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Vegan RO*TEL Dip

 

 

Vegan RO*TEL Dip

Ingredients:

2 cups hemp or oat milk [I prefer one of these more full-bodied milks for this recipe]

10 oz can RO*TEL

¾ cup nutritional yeast

2 T flour

2 T oil

1 T Bill’s Best Chik’Nish

1½ tsp chili powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

½ tsp chili flakes

½ tsp paprika

½ tsp cumin

Optional garnishes:

cilantro

freshly diced tomato

jalapeño

Directions:

Place the oil in a pot over medium heat.  Stir in the flour to create a light roux.  Cook for a few minutes until the color darkens a little bit and there is a nutty scent.  Stir in the seasonings and cook for another minute or so.  Slowly add in the milk while whisking to prevent clumps.  Add the nutritional yeast and RO*TEL.  Bring to a low simmer then remove from heat.  Serve warm.

 

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Peachy Chili Bean Tacos

 

We’re back from our road-trip to Farm Sanctuary [photographs of which are posted on our Facebook page if you’d like to check those out] and were craving Mexican-style food after having seen countless taco trucks and Mexican restaurants in California.   My spin on this taco is way outside the norm, but they were amazingly good both in texture and flavor.

The main taco filling was some peachy chili beans.  We topped them with some grilled Maitake mushrooms, grilled corn cut right off the cob and more caramelized peach wedges.  A sprig of fresh and flowering cilantro from our garden added just the flavor to create a new summertime favorite.  We’ll definitely be having these again while peaches and corn are abundant and seasonal.

 

Peachy Chili Beans

Ingredients:

2-15 oz cans Pinto beans, drained and rinsed

2 peaches, sliced into sixths

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 T tomato paste

1 T chili powder

2 tsp Mexican oregano

½ tsp sweet paprika

½ tsp cumin

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

1 sprig epazote

2 cups water

coconut oil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Grill the peach wedges in a grill pan until they have caramelized grill marks on both sides.  Set aside in a bowl. 

Sauté the onion in a drizzle of coconut oil until softened.  Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for a couple of minutes.  Add the chili powder, paprika, cayenne, oregano and cumin.  Add the beans, water and epazote.  Cut the grilled peaches into a large dice and add them, and their grilling juices that collected in the bowl to the beans.  Bring to a slow simmer and cook until the liquid has reduced and the beans have a nice thick consistency.  Season with salt and pepper.

 

 

 

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Meatless Monday: Chili Chocolate and Pumpkin Pasta Sauce

 

This sauce is a wonderfully thick, rich and quick version of  Mexican mole that was inspired by a gift.   Recently, a friend of ours went to Santa Fe, New Mexico and upon her return, she gave us some incredible artisanal drinking chocolate that she had purchased from the Kakawa Chocolate House.  [Thank you, Marti!] 

Later, as I was drinking it, all I could think about was how I could  integrate this savory and spicy chocolate into food.  This sauce was the first thing that came to mind because I love the combination of  pumpkin and chocolate.  The only problem was that I had to wait for more to arrive before I could start tinkering about in the kitchen.  You see,  I had to order more since it had all disappeared.  In order to prevent the problem from reoccuring, I ordered two bags; the chocolate is just that good.

 

Chili Chocolate and Pumpkin Pasta Sauce

Ingredients:

1-15 oz can pureed organic pumpkin [I use Farmer’s Market Organic ]

1 cup hot water

4 dried guajillo peppers, deseeded

4 roma tomatoes

1 onion, halved

4 cloves garlic

¼ tsp cumin

2 tsp dried Mexican oregano

2 tsp no chicken bouillon

2 T Walnut oil

1 ball  Kakawa artisanal chocolate [I used the Chili Chocolate Elixir blend for this]

Salt and pepper to taste

Pumpkin seeds, for garnish

Golden raisins, for garnish

1-15 oz can organic black beans, drained and rinsed, for garnish

Directions:

Place the guajillo chilis in a hot dry pan.  Toast each side, careful not to burn.  Transfer to a bowl and add 1 cup hot water to rehydrate.

To the same hot dry pan, add the onion halves and tomatoes.  Blacken the sides.  Transfer to a blender.  Add the guajillos and soaking liquid, garlic and pumpkin puree.  Process until the sauce is smooth.  Transfer to a pot and bring to a simmer on the stove.

Add the cumin, oregano and bouillon.  Continue to simmer for a few minutes and then add the chocolate.  Reduce heat.   Whisk the chocolate into the sauce.  Cover and let sit as you cook the pasta.  Just prior to serving, add the walnut oil and season with salt and pepper. 

Serve over pasta [I used chewy Udon noodles] and garnish with black beans, pumpkin seeds and golden raisins.

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Meatless Monday: Vegan Machaca

 

This is  a great way to morph leftover Yuba Asada into a new dish or to forge ahead and simply create this one on its own.  I grew up in southern California and machaca burritos were sold at nearly every Mexican food restaurant.  As a result, I grew to love them but since they contain egg and shredded beef,  as a vegan,  I figured that I was outta luck forever until I actually gave this dilemma some thought.  This is what I came up with and it satisfied my tastes entirely. 

 

Vegan Machaca

Ingredients:

 yuba asada [I used leftovers and I’d estimate that there were 2 cups of yuba asada used in this recipe.]

1 block of firm tofu, crumbled into bite-sized pieces

juice of half a lemon

1 green bell pepper, large dice

1/2 an onion, large dice

2 canned green chiles, large dice

1-2 T canola or peanut oil

1/2-1 tsp annatto seeds [The amount depends upon the amount of oil to flavor/color.]

2 tsp dried Mexican oregano

Garnishes:  chopped tomato, sliced green onion, cilantro

Directions:

Add oil to a large sauté pan or wok and bring to a medium low-medium heat.  Toss in the annatto seeds and cook for about 5 minutes until the oil is both flavored and colored.  Remove seeds and discard.  [Annatto will give the dish a unique latin flavor as well as a saffron-hued color.]

Turn up the heat a bit and add onion and bell pepper and sauté until softened.  Add in green chiles and the tofu and mix well.  Cook until the moisture from the tofu has evaporated.  Add the oregano and lemon juice and then the yuba asada.  Continute cooking until the yuba is hot.

Serve with warm corn tortillas and garnishes.

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Meatless Monday: Yuba Asada

Meatless Mondays… and Tuesdays and then the rest of the work week is just WTF [literally], so why eat meat at all?  Clearly, we have already made the leap and adopted an entirely vegan lifestyle, but the reality that is dawning upon me is that I don’t think most people realize that there are food options outside of meat-centered meals.  That is why we have decided to jump aboard the Meatless Monday bandwagon and help contribute to its success and awareness to affect change.

I am a firm proponent of taking control of what you eat.  Personally, I don’t want industrially-processed substances that have been purposefully treated with chemicals engineered specifically in order to ring all the bells and blow all the whistles of human sensory organs.  It is manipulation, and it is wrong.  If Americans knew what it is that they actually eat and regard as food, they would be horrified.  At least I hope they would be; we certainly were/are.

Regardless of the ethics of the matter, Americans consume far too much meat.  It is affecting our environment and our collective health as a nation.  When elective surgical procedures that rearrange one’s digestive system become the norm,  yet eating five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables daily is considered extreme, something has clearly gone diabolically wrong.  It is time to step up and accept responsibility for ourselves and to take a good long look at how our actions and whims affect our health and our planet.  The least anyone could do is to abstain from consuming an animal one day of the week.  Please, spread the word and encourage those you know to support Meatless Monday.  Awareness coupled with action is a powerful thing.

***

Yuba Asada

Yuba is also referred to as dried bean curd or dried bean curd sticks.  You can also sometimes find it as bean curd knots, which are very nice to use.  It is easily found in an Asian market and is worth the side-trip to have some on hand.

Ingredients:

1 package yuba, rehydrated in warm water until soft and then cut into 1/4 inch shreds [If you have knots rather than sticks, there is no need to cut, simply use whole.]

Juice and zest of one lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit

2 T cumin

2 T chili powder

1½ tsp dried oregano

1½ tsp ground coriander

5 garlic cloves, crushed

¼ cup soy sauce

2 jalapenos or one habanero [If you like it hotter], seeds and ribs removed and sliced thinly

1 onion, thinly sliced

Directions:

Place all ingredients into a zip lock bag or other container and add the yuba. [I prefer a bag because it’s easy to move the ingredients around occasionally to ensure it’s well marinaded.]

The following day, drain off the liquid in a colander.  Heat a bit of canola oil over medium –high heat and add the yuba asada.  Stir-fry until the liquid has evaporated and the yuba begins to brown.

Serve with black beans, pan-fried potatoes and some warmed corn tortillas.  Garnish with fresh cilantro, avocado, tomatoes and roasted garlic cloves.

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The Vegan Teese Challenge, Part I

I have a very heartfelt thank you to send out to Marti who gave me a head’s up regarding this challenge.  Thank you Marti!

It’s actually been such a long time now since we’ve cooked with cheese that when we accepted the Teese Vegan Cheese Challenge, aside from the usual suspects like pizza and such,  it took us a while to think of something to use Teese in.  The only request they made was that it not be used in the same old, same old.  Then it came to us, something we used to love that was both cheesy and special…chile rellenos.  The vegan cheese actually worked perfectly in this dish and melted beautifully, which is why you use cheese in recipes to begin with, you want that rich creaminess that enhances both flavor and texture and Teese came through perfectly.

In addition to the chile rellenos, I used the mole and filling along with the Teese to make enchiladas.   [Using tortillas, roll filling and Teese into enchiladas and place in a baking dish.  Cover with mole sauce and bake at 350 degrees, covered,  until the Teese and sauce bubble.] Because they both freeze and reheat well for leftovers, enchiladas were a handy way to use  the rest of the filling and mole sauce.

Mole Verde with Edamame

Ingredients:

1/2 cup raw pepitas, toasted

1/4 cup raw sesame seeds, toasted

1 onion, cut in half

6 tomatillos, diced

1 cup edamame

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 ripe plantain, diced

1 tsp oregano

1 inch of canella [Mexican cinnamon, otherwise use ground]

1.5 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 ancho chile

1 dried chile de arbol

1 dried guajillo chili

2 corn tortillas

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Remove the seeds and stems from the dried chiles and toast in a dry pan until slightly blackened.  Move to a bowl and pour 2 cups steaming water over chiles, cover until softened.

Blacken the onion and tomato in a pan and move to a blender.  Drizzle some canola oil into the pan and sauté the plantain, garlic and tomatillos until the edges have carmelized.  Move to the blender.  Add broth, canella, oregano, cocoa and tortillas to the blender and blend until homogenous.  Return to a pot on the stove and heat on low for about 15 minutes, season with salt and pepper, set aside.

Teeming with Teese Chile Rellenos

I used both flavors of Teese in this dish because I was sent both flavors to try out and happen to like white cheeses in melty Mexican food.  You could certainly use one or the other rather than both in this recipe.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup  Teese Cheddar Vegan Cheese, grated

1/4 cup Teese Mozzarella Vegan Cheese, grated

4  poblano peppers, roasted and skin removed

3  blue Peruvian potatoes [can substitute red potatoes], small dice

1 carrot, small dice

1/2 chayote squash, small dice

1 onion, small dice

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 nopalito, spines removed and grilled, diced

1/4 of a pineapple, grilled and diced [I cut have a pineapple into wedges and grilled them beside the nopalito.  I then kept back 2 wedges of pineapple for garnish; they are so delicious grilled.]

wooden skewers

vegetable oil for frying [You want the oil around 350-360 degrees.]

Batter:

8 oz  all-purpose flour

1 bottle vegan beer

Whisk beer into flour until well combined.

Directions:

Sauté the onion and garlic until softened and slightly carmelized, set aside.  In same pan, sauté the potatoes and carrot for about 10 minutes and then add in the chayote and sauté until all the vegetables have softened.  Add in the grilled nopalito and pineapple.  Set aside to cool.

Slice the poblanos once to create an opening and gingerly remove the seeds taking care to keep the pepper intact.  Insert filling into the pepper with a small amount of the mole and add 1/4 of the cheese [Cheddar and Mozzarella combined].  Close the pepper and stitch together with a wooden skewer.  Repeat until all peppers are filled.  Dredge in flour and gently knock off excess.  Dip into batter and immediately place  into heated oil to fry.  Fry until golden brown, remove and drain on paper towels.

Black Beans with Coconut Milk and Canella

I wanted some richly-flavored black beans to compliment the grilled nopalito and pineapple in the chile rellenos and this is what I came up with.  They turned out really well.

Ingredients:

1 lb. dried black beans

1 can unsweetened Thai coconut milk

1 stick canella

2 large roma tomato

2 dried bay leaves

1 kaffir lime leaf

1 clove garlic

2 cups No-Chicken Broth

4 dried guajillo chilis

2 dried chile de arbol

1 dried ancho chili

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Remove seeds and stems from dried chiles and toast in a dry pan.  Cover with 1 cup steaming water until softened.  Add chilis and water along with garlic clove and one tomato to a blender.  Blend until smooth and set aside.

Cover beans with water and bring to a boil.  Cover, turn off heat and let sit for an hour.  Drain and rinse beans.  Return to pot and add remaining ingredients, including the blended chilis.  Bring to a simmer and cook, covered until beans are soft.  [This should take about an hour to an hour and a half.]

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Guajillo Chili and Crispy Tortilla Soup

So…leftovers, eh?  I have the guajillo chili sauce and corn tortillas from here and a crisper full of vegetables taunting me.   Time for some improvisation. 

This turned out amazingly well.  It was savory and fresh, full of different textures and an entirely satisfying meal for one. 

1 cup guajillo chili sauce [found here]

1 cup vegetable stock 

1 radish, finely diced

1/4 avocado, diced

1/4 ripe tomato,  diced

a scallion, sliced

a few fingerfuls of shredded purple cabbage

a few cilantro leaves

crispy tortilla strips [tortillas cut into strips and quickly fried in a bit of canola oil]

lime wedge

vegan sour cream [I used a homemade version which I’ll include in a post shortly]

Directions:

This is as easy as it gets.  Simply mix the guajillo sauce and vegetable stock together in a pan and heat.  When hot, ladel into a bowl and garnish with the remaining ingredients.  Mix the sour cream through the soup and squeeze the fresh lime juice over the entire enterprise.  Delicious!  This would also be wonderful chilled as a gazpacho-style soup.

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