Corn Tostada Stacks May 6, 2008

With the celebration of 5 de Mayo, I’ve been feeling like I should indulge in some Mexican food.

I bought a stack of white corn tortillas.  This stack is a testament of the size of typical Mexican families, because this will definitely last me for weeks, if not months.  This stack is huge!!!!  I have not counted them, but my guess is it has about 40-50 corn tortillas.  We need to start using them in multiples…

Inspired by a Simply Delicioso show I saw on the Food Network, I decided to create a stack of these tortillas, that when fried, they are magically transformed into Tostadas.

This is what I did…

 

 

CORN TOSTADA STACKS

2 white corn tortillas

1 potato, boiled

1 tbs cream cheese

½ onion, sliced

½ green bell pepper, sliced

1 garlic clove, grated

2-3 tbs Mexican salsa

2 lettuce leaves - I used romaine , washed well and sliced thinly

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 tbs canola oil, to fry the tortillas

1 tbs sour cream, to garnish on top

 

1. In a small skillet, heat the oil at medium high heat.   When the oil is smoking hot, fry one tortilla at a time.  They’ll take about 2-3 minutes on each side, until the tortilla is slightly golden and crispy.  Drain on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt as they come out of the skillet.
2. While you’re frying these tortillas, mash the boiled potato with the cream cheese and a bit of salt.  If you find the potato too stiff, add a tab bit of olive oil to soften.  Set aside.
3. After you’ve finished frying the tortillas, sauté the onions and peppers in the same skillet.  Why dirty another pot?  Add some salt and pepper to season and to soften.  Add the grated garlic clove to season.  When the onion/peppers are soft take them away from the heat and set aside.

Now we assemble…

4.  Place one tostada on the bottom of your plate.  Spread the mashed potato mixture, spoon some salsa, spoon the onions and peppers, sprinkle the shredded lettuce and top off with the tostada you have left.

5.  Spoon some extra salsa on top and garnish with some sour cream…  I did not have any on hand when I did this, so that’s why it’s missing from the picture.  But I know it will add something good and delicious to the mix.

 

I am sure you can continue adding layers of goodness to this… how about a layer of corn and bean salsa or some fresh tomatoes, or even some saucy stewed soy protein (so it looks like ground beef)…  the possibilities are endless.

¡Viva México Lindo y Querido!

Sauteed Corn with Onions February 19, 2008

I am in a use-up mode.  I told myself I was not returning to the supermarket until I have used up most of what I have on hand right now.

Has this happened to you?  That you eat mostly the same  - day-in day-out  - and you keep leaving in the pantry or the fridge stuff you bought at some point but can’t seem to get to cook it now.  That’s the worst kind of waste… when you need to throw stuff out because you didn’t get to prepare it.  I need to change my ways and put a stop to that!!!!

So I looked in my freezer and I found a bag of frozen corn…  what to do with it???  I started to improvise and this is what came about…

 

SAUTEED CORN with ONIONS

 1 cup frozen corn - I am sure that this would work with fresh corn too

1 tbs olive oil

1/4 onion - sliced

2 tbs crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce - I used Tomates Fritos from Viter with a little crushed tomatoes I had leftover.

Garlic Salt to taste

1. Pour olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat.  Pour in the frozen corn and the onions and stir to coat with the olive oil.  Cover so the steam generated cooks and soften the corn and onions.
2. About 5-10 minutes later, pour in the crushed tomatoes and season with garlic salt. 
3. Sautee for a few minutes more until the corn is thoroughly cooked.
4. Serve warm.

I was completely surprised on how good this tasted.  It was a step up from boiled corn with a little butter.  The gamble paid off.  I hope you like it too.  I served this originally with my Creamy Potatoes.  And later on served it as part of this salad…

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Onions February 11, 2008

This is one of the recipes I did in our last Yoga Center Menu for February.

 I just wanted a sweet counterpoint to the savory lasagna and other veggies, without recurring to my trusted ripe plantains…  They’re sweet but savory at the same time and loaded with beta carotene.  I made this recipe using 10lbs of sweet potatoes… and fed about 20 people.  You can definitely adjust to feed your smaller crowd.

 

ROASTED SWEET POTATOES WITH ONIONS

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1″ cubes

1 large onion, sliced

Salt and Pepper to taste

Garlic salt, optional

Olive oil to coat

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F. 
2. In a baking sheet or roasting pan, place sweet potato pieces and onion slices.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Toss with your hands, until all pieces are coated with oil and seasonings.
3. Roast in oven for 40-45 minutes, moving sweet potatoes around about halftime.
4. Check the sweet potatoes for doneness before removing from oven.

Stewed Potatoes - Papas Guisadas December 20, 2007

This was my dinner last night.

Back in my omnivorous days, I used to love when my aunt made stewed chicken, but not for the chicken… it was for the sauce and the potatoes in the stew. So when I decided to go veggie, I created this dish to celebrate all the good things I love about my aunt’s cooking.

 

STEWED POTATOES

2 large potatoes, cubed
1 large onion, diced
1 cubanelle pepper or green bell pepper, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced or 1 tablespoon of sofrito
1 jar of stewed tomatoes or chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup of water - if needed
Salt and pepper to taste
10 large olives or 2 tablespoons of capers
2 bay leaves
a large dash of paprika
1 roasted bell pepper - optional
a few splashes of apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, pour olive oil. Mix in the onions, peppers and sofrito, if using. If using just the garlic, wait a few minutes to mix it in. Add salt and pepper to taste.
2. When onions and peppers have softened, add in the potatoes. Stir a few times for them to cook a bit.
3. Add the tomatoes, olives or capers, roasted bell peppers, bay leaves and paprika. If there is not enough liquid for the potatoes to cook in, add a bit of water. Add the vinegar.
4. Simmer in the covered pot for about 30 minutes, until potatoes are fork tender.

Serve over brown rice or eat on it’s own.  Here, I show it over basmati rice.  You could add veggie hot dogs to this and it would taste great too.

Roasted Broccoli and Zucchini November 24, 2007

This was included to bring a punch of color in an otherwise, very orangy, beta-carotene laden menu. 

ROASTED BROCCOLI AND ZUCCHINI

1 zucchini, diced

1 head of broccoli

1 onion, sliced

olive oil

salt and pepper

1. Toss the veggies with olive oil, salt and pepper.
2. Roast in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Super simple.  Super tasty.  Eat it fast… with time, the veggies get a bit soggy.