Burritos with a Twist

This is the perfect weeknight meal--it's fast, easy, and delicious. These Good Goat Burritos are a great way to mix up your Mexican go-to. We used Trader Joe's frozen brown rice that microwaves in 3 minutes to make this meal even easier. I think it took us about 15 minutes from start to finish. Serve these burritos with guacamole and your favorite hot sauce.

Good Goat Burritos (Vegetarian Planet, Didi Emmons)

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 1/2 cups chopped scallions, both white and green parts (about 1 bunch)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp. ground cumin seeds

2 tomatoes, chopped into 1/2-inch cubes

2 cups cooked rice

salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste

1 cup cooked black beans, or more, to taste

4 Tbs. soft, mild chèvre (goat cheese)

2 10- or 12-inch flour tortillas (or 4 8-inch flour tortillas)

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped scallions, garlic, and cumin. Saute, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and rice, and heat them well, stirring. Season the mixture with salt and pepper, and keep it warm.

2. In another skillet, heat the black beans with a bit of water to moisten them, stirring so they do not scorch. Keep them warm.

3. Sprinkle a bit of water on one tortilla, then place the tortilla in a large dry skillet over high heat. After a few seconds, turn the tortilla to heat the other side, again for only a few seconds. Place the hot tortilla on a work surface. Spread 2 Tbs. goat cheese across the center part of the tortilla. Place half of the rice mixture and half of the black beans over the cheese. Roll up the tortilla tightly, folding in the sides as you roll. Serve the burrito immediately, and make another just like it. (If you are using four 8-inch tortillas, use 1 Tbs. goat cheese and 1/4 of the rice and beans per tortilla.)

Slow Cooker Enchiladas

Although it has been a long time since I created most of the dishes I'm about to post, and many of them are no longer seasonal, they are a few of my favs. I think it's worth posting them for reference when they are seasonal again (or perhaps just another chilly day in the Bay Area).

At Christmas time I went to one of my favorite gift stores on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland, Nathan's. I meant to pick out little gifts for the Petes family grab bag, but I ended up only buying The Gourmet Vegetarian Slow Cooker cookbook for myself. Oops. It was definitely a good buy though, as there are hardly any slow cooker recipes for vegetarians. The Stacked Cauliflower Enchilada with Green Chile Sauce is absolutely delicious and really easy. I prepped everything the night before, put everything in the slow cooker in the morning, and came home in the evening to a wonderful meal.

Stacked Cauliflower Enchilada with Green Chile Sauce (The Gourmet Vegetarian Slow Cooker, Lynn Alley)

1 head cauliflower
1 white onion, cut vertically into 8 pieces
1 cup sliced pitted California olives, drained [or green olives with pimentos]
2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 (15-oz.) can black beans, drained
6 to 9 corn tortillas
1/2 lbs. smoked or regular cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1 (28-oz.) can green enchilada sauce
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
1/2 cup sour cream, for garnish

1. Trim and core the cauliflower, then wash and slice the head vertically. (You will be placing it in layers in the casserole, so you want the pieces fairly thin.) Pull the onion layers apart.
2. In a large bowl, combine the cauliflower, onion, olives, tomatoes, and beans using your hands.
3. Oil the inside of the slower cooker insert. Place 2 or 3 overlapping tortillas in the bottom of the insert. Add a layer of half the mixed vegetables and top it with a generous sprinkling of cheese (about one-third of the cheese). Pour 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce over the layer.
4. Add another layer of tortillas, then half of the remaining vegetables and another one-third of the cheese. Pour on another 1/2 cup of sauce. Finish with an additional layer of tortillas and the remaining 2 1/2 cups sauce. (Even though you may appear to have an excess of sauce, much of it is absorbed into the tortillas and vegetables as they cook.)
5. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours, or until the cauliflower is tender. Top the casserole with the remaining cheese, cover, and cook for an additional 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
6. Turn off the heat and allow the contents of the insert to sit for 10 to 15 minutes to set, then carefully scoop up generous individual servings of the enchilada into bowls. Top each serving with a sprinkle of cilantro and a dollop of sour cream.

A Different Take on Quesadillas

I am dancing a few more nights a week than I previously did, so I'm trying to figure out ways to continue making new, delicious meals that are super quick and easy. Adam and I found this recipe for Goat Cheese and Roasted Corn Quesadillas in this month's Cooking Light. They were a great, different take on quesadillas, my ultimate fast food. I have to say that we didn't use corn. I thought I had some in the freezer, but when I went to prepare the meal, I found that we didn't actually have any. I can only imagine that the quesadillas would be even more fantastic with freshly roasted corn. To round out the meal a bit, we served the quesadillas with some fat-free refried beans.

Goat Cheese and Roasted Corn Quesadillas (Cooking Light, March 2009)

1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 1 large ear)
2/3 cup (5 oz.) goat cheese, softened
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
1/4 cup chopped green onions (about 1 green onion)
10 Tbs. bottled salsa verde
cooking spray

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add corn; saute 2 minutes or until browned. Place corn in a small bowl. Add goat cheese to corn; stir until well blended. Divide corn mixture evenly among 4 tortillas; spread to within 1/4 inch of sides. Sprinkle each tortilla with 1 Tbs. green onions. Drizzle each with 1 1/2 tsp. salsa; top with remaining 4 tortillas.
2. Heat pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Place 2 quesadillas in pan; cook 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until golden. Remove from pan; keep warm. Wipe pan clean with paper towels; recoat with cooking spray. Repeat procedure with remaining quesadillas. Cute each quesadilla into 4 wedges. Serve with remaining 8 Tbs. salsa.

Family Favorite

One of Adam's favorite meals is his mom's fajitas. Every single time we go home, she makes them for him. She makes the fajitas with flank or skirt steak, marinating the meat for a day or two to make it tender and flavorful. Last night, we made the fajitas with chicken and tofu, which still passed the test of Adam's approval. We rounded out the meal with a homemade mango salsa, guacamole, and home-fried tortilla chips. All-in-all, a perfect fajita experience.


June's Fajitas

You can make the fajita filling with any type of meat: beef, pork, or chicken (or even tofu). You definitely don't need a fancy, expensive cut of meat to make the meal fantastic.

meat/tofu
soy sauce
lime juice
garlic, minced
olive oil
onion, sliced
green pepper, thinly sliced
red pepper, thinly sliced
tortillas
shredded cheddar cheese

1. Place the meat/tofu in a plastic Ziploc bag. Pour in soy sauce, lime juice, garlic, and olive oil. Use your discretion and personal taste as to determine how much of each ingredient you use. Allow to marinate for at least 6 hours but up to 2 days. If you are using tofu, only marinate for about 1 hour.
2. Grill the meat on medium-high heat until thoroughly cooked. Slice into strips.
3. Heat a bit of olive oil on medium heat in a large skillet. Add onions and peppers; saute until tender and slightly browned.
4. Heat tortillas to make supple. Serve tortillas topped with meat, vegetables, and cheese.


Mango Salsa with Tortilla Chips

Corn or flour tortillas work for this recipe. If you use corn tortillas, you will have a more traditional chip, but if you use flour tortillas, you will have a crispy outside with a chewy inside chip that is a nice variation to the usual.

1 mango, diced
2 serrano peppers, minced, or pepper to taste
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 (15-oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup red onion, minced
2 limes, juiced
splash of white wine vinegar
salt to taste

corn or flour tortillas, cut into eighths
vegetable oil
salt

1. Mix all ingredients, mango to first salt, together.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tortilla pieces a few at a time, making sure not to crowd the pan. Allow to brown on one side, then flip and brown on the other. Place on a paper towel to drain the oil and salt to taste. Serve warm.