Quick Weeknight Suppers - Mexican Stirfry and Tomato Rice

This Mexican stir fry dinner right here took me under 45 minutes to make and have it on the table....it was one of 'those' busy weeknights when everything and anything wanted to go to hell, taking me along with it.

The kids and I were cold, & tired after a long day and all we wanted was to get something quick to eat and crash for the evening. I wanted to go home and make something because the last thing I wanted to do was get a meal from a fast food place. I can't even go there....the greasy food, the atmosphere....ugh, it was too much for me to handle. I am sure you get my drift!

So off I went to my cosy warm kitchen and started digging, and this is what I came up with.
A Mexican stir fry with some tomato rice, tortillas and guacamole! Perfect!

I had some tortillas and guacamole on hand so all I had to do was saute the veggies and wait for the rice to cook and dinner was served!

Here's what you need: These measurements are only a guideline, use what you have.

1 packet- tortillas, ready to eat guacamole, salsa, sour cream (optional)
1 cup rice- wash and soak for 10 minutes while you prep the veggies.

For the Stir-Fry:
1 onion, 2-3 bell peppers- any color, 1 large zucchini, 1 carrot - I had some shredded carrot in the fridge which I used, 1/2 cup frozen corn,

1 packet- Taco seasoning ( I used a Low sodium One)- use half or to your taste
Black Pepper, a pinch of sugar
1 tbsp- Olive Oil

Chop the onions, peppers, zucchini into long slivers. In a pan, heat some oil and add the onions, let them saute a bit and then add the rest of the veggies and the seasoning. Cook for 7 minutes or more depending how soft you like them, I didn't cook them for too long, because I wanted a tad crunch to them.

For the rice:
1 cup rice- soaked,
1 onion, green peas and 2-3 canned or fresh tomatoes, any other veggies you'd like to add, I added the rest of the carrots in it,
the other half of the taco seasoning packet or a garam masala.
2 cups water,
Salt, Sugar to taste,
1 tbsp- Olive Oil

In a deep pan, heat the oil and add the onions. Add the rice and the veggies along with the seasoning and let it cook until done.

Serving Suggestion: Warm up the tortillas, spoon the filling inside and fold over, top off with guacamole and salsa with the rice on the side.

Boy,am I glad I made this, it filled us all up and it was a much better option than the greasy take outs...! Home cooked meals really do work wonders, don't they? I calmed down considerably after this meal! :)

Enchiladas with homemade Enchilada Sauce....A favorite!

Happy New Year! Here's wishing you all the best for 2009!

Do you like Mexican food? If you do, try these.....these enchiladas were AWESOME! They were even better than some restaurants because I made the sauce myself...and it turned out just delicious.

The secret ingredient in this sauce is Chocolate! yes, dark chocolate.....I had just bought some Chocolate with Chilies in it over the holidays and it came to good use in this recipe....and while there is no*distinct* chocolate flavor in this sauce, it just adds that extra oomph to it!

On with the recipes:

For the Red Sauce:
1-2 cans - strained tomatoes or tomato sauce
-1 red or white onion
-3-6 Chipotles or dried Indian Chilies (adjust to your taste)
-3-4 cloves of garlic
-1 small packet of Taco Seasoning
-2-3 tbsp Dona Maria Mole sauce(optional) but this gives it a LOT of flavor.
-6 small squares of Dark Chocolate - I used Chocolate with Chilies in it
-1 tbsp-Oil
-A pinch of sugar, and some black pepper- to taste

Soak the chilies in some warm water for half an hour. Grind all the ingredients except the tomatoes, taco seasoning and the Chocolate. In a deep pan, heat the oil and add the ground paste of the onions, chilies and garlic. Saute for 10 minutes, and now add the Taco Seasoning. Stir really well and add the tomatoes. Add the chocolate pieces and stir well.Add the sugar and pepper. Simmer on low heat for 20 minutes or more to bring out the flavors.


For the Filling:
I used a spinach, corn, onions and pepper filling. Saute some Onions in a little bit of Olive Oil, add some peppers, corn and the spinach and some Adobo or Mexican Seasoning. Try and get the low sodium one for a healthier version. Mix well and saute until the spinach wilts. This is so versatile, you can add whatever veggies or meat you'd like.

I also added some beans on the side. Mash some black beans and heat. You can use refried beans if you like.

For the toppings and sides: Tortillas, Southwest Cheese or any cheddar/pepperjack mix, Guacamole, Sour cream, Olives, Jalapenos, Green Onions, Taco Sauce and a fresh tomato,cilantro and red onion Salsa. I also made some Mexican rice, but that was just plain rice from the Zatarain's- Jambalaya brand. Use any one that you like.

Assembling the Enchiladas:

Spread some filling on to the tortillas. Roll them up and add some sauce on top, along with the other toppings. Bake in a preheated oven- 350F individually until the cheese melts. Serve with a side of Guacamole, sour cream, and salsa and of course, some rice! Enjoy.

Try this....let me know how you like it!



Again, many warm wishes to ALL of you who come to read this blog....thank you! I appreciate each and everyone of you. Here's to a great 2009!

JFI- Bell Peppers: Quick Pepper Fajitas

Bell peppers are such a delight, their vibrant colors are enough to make you want to grab and munch on them. This is one of my favorite ways to have peppers, in a fajita....try it and see.

Ingredients:

8-Bell Peppers - red, green, yellow and red - sliced in slivers
1- Large White/Red Onion- sliced
1- Large Zucchini- sliced
1- Large Squash - sliced
1- Large carrot- sliced
1/2 cup- fresh/frozen corn
1 Package- Taco/Fajita Seasoning
Salt - to taste
1 tbsp- Olive Oil
Red Chili Flakes, Garlic Powder- to taste


In a wide pan, heat some oil and add the onions and carrots first. Saute for 5 mins. Add the rest of the veggies and add the seasonings. Cook until semi-soft or soft.

Serve with warm tortillas, sour cream, guacamole, olives, salsa and taco sauce and mexican rice on the side. Roll up the tortilla and enjoy.

This is going to Pooja for VOW-JFI- Peppers. Thanks, Pooja for hosting this wonderful event.

Mexican Pizzas.....and an Event Update.

One thing I miss about living in Tampa is Taco bell....how I love those 7-layer burritos, tacos, and the Mexican pizzas. TB has come through for me for those late night spicy cravings, mostly related to pregnancy though!..and of course, those times when we feel like just pigging out without giving two hoots about health.....and so many more times I can't even count!
Though we do have a TB here, it's not the full fledged one, its a tiny, rinky dink express joint which hardly has any choices...oh well. So, of course, I have to satisfy my Mexican cravings by making it on my own.....so, here is my way to make those pizzas that you find at TB.

This is what you will need:

1 packet- small tortillas, 1 bottle of Taco sauce,available at any grocery store, Mexican Cheese Blend, Green onions, Olives, tomatoes, Pinto beans- canned or fresh, taco seasoning.

Chop the green onions, tomatoes and set aside. Shallow fry the tortillas in a little bit of oil till golden brown and crispy. Meanwhile, make the bean layer by mashing pinto beans in some taco seasoning. Set aside.

To assemble: Take one of the crispy tortillas, spread some taco sauce on top, then the beans. Put another tortilla on top, spread some more taco sauce, add cheese, green onions, olives and tomatoes. Bake in the oven at 350F on a lined baking sheet, until the cheese melts. Enjoy with some rice, guacamole, sour cream, salsa or nachos.

Here are the Nachos that K made:

Layer some tortillas chips, spread beans and cheese on top. Bake until the cheese melts. Top with green onions, olives, tomatoes,and sour cream......enjoy!









Event Update:
I have received many suggestions for the Cooking Event, and I have decided to be fair and come up with an event that everyone will be able to participate in...and here is the theme:


"Spring Fling 2007-with Family and Friends in the Kitchen."


"Family/Friends in the Kitchen" - could be anyone from the family, husband, kids, your mother/father, in-laws, cousins, bhabhis...etc etc...or among the friend circle..your best friends, neighbors....I am being very generous here.

1. Cook a Vegetarian recipe -A dessert, main dish, side dish, appetizer of your choice, NO soups, NO Drinks though. The recipe must be Vegetarian. Origin of the recipe does not matter.

2. Cook with family/friend, include their hands/elbow/feet....catch my drift...in a picture,their initials,and their relationship to you in the post. If you would like to include face shots, it is entirely up to you.

3. Send two pictures, one of the dish and the other of your Kitchen mate helping you make the dish,and a permanent link of the recipe to: spicewholovedme@yahoo.ca

4.Send these entries by: May 20th, 2007..I am giving you guys plenty of time!

5. The BEST entry- judged on creativity and presentation, will receive a Prize from me, along with some other goodies being mailed to you...so get creative, have fun and let's see what we all come up with. What's the prize you ask? Well....obviously, one of them will be a COOKBOOK, which one, I don't know yet...the prize will be customized to the winner.....so something suited to you.

6. Post the recipe on your blog with the button that I will be making soon.

7. Only those with Blogs may participate, it doesn't have to be a food blog though.

So, Good Luck....and get cooking! Any questions, comments, write to me directly at:
spicewholovedme@yahoo.ca

Enjoy!

A blizzard and some Chimichangas.......

A blizzard is roaring outside as I write this....but that means only one thing - everything is CLOSED! and I mean everything! So, what do I do? browse all the food blogs, of course. K is watching sports, S and S are downstairs wrecking their toys...err..I mean,playing...not much for me to do right now except post a new recipe for the Chimichangas that I had promised....here goes:

You will need:

Flour Tortillas - I used Spinach flavored ones.
For the beans: A can of refried beans,packet of hot taco seasoning, onions- chopped, oil.

For the veggie mixture: green peppers, zucchini *yes, I'm lovin' this zucchini now* carrots, red onions - all chopped lengthwise.
Some more taco seasoning, salt and pepper to taste.

For the rice as a side dish or filling: 1.5 cup Rice-soaked for 30 minutes, onions, corn, peas and carrots, you can use frozen mixed veggies, tomatoes- lots of them, salt, pepper, roasted cumin powder, garlic powder, a pinch of sugar, tabasco sauce, water.

Saute onions, and the veggies in some oil. Add the rice and stir until lightly browned. Now add the tomatoes and the spices and enough water- around 3 cups. Stir and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let it cook until nice and fluffy.

Cheese, sour cream, guacamole, taco hot sauce,olives, green onions as fillers and for garnish.

Make the bean filling by sauteeing the onions in some oil, add the beans and taco seasoning.Mix well and set aside.

To make the veggie filling: Saute the veggies that have been chopped lengthwise in some oil, when they are soft, add the seasoning, to your taste and the salt and pepper. You can also add some tomatoes if you like it tangy...I left them out this time.

To assemble: spread the bean mixture, rice mixture and veggie mixture in the middle of the tortilla. Add cheese and some taco sauce, guacamole,green onions and olives. Roll up the sides and tuck the tortilla so that it is snug. Meanwhile, heat a pan, use medium-low heat.
Spray the pan with some oil spray such as Pam...and place tortilla seam side down. Cook until all the sides are nice and browned and the filling is hot....around 5 minutes for each tortilla. See picture.

Serve hot with a side of some rice and sour cream. This is my favorite Mexican recipe...I like this even more than the Spinach Enchiladas that I usually make. Enjoy.

Several reader and non bloggers have requested Gujarati recipes from me....I will do my best and try and bring these recipes for you. So, keep an eye out for it! I am off to make some authentic Gujarati lunch, which I will post soon.

Also, Check this site out: http://www.ifood.tv/
that I have come across recently, it features great Chefs and individuals who post recipes, just like we do on our blog, except they are in a video format.....a wonderful idea! Check it out and register yourself if you like.

Music of the Moment: "Raag Mishra Pahadi"- Pt.S.Sharma