Saturday, April 28, 2012
Tulips!
G and I snuck out for a child-free afternoon and went to look at the tulips in Skagit County.
The colors are absolutely gorgeous...
Friday, April 27, 2012
The Best Lazy Enchiladas
There won't be any pictures yet, but thanks to my friend Carrie, I am writing this down just so we have a place to go to reference it again in the future. I will try to take pictures and come back to update. Ms. Rivera called them lazy enchiladas because they are not individually rolled, but staked - more like a lasagne but mexican style.
Recipe provided by R Rivera, I have adapted it somewhat to use up some of the extra ingredients. Look for tortillas with the minimal amount of ingredients - corn, water, lime is what my favorite have in them.
Total time, about 2 hours. If you skip the sauce and use store bought, could be assembled and cooked within 45 minutes. Also, can be assembled and refrigerated, and placed straight in the oven, just add 15 minutes to the baking time.
Sauce Ingredients:
Olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
½ green pepper, chopped (reserve other half for filling)
½ red pepper, chopped (reserve other half for filling)
1 pablano pepper, chopped
½ jalapeno pepper, chopped
salt, to taste
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 large cans of tomatoes (I used fire roasted diced)
To make the Enchilada Sauce:
Add the onion, chopped green and red peppers, pablano and jalapeno peppers and a bit of oil in a dutch oven (or deep sauce pan); season with salt and saute over medium-high heat until the onions are translucent. Add as much garlic as you want, saute another minute. Pour in the two cans of tomatoes, stir to combine. Let it simmer for a while, up to an hour.
When ready, use a hand blender to smooth the sauce. (If you need to use a blender, take care, as blending hot liquids causes expansion which can lead to explosions.)
Enchilada Filling Ingredients:
Olive oil
1 bag frozen spinach (10 oz)
handful chopped cilantro
salt, to taste
½ green pepper, sliced
½ red pepper, sliced
8 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced
½ yellow onion, sliced (reserve other half for beans, below)
8 oz raw pine nuts
2 cups shelled walnuts 1
5-18 corn tortillas
To make the Enchilada Filling:
In a non-stick saute pan, saute the frozen spinach for a couple minutes, thawing it out. Add in the chopped cilantro and a good pinch of salt. Cook another minute or two, and then scrape the spinach out of the pan onto a clean kitchen towel, let cool.
Add the mushrooms to the same pan, saute for a few minutes over medium-high heat in a bit of oil. When the mushrooms are slightly browned, set them aside.
Add the onions and sliced peppers to the same pan, saute for a few minutes over medium-high heat in a bit of oil. When the peppers are soft add them to the mushrooms.
The spinach mixture should be cooled by now, grab the corners of the towel and twist over the sink - you want to get as much of the water out of the spinach as possible. Set aside.
Use a food processor to grind up pinenuts and walnuts. Do not over-grind, as you don't want nut butter, but rather small little pieces. Set aside.
Take a large baking pan (9x13) or 2 smaller ones. Put a little sauce on the bottom, then place a layer of corn tortillas down, tearing them up to make an even-ish layer. Spread half the spinach over the tortillas. Spread half the pepper/mushroom mixture over the spinach. Spread half the nut mixture over the mushrooms. Cover with a layer of sauce. Then repeat: tortillas, spinach, mushroom/peppers, nuts, sauce. Finish with a final layer of tortillas, and cover with sauce.
Bake at 350 for like 30 minutes or more. Let it cool for 10 minutes before serving; garnish with some extra chopped cilantro and any remaining enchilada sauce on the side.
This is one of the most amazing plate of enchiladas I have ever eaten - I went back for seconds. No meat, no dairy, no gluten, but all good! While the enchiladas are in the oven, cook up a side of beans to make your meal complete.
Side of beans, slightly adapted from Orangette
Olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
1 tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. Mexican-style hot sauce, or more to taste (this amount makes mild beans)
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans
¼ tsp. salt, or to taste
Add some olive oil to a medium saucepan and turn on the heat to medium. Add the onion, increase the heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent. Add the ground cumin and oregano, and stir well. Add the hot sauce, and stir well again. Add the garlic, followed by the beans and their can juices. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until the beans are soft and warmed through. Taste, and salt as needed. Serve with a side of the enchilada sauce.
Recipe provided by R Rivera, I have adapted it somewhat to use up some of the extra ingredients. Look for tortillas with the minimal amount of ingredients - corn, water, lime is what my favorite have in them.
Total time, about 2 hours. If you skip the sauce and use store bought, could be assembled and cooked within 45 minutes. Also, can be assembled and refrigerated, and placed straight in the oven, just add 15 minutes to the baking time.
Sauce Ingredients:
Olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
½ green pepper, chopped (reserve other half for filling)
½ red pepper, chopped (reserve other half for filling)
1 pablano pepper, chopped
½ jalapeno pepper, chopped
salt, to taste
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 large cans of tomatoes (I used fire roasted diced)
To make the Enchilada Sauce:
Add the onion, chopped green and red peppers, pablano and jalapeno peppers and a bit of oil in a dutch oven (or deep sauce pan); season with salt and saute over medium-high heat until the onions are translucent. Add as much garlic as you want, saute another minute. Pour in the two cans of tomatoes, stir to combine. Let it simmer for a while, up to an hour.
When ready, use a hand blender to smooth the sauce. (If you need to use a blender, take care, as blending hot liquids causes expansion which can lead to explosions.)
Enchilada Filling Ingredients:
Olive oil
1 bag frozen spinach (10 oz)
handful chopped cilantro
salt, to taste
½ green pepper, sliced
½ red pepper, sliced
8 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced
½ yellow onion, sliced (reserve other half for beans, below)
8 oz raw pine nuts
2 cups shelled walnuts 1
5-18 corn tortillas
To make the Enchilada Filling:
In a non-stick saute pan, saute the frozen spinach for a couple minutes, thawing it out. Add in the chopped cilantro and a good pinch of salt. Cook another minute or two, and then scrape the spinach out of the pan onto a clean kitchen towel, let cool.
Add the mushrooms to the same pan, saute for a few minutes over medium-high heat in a bit of oil. When the mushrooms are slightly browned, set them aside.
Add the onions and sliced peppers to the same pan, saute for a few minutes over medium-high heat in a bit of oil. When the peppers are soft add them to the mushrooms.
The spinach mixture should be cooled by now, grab the corners of the towel and twist over the sink - you want to get as much of the water out of the spinach as possible. Set aside.
Use a food processor to grind up pinenuts and walnuts. Do not over-grind, as you don't want nut butter, but rather small little pieces. Set aside.
Take a large baking pan (9x13) or 2 smaller ones. Put a little sauce on the bottom, then place a layer of corn tortillas down, tearing them up to make an even-ish layer. Spread half the spinach over the tortillas. Spread half the pepper/mushroom mixture over the spinach. Spread half the nut mixture over the mushrooms. Cover with a layer of sauce. Then repeat: tortillas, spinach, mushroom/peppers, nuts, sauce. Finish with a final layer of tortillas, and cover with sauce.
Bake at 350 for like 30 minutes or more. Let it cool for 10 minutes before serving; garnish with some extra chopped cilantro and any remaining enchilada sauce on the side.
This is one of the most amazing plate of enchiladas I have ever eaten - I went back for seconds. No meat, no dairy, no gluten, but all good! While the enchiladas are in the oven, cook up a side of beans to make your meal complete.
Side of beans, slightly adapted from Orangette
Olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
1 tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. Mexican-style hot sauce, or more to taste (this amount makes mild beans)
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans
¼ tsp. salt, or to taste
Add some olive oil to a medium saucepan and turn on the heat to medium. Add the onion, increase the heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent. Add the ground cumin and oregano, and stir well. Add the hot sauce, and stir well again. Add the garlic, followed by the beans and their can juices. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until the beans are soft and warmed through. Taste, and salt as needed. Serve with a side of the enchilada sauce.
Monday, April 23, 2012
G's birthday
During the day, the kiddos were running around the yard.
Later that night, we had some friends over to celebrate. After dinner, G decided that we should break ground on our yard improvement projects. Our neighbor came over with jackhammer (!?!) and we got underway, tearing up the slab.
The beginning of the yard work has begun!
Later that night, we had some friends over to celebrate. After dinner, G decided that we should break ground on our yard improvement projects. Our neighbor came over with jackhammer (!?!) and we got underway, tearing up the slab.
The beginning of the yard work has begun!
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