Mexican food. Two words that send shivers down my spine and set my salivary glands into overdrive. In all it's forms, I love it. Smother any kind of food with beans and cheese and some kind of hot sauce and I will no doubt annihilate it. And luckily, my kids love it too. They've been known to eat salsa that can't be tolerated by grown adults due to the heat. I have successfully ensured that my DNA has transmitted to my offspring and I feel raging success as a mother when one of them states, "I think it needs more jalapenos!"
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| Who can forget Home Simpson's tango with the Guatemalan Insanity Pepper |
Additional benefits to our beloved Mexican food is that it's typically very easy to prepare and it's low-cost. Even the husband can make tacos on night's I work. We lovingly refer to those meals as, "Dad Dinners" and it includes rotations of all things burrito, taco, and spaghetti have to offer. I do my best in assisting where I can to make sure Dad Dinners are a success. This means keeping the fridge stocked with homemade pinto beans and enchilada sauce.
Beans are a big part of our diet. With over half the family vegetarian, I'm constantly trying to ensure that we get protein where we can and beans are a great source of protein and fiber. Plus, they're cheap. When I was in nursing school and we were dead broke, we utilized food stamps and the WIC program while the kids were small. It saved us. There's no way we would have been able to make it through those years without it. The WIC program is wonderful. On the monthly vouchers in addition to milk, cheese, and eggs, you can get a one pound bag of dried beans--which means I learned to cook beans. All kinds of beans. And I learned to cook them very well (and this was a time before Pinterest, gasp!) In fact, I rarely purchase canned beans because buying dry beans in bulk and cooking them myself is much less expensive and much less wasteful, in my opinion. And you just can't beat the flavor! They can take some time, but with a nice crock pot handy, you can set some beans to cook and by the time you're home from work you have a delicious meal ready to go.
On to the subject of canned food. I love it. It's convenient, it has a great shelf life. It's great for food storage and it's perfect to have around when you need food quick. BUT, there are certain foods that for the quality and price it's just not worth it. Cue the enchilada sauce. Canned enchilada sauce is pretty pricey, usually costing around 2-3 dollars a can and it's mostly red-colored sugar water. Even the organic brands tend to be flavorless and runny. Enchilada sauce is perfect for spicing up soups, stews, and sauces. Shoot, my enchilada sauce is so delicious, you can just dip chips in it like salsa! The kids like to spread it on a tortilla with a sprinkle of cheese and nuke it in the microwave for a quick lunch or snack. You can double this recipe and keep some on stand by in the fridge or you can make a huge batch and can it in your own jars. Whatever you do MAKE THIS ENCHILADA SAUCE. I'm telling you it will change your life.
It's easy to get caught up in the hectic day-to-day life. I fall victim to the "cold cereal for dinner" nights just like everyone else (please tell me someone else gives up mid week and serves Lucky Charms for dinner...) but I've found that if I make time even once a week to knock out some homemade meal starters, the rest of the week seems to be much less stressful. I hope you try these recipes and that they find a regular rotation in your household!
ROUNDSHOUSE BEANS
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups/1 lb dried pinto beans
1 yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp seasoned salt (or to taste)
2 tsp cumin
2 chili's from a chili in adobe sauce can (buy a small can in the Hispanic food section)
2 Tbsp ketchup (this adds the vinegar/tomato flavor)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Rinse your beans of dirt and throw out any weird-looking beans
2. Put beans into a large stock pot or put into your trusty crock pot
3. Add enough water to your pot to immerse beans completely
4. Add the rest of the ingredients
5. Simmer in the pot until the beans are soft (2 hrs-ish) or turn the crock pot to the medium setting (4-6hrs). Check the pot often and add more water if needed so the beans don't burn. You want a low and slow cook. You can add lots of heat if you want--jalapenos, dashes of hot sauce or even a jar of salsa! When the beans are cooked they are great whole, or you can process in a food processor or blender ( I use my Vitamix for a re-fried bean texture. My family likes it half and half so I keep half the batch whole beans and mix the blended beans into the whole beans...perfect! My son typically eats just bowls of beans...for breakfast.
It's easy to get caught up in the hectic day-to-day life. I fall victim to the "cold cereal for dinner" nights just like everyone else (please tell me someone else gives up mid week and serves Lucky Charms for dinner...) but I've found that if I make time even once a week to knock out some homemade meal starters, the rest of the week seems to be much less stressful. I hope you try these recipes and that they find a regular rotation in your household!
ROUNDSHOUSE BEANS
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups/1 lb dried pinto beans
1 yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp seasoned salt (or to taste)
2 tsp cumin
2 chili's from a chili in adobe sauce can (buy a small can in the Hispanic food section)
2 Tbsp ketchup (this adds the vinegar/tomato flavor)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Rinse your beans of dirt and throw out any weird-looking beans
2. Put beans into a large stock pot or put into your trusty crock pot
3. Add enough water to your pot to immerse beans completely
4. Add the rest of the ingredients
5. Simmer in the pot until the beans are soft (2 hrs-ish) or turn the crock pot to the medium setting (4-6hrs). Check the pot often and add more water if needed so the beans don't burn. You want a low and slow cook. You can add lots of heat if you want--jalapenos, dashes of hot sauce or even a jar of salsa! When the beans are cooked they are great whole, or you can process in a food processor or blender ( I use my Vitamix for a re-fried bean texture. My family likes it half and half so I keep half the batch whole beans and mix the blended beans into the whole beans...perfect! My son typically eats just bowls of beans...for breakfast.
RACHEL'S RIDICULOUS ENCHILADA SAUCE
INGREDIENTS:
2 Tbsp cooking oil (I use an olive oil/canola oil blend)
2 Tbsp all purpose flour
4 Tbsp Chili Powder (a good brand is typically found near the Hispanic foods at the grocery store, not by the regular spices, sometimes it comes in plastic bags instead of the shaker)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp oregano
1 14 oz can of tomato sauce + water to make 2 1/4 cups liquid
INGREDIENTS:
2 Tbsp cooking oil (I use an olive oil/canola oil blend)
2 Tbsp all purpose flour
4 Tbsp Chili Powder (a good brand is typically found near the Hispanic foods at the grocery store, not by the regular spices, sometimes it comes in plastic bags instead of the shaker)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp oregano
1 14 oz can of tomato sauce + water to make 2 1/4 cups liquid
DIRECTIONS:
Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour and stir together over the heat for one minute until you have cooked the flour a bit. Stir in the remaining seasonings. This is the best part because it smells amazing! I typically dump the tomato sauce into my 4 cup glass measuring cup and then fill the can with water and add it to the sauce until you measure 2 1/4 cup of liquid. Then gradually add in the tomato sauce and the water, whisking constantly to remove lumps. Reduce heat and simmer 10-15 minutes until thick.
Add to your favorite taco, enchilada or burrito recipe! Drizzle on chips or nachos! Add sour cream and beans for a hot bean dip! The possibilities are endless! Can be stored for about two weeks in an air tight container, or can be canned for later use.
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