| SOUTH OF THE BORDER -- continued -- |
| CHILI This recipe will fill a 5-6 qt pot. Start by preparing BASIC BEANS, made with 2 cups of Beans (or more if you like it "beany") and 1/2 to 3/4 cups of Chickpeas; I also like Kidney Beans in my Chili. IMPORTANT: Adjust spices and add 1/2 tsp of Allspice to the seasonings. DO NOT MASH! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/2 bunch (or thereabouts) of Celery (coarsely chopped) 2-3 lg Onions (cut into chunks) 2 med Green Peppers (cut into strips) 2 lg Carrots (diced or sliced thinly) Jalapenos or Scotch Bonnet (minced -- to preference, totally optional) 1 Leek (cut into rings, green part sliced -- optional) Oil for Frying (I use a mixture of EVOO and Peanut) Fry the Onion, Leek, and as much of the mixed-up remainder of the Vegetables as possible in lg kettle. When everything is really nice and brown, add 5-6 cloves of Garlic (minced) 1 tsp Italian Seasoning 1 tsp ground Cumin 1-2 tbsp Chili Powder. Continue to saute for a couple of minutes, then add 2 cans of skinless Tomatoes (chopped) with their Juice (14 or 16 oz ea) 1 small Zucchini (sliced) 1 can EACH of white Hominy and Corn (drained) 1 recipe Basic Beans (prepared as desribed on previous page, see link above) Add remainder of the prepared Vegetables. It might need some more juice, so add a bottle of Beer (great for flavour, especially if you splurge on a Guiness!) or Tomato Juice or Vegetable Broth. Adjust seasoning with 2-3 envelopes of Washington's Broth and Seasoning Mix or few of Knorr Vegetable Cubes (add 1 at a time to taste) Ad lib Chili Powder; dashes of Cumin, Black Pepper. Bring to a boil, slowly simmer for 1/2 hour or so, adjust taste. It might need more Chili Powder and/or Allspice. If there is room in the pot, add a can of short-cut Green Beans (drained). Simmer for at least another 1/2 hour (stir frequently). Top with Cheese, serve with Corn Chips or Crackers. Freezes well. NOTE: Somewhere in the middle of this process, I often end up dividing the Chili over 2 large pots because it just seems to grow and grow. At the end, before spooning it into the individual freezer bowls, I mix it all together again in one humonguous plastic bowl I keep for just for such purposes. |
| MESSED UP CHILI -- my favourite way to eat the above: Crush Corn Chips in a bowl, cover with shredded Cheese, splash on some Picante Sauce. Nuke some Chili until bubbly, dump over the Cheese and Chips. Yummy! Of course this will work on top of a Baked Potato instead of the Corn Chips, but it isn't as tasty! Variation: Cover a large, lightly buttered whole-wheat or rye steak bun with shredded cheese and toast in the toaster oven until the edges are crisp. Top with bubbling-hot Chili. |
| CHILI DIP Mix some Chili with some Picante (to taste). Generously cover Chili with shredded Cheese; nuke until bubbly. Serve with Corn Chips, Celery Sticks, or a hearty Cracker. |
| CHILI AND BROWN RICE -- a great dish to take along for lunch Line the bottom of a freezer- and microwave-safe bowl with Brown Rice, add some shredded Cheese, top with Chili, add more Cheese, dot with Picante Sauce. You can take one of these out of the freezer in the morning and pop in into the nuker at lunchtime ... delicious! |
| BREAKFAST BURRITOS (makes 10) |
| Finely dice Veggies, mince Garlic, saute in a bit of Oil until the Onions are just glassy. Meanwhile, whip the Eggs REAL good (as you would for an omelette), incorporating the Soy Sauce, Pepper and Paprika. Do not add Salt as the Soy Sauce is salty emough already. Pour the eggs over the Veggies and prepare as for an Omelette. When they have set, put a generous spoonful on a Tortilla, add a bit of Picante Sauce, top with plenty of Cheese. Roll up. If you wrap each Burrito in plastic wrap right away they won't fall apart. These freeze very well. NOTE: I like to toast the Tortillas on the burner of my electric stove (med heat) for a few seconds before filling them. |
| 1 pck Whole Wheat Tortillas 10 large or X-large Eggs Soy Sauce, Black Pepper, Paprika 1 good-sized Onion 1 sm to med. Green Pepper 1 sm bunch Spring Onions (optional) Jalapenos or Scotch Bonnet ad lib 3-4 toes of Garlic shredded Cheese, Picante Sauce |
| Variation: Coat the Tortilla with a generous tablespoonful (or two) of Bean Dip before adding the Egg mixture (this is soooo good!!). Spread heated bean dip over Burrito after defrosting. |
| BEAN, CHEESE AND ONION ENCHILADAS |
| 1 lb Sharp Cheddar 1 lb Cojack 24-30 sm Corn Tortillas 3 10-oz cans of Old El Paso Enchilada Sauce (PER PAN) 3-4 large Onions (approx.) Jalapenos (ad lib) Bean Dip (see South of the Border, Page 1) |
| I usually make this in 3 pans of 8-9 Enchiladas each (however much fits your pan). Wrap securely, then freeze (before cooking) for later use. Finely dice Onions and Jalapenos, mix together, set aside. Grate Cheeses, mix together. Ready your baking dish(es) (glass or ceramic) by spreading some of the Sauce in the bottom and up the sides. If you have an electric stove, just turn a burner to medium and using tongs, toast the tortilla on both side (do this in a pan over gas, you may have to use a few drops of oil that way). Transfer the toasty Tortilla to a plate, spread on a spoonful of Bean Dip, top with a handful of the Onion/ Jalapeno mixture, add Cheese. Roll up, put in prepared baking dish (swish it about in the Sauce a bit). Continue until the pan is full, top with more Cheese, some more Onions/Jalapenos, and as much Sauce as the pan will handle. |
| TO FREEZE: If it's going to be frozen, stop here after the topping with Cheese and Onions, then wrap securely with plastic wrap and tinfoil (I like to secure this with brown packing tape), freeze. After defrosting, add another can of sauce and proceed baking it same as with the fresh batch. NOTE: The tortillas tend to fall apart more after this dish has been fozen. Still tastes the same, but since it's a bit more messy (the corn tortillas seem to disintegrate a little), simply call it "Enchilada Casserole" TO BAKE: Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Remove wrapping, top casserole with generous amount of cheese and more Onions/Jalapenos. Add as much sauce as the pan will handle (make sure it gets down the sides and in between the Enchiladas). Bake for 1 hr. It is advisable to put a baking sheet under your pan to catch any drips. TO SERVE: Serve on a bed of Corn (or Green Beans), and with lots of Cornbread (see below). |
| Sacrifice Chili Dogs on the Altar or Vegetarianism??? Not on your life!!! Just heat one (or two) of those delicious Veggie Weiners with your Chili, slap everything on a (toasted) whole-wheat bun or a nice chunk of your favourite bread, melt some cheese ("real" or the soy variety) all over the whole thing -- enjoy -- and keep the napkins handy! |
| BREAKFAST SANDWICH |
| If you run out of Tortillas before you run out of filling for the Breakfast Burritos, grab two thick slices of Pumpernickel bread (or any bread you like, really) and heap with the egg-filling and cheese (the Bread can be coated with Bean Dip before adding the Egg mixture). You can wrap this up and freeze. Before eating, spread a little oleo on both sides of the bread (on the outside!) and fry up like you would a grilled cheese. Since this is pretty thick, it's best to defrost before frying; otherwise, you might still have ice-cold or partially frozen egg-mixture in the middle of your sandwich while the bread's already beginning to set off your smoke alarm. |
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| Unless otherwise noted, all recipes copyright Valkyrie Grant |
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| CHILI DOG |
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| Easy Peasy (ok, lazy) CORNBREAD |
| Prepare a package of JIFFY Corn Muffin Mix according to package directions. Add a teaspoon of sugar and a talespoon full of finely-chopped Jalopenos, then pour into a small loaf pan and bake as directed. |