When my husband and I met some six years ago I was amazed by how many things we had in common. We both loved literature, music, theology and art; we enjoyed long conversations and afternoon trips to a museum. By all accounts it was a match made in heaven. Except for one thing: he was a vegetarian. This isn’t such a big deal now since, after all this time together, he’s all but converted me. Yet I have to admit that it was a huge obstacle in the beginning. After all, I was raised on a good old Mexican diet of carne asada and machaca! All those vegetables were side dishes, or better yet, garnishes for my meat.

Avocado Enchiladas with Smokey Chipotle Sauce

Nowadays things are pretty different around here. Although I enjoy meat when we eat out, I never cook it at home and have actually come to enjoy how being an “at home vegetarian” forces me to be creative with the dishes I cook. Case in point: Avocado Enchiladas with Smokey Chipotle Sauce. Of course, cheese enchiladas are also a vegetarian alternative but they aren’t as healthy as this avocado variation. Nor, in my humble opinion, do they taste as good. The avocado mixture used to fill the tortillas is so delicious it’s hard to resist snacking on it while putting the enchiladas together (ok, I don’t resist), and once you top it all off with homemade enchilada sauce it’s vegetarian paradise. After sautéeing onions and garlic in brown sugar, cumin and oregano you add diced chipotle, adobo sauce, tomatoes and sherry. Satisfying? Oh yes.

Avocado Enchiladas
Adapted from MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients:

• 1 chipotle chili, diced + 2 tsps adobo sauce (I used canned chipotle chili peppers in adobo sauce from Whole Foods.)
• 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 medium vidalia onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon light-brown sugar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 cup sherry
• 14 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 4 Hass avocados
• 1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons dried cilantro
• 1/8 cup lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 12 corn tortillas
• 8 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, grated

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a deep saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, brown sugar, cumin, and oregano; sauté until the onion is soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the sherry, chipotle chili, adobo sauce, tomatoes and vegetable broth. Simmer for about 20 minutes, until thickened to stew consistency.

Heat oven to 400° F. Put 1/2 cup olive oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until very hot but not smoking, about 4 to 5 minutes. Using tongs, fry the tortillas, one at a time, for 2 to 3 seconds on each side. Drain on paper towel-lined sheet to get rid of excess oil.

Peel and pit the avocados. Immediately toss with the lime juice (prevents browning), cilantro, salt and pepper. Mash well.

Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce into a small casserole dish. Spoon 2 tablespoons of avocado filling into each tortilla, sprinkle some Monterrey jack cheese on top, then roll the tortilla. Put it in the casserole dish, seam side down, against one edge. Repeat the process for the other tortillas, placing each rolled tortilla snugly against the one before it. Ladle the rest of the sauce over the rolled tortillas, top with remaining cheese. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Note: These don’t reheat well because the avocado filling turns brown after a few hours. So eat up while it’s fresh!

After testing more than a few recipes from “Jamie’s Italy” a detailed book review is up next, along with a recipe for homemade pizza topped with potatoes, mozzarella, rosemary, thyme and tomatoes. But first, I wanted to share a brief post about one of my absolute favorite breakfast dishes: Huevos Rancheros with Salsa Fresca. A flavorful Mexican dish that literally means “eggs ranch-style” with “fresh salsa,” it was traditionally served on rural farms as part of generous mid-morning meal. Farm workers ate small breakfasts at dawn before beginning the day’s chores and it was almuerzo, lunch, when heartier dishes like this one were enjoyed. The combination of refried beans, eggs, tortillas, avocados, cheese and fresh salsa - among other things - is sure to become a family favorite. In this post I’ve included my personal recipe for making a great pot of beans, then combined it with the huevos rancheros and salsa fresca recipes from one of our most used breakfast books: “Breakfasts and Brunches.” (I should note, by the way, that my husband made the huevos rancheros pictured. Yes, he’s a great cook! Am I lucky or what?)

Huevos Rancheros with Salsa Fresca
(View a larger picture here.)

This dish is very easy to make, though a bit time consuming if you do it all in one go. The best way is to make the beans ahead of time, then freeze or store them, and to make the salsa the night before. :yum:

How to make a great pot of beans
Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced
• 2 - 3 cups of dried pinto beans, depending on how large your pot is
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Sort through your beans for any bits of rock. Rinse and drain twice.

Fill a large (but not huge) pot with water, leaving about 2 inches of room at the top. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the sliced onion and the rinsed beans. Bring to a boil and cook over medium high heat for 2 hours, checking periodically and adding water as needed so that the water level remains about the same. Stir occasionally.

Remove a small spoonful of beans and gently blow on them. If the skin on the beans peels back, they are done. (If the skin doesn’t peel back cook for another 15 minutes and test again.) Add 1 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook for 15 more minutes.

Serve immediately or store and refrigerate in airtight containers for up to 1 week. You can also freeze them in freezer safe containers for up to 1 month.

Huevos Rancheros
Ingredients: Makes 2 servings

• 2 good quality corn tortillas
• 1 cup refried beans
• 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
• 4 large eggs
• salt and ground pepper
• 1/4 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 avocado
• 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup sour cream (optional)
• Salsa fresca (recipe below)

Preheat the broiler.

Add about 1 1/2 cups of beans to a small pan, lightly mash, then cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and the beans have thickened. These are your refried beans.

Heat the tortillas by toasting them one at a time in dry cast-iron skillet. Place on a baking sheet; spread each tortilla with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of refried beans, according to taste, and lightly cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it very hot but not smoking and the foaming has subsided. Crack the eggs directly into the hot butter and reduce the heat to medium-low. Fry the eggs, shaking the pan occasionally to keep the eggs from sticking. Season with salt and pepper. Fry about 2 minutes for “sunny side up,” 3 minutes for medium yolks, and 3 1/2 to 4 minutes for hard yolks.

Top each prepared tortilla with 2 fried eggs and 2 tablespoons of the grated cheese. Slide the tortillas under the broiler just long enough to melt the cheese.

Dice the avocado and toss with the lime juice to prevent the avocado from browning. Divide the avocado among the tortillas. Top each serving with 2 tablespoons (or more!) of salsa fresca (recipe below) and 2 tablespoons sour cream, if desired. Serve and enjoy!

Salsa Fresca
Ingredients: Makes enough for more than one serving of huevos rancheros

• 1 cup seeded and diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup minced white onion
• 1 small jalapeno, seeds removed and minced
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 teaspoons chopped cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped oregano
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Combine all the ingredients, mix well, and let rest in a covered container in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving. Salsa can be stored this way for up to 2 days.

Note: You can try other chilies as well, including chipotles with a little for their accompanying adobo sauce. Other additions include red peppers, green peppers or cucumbers.

Recipes for huevos rancheros and salsa fresca from Breakfasts and Brunches by The Culinary Institute of America..