Cinco cinco, cinco cinco

I’ve got my limes. I’ve got my tequila.

It’s not the best, but I didn’t have much choice here in Canary Wharf.  It was either that or Jose Cuervo. Or Patron. I was about to splash out for the Patron, but I figured it was a bit spendy at £40.

And I’m not a rap star, after all.

Bring on 5 o’clock.

What I made tonight

Everything made from scratch.

Mmm corn tortillas, refried beans, sauteed peppers, guacamole, sour cream and Cholula, how I love thee.

I also made some last-minute Mexican-inspired couscous as a filler. Red didn’t seem keen, but I think it was pretty tasty, personally.

‘Mexican’ Breakfast Burritos (more specifically, fabulous black beans)

I was feeling a bit lazy the other night when considering dinner options.  I had some eggs.  I had a can of black beans.  My chilli plant had finally sprouted a chilli.  So ‘Mexican’ breakfast burritos, it was.  I whipped up some guac, scrambled up some eggs, fried up some tortillas, chopped up some coriander.

But, most surprisingly, the black beans I simmered up were incredible.  I think the secret ingredient was the apple cider vinegar that I added rather whimsically.

Black Beans Ingredients

• 1 tin black beans, drained
• 1 onion, choppped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small green chilli, chopped (seeds retained or removed depending on how much spice you like. I removed them… wasn’t feeling too spicy that night.)
• 1 tbsp vegegtable oil
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1.5 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp freshly chopped coriander
• salt to taste

Step One Fry up your onion in the vegetable oil for about five minutes.  Throw in your garlic and chilli and fry for another 30 seconds.  Dump in your beans and spices (excepting the fresh coriander).  Stir.

Step Two Reduce to the lowest heat, cover and allow to simmer for about fifteen minutes.  Check every so often, stirring and adding water if the beans are starting to stick to the bottom.  Only add enough water to ensure the beans don’t stick.

Serve.  Simple and fabulous.

Obviously, the eggs don’t make the Breakfast Burritos vegan, but if you do a tofu scramble they would be.

Vegan Nachoooooosss!

All from scratch.

Well, mostly from scratch.  It’s not like I rolled my own tortillas before making the chips or anything.  But I did make the chips. Impressed yet?  All recipes yield enough for two servings worth of nacho components.

Tortilla chips

• Four whole wheat tortillas
• Oil for brushing (I used olive)
• a couple teaspoons liquid aminos (optional)
• freshly cracked sea salt

Step one Cut your tortillas into chip-like shapes

Step two Brush both sides of all chip-like shapes with a bit of oil (with liquid aminos mixed in if you’re using)

Step three Place on baking sheet and crack sea salt over chip shapes

Step four Bake at 200C for 14 minutes. Flip over chips and bake for another 14 minutes.

Guacamole

• 1 Ripe avocado
• 1/4th of a small tomato (or more to taste), chopped
• the juice of half a lime (or the entire lime, depending on how juicy it is and how zingy you like your guac)
• 1 SMALL clove garlic, minced
• freshly chopped coriander leaves to taste
• freshly cracked sea salt

Step one Combine avocado innards, lime juice, garlic and salt in a bowl.  Mash with a fork until smooth

Step two Stir in chopped tomato. Refrigerate until serving

Tofu Sour Cream (Yields a big batch. Maybe have loaded baked potatoes for dinner tomorrow. And then mushroom stroganoff the next day. And then more nachos the day after that. And then maybe some mushroom stroganoff again.  You might have used up all the sour cream by this point.)

• 385g Silken Tofu
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 5 teaspoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon agave nectar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Blend everything until smooth. Refrigerate.

Refried beans with red pepper and onion

• 1 small tin kidney beans (drained weight 180g)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 small red pepper, chopped
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 teaspoon hot chilli powder (more or less to taste)
• salt to taste

Step one Heat oil over medium-high heat in a pan and chuck in your onion, pepper and garlic.  Saute for 4 minutes.

Step two Add your seasonings to coat the onion/pepper mixture.  Add your drained beans and stir to combine.  Saute for a minute or so (until the beans are heated through).

Step three Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl and mash with a potato masher until all of the beans have reached a sensible mashy consistency.

Compiling the nachos

1) Layer a plate with tortilla chips

2) Put the bean mixture on top.

3) Shred vegan cheese on top. (I forgot to mention, you have to buy some vegan cheese…)

4) Microwave for 30 seconds (to melt the cheese).

5) Dollop your guacamole and sour cream on the nachos.

6) Top with jalapenos.

Arriba.