CLAYUDAS

Today I Made:

CLAYUDAS AND SWEET SUMMER CORN for DINNER.

Recipe from Vegetarian Times June 2008 issue.

Thin Whole Wheat flour tortillas are slathered with a spicy black bean puree, baked, then topped with a red and green cabbage slaw marinated in lime juice.

Clayudas are a Oaxacan dish.

You can call them Mexican pizzas.

Traditionally, giant sized tortillas are used that can feed a whole family.

This version uses an 8 inch whole wheat flour tortilla, for one person.

Because you bake these, they turn out to be healthier than pizzas or even tostadas (which use a fried corn tortilla).

You can bake these in the oven or a toaster oven.

Once baked, you top with the marinated slaw and enjoy whole or cut into quarters.

STUFFED POBLANO PEPPERS IN A CHIPOTLE SAUCE AND MEXICAN MILLET

Yesterday I Made:

STUFFED POBLANO PEPPERS IN A CHIPOTLE SAUCE AND MEXICAN MILLET for DINNER.

Stuffed pepper recipe from Body+Soul Magazine.

Mexican Millet recipe from Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.

Roasted poblano chiles stuffed with a mixture of white button mushrooms, quinoa, black beans, and corn, smothered in a spicy cilantro, chipotle sauce and baked until heated thru.

The millet recipe is a simplified version of Spanish Rice ( or Mexican Rice).

Toasted onion, millet, tomato paste, cumin, cooked in vegetable broth until millet is light and fluffy.

The millet turns out soft and crunchy and it even has a cheesy aftertaste.

Both recipes were awesome and will definitely make both again.

Poblano chiles are my all time favorite chiles.

They're good in just about any dish, from chilaquiles to soup to pasta to tacos!

BLACK BEAN TACOS

Yesterday I Made:

BLACK BEAN TACOS for DINNER.

This is a very simple recipe to have on a night when you don't have much time to cook or just don't feel like it cooking.

You will need:

-small corn tortillas

-canned organic black beans

-finely diced onion

-chopped cilantro

-Casa Sanchez Fresh Roasted Salsa (our favorite brand, available at Whole Foods in California) or salsa of your choice.

Rinse and drain black beans.

Transfer to a bowl and mash with a fork.

Warm in microwave until warm but not hot.

Warm tortillas in microwave for 30 seconds or until pliable (make sure not to overheat or else they will fall apart).

Now you are ready to assemble.

Place a small amount of beans onto each tortilla.

Add salsa and then sprinkle with onion and cilantro.

Now, you are ready to eat!

ASPARAGUS AND POBLANO TAMALES, GUACAMOLE, AND COCONUT PANNA COTTA

Yesterday I Made:

ASPARAGUS AND POBLANO TAMALES, HOMEMADE GUACAMOLE, and COCONUT PANNA COTTA for DINNER AND DESSERT.

Tamales are stuffed with an asparagus, poblano, red kidney bean mixture.

Then topped with a lemony guacamole and roasted poblano chili.

The panna cotta is basically a thick coconut pudding served with a Berry Coulis.

The tamales recipe from THE ACCIDENTAL VEGAN by Devra Gartenstein.

The guacamole recipe is from here.

Coconut panna cotta recipe from Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson.

Traditional tamales have lard mixed into the dough and are stuffed with meats or cheese.

This recipe called for canola oil and two of my favorite things in the world: asparagus and poblano chilies.

How could I pass this recipe up?

I didn't follow the exact directions for the actual assembly and steaming as the book instructed.

In my family, we make tamales for Christmas every year.

So, I just went by memory.

But I do have to say, that tamale making takes time and patience.

You first have to soak your corn husks in water for at least 6 hours to make them pliable for folding.

While the husks are soaking, you make the stuffing and let cool.

Then you make the dough, preferably in a Kitchen Aid.

Drain, rinse, and dry the husks.

Begin smearing the masa (dough) and stuff with the stuffing.

Steam in a steamer for about 1:45 minutes.

They turned out delicious and I would definitely make these again.

The stuffing possibilities are endless.

Before we went vegan, one of my all time favorite desserts was panna cotta.

But, since becoming vegan, I stopped eating it.

Traditional panna cotta contains cream, milk, sugar, and gelatin.

Thanks to SUPER NATURAL COOKING, I can now savour it again.

Only this time, it won't be an artery clogging dessert.

And it goes perfect with the berry sauce.

The sauce is a mixture of fresh raspberries, blackberries, agave (or sugar), and lemon juice.

Simmered to release some juice, cooled, and chilled.

ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLE ENCHILADAS

Today I Made:

ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLE ENCHILADAS AND CILANTRO-LIME RICE for DINNER.

Caramelized sweet potatoes, beets, and onions wrapped in a corn tortilla and smothered with a green enchilada sauce and drizzled with a spicy CHIPOTLE CREAM SAUCE.

Recipes from the Nov./Dec 2008 issue of VegNews magazine.

The roasted vegetables gave it a sweet twist.

The chipotles added a hint of smokiness.

The enchilada sauce added tanginess.

And the rice added a citrus surprise.

Another time consuming recipe worth making.

This entire meal turned out delicious and worth repeating.

Husband even asked for seconds.