GUILT FREE REFRIED BLACK BEANS

December 13, 2017 Julie Sanchez

I should call these pureed black beans, because that is what they really are. The traditional way to make refried beans is to puree the beans and then heat them in lard or bacon fat. I have skipped this unnecessary and unhealthy step, because there is no need to add any fat to these beans. They are creamy and smooth and you can eat as much as you want guilt free. Our housekeeper Candy, taught me how to make these beans back in 1990, when my son Chris was still a baby. This was his first food and his first spoken word. He loved these beans and we did too. Christopher is 28 years old now and his love of refried beans has never wavered.

I like the organic 1 pound bag of black beans from Trader Joe's. You must soak the beans overnight or do a quick soak. Directions for both methods are on the package. The jalapeno does not make the beans spicy, it just gives the beans added flavor.

Once you have soaked and rinsed the beans you add the beans back into a large pot, and add the onion, jalapeno, cilantro and garlic. Then add 7 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cover.

Once the beans have simmered for 2 1/2 hours your can let them cool or you can carefully blend them in the blender while they are hot. Use a slotted spoon to remove the beans, onions, etc. from the pan. Pour the remaining liquid in a measuring cup and reserve 1 1/2 cups to add if needed to the beans as you blend them. Add your salt and carefully blend the beans till smooth and creamy, adding more liquid till you achieve the consistency you prefer. I prefer creamier beans, like the ones they serve at Taco Deli. I believe most places serve refried beans that are too dry. Be careful and allow steam to escape from the lid so you do not have a blender explosion.

I always freeze half the beans for later. These HEB brand containers (see below) are perfect for storing your beans.

I love these Quart containers from HEB. I use them to freeze soup and beans and also to store my salsas, and leftovers in the fridge. These have a screw on lid so they will not spill and they can stack on top of each other. They are also great for taking foods to friends, since they are so inexpensive, your friends do not need to return the container.

Your family will be so impressed with your homemade Mexican food. It may become a Christmas Eve tradition like it is in our family. I have been making chicken enchiladas with black beans and rice since my kids were young. We begin our Christmas Eve meal with chili con queso and salsas, (also on my blog) and margaritas of course, and then we devour our enchiladas, rice and beans...muy delicioso!

GUILT FREE REFRIED BLACK BEANS RECIPE

Serves: 8-10 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 2 1/2 Hours

INGREDIENTS

1 pound dried black beans, soaked overnight, drained and rinsed
1 onion, peeled and sliced into quarters
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 jalapeno
5 sprigs, of cilantro, stems and all
7 cups water
2 1/2 teaspoons salt

PREPARATION

It's important to soak your beans with the overnight method or the quick soak method described on the package. After soaking the beans, drain, and rinse them and put them in a large pot.
Add the onion, garlic, jalapeno, and cilantro and 7 cups of water. (Do not add the salt till after the beans have cooked, otherwise the salt will make the beans tough)
Bring the beans to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cover.
Cook for 2 1/2 hours. Sample one bean to see if it is squishy enough, if not, cook a little longer.
With a slotted spoon, place the bean mixture in the blender. Then pour the liquid left in the pot into a large measuring cup. Pour all but 1 1/2 cups liquid into the blender. Add the salt and blend till smooth and creamy. Test the consistency and add more liquid as needed. (I prefer a thinner mixture, not a thick mixture.) Be careful blending the hot mixture, open the blender top a little to allow the steam to escape.

Note: These beans freeze well. So I always freeze half the batch for later.

Note: You may garnish the beans with crumbled queso fresco.

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LAURITA'S MEXICAN RICE

December 13, 2017 Julie Sanchez

My mother in law Laurita, who lives in Monterrey, taught me how to make this rice years ago when she was visiting us here in Houston. We spent the day together cooking rice, cheese enchiladas, and several other Mexican dishes. I learned so much from her that day. We wrote down these family recipes, so that they can be passed down to the next generation. So now you too can cook delicious authentic Mexican rice. It's so easy and so good. To me it tastes like the rice that Ninfa's here in Houston serves but better!

I like to use a long grain rice, either Jasmine or Basmati is fine. I also love to use Knorr's chicken bouillon (dehyrdated chicken broth) to add flavor to the rice. Knorr's is also great in soups, so it will not go to waste if you buy it.

Add 2 cups of water to a blender, then add your tomato, garlic, salt, cumin, lots of black pepper and the chicken bouillon. If you do not have chicken bouillon just add more salt in place of it. Blend till smooth.

You can prep this stage ahead of time and save the mixture till your ready to begin your rice.

Peel your carrot, and chop as finely as possible. Remember you want the carrots to be small in proportion with the rice.

Chop up the onion as finely as you can, you want to be as small as rice grains.

Add the onions and carrots to a nonstick medium saucepan. Add your butter and turn heat to high. Cook for 4 minutes, stirring occaisonally.

After cooking the onions and carrots for 4 minutes the carrots and onions have now softened.

Enjoy!

LAURITA'S MEXICAN RICE RECIPE

Serves: 4 people
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 35 Minutes

OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT

A nonstick pan

INGREDIENTS

1 tomato, sliced into 4 quarters
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons chicken bouillon
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper
2 cups water
1/2 cup carrots (1 medium carrot) chopped finely
3/4 cup onions (1/2 of a medium onion) chopped finely
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup long grain rice

PREPARATION

In a blender combine the quartered tomato, 2 cups water, 2 cloves of garlic, cumin, chicken bouillon, salt, and lots of ground pepper. Blend till smooth and combined.
Cut up your carrots and onions as fine as you can dice them.
Combine the carrots and onions in a medium sauce pan with your butter.
Turn the heat on high and saute the onions and carrots for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
After 4 minutes, add your rice and cook for 1 more minute stirring constantly.
Now carefully add your liquid mixture to the rice, the pan is so hot it might sizzle as you put it in.
Let the mixture come to boil. Set the timer for 30 minutes, put the lid on and turn the heat down to medium.
Cook for 30 minutes. Stir before serving.

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SALSA ROJA

November 15, 2017 Julie Sanchez

Every week I make either red sauce or green sauce for my husband and I to enjoy during the week. My husband puts it on almost everything he eats. I like it best on eggs, fish and with tortilla chips. Once you make this and realize how easy it is you will never buy red sauce again.

I prefer making salsa with fresh tomatoes, instead of canned tomatoes. It gives the sauce a better texture and fresher taste. Roma tomatoes work best for this recipe. I tested the recipe using vine ripened tomatoes, but the Roma's worked better since they are less juicy. Roma tomatoes are oval and elongated. You can use a white or yellow onion. When I make the salsa I use equal numbers of peppers to tomatoes, but I know this is too spicy for most people.

Combine all the ingredients except the salt and cilantro to a medium sized pan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium high and simmer for 10 minutes.

Drain the mixture well before adding to the blender. I would not recommend a Nutri bullet for this since the hot mixture will cause an explosion, plus it will blend it too much.

Add your salt to the mixture. Add one serrano at a time, and taste for hotness before adding more. Blend till combined, then add the cilantro and blend once more. Let the blender lid open a little, so the steam can escape and not cause a blender explosion.

There is nothing better than warm salsa, chips and a margarita. Enjoy!

SALSA ROJA RECIPE

Serves: 8-10 servings
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 pounds roma tomatoes (about 6 tomatoes)
3-5 serrano peppers, stems snapped off
1/2 medium onion, peeled and sliced in half
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup packed cilantro, long stems chopped off

PREPARATION

In a medium sized saucepan combine tomatoes, serrano peppers, onion, and garlic and add enough water to cover.
Bring mixture to a boil on high heat.
Once it boils, reduce heat to medium high and let simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove tomatoes, onions, garlic and one serrano with a slotted spoon and place in blender. Add salt and blend till smooth. (If the mixture is hot, let the blender top open up a little bit to allow the steam to escape.) Taste the mixture for spiciness, and add more serranos as your taste buds allow.
Add the cilantro and blend once again.
Let cool and store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Note: I like to microwave the salsa, just to warm it up before I serve it, especially if has been in the fridge and I'm serving it on something warm like eggs.

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HEALTHY CHOCOLATE SHAKE

September 22, 2017 Julie Sanchez

My name is Julie and I am a chocoholic. I love chocolate more than cheese and margaritas, which is a big statement. To satisfy my cravings and not feel guilty, I combined all the flavors of a Almond Joy candy bar: coconut flakes, almond butter and cacao powder into a smooth rich chocolatey shake. I recently discovered that combining avocado to the mixture created a smoother creamier shake while adding healthy fat.

Cacao Powder has amazing health benefits:

40 times the antioxidants of blueberries
Highest plant based source of iron
Full of magnesium for a healthy heart and brain
More calcium than cow's milk
A natural mood elevator and anti-depressant
Contains four times the antioxidant content of regular processed dark chocolate

Whole Foods has an almond butter machine that makes fresh almond butter with a press of a button. Make sure your coconut chips are unsweetened; I buy mine from Whole Foods as well. And keep your coconut water stored in the fridge to keep you smoothie colder longer.

These are additional items I often like to add to the smoothie. I use flaxseed and psyllium husks for fiber, and protein in the morning to keep myself from starving during the day. Once opened, flaxseed needs to be stored in the fridge.

The secret of this smooth and cold smoothie is the addition of a frozen banana. I have found if you do not chop it first it takes a while for your Nutribullet or blender to breakdown the banana. This is why I cut the banana is pieces and freeze bags with one banana in each bag. Buy a bunch of perfectly ripe bananas and it takes 5 minutes to prep for the week.

HEALTHY CHOCOLATE SHAKE RECIPE

Serves: 1 serving
Prep Time: 5 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup coconut water, chilled (keep your coconut water in the fridge)
1 tablespoons cacao powder
2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut flakes
1 tablespoon almond butter (unsweetened)
1 teaspoon agave or honey
1 banana, chopped and frozen
3 ice cubes
1/3 of a large avocado, or 1/2 of a small avocado

Optional ingredients

1 tablespoon flax seed
1 tablespoon protein powder
1/2 teaspoon psyllium husks

PREPARATION

Buy a bunch of perfectly ripe bananas. Chop one banana at a time into pieces, place in a baggie and freeze the bags with a banana in each bag. (This makes your blender’s work a little quicker and easier.)
Combine all ingredients in your Nutribullet or blender and blend till smooth.

Note: This shake is great as a mid day snack when you are craving something sweet. It is also delicious for breakfast if you add protein powder (so you will not be starving by 10:00 am).

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MODERN WALDORF SALAD

July 20, 2017 Julie Sanchez

Traditional Waldorf Salad is made with apples, walnuts, celery, grapes, and raisins all tossed in a mayonnaise dressing. It's a salad I associate with Fall and Thanksgiving. My version is served on bibb or butter lettuce and is delicious any time of year. Its pretty, it can be prepped in advance and its crunch and tartness is addictive. Often I will make this salad, and add some rotisserie chicken on top for dinner. It would be equally yummy as a first course, or a beautiful salad presented on a large platter for a group.

You can substitute dried cranberries for the sour cherries if you prefer. I like to buy chopped walnuts, because they are less expensive than whole walnuts, plus I do not have to chop them. My favorite apples are Pink Lady or Honeycrisp, organic of course!

My husband loves bibb lettuce, and so do I since it it so tender. You simply cut off the root ball and rinse the lettuce.

After you have washed the lettuce, place it on a couple of paper towels. I do this for two reasons. One, I want the lettuce to be dry in order for the dressing to adhere. Second, I like to prep lettuce in advance. This method as you see below, works great since you simply roll up the paper towel and place in the fridge till you are ready to use it.

Gently roll up the paper towel and place in the the fridge.

Squeeze your lemon and place the juice in a bowl. You will place your apple slices in the lemon juice as you slice them to keep them from turning brown. Plus it adds a nice tartness to the apples.

Stand the apple up and slice down the right and left side avoiding the core.

Then slice down the top and bottom smaller portions of the apple, again avoiding the core. Discard the core. Place all apple sections face down on the cutting board. You probable only need 1/2 to 3/4 of your apple, so go ahead and munch on the remains.

Slice the apple as thin possible. The peeling looks pretty and it will not bother you when your eating it since the apple is so thinly sliced.

Place the apple slices in the lemon juice and gently toss to coat.

Cut both ends off the celery. Slice the celery as thin as possible. Tear off the leaves of the stalk and break into small pieces to garnish the salad.

Slice your grapes in half.

All your ingredients are ready for you to create a beautiful salad.

My balsamic vinaigrette is the perfect dressing for this salad.

Enjoy!

MODERN WALDORF SALAD RECIPE

Serves: 2 people
Prep Time: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

bibb lettuce, (also known as butter or Boston lettuce)
1 lemon, juiced
1 apple, sliced thinly
1 stalk of celery, sliced thinly
1/3 cup seedless grapes, halved
1/4 cup dried sour cherries (or dried cranberries)
1/4 cup blue cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)

PREPARATION

Cut off the roots of the bibb lettuce and wash lettuce. Place on paper towels, gently roll up paper towels and place lettuce in fridge.
Squeeze the lemon juice into a medium sized bowl.
Stand your apple up, cut down the right and left side avoiding the core (see photos above). Then cut down the 2 remaining thinner sides. Place all the 4 cuts face down and thinly slice apples.
Put the apples in the lemon juice and gently toss to coat to prevent them turning brown.
Cut the 2 ends off your celery. Save the leaves and break into tiny pieces to garnish your salad. Thinly slice the celery.
Slice your grapes in half.
Gently tear your lettuce and place on your plates. Arrange all the other ingredients, ending with the celery leaves.

Note: This salad would be awesome with my Balsamic Vinaigrette, which is on my blog here.

Note: If you top my Modern Waldorf Salad with rotisserie chicken, you would have a delicious one plate meal.

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