Friday, May 1, 2015

Fun Tex Mex Food

Whip up some Mexican food this long weekend... great, easy & fun food for sharing....!

I particularly enjoy cooking TEX MEX because its got so much flavour but still tastes very light & yet flavoursome.   I also love the idea of sharing dishes in the centre of the table with everyone digging in and making their own parcels of food….  


Nachos…

The easiest fun food - put together in minutes..

Layered corn chips  on a heat proof platter with: 

Ground beef, shaved red onion, thinly sliced red peppers, cherry tomatoes, sweetcorn, grated mozzarella – or
Vegetarian....  Grated Mozzarella Cheese, tomatoes, shaved red onion, peppers, sweetcorn, 

Pop under the grill wait for cheese to melt and then  top with sour cream, salsa, refried beans, guacamole ...  
Alternatively pop into little bowls on the side ...  


Best Guacamole 

1 chilli, bunch of coriander chopped,  2 tomatoes finely chopped, 1 onion finely chopped, ½ lime juice, 3 ripe avocados..

Use a pestle and mortar or a blender and mix chillies, coriander, tomatoes and a little salt to a fine paste, add the lime juice transfer to a bowl and mash in the Avocados (that simple)


Make your own Refried beans..

Pinto beans are the most common bean in the US and in Mexico they are the traditional bean used to make refried beans..

Pop beans into a colander and wash under a running tap
Quick soak, place in a saucepan, fill with 2 cups water per 1 cup dried bring to the boil for 2 mins, remove from heat cover with a lid and let stand for 2 hours before cooking... 
Or alternatively soak overnight min 8 hours...  

Or alternatively, if you are in a hurry, use a can of pinto beans..
Drain beans, heat some oil in a non stick pan pop in a clove of finely chopped garlic,  shaved red onion & a little chilli powder cook for 5 mins until onions are nice and translucent, pop the beans into the mixture with a little chicken stock (couple of tablespoons)  cook until warmed through then simply transfer to a bowl mash with a potato maser and add some extra stock if needed – finish off with some chopped coriander..


Tomato Salsa

½ red onion vvv finely chopped
1 clove of garlic vvv finely chopped
10 cherry or vine tomatoes chopped (or deseeded)
½ lime juiced1 tbls of coriander chopped
1 red chilli deseeded & finely chopped (optional)
1 handful of fresh torn basil

Gently combine all of the ingredients into a bowl  and leave to stand for 30 mins this will allow the flavours to develop.


Mexican Chicken & Veggie Wraps 

Chicken breast, peppers & courgettes stir fried with red onion & garlic and with cumin, chilli, paprika, lime juice, tomatoes seasoned with fresh coriander….

Vegetarian Option: Swap the chicken breast for 2 cups of chick peas & 1 cup of kidney beans….. 


Enchiladas…

An enchilada is simply tortilla rolled around a filling and covered with a chilli pepper tomato sauce then pop them in a casserole dish.

Enchiladas can be filled with a variety of ingredients, including meat, cheese, beans, potatoes, vegetables, seafood or combinations. I love to fill them with stir fried turkey mince with finely chopped onions, chillies, baby peppers and a little spicy tomato sauce 

They are also then great served with bowls of salad, sour cream, salsa and guacamole.


Spicy Tomato Pepper Chilli Sauce

1 Can of chopped tomatoes
1 red chilli deseeded and finely chopped
3 red peppers 
1 red onion finely chopped
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
1 teaspoon of ground cumin


Saute the onion, garlic and red peppers until tender, add the ground cumin and continue to cook for 2 mins... then pop in the tomatoes – cook for a further 10 mins on a simmer.. cool a little and blend until smooth – bring back to the cooker and simmer until thickened..