Breakfast Tacos (Breakfast Bible version)

I was initially planning on making breakfast burritos for breakfast this morning, but I failed to procure a few of the ingredients and ended up swapping them out for these breakfast tacos instead. I had all the ingredients on hand and it let me use up a few things out of the fridge that really needed used.

There are a lot of different parts to these tacos, but none of them requires much in the way of prep. It's mostly just chopping, maybe stirring a few things together in a bowl. The only thing that really needs cooking is the eggs. So that helps make this a fairly tractable morning recipe. Although it's still a little more complicated than I'd normally prefer for a weekday breakfast. Perfect for a weekend though!

I just filled my tacos with the toppings listed in the recipe: cheese, beans, avocado, crema, pickled onions, and cilantro. And they were great that way. That said, I do think a little salsa (or pico de gallo, as the recipe author suggests) would have been nice as well. And you could certainly experiment with trying out different toppings and adjusting the combination somewhat. Thinly sliced radishes and pickled jalapeños spring to mind as potential candidates. Refried beans... tomatoes... taco sauce... ketchup... take your pick!

Breakfast Tacos

Slightly adapted from The Breakfast Bible by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 6 Tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 c. sour cream
• 1 Tbsp. lime juice
• 1/4 tsp. lime zest
• 1 tsp. minced jalapeño
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 8 large eggs
• 2 Tbsp. milk
• 1 tsp. unsalted butter
• 8 small (15cm) corn tortillas
• 1/2 c. cooked pinto beans¹
• 1 avocado, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 c. cheese, either grated cheddar or crumbled cotija or feta
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Stir together the onion, vinegar, and sugar and let stand for at least 30 minutes.
2. Stir together sour cream, lime juice, lime zest, and jalapeño and season to taste with salt and pepper. Let stand while you prepare the rest of the meal.
3. Beat the eggs with the milk and season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Melt the butter over medium-low heat.
5. Pour in the eggs and allow to cook for a minute or two without stirring.
6. Stir the eggs and scrape the bottom of the pan. Continue cooking and occasionally stirring until eggs are soft set in large curds.
7. Meanwhile, warm the tortillas until soft and supple.
8. Assemble to tacos by filling the tortillas with scrambled eggs and topping with beans, avocado, cheese, crema, pickled onions, and cilantro and serve.

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¹ I already had an open can of baked beans in the fridge, so I just used those instead of opening a can of pinto beans or trying to cook some from scratch. ^Back

I needed an easy dinner to throw together earlier this week and this chili mac recipe fit the bill. The original was written for ground beef, macaroni, and pinto beans, but suggested experimenting with different meats. I opted to replace the ground beef with ground chicken and also swapped out the macaroni with whole wheat rotini and I ended up using black beans instead of pinto beans.

The end result was okay, but slightly bland. Adding some of the leftover pulled pork really helped perk it up. I also think adding some cilantro and a few more spices would have been helpful.

Chili Mac

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil (or bacon grease)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
• 450g ground chicken
• 1 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds, bruised
• 1 tsp. dhania-jeera masala¹
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 small (400mL) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (540mL) can pinto beans (or black beans), drained
• 4 c. chicken broth²
• 250g macaroni (or other short pasta)³
• ~1 c. grated cheese (preferably a mix of cheddar and Monterey Jack)
• 2-3 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add onion and cook until softened (5-6 minutes).
3. Add the garlic and jalapeño and cook for another minute or two.
4. Add the chicken and cook, stirring and breaking it up until cooked through (5-6 minutes).
5. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, dhania-jeera masala, oregano, and pepper and cook for another 30-60 seconds.
6. Add the tomato, beans, and broth and bring to a boil.
7. Add macaroni and reduce heat to medium.
8. Cook until pasta is done (7-8 minutes or according to package directions).
9. Stir in half the cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper.
10. Top with green onions, cilantro, and remaining cheese and serve.

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¹ The original recipe just called for 1/2 Tbsp. of cumin, which is how I made it this time. Having tasted it now though, I think I'd make it with a mix of cumin and dhania-jeera masala next time. ^Back
2 The original recipe called for 4 c. chicken broth, but since I was using a commercial broth concentrate, I was worried that would make it too salty, so I ended up using 3 c. of broth + 1 c. of water. Next time though, I think I'd just use the full 4 c. of broth. ^Back
3 The original recipe called for 220g macaroni. I didn't have macaroni, so I used 220g of whole wheat rotini instead. I found that the final dish was a bit too soupy for my liking. Next time I might try using a bit more pasta to see if that helps balance things out. ^Back

This claims to be a chili recipe. While it does involve beans and tomatoes and chilies, it also involves a three-nut paste and the overall effect is much closer to a korma than any chili I've ever had. Thus, I am deciding that it's really a mislabeled korma after all. Either way, it's very good. I served it with some fried rice and a simple bottle gourd squash curry.

Three-Bean Korma

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 6-8 cloves garlic, minced
• 2-4 fresh green Thai, finger, or jalapeño chilies, chopped
• 1 (400mL) can diced tomatoes
• 1-2 tsp. ground Kashmiri chilies (or 1 part cayenne + 3 parts paprika)
• 1 tsp. sweet paprika (optional)
• 2 tsp. Dhania-Jeera Masala
• 1/2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 3 c. water, divided
• 1/2 c. raw pine nuts
• 1/2 c. raw cashew nuts
• 1/2 c. raw pistachio nuts
• scant 2 c. cooked pinto beans
• scant 2 c. cooked kidney beans
• scant 2 c. cooked black beans
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium heat.
2. Add onion, celery, carrot, grlic, and fresh chilies and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes, ground chilies, paprika (if using), masala, salt, and turmeric.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for ~5 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, pour 1/4 c. of the water into a blender followed by all of the nuts and purée.
6. Add the nut paste to the tomato mixture.
7. Pour the remaining water into the blender and whizz it round to wash out the blender. Add this nutty water to the pot as well.
8. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.
9. Reduce heat to medium-low, coer, and smmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
10. Reduce heat to low and cook for another 15 minutes.
11. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

Refried (or Not) Beans

I would've sworn that I'd already written this recipe up, but I can't find it anywhere on the blog, so I guess I forgot. I got the recipe off of the BudgetByte$ blog. In her version, she doesn't actually fry the beans. She just seasons them, slow cooks them, and then mashes them with a little of the cooking water. I've done it this way before and it works great. I didn't think they'd be as good without the lard, but it worked really well! That said, if you really wanna go for broke, you can make them her way and then also fry them up with some lard and a bit of extra onion. Both ways produce excellent results.

Not Refried Beans

Slightly adapted from Budget Byte$

Ingredients

• 450g dried pinto beans
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 fresh jalapeño¹, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds, bruised
• 1-2 tsp. chili powder
• 10-15 grinds black pepper
• 6 c. water
• 2-3 tsp. coarse sea salt

Directions

1. Combine beans, onion, jalapeño, garlic, cumin, chili powder, black pepper, and water in a slow cooker or InstantPot. Do not add any salt yet!
2. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 8-9 hours.
3. Drain beans, reserving 1 c. of the cooking water.
4. Mash beans, adding some of the reserved cooking water to achieve the desired consistency. Make the beans a little wetter than you want them because they will thicken as they cool.
5. Add salt to taste.

Refried Beans

Ingredients

• 450g dried pinto beans
• 2 onions, chopped and divided
• 1 fresh jalapeño¹, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds, bruised
• 1-2 tsp. chili powder
• 10-15 grinds black pepper
• 6 c. water
• 1/4 c. lard
• 2-3 tsp. coarse sea salt

Directions

1. Combine beans, 1 onion, jalapeño, garlic, cumin, chili powder, black pepper, and water in a slow cooker or InstantPot. Do not add any salt yet!
2. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 8-9 hours.
3. Drain beans, reserving 1 c. of the cooking water.
4. Melt lard over medium heat. (Preferably in a large cast iron pan.
5. Add remaining onion and cook until softened and beginning to brown.
6. Add beans and reserved cooking water.
7. Mash beans and add salt to taste.
8. Cook until thickened but still slightly wetter than your ideal consistency. Beans will thicken as they cool.

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¹ For milder beans be sure to remove all the seeds and pith before chopping. For spicier beans leave the seeds and pith in. In a pinch you can substitute pickled jalapeño slices for the fresh, but fresh provides better flavour. ^Back

This calls for 15oz (440mL) tins of beans. We mostly had 500-600mL tins and just scaled it up. This resulted in almost too much to fit in the pot, but it did turn out tasty and the Kidlet has been eating it with enthusiasm. For the purposes of this writeup, I went with the original proportions, but it appears to be a very forgiving recipe.

symbol and I both found that topping it with sriracha and a small amount of cider vinegar gives it some much-needed presence.

One Pot Vegetarian Chili Mac

Budget Bytes

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 2 Tbsp chili powder
• 15oz tinned pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 15oz tinned black beans, drained and rinsed
• 15oz tinned kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 15oz tinned diced tomatoes
• 15oz tomato sauce (if you have a surplus of diced tomatoes or tomato sauce, dial back the other one accordingly)
• 1 C frozen corn kernels
• 2 C vegetable broth
• 2 C uncooked short pasta (macaroni, rotini, etc)
• 2 C shredded sharp cheddar

Directions

1. In a large pot or dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat.
2. Add the garlic and onion and sautee until the onion softens and turns translucent.
3. Add the flour and chili powder. Continue to cook, stirring, until the onion is well coated, 1-2 minutes.
4. Add the beans, tomatoes, corn, and vegetable broth. Deglaze.
5. Stir in the pasta, raise heat to medium high, cover, and bring to a boil.
6. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10-20 minutes (depending on pasta shape), until pasta is cooked to desired tenderness.
7. Remove from heat and stir in cheddar. Serve.

These were delicious! Not particularly healthy, but definitely delicious. I thought they'd be bland without the sauce, but they're still amazing even on their own. The sauce just takes them to the next level. We had our sopaipillas with calabacitas. I feel like they probably could've used another vegetable side as well, but this dinner already had enough moving parts as it was. Maybe some sort of simple garden salad next time?

Sopaipillas, as it turns out, can take on many different forms. Sometimes they're made entirely with masa harina; sometimes wheat flour is added. Sometimes they're stuffed; sometimes they're not. They may be flat or puffy. And they can run the gamut from sweet to savoury; part of the main course or a sweet treat for dessert. Based on a quick internet search, the sweet varieties seem to be more widespread than the savoury ones. So the "default" sopaipilla (as much as there can be said to be a default) might be something along the lines of a corn-based doughnut/fry-bread possibly coated in sugar and/or served with honey. These stuffed, savoury sopaipillas seem to be somewhat less common. Which is a shame because they are wonderful!

Bean and Cheese Sopaipillas with Green Chile Sauce

From Cook's Country October/November 2019

Ingredients

Dough

• 2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 6 Tbsp. lard
• 14 Tbsp. water

Refried Beans

• 1/4 c. lard
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 4 c. cooked pinto beans
• 1 c. chicken broth

Green Chile Sauce

• 900g fresh Anaheim chiles
• 1 fresh jalapeño chile
• 2 Tbsp. lard
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. flour (hard or soft is fine)
• 1 c. chicken broth

Assembly

• ~2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
• oil for frying

Directions

Dough

1. Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder and mix well.
2. Cut lard into flour.
3. Stir in water.
4. Turn out dough and knead a little (1-2 dozen strokes).
5. Divide into 8 equal portions, cover and chill for at least 30 minutes¹.

Refried Beans

1. Melt lard over medium heat.
2. Add onion and cook until softened (~4 minutes).
3. Add beans and broth.
4. Mash beans with potato masher and cook until thickened (~8 minutes).
5. Season to taste and set aside to cool.

Green Chile Sauce

1. Adjust oven rack to ~15cm (6") from broiler element and preheat broiler.
2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
3. Place whole chiles (Anaheims and jalapeño) in single layer on prepared sheet.
4. Broil until blackened all over, turning every 4-5 minutes so that all sides get charred.
5. Remove from oven and quickly wrap chiles and foil to trap steam. Set aside for ~10 minutes.
6. Unwrap chiles and remove skins.
7. Stem and seed Anaheims.
8. Stem (but do not seed) jalapeño.
9. Chop all chiles into half cm (~1/4") pieces.
10. Melt lard over medium heat.
11. Add onion and cook until softened (~4 minutes).
12. Add garlic and cook for another minute or so.
13. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.
14. Stir in broth and chiles and bring to a simmer.
15. Simmer until thickened (~6 minutes).
16. Season to taste, cover, and set aside.

Assembly

1. Retrieve dough balls from fridge and keep all but the one you're currently working with covered with a damp tea towel.
2. Working with one dough ball at a time, roll into an 18cm (~7") circle on a floured surface.
3. Squeeze ~1/4 of Cheddar to form a slight oblong shape (vaguely like an American football or rugby ball).
4. Place your cheesy ovoid in the centre of the dough round and top it with ~1/4 c. of refried beans.
5. Fold the dough round in half to create a semi-circle/half moon shape.
6. Press around edges to seal.
7. Moisten the top of the sealed edge with a bit of water and pinch the dough diagonally up and over the sealed edge to seal again and create a decorative rope-like border.
8. Repeat with remaining dough and fillings. (You may have some beans left over.)
9. Use a paring knife to poke a 1cm (~1/2") hole in the top of each sopaipilla².
10. Line a baking sheet with paper towels (preferably a double or triple layer).
11. Heat frying oil to 190°C (375°F). Oil should be ~4cm (1.5") deep.
12. Add 2-4 sopaipillas at a time to the oil (depending on the size of your fryer/Dutche oven) and fry until golden brown (~3-4 minutes per side).
13. Transfer fried sopaipillas to prepared baking sheet.
14. Reheat green chile sauce over medium-high heat.
15. Serve sopaipillas smothered in chile sauce and accompanied by vegetable side(s) of your choice.

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Variations

Vegetarian Bean and Cheese Sopaipillas

Ingredients

Dough

• 2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 6 Tbsp. vegetable shortening
• 14 Tbsp. water

Refried Beans

• 1/4 c. vegetable shortening
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 4 c. cooked pinto beans
• 1 c. vegetable broth

Green Chile Sauce

• 900g fresh Anaheim chiles
• 1 fresh jalapeño chile
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable shortening
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. flour (hard or soft is fine)
• 1 c. vegetable broth

Assembly

• ~2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
• oil for frying

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¹ If you want to make ahead, dough will keep in fridge for up to 2 days. ^Back
2 Assembled but uncooked sopaipillas can be covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours. ^Back

Pan-Seared Chicken with Spicy Pinto Beans

Another Cook's Country 30-minute recipe card. As written it calls for two tins of pinto beans; we didn't have any, so we went with one tin of black beans and one of refried pinto beans. It was easy to put together and really tasty.

Ingredients

• 4 (6-8 oz) boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced lengthwise and/or pounded flat
• ½ C sour cream
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• ¼ tsp cayenne
• 2 tbsp peanut oil
• 1 large tin black beans
• 1 tin refried pinto beans with jalapeno
• 1 C medium salsa
• ½ minced fresh cilantro

Procedure

1. Whisk together sour cream, lime juice, cayenne, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper together in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
3. Preheat oil in a deep skillet over medium high heat until shimmering. Add chicken and cook until golden brown on both sides and cooked through. Remove to plate.
4. Add whole beans and cook until they begin to blister, ~2 minutes.
5. Stir in salsa, refried beans, ¼ tsp salt, and ¾ C water. Mash beans lightly with a potato masher and simmer until slightly thickened, ~4 minutes.
6. Stir in cilantro and sour cream and lime mixture and return chicken to skillet until heated through. Serve.