Tex-Mex Vegetarian Lentil Chili

The theme at I Heart Cooking Clubs this week is Lentil Love -- so here is a yummy fall dish chock full of lentils, Tex-Mex Vegetarian Chili, from Madhur Jaffrey's book World Vegetarian.  I've had this book for years and not cooked much from it, so I am really looking forward to the next six months with IHCC cooking her recipes.

Tex-Mex Vegetarian Chili
adapted from Madhur Jaffrey -- World Vegetarian

3 tablespoons canola or olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped (I used roasted garlic cloves that I mashed)
1/2 large green pepper, seeds removed and finely chopped (I forgot to add this!)
1/4 to 1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin seeds
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried crumbled sage
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 cup lentils, picked over and washed (I used red lentils, which cook down a lot, the recipe doesn't specify a specific lentil)
1 cup cooked dried or canned kidney beans
2 to 3 canned plum tomatoes, drained and finely chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoons yellow cornmeal

1 1/2 cups corn (frozen or canned would work, my addition)

Put the oil in a medium pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the onion, garlic, green pepper, and jalapeno. Stir and fry for about 3 minutes or until the seasonings just start to brown. Turn down the heat to medium-low and continue to saute for another 3 minutes. Now put in the cumin, paprika, thyme, sage, oregano, and cayenne. Stir briskly once or twice and put in the lentils, 4 and 1/2 cups of water, the red kidney beans, plum tomatoes, cilantro leaves, and salt.

At this point I thought it would be nice to add some corn and used 1 can of sweet corn kernels, rinsed and drained. 

Bring to a boil. Cover, turn the heat down to low, and cook gently for 50 minutes.

Mix the cornmeal with 3 tablespoons water and then pour the mixture into the chili pot. Stir to mix and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring now and then. Serves 4.

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This was a hearty and delicious late weekend lunch to watch a football game with.  I served it sprinkled with shredded cheddar and with some honey corn muffins (baked in my cast iron cactus pan) on the side.  All three of my kids ate this without complaint and the most surprising part was that picky husband even ate this, liked it, and had a second bowl!  He does not do meatless very often, and I was ready to make him something different, but he gave this vegetarian lentil chili and try and actually ate it, yay :) 

Poblano Pepper Quesadillas with Roasted Tomato Salsa

I'm sneaking back in at I Heart Cooking Clubs for the last couple of weeks of cooking Rick Bayless recipes. I've had a ton of fun making his authentic Mexican dishes for the family and really enjoy his recipes.  When I made these "Crusty Griddle-Baked Quesadillas" I was surprised at what a huge hit they were.  I made half with the roasted poblano peppers and half plain cheese for the kids, which they appreciated since they are not yet poblano fans.  The Tomato Jalapeno sauce is so yummy, it is our new go to salsa recipe and I've made it many times. I love the short ingredient list and depth of flavor. This was a fun recipe to try with the roasting of the poblano peppers and also the homemade quesadilla dough.

Essential Simmered Tomato Jalapeno Sauce
adapted from Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen
* I usually make a half batch and only use 1 jalapeno so it is not too spicy for the kids

2 and 1/4 pounds tomatoes
3 to 4 fresh jalapeno chiles, stemmed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large white onion, thinly sliced (I use about 1/2 tsp onion powder)
1 and 1/2 cups vegetable broth

Roast the tomatoes and chiles on a baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler until blackened on one side, about 6 minutes then flip and roast on the other side.

Cool, peel the tomatoes (I don't peel them), collecting all juices. Roughly chop the jalapenos (I don't bother to chop them). Coarsely puree the tomatoes (with their juices) and chiles in a food processor or blender.

In a medium size pot, heat the oil over medium. Add half the onion and fry, stirring often, until browned, about 8 minutes. (I just heat up the oil and add the onion powder with the tomato chile puree) Increase the heat to medium high and when very hot, add the tomato-chile puree mixture. Stir for about 5 minutes as the mixture sears and thickens, then reduce the heat to medium-low, stir in the broth and simmer about 20 minutes, until just beginning to thicken again. Taste and season with salt. Cover and keep warm.

Crusty Griddle Baked Quesadillas -- Quesadillas Asadas
adapted from Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen

For two cups essential roasted poblano rajas
1 pound 6 medium large fresh poblano chiles
1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
1 large white onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
Salt, about 1/2 teaspoon

Roast the chiles directly over a gas flame or 4 inches  below a very hot broiler until blackened on all sides, about 5 minutes for open flame, about 10 minutes for broiler.

Cover with a kitchen towel and let stand 5 minutes. Peel, pull out the stem and seed pod, then rise briefly to remove bits of skin and seeds. Slice into 1/4 inch strips.

In a medium sized skillet, heat the oil over medium to medium-high, then add the onion and cook, stirring regularly until nicely browned but still a little crunchy about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and oregano, toss a minute longer, then stir in the chiles and just heat through. Taste and season with salt.

1 and 3/4 cups masa harina mixed with 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons hot water
2 and 1/2 cups shredded Mexican chihuahua cheese, or other melting cheese such as brick or Monterrey Jack

Cut two squares of medium heavy plastic (I used a zip lock bag) to cover the plates of your tortilla press. If necessary, knead a few drops more water into the masa to give it the consistency of a soft cookie dough, then roll it into 12 balls. Cover with plastic.

Turn on the oven to the lowest setting. Heat a large griddle or heavy skillet over medium. (I just use my electric griddle at the highest setting). One by one use the tortillas press to press out the dough between the two sheets of plastic, peel off the top sheet, then flip the uncovered side of the tortilla onto your hand (the top of the tortilla should alight with your index finger and fingers should be slightly spread to give support.) Carefully peel off the plastic, then, with a gentle swift motion, lay the tortilla on the hot griddle. Evenly sprinkle on a portion of the cheese, leaving a 1/2 inch border all around so the cheese doesn't run out onto the griddle, then lay a portion of the rajas down the center.

When the tortilla comes free from the griddle (it will take about 20 seconds) use a spatula to fold it in half, and gently press the edges together, more or less sealing them. Move the quesadillas to the side to continue baking as you begin the next one. Continue making and folding quesadillas, letting them bake on the griddle until crispy/crunchy and nicely browned (the masa on the inside will still be a little soft), 2 or 3 minutes in all. Keep finished quesadillas warm on a rack set on a baking pan in the oven.

When all are made immediately line them up on a warm serving platter or wooden board or basket lined with colored paper or a napkin, and serve with salsa. (I also like some sour cream on the side.)

Enchiladas with Creamy Roasted Poblano and Spinach Sauce

These were the best enchiladas I've ever tasted! The creamy roasted poblano and spinach enchilada sauce is what really puts them over the top.  I will be making this sauce all the time. It's also wonderful as a dip with tortilla chips.  I found the recipe here while I was looking for a recipe to use up some spinach and poblanos I had in the fridge.  The original recipe calls for 3 cups of chicken, and I used diced roasted sweet potatoes instead of chicken and also made some with just cheese and they were both amazing!

Enchiladas with Creamy Roasted Poblano and Spinach Sauce

Enchiladas Especiales Tacuba Style

adapted from Rick Bayless's website, originally from Cafe Tacuba

2 fresh poblano chile

1 cup (lightly packed) roughly chopped spinach leaves

2 cups milk
2 cups chicken broth ( I used vegetable broth)

6 tablespoons (3 ounces) butter—or you can use vegetable oil

3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped (I used roasted garlic)
1/2 cup flour

Salt

3 cups coarsely shredded cooked chicken (rotisserie chicken or leftover grilled chicken) (I used roasted sweet potato cubes in some and cheddar and colby jack cheese in some instead of the chicken, use whatever you like :) )

12 corn tortillas (I made homemade tortillas for these, totally worth the extra effort)

A little vegetable oil for brushing or spraying

About 1 cup Mexican melting cheese (Chihuahua, quesadilla, asadero or the like) or Monterey Jack, brick or mild cheddar

A little chopped cilantro for garnish

1. Make the sauce. Roast the poblanos directly over a gas flame...

or on a baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler, turning regularly, until the skins have blistered and blackened on all side, about 5 minutes for an open flame, about 10 minutes under the broiler.

Place in a bowl, cover with a kitchen towel (paper towel worked fine) and, when handleable, rub off the blackened skin, tear open and pull out the seed pod and stem. Quickly rinse to remove any stray seeds or bits of skin.

Roughly chop and put in a blender jar. Add the spinach.

In a medium (3-quart) saucepan, combine the milk and broth, set over medium-low heat to warm. (I just warmed these in the microwave)

In a large (4-quart) saucepan, melt the butter (or heat the oil) over medium. Add the garlic (I used about half a head of roasted garlic) and cook for a minute to release its aroma, then add the flour and stir the mixture for a minute. Raise the heat to medium-high. Pour in the warm broth mixture and whisk constantly until the sauce boils. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Pour half the hot sauce into the blender with the chiles and spinach.

Cover loosely (I remove the center part of the lid, secure the lid, then drape a cloth over the whole thing) and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining sauce.

Taste and season with salt, usually about 2 teaspoons.  (I started with one and tasted from there, 2 seems like a little too much.)

2. Finish the enchiladas. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Smear about 1/4 cup of the sauce over the bottom of each of four to six 9-inch individual ovenproof baking/serving dishes or smear about 1 cup of the sauce over the bottom of a 13x9-inch baking dish. Stir 1 cup of the sauce into the chicken (sweet potatoes, for just cheese enchiladas I did not add extra sauce to the cheese, just rolled them up with cheese only and did sauce on top).

Lay half of the tortillas out on a baking sheet and lightly brush or spray both sides of the tortillas with oil; top each tortilla with another one and brush or spray those with oil. Bake just to warm through and soften, about 3 minutes. Stack the tortillas and cover with a towel to keep warm.

Working quickly so that the tortillas stay hot and pliable, roll a portion of the chicken up in each tortilla, then line them all up in the baking dish(es).

Douse evenly with the remaining sauce and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake until the enchiladas are hot through (the cheese will have begun to brown), about 20 minutes. Garnish with the cilantro and serve without hesitation.

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I thought these were absolutely wonderful!  The homemade corn tortillas were amazing in this recipe. I used Rick's recipe for them using just Maseca and water and my new tortilla press and was so impressed. I usually prefer flour tortillas over corn, but these were just perfect for soaking in that delicious sauce and sopping it up. They did not get mushy like store bought corn tortillas and had a really nice toothsome texture after baking. So delicious!  I loved the gorgeous green color of the sauce before baking, it was so pretty. It darkened up a bit while baking but I just couldn't get over that soft mint almost seafoam green color.

Unfortunately my kids and picky husband wanted nothing to do with this dinner, not even the cheese ones, I was kind of anticipating that so made them something else instead as an option. Maybe next time I make these they will give them a try. I think if you took just one taste of this luscious sauce you would be a fan for sure :) Since I am the only enchilada fan I am linking these over to IHCC for their theme of the week, For Mom.  

Salsa and Cheese Sopes

I had heard of sopes before but hadn't tried them and weren't quite sure exactly what they were.  Now I know that they are little masa "boats" or cups that are pretty much made from corn tortilla dough and filled with any kind of Mexican filling you'd like.  I made these on a whim and hadn't done any sope googling, I did that after I made these, just to see if mine looked like what they are supposed to look like, well, after looking at the google image sopes page I've come to the conclusion that I did some major skimping on the filling! These are supposed to be stuffed to the brim with yummy fillings and I barely put anything in them...oh-well! They were still delicious and now that I know better I will make a very well stuffed sope next time I make them :)

Perfectly Simple Sopes (Masa Boats)

Sopes Sencillos

adapted from Rick Bayless's Mexico One Plate at a Time

1 and 3/4 cups powdered masa harina mixed with 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water

Salt

About 1/2 cup chopped white onion (I left this off, not an onion fan)
Vegetable oil for the griddle
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
about 3/4 cup salsa (I used Rick's Roasted Tomato and Jalapeno Salsa, recipe below)

about 1/3 cup grated Mexican gueso anejo or other dry grating cheese such as romano or parmesan (I used Cotija, a Mexican grating cheese that I had never tried before this, it is delicious!) About 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Forming and griddle-baking the sopes. Heat a well seasoned or nonstick griddle or heavy skillet over medium heat. Put the masa (fresh or reconstituted) into a bowl and knead in 3/4 teaspoon salt. If necessary, knead in a few drops of water to give the masa the consistency of soft cookie dough. Divide into 16 pieces, roll into balls and cover with plastic to keep them from drying out.

One by one, form the fat little tortillas that will become the sopes: Line a tortilla press with two pieces of plastic cut to fit the plates (to be on the safe side, cut them from a food storage bag; the thicker plastic usually works better for beginners). Gently press out a flattened ball of dough between the sheets of plastic to about 3 and 1/2 inches in diameter (it should be a little less than 1/4 inch thick). Peel off the top sheet of plastic, flip the fat little tortilla - uncovered side down - onto the fingers of one hand and then gently peel off the second piece of plastic. In one flowing movement, roll the tortilla off your hand and onto the heated griddle or skillet. After about 1 and 1/2 minutes, when the tortilla has loosened itself from the cooking surface and is lightly browned, flip it and cook for another minute or so - this cooking is just to set and brown the surface of the tortilla but not to cook the masa all the way through. While the first tortilla is cooking, continue pressing out others and adding them to the griddle or skillet; just be careful not to leave them on so long that they cook through.

Remove each lightly browned tortilla to a plate. Cool just until handleable, then use your thumb and index finger to pinch up a masa border about 1/2 inch high around then edge of the tortilla - in doing this you are transforming the fat little tortilla into a sope, a little masa boat. Press out the center to uniformly flatten it. Cool the sopes, then cover them with plastic to keep them from drying out. 

2. Finishing the sopes. In a strainer, rinse the onion under cold water, then shake off the excess moisture. Set out the remaining ingredients near the griddle. Heavily oil the skillet or griddle (my 12 inch griddle takes about 1/4 cup to oil it properly) and heat over medium. Fill the griddle with a single uncrowded layers of sopes, flat side down, then brush each one with oil. Spoon about 1/2 tablespoon salsa into each sope, then sprinkle with a little chopped onion, grated cheese and chopped cilantro. Leave on the heat until the bottoms of the sopes begin to crisp and the salsa is warm, 1 to 1 and 1/2 minutes . (You may see the salsa boiling around the edges.) Serve on a warm plate or a wooden board without a moment's hesitation - your guests will love biting into this simple perfection. 

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These were really delicious! I'm sure I'll be making sopes often and filling them to the brim with yummy cheese and maybe beans and salsa.  I made half of these with just cheese for the kids since the salsa was quite spicy.  The other plate I made I brought out to the living room for my husband and I to snack on and went back to the kitchen to pass out some to the kids, well by the time I got back picky husband had finished off the whole plate of these!  At first he was a little apprehensive since he doesn't like to try new things but he really liked these.  He is a corn tortilla fan and these had that nice toasty corn scent and flavor so I kind of thought these would be a big hit and they were :)

Here is the recipe for the salsa I made to go with these...

Roasted Jalapeno Tomato Salsa with Cilantro
Rick Bayless - Salsas that Cook
5 cups salsa

3 pounds ripe tomatoes
4-6 jalapeno chiles, stemmed
1 small white onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
8 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 cup water (I did not add this, the salsa was plenty fluid without extra water)
2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 generous teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1. Heat the broiler. Lay the whole tomatoes and jalapenos out on a broiler pan or baking sheet. Set the pan 4 inches below the broiler and broil for about 6 minutes, until darkly roasted - even blackened in spots - on one side.  With a pair of tongs, flip over the tomatoes and chiles and roast the other side for another 6 minutes or so. The goal is not simply to char the tomatoes and chiles but the cook them through while developing nice roasty flavors. Set aside to cool.

2. Turn the oven down to 425 degrees. Separate the onions into rings. On a similar pan or baking sheet, combine the onion and garlic. Roast in the oven, stirring carefully every couple of minutes, until the onions are beautifully browned and wilted (even have a touch of char on some of the edges) and the garlic is soft and browned in spots, about 15 minutes total. Cool to room temperature.

3. In a food processor, pulse the jalapenos (no need to peel or seed them) with the onion and garlic until moderately finely chopped, scraping everything down with a spatula as needed to keep it all moving around. Scoop into a big bowl. Without washing the processor, coarsely puree the tomatoes - with all the juice that has accumulated around them - and add them to the bowl. Stir in enough water to give the salsa an easily spoonable consistency. Stir in the cilantro.  I just processed it all together.

4. Taste and season with salt and vinegar, remembering that this condiment should be a little feisty in its seasoning. If you're planning to use your salsa right away, simply pour into a bowl and it's ready, or refrigerate it covered and use within 5 days.  

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The salsa was pretty yummy and very spicy. Picky husband liked it, yay! It was too spicy for the kids.  My only personal thing was not liking the onion, but I know most people like onions so that's my problem :) I think from now on I will leave the onion out unless it gets completely pureed or just use onion powder.  The sopes were awesome and I'm so glad I now know what they are and will be making them often. They were fun to make and were my first time using my new cast iron tortilla press, I've wanted one of those for years and finally got one since IHCC will be cooking Mexican for the next few months! Yum!

Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce

I made these enchiladas for I Heart Cooking Clubs theme of the week, From the Earth. This recipe has 10 goodies from the earth (tomatillos, onions, garlic, jalapenos, carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, zucchini, counting the corn in the tortillas and the cilantro), not to mention the cheese and cream from our bovine friends, so I thought it would be the perfect pick this week. This is probably the most in depth Mexican recipe I've ever made.  It was something totally new to me since I'd never cooked with tomatillos before and wasn't quite sure what to expect.  I was pleasantly surprised, and enjoyed this dish very much! I'm sure I'll be buying many more tomatillos as we cook through Rick Bayless recipes for the next few months.

Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas with Creamy Tomatillo Sauce and Melted Cheese

Rick Bayless -- Fiesta at Rick's

1 lb. (6 to 8) tomatillos, husked and rinsed (thank you Whole Foods, for being the only place to have tomatillos in a 100 mile radius of my house)

1 medium white onion, sliced about ¼ in. thick (even though I don't like onions I did use them in this sauce since I knew they would be pureed)

3 garlic cloves, peeled

Hot green chiles to taste (2 to 3 serranos, or 1 to 2 jalapeños), stemmed

1 1/2 tbs. vegetable oil, plus extra for vegetables and tortillas

2 cups vegetable or chicken broth, plus a little extra if needed
1/2 cup Mexican crema, crème fraîche, or heavy whipping cream
8 cups cubed vegetables (about 1/2-in.) -- I used sweet potatoes, parsnips, zucchini, and carrots
Salt
12 corn tortillas
2/3 cup shredded Mexican cheese like asadero, or Monterey Jack or cheddar
Sliced white onion rings, for garnish
Fresh cilantro sprigs, for garnish (not in the photo but I did use it :) )

Roast tomatillos, sliced onion, garlic, and chiles on rimmed baking sheet 4 in. below preheated broiler until tomatillos are soft and blackened in spots on one side, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn vegetables over; broil about 4 minutes longer. Remove and reduce oven temperature to 400°F.

Scrape tomatillo mixture into food processor or blender. Process until smooth purée. Heat 11/2 tbs. oil in medium-large pot over medium-high heat. When drop of purée sizzles in oil, add remainder of purée. Stir constantly for several minutes until darker and thicker. Add broth and crema, reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Spread cubed vegetables on rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt, and mix to coat evenly. Place in oven and roast, turning vegetables regularly, until crunchy-tender, about 25 minutes (reduce roasting time for broccoli and other green vegetables by 5 to 10 minutes).

If sauce has thickened and is no longer consistency of light cream soup, stir in a little more broth (or water). Taste and season with salt, about 1 tsp. Lightly brush both sides of each tortilla with oil. Stack, wrap in damp paper towels, and microwave on high (100%) for 1 minute to warm and soften.

Spread about 1 cup sauce over bottom of 13-by-9-in. baking dish. I got out my  cast iron fajita pans and made individual plates of three enchiladas, this is how it is served in the book. Working quickly, roll equal portion of roasted vegetables into each tortilla while tortillas are still hot and pliable. Place them side by side in baking dish.

Douse evenly with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake until enchiladas are heated through and cheese begins to brown, about 10 minutes. Garnish with onion rings and cilantro sprigs. Serves 4 to 6.

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These were fun to make, I viewed it more of a project recipe, this is not something I'd say to try for a quick weeknight meal, but if you have a few hours of free time in the kitchen to play around with, this was a nice cooking experience.  I made these along side traditional American tacos for the rest of my family since I knew they would not be that interested in trying this.  The kids had a bite of it but did not like it, picky husband was of course a no go since he is not a vegetable fan. It has a neat flavor and everything meshes together really well.  This is like something I'd order at a high end Mexican restaurant.  I made only one serving at a time and just put everything else back in the fridge in individual containers and enjoyed this meal quite a few times over the week (only had to assemble and bake) since I was the only one eating it. If you like veggies and want to try something new (or already love tomatillos or have some adventurous eaters at your table) I would definitely recommend giving this recipe a try! I would make it again for sure, there are so many veggie combinations that sound like they would be delicious in these enchiladas, and it is always more fun to eat off of a fajita skillet :)