| SOUTH OF THE BORDER |
| ...where lots of good things start with BASIC BEANS 1 cup Pinto Beans (or half-and-half Pinto and Small Red Beans) 1-1/2 tsp Baking Soda Wash Beans, put in lg pot with plenty of Water, add Baking Soda, bring to a boil, turn off heat, cover, let sit for at least one hour. Rinse, add fresh Water if not using immediately. ----------------------------- To cook: Put in lg. microwaveable bowl, add the following seasonings: 1 Tbsp EACH ground Cumin, Garlick Powder 1/2 Tbsp EACH Black Pepper, ground Coriander 1 tsp Baking Soda 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper Just cover the beans with water. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, put on lid (or a couple of pieces of plastic wrap if you don't have a lid, secure with rubber band). Nuke for about 12 mins or until you can see it bubble. Continue to nuke on low for 30 mins, then on on an even lower setting for another 30 mins. (experiment with your microwave, it will boil over if it's on too high). Beans are done when they mash easily. They now form the basis for Bean Dip and Chili (except you use 1-1/2 cups of Beans plus about a half cup of dry Chickpeas for Chili--and DO NOT mash them!!) |
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| BEAN DIP 1 recipe Basic Beans 1/2 to 3/4 of 8-oz bottle of Ortega Thick and Smooth Taco Sauce Mash the Beans (a potato masher works well) while they're still hot until quite smooth, mix with Taco Sauce. Might want to add a bit more Cumin now. If it's too thick even after the Sauce has been added, pour in some Beer or Tomato Juice or even Water. Too thin, a spoonful of Cracked Wheat will take care of that (I've even used Cream of Wheat in a pinch). -------------------------------------------------------- 1 lg Onion 1 Green Pepper 1/2 of a Bunch of Celery 5-6 cloves Garlick Jalopenos or Scotch Bonnet (optional) Peanut or Canola Oil Finely dice veggies, fry in a bit of Oil (keep back the Garlick!) until they're quite dark, a bit on the burnt side even! Add Garlick a couple of mins before you're done frying. The darker the veggies, the better the taste of the beans -- always keeping it this side of charcoal. Stir veggies and the mashed, seasoned beans together, bring to a simmer, stir, keep simmering for a few mins, especally if you thickened with Cracked Wheat. Adjust taste for Pepper, Cumin or Taco Sauce. This dip is quite versatile and can be used as the basis for a number of dishes. DIP: Sprinkle hot Dip with grated Cheese, scoop it up with Celery Sticks or Corn Chips. Might mix the Beans with a bit of Pace Picante beforehand. Use in TACOS, TOSTADAS, even as a SANDWICH SPREAD: Use thick slices of Whole Wheat Bread, spread with the Dip and top with Cheese, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Onions, Cucumber, Sprouts ... whatever sounds good to you. |
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| TACO SALAD DIP |
| Bean Dip 1 sm container Sour Cream 1 sm container Guacamole (or make your own) Pace Picante Shredded Cheese Shredded Lettuce Diced , de-seeded* Tomatoes Diced Onions Black Pepper Optional Garnish: Spring Onions Black Olives |
| In a deep dish (best with fairly straight edges) put down a layer of Bean Dip which has been mixed with some Picante Sauce. Smooth on Guacamole, then Sour Cream (use your taste and judgement as to the thickness of the layers, I recommend to not overdoing these layers). Drizzle more Picante Sauce on top of this. Add layer of shredded Cheese, layer of shredded Lettuce, use a bit of Picante Sauce as a "dressing" on the lettuce. Top with finely diced, seeded Tomatoes which have been mixed with finely chopped Onions and Black Pepper. If desired, garnish with the green part of some Spring Onions, finely chopped (makes it look very seasonal for a Winter Holiday). Or use Black Olives for Garnish. Scoop with thick, sturdy Corn Chips. Take this to a party and receive raves! HINT: When first starting in on this Dip, it's easier to scoop some on your Chip with a teaspoon. |
| *NOTE: When de-seeding Tomateos, don't throw away whatever you scrape out of them, freeze and throw it in your next soup or Pasta Sauce or whatever! SUPPER (OR LUNCHEON) IDEA: I had some leftover dip recently and wasn't in the mood for anything with chips, so I baked a Potato and piled on the dip. It was delicious. |
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| SUPER DUPER DINNER NACHOS |
| Corn Chips Bean Dip Pace Picante Shredded Cheese Shredded Lettuce Diced Tomatoes Diced Onions Cucumber Dressing Optional toppings: Diced Cucumber Spring Onions Black Olives |
| Crush Corn Chips on microwaveable plate (I like using a glass pie plate, size depends on your appetite). Sprinkle with Cheese, top with Bean Dip, smooth it down with the help of a spoonful of Picante Sauce. Nuke this for a couple of mins or until hot and bubbly. Top with the Lettuce, Tomates, Onions, Cucumber, moisten with Cucumber Dressing (or Cracked Pepper Ranch or plain Ranch). Garnish with chopped Spring Onions or Black Olives (which I personally don't care for) if desired. Enjoy! VARIATION: You can build this whole concoction on top of a baked Potato instead of the Corn Chips. It's VERY delicious and a lotbetter for you :) |
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| NACHOS Cover a large microwaveable platter with Nacho Chips, sprinkle with shredded Cheese -- put some in between layers of Chips, too!) Nuke until Cheese is melted. Garnish with little heaps of shredded Lettuce, diced Tomatoes mixed with finely diced Onions, chopped Spring Onions, Sour Cream, Guacamole, and mounds of Bean Dip, serve with Salsa. A great snack or even a light meal! NOTE: Serve little bowls with extra toppings on the side. |
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| Unless otherwise noted, all recipes copyright Valkyrie Grant |