Fajita's and Refried Black Beans

I love making my own seasonings at home, Taco, dry Ranch, curry powders, Fajita seasonings and more. I'm able to adjust the spices to our liking without fillers and things we don't want to eat! I love fajitas with lots of veggies. I prefer steak, as do most of the girls, and DH likes chicken. Shrimp is always yummy. 

I use this fajita seasoning on chicken before I grill it, on fish before I put it under the broiler, in a soup or stew, roasted potatoes are good also. I like fajitas served in lettuce, flour and corn tortillas are yummy also. I just don't miss them as much as I thought I would with fajitas. I still like them other times though! YUM. 

DH and the girls like beans, mostly black beans. I am not a bean fan. I leave it out of most foods, and serve some on the side when I cook. Like this Frito Pie here this works well for everyone. I do like refried beans though, I'm certain it's because I refry them with bacon fat. Who doesn't like that? These beans are a great side dish, perfect with rice, and on a Tostada that I'll share next week. Until then let's make beans.

Below are links to both Fajita and Taco seasoning.

Fajita Seasoning

Taco Seasoning

IF you have a pressure cooker here's a method to cook dry beans in a fraction of the time.

These black beans are wonderful topped with a fried egg and leftover fajitas for breakfast.

Give Peas A Chance Refried Black Beans

3 (ish) cups of black beans, cooked (if canned, drained and rinsed)

1 cup chicken stock, veggie stock or water are ok also

1 1/2 tablespoons bacon grease, ghee, or olive oil

1 small garlic clove minced, or grated with a microplane

1/2 - 1 teaspoon cumin

salt

pepper

In a pot heat the bacon grease until melted, add the garlic clove. Let this cook until fragrant. Add the black beans and stock. Stir. Bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer the beans uncovered until half the water is absorbed. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, mash the beans on the side of the pot until you get the consistency you like. Some people don't like them mashed at all, other people like them really smooth. I like them in between.  Season to taste with cumin, salt, pepper.

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Fajita Seasoning

Fajita Seasoning

I admit the problem with me is sometimes I don't measure things, but hey I try to remember to do so. This is a good substitute for fajita seasoning packets you buy at the store, less sodium and no MSG. It tastes way better, and I suspect it's cheaper too.
Get your kids in the kitchen to help mix and measure if they are old enough!

Lunches for November 2

For the most part our lunches all contain the same thing.

This is Diva's lunch, I got this Parasite Pals for a great deal. I think it's a little on the big side but Diva wanted to use it. She's got a molded star egg, fruit salad- raspberries, apples, pineapple, mango's, salad, poppy seed dressing in the elephant container, Teddy Grahams, and the skewers have grape tomatoes, cheese and chicken fajitas meat. I also put in a fun divider for her.

Breakfast Burritos

*** My spell check isn't working and I am a horrible speller, so bear with me.***
OK Breakfast burritos, another one of those add what you like and omit what you don't dishes. I made these to freeze so on days I don't want to cook or whatever we can just grab them out of the freezer and warm them up, they are yummy with melted cheese on top, salsa, sour cream., YUM. I used *GASP* canned green chilies, they are not good LOL. But I used to live in New Mexico where real Hatch green chilies would be roasted on street side booths. The aroma coming through your car windows was to die for. And now here I am far away, no real green chili to be had. OH well.
Looking through these pictures I can't find half of them so I will use the ones I have. Any other missing pictures just visualize them...
Here we go...
8 Flour tortillas (burrito size- although I did some tiny fajitas size ones for the girls)
8 eggs
splash of milk
butter- just get out a stick just in case
1 medium sized potato
1/2 small onion chopped
2 chorizo sausages
8 slices of bacon cooked like you like
shredded cheese
2 cans chopped green chilies drained




Scramble your eggs with a bit of milk and some butter, you can add salt and pepper but I didn't due to the sodium in the bacon and the chorizo.
Scramble your eggs like you always do, I prefer mine softer rather than over done and rubbery. Note that eggs do keep cooking after you remove them from heat.
Remove the eggs. Keep the pan for Chorizo.






Cut down the sides of your Chorizo and put the filling into the scrambled eggs pan. Cook until done. Remove from pan and set aside.
(Insert picture of cooked Chorizo here in your mind)



While your Chorizo is cooking, peel and chop your potato and onion.

(Insert picture of chopped onion and potato here)





Drain a bit of the oil from the Chorizo and then cook your onions after they are soft add your potatoes, I happen to like a bit of butter so I added a tablespoon.








Cook your potatoes through.










Roughly chop up your bacon. I had these leftover from a breakfast for dinner meal so they were already cooked.






Line your ingredients up in a row so you can just go down the line and fill your tortilla up. I put my tortilla on a piece of foil so I could just wrap it up after it was assembled. Yes I know aluminum and Alzheimer's, but if I would have used plastic wrap who knows what would have leaked into the food, you can't win these days.



So put a bit of cheese on the lower middle part of your tortilla.








Add bacon and green chilie...








Chorizo next... or however you want to do it.










Some scrambled egg...








Potatoes and onions...









Now, gently but firmly roll up your tortilla, kind of like rolling sushi. Nice and firm but don't squeeze it. Roll once...







Then gather the sides and tuck everything in, finish rolling. You're done, either eat it, pass it along or wrap it. Easy easy...

2012 Bento 136, 137

I think I mention this every third lunch post, but I'm so thankful when we have leftovers to pack. We had steak and chicken fajitas so I decided to pack a salad for the girls. Luckily they love salad.

Fajita Seasoning

I know that picture is so appealing right? I thought about taking a picture of the seasoning itself, then of assemble fajitas. I didn't get around to getting pictures of the seasoning made up, and after dinner was ready we were ready to eat.

1 1/2-2 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. chili powder
2 1/2 tsp. salt - more or less to taste
1 Tbsp. paprika
2-1/2 tsp. crushed chicken bouillon cube- without MSG is what we use
2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander seeds

Mix all the ingredients together. You can store it in an airtight container.
To use the seasoning I place half of it in a bag with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and a splash of water maybe 1/4 cup. Mix it all up then add vegetables and or meat. Above I have three bags, vegetables, pork and chicken.

You Know What Time It Is??

No, not Hammer time...

It's Hatch Chile Season!
If you're a New Mexican or have been to New Mexico, you know all about Hatch Chile. It's a food group all it's own.

I so miss it. The crisp fall air, and the smell of fire roasted chile on the street corner. Sigh.

You can order it online and every once in awhile you can find it at specialty markets here in the DC area. Sometimes I have family send it to me.
In the south people ask "sweet or unsweet" when you order tea. In New Mexico, the question is

RED or GREEN?

What to do with this amazing chile? What not to do? Here are some suggestions.
When roasted, peeled, chopped,  mixed with fresh minced garlic, and salt I put it on anything and everything.  Fried eggs, burgers, subs, steaks, omelets, warm tortillas, top tacos, top Indian Fry Bread Tacos. Put it in stews, on top of fajitas, quesadillas. Top a pizza. Chop it up into scrambled eggs, rice pilaf, make salsas, sauces.

 Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

Red Chile Enchiladas

Grilled Chile Rellenos 

Green Chile Stew
Carnitas

Fry Bread Tacos

How to roast these bad boys at home and make Chile Rellenos

Those of you at "home" eat a Frontier roll for me, after the Western Omelet smothered in Green Chile sauce, of course.

Have you had Hatch Chile before?

All The Ranch Dressings

Whole 30 and Paleo compliant Ranch Dressing.

There are so many versions of this Ranch dressing out there that it's hard to pick just one. Here is my version for a basic Ranch that is Whole 30 compliant, and some variations. Avocado, Peppercorn, Spicy Chipotle, and Greek. This is a perfect option for when you want a little more than oil and vinegar, or a wedge of lime or lemon and salt and pepper on your salad. By the way, a wedge of lime squeezed over a salad with salt and pepper is so yum.

Getting a head start on tomorrow...

Tomorrow I have a doctor's appointment so I wanted to pack something easy that DH could give to Piglet if she gets up before I return home. So her little snack/lunch is on the bottom.
Diva's lunch tomorrow (top) has steamed broccoli, kiwi, pumpkin spice pudding with currants for the heart, the skewers are leftover chicken from the fajitas we had for dinner, American and muenster cheeses, grapes and grape tomatoes. I find that if things are on skewers Diva eats them really well. Piglet has the same thing except the broccoli and pumpkin spice pudding. I do have broccoli leftover so if she's still hungry I can give it to her when I get home.

I promise we're eating...

Soup made with Love Abounds Krazy Easy Noodles kit ™ I added some veggies and seafood. I just added seafood and veggies to the broth while it simmered. I did cook the shrimp with the noodles not the broth.

I do have recipes I need/want to post. Soon.

More soup :-0 It's cold here.

Testing my Mexican Seasoning on fajitas... YUM

Steak Au Poivre with a brown butter balsamic reduction.

These next two are a copy cat recipe for dipping bread, it was an OK recipe I am sending out a tweaked and improved recipe with each Finishing Salt order. This one is finished with a Hawaiian red Sea Salt blend. The other with a Himalayan Pink.

Movie Night Munchies

Friday nights are movie nights around here. It used to be pizza/calzone and movie nights. Some nights however I just don't want to deal with the oven. So, as long as it's fingerish food it works. I had leftover chicken and steak fajitas so it was quesadilla night. Always a hit with the family, even my picky girl Pixie.

Whole wheat tortilla quesadillas, fresh cilantro, lettuce, sour cream, lime wedges, salsa, sour cream, jalapenos and olives. Simple, easy, and hardly any clean up leaves lots of cuddle time.

Grilled Confetti Rice

There is still a bit of summer left! Not that you can't grill in the Fall or Winter. Unless of course you lived through Snowpocalypse last year here in the nations Capital. Then you may not grill in the winter. You may not even get to leave your house. See? Lots of snow.
That's okay though because you can enjoy this Grilled Confetti Rice now!

Grilled Confetti Rice. I didn't know what to name it. But, it's colorful and it's grilled. It's about as original as the Chicken and Vegetables dish, great name right. Whatever, just make this rice. It's good, it was a hit with my family. You don't have to grill it either, but it's fun and gives it a little bit of a smokey flavor. Not a whole lot, but a little. You'll need corn husks if you are going to grill this. I wrapped the rice like I did the poblanos. You can also put the rice in a baking dish and bake it.
Beef it up (literally) with leftover taco meat, carnitas, or even leftover fajitas.

 Grilled Confetti Rice, Citrus Chili rubbed chicken breast and sliced tomato with Hiwa Kai Finishing Salt.