Food & Recipes
Vegetable Fajitas (Calabacitas)
- Serves: 4 – 6
- Preparation Time: 20 minutes
- Total Cooking time: 20 minutes
I absolutely love summertime, although honestly I could do without the breathtaking heat but without it, the wonderful parade of colorful and delicious summer vegetables would not be around to be enjoyed and appreciated. This dish is a celebration of those beautiful veggies and, to some extent of the heat. Garden-fresh vegetables are mixed with a spicy blend of chili powder and garlic hot sauce and just a splash of lime juice and tequila. All of these flavors come together in an amazing burst of flavors and aromas that quickly wakes up and refreshes a heat exhausted palate on a summer evening. Whether this recipe is served as a side dish or as filler in a corn tortilla as a taco this is a great dish to try at your next potluck or Mexican night.
| Amount | Measure | Ingredients |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | small | Zucchini halved lengthwise and sliced thinly (about 1/8”) |
| 2 | small | yellow crookneck summer squash halved and sliced thin |
| 1 | medium | potato, peeled and diced into ¼” cubes |
| 1 | small | red onion, peeled and sliced thinly |
| 1 | cup | fresh tomatoes seeded and diced (about 1 medium tomato) |
| 1 | cup | sweet white corn either cut off of the cob or use frozen corn |
| 1 | Tablespoon | Lime juice (about ½ of a lime) |
| 1 | shot of good tequila | |
| 2 | Tablespoon | Garlic flavored Hot sauce (I used Pepper Plant Brand) or to taste |
| 1/2 | teaspoon | chili powder |
| Salt and pepper to taste |
To prepare:
Heat a large heavy skillet over a medium high burner. Add about 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil to the pan and let heat thru. Next, add in the diced potatoes and let cook for about 3 minutes then stir to turn when slightly browned. Add in the sliced onion and stir constantly, sauté for about 2-3 minutes or until the onions just begin to soften and turn translucent. Next, add in the zucchini, yellow squash, and the diced tomatoes, chili powder, and the garlic hot sauce, stirring well to mix. Lower the heat to medium and stir occasionally another 10 minutes or so or until the squash is just tender. Stir in the sweet corn, then season to taste with the salt and pepper. Lastly, add in the lime juice and tequila, returning to the heat and simmering another 5 minutes or until tender. Serve as vegetarian tacos with sour cream and cheese in some heated corn tortillas or as a side dish with your favorite Mexican dish.
Isaac’s Three Alarm Chili con Carne
- Serving Size: 4 – 6
- Preparation Time: 30 minutes
- Total Cooking time: about 2 hours (30 minutes if you use canned beans)
This is my personal chili recipe that I developed years ago and is one that I am particularly proud of. It has delicious results whether it is slow cooked for several hours or made the quick way with ground beef and canned beans. One of the things you may notice is that this recipe calls for some ingredients that don’t seem to fit into what one considers as belonging in a savory recipe, things such as chocolate and cinnamon, but they are in fact ingredients used in traditional Mexican recipes such as mole’ sauce, You may also notice I use chipotle peppers as its heat source and flavor base. To those who aren’t familiar with this pepper, chipotle (pronounced Chi pote lay) peppers are a variety jalapeño pepper that has been dried and smoked over oak coals which produces a very mellow smoky flavor that perfectly compliments the flavor and mellow smoldering heat of the finished chili. I recommend serving this chili piping hot with diced yellow onions and a heaping serving of shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream, Yum!
| Amount | Measure | Ingredients |
|---|---|---|
| 3 ½ | pounds | Beef, chuck roast or cross rib cut into 1″ cubes (or use lean ground beef) |
| 2 | pounds | dry pinto beans (or 3 cans, drained) |
| 1 | pound | dried kidney beans (or 2 cans, drained) |
| 1/4 | tsp | unsweetened cocoa powder |
| 1/4 | tsp | cinnamon |
| 1/3 | cup | chili seasonings (I recommend Grandma’s Chili Fixings brand) |
| 1/4 | cup | canned chipotle peppers en adobo (in sauce) |
| 1 | medium | yellow onion, chopped |
| 3 | large cloves | garlic, crushed |
| 1 | 32 oz can | crushed tomatoes |
| 1/3 | cup | smooth unsweetened peanut butter |
To prepare:
Rinse dried beans well and place in a large, heavy pot covered in hot water. Add in approximately 2 Tbsp of the chili seasoning and 2 tbsp chipotle peppers (this should equal two whole peppers in sauce) bring the beans to a boil then reduce heat to a fast simmer and cook until the beans are tender, adding water as needed to keep beans covered. While the beans are cooking, heat a large heavy skillet over high heat, add in 1 tbsp oil and brown the beef cubes (or ground beef) until brown on all sides. Add in the cocoa powder and cinnamon and stir well, simmer 2-3 minutes then add in the onions, crushed garlic chipotle peppers, and remaining chili seasoning. Stir and simmer at least 5 minutes then add in the crushed tomatoes and reduce heat to low allowing to simmer until the beans are tender. Drain off most of the liquid from the beans when tender and add in the beef and sauce mixing well. Heat over medium high heat and bring to a gentle boil, add in the peanut butter, stirring to mix thoroughly. Return to a simmer until thick enough to hold up the spoon and serve piping hot with cornbread.
