When I first moved over here to the UK, the idea of ever being able to enjoy Tex Mex delights seemed to be but a distant dream.
These types of ingredients were few and far between and very hard to come by. There are still some things which are really hard to find, but happily there are quite a few ingredients which are a lot easier to find. Yay.
I think we can owe a lot of credit for that to Tomasina Miers who won Master Chef
in 2005 and whose main speciality has always been Mexican Cuisine! Greatly influenced by her frequent trips to Mexico, she is the co-owner of the Wahaca Chain of Restaurants.
This recipe I am sharing with you today is one which I first saw on the Betty Crocker site and have adapted to what is available here in the UK.
It looked really delicious and really simple to make. I also was able to halve the recipe quite successfully for just we two Tex Mex food lovers.
So what I do is roast fresh green jalapenos and then chop them up and use them.
Put
the beans, chilies, and salsa into a blender or food processor. Blitz
until smooth. Pour into a pie tin. Take your tortillas one at a time
and dip into the bean sauce to coat. (I leave it flat in the dish to do
the following) Sprinkle 2 TBS of the cheese blend over half of the
tortilla and fold over to a half moon, fold in half and then in half
again. You should have a triangular shape. Place into the baking dish.
Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Spoon any remaining sauce over top
along with any remaining cheese. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Serve hot
with your favourite toppings!
Just wash them and roast them in a hot oven (225*C/425*F/ gas mark 7) until blistered, take them out, pop them into a plastic bag, let sweat, peel and chop up. You can discard the seeds if you want less heat.
I blitzed the beans, salsa, and peppers in my CookHouse Kitchen mini food processor. It works a charm. Dip flour tortillas in the result, fill with cheese, fold and fold again.
Placed into a baking dish, with the remaining sauce spooned over and additional cheese and baked, these are such a doddle to make and very quick as well.
You can have them on the table in about half an hour tops, and that is stretching it!
Top with sour cream and your favourite taco/nacho/enchilada toppings to serve.
I used sour cream, some salsa and a kind of fresh salsa that I made by chopping together fresh parsley, red onions, and green and black cured olives.
Normally I would have used spring onions, but I was lacking them, and I have to say what I did use was really, really delicious! YUMMY even!
*Enfrijoladas Bake*
Serves 5
What can I say . . . refried beans, green chilis, tortillas, salsa, cheese, delicious!
1 (435g) tin of refried beans (16 oz.)
1 can (4.5oz) tin of chopped green chilies
(I used 4 fresh jalapenos, roasted and chopped)
240ml thick and chunky salsa, any strength (1 cup)
240g 4-cheese blend (2 cups)
1 package (6 inch) flour tortillas for soft tacos and fahitas
To serve (Just some suggestions):
chopped spring onions or red onions
dairy sour cream
chopped black olives
grated cheese
chopped coriander
more salsa
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Butter a 13 by 9 inch baking dish. Set aside.
I really hope you give these a go! They are simple and quick to make and I think your family will really love them. Mexican food is one of those things that doesn't really look overly appealing, but the flavours are really delicious. I used corn and wheat tortillas which is what I had and they worked beautifully. Provecheeto!!
All of the content you see here on this page, both photography and written, are the sole property of The English Kitchen, Marie Rayner. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.
Make no mistake about it. I am a salad lover. There is no end to the combination of flavours and colours and deliciousness when it comes to making salads.
This is a salad my friend Rhondi posted on Instagram the other week and I bookmarked it. It was just interesting enough and colourful enough that I knew it was something we would enjoy!
The original recipe comes from Yummly, by way of A Healthy Life for Me, and is Gluten Free and Paleo.
Of course I adapted it a bit to what I have/had in my house and garden, and with most delicious results I might add!
I have always ascribed to the notion that there is a reason certain foods ripen together and in the same season . . .
To me it usually means that they are ingredients that go well with each other. You might think that blueberries and corn are not things that would go together, but you would be totally wrong!
Not only do they ripen at approximately the same time, but they also work wonderfully together when served in a salad such as this.
Blueberries are not all that sweet when raw . . . the sweetness only really comes out when they are cooked. When raw they are a bit tangy and earthy, at least they are to me!
Corn, when cooked properly is crisp and sweet and juicy . . . fresh tasting. Mix the two together and you have a beautiful marriage of crisp, sweet, tangy, juicy wonderfulness!
There is also cucumber in this, which has an almost melon quality, and red onions for a bit of sharpness.
I added some raw courgette/zucchini . . . because I like them raw and in salads and I thought it would add interest.
The dressing is fabulous! Sweet and tangy . . . with lime and honey . . . cumin for a bit of warmth, some hot pepper sauce . . .
and a bit of herbiness from the use of fresh oregano and basil. The original recipe used coriander/cilantro, but I thought oregano and basil would taste much better and I was right.
They worked beautifully with the rest of the flavours!
with the end result being a salad that was not only a feast for the mouth, just bursting with flavour and textures . . .
But a wonderful feast for the eyes!
Don't be tempted to overlook this because of the unusual qualities of it You will be missing out on a real gem if you do! Its a true winner and now one of our favourites!
*Blueberry & Corn Salad*
Serves 6
A delicious, healthy and unsual salad which makes a fabulous use of seasonal ingredients!
6 ears of corn husked
250g fresh blueberries (1 cup)
1 medium cucumber, washed and sliced
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 small courgette (zucchini) , halved and cut into half moons
For the dressing:
1 tsp green pepper sauce
2 TBS fresh lime juice
2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
2 TBS liquid honey
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 TBS minced fresh oregano
1 TBS minced fresh basil
salt and black pepper to taste
(You can either cook the corn or not for this recipe. I cooked it.
5 minutes in lightly sugared boiling water.) Cut the kernels of corn
from the cobs and place into a bowl. Toss together with the
blueberries, cucumber, red onion and courgette. (I used a yellow
courgette/zucchini.)
We had this the other night when we had guests over or supper. I served it with a cheese and onion quiche, potato salad and sliced tomatoes and cucumbers. It went down a real treat! Bon Appetit!
We've been really blessed these past few weeks having been gifted with some lovely free-range farm eggs. They are just beautiful eggs and we are most appreciative of them!
We've also been fabulously gifted with bags of beautiful vegetables . . . corn, beans, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, cabbages, courgettes, beetroot and some lovely rainbow Swiss chard. I adore Swiss chard.
Like Kale or spinach, it lends itself beautifully to stir frying, and other simple preparations. Just so long as you wash it really well. Dirt collects in all of those wrinkley folds, so do take care and wash it well. I like to put it into a pan of cold water and give it a good swish around, and then a quick rinse under the tap again. After that you can put it into a net bag, go out into the garden and swing it around a few times to dry it off a bit.
Today I braised the swiss chard in a skillet, with a bit of white wine and some fresh herbs from the garden. Chard and kale do take longer to cook than spinach. They lend themselves beautifully to braising . . .
While it was braising I had some leftover ciabatta that I toasted in a skillet and made into croutons. I love croutons . . .
and then I broke one of those lovely farm fresh eggs into those hollows and popped the dishes into the oven . . .
It only takes about 10 to 15 minutes and you have beautifully baked eggs. I sprinkled a few more fresh herbs on top, a sprinkle of sea salt and some freshly ground black pepper, and dinner was served!
*Baked Eggs with Swiss Chard & Garlic Croutons*
Serves 2
You
can actually bake eggs over a multitude of things . . . ratatouille,
stewed tomatoes, peppers, etc. We especially like this version I came
up with when gifted with a lovely big bag of rainbow Swiss Chard and
some very fresh Hen eggs! Summer in a dish.
2 TBS butter
2 slices of a rustic type of bread, cut into cubes
pinch each garlic and onion powder
2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
2 big bunches of chard, any colour, stems trimmed off and leaves roughly chopped
60ml dry white wine or vegetable stock
1 TBS chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp each fresh chopped rosemary leaves and fresh thyme
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 to 4 (depending on appetites) large free range eggs
Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Melt half of the butter
in a large skillet. Add the cubes of bread and dust lightly with some
onion and garlic powders, salt and black pepper. Toss together and brown
lightly over medium heat, until golden brown but not hard. Scoop out
and set aside. Melt the remaining butter in the skillet. Add the
shallots. Stir and cook until softened without colouring. Add the
chard and white wine, along with a healthy seasoning of salt and black
pepper. Mix together the herbs and toss most of them into the pan,
reserving some for the garnish. Cook and toss together. Cover and cook
until well wilted and tender. Divide between two buttered single sized
baking dishes along with the croutons. Make a well in the centre and
crack in one or two eggs. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or
so until the whites are set and the yolks to your preference. Dust with
a bit of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and a sprinkle of the
reserved herbs. Serve immediately.
Oh, I am so enjoying all of these beautiful gifts of the season this year. You can't go wrong with vegetables that are freshly grown and local. This summer weather has been really good to us and our vegetable gardens this year! We are truly blessed! Bon Appetit!
Today is the day I turn 63. However did that happen? Wasn't I just 16 a few days ago? I don't know how it happened, but it has and there is no lamenting it.
I am 63. This is the cake I make myself every year for my Birthday. Raspberry Celebration cake. It makes the aging go down a tiny bit easier.
Every year I say I'm not going to bake myself a cake . . . but then, I beak down and baked one anyway. I have lots of things to celebrate after all.
My Birthday (of course!) for one. I reckon every year after fifty five is a milestone. (Even if the Queen doesn't send me a card.)
A clean bill of health from my Doctor! (Blood Glucose levels 4.1, blood pressure 120/78, Iron Levels normal.) It's all good. Yes, I do need to lose weight, but . . . one thing at a time!
And the anniversary of the arrival of a furry little bundle of joy named Mitzie. (Eight years today!)
Life is good and so is this cake. A deliciously buttery sponge, filled with fresh raspberries and baked into two moist layers.
Sandwiched together with a lovely vanilla butter cream icing and some seedless raspberry jam, and then drizzled with more sweetness. This is one very moreishly scrummy cake.
It won't help my sugar levels, but I reckon one thin slice won't hurt and we will be having a houseful of missionaries over later today to polish off the rest!
shhh . . . don't burst my bubble!
*Raspberry Celebration Cake*
Cuts into 12 scrummy slices
Printable Recipe
This is the cake I always bake for summer birthdays. A light moist sponge, filled with lovely raspberries, butter cream icing and seedless raspberry preserves. Top with a sweet glaze and serve with more raspberries.
For the Cake:
175g of caster sugar (3/4 plus 1/8 cup)
175g of butter, softened (13 TBS)
4 large free range eggs, separated
100g self raising flour (a scant 3/4 cup)
1 tsp baking powder
100g ground almonds (1 scan't cup)
a few drops of almond extract
125g of fresh raspberries (a heaped cup)
For the buttercream:
75g of butter, softened (1/4 cup approx.)
125g icing sugar, sifted (about 3/4 cup)
few drops vanilla
For the glaze:
100ml icing sugar sifted (1/3 cup approx.)
water to thin
Also about 4 heaped dessertspoons of seedless raspberry jam
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/Gas mark 4. Butter two 8 inch sandwich cake tins. Line the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.
Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks. Sift the flour and baking powder over the creamed mixture and then fold in using a metal spoon. Fold in the ground almonds and exract. Fold only until all traces of the flour have disappeared.
Beat the egg whites until they just hold their shape. Fold them in gently, by thirds, being careful not to overmix and lose the lightness of the whites. Lightly fold in the berries. Divide between the two prepared cake tins and level off carefully.
Bake in the heated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, just until they test done. A toothpick inserted in the centre should come out clean and they should spring back when lightly touched on top.
Remove from the oven. Let cool in the tins for five minutes, then tip out onto wire racks, peel off the baking paper and allow to cool completely.
Make the buttercream by beating together all the ingredients until smooth and creamy.
Place one cake, bottom side up on a cake plate. Spread completely with all the buttercream. Spread the raspberry jam over top of the buttercream and then top with the other cake layer, placing it right side up. Whisk together the icing sugar for the glaze and enough water to make a smooth drizzable mixture. Drizzle decoratively over the top of the cake. Allow to set, then dust with more icng sugar if desired.
Bon Appetit!
Buttermilk Bran Muffins. I think my favourite type of muffin of all the types of muffins you can get today are plain old fashioned Bran Muffins. There is nothing pretentious about them. They are simple and they are delicious.
This recipe I am sharing today for Buttermilk Bran Muffins is especially delicious, yielding a muffin that is super moist and delicious, with a well rounded bakery style top. You cannot go wrong with one of these!
Many moons ago when I used to run my own coffee shop, my Bran Muffins were really popular with my customers. I used to offer three kinds of muffins on a regular basis, Morning Glory Muffins, Banana Muffins and Bran Muffins.
Occasionally I would shake it up and add another flavour as a treat, like blueberry or chocolate chip . . . but these three were the mainstay of our muffin selection . . .
And I can tell you we sold out every day . . . with the Bran Muffins being the first to go. This isn't surprising really.
We all want to think we are eating something a tiny bit healthy in the morning . . . and if you can call it the ultimate, well . . . so much the better, and these truly are the ultimate in bran muffins!
Loaded with lots of lovely fibre . . . I use two kinds of bran . . . wheat and oat bran.
This makes for a hearty muffin, with loads of fibre. They are still light and delicious however.
And two kinds of flour . . . whole wheat and white flour.
This is a brilliant combination when it comes to creating a wholesome muffin. Whole grains are so good for you.
And plenty of raisins . . . I like Sun Maid California raisins for my bran muffins.
They are lovely and dark and sweet. You can use whichever raisins you enjoy, or even dried cranberries. Its up to you. Your muffin, your choice.
These are beautifully moist muffins . . . probably from the addition of buttermilk.
With all of that fibre these could be a bit dense and heavy, but thanks to the buttermilk they are not. Buttermilk makes most baked goods lovely and moist and light.
They are sweetened with a mix of golden syrup and dark treacle, along with brown sugar. Brown sugar is an ingredient which also makes for very moist baked goods.
You can also use molasses instead of the golden syrup and dark treacle. I understand that both of those things can be somewhat difficult to procure . . . molasses works beautifully also.
These bake up wonderfully with a lovely high dome . . . just what you want to see in a muffin!
Serve them warm, just as is, or with some butter for spreading. Either way, they are amazingly delicious!
These are so good that three days later you will still be loving them! They also freeze amazingly well.
*Ultimate Buttermilk Bran Muffins*
Makes 12 large muffins
These
delicious muffins are super moist and stogged full love lovely raisins.
I use both oat and wheat bran in them, but you can use all wheat bran
if you prefer. Quick and easy to make.
For the wet ingredients:
120 ml sunflower oil (1/2 cup)
100g soft light brown muscovado sugar (1/2 cup, packed, can use light brown sugar if you wish)
3 large free range eggs
2 TBS golden syrup
3 TBS dark treacle
(Can use 5 TBS mild molasses)
1 tsp vanilla extract
365ml buttermilk (1 1/2 cups)
For the dry ingredients:
55g wheat bran, unsifted (1 cup)
55g oat bran, unsifted (1 cup)
140g whole wheat flour (1 cup)
95g plain flour (2/3 cup)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
You will also need:
100g raisins (2/3 cup)
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/gas mark 6. Spray a large 12 cup
muffin pan generously with non-stick, low fat cooking spray. Set aside.
Whisk
the sunflower oil and brown sugar together until smooth. Whisk in the
eggs, syrup and treacle. Whisk in the vanilla and the buttermilk.
Whisk together both brans, both flours, baking powder, soda and salt.
Add all at once to the wet ingredients and stir just to combine. Stir
in the raisins. Divide between the prepped muffin cups, filling 2/3
full.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until well
risen and the tops bounce back when lightly touched. Let sit in the
tin for 5 minutes, before carefully loosening and tipping out.
You just can't go wrong with a Bran Muffin can you? If you want you can leave out the raisins, and add toasted nuts instead. Pecans would work well as would walnuts. You could even add some nuts in addition to the raisins! Delicious any way you bake them! Bon Appetit!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.
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