Naraya Cooking Health Recipe: chipotle

BLACK BEAN FAJITAS + GUACAMOLE

10:04 AM

Happy Friday to you all! For most of you, your work week is ending and you’re ready for some days off. Today I hope to inspire something wonderful for you to eat on your time off. I've always loved fajitas and if you’re like me you love them too. Finally, they have arrived to the recipe collection and I'm so happy to share them with you!

I was so excited the day I was going to put this together, trying to do my full workout at the gym, just knowing I would be coming home to put this recipe together. I imagined a flavorful fajita mix with a big helping of guacamole on top. At last minute I added some shredded cabbage I had on hand, but that is optional. They are everything I wanted them to be and more! These are 'Eat like you mean it' tacos! I loaded mine and ate them just as you see here with no problem at all, hardly any mess either. Although the next couple tacos I had were a bit messier, just because I was at the bottom of the fajita mix where all the juiciness is. Not a bad thing at all, just be sure to have a couple extra napkins handy, and just like your mom might have told you, 'Eat over your plate'. I especially love making tacos, mainly because I love corn tortillas, but if you prefer flour tortillas, your options are open for making tacos or burritos (see notes). However you like, gather your ingredients and get ready to enjoy some of the best darn black bean fajitas you've ever had! At least I think they're pretty darn good. :)

Just simple, colorful ingredients that come together in the best way. If you're lucky enough, you may even find a prepared fajita mix where you just add your spice and protein. That's exactly what I have here, 2 packages, but the ingredients will reflect buying and slices your own bell peppers and onion. The tortillas I used are homemade tortillas from Trader Joe's. They are thick and can withstand a large helping.

Start with your guacamole. This is a very simple, classic chunky guacamole. I added chopped cilantro just before serving. Feel free to omit/add anything you like!

Cook up your fajita mix and warm up the tortillas...

Layer your tacos and serve you & yours some hearty black bean fajita tacos!

BLACK BEAN FAJITAS + GUACAMOLE

Ingredients

2 cans (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed (about 3 cups)
1 red bell pepper, cored and sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, cored and sliced
1 green bell pepper, cored and sliced
1 small white onion, sliced
1 tablespoon grapeseed or olive oil or 3 tablespoon water (for water saute)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon chipotle or cayenne powder, optional
1/2 teaspoon mineral salt
corn or flour tortillas
1/4 head of cabbage, shredded (optional), to serve
lime wedges, to serve

Guacamole

2 - 3 avocados
1 small jalapeno, most seeds removed and diced
1/4 red onion, diced
small handful cherry tomatoes, quartered or 1 small tomato, diced
1/2 teaspoon mineral salt, or to taste
few sprigs cilantro leaves, diced
1 lime, squeezed

Start with your guacamole. Cut avocados in half lengthwise, remove seed and using a spoon scoop out the flesh, place in medium size bowl. Using a fork cut the halves into large chunks and mash about 1/3 - 1/2. Add diced jalapeno, onion, tomatoes, mineral salt and lime juice. Mix to incorporate. Add in chopped cilantro and mix again gently. TIP: To keep your guacamole from browning, pack your guacamole well, add about 1/4 - 1/2 inch water over top and place in the fridge. When ready to serve, drain water, mix and serve. This will keep air away preventing oxidation.

In a large wok/skillet, heat oil or water over medium high heat. Add bell peppers, onions, and spices, cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add black beans and cook until heated through, about 3 more minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste adding anything extra you like.

Warm your tortillas. I like to heat mine carefully over the open flame of the stove top.

Serve layering the fajita mix on top of each tortilla, then add cabbage and a nice helping of guacamole. Add a squeeze of lime to each taco if you like.

Serves 3 generously.

Notes:

These can easily double as burritos by simply using large flour tortillas. Layer just as you would the taco leaving about 2 inches at one end, fold up the end over the mixture, take one side of the burrito, fold over and roll. This style will leave you with one open end at the top. It's the way I usually make my burritos. For a completely closed burrito, take a look at this tutorial from the Kitchn: How To Wrap A Burrito (So It Doesn't Fall Apart When You Eat It!)

I read about the water trick for the guacamole from an article at Huff Post Taste: How To Make The Best Guacamole: Tips and Mistakes To Avoid

Enjoy!

almonds

Mirin & Maple Roasted Almonds

7:55 PM

Sweet but not too sweet, these mirin & maple roasted almonds are a welcome addition to the recipe collection. This is my first recipe for roasted nuts and it's about time they appear here. The idea for the mirin & maple glaze came about from my Mirin & Maple Tempeh Stir Fry. I wasn't sure how this was going to turn out as this was something unusual for me but they came out great! It's simple flavors with sweetness from the mirin and maple, warmth from the cinnamon and chipotle, and a tad bit salty. And did you know, almonds are the most alkalizing nut. They're balancing, nourishing and contain high levels of potassium and vitamin E. In fact, nine almonds contain all the vitamin E you need for one day. They make for a great snack anytime of day. They're easy to stash and take along with you when you need a little something to get you through. These roasted almonds are really easy to put together and once ready will be done in 30 minutes. No reason to not have a batch of roasted almonds on hand when they're so easy to make!

Start with fresh raw almonds. Mix your mirin, maple and spices.

Add in your ingredients and toss to coat. Layer on baking sheet and roast.

Remove from the oven, let cool and harden. And then you have beautifully glazed almonds that taste wonderful, will please your senses and satisfy your hunger. Be ready, these will be slightly addicting!

These roasted almonds are good things in little packages and make for great gift ideas too!

Mirin & Maple Roasted Almonds

Ingredients

3 cups raw almonds (about 1 lb.)
3 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon chipotle powder
generous pinch or two mineral salt
1 tablespoon white and/or black sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, combine the mirin, maple syrup, cinnamon, chipotle powder and salt, mix well.

Put almonds in a large bowl, add the glaze and toss to coat. Add in sesame seeds and combine.

On a large baking sheet (a rimmed one would be ideal), spread mixture in an even layer...it's ok if some clump up. You may even like to sprinkle a little salt on top of the almonds for a little extra saltiness! Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, stirring once.

Remove from oven, let cool and harden.

Notes:

I recommend sourcing the best mirin you can get. Read the ingredient label and choose ones that are brewed traditionally and do not contain additives like corn syrup or use artificially produced koji enzymes. A good mirin will run you around $10 dollars and is worth the little extra compared to cheaper brands that use additives. You can also use it in the other recipes that call for mirin as mentioned in the first paragraph. It's great to use in marinades and stir fry's. You can use it to glaze your pie crusts and pastries too, giving them a beautiful shiny finish. It may also be used in making desserts such as poached fruit and puddings.

I went a little easy on the spices so adjust to your preference. If you like a little more heat, add a tad bit more chipotle powder. I find these to be great without any spice as well, simply having the mirin, maple and salt as flavoring.

You may want to line your baking sheet with parchment paper for ease of clean up. I didn't personally use any and once cooled from the oven they did tend to stick to the bottom. I had to do a little scraping which didn't hurt my almonds one bit and just made for a little extra effort when cleaning the baking sheet. It's your call!

Enjoy!

almond milk

Easy Spicy Mac n' Cheese

9:31 AM

avocado

Quinoa & White Bean Veggie Burger

2:06 PM

It's burger time...

I haven't done a veggie burger in almost a year. It was time to add a new one to the list and this one is as delicious as it gets. These patties are loaded with protein and fiber as well as other beneficial nutrients, and they are very filling. As far as veggie burgers go this is fairly easy. I have to admit that I'm a pretty lazy cook and don't like a lot of steps. I prefer to spend as little time as possible preparing a meal as well as cleaning it up. Fyi, you can make this recipe even simpler by using a pre-made flour instead of processing oats like I did. The patties came out fantastic and held up great without falling apart, and they were not dry at all, nor were they mushy. The texture, taste and visual appeal all hit the mark. Once layered with all the extra goodies this burger was supreme and the best veggie burger I've ever had...am I biased...maybe, but these were divine! And, if you don't feel like having it on a bun, by all means top your veggie burger on a bed of fresh leafy greens with a squeeze of lemon, some avocado, salt and pepper...so good just like that!

I loaded this beauty up with leafy greens, slice of heirloom tomato, sliced red onion, whole grain mustard, mashed avocado and a nice drizzle of sriracha. Lot's of flavors going on and I loved it. As the saying goes, "Eat like you mean it!"

And now for the money shot! Having fun with my iphone and the VSCO Cam app (it's free), managed to create this final mouthwatering picture...veggie love at first sight!

Quinoa & White Bean Veggie Burger

Ingredients (makes four patties)

1/2 cup quinoa (I used tri-color)
1 cup water
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3 teaspoons thyme, divided (oregano would be good too)
1/2 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper, optional
1 can (15 oz.) white beans (I used cannellini), drained and rinsed
1/2 cup corn, fresh or frozen (about 1/2 fresh corn off the cob)
1/2 cup red bell pepper, finely diced (about 1/2 bell pepper)
1/2 cup shallot, finely diced (about 1 medium) or red onion
juice of one lemon
1/3 cup oat flour, or flour of choice
1 Ener-G egg replacer or 1 flax egg (1 Tbs flaxseed meal + 3 Tbs water), optional*
mineral salt & cracked pepper, to taste
coconut or olive oil, to grease

To Serve:

tomato, sliced
leafy greens
avocado, sliced or mashed
red onion, sliced
whole grain or dijon mustard (hummus or vegan mayo is great too)
sriracha or Sriracha Cashew Cream (use the sriracha cream in place of mustard)
burger buns of choice

Start by making your flax egg or ener-g egg replacer and set aside. If baking in the oven, turn oven to 375 degrees F. (It's helpful to read instructions first before making the patties)

In a medium pot, bring water, quinoa, garlic powder and 1 teaspoon thyme to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Once done, remove cover and let set for 10 minutes.

While quinoa is cooking, prepare your corn, shallot and red pepper. Be sure to dice your onion and red pepper fairly fine, they should be about the same size as the corn kernels.

Next, mash your beans. I mashed about 3/4 of the beans leaving a quarter of the batch whole or somewhat whole.

Once quinoa is ready, add the quinoa to the beans along with the shallots, red pepper, corn, remaining 2 teaspoons thyme, smoked paprika and optional chipotle powder and lemon juice. Mix well. Add in the flour and egg replacer, mix well again. Season to taste with salt, pepper and more of the other spices. We all vary on how strong we like our spices...you can't take out but you can always put in.

Now to divide and make your patties. I like to pat my mixture into the bowl a little and divide it with a knife into 4 sections, making a plus sign if you will. Take each section and pack it tightly into a ball in the palm of your hands. It should be about the size of your hand. Flatten with your palms and place on hard surface. Cup the edges with your palms and tighten them in a bit and flatten the top to the desired size. Mine were about 1/2 inch thick by 3 1/2 - 4 inches.

Cook one of two ways:

In the oven at 375 degrees on a greased or parchment lined cookie sheet for 30 minutes, turning once after 15 minutes. I also added a sprinkle of himalayan salt to the top before baking.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil over medium to medium high heat. Cook patties about 4 - 5 minutes on each side.

I cooked both ways and had no preference. They both held up well and cooked great. (pic shows skillet cooked)

Serve on bun or bed of leafy greens with choice of toppings!

Notes:

The patties can be made ahead of time and stored covered in the refrigerator for a couple days prior to cooking.

*I have a sneaky feeling that this can be made without the use of any egg replacer if you don't have it available. I have it here for good measure until I try without (in the comments you will see that it has been done). If you decide not to use an egg replacer, when adding the flour, just try adding two - three tablespoons of water instead if needed...the amount may depend on the flour you're using.

For mashed avocado, cut open avocado, remove seed and using a fork, mash the flesh right in the skin...it's like a bowl. Spread on bun for a great creamy condiment!

I hope this makes you want to get in the kitchen and cook.
I encourage you to make these soon and often...

Enjoy!

chickpeas

Chipotle Roasted Chickpeas in a Jar

10:01 AM

When you need a great snack on the go or just around the house, these roasted chickpeas will come in handy. They are full of nutrients, fiber, protein, all the good stuff your body needs and texture and flavor your taste buds with thank you for. These are super versatile, you can do just about anything with them in the way of seasoning. Have fun experimenting with various flavors to keep it interesting and fun!

So easy to put together. I start with dried chickpeas, soak them overnight and cook them before roasting. You can just as easily use canned chickpeas as well, just be sure to drain and rinse them well. Once coated (as shown above) place in the oven...

When done, let cool a few minutes and they are ready to go. Keep them in a jar and they will be handy to take along with you for whenever the snacking urge occurs...

Chipotle Roasted Chickpeas in a Jar

Ingredients

2 cups chickpeas, cooked...or 1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas), drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon sesame or olive oil
1 teaspoon chipotle powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place ingredients in a small/medium size bowl and combine well. Place in a single layer on a roasting pan or rimmed cookie sheet. Bake for about 40-50 minutes mixing them around every 15 minutes or so until chickpeas have a nice roasted look and are crispy. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Feel free add extra spice if you like a little spicier. Also, mix up the spices using whatever you like such as chili powder, cayenne pepper, cumin, curry, thyme, smoked paprika, vinegar & salt, cinnamon, sriracha, lime, garam masala, salt & cracked pepper, lemon pepper, nutritional yeast, etc...

Keep your jarred chickpeas crunchy by adding some rice to bottom of your jar or container. They seem to soften up a bit once sealed away, the rice will help soak up extra moisture to keep them crunchy. You can also keep them in a container that let's air flow through so they can keep their crunch and be sure to eat within a few days.