Chilaquiles & Eggs - Tortilla Chips, Salsa, Cheese, and Eggs

My latest recipe is one pungent breakfast.  If you like salsa with your eggs, then this recipe might be for you, and if you have leftover tortilla chips lying around (I seldom finish a bag in one or two sittings), then fry some eggs and mix it all together for a classic Mexican breakfast of Chilaquiles & Eggs.

My version uses a green salsa called Salsa Verde, which is a combination of tomatillos (green tomatoes) and green chiles. Another version is made with Salsa Roja, a red salsa that is a combination of red tomatoes and red chiles. These salsas go by a few names, but basically look for a combination of tomatillos (green tomatoes) plus green chiles, or tomatoes plus red chiles.

Both types of salsa can be found in small cans or jars in the Latin or International section of large grocery supermarkets. Actually, any favorite or easy-to-get salsa will do, whether green or red.

The other main ingredients are Cojita Cheese and Tortilla Chips. Plain Tortilla Chips are best, as there are many over-the-top flavors around these days. If you want to experiment with flavored tortilla chips then go for it.

Cotija Cheese is similar to Feta Cheese (a good substitute). It's not as tart as Feta, but the texture and color are almost the same. Of course, you can use any favorite cheese you have on hand or a dollop of sour cream.

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Eggs have increased in price since the devastating Bird Flu. You can make this recipe with one or two eggs.

The basic recipe is to heat the salsa in a frying pan and then mix in the tortilla chips. While salsa and chips are heating, fry a couple of eggs over-easy or sunny-side up. Finally, combine it all with a favorite cheese. To keep it authentic, use crumbly Mexican cheeses called Cotija or Queso Fresco.

For a Mexican-style breakfast, I make Huevos Rancheros the most, but when you leave out the bean you have delicious Chilaquiles & Eggs that are just as good.

Chilaquiles & Eggs - VIDEO

Play it here, video runs 2 minutes, 37 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Ingredients

• 1 or 2 Eggs - Fried eggs or Over-easy eggs.
• Tortilla Chips - about 12 Tortilla Chips or a handful.
• Cotija Cheese or Queso Fresco - add as much as you like. Use Mexican cheese that is semi-soft and crumbly, similar to Feta Cheese. Okay to use any favorite cheese or sour cream.
• Salsa Verde - A green Salsa made with tomatillos (smaller than green tomatoes) and chile peppers. Okay to use any favorite Salsa. Salsa Roja is a red salsa also used in Chilaquiles & Eggs.
• Oil - 1 teaspoon for frying an egg or two.
• Salt and Pepper - for eggs.

Directions

Add Salsa Verde to a medium heated pan. Cook until simmering for a minute, then add tortilla chips.

Coat tortilla chips with Salsa Verde, turning tortilla chips a few times. Heat Salsa Verde with tortilla chips for a couple of minutes until hot. 

Keep warm while frying an egg or two. Fry the egg any way you like.

Assemble Chilaquiles and Eggs. Add tortilla chips and Salsa Verde to a plate. Crumble on Mexican Cotija cheese. 

Finally, top with a Fried Egg or two. Could you scramble the egg? Sure, why not?

Pork al Pastor Bowl - Deal of the Day

Al Pastor is Middle Eastern-style fire-grilled pork served on a tortilla. Mexico has a small Middle Eastern population, so it's only natural the two cuisines would co-mingle.

For a typical al Pastor Taco, the pork is sliced thin and marinated in spices and chiles. As the fire cooks the meat, it is rotated and sliced thin and piled on a corn tortilla.

On the stack of sliced chile marinated pork is a large juicy pineapple that the cook nicks a piece from, to top each taco.

I made an al Pastor taco truck video. Leo's Taco Truck possibly makes the best al Pastor in Los Angeles, and I'm not the only one who says so - it's on every local foodies Top Ten list. Just check it out here to see what goes into an al Pastor Taco.

This latest Deal of the Day is a Pork al Pastor Bowl made by Herdez. It's a satisfying version for 99.99 cents. The chile-infused sauce is similar to a Mexican slow-cooked guisado stew.

 I've done a delish Chicken Tinga Stew video too, that is very similar, and you can check it out here to see how simply it's done.

For a small serving at 10 ounces, it's loaded with flavor. One side of the bowl is Spanish rice and the other side is a thick gravy of intense chile with real chunks of tender pork.

While the picture on the box exaggerates (of course) the size of the pork pieces, they are big enough and they are not skimpy with the total amount of meat. Of course there are no avocado slices like on the cover.

I like that the meat is not made from a processed loaf. I even tasted a couple of small chunks of sweet pineapple.

The sauce tastes like a typical bowl of chile you would get anywhere. Herdez mentions guajillo chiles, and the flavor is very similar to regular dried or fresh red chiles. There is also a mild chili heat - even if you have a low spicy tolerance, I think you can handle this Pork al Pastor Bowl.

Spanish rice is flavored with tomato sauce and studded with whole kernals of corn and green peas. The veggies were firm, not mushy as with most frozen fare.

One small flaw is the watery rice. I'm not sure if that is on purpose? The rice is not mushy, but it could have been dryer, to contrast with the saucy pork stew.

 
But overall I liked this Deal of the Day. So on the 99 Cent Chef's Cheap$kate Dining Scale of 1 to 9, 9 being best, I give Herdez Pork al Pastor Bowl a perfect 9 !

This is a great Deal of the Day that I would pay full price for, even from a regular grocery frozen case.

I had a Chicken Mole Bowl by Herdez before (click here) and this is just as good. Herdez does an excellent job with their frozen meals.

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Chicken Mole Bowl by Herdez - Deal of the Day

Deeply flavorful mole sauce is what it's about for my latest Deal of the Day find. The sauce is studded with chunks of tender real chicken, and a side of tender Cilantro Rice fills out the meal. It is an impressive steal at 99.99 cents for this frozen entree from Herdez called Chicken Mole Bowl.

While not as refined as what a Oaxacan restaurant would serve, this mole a rich version. It tastes a little bit bitter and a little bit sweet; it's mild, but seasoned with chiles, spices, and nuts.

A typical mole is made of more than 20 ingredients, including: ancho and pasilla peppers, cocoa, peanuts, cinnamon, sesame seeds, cumin, cloves, garlic and more -- all ground into a pungent paste. The paste is added to liquid to form a gravy, that's then added to chicken or any favorite meat, to make a stew.

I could not detect any spicy heat, so this Deal of the Day is for everyone.

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The chicken in this Deal of the Day is white and dark meat. Cheap frozen dinners usually just spare few meager tiny pieces of chicken that are most often than not cubed from a processed meat loaf. That is not the problem here; there are plenty of nice sized pieces from tender fillets. It's real chicken with real flaky texture. 

You get a lot of mole sauce to sop up the Cilantro Rice. The rice is not mushy like most frozen fare and while there are specks of the green herb cilantro, it is subtle - I would have made the cilantro flavor more pronounced. It's a minor quibble though. There is also a small amount of tomato sauce flavor. Overall, I liked the way the rice was prepared and flavored.

So on the 99 Cent Chef's Cheap$kate Dining Scale of 1 to 9, 9 being best, I give Chicken Mole Bowl by Herdez a perfect 9! I don't know if this Deal of the Day will be back at my local 99c only Store, but in the meantime, I would actually pay full price for this frozen entree from any regular grocery store I find it in.