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.

       Click on any photo to see larger.

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?

Saag Paneer: Spinach Curry - Video Recipe

One of my favorite veggie side dishes to order in an India restaurant is Saag Paneer, a pungent, creamy spinach and cheese dish. A Middle Eastern style cheese from India, called paneer, is presented in deep fried cubes floating in slow cooked curry spiced spinach. My latest video recipe is an easy version to make, so read on to see for yourself.

Unfortunately, it's not a light dish when served in your local India lunch buffet line. Clarified butter and deep fried cheese adds too many calories for this weight-watching kitchen commando.

Plus, it is not easy to find the India cheese called paneer. Paneer is a hard white cheese, that is similar in texture to feta cheese, but milder in taste. Because of a high melting point, it softens but still holds it's shape, even in a stew.

But, upon doing a little experimenting, I found Mexican Queso Fresco cheese has a similar flavor, and holds up well to slow cooking, too. And for a lighter creamy taste I have added a small amount of cottage cheese. So I put two and two together and came up with a budget-busting, calorie-skimping, entree anyone can make.

My latest video recipe, Saag Paneer, combines the best of two culinary worlds, Mexican and Indian.

The main spice is curry powder. I just use cumin - open a jar and smell -- it makes up 75% of your typical curry powder. And cumin is much easier to find on any grocery store spice shelf; plus it's much cheaper than curry powder.  Pick up an onion to saute, as this will add a bit of caramelized sweetness.

Click on any image to see larger.

For an extra boost of cheesiness crumble-in half a disc of Mexican cheese called Queso Fresco, that comes cheaply from 99c only Stores and Latin markets (It's showing up in regular groceries, too.) I also use Queso Fresco for the Mexican breakfast classic, Huevos Rancheros - just click here to see that recipe video.

Of course, my Saag Paneer recipe is adjustable to suit your convenience. It is just as tasty without Queso Fresco cheese. Think of this recipe as an India version of typical American Cream Spinach, with a little added curry spice.

Spinach is still a reasonable price and I can get fresh bundles of spinach and cleaned 5 or 6 ounce bags for a buck, or less. Fresh spinach may have dirt, so give it a rinse first. It may also have part of the root and long stems that need removing.. You can leave shorter stems, they will soften enough.

Slow cooking the spinach and cottage cheese with cumin creates a lush dish that is low in calories, especially if you use low fat cottage cheese. So give my delish, India-inspired, Mexican-style Saag Paneer a try -- all it takes is a little spinach and onion chopping with some slow cooking.

Mexican-style Saag Paneer - VIDEO

   Play it here, video runs 2 minutes, 3 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.
Ingredients (2 -3 servings)

• 2 bunches of spinach - or about two 6 ounce packages.
• 1 whole onion - chopped
• Cottage Cheese - about 8 ounces. Okay to add more to suit taste. I used low fat.
• Mexican Queso Fresco cheese - optional. I used about half a 5 ounce package, roughly crumbled.
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin - if you have curry powder, use that.
• 1 tablespoon oil - for sauteing onions.
• 2 tablespoons of milk - if needed during final cooking stage.
• Pepper to taste - I find there is plenty of salt in cottage cheese and Queso Fresco cheese.
• Queso Fresco cheese -  optional. I used half a 4 ounce package, that is broken into bite-sized pieces. You can use more if you like.

Directions
Start cleaning spinach if needed. Cleaned spinach in bags may only need a quick rinse. Fresh spinach from produce sections may have dirt and long root/stems. So those bundles will need washing and longer stems trimmed. (No need to prepare all spinach at once. You will add it in batches if your pot can't hold it all.)

Heat oil in medium-sized pan or pot. Add chopped onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes over a medium heat.

Mix in cumin and saute for a couple of minutes. Add cottage cheese and mix well.

Start adding chopped spinach. It will cook down in a minute or so. Continue cleaning spinach (if needed) and adding it to pot or pan until it is well blended into cottage cheese/onion mixture.

Once all the spinach is added, you can pile on some Mexican Queso Fresco cheese.

Season with pepper, reduce heat to low and cover to cook for 20 - 30 minutes until it is like Creamed Spinach.

Check spinach mixture from time to time to make sure liquid does not completely cook out. Stir periodically. The Queso Fresco will soften but still retain it's shape.

As spinach cooks down it adds a lot of liquid. The object is to cook spinach until very soft and cream-like. The cottage cheese will partially dissolve into the sauce. Add a couple of spoonfuls of milk if it starts to dry out.

Hindsight
If you like Saag Paneer more creamy then just add a 1/4 cup of milk or cream during last 20 minutes of simmering.

This would make a delicious pairing with my African Spiced Water Buffalo Wings, Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce, and Coconut Rice.

Turkey Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos with Cheese

Like a green heat-seeking missile wrapped in turkey bacon, the latest 99 Cent Chef appetizer is one intense flavor bomb! A Turkey Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno with Cheese will separate the men from the boys, and the timid from the brash -- this recipe is not for the faint of palate.

This dish should earn The Chef hazard pay for handling a bag of spicy jalapenos. You need radioactive-proof mitts to keep off the fiery chile oils. And don't even think of satisfying that itch on your nose -- touch the skin anywhere near your eyes and you will be sorry.

But boy is it worth the risk. Melting cheese cools off some jalapeno spiciness, and a slab of savory turkey bacon brings this appetizer to delicious heights.

I was wary of cooking with turkey bacon - it just doesn't seem right, like lipstick on a pig. I had bought a package at my local 99c only Store a few months ago, and forgot about it collecting freezer burn in my freezer. When I picked up a bag of jalapenos from my local Latin market, I started Googleing recipes. Most whole jalapeno recipes call for stuffing them with cheese, breadcrumb coating and finally deep frying. I wanted to go after a lower calorie recipe though. (If you want an excellent use of whole cooked jalapenos, be sure to check out my L.A. Street Hot Dog video recipe by clicking here.)

The other recipes called for wrapping jalapenos in fatty (but delicious) bacon; that's when I remembered the turkey bacon in the back of my freezer. At first glance turkey bacon looks real -- but upon opening the package I noticed it resembles those fake plastic food display toys in the window of a Japanese restaurant.

I pinched off a piece to try: the texture is baloney-like and the flavor has that liquid smoke tinny taste. This was not a good start, but I was determined to push through and see what happens. And things turned out much better than I anticipated.

After stuffing the jalapenos with cheese, I wrapped them in a turkey bacon slice and roasted a pan full at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. I figured the turkey bacon would dry out and taste like a piece of hot asphalt -- wrong on both counts. The bacon held up well to slow cooking (maybe the steaming jalapeno kept it tender,) and the taste only got better when cooked through. While you will miss that crunchy pork bacon texture, you will sleep better, having not eaten your daily calorie limit with one cheesy stuffed and bacon wrapped jalapeno.

I always find 4 ounce pucks of Mexican cheese, Queso Fresco, and cream cheese cheap enough. You can use any favorite inexpensive cheese, either low fat or regular.

This is a recipe you may want to get out those bright yellow rubber gloves for, when stuffing my Turkey Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos with Cheese appetizers. And make sure to serve with a tall cold drink!

Ingredients

• 12 jalapenos - depending on size. I used big fat ones in the 2 - 3 inch length range.
• Cream cheese - a small container of about 5 ounces. Okay to substitute a firm cheese like mozzarella, cheddar or Swiss.
• Queso Fresco - about 4 ounces of Mexican cheese. Okay to use any favorite cheese you have.
• Turkey bacon - one package. If you insist, it's okay to use regular bacon.

Directions
Allow the cream cheese to soften at room temperature. Add it to a bowl and mix in any other  type of cheese - I used 4 ounces of Queso Fresco.

 Lay each jalapeno on a flat surface to see how it naturally lays flat. You want to slice the side that now faces you, so when the stuffed jalapenos roast, the cheese won't leak out.

Slice each jalapeno lengthways and make one more slice across the top, near the stem, to form a cut in the shape of a "T". Open up the jalapeno and remove seeds and the lighter membrane strands -- this is were a lot of spiciness resides. Be sure not to touch you face when handling jalapenos, because you will inevitably get the heat too close to your eyes.

Fill each jalapeno with cheese mixture. Wrap jalapenos in slices of turkey bacon. You can attach with a toothpick if necessary. Place stuffed and wrapped jalapenos in an oven pan and roast uncovered, about 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Check after about 30 minutes to make sure turkey bacon does not burn black. Mine just got a deep mahogany brown.

The cheese is extremely hot out of the oven, so allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Hindsight
 Next time I would just use Queso Fresco and another firm cheese like mozzarella, Swiss or cheddar. The cream cheese mix melted out of a couple of stuffed jalapenos. After they cooled down some, I just unwrapped them and put some of the cheese back in. (Turkey bacon remains flexible, so it's easy to work with.)

If you use real bacon, just bake until it is brown and crispy as you like, about 30-45 minutes.

 If you are sensitive to spiciness, then this recipe is not for you. However, taking out the seeds and membrane, plus roasting the chiles, does take out much of the heat. While I found it suited my tastes, my wife could only eat one half at a time. Hey, that left them all for me!

You may want to wear rubber gloves and fish out the seeds with a small spoon or butter knife -- or even wash the seeds out under running water.

If you use smaller jalapenos, then slice the bacon in half, if it is too long.

Cactus Quesadilla

I love these small 4 ounce pucks of Mexican Queso Fresco. The cheese is crumbly like feta, but with a milder taste, and it's a salty curd. I put it into everything I can think of: simmered in a Calabasitas stew of squash, tomato, chile and zucchini; melted into an avocado omelet; crumbled over salads; and in Cactus Quesadillas.

I have been finding jars of cactus at my local Latin market and 99c only Store lately; and have been trying to come up with uses for these sliced, peeled, unprickly paddles. They have a taste similar to okra, just lighter in flavor. You can sprinkle some over a salad like you would with canned beets, or heat them up as part of a vegetable soup.


Because wheat tortillas are priced at a dollar a package, I've recently started adding cactus to quesadillas. The cactus is pickled, so you need to drain it, and pat it dry with a paper towel, or small puddles of water will form in this cheesy Mexican delicacy. For a quick and unusual dish, try out my Cactus Quesadilla.

 
Ingredients (1 serving)1 flour or wheat tortilla.
2 ounces of Queso Fresco - half of the 4oz. package. Okay to substitute with your favorite cheese.
2 tablespoons of cactus - drained and patted dry with paper towel. 

Directions
Heat pan or grill. Drain and pat dry cactus from jar. Place tortilla on grill or pan and crumble cheese onto half of tortilla. Add drained and dried cactus over cheese. Fold in half and lightly brown tortilla on each side until cheese is melted.