Spicy Tofu Sofritos

Blogging Marathon# 61: Week 4/ Day 3

Theme: Bookmarked Recipes from Fellow BM Bloggers

Dish: Tofu Sofritos from Smruthi's Herbivore Cucina 
For the final day of this month's blogging marathon, I made Tofu Sofritas from Smruthi's Herbivore Cucina. I bookmarked it when I saw it on her Top 15 recipes of 2015. This is a restaurant style dish that can be easily made at home.

If you are wondering what Sofritas is, then here's a nice infographic by Chipotle that explains how cooked and crumbled tofu combined with sofrito (a very popular Latin spice mix) makes this amazing tasting dish that they call Sofritas. I ate sofritas at Chipotle once and was planning to make it at home and then I saw it on Smruthi's blog, so finally made it myself.

Read more »

Pasta with Poblano Chilies, Corn and Cilantro Cream

October is 'National Pasta Month', so I wanted to post a pasta recipe before the end of the month. Thanks to Usha for her pasta post, without which I wouldn't have known about it.

Last month's Vegetarian Times magazine had a whole spread of pasta dishes that can be made under 30 minutes and are perfect for weeknight dinners. This dish has Mexican flavors with poblanos, corn and cilantro. I used wholewheat penne pasta and the sauce is made with 3Cs -- cilantro, corn and cream. Dish also has ground cumin to emphasize the Mexican flavor.

Read more »

Vegetarian White Chili with Roasted Poblano Peppers

Can you make a wild guess of what could be the scariest thing that can happen to you right now? We experienced it recently -- it's not flu or ebola virus or zombie apocalypse!!!!!!! It is losing your internet, tv and phone service for an entire DAY. WHAT??? Yes, it happened to us yesterday and everything went haywire at home. You would think the adults will be the ones most affected, but it was the 7 year old who declared a state of emergency and wanted to leave the house. His dad who was (supposed to be) working from home was more calm than the kid who gets about 1 hour (if that) of computer time every day and he looked soooo lost without it. Let me tell you, we got a lot done in this 24 hours: the whole basement looks clean now and I finally got a chance to look through all the new cookbooks I recently got free from the very friendly librarian. 

Thankfully we are back in action with all the devices up and running and fully connected. I was worried I won't get this White Chili post in time for the upcoming Super bowl XXXXIX sunday. But here it is for those of you looking to make something different for the party this weekend. 

This Chili uses white beans instead of the more traditional red or black beans, hence the name White Chili :-) This recipe is from Vegetarian Times magazine and has roasted poblano peppers that add nice smokey flavor and depth to the dish.

Read more »

Poblano Corn Rice

Blogging Marathon# 38: Week 2/ Day 1 
Theme: Gourmet Rice Dishes 
Dish: Poblano-Corn Rice 

We are starting our 2nd week of Blogging marathon today and my theme for this week is 'Gourmet Rice Dishes'. Valli wanted us to prepare rice dishes that are special and different from regular rice dishes. So for the next three days, I'm going to post 3 rice dishes that are slightly different and can be made for for company as well.

I wanted to try poblano & corn combination after making this baked mac & cheese I made for last month's BM. After tasting the pasta I really liked the green sauce and since my husband doesn't like mac & cheese, I wanted him to taste the flavors in a rice dish instead of the cheesy pasta. The dish turned out pretty good.

Read more »

Poblano & Corn Baked Mac & Cheese

Blogging Marathon# 37: Week 4/ Day 1
Theme: Member's Choice
Dish: Baked Mac & Cheese with Poblano & Corn

We are starting our last week of blogging marathon for this month and I chose 'Member's Choice' as my theme. Valli compiled a list of dishes that all the BM members suggested and we were asked to pick 3 dishes for this week.
When I saw 'Baked Mac & Cheese', I knew I will definitely be making it. I like mac & cheese, but rarely make it because my husband is not a big fan of it -- he thinks it is too milky and cheesy for his taste -- the two reasons I really like it. But now my sister is in town and she is a fan of it. Gives me a chance to try mac & cheese recipes that I have been bookmarking from a while now.

Today's mac & cheese has a Mexican twist with poblanos, corn and cilantro in it along with the regular ingredients of cheese and milk. I thought the addition of poblanos was going to make this dish spicy, but it was very mild with a slightly smokey taste in the background. Original recipe had mushrooms in it, but I skipped them and used some onions instead.

Read more »

Poblano, Corn & Veggie Tostadas (Vegetarian Recipe)

Blogging Marathon# 37: Week 3/ Day 2
Theme: Street Food from Around the World 
Dish: Poblano, Corn & Veggie Tostadas from Mexico

After exploring Korea, we are going to Mexico for today's Street Food from around the World. Mexican food was probably the first international cuisine that I really liked when I came to US. In those days, there were not too many International restaurants in India and the only international dish I ate back then was Domino's pizza, which if I remember correctly didn't really like.
But after coming to the US, I became more open minded about trying new dishes and Taco Bell soon became my favorite fast food place, both because of the vegetarian options available and it was affordable for a graduate student. One dish that I still order, at least one, is Nacho cheese chalupa. I make Mexican food atleast once a week and I have quite a few recipes posted here already.

Most of the dishes we get here in the US are the American version of Mexican food. So I wanted to see what is traditionally served as street food in Mexico. Street food in Mexico is called Antojitos, or small cravings. Most of them include corn as an ingredient. These dishes include tacos, chalupas, tamales, gorditas, tostadas etc.,

Read more »

Baked Vegetarian Chili Rellenos (Low fat)

Blogging Marathon# 31: Week 1/ Day 3
Theme: Mexican Cuisine
Dish: Baked Chili Rellenos - low fat 

I usually try to include 1 dessert recipe whenever I pick a theme for BM. So keeping that in mind I tried to make a Mexican flan and made it eggless. But unfortunately my caramel got burnt and the flan was way too rubbery. Imagine my embarrassment when I took it over to my friend's place for dinner -- it was so bitter, we ended up eating ice cream from my friend's freezer :-(

After that colossal dessert failure, I figured it's best to try something savory. I had bought some poblano chilies without any particular recipe in mind. I remembered this amazing Chile Rellenos dish that we ate at a Mexican restaurant years ago and wanted to give it a try.

Read more »

"Mexican" Pasta

I bought poblano chilies and fire roasted tomatoes to make Rachel Ray’s Chile Rellenos and I was all geared up to cook it last night. Even though it is supposed to be a 30 minute meal, a quick glance at my hungry husband and almost sleepy son, I didn’t want to make something that I was not sure about. So this Mexican chile rellenos inspired pasta dish started taking shape in my mind.

This is how I made it:

• I boiled whole-wheat rotini (tiny swirly pasta) according to package directions; took about 15-20mins.
  
• In the mean time; broiled poblanos (approximately 10-15 mins) and chopped green onions.
• Then I sautéed the chopped onions in olive oil with garlic. After the onions are cooked, I added black beans (rinsed and drained of course), chipotle in adobo chiles, fire roasted tomatoes, chili powder, corn, salt and pepper. Let the mixture simmer for 10-15 mins.
• Poblanos were already broiled and cooling down in a covered bowl. I peeled, chopped and added them to the simmering black bean mixture and simmered for another 5 mins.
  
• After that I dropped my cooked pasta in the bean gravy and oh.. my good.. was that one big pot of pasta or what. It was soo good, spicy and filling.
• Serve hot with a generous sprinkling of cheese (I used Mexican four cheese blend).
  

Ingredients:
Whole wheat rotini (or any short pasta) – 1 pkg
Olive Oil – 2 tbsp
Poblanos – 3 medium
Green onions – 2 bunches, chopped
Black beans – 1 15oz. can
Fire roasted tomatoes – 1 15oz. can
Chipotle in Adobo sauce – 2 chilies, chopped
Garlic – 1tsp, minced
Corn – 1 cup, thawed if frozen
Cheese - 1/2 cup
Chili powder – 1tbsp
Salt & Pepper – to taste

I’m sending this to Divya of Culinary Bazaar who graciously agreed to accept this Mexican inspired dish for her A.W.E.D (A Worldly Epicurean Delights) – Mexican event. It is a fantastic idea for showcasing world cuisine and I’m anxiously waiting for the round up to see what other blogger friends have come up with. Happy Hosting DK.