Onion-Cheese Taquitos with Tomatillo-Mint Sauce

Taquito, a Mexican dish is basically a small rolled-up tortilla with any kind of filling usually meat or cheese. Traditionally the filled tortilla is deep fried.

My version is both vegetarian and healthy. So, I chose to bake the taquitos to make this a more everyday meal. I also crisped onions to add the sweet caramelized flavor to the cheese taquitos.

The perfect pair for cheesy tortillas are tomatillos. The easiest way of using them are making salsa verde, a tomatillo sauce which have many variations. Mine uses cilantro, mint and garlic.

8 flour tortillas ( 6″ or 8″ size)
2 cups shredded pepper jack or monterey jack cheese (I used a mixture of both)
2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced lengthwise

For the tomatillo-mint sauce:

1 large can whole tomatillos( 8-10 if using fresh)
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 medium yellow onion
2 jalapenos, roughly chopped ( I use the whole pepper with seeds, you can deseed to make it milder)
3 tbsp cilantro
1 tbsp dried mint
1 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350F.

In a saucepan add 1 cup of water, the tomatillos and salt. Bring this to a boil and cook uncovered or 7-8 minutes until the tomatillos just begin to break down. To this add the garlic, onions, jalapenos and cook covered for 15-20 minutes until all the vegetables cook to tender. Add the cilantro, mint and let cool for 5 minutes.

Blend this using a hand blender into a smooth mixture. This salsa verde makes a great side to tortilla chips, works great with fajitas, burritos and is fantastic for breakfast over eggs.

In a non-stick pan heat 2 tbsps canola oil over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and cook while stirring for around 15-20 minutes until the onions cook, brown, crisp and caramelize. Remove from heat and set aside.

Place a tortilla on a plate. Spread 3-4 tbsps cheese across it and top with 2 tbsps of the onions. Wrap the tortilla tightly and place on a greased baking sheet. Roll the remaining tortillas until you use up all the cheese onions. Arrange the tortillas on the sheet and bake for 8 minutes until the outside gets crispy and the cheese is molten.

Serve the tortillas with sauce drizzled on top.

Did I hear a Burrp?

Leftover Makeover – Vegetarian Burrito

The leftover black bean-cilantro pilaf made a great base for  this easy to assemble burrito. I made a simple grilled onion and green pepper mixture to make the filling.

You will need :

1 cup guacamole
1 cup sour cream
1 cup salsa
1 cup black bean pilaf
2 cups shredded cheese, I used a mixture of  pepper jack, monterey jack and cheddar
2 green peppers, sliced lengthwise
1 large red onion, sliced lengthwise
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 jalapenos, sliced thin lengthwise
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil
4 tortillas

Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and jalapenos. Fry for a minute and add the sliced onions. Cook until they soften and start browning. Add the green bell peppers and salt. Saute for 5-6 more minutes just until the peppers soften. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Here’s a little assembly line I made to make things easy. A bowl of mildly spic salsa, a bowl of guacamole, a bowl of sour cream, a bowl of leftover black bean cilantro pilaf, the grilled onions and peppers, the mixed shredded cheese and the tortilla. Warm the tortillas for 20-30 seconds in the microwave before you make the burrito.

Sprinkle an even layer of cheese on the tortilla. lay a dollop of the salsa, guacamole and sour cream. Top with the black bean pilaf.

Add the onion-green pepper mixture and top off with more cheese. Fold over the right and left edges and fold the top and bottom flap over it like a package.

Line them on a baking sheet and place them in the oven for 5-8 minutes just until the tortilla is slightly crisped and the inside is hot, cheesy and melted. Serve with more sour cream, salsa and guacamole if needed.

Spicy Black Bean Tortilla Rolls

I am very excited to post my new mexican inspired creation. I love black beans and its combination with cheese and cilantro. This recipe combines my two favorite flavors : Spicy and Cheesy.

6-7 flour tortillas
1  15 oz. can cooked black beans
1/2 large red onion
3 garlic cloves
3 large jalapenos, minced including seeds and all (This is what makes this dish spicy, use 1 jalapeno for a miler version)
1 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
2 cups cheese, shredded ( I use a mixture of monterey jack, cheddar and pepper jack)
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

In a small pot bring the black beans and 2-3 tbsps water to a boil with 1/4 tsp salt over medium-high. Cook for 7-8 minutes until the water is absorbed and the black beans are soft and easy for mashing. Transfer the cooked beans in a bowl. In the meanwhile mince the garlic, onion and jalapenos.

Heat canola oil in a pan and the minced onion, garlic and jalapenos. Cook over medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes until the onions soften and slightly brown. Add the cooked beans that you set aside to this onion mixture, add 2 more tbsps of water and start mashing with the back of a ladle or a spoon while on medium-low heat. Mash until it is almost smooth with a few rustic pieces of black beans remaining. Add the lemon juice, remaining salt and stir in 1 cup of the cheese and mix well till it the cheeses melt and incorporate with the mixture.

Grease a cookie sheet or a baking pan with non stick cooking spray.

Warm up the tortilla(microwave for 10-20 seconds) and they are ready for filling and rolling. Place 1- 1 1/2 teaspoons of the black bean mixture on the tortilla and spread evenly around. Roll the tortilla gently and place it in the cookie sheet. Roll up the rest of the tortillas until all the filling is used up.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and bake for 10 minutes until the tortilla is warm and the cheese on top has melted.

Top with cilantro and serve warm.

I am entering this recipe for the My Legume Love Affair : MLLA Sixth Helping : Hot & Spicy event hosted by Tasty Palettes. For more on the future line-up of this event visit Susan’s event page.

I am sending this to Culinarty’s Original Recipes.

Quesadilla – A quick Indian inspired version

After a long day at work or at home, making different things to eat is always frustrating and puzzling! I always wonder how my mom managed to cook different meals 3 times a day every single day, and work full time, and have kids and still stand at the end of the day! Kudos to my mom and mothers everywhere.

This dish will hopefully make your lives a little easier!  It’s quick, easy and tasty.

4 flour tortillas (You could also use chapattis/rotis)

1 cup shredded cheese (I use a mixture or monterey jack, pepper jack and cheddar)
1/3 cup Pickled jalapenos (optional)

For the Filling :
1 large onion, thinly sliced lengthwise
1 large tomato, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped into 2 inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, finely chopped (discard seeds for a milder flavor)
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp canola oil

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic, jalapenos and fry for 30 seconds. Add onions and stir fry until onions are cooked and completely translucent. Add tomatoes and cook for 4-5 minutes until they breakdown and start to form a sauce with the onion. Add green bell peppers, salt, coriander and cumin powders and mix well . Cook 7-8 minutes until the spices mellow and the bell pepper softens. Stir in cilantro, remove from heat and set aside.

Grease a non-stick pan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Place one tortilla in the pan and spread one tablespoon of the veggie filling evenly just shy of the edges. Evenly sprinkle 1/2 cup of the cheeses over the filling and top with 3-4 pickled jalapenos. (To make the dish mild, skip this step with the extra pickled jalapenos)

Top the second tortilla over this and gently press down and the filling will gently fill out to the edges. Turn the quesadilla over and cook until this side crisps and browns. Remove and let cool.

Make the rest of the tortillas, filling and cheese into quesadillas. Once they are easy to handle and cooled down for a few minutes, halve or quarter them and serve with sour cream.

I have sent this recipe to Culinarty’s Original Recipes.