Cafe Rio Rip-Off Salad/Burrito

Now that you've got all the recipes you need, here's how to put together your salad or burrito:

• Tortilla
• Grated cheese
• Black beans (I like to warm them on the stove with cumin, garlic, onion, and a little cayenne pepper)
• Rice
• Pork
• Lettuce, shredded (if you're doing the salad)
• Pico de Gallo
• Tomatillo Dressing

Add family. 'Cause it just taste best that way. (Cheesy, I know, but seriously).

Pineapple (or Other Fruit) Skillet Upside-Down Cake

By popular demand, here it is, from Rick Bayless' "Mexican Everday" cookbook.

So YUMMY!

Ingredients:

• 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3 1/2 cups pineapple, or berries, or peaches, or apples, or nectarines, or... you get the picture
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup buttermilk (or soured milk) or plain yogurt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375*. Melt butter in a 10" skillet with an ovenproof handle, preferrably non-stick, over a medium heat. Swirl it around until it turns nut-brown then pour into a medium bowl. Without wiping the pan out, sprinkle the brown sugar into the skillet and top with a fruit layer.

In a bowl, mix together the flours, salt, soda and baking powder. Mix the white sugar in with the browned butter. Add the egg and mix; then add buttermilk/yogurt and mix. Pour into the dry indregients and whisk together.

Pour batter over the fruit. Put skillet in oven and bake 35 minutes or until cate is golden brown and springy to the touch. Remove and cool 10 minutes.

Put a plate over skillet, and using oven mitts, flip them over together in one quick movement. Remove the skillet and serve cake!

Creamy Corn Soup with Chicken and Poblano Chile

This is from a cookbook by Rick Bayless called "Mexican Everyday". I needed more uses for our garden produce and this is a great one for fresh corn from the garden. The roasted chile pepper just seems perfect for New Mexico too.

Ingredients:

• 1 large poblano chile
• 1 Tbsp. vegetable or olive oil
• 1 small white onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 3 cups corn kernels cut from the cob (takes about 5 ears)
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 quart milk
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breats cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• salt
• about 1/4 cup chopped cilantro for garnish

Directions:

1. Roast the pepper over open flame or 4 inches below the broiler until blackened and blistered all over.
2. Heat oil in pan. Add onion and garlic and cook until golden. Put into blender or food processor.
3. Add corn, cornstarch, 1 1/2 cup milk to the blender too. Process to a smooth puree. (You can strain the puree through a mesh strainer for a smoother soup). Return puree to pan.
4. When chile is cool enough, peel off the blackened skin. Pull off stem and seed pods. Cut into 1/4 inch pieces. Add to the pan.
5. Add chicken to the puree and additional 2 1/2 cups milk. Simmer until chicken is cooked. Season with salt. Ladle into bowls and add the cilantro as a garnish. Serve!

A few variations the author suggests are replacing the chicken with ham; or zucchini or asparagus for a vegetarian meal. Or add shrimp, crab, bacon, etc.

Black Beans and Rice

This is our favorite beans and rice recipe. It's one I've gradually modified from a Food Network recipe. It's best served with roasted chicken and mole.

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup diced green chillies (preferably New Mexican)
• 2 onions, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tablespoon cumin
• 1 cup white rice*
• 2 cups black beans, drained
• 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes (preferably homegrown)
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Heat oil in a pot over medium/high heat and stir in chillies, onions, garlic, bay leaves, and cumin. Stir and cook about 8 minutes.

Stir in rice, black beans, tomatoes, water, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Cook for about 40 minutes or until rice is tender.

*I always try to make this with brown rice. Don't! Brown rice takes waaaay too long to cook. If you want to use brown rice, I recommend cooking it separately and adding it into the dish towards the end.

Refried Beans

Thanks to Jenny for lingering in the kitchen to calculate this recipe and actually get it recorded. It's been a standard in our family since about 1991; it originated from a friend in the ward: Cynthia French. It's just delicious!

4 cups dry pinto beans, sorted and cleaned
6 cups chicken stock
2 tsp garlic (2-4 cloves)
2 bay leaves
2 large yellow onions, coursely chopped
2 TB ground cumin
2 TB dry cilantro

In a large saucepan, cover beans with enough lukewarm water to cover the beans generously, by about 4 inches. Allow the beans to soak and rehydrate overnight. In the morning, drain and rinse the beans; return them to the same pan. Add remaining ingredients and bring the mixture to a simmer. Turn the heat down low, cover the pan and allow the beans to cook slowly. Cook the beans for 4-8 hours, or until they are tender. (This time will depend on the freshness of the beans.) Check the fluid level periodically, to ensure that the beans are just covered with stock, adding more water if needed. (Nothing smells worse than burned beans!)
When the beans are tender, remove the bay leaves and add salt to taste. (Salt is added last to prevent toughening of the bean skins.) The level of the liquid should just be visible through the beans. If there is excess liquid, drain it off, reserving it for later if needed.
Traditionally the beans are now "refried" in hot oil in a frying pan and mashed. However, we have just used a blender, omitting the extra oil. A traditional blender, food processor or stick blender all work very well. Drain the beans if you like thicker beans; add more liquid if you prefer them thinner.
I love to double or triple this recipe, freezing portions for later use. They are great to have on hand. Also, the chicken stock can be replaced with water for the cooking and the addition of chicken boullion at the end of the cooking time.
Delicious!