Tag: mexico

Categories
Omni

Tortilla Soup

one and a half slices mexican tortilla soup sopa recipe easy weeknight
OneandahalfSlices food blog recipes One and a half Slices Virginia eat local

Makeshift "Sopa de Tortilla"

one and a half slices mexican tortilla soup sopa recipe easy weeknight

I say “makeshift” because you can’t yell at me for being inauthentic if I never claimed it were authentic. In truth, I’ve got no idea what traditional Sopa de Tortilla is like, but I do know that I watched a rad vid of someone making a clearly Mexican-inspired soup and got inspired myself. So here we have a weeknight Mexican soup that will warm up any chill with its spice and quench that mole craving. The flavors here are perf and if you go the extra mile to top it with crunch and fresh, you won’t regret it. Fair warning: this soup is SPICY! Happy Winter!

🌮🌮🌮

what you need

2 chicken breasts or 4 chicken thighs

6 cups chicken broth

Salt, Pepper, and Olive Oil

2 poblano peppers

2 jalapeno peppers

1 white onion

4 cloves garlic

4 roma tomatoes

2 cups fresh or frozen yellow corn

1 can black beans

1 tablespoon: cumin, paprika, chili powder, crushed red peppers, dried oregano, & dried cilantro 

1 tablespoon raw cacao powder

For serving: 2 portions: 1 avocado, fresh cilantro, 1/2 diced red onion, 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt, 2 plain corn tortillas, 1 cup shredded white cheese (I use Oaxaca cheese)  

*Note: if you have dried Mexican chipotles or anchos, by all means, go ahead. You can rehydrate the dried peppers in the soup and blend them up with the tomatoes for a deeper, mole-style taste. 

how to make it

Salt and pepper the chicken on both sides (if your chicken breasts are super thick, you may want to cut each breast in 3-4 thinner pieces). 

In a large soup pot, add 1-2 tablespoons or olive oil and brown the chicken on both sides. Remove chicken to a plate and set aside. Scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan, add a few more glugs of olive oil, and send in the diced white onion, poblano peppers, jalapeno peppers (with seeds), and garlic. A thick dice is just fine. 

Once the veggies are slightly soft, send in the spices. Stir thoroughly. After ~2 minutes over medium heat, add about 1/2 cup of water to completely deglaze followed by all the chicken broth. Add back in the large pieces of chicken along with the cacao powder, stir thoroughly, and simmer gently for 1 hour or until chicken is tender. 

Remove chicken from pot to a plate and shred it thoroughly using a fork and knife. Halve the roma tomatoes and add to a blender along with ~3 cups of soup liquid. Blend until well combined and return the puree to the soup pot on the stove. 

Add the shredded chicken, corn, and drained black beans into the soup, stir, and simmer for an additional 20-30 minutes on low. Taste for flavor adjustments. While the soup simmers, cut the plain tortillas into strips, fry them up in some oil, and toss them with salt to create little crispies. 

Once the soup is ready, place a small pile of tortilla crispies in the bottom of a soup bowl topped with some shredded white cheese. Ladle soup into bowl. 

Top with more crispies, more cheese, half an avocado diced, a dollop of yogurt, and fresh cilantro.

Enjoy the heat! 🔥

More Soupy Things
Categories
Sweet

Amaranth Granola

amaranth granola gluten free healthy one and a half slices breakfast recipes
OneandahalfSlices food blog recipes One and a half Slices Virginia eat local

Gluten-free Puffed Amaranth Granola

You’ve all probably tried my regular homemade granola which is massively better than store-bought granola. And my muesli, while we are on the topic of breakfast foods. But this became my new favorite this year. On a trip to Mexico with My New Roots, the resort had ample gluten-free options. Naturally insistent on sampling one of absolutely everything especially when it comes to baked goods, I tried the lot. And the gluten-free options, in my opinion, were better than the gluten-full options! Hence the birth of the Coricos Cornmeal Cookies. Anyway, this is my new favorite granola. While puffing amaranth might seem at first blush like a serious undertaking, it is one of those things that takes practice but is not particularly difficult. I have tried to describe the process well but just know you need an extremely hot pan, an extremely short time window, and a lot of patience for the first few tries. Happy puffing!

what you need

4  cups puffed amaranth

1 cup chopped raw pecans

1 cup chopped raw almonds

1/2 cup raw pepitas

3 tablespoons chia seeds

3 tablespoons golden flax seeds

2 1/2 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil

1/3 cup honey

1 cup dried fruit of choice (I like blueberries)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

A healthy amount of cinnamon

how to make it

[heat] oven to 350

[don’t freak out] if you don’t have all the nuts and seeds. Granola is super flexible. The main focus here is on puffing the amaranth. You can use whatever nuts, seeds, dried fruit, or raw coconut is to your taste. No pressure. 

[puff] your amaranth. See notes below.

[combine] amaranth, nuts, and seeds (not fruit) in large bowl. In separate bowl, combine coconut oil, honey, cinnamon, and vanilla. You can melt the coconut oil for 10 seconds (no more) in the microwave to help combine the wet intgredients. 

[pour] the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and stir until well combined. 

[bake] granola in two batches spread out on parchment paper on large baking sheets. Bake for 5 minutes, toss granola with a spatula, and bake five minutes more. The granola will turn golden but should not burn. You may need a third round for 3-5 minutes depending, but you should start at 10 minutes to ensure the delicate amaranth does not burn. 

[cool] for ~20 minutes and then mix in your dried fruit of choice. Store in airtight container for up to 10 days, serving over Greek yogurt with fruit as you desire a delicious breakfast or snack. 

how to puff amaranth

Puffing amaranth takes a bit of patience. Basically, you want a super large skillet and you want to get it extra hot (this is on the highest setting on my electric stove until it starts to smoke a bit).  Add your amaranth one tablespoon at a time. It should begin to puff (popping like popcorn) almost immediately. 

KEEP THE PAN MOVING!

You should use a grease screen so keep the adorable little amaranth puffs from popping all over your kitchen. 1 tablespoon of amaranth should puff in 15-20 seconds. You want to pour it into a bowl quickly as you will notice it will start to burn (turn slightly black and smell). Try this on repeat with 1 tablespoon of amaranth at a time until you get the hang of it. 

When you’re ready, graduate to 1/4 cups of amaranth at a time.

pour in 1/4 cup,

place the grease screen,

move the pan constantly as the amaranth puffs (~20-25 seconds for 1/4 cup),

remove from pan quickly and pour into a bowl to let cool.

you should remove the amaranth from the pan while it is still popping slightly… yes… while there are still pops happening! Like microwave popcorn, guys!

It will take you maybe 10 minutes to get the hang of this process and then you’re golden.
Other Breakfast Options
Categories
Sweet

Coricos Cookies

one and a half slices Mexican coricos masa harina corn cookies recipe piloncillo
OneandahalfSlices food blog recipes One and a half Slices Virginia eat local

Coricos

also known as Mexican Corn Cookies

Recently I took an incredible trip to Mexico. Not because Mexico is incredible. But because the dance and stretch of Mikkala at Living Yolates, and the flavor and nutrition of Sarah at My New Roots… are incredible. Among the many personal discoveries of the trip were a few culinary tidbits that I’ve brought home (along with an early morning yoga mat/kitchen dance routine that will live in my heart and my home forever):

  • Masa Harina and the riotous deliciousness of Mexican gluten-free pastries (I kid you not… ya’ll know I am not gluten-free). 
  • Falling back in love with cacao nibs
  • Creamy cashew-based inspo
  • The difference between virgin and non-virgin (aka slutty) coconut oil
  • AMARANTH!

Much of this will find its way here over the next several months, I’m sure, but for now, I give you the most delectable gluten-free delight. My new favorite cookie. The masa harina corn cookie. And before you freak out, masa harina is easy to find. Bob’s Red Mill makes it and I got mine at Whole Foods. 

🌽🌽🌽

One other note on [sugar]… technically these are supposed to be made with piloncillo which is a crystallized sugar used extensively throughout Mexico made directly from the juice of the sugar cane. Here in the States you might know it as turbinado sugar. You can get piloncillo at most grocery stores with a Latin section like Giant, but in this recipe I chose to make the syrup using my new favorite coconut sugar (another discovery in Mexico). And yes, if push comes to shove, you can just use regular cane sugar or brown sugar (cane sugar + molasses) to make the syrup, but both coconut sugar and turbinado sugar add some subtle nuance to the flavor that I prefer. 

what you need

[SYRUP]

1 cup water

1/2 cup coconut sugar or 1 chunk of piloncillo

1 cinnamon stick

1 star anise

1 whole clove

 

[DOUGH]

1 cup butter (at room temp)

2 eggs (at room temp)

4 cups masa harina

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

salt

 

[OPTIONAL VARIATIONS]

1/2 cup dried cranberries

3-4 tablespoons shredded, unsweetened coconut 

1-2 tablespoons fresh honey

how to make it

Preheat oven to 350. 

[make syrup] Place all ingredients in a small saucepan and heat until just boiling. Reduce to a low simmer and let simmer away for 15 minutes until a very light syrup forms (no need for 100% syrup consistency). The mixture will reduce by approximately half and make your kitchen smell amazing in the process. Remove the cloves, cinnamon stick, and anise, and let the mixture cool in a glass while you make the dough. 

[make dough] whip the butter together with salt using a hand mixer until extremely fluffy (like soft kittens or puffy clouds). Add eggs and continue mixing until combined. Add masa harina and baking powder and, using a rubber spatula, mix the dough until it begins to incorporate. Then slowly, in batches, pour in the syrup and mix the dough with the spatula until combined. If your dough looks slightly dry (mine did), don’t hesitate to add a tablespoon or two of fresh honey. See pictures below for reference.  

[shape & bake] traditional coricos are made to look like thin little donuts (like simit, if you are familiar with Mediterranean cuisine). Roll little bits of dough out using your hand and form the little circles, placing them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. You can also just make the cookies in the shape of little round pats. These cookies will not spread, so choose your shape wisely. 

[get fancy] these cookies are mildly sweet and pleasant on their own, however if you want to spice them up a little like I did, add the cranberries and coconut to half the dough. The little round pat cookies are the cranberry ones and then little circles are the plain ones. See pictures below for reference.  

Dough + Syrup
Finished Dough
Dough + Cranberry Coconut