Vegetarian Chili Rellenos

This is a follow-up to my black bean filling.
I just wanted to show recipe's versatility.
Just roast a poblano chili and stuff it with the black bean filling.
Top it with cheese and bake at 375 for 15 minutes.
Serve with sour cream and salsa.
Or you can get fancy and add 2 chipotle peppers and 1 tbsp of the chipotle sauce to
1/2 cup of sour cream and 1/2 cup of yogurt.  Blend till smooth.
Makes a delicious topping.  Pictured here.

Roast the poblano chili on an open flame, like your gas stove or in the broiler.  (If using the broiler
keep you eyes on it.)
Make sure it's completely charred.  Wrap it lightly with a paper towel or tea cloth let it steam
for 3-5 minutes.  Scrape off the skin with a spoon and also take all the seeds out.

Vegetarian Mexican Black Bean

I am a huge fan of Mexican food. The more I learn about Mexican cuisine, I find there are
endless opportunities to eat healthy and hearty meals.
This is something I made up years ago trying to cut out meat in my diet.
It can be a dip, filling for burritos/enchiladas or eat it with rice.
Extremely versatile recipe.  Also cheap and mostly from the pantry.
Also roughly 220 calories per serving, it's a winner.

Serves 4.
Ingredients.
1 15 oz can of black beans or red beans with the liquid from the can.
1 8oz can of tomato sauce
2 cups of frozen corn
1 chipotle pepper from can + 1 tbsp of sauce
1/2 med. onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic chopped
cilantro for garnish
1 tbsp oil
1 bay leaf
1 tsp of oregano
1 tsp of cumin
1 chili powder
salt and pepper to taste.

Directions.
In a med sauce pan heat oil and add onion and saute till tender.
Add garlic and oregano, cumin and chili powder, stir and saute till well incorporated.
add chipotle, beans, tomato sauce, and bay leaf.
Stir and let in come up to simmer.
Add Frozen corn and simmer for 10 minutes.
Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Your choice of chips, rice, tortillas.
Also top it with cheese, sour cream.

*If you want to add more heat, try adding chopped jalapenos to the recipe.

Duk Guk, New Year Day Soup.

Duk Guk soup is a rice cake soup traditionally eaten on New Years day in Korea.
It's a hearty and delicious soup, great for cold winter days.
It's made with oval shaped rice cake in beef broth served with scallions, eggs and roasted nori as
garnish.  I didn't add the nori because I ran out.

















Easy to make, hard part is getting the ingredients.

Ingredients, serves 2
*2 cups of rice cake
*1/3 of dried anchovies  (optional)
1/2 pound of beef brisket thinly sliced.
3 garlic cloves
1/3 cup of scallion, diced
3 eggs, 2 of the eggs yolks separated, whip both.
3 Tbsp of fish sauce.
6 cups of water
1 sheet of nori (roasted seaweed used for wrapping sushi)
6 cups of water

* Available in Korean markets.

Soak rice cakes in cold water.  Enough water to cover the rice cakes.
In a large pot bring 6 cups of water to boil.

Prepare eggs.   ( yolk only)

1. On a medium heat, add 1 tbsp vegetable oil or cooking spray on a non-stick pan.
2. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the pan and spread it thinly. Flip cook both sides.  Like making a crepe.  
3. Transfer to cutting board let it cool and slice thinly.  Julienne. Set it aside.

For Nori.
     1.  roast 2 sheets of nori on gas burner lights.  crush in to small pieces and set it aside,

Soup

In a pot with boiling water, add sliced beef brisket and cook for 30 minutes.
Add garlic, fish sauce and drained rice cakes.
Simmer for until rice cakes are floating.  taste the rice cake to chewy but silky smooth texture.
Add green onions and drizzle remaining egg mixture in to boiling soup.  Do not stir the eggs.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Serve in a large bowl and garnish with sliced egg yolk and crushed nori.

(Beef brisket is very lean meat and there wont be any fat to skim)