Spicy Chipotle Black Bean and Pineapple Tacos with Green Chile Taco Sauce

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

This meal was a slightly more 'experimental' idea that I had, but it turned out wonderfully. Both Brett and I weren't sure on our first bite, but in less than 10 minutes, the meal was gone!

And we both agreed, this taco sauce just plain rocks! Don't be turned off by the icky color, this stuff is fantastic.

Veggies for taco sauce.

Taco sauce simmering.

Green Chile Taco Sauce

8-10 Anaheim peppers

4 serrano peppers, seeded and minced

2 large tomatoes, chopped

2-4 tomatillos, husked and chopped

1/2 red onion, minced

5 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 cup white distilled vinegar

Preheat oven to 400.

Place whole Anaheim chilies on a baking sheet and roast for 15-20 minutes, until peppers soft and blistered, turning a few times through cooking.

Place chilies in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap to steam, for about 15 minutes, this will loosen the skins for easy removal.

Remove stems and skins and chop.

Combine all ingredients in a pan and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes, stirring a couple of times through cooking.

Transfer to a food processor and blend until very smooth.

This sauce will last about 2-3 weeks in the fridge and freezes well.

FOR: Tacos, Tostadas and Taco Salads

Spicy chipotle black bean filling.

Yum!

I thought this picture looked a little like a face. :-)

Spicy Chipotle Black Bean and Pineapple Tacos

1 cup black beans, cooked and warmed

1/4 red onion, diced

1 poblano pepper, seeded and minced

1 habanero, seeded and minced

2 serrano peppers, seeded and minced

2 chipotle chilies in adobo, miced

1 tsp sauce from chilies in adobo

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tbsp unseasoned brown rice vinegar

1 tbsp agave

cumin

ground coriander

Mexican oregano

salt

canned pineapple tid bits, drained.

hard taco shells

baby spinach

sliced avocado

Green Chile Taco Sauce

Heat a few tablespoons of water in a small skillet. Add the onion, peppers and garlic and cook for 10 minutes or until veggies soft. Drain any excess water.

Combine all the bean filling ingredients in a bowl and season to taste.

Layer spinach, bean filling and pineapple in warmed taco shells. Serve with sliced avocado and Green Chile Taco Sauce.

So yummy.

Hope everyone has a great Cinco de Mayo!

'Til next time.

Pineapple Quinoa Stir-Fry with Cashews and Adzuki Beans

I had looked at the Pineapple-Cashew-Quinoa Stir-Fry in Veganomicon a few times, but always passed over it as the flavoring just didn’t seem to do it for me. But I really liked the idea of a stir-fry with pineapples, quinoa, and cashews in it. So I thought about improvements awhile to see what I could come up with.

I ended up, big surprise, going with a sweet and spicy sauce (it is a great compromise, the spiciness pleases me, the sweetness pleases Brett and the combination works great), and I added more veggies and some adzuki beans.

I must say, this was a huge hit! And it was loaded with protein; you got quinoa, cashews, and adzuki beans. Brett and I both loved this and he even came up with an idea for a variation for a fruity breakfast stir-fry. I was impressed, it sounds fantastic, I think we’ll have to make it for a weekend brunch sometime soon to see how it turns out.















Pineapple Quinoa Stir-Fry with Cashews and Adzuki Beans
Serves 4-6 (leftovers = yummy, easy work lunches)

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water

Sauce:
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp brown rice vinegar
hot chili oil (to taste)
4 tbsp agave
1" ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp coconut oil
1 tbsp brown sugar
juice of 1/2 a lime
red pepper flakes
cornstarch mixed with water

Stir-Fry Stuff:
4 carrots, peeled, cut into rounds, and boiled
1 cup snap peas, cooked
1 cup broccoli, cooked
1 can organic pineapple pieces
1/2 cup raw organic cashews
1 1/2 cups cooked adzuki beans

Rinse quinoa very well before cooking.

Bring 2 cups water to boil, add quinoa, reduce heat and cook, uncovered until water is absorbed.

While quinoa is cooking, bring a pot of water to a boil, add carrots and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add snap peas and broccoli, cook for a few minutes until all the veggies are soft. Drain.

In a small sauce pan heat water, add garlic and ginger and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients aside from the cornstarch/water mixture.

Once quinoa is cooked, transfer it to a large skillet. Add veggies and beans.

Drain pineapple juice into pan with sauce and add the pineapple chunks to the quinoa, veggies, and beans.

Bring sauce to a boil, add cornstarch/water mixture and stir frequently until desired thickness.

Remove from heat.

Stir in to quinoa mixture and top with cashews.

'Til next time!