Vegetarian Tortilla Soup Recipe

I had 5 tortillas left-over from the burritos we made over the weekend that were going stale, so I decided to make a large pot of tortilla soup. I use the tortillas as a thickening agent in the soup, and also as a garnish on top of the dish. To the tortillas I added tomatoes and tomato paste for a little tartness, jalapeños for a little heat, and some kidney beans and soy chorizo for protein.

The spices give the soup an earthy flavor and the Cotija cheese and sour cream that I top each serving with are very soothing for the taste-buds.

Tortilla soup is a really hearty dish that's the perfect cure for the dreary weather we've been having here as of late.

Vegetarian Cheese Quesadilla

Quesadillas are easy to make and fun to eat. We had relatives over for dinner tonight, so I made some quesadilla canapés as an appetizer. I prepared two fillings, one with shredded beef and a vegetarian option as well.

I wanted the vegetarian ones to have a chewy consistency, so I did not use vegetarian chorizo as I usually do when I make vegetarian Mexican dishes. I used shredded, fried tofu that I blended with harissa to add a little kick to the dish. Harissa is a spicy paste that is used as a condiment in Northern African cuisine. I think the grainy paste blended with the shredded tofu loosely resembles the texture of the meat version. I'll post the recipe for harissa tomorrow.

Sweet Tamarind Drink (Nuoc Da Me)

Nước đá me, literally "tamarind ice cubes" in Vietnamese, is a fairly common drink in Vietnam. It's served in various ways, such as with salted key lime rind preserves, but today I made it with fresh pineapple purée. It's sweet and tart at the same time but most important, it's so refreshing!

Tamarind is quite popular in Asian and South Asian cooking. I usually eat the fresh pods as they are, and use tamarind concentrate or tamarind powder for cooking.

Super Bowl Guacamole and Salsa

I love making guacamole. My version of guacamole is basically a mashed Haas avocado with salsa and a dollop of sour cream. Enjoy!

Vegetarian Tacos

Here's a healthy and tasty version of the usually greasy fast food fare.  My husband loves Mexican food, so I make this for him whenever he has a craving for it.  The great thing about learning this recipe is that you can reuse the filling in many other recipes - burritos, enchiladas, soft tacos, nachos, etc. - by just adding / exchanging a few ingredients.

If you're serving them for a couple of people, you can definitely assemble them before plating. But if it's for a party, just prepare each part separately and let you guests put them together as they like.  It'll save you time, and everyone will get their tacos exactly the way they like them.