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Friday, May 1, 2015

Fast and Easy Cheater's Chilaquiles Recipe

Free of gluten, soy, dairy, nuts, sugar


I've been meaning to post this recipe for super fast chilaquiles for ages. Since Cinco de Mayo is coming up, it seemed fitting that I share it this weekend.

Chilaquiles - for those of you who've never had the pleasure of drooling over a plate of warm salsa verde and tortillas - is a Mexican dish comprising of eggs, tortillas, salsas, and sometimes beans, and it is one of the most amazing breakfasts / brunches ever. I discovered them the first time I went to Mexico about 13 years ago, and have been getting them every chance I get since. Sadly, this is not as often as I'd like because over the years I've lived in several neighbourhoods with no Mexican restaurants nearby.

That is, until I hit upon a quick fix to satisfy my chilaquiles cravings in about 5 minutes - about the time it takes to fry an egg. 


I came up with this method a couple of years ago when my mother and I were in Mexico and staying in a hotel suite with a kitchenette. We could save money by cooking in our room, but I still really wanted some real Mexican food.

At the local market I found cans of salsa verde (green salsa) and refried beans, and my brain kicked into gear. What followed is pure breakfast bliss. We were able to make this in our room every morning in just a few minutes with minimal ingredients.



A heads up: This isn't an authentic recipe, hence the "Cheater's Chilaquiles". It's my own quick fix. I don't claim this is authentic at all, but I gotta confess, the flavour is very similar to dishes I've had in restaurants in Mexico, the US, and in Canada. Typically chilaquiles are fried, and greasier than the recipe I'm about to give you, so by skipping the frying I think it's actually even healthier. 

The particulars change from house to house and restaurant to restaurant, so I'm going to give you some variations as well. You can tweak it depending on what's in your fridge :)

Of course, if you're really enthusiastic, you can make your own refried beans and salsa verde. If my freezer were large enough I would make beans and salsa in large batches and freeze until needed.



Ingredients for Cheater's Chilaquiles (makes enough for 4 servings)

4 eggs

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 - 15 oz can refried beans  (optional) 

1 - 7oz cans salsa verde  (or other salsa or mole of choice)

Totopos (corn tortillas), or organic corn tortilla chips (in Canada, I get these super cheap at Costco)

1 cup Quesco fresco, shredded (or other mild white cheese. Quesco fresco is harder to find in Canada, so Mozzarella, Jarlsberg, Arabic cheese, or even feta work well)

Pulled chicken or pork (optional) 

Crema, sour cream, or yogurt (optional) 

Chopped cilantro for garnish (optional)

Avocado slices (optional) 

Guacamole (optional)

Fresh lime wedges (optional)


Directions


1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry eggs sunny-side up, over easy, or scrambled as desired. While eggs are cooking prepare other ingredients as follows:

2. Divide can of beans between 4 bowls. Top with a handful or two of tortillas. Drizzle 1/2 can of salsa verde over each bowl. Sprinkle each bowl with 1/4 cup cheese and pulled chicken or pork (if using)

3. When eggs are just about done cooking, microwave the bowls of chips about 1 minute each, until cheese is melted and beans on the bottom are heated through. Add a spoonful of sour cream or yogurt, then top with an egg, chopped cilantro, avocado, guacamole, and a lime wedge if desired.  


If you have a few extra minutes and really like onions, you could slice and fry a few of those before adding the eggs to the frying pan.


So there it is! We don't have a very large Mexican population here in Canada so I don't there will be much celebrating of The Battle of Puebla here, but to those using it as an excuse to eat, drink, and celebrate, Happy Cinco de Mayo!!  



What's your favorite Mexican dish?
Are you more of a Tex-Mex or traditional cook? 
 Do you celebrate Cinco de Mayo / The Battle of Puebla?
If so, what do you do? 






Have you seen my gluten free pasta book  Recipes for Unusual Gluten Free Pasta: Pierogis, Dumplings, Desserts and More! ? Get yourself a copy and start making GF won tons, pierogis, dumplings, and orzo today :)  

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KOBSVDI/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00KOBSVDI&linkCode=as2&tag=pooandglufr03-20&linkId=XQEAIRXIVZUMBNGU



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