Date: Tue, 27 Jun 1995 11:33:22 -0700
From: PeacePop@aol.com
Here's a recipe that works equally as well for strict vegetarians or egg
enthusiasts. It makes for a great breakfast, brunch, or lunch course. The
best thing about this dish is that you can make a multitude of substitutions
for items and in effect never serve the same dish twice. I'm using the quick,
"I don't have time to make anything from scratch" version but feel free to
cook your own beans, make your own salsa, etc. It's also hard to give exact
measurements for some items and I follow the general rule here that if you're
wild about an ingredient, use a lot of it. Also you might want to keep in
mind that I'm pretty erratic in the kitchen and this is the first time I've
written a recipe, so please adapt the methods and timing. I'm sure that
other people don't use half the pots and pans I do in preparing a meal...
HUEVOS RANCHEROS (very basic recipe)
Serves 2
6 egg whites OR enough scrambled tofu mix to serve two
1 15oz. can of black beans
2 fat free/low fat flour tortillas
1 cup of salsa
Warm tortillas in oven using a very low temperature so that the tortillas
warm all the way through and are still soft (not until they dry out and
become crunchy). In the meantime, drain and rinse beans and heat on stovetop
or in microwave. As the beans are warming up, scramble the egg whites or tofu
mix (everyone seems to have a favorite scrambled tofu precedure so I'm not
including one here - sorry) in a nonstick pan. Some people use a cooking
spray but I don't since I'm so paranoid about fat currently. Take the warmed
tortillas and place each one flat on a separate plate. Cover each tortilla
with the black beans, spreading out the beans to cover the whole tortilla.
Top the beans with half a cup each of the salsa that you've either warmed up
on the stove top, or top the beans with the salsa and place the plates in a
microwave oven and heat for 1 to 2 minutes on high. Then top the salsa with
the scrambled egg whites or scrambled tofu. Viola! it's done.
Now here are the variations that really add to the dish:
Instead of black beans, use pinto beans or fatfree refried beans. Add
corn/red, green, or yellow peppers/diced onions/or other veggies to the beans
and aside from adding extra taste to the meal, you've added a rainbow of
color. Use mild/medium/or extra hot salsa to taste. If you're lucky enough to
live in New Mexico or can get hold of any, add tons of diced green chile to
the salsa or don't use the salsa and just use the green chile instead (I
really miss Santa Fe!). Salsa too hot? Just top on diced tomatoes and onions
instead. Melt fatfree cheese or soy cheese on top of the tortillas before
topping them with all the other goodies. Take one baked potato and slice it
into thin rounds or shave it into confetti and broil it in the oven until the
slices are crisp and add it to the dish (potatoes prepared this way also make
great side dishes to other meals. sprinkle them with lots of herbs and garlic
also for additional taste). Instead of potatoes, used fresh banana slices
(don't broil these!) - you'd be surprised at how good bananas taste with this
dish. Use corn toritillas instead of flour ones (although I find them
slightly dry). Add a dollap of FF sour cream or FF yogurt. Garnish with
cilantro (just a tiny bit if you're inviting me over for brunch 'cause I'm
not found of the stuff in massive quantities). Don't use the egg whites or
tofu mix and just make Rancheros. The list goes on forever and I'm sure you
get the idea now.
kwvegan vegan