Check out this fantastic and hearty black bean and chipotle chile soup I made this week. There are three reasons I love this recipe: First, you can make it in the blender—so it’s very easy to clean up afterward. Second, the whole recipe from prep to bowl can be made in 15 minutes or less! And last but not least, this recipe is very healthy—it’s low-fat and high in fiber. It makes a great first course if you divide into smaller portions, or with a little bolillo roll and butter, it can make an excellent and filling lunch or dinner.
chile
Wordless Wednesday: Farmers market chiles
Farmers markets here in Chicago are kind of like a yuppie version of a Mexican tianguis. Despite the strollers and dogs and people yammering away on their bluetooth device or headphones while they stroll the aisles, I put up with it because I love fresh, locally grown fruits and veggies, and I especially love the variety of chiles at the farmers markets here! I got there extra early last week and snapped this photo of the sunshine peeking through the top of the tented produce stand, illuminating the chiles. The thing I love most about farmers market chiles is that they’re all different sizes and shapes, and there are never any mega-chiles that look like they were pumped with steriods. Ahhh, organic!
- What’s your favorite vegetable to buy at the farmers market?
Paletas de mango con chile
I wrote about my love for paletas and shared a recipe for paletas de mango con chile on the Kenmore Genius Blog recently. These are similar to mangonadas, but those usually include chamoy as an ingredient, and this recipe doesn’t.
Hop over there to check out the post with some additional notes on the ingredients. Enjoy the yummy video!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MdGPkxkE2Y[/youtube]
Ingredients
- 4 manila mangoes
- juice of 4 limes
- 4 tsp chile powder (or more to taste)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup granulated cane sugar (I like Zulka brand)
- zest of 2 limes
Instructions
- In a sauce pan, bring the water, sugar and lime zest to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Simmer for about 5 minutes to infuse the flavor of the lime zest and then remove from heat and let come to room temperature.
- Peel the mangoes and remove all the flesh. When you get close to the pit, you can just scrape it in a downward motion away from you to get the last bits off.
- Put the mango flesh (which should be about 2.5 cups) into the blender with the lime juice, sugar syrup and chile powder.
- Pulse on low for 10-15 seconds so that you get a puree that has some small mango chunks in it.
- Pour evenly into popsicle molds, making sure not to fill them all the way to the top; the popsicles will expand a little when they freeze, so leave a little room so they don't spill. Place them on an even surface in the freezer for at least 12 hours (or longer if you use bigger molds).
- Once they’re frozen through, run the bottom of the mold under warm water just long enough to loosen them from the mold.