MOFO - Day 13 - Chicken Nachos a la Lombardi's

This is going to be short and sweet because I have a hot date with my handsome honey. If you know me or have followed my blog for a while, you might know that I got my first cooking gig when I was 15 at a place called Lombardi's 2nd Effort. Oddly enough it was an awesome Mexican joint that also made pizza. The owner was definitely Mexican, but he loved Vince Lombardi and his philosophy. They gave me my first opportunity to cook and I fell in love.

The other day I was on FB and my very great cooking bud from this very restaurant had asked me if I remembered how we made these. It stirred up wonderful gastric memories and I developed an unbelievable hankering for their famous chicken nachos.

In this version I used chicken seitan cutlets cut into 3/4 inch pieces. They were coated with my favorite taco seasoning and seared until they were dark brown. I used some thicker and very crunchy chips. This is very important, because otherwise the chips will not hold up the the toppings. The chips were topped first with a small dollop (maybe 1/2 teaspoon) of toffutti sour cream, then one chunk of the seasoned chicken. I then placed very thinly sliced Daiya Italian blend over each chip and garnished with a thin slice of jalapeno. Slap these babies under the broiler for about 3 minutes until the chips start to brown and the Daiya is bubbling. Serve with your favorite salsa and share a great memory with yours truly.

Mucho Gusto y gracias Dan Cervantes, wherever you are.

MOFO - Day 12 - Chicken and Waffles with Jalapeno Gravy

12 days in a row. I feel good! I'm having a lot of fun with you guys. I hope you are enjoying chile mania. I know I've been a little heavy on jalapenos, but we are getting a good crop out of the garden. You have to run with that when you are so lucky.

Tonight I decided to go all fatty and decadent. My friend, the lovely Julie, just happened to have a brand new fryer and waffle iron she was getting ready to put in a garage sale. Instead she gave them to me! Well, out of courtesy of course, I felt I should take them and appreciate them immediately. Gotta show my gratitude.

I've been seeing and hearing a lot about fried chicken and waffles lately. Now this is a combo I would not normally think of eating. For one, I am not a big fan of waffles. Secondly it is certainly not healthy or light. But I do have to say, it was a fun plate to create.

The waffles are the Corn Meal Waffles from Isa's Vegan Brunch. I made the savory option. The "chicken" was from a previous Food Network Friday challenge. The recipe is here. I served the chicken smothered with a Cajun Jalapeno Gravy. You gotta have some green with all of this beige, so I quickly sauteed up some smoky collard greens.

Cajun Jalapeno Gravy

Makes about 1 3/4 cup

3 tablespoons vegan butter
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 large jalapeno, finely chopped (2 tablespoons)
1 shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/4 teaspoon granulated onion
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1/8 teaspoon rubbed sage
2 cups vegetable broth

In medium sauce pan over med high heat, melt vegan butter. Whisk in flour. Stirring constantly to prevent burning make a medium roux by cooking until the mixture is light brown in color. The mixture is extremely hot so use caution. Add jalapeno, shallot and garlic. It will sizzle very loudly and may splatter a bit. Saute for 1-2 minutes until the vegetables soften up. Slowly pour in vegetable broth while whisking constantly until all the broth is in the pan. Stir with a spoon making sure to get all cooked on bits off the bottom of the pan. Turn heat to low and simmer, whisking frequently until gravy thickens up, about 10 minutes. If you like it thicker, you can let it simmer longer. Salt to taste. Serve over chicken or mashed 'taters.

MOFO - Day 11 - Restaurant Review - 24 Carrots

It's not a total chile-ful post today, but I did order an extra dish just so I would have something with chiles in it...so there!

Today Fred and I hit one of our new favorite places, 24 Carrots located at the NW corner of Chandler Blvd and Kyrene Road next to the Subway in Chandler.

Fred has been haunting this place for quite some time. He likes to stop in for a re-charging juice or smoothie to get him going after a good work out or for a quick pick me up at work. We both love this place for many reasons. They use local and organic ingredients whenever possible. The owner, Sasha, is a true food lover. She creates her recipes without tasting them. I asked her why she did this and she told me that she tends to over-spice things because she loves a ton of flavor. Instead she makes her creations and has others test the flavor. It seems to be a winning formula. Her passion is making healthy meals and snacks for our junk-food nation's inhabitants. They were originally a juice and smoothie joint but 24 Carrots has recently revamped their menu to include a slew of tasty and healthy food choices.

I was very excited to see they had VEGAN specials this fine day.

They are now offering a full breakfast menu. I don't have pictures of this, but you must try the Vegan Eggs Benedict. The garlic aoli is amazing! The avocados are fresh and plentiful. I never seem to make it in before 11am, but I plan on trying other selections like the Fruited Breakfast Quinoa and the vegan muffins.

Their lunch menu now boasts Salads, Wraps, Pita Pizzas, Sandwiches, Burgers and Raw Treats. There are always vegan options and very often gluten free options as well! he daily specials usually include vegan options as well. On our latest visit I finally remembered to bring my camera. I told Fred to strap the feedbag on because we were going to try lots of stuff!

First we checked out the appetizers. We started off with the Dolmas ($4.95). I don't often like a lot of dolmas because they are not executed well. These were delicious. They were flavorful and the filling was so creamy and delicious. The plate was garnished with fresh spinach and cherry tomatoes. We were planning on taking them home for a snack later, but they never made it out the door.

Next up we tried the Raw Papaya Noodle Bowl ($8.95). Fred had been wanting to try this for a while. We both adore kale, so we thought we'd give it a try. The kale was that beautiful emerald green and very fresh. It was a gorgeous looking salad. However out of everything we tried this was our least favorite. Part of the reason was just personal preference...neither of us is crazy about peanuts and this salad had peanuts as a garnish and it tasted like some in the dressing. The one thing we found odd was that the dressing was pretty warm. It just didn't work for me.

We moved on to the next adventure. We usually order different dishes and try each others' selections. Today was no exception and man was I glad! They offer two options for their burgers the Betty: served with just a deli dill pickle and the Veronica: served with organic tortilla chips or baby carrots, deli pickle and a choice of pineapple slaw or fresh garden salad. Because we were totally pigging out on so many other items, I got mine Betty style. I ordered the Wild Mushroom Tofu Burger ($6.95 Betty/$9.95 Veronica). I envisioned it coming with mushrooms and onions on top, but they were actually part of the patty. I thought it was very tasty. Like many of their burgers the patty is very delicate, so make sure to have napkins handy. My burger was grnished with a generous portion of fresh veggies. It was pretty as well as tasty. I have to put in a plug for the Veggie Masala burger I had on my last visit. It is a great Indian spiced option.

Fred's selection was the Vegan Egg Sandwich ($8.95). This is their version of an egg salad sandwich. The menu description doesn't tell you but it is speckled with dried cranberries, which I found to be a very nice addition. The sandwich is served on a delicious 9-grain bread it's soft and delicious. The sandwich came with a generous portion of avocado and tasty tomatoes. Fred opted for the combo with tortilla chops and a pickle. This is a generous portion for even the hungriest diner.

By now we were pretty darn stuffed. Fred had even tried to call for belly back up with no success. But because this is the month of the chile I had to order something with chiles in it. As luck would have it, the special of the day was Vegan Jambalaya. This was also a very generous portion and was served with a small house salad with house vinegarette. I asked what peppers were in it and she said they used chiles and serranos. She did not put a lot in because she was concerned most guests wouldn't like something too spicy. For us it was pretty mild (I could have used more pepper, maybe a splash of hot sauce), but pretty tasty! We were truly stuffed so we only had a few bites. But we both agreed it was pretty tasty. They were kind enough to bring us a box to take it home.

We always enjoy visting 24 Carrots. We usually run into some very nice diners when we are there. The staff is super friendly and the food is consistently fresh and tasty. One word of warning, this is not a run in and run out dining experience. Be prepared to take your time. Bring your laptop for some free WiFi if you are dining alone to kill a little time. The food is made to order in a very small kitchen and takes quite a while to appear at your table. We witnessed one customer come in for take out and leave before her food was ready. As long as you go in to the experience knowing and expecting this, you will be thrilled with this wonderful healthy little neighborhood gem.

24 Carrots
4140 W Chandler Blvd #2
Chandler, AZ 85226
480-753-4411

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MOFO - Day 6 - Cayenne Pepper - Not just for savory anymore!

Ah cayenne pepper. This spicy pepper usually found in powdered form is a powerhouse of heat. Rating 30,000 to 50,000 on the Scoville Scale, it is wise to use caution when using it in recipes lest you painfully clear your sinuses and other things. The cayenne pepper is named after a city in French Guiana. The pepper is related to the bell pepper, but it is its sassy spicy trouble making distant cousin.

The pepper is not only powerful on the heat index, but it has been proven to have health and medicinal uses as well. Cayenne is believed to help prevent prostate cancer. It is loaded with vitamin A and also  has B6, E and C. I recently had an interesting and painful experience with cayenne. I had a nasty cold and made an elixer of agave, lemon and cayenne in hot water. It soothed my sinuses and I am sure burned out some of the nasty cold. Well, Fred, who is always trying to take care of me, made a batch for me. Unbeknownst to me, he loaded it with a very healthy dose of cayenne. I took a big swig and felt this incredible burn all the way down. Holy mama! I managed to drink about half of it before I had to claim defeat. Funny but true.

I love using cayenne in savory dishes. It is fantastic in many Mexican and Southwestern dishes. I can hardly imagine any type of chili without it. However I have also found that is pairs amazingly well with Chocolate (in small amounts). I have school in about 20 minutes. It is one of my classmate's birthday. I decided to make some cupcakes to wake the class up and secretly slip them some vegan awesomeness. I made cupcakes based on the Basic Chocolate Cupcakes from VCTOTW. I added 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and a very healthy pinch of cayenne to the batter. They are topped with the Chocolate Mousse Topping with a little cinnamon thrown in from the same book.

I hope my classmates gobble them up and I hope you enjoy checking them out. Have a great Saturday!!

MOFO - Day 5 - Chipotle Peppers

Chipotle chiles are all the rage these days. The chipotle is actually a smoked jalapeno. According to the Gourmet Sleuth website, these tasty smoky peppers date back to the Aztec civilization. The Aztecs took to smoking the chiles because jalapenos proved to be difficult to dry without rotting. All I know is that they are a delicious addition to many dishes and I am personally a little addicted them. The chipotle is considered medium heat rating 5000 - 10,000 on the Scoville Heat Index. You can use these delectables in soups, sauces, stews, dressing, marinades, shoot I've even used the powder in sweet baked goods. Speaking of powders, you can find chipotles in their dried pod form, chipotle powder (which is getting easier to find in many grocery stores) and my favorite form, chipotles in adobo (in a can). The canned variety is usually found in the ethnic aisle of your grocery store in little cans. If you haven't experienced the lovely smokiness of the chipotle, your life is just not complete. Find some, try them and your dishes will be transformed into smokey loveliness!

I will be sure to feature a few recipes this month with chipotles no doubt, But today is another very long day for me, so I leave you with a picture and a promise of yumminess to come.

Behold Robin Robertson's Smoky Chipotle Portobello Tacos from her upcoming cook book.

I always feel funny when I don't include recipes in my MoFo posts, so I'm going to share a soy free version of Chipotle Ranch I came up with. It is also really good as a dip on tortilla chips in it's thicker form. This is for all of the mayo haters in the house!

No Soy/No Mayo Version of Chipotle Ranch Dressing

Makes 1 1/2 cups

1 cup raw cashews

1/2 cup water (in addition to soaking water)

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder

1 teaspoon granulated onion or garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

2 chipotle chiles (canned in adobo sauce), leave seeds intact

Cover raw cashews with enough filtered water to come 1/2 - 1 inch over cashews. Soak overnight. Drain water and do not reserve. Pour all ingredients, including 1/2 cup water, in food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Let chill for at least for hours before using.

MOFO - Day 3 - More Jalapeno Fun

Today's post is going to be short and just slightly sweet. I've got a busy day ahead of me: a full day of work and two school assignments to complete before midnight. So forgive my lack of inspiration for the day. Thankfully others are inspired and inspiring me! I am fortunate enough to be a tester for several talented and fabulous cook book authors. It keeps my fridge and my tummy full of all sorts of wonderfulness. This tasty looking post hails from Carla Kelley's upcoming project. I like to think she developed this recipe just for my MOFO theme...but that would be a bit egotistical. I can say that this was a nice change from normally sweet carrot soups. It has a spicy anti-oxidant kick! As an added boost it is believed that jalapenos have an anti-cancer quality. Yay soup!

Spicy Carrot Soup

MOFO - Day 1 - Welcome to the Month of the Chile

Welcome to MOFO 2010! My theme for the month is Chiles and Chilies. I will be posting some of my own original recipes. I also plan on featuring some of the dishes I have been testing for Tami Noyes, Carla Kelly and most recently Robin Robertson. I will be sprinkling my posts with a little education and trivia about different types of chiles. I may stray from my theme a bit to do restaurant reviews (if they have chili dishes you know I'll be on that). I also plan on bringing you a preview of Kelly Peloza's new book The Cookie Connoisseur. It is my goal to post every day. It is an ambitious goal and I will do my best to fulfill it. For those of you who signed up for the RSS feed, I know that you will be inundated with blog mania. I hope you will stop in often. It's going to be a hot month at the Vegan Conversion Challenge, grab a beer or a tub of sour cream to cool things down and enjoy the ride!

Today I'm going to start very simply. Salsa is a basic condiment, but the variations are anything but basic. Most everyone has their favorite recipes or favorite places to eat salsa. I love to make my own just the way I like it. When I was a young teeny bopper I was lucky enough to work in a family friend's Mexican restaurant that went out of business years ago. They had a salsa that was really unique tasting,  chunky and addicting. It is the inspiration for my style of salsa. I love big chunks of tomato,  lots of cilantro and a nice kick from jalapenos and chiletepins. Now like many people I know, my salsa is never really made exactly the same way. Here is a general guideline for a tasty salsa that you can use anywhere you want to use a great tomato style salsa. Feel free to change it up to your liking.

Chipotle Tomato Salsa

Makes 4 cups

2 fresh jalapenos
2 cloves minced garlic
1 cup loosely packed cilantro
3 large green onions
1 - 15 oz can organic tomato sauce
1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from can of chipotles in adobo)
3 chiletepin (Scroll down for more information on chile tepin)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 - 28 oz can of fire roasted diced tomatoes

In food processor add jalapenos, garlic, roughly chopped green onion (white and light green part only) and cilantro. Thinly slice the dark green part of the green onions and set aside. Pulse a few times to chop into smaller pieces. Add can of tomato sauce, adobo, tepins and black pepper and blend for about 30 seconds until vegetables are chopped small. Add diced tomatoes and pulse once or twice to combine, being careful not to pulverize the diced tomatoes. Keep those babies chunky! Pour into large bowl and stir in slice green onion. You can serve this right away, but the flavors really pop if you let it sit in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. Will keep for up to two weeks in the fridge.

Chiletepin

The chilitepin, also known as the Birdseye pepper scores a whopping 50,000 - 100,00 on the scoville scale. Here in Arizona they are pretty easy to find in local grocery stores that carry southwestern spices and chiles. Other parts of the country it may be a little more tricky. You may have to order them online...or you could talk me into swapping with you or mailing you some!! In 1997 this powerful little pepper became the official state native pepper of Texas. Here is another interesting fact-oid: the Wild Chile Botanical Area in the Coronado National Forest near Tucson, Arizona has the largest number of chiletepin chile pepper north of Mexico. 

You must use caution when using the chilitepin. They are sold in dried form in a nice safe little pod. You experience the intense heat when you crush them. Make sure not to touch your eyes if you accidentally touch them after crushing them or you will be crying for sure. I love heat and these add a beautiful dimension of heat to your dishes. If you are not a fan of hot stuff, this might not be your kind of pepper. But for me and those who like hot stuff, these are awesome in salsas and bean dishes.