Taking On The V-Con Pt. 9

Number nine, number nine....

The next four recipes (that includes today's recipe) was picked by yours truly. I wanted to pick recipes that had a South Western flair and that also reflected the many great things that come along with summer, like strawberries, bbqs, and stuff that was muy caliente! like the desert in which I live. The forcast reads, hot, hot and with a chance of scorching!! The last two weeks saw cooler weather with a few thunderstorms but the forecasters have predicted this week to heat up, with highs up to 117 degrees. With that being said, what is better than Mexican food and an ice cold cerveza to help beat the summertime blues? Today's recipe is...wait for it...wait for it...

Grilled Yuca Tortillas!


After picking this recipe I became a little scared, having never tried Yuca (or cassava) before, but then I realized, wait, I HAD tried cassava before and numerous times in the form of Daiya cheese. Daiya is made from the cassava root and tapioca, which is closely related to cassava. I will say that I do not normally top everything with fake cheese, there are times when I will eat a pizza with Daiya and it is just heavenly. The grilled yuca tortillas were incredibly easy to make, and just as easy to devour. The recipe called for fresh yuca which I could not find but I did, however, find frozen yuca at Lee Lee an Asian grocer in Mesa. Lee Lee has all kinds of amazing frozen vegan food, and if you live in the valley, I suggest you check it out!


yuca up close

On with the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 lb. yuca
3 T. olive oil
6 cloves garlic
1 small yellow bell pepper (I used red grilled pepper)
1 jalapeno
2 tsp. lime juice
1/2 tsp. salt
pinch of pepper

then I added a sauteed red onion and black beans to the mix for good times and fun to be had by all.

As I stated earlier this recipe is very easy to make. You pretty much just boil the yuca, and mash it up like a cooked potato.


Saute garlic, bell pepper and jalapeno in olive oil,


add to smushed yuca


shove into a folded tortilla and fry up on the stove top.


I baked my tortilla to cut back on fat, but I definitely did not cut back on flavor.


Yum!! I would make this recipe again and again and again!

Taking on the V-Con Pt. 5

Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Mango



Today was a very busy day. I had to take my kitty Simon to the vet, clean the house, pick up Timmy from work and this evening take photos for two very lovely ladies. I will post photos later when I give them the loving Rikki finishing touches. I thought ahead to make the quinoa, but then was rushing around to get other things done that I ended up chopping and tossing the ingredients for tonight's dish into a bowl, mixing it and stuffing it into my hungry face so fast I feel I did not give it the ample love the recipe deserves. Now, this recipe is an easy one and is not time consuming at all, but I feel the simple elegant flavors deserve more from me than being shoveled down my esophagus. That being said allow me to share the Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Mango.


Ingredients:
2 cups Quinoa
1 Mango chopped
1 Can of Black Beans
1 cup Scallions
2T. Red Wine Vinegar
2T. Grapeseed Oil
Salt
1 Bell Pepper
1 cup chopped Cilantro

As I said earlier chop and toss. Put it all in a bowl together and mix. How easy is that? The only prep work needed is the making of the quinoa.


looks like it could use some avocado huh?


just needs the black beans

I didn't have the scallions in my house, nor did I have onions or leeks or anything of that pungent sweet nature, but the dish was still yummy without that sharp onion goodness. Next time I want to add garlic, onions of course and jalapeno peppers, and possibly more tropical fruits in there as well.