“Bibimbap is a popular Korean dish. The word literally means “stirred/mixed rice” or “stirred/mixed meal.” (It is also sometimes spelled “bibimba,” “bibimbab,”b-bop” or “bibimbop”).”

In my quest to make a fusion vegetarian bibinba recipe, last year I came up with a delicious recipe for vegetarian tempeh bulgogi that the DH and I enjoyed in a cold bibimbap rice salad.

However, my real passion for bibinba came about through my experience with what is called ishiyaki Bibinba in Japanese, or stone pot cooked Bibimbap. In Korean it is called Dolsot Bibimbap, or stone pot bibimbap. In this recipe you heat a stone pot with rice and other tasty toppings until the rice becomes crispy on the bottom and the pot is hot enough to cook an egg. The egg becomes mixed with the rice and cooked almost like a fried rice after you take it off the burner. I initially discovered ishiyaki bibinba in Japanese fast food courts, where you can order bibinba with such diverse toppings as “tuna mayo” or “pork” or, my personal favorite “cheese.” Later I learned that the spicy dark red topping added contains some amount of wheat, and the vegetable toppings may have small amounts of soy sauce, so I had to stop ordering it out, but I had become a woman obsessed. When we moved back to America, I brought two stone pots back with me and have since tried to replicate the experience several times. Adding cheese might be a fusion move, but hey, I think it adds a lot to the experience and texture of the dish, and if it is good enough for Japanese bibinba shops, it’s good enough for me.

This is one of those dishes that makes me happy to be alive. I am a sucker for hot food with lots of flavor, diverse veggies, and crispiness- and ishiyaki bibinba fits the bill perfectly. The recipe below is the closest I’ve gotten to the yumminess of take-out bibbinba, and I’d say if I could just approximate the Korean chili sauce Goshujang, it would be exactly right. Srirachi sauce with liberal amounts of kimchi, heated in the dish and then added at the end, does a good job of taking its place, though- and for me, the nori adds the perfect amount of depth and salty “fishy” flavor that completes the dish. I also found that extra sesame oil added to the rice as I mixed it really made the flavor pop. If you aren’t soy intolerant, a few drops of wheat-free tamari might be nice as well. The DH pronounced the meal a success, and at last, I was satisfied. Oh my love Bibinba, at last I can have you at home! And, since I used leftover veggies from my recent Korean Noodle Recipe, it wasn’t even that much work to make it.

Bibimbap Vocab:
namul (sautéed and seasoned vegetables)
namurus (side dishes)
gochujang (chili pepper paste)

Want to read More?
Check out this List of Korean Rice-based Dishes with description
A Bibimbap Recipe by Fat Free Vegan
A Rice Cooker Pescatarian Bibimbap Recipe (Sorry not veg but I was intrigued by the rice cooker aspect)
Good Pics of the bibimbap cooking setup, non veg recipe

Korean Vegetarian Dolsot Bibimbap Ishiyaki Bibinba Recipe Main Course  Rice  Vegetables  Japanese

Ingredients Short grained (sushi style) white rice cooked in a rice cooker [3 rice cooker cups uncooked will leave you with extra] Japanese or Korean toasted sesame oil and basting brush Vegetable toppings, see below srirachi sauce (if you can find Korean gochuchang that is gluten-free, please let me know because i’d love to find some) 2 raw eggs Grated Cheese, optional for Cheese bibinba/bibimbap, to taste nori, either in sheets or pre-cut into strips Extra kimchi for those that like it Various Vegetable Toppings: 1 pkg. Spinach peanut or other oil salt 1 Carrot, 1/3 burdock root or 2 carrots peanut oil salt 1 or 2 tbsp. mirin 2 large fresh portabella mushrooms, or equivalent shitake, oyster, or crimini mushrooms, sliced peanut or other oil, salt, pepper 1 lb bean sprouts 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions 3 tsp sesame oil 1/4 to 1/2 tsp Korean red pepper flakes 1/2 tsp sea salt Gluten Free Kimchi (most should be gluten-free, esp. if it doesn’t have MSG, but it may be harder to find a vegetarian kimchi. Look at yuppie grocery stores in refrigerator case or health food stores, or possibly at Asian markets, although authentic Korean markets may not carry vegetarian American kimchi) Necessary Equipment: Stone pots- you can find them at Korean markets or online- should be pre-seasoned like a cast iron pan, search online for instructions Lids for covering your stone pots Flame burner or, if you have a flattop electric stove a flame tamer Safe place for HOT stone pots like wooden cutting boards (not decorative) or cooling rack on towel+ something to protect your table (I used a cardboard cat scratcher under the towel, don’t laugh) Directions First, prepare veggies: Sautee spinach in a little oil and season with a little salt. Slice carrot and burdock into matchstick pieces or sliver using a mandoine. Then sautee in a little oil and season with salt. After a few minutes, add mirin and simmer for another few minutes. Sautee your favorite mushroom slices in oil and season with salt and pepper. Directions for bean sprouts: Rinse and drain sprouts. Fill large pan with water and bring to a boil. Add your fresh sprouts to the water, and simmer them for up to five minutes. Put back in the strainer and rinse with cold water. Drain them and pat them dry in a towel. Combine sprouts with scallions, sesame oil, red pepper and salt in a bowl and reserve. Flavor will improve as it sits. Prepare your rice in a rice cooker. Don’t forget to rinse the rice until the water runs clear before cooking. when it’s done, fluff the rice and reserve until all ingredients are ready. Once everything is prepared, baste the stone pots with sesame oil and partially fill with rice. Remember, you will ultimately need space to stir the ingredients together, so not too full. Then push the rice partway or all the way up the sides of the stone pot. Grab portions of each of your vegetables, arranging them neatly in a circle. Set raw egg and other seasonings near your cooling rack. Turn flame burner to medium high and put your stone pot (or pots if you have more than one flame burner) on the flame. Cover and leave for 10-15 minute. You should start to smell crisping rice towards the end. I like my rice crunchy and the stone pot needs to be HoT to cook the egg. when you think the rice is done (probably longer than you think), carefully cover your hands in protective gear (lots of towels, whatever) and remove pot from burner, moving to cooling rack. Act fast! Take two large metal spoons and stir the rice, moving it away from the sides of the bowl and break your raw egg into the space you’ve made, mixing it up. Spread it along the hot side as best you can and it should start to cook. Mix into the rice, but keep the egg on the hot sides as best you can. Keep mixing that bad boy up. Baste rice with sesame oil if you like, for additional flavor. Sprinkle with srirachi sauce or other thick GF hot sauce and add your cheese, stirring in so it melts. Top with nori strips and extra kimchi if you like and serve! *If you have two burners and both are ready at the same time, have your dining partner doctor his up at the same time you are. You don’t want the stone pot to cool before you add the egg, because it needs to cook. If you are worried about the egg not cooking thoroughly, use pasteurized eggs or omit. Add additional kimchi, cheese, sesame oil, hot sauce and nori as you like and if you find any part of it plain.* Notes I found this recipe for gochuchang paste online, and i’m wondering if it might turn out well using srirachi instead of the original paste and/ or doubanjiang, Sichuan broad bean paste. Srirachi sauce is gluten free, and I have occasionally found doubanjiang that seemed to be gluten-free. If anyone finds gluten-free gochuchang please let me know the brand!!! Substitute Gochuchang Paste (seasoned red pepper paste): 4 tablespoons srirachi sauce or doubanjiang 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon sesame seeds 2 teaspoons sesame oil Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Mix well. *paste recipe is the only untested part of this recipe- it’s more a future note in case I want to try it later* YOU WILL HAVE LEFTOVER VEGGIES, especially of the bean sprouts and mushrooms! You can make bibinba another day, make my Korean noodle recipe OR enjoy them on rice in a casual, non stone pot bibinba recipe. Feel free to make less topping quantity as needed.

Rating:  8 Original Source:  Based on my recipe for Korean noodles and tips I found online. Gluten-free, vegetarian variation is my own. Please do not replicate anywhere without my permission. Recipe ID:  1351 Added:  January 13, 2009 Last Modified:  January 13, 2009

This weekend I went to a really fun housewarming party hosted by a fellow graduate student. She had just moved to Berkeley with her sister, and wanted to show off their super-cool new city-style apartment. I was looking forward to the party, but wasn’t too sure if there would be anything I could eat or not. One of my cohorts was making cupcakes, so I thought maybe I’d make some gluten-free, vegan brownies to share with everyone. I followed Karina’s tips on using Pamela’s gluten-free brownie mix and baked up a batch. I had used almond milk to bake them, and I usually use either rice milk or soy milk. I was a little disappointed in the final results (probably because I don’t actually LIKE almond milk) and so at the last minute I decided not to bring them to the party. But, I had to bring something, right? As it happened, I had randomly decided to boil some eggs that afternoon. I rummaged in the cupboards looking for something I could make, and came across some Ener-g foods white rice pasta. I decided to make it, and then I had a sudden inspiration. I always used to love heavy American salads like potato and macaroni salad on special occasions when I was a kid. It had been years since I had macaroni salad- but it occurred to me that I could mix up a quick batch of the pasta salad using my noodles. Then I would have a main dish to enjoy at the party, and surely everybody would enjoy a nice macaroni salad. I did some internet browsing and was inspired to come up with the following recipe. I did a quick taste test and enlisted the DH to try some too. We both thought it was really yum, so it was settled. I threw the pasta salad in the car and went to the party. It turned out to be a pizza party (oops!). Luckily there was plenty of time before the party, so when we were at the store picking up some things for the hostess, I grabbed one of Amy’s Gluten-free, dairy free spinach pizzas. Luckily since the pizza was ordered in, no one needed the oven and it was fine if I used it to make my own pizza. To make sure there weren’t any CC issues, I lined their cookie sheet with aluminum foil and baked my pizza. Twenty minutes later, I had my own pizza to enjoy along with everybody else. :)

In case you’re wondering, to combat the possibility of CC, I waited until there was a lull in the gluten pizza chomping and then asked if people wanted macaroni salad, and then dished out everybody’s individual servings. There wasn’t any counter room anyway, so it worked great. I was really happy because it seemed like everyone loved the salad. My favorite comment was “Wow, it tastes like summer.” One of the guests’ family apparently always makes macaroni salad during family vacations in the summer, so it reminded her of that. I don’t know when I’ve ever heard a nicer compliment. Anyway, the next time YOU feel like an “all-American” summer classic, why not try this simple and satisfying pasta salad recipe?

*By the way, I was completely touched when we went to pick up my cupcake-making friend for the party. She had made tons of beautiful gluten-filled cupcakes, but also had a little white box for me decorated with stickers from Japan. Inside were two delicious-looking, individually wrapped and labeled Gluten-Free Brownies by Wow, a gluten-free company I’d never heard of before. She knows about my gluten-intolerance and had thoughtfully gone to a local gourmet grocery store and asked about gluten-free desserts. She even thought about CC, so carefully picked out a sealed product made by a gluten-free company. Even better- the brownie turned out to be absolutely delicious, and rivaled Mariposa’s finest. Isn’t that the coolest thing ever? What cool stories do you have about thoughtful friends who make being gluten-free easier? I’d love to hear all about it in the comments…

Summery Macaroni Salad Recipe Side Dish  Alternative Grains  American

Ingredients 4 cups cooked GF white rice or corn macaroni, slightly al dente, rinsed and drained (2 cups uncooked, half a 16 oz box of Ener-g Foods macaroni) 4 hard boiled eggs, sliced in half with yolks removed 1/4 cup minced red onion, soaked in cold water for at least 5 minutes, and drained 1/3 any of your favorite crunchy veggies (red pepper, green pepper, jicama, or cooked peas) minced *optional 1/2 cup prepared lowfat GF mayonnaise 1 or 2 tsp prepared GF mustard (I like Annie’s horseradish mustard) 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste Freshly ground black pepper Directions Boil eggs, Prepare your pasta and other ingredients. Start the minced onion soaking in water to take off the edge. Meanwhile, stir all your dressing ingredients in a small bowl (mayo, mustard, sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper if you like). Add your hard boiled egg yolks and mush them into the dressing. Chop the remaining white parts of the egg. Put your rinsed, drained pasta in a large bowl, and add your egg white bits, drained minced red onion (you can reduce amount if you want a milder salad), and crunchy veggie bits. Mix thoroughly. Drizzle dressing over the salad, folding the ingredients together until it is evenly covered. You can let sit in a refrigerator for a few hours if you want the flavors to develop, or enjoy right away. Mmm, tasty.

Rating:  8 Original Source:  Modified from Food Network recipe, but my original creation. Do not replicate anywhere without my permission. Recipe ID:  1239 Added:  June 1, 2008 Last Modified:  June 1, 2008

So, here is my inaugural post for the third edition of Go Ahead Honey, it’s Gluten-Free, hosted by Sheltie Girl at Gluten a Go Go.

And if you love Gluten-Free Blog Events, check out the
Roundup for our March Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger Event
or
Rachel’s Call for the April Edition of Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger

Broccoli Pesto Potato Croquette Recipe Main Course  Potatoes  American

Ingredients 2 cups leftover Mashed Potatoes (made with plain dairy free milk and dairy free margarine, salt and pepper), cold 1/8 cup dairy free homemade pesto (recipe in files) 1/8 cup steamed broccoli, cut into baby pieces, stem ok 1/8 sweet red pepper, diced 1 green onion (scallion), diced freshly ground sea salt freshly ground black pepper italian seasonings, salt, and pepper 2 tbsp. teff flour or other whole grain GF flour Olive oil To serve: Vegan mayonnaise, soy, or rice yogurt sirachi sauce, gourmet ketchup, or chipotle sauce Large lettuce leaves Directions Combine mashed potatoes, pesto, steamed broccoli, red pepper, and green onion, folding the broccoli in carefully so florets remain somewhat intact. Season with salt and pepper. Taste and add any additional spices to taste. Heat nonstick frypan over medium-high heat and add a teaspoon or two of olive oil (for the nicest browning) and cover pan evenly. Shape your potato mash into balls and then flatten into a patty. If you like, you can combine the teff flour and seasonings and flour your patty OR you can just leave the croquette as is. Fry your patty until golden brown, turning over to get both sides evenly crispy and brown. To serve as “finger food” provide your guests (or family) with large lettuce leaves to make a lettuce potato wrap, with a smidgen of aoli or vegan mayonnaise or other creamy sauce and a dab of “red” sauce (your choice). Or just enjoy plain!

Rating:  7 Original Source:  The contents of my brain. Please do not replicate anywhere without my permission. Recipe ID:  1222 Added:  April 17, 2008 Last Modified:  April 17, 2008

Dairy Free Basil Pesto Recipe for Pizza or Pasta Main Course  Sauces & Condiments  American

Ingredients 2 cups basil leaves, destemmed, and packed tightly 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted (*Edited to have more nuts) 1/6 cup rice wine or cider vinegar 1/8 cup water 1/6 cup nutritional yeast flakes (optional) 2 cloves roasted garlic (bake with other dishes in the oven or use raw if you like) 1/4 cup olive oil salt and pepper Your favorite gluten-free pizza recipe (from mix, scratch (carol fenster) or pre-made) Directions Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender through the garlic, and pulse until ingredients are combined and chopped. Add olive oil in a steady stream with the machine on until you form a nice pesto paste. Scrape out pesto into a bowl and reserve. Notes Reserve one or two tablespoons of pesto for other recipes like my buckwheat grit pesto fries! You can use it for pizza: Prepare your gluten-free pizza according to recipe and top with pesto. Add any other ingredients you like (olives? artichoke hearts? portabella mushroom slices?) and bake according to instructions. (Usually 10-15 minutes). Slice and enjoy! Or for pasta: Combine with gluten-free pasta, grilled veggies and plenty of pesto. Yum!

Rating:  8 Original Source:  modified version of this recipe: http://www.bookofyum.com/recipes/showrecipe.php?recipe=1024 Recipe ID:  1208 Added:  March 16, 2008 Last Modified:  May 15, 2008

My meal plan that first night was to use my fresh heirloom organic tomatoes that I have been lovingly growing on my balcony all summer. Two plants that are heavily producing right now are my favorites- a beautiful Costoluto Florentino tomato that looks like a little red pumpkin, and a Japanese Oxheart with pepper or heart shaped tomatoes, depending on your perspective. I made them into some tasty pico de gallo with some fresh cilantro, also grown on my balcony. Then I sauteed up some veggies and black beans to make some lovely gluten free white tortilla quesadillas. I used a mixture of low fat feta and mozzarella cheese, and served my quesadilla triangles with fresh pico de gallo and low fat sour cream. Mmm, very tasty. For a snack the next morning, I filled one of the leftover tortillas with my sauteed veggie mixture and garnished it with pico de gallo, sans any dairy products, and it was very fresh and flavorful.

*Note- If you are allergic to soy, you could try making up a huge batch of some almond nut “cream” and mixing it with the polenta. The “cheese’ sauce should be as light as possible, and almost airy. Or, you could try mixing a white sauce made from rice or almond milk in with the polenta. Unfortunately, silken tofu is the best way to achieve the proper consistency, but let me know if you come up with a good soy free version. Also, the enchilada sauce is fairly distinctive and “adult” in flavor. For a milder version, you can use a canned enchilada sauce, cut down on the chilies, or just use a good red salsa with or without chipotles.*

Vegan Veggie Enchilada Recipe Main Course  Alternative Grains  Mexican

Ingredients 1 1/2 c. water 1/2 c. cornmeal 2 tsp margarine 2 tsp garlic salt 1 tsp onion powder 10 oz Silken Tofu 1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped 1/2 c. fresh spinach, chopped 2 tsp. garlic salt ground black pepper 1/2 tsp. oregano 1/2 tsp. sweet basil 1/2 tsp. thyme 1 c. red bell pepper, chopped 1 1/2 c. white onion, chopped 2 diced cloves of garlic 2 tsp capers (optional) 1/2 c. chopped green onions (the green part) 1/2 c. black olives, pitted and sliced 1 c. black beans, cooked 6 corn tortillas or 4-6 non corn homemade GF tortillas as needed oil for frying 1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce (can or use the following recipe) Directions Bring your water to a boil in a pan and add your cornmeal gradually, whisking continuously until it thickens thoroughly (takes a few minutes.) Take it off the burner and set it aside to cool slightly. Add margarine, garlic salt, and onion powder to the cornmeal mixture, and then put it all into a food processor with your silken tofu and blend. Add your fresh spinach, parsley, and additional herbs and process until smooth and creamy with green flakes evenly distributed through the mixture. Don’t blend it too much. Heat a non-stick or cast iron pan on the stove, and throw in your chopped garlic and white onion, sautee until they are translucent and slightly caramelized. Throw in your capers. Let heat through and then take off the heat. Throw in your chopped red pepper and olives, mix, and season if needed with salt and pepper. Remove to a plate or bowl, rinse out your pan and heat it again. Add a marginal amount of olive oil (think teaspoon, not tablespoon) to the pan and then when the oil is warm, fry your tortillas one at a time, heating each side until slightly oily and more flexible. As each tortilla is done, put them in a baking dish, glop a good circle of the tofu/cornmeal mash in the center, and top it with your sauteed veggies and garnish with your black beans. (Be a little sparing with your mash, depending on how many you are making- you want to have some left over to top the enchiladas!) Spread a little enchilada sauce on top and gently close each enchilada to make a “taco” type shape. If it won’t stay shut, gently lean a large spoon on top of the taco and let it cool- it will eventually hold its shape. Do this for all of your tortillas, until you have a lovely little row of stuffed enchiladas in your baking Dish. Top them with the remaining ingredients. First I put a thick strip of tofu/cornmeal mash down the center, sprinkled it with the veggie sautee, and put a racing stripe of enchilada sauce down the center. then I basted the uncovered edges of the tortillas with enchilada sauce and garnished with more tofu/cornmeal mash as appropriate. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes or until you can’t wait any longer. Enjoy! These babies are GOOD and pretty darned good for you, too.

Rating:  9 Original Source:  Based on a You’re the Chef recipe, but modified Recipe ID:  1123 Added:  August 21, 2007 Last Modified:  August 22, 2007

Ancho Enchilada Sauce Sauces & Condiments  Vegetables  Mexican

Ingredients 4-6 dried ancho chilies, stemmed and seeded 2 small dried red chilies 5 small to medium heirloom tomatoes 4 chopped garlic cloves 1 1/2 cup water 3/4 tsp freshly ground cumin 1/2 tsp ground oregano 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp. sugar Directions Bring chilies, whole tomatoes (with skin on), garlic cloves and water to a boil and then cover them with a lid and simmer for 5 minutes. Use slotted spoon to lift out the tomatoes and skin them. Let the chilies simmer in water for a little while longer, and then put everything in a food processor and blend on high until you have a smooth sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. One small recipe for enchiladas will use up 1/3 to 1/2 of the recipe. You can keep the sauce in the refrigerator for up to a week, or freeze if desired for later use.

Additional Pictures

Rating:  7 Original Source:  Adapted from Mexico the Vegetarian Table Recipe ID:  1125 Added:  August 22, 2007 Last Modified:  August 22, 2007

I also used different vegetables, including these dear Pattypan squash I found at the Farmer’s Market this past weekend. I thought they were the cutest vegetables I’d ever seen, and since my recent success with zucchini like squash, I had hopes that I could produce something tasty. According to Wikipedia, “Pattypan comes in yellow, green, and white varieties . . . [and] is a good source of magnesium, niacin, and vitamins A and C. One cup contains approximately 20 to 30 calories and no fat. ” Wikipedia It is also sometimes called Petit pan squash, white squash, scallop squash, custard marrow, or custard squash. Whatever you call it, it’s an adorable little squash. I cut off the knobs at the top and bottom and sliced it horizontally in order to create flower shaped discs. I took these disks, discs of zucchini, portobella mushrooms, a fennel bulb, eggplant discs, and pieces of red onion, basted them with a little sesame oil and sprinkled them with my “new improved” spice mixture, and grilled them on our propane grill.

To create a delicious, easy sauce, I took 3 tbsp. of salsa and 1 tbsp of smoky barbecue sauce (any gluten free favorite brand would work but it should have a mesquite type flavor), and combined them, topping my tortillas with the sauce like mini pizzas. Then I added a mixture of lowfat grated cheese and a little grated smoked fontina cheese, and put them under the broiler to melt the cheese. I transfered them to the grill to make sure they didn’t get soggy and loaded them up with roasted vegetables. I left them on a grill on low for a bit, and then served them, garnished with some leftover pico de gallo and guacamole. It was DELICIOUS, and got high marks from DH.

Since I had the grill on, I also decided to grill some fruit to serve with a dab of ice cream for dessert. I put a little melted butter on some apple and nectarine slices and them seasoned them with a mixture of apple pie seasonings and sugar. I put them on the grill, turned them when they had appealing grill marks, and then plated them. It was simple, but was a nice end to the evening.
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But I wasn’t done with my leftovers! After all, the next day I had all these leftover grilled vegetables, not to mention the bean cakes from before. How could I use them, now that I’d used up all my tortillas? The answer was hiding in my freezer- the remains of a large order I’d placed with Kinnikinnick that included quite a lot of white rice tapioca bagels. I microwaved and then toasted one, cut it in half, used the same 3-1 salsa to barbecue sauce as my condiment, filled it with my bean cakes and piled yummy grilled vegetables next to it. I had a heavenly brunch on my balcony, enjoying the sun and gobbling down grilled food without so much as turning on the propane. Now that, my friends, is why I like leftovers. You never know what form they’ll take the next day.

I have a crush on these “Petit Pan Squash.” Can you tell? What farmer’s market vegetable or fruit finds do YOU have a crush on? Do tell..

I decided to make 16 tortillas, combining two cups of corn flour, 1 1/4 cup water, and 1/4 tsp salt and stirring/kneading for a few minutes. The dough was a bit dry, so I added one or two tablespoons of water. When I had a lovely ball of dough, I separated the dough into sixteen balls and placed them in a bowl, covering them with a damp cloth so that they wouldn’t dry out. Then I cut open a thick ziplock bag, quart sized, and used it to line my tortilla press, placing one ball of dough in it for each tortilla. After pressing out a tortilla, I placed it on a plate, then alternated cut open plastic bags between tortillas so they wouldn’t stick together. I heated my cast iron pan and cooked each one for 50 seconds on each side, setting a timer to avoid overcooking any one of them. I layered the cooked tortillas under a cloth to keep them warm.

Next, I got out some mixed shredded cheese and made quesadillas out of my homemade tortillas, filling them with cheese and cooking them on the cast iron skillet. When the cheese had partially melted, I cut them into triangles and put them back on the griddle surrounding the next whole quesadilla, to brown them a bit more. For side dishes, I made a black and pinto bean cake that I sauteed in a nonstick frypan, and made delicious pico de gallo. I garnished the quesadilla triangles and bean cakes with pico de gallo, sour cream and guacamole, and DH pronounced them delicious. And, since I made extra tortillas, I had leftovers for the next night… Post to follow.

If you’re unimpressed by pre made corn tortillas, try making your own. The texture is entirely different, and the flavor of the fresh tortilla enhances any recipe. They are wonderful in homemade corn tortilla fajitas, enchiladas, simple tacos, of course in quesadillas, or simply eaten as a flatbread. I also recommend purchasing your own tortilla press- IMO, rolling out each tortilla takes way too much time, and I’d rather spend the time on some extra side dishes or sauces!

Pico De Gallo Recipe Sauces & Condiments  Vegetables  Mexican

Ingredients 2 1/2 cups diced fresh tomato 1/2 cup diced onion 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro 1 tablespoons stemmed, seeded, and minced chili (I used serrano) 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice Directions Combine ingredients and mix well, adding salt and lime juice last. You can leave at room temperature while you prepare the rest of your other food or put in refrigerator. Liquid separates over time so you may want to strain the pico de gallo before serving. But, don’t throw away the delicious, salty broth. It’s tasty!

Rating:  8 Original Source:  adapted from various recipes Recipe ID:  1101 Added:  July 21, 2007 Last Modified:  July 24, 2007

Homemade Corn Tortilla Recipe Bread  Corn  Mexican

Ingredients two cups of masa harina, corn flour for tortillas, (Maseca is a good brand, and labeled Gluten Free) 1 1/4 cup water 1/4 tsp salt Will make 16 tortillas Directions Thoroughly combine ingredients, kneading or mixing for a few minutes. The dough was a bit dry, so I added one or two tablespoons of water. When I had a lovely ball of dough, I separated the dough into sixteen balls and placed them in a bowl, covering them with a damp cloth so that they wouldn’t dry out. Then I cut open a thick ziploc bag, quart sized, and used it to line my tortilla press, placing one ball of dough in it for each tortilla. After pressing out a tortilla, I placed it on a plate, then alternated cut open plastic bags between tortillas so they don’t stick together. I heated my cast iron pan and cooked each one for 50 seconds on each side, setting a timer to avoid overcooking any one of them. I layered the cooked tortillas under a cloth to keep them warm.

Rating:  9 Original Source:  Bag of corn flour Recipe ID:  1103 Added:  July 24, 2007 Last Modified:  July 24, 2007