Seared Portobello Fajitas

Ole! When you need a quick meal, few things are more delicious and time-friendly than fajitas. Being a working mother of a very active Supertoddler, I am always in the need of a quick meal, and Seared Portobello Fajitas {page 125} were not only fast, but featured one of my favorite foods on earth - the portobello mushroom.

I followed the recipe exactly, deviating only to add about 1/2 a red bell pepper I had hanging out in the fridge. I was actually surprised there were no bell peppers in the recipe to begin with - nothing screams fajitas like peppers! The flavorful ingredients seared up so quickly, I hardly had time to heat some tortillas and sort out a side dish. Major flavor for very little effort - what a great combination!

The Ninjahusband took the leftovers for lunch the following day, and said they were even more delicious. This would be a great thing to make a double {or triple} batch of to have around for lunches throughout the week.

-- Your Friendly Neighborhood Batgirl

Mexican Fideo Soup with Pinto Beans

I love soup, I love easy soups, and I especially love dishes that hint of any Latin flavor, so the Mexican Fideo Soup with Pinto Beans (p159) was sure to be mine.

Since the recipe only called for 15.5 oz of beans, I used canned. I also followed the suggestion of using angel hair pasta if fideo wasn't available (which is wasn't). I also used fire-roasted diced tomatoes instead of crushed, as that's what I had on hand.

No surprise here, the soup didn't have enough flavor for us. It was "fine," but just a little flat and bland, which made it perfect for Grandma V. The flatness was resolved with an overnight stay in the fridge and the soup was much better in the flavor department the second day. However, there wasn't much liquid to the soup to begin with, and by the next day the pasta had absorbed what there was and it was basically spaghetti. So that's what I decided to call this one--Mexican spaghetti. It's good, and better with a hot sauce such as Cholula or perhaps one with chipotle flavor. It's worth making for its ease and use of pantry staples, and the next go round I will add more seasoning to make it more compatible with our tastes.

--The Divine Miss V

Mylie's Secret Queso Dip

I'll admit, it was the title that drew me in. Anything with the word "secret" in it makes me feel like I'm on some sort of secret mission about to commit some espionage. Wait...do you commit espionage? I don't even know. Things to look up later...

In any event, Mylie's Secret Queso Dip {page 13} seemed like a perfect thing to make on Friday the 13th. After all...it was shrouded with mystery and intrigue {and on page 13}. Did I mention I have OCD? I do. Just a little. A lot.

Annnnnyway, so the dip was a little disappointing. While you're making it, the recipe alerts you that you may need to use more soymilk than is listed, which is accurate. I had to use twice the listed soymilk, and probably could have used even a little more. I was expecting the dip to be a spicy cheese dip with some flecks of tomatoes and chiles throughout. Instead it was kind of a big tomatoey spicy goo thing. Remember the Lasagna Pinwheels I made a few days ago? Well I think all the flavor from that recipe ran away from the page and leaped onto this one. There is way too much seasoning in it, to the point that it pretty much just tastes like you dumped your whole spice rack in there. It doesn't taste cheesy at all, just spicy and tomatoey. Not spicy as in hot...but spicy as in...lots of spices. I don't know how else to describe it.

Me, the Ninjahusband, and the Supertoddler all had several chips with the dip on them, and it was edible, mostly. I mean, it wasn't terrible or really all that bad, it just wasn't good. Ninjahusband liked it best, I think, but he said that he wouldn't really call it a queso.

I feel like I'm a terrible person always giving all the bad reviews. With a book with 1000 recipes in it, there are bound to be some that are better than others. Maybe I just know how to pick the ones that are a little lackluster.

On second thought, it could be that I'm a rather fussy eater. Maybe I will give this another go sometime, to make sure that I followed all the directions correctly. Or you know, maybe not.

-- Your Friendly Neighborhood Batgirl {who is sometimes the meanie on the schoolyard}

Mexican Green Rice and Beans

Vegans don't HAVE to eat rice and beans, most of us actually like them! The Mexican Rice and Beans (p270) looked like my kind of dish from the first glance. And it would have been--if I had followed the instructions. More on that in a sec.

As expected, the sauce is excellent. The delectable aroma filled my kitchen and I hung out there while the dish was simmering just to be near it. The recipe calls for two or three fresh roasted jalapenos. I used two; I recommend three. It's quick to put together--everything goes in the food processor, and then it goes right into the pan.

Now, as to my not following directions: When Ms. Robertson calls for "long grain white rice," use it. Brown rice is not an equal substitute. Of course I know this, and I know their cooking times are different, their textures are different, and they will perform in different ways, even in the same dish. So why did I do it? Eh. I do a lot of things I probably shouldn't. Because of my rice misstep, I wound up with mush. A different rice, and/or proper rice handling (i.e., rinsing) would have solved this problem before it became one. In a repair attempt, I separated a "handful" and made it into sort of a patty. Then I sauteed that until it was nice and brown on both sides. Mr. V claimed it reminded him of late drunken nights with his old jazz buddies, and a place they used to frequent--El Presidente. Apparently the owner would open up just for them, toss together whatever was left from the kitchen that night, and provide a hearty meal to go along with their tequila.

I doubt anything could compare to the memory of El Presidente, but the flavor of this dish is excellent. The recipe calls for kidney beans, but you could certainly substitute pintos, black beans, whatever your preference. This is great as a side, an entree, or as a burrito stuffing. Just get your rice right.

--The Divine Miss V