Karina's Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas

These gluten-free enchiladas won the Whole Foods Budget recipe contest.

Just in case you missed it, I'm sharing one of the all-time favorite recipes here on Gluten-Free Goddess- my sweet potato black bean enchiladas smothered in salsa verde. This budget-friendly vegetarian enchilada recipe is one of those happy accidents that spring from a burst of creative inspiration. I was craving the soft and spicy comfort of enchiladas one windy spring night back in 2003, and I had none of the usual suspects on hand (no chicken, or beef, no pinto beans).

But I had one lovely mother of a sweet potato.

I had a can of organic black beans in the pantry.

Some roasted green chiles.

One lonely lime.

And your intrepid Mamacita at large thought, Hmmm. Why not?

Deliciousness ensued.

These wrapped little gems are soft and creamy and a little bit spicy- just like a certain cook, my husband would say. It's the yams, I tell him. Er, sweet potato. I can never tell the difference. In the end, it doesn't matter. What matters is how it tastes.

And Babycakes, these are so very mucho scrumptious. Seriously. I kid you not. Make a batch for a girls' night in, or laid back Sunday brunch.


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Recipes for a Vegan Cinco de Mayo

In the spirit of fiesta, I thought I would gather some of my favorite New Mexican inspired vegan recipes to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Because if you're looking for a carnitas recipe, or how to stuff a spicy beef burrito, there are food blogs galore that feature carne autentico. Just browse Food Blog Search.

But if you're a vegetarian, or a gluten-free vegan, have I got some recipes for you, Babycakes.

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Santa Fe Huevos on Polenta aka Eggs Ranchero

Santa Fe Huevos on Polenta Recipe aka Eggs Ranchero

Huevos rancheros- a traditional Tex-Mex recipe featuring fried eggs, refried beans and salsa on top of warm corn tortillas- is a delicious brunch recipe, no doubt. But I decided to change up tradition. Just because.

Using a roll of pre-made polenta makes this a perfect weeknight supper or a quick and easy Sunday brunch. For the more ambitious cooks out there, stirring polenta from scratch isn't hard, it just requires a little patience. Kinda like motherhood. And meditation. And selling a house. For how to make make polenta from scratch see below.

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Turkey & Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Gluten-free turkey and sweet potato enchiladas.

This Friday is just like any other out here in the New Mexico hinterland. There were big-eared rabbits eating breakfast (nibbling spare tufts of grass). A chickadee or two in the junipers. Pink light on the distant mesas. And as far as I know, no scary crush of shoppers at the Espanola Walmart. At least I haven't heard any sirens off in the distance. Truth be told I haven't budged from my casita (and I have no plans to). Nope. It's just another day here, call it what you want. Black Friday is quiet as an empty nest. So I thought I'd share a recipe for leftover turkey and sweet potatoes- a surprisingly tasty combo.

As always, make it as mild or as spicy as your little heart desires.

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Roasted Corn Chowder with Chicken, Lime + Cilantro

Roasted corn chowder with chicken is a fabulous soup.

An easy family favorite- my roasted corn chowder with tender pieces of chicken, a dash of fresh lime juice and mild green chiles- is a perfect recipe for early fall. Because nothing is quite as sweet as savoring the last fresh corn of the season. And the perfect accent to these southwestern flavors? Cilantro.

As always, Babycakes, if you don't care for cilantro just leave it out. Use fresh basil or parsley. And while we're talking changes, if you're not a fan of coconut milk and you'd rather use traditional moo cow milk in your chowder, Darling, feel free. Be happy.

Note: This recipe was originally entered into Kalyn's Kitchen Weekend Herb Blogging event: Your Favorite Herb. I've since updated the recipe, and it's better than ever.

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Mexican Black Bean Soup- In Memory of Sher

Sher's black bean soup recipe.

Sher and I never met. We were what people refer to as blogging acquaintances. We exchanged occasional comments on one another's blogs and admired each other's penchant for rustic Mexican recipes. Real food, with big flavor. Last Sunday lovely Sher passed away suddenly- from a heart attack. She was 59. Today food bloggers are joining in memory of Sher- and her enthusiastic love of good food- by posting one of her recipes. I suspect this would please her no end; as her blog title suggests, the first question asked by her family on any occasion is...

What did you eat?

Today we are collectively offering, One of your recipes, Sher!

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Tostada Nueva- an easy gluten-free lunch

 The tostada- made fresh + light

The recent summer weather has nudged me out of my primavera surliness and ignited my desire to paint again. I suddenly feel energized. Focused. Turned on. I've been toning wood and masonite panels left, right and upside down, laying on thick and juicy strokes of pigmented Gesso in rose, peach and ocher- warmth as a foil to my preferred palette for brushy skies and abstractions.

This is a welcome turn. As many of you know, it's been a somewhat weird and challenging seven months. It feels good to be back in my tiny studio again, blasting music and standing upright, paint brush in hand.

And what have I been eating this hot and breezy week, you ask?

Have I got a quick and easy solution for those sultry summer nights when it's too damn hot to turn on the oven. I'm calling the recipe Tostada Nueva. This is not your typical fried corn tortilla topped with shredded iceberg lettuce, red tomatoes and ground beef. Nope. It's light and fresh and snappy. And it's dairy-free (translation- cheese-less) so you can serve it to your GFCF Sweethearts.

I used Trader Joe's Brown Rice Tortillas (thanks to a Fabulous Reader who turned me on to TJ's new gluten-free brown rice wraps) for the tostada base. The rice tortillas cooked up flaky and just crisp enough. I fried them briefly in my iron skillet with a splash of light olive oil.

Tostada Nueva

I topped my brown rice tostada with slices of Applegate Farms Honey and Maple Turkey Breast and pieces of cooked and crispy (nitrate free!) Sunday Bacon, but you could use any of your favorite deli meat. The heirloom yellow tomatoes are bright and citrusy- perfect for summer.

For each person you'll need:

1 brown rice tortilla-wrap
Olive oil, as needed
3 slices of Applegate Farms Honey Maple Turkey
2-3 pieces of crispy cooked Applegate Farms Sunday Bacon
A handful of organic baby greens
1 smallish yellow tomato, sliced

Honey Mustard Dressing

Whisk together, per person-

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon honey mustard
1 small clove garlic, finely minced
1 dab of agave nectar
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

If you are making dressing for four servings, I might quadruple all the ingredients listed except for the garlic- one clove is probably enough.

Assemble your ingredients.

Just before you are ready to eat, heat a little olive oil in a medium hot skillet. Fry the brown rice tortilla on both sides, briefly, until it is slightly golden and crisp. Remove with tongs and place the hot tortilla on a serving plate. (Drain it on a paper towel first, if you like.)

Top with the turkey, fresh baby greens, yellow tomato slices and cooked bacon. Drizzle with the Honey Mustard Dressing. Season with more sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

Boom. Dinner is done.

Does it get any easier?

Serve with a side of my Easy Guacamole with Lime. Or how about some of my Horseradish Spiked Red Potato Salad?

Note: I like Applegate Farms because their products are organic, nitrate and antibiotic free, as well as gluten and casein free. Not to mention, delicious.

Green Chile Tortilla Bake Recipe

A gluten-free tortilla casserole with cream cheese and green chiles. Si.

Planted on the coast of Cape Cod for many years (forever, it seemed on gloomy January days) I daydreamed about fire roasted chiles. The smoky pepper sweetness that flirted with your senses as you walked in Santa Fe. The luxury of buying bags of freshly roasted chiles by the roadside- still warm,  soft as butter, and charred. In fact, I may have moved here for the chiles alone.

That's entirely possible.

I may have been so drop dead in love with chiles when we bought this casita that I didn't notice I'd be stuck out in the desert with so few neighbors. No bookstore, no cafe- no movie theater. What was I thinking? Only my analyst knows for sure (if she remembers me; it's been years since Jungian analysis).

Along with dreaming of Val Kilmer (not the rock scrambling Thunderheart Val, the expanding, voluptuous new Mega Val- and why he showed up in my dream, I've no clue- better ask my analyst) I've been craving green chile this month like mad as we approach our second anniversary of moving to New Mexico. And wouldn't you know it! I'm out of last year's roadside bags of chiles. They're long gone (my freezer is annoyingly, shall we say, petite). Until roasting season starts I have to settle with buying frozen Bueno chiles. And they're not bad, exactly. They are pretty dang good.

Yet, as I sit and crave and daydream, the big question becomes: Do I really still want to be here in August when chile roasting begins? Is my chile love a devoted, true love, or simply an infatuation? A passing fancy? Will your intrepid dusty goddess remain here in the coyote hills of O'Keeffe country or soon be walking Venice Beach in her Rocket Dogs?

I tell myself, just breathe. There are Bueno chiles to defrost.

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Gluten-Free Spanish Rice Bake

Like Spanish rice? Try using brown rice and kick up the nutrition.

One of the more popular recipe searches here at Gluten-Free Goddess is brown rice. And why not? It's naturally gluten-free. It's an excellent grain choice for the Mediterranean Diet and the South Beach Diet. It's good source of fiber for both sensitive tummies and hearty omnivore appetites. And it's a complementary protein for earthy vegan tastes.

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A Trio of Tasty Turkey Recipes

Gluten-free turkey tetrazzini- a retro classic, updated.

Thanksgiving will be cactus quiet here in the desert north of Santa Fe. No traveling. No fuss for us. Yet I felt inspired to thumb through my recipe file today. It's just habit. I guess it's not easy to let go of cooking for a family. Not yet, anyway. I still cook for four- even though we are down to two. I still buy too many salad greens. And big banana bunches that inevitably morph into black and reeking fruit fly magnets. It's okay. I shrug it off. I tell myself I'm on a learning curve. Not a bad place to be at fifty-three. Still learning.

Here are three yummy ways to use up leftover cruelty-free turkey. Consider this my modest Thank You to all you fabulous readers- for all your thoughtful comments, suggestions, and get well messages. You're the best!

Jazzed Up Turkey Tetrazzini

Here's my unconventional dairy-free version of a retro sixties classic. Gluten-free spaghetti makes fabulous tetrazzini.

For the filling:

A dash of olive oil, as needed
1 medium sweet onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 medium carrots, cut into julienne strips (thin sticks)
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 lb. sliced Baby Bella mushrooms

12 oz. gluten-free quinoa linguini or brown rice spaghetti cooked to al dente (still firm), rinsed, drained

3 cups hand-torn cooked free-range organic turkey pieces
A squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

For the sauce:

4 tablespoons light olive oil
4 tablespoons white rice flour
2 cups non-dairy rice milk (or milk)
1 1/2 cups gluten-free chicken broth
Optional- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, for flavor
1/4 cup dry sherry or white wine
1 teaspoon tarragon or parsley
Sea salt and ground pepper or paprika, to taste

For the crumb topping:

2 cups Crunchy Gluten-Free Bread Crumbs (tossed in olive oil or melted vegan margarine)

1 teaspoon French herbs- or parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease or spray a 10x13-inch baking dish or deep casserole.

Heat a dash of olive oil in a large skillet and lightly saute the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, and mushrooms till tender; set aside.

Arrange the cooked spaghetti in the baking dish.

Toss the turkey pieces in a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and season with a little sea salt and pepper.

Add the skillet veggies to the noodles in the baking dish.

Make your sauce:

In a saucepan, heat the olive oil and add the flour; stir to make a paste; briefly stir over heat for about three minutes- to cook out the "flour" flavor. Slowly add a cup of the rice milk and continue stirring until it starts to thicken; add the second cup of rice milk, heat and stir till thickened. I like to use a whisk at this point.

If you are using the nutritional yeast, you can add it in and whisk to combine. Add the broth. Continue to heat gently for another five to seven minutes, stirring often. Add the sherry, tarragon and a dash of sea salt and pepper, to taste. In fact- taste test. If it needs a flavor boost, add a pinch more salt, a dash of herbs or sherry. You can also add a dash of nutmeg or mustard if you like.

Pour the sauce over the veggies and noodles and use a fork to shimmy the goodies so that the sauce seeps in and around- this keeps everything moist and happy.

Top with the Crunchy Golden GF Bread Crumbs. (I like to place a few of the mushroom slices on the top, too- I think it looks pretty.)

Bake in the center of a preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until piping hot and bubbling.

To be totally retro, serve with green beans sprinkled with slivered almonds.

Serves 4 to 6.

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These turkey enchiladas are tasty and gluten-free.

Holiday Turkey Enchiladas

You will love these super easy enchiladas featuring torn pieces of tender free-range chicken, lime juice, chunks of sweet pineapple, and spicy salsa. Espeically after Thanksgiving, when all the traditional Pilgrim-inspired foods have shared their hand-holding moment in the fast fading sun.

3 cups of your favorite salsa- spicy or mild

4-5 cups of cooked free-range organic turkey, hand torn or shredded

Juice from one fresh lime

2-4 tablespoons sour cream- light or regular or vegan for dairy-free

Sea salt and ground pepper

Pinch of cumin

Light olive oil, as needed

12 corn tortillas

1 cup diced pineapple

2 4-oz. cans chopped green chiles, drained

2 cups shredded Jalapeño Jack cheese- or vegan Jack for non-dairy

Hot red pepper flakes, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Pour about a half cup of salsa into the bottom a large lightly oiled 10x13" baking dish- or use two smaller pans, for six enchiladas each.

Place the torn turkey pieces into a bowl and squeeze lime juice all over the cooked turkey; add enough sour cream to moisten; stir; season with sea salt and pepper, and cumin; toss well to coat.

Heat a dash of olive oil in a skillet, and heat one corn tortilla until softened, turning it over once to coat with oil. Place the tortilla into the sauced baking dish; fill with 1/12 of the turkey pieces, and roll up seam side down, placing it at the far end of the dish. Repeat for the remaining tortillas, adding more oil, if needed.

Pour the remaining salsa over the rolled tortillas. Top with the diced pineapple, then the green chiles. Sprinkle with cheese and red pepper flakes.

Bake in a 350 degree F. oven until the enchiladas are bubbling and heated through, about 30 minutes.

For a homemade authentic green chile sauce recipe, try here.

Serves 6

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Gluten-free nachos, Baby.

Turkey Nachos

Here's a non-conventional way to use up cruelty-free turkey leftovers Santa Fe style. Use a combo of organic blue and yellow corn chips and scatter on lots of sliced pickled jalapeños. It's an unbeatable combination.

3 heaping cups organic blue corn tortilla chips

3 heaping cups organic yellow corn tortilla chips

Extra virgin olive oil

2 cups hand torn cooked free-range organic turkey pieces

4 oz. Cheddar or Jack cheese, shredded- use vegan cheese for dairy-free

A big handful of organic sweet grape tomatoes, halved

3-4 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapenos- or use chopped mild green chiles

A sprinkle of good chili powder or chipotle powder, to taste

Chopped fresh cilantro, if desired

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large roasting pan with foil or parchment paper.

Layer the blue and yellow corn tortilla chips in the bottom of the lined pan; drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil and hand toss to coat evenly.

Scatter the turkey pieces on top of the corn chips. Sprinkle with half of the shredded cheese. Layer the tomatoes, jalapeños, and the remaining shredded cheese. Believe it or not, drizzle a little more olive oil all over the the nachos. Add a dusting of spices, to taste, and chopped cilantro, if desired.

Bake in a hot oven for about seven to ten minutes, or so, until the cheese has melted and the nachos are happy and sizzling.

Crack open some crisp and cold gluten-free beer. You can even be post-holiday decadent and serve these nachos right from the roasting pan. Okay, I admit it. We're casual here. We eat nachos right out of the pan- with our fingers.

Serves 4.

How To Make Roasted Green Chile Sauce

Fire roasted green chile, fresh from a roadside roaster.

How to make a roasted green chile sauce New Mexico style? First you start with bags of fresh roasted Hatch chiles.

The Fall Equinox is right around the corner. And in our small corner of the world that means only one thing- it's chile roasting time. New Mexicans are passionate about their state's most distinctive crop. Smoky, spicy and sweet all at once is the best way I can describe the complex flavor of New Mexican roasted chiles.

Roasters are ubiquitous now- along the roadsides and in parking lots- stoking their fires outside Whole Foods and Walmart alike, turning barrels of fresh Hatch chiles over open flames. The aroma is enough to make you weep.

With spicy chile happiness, that is.

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Spaghetti Squash New Mexican with Black Beans + Lime

Cumin and chili roasted spaghetti squash ready for black beans and lime

 

This is not your typical spaghetti squash recipe. Rather than using the squash as a mere substitute for pasta with red sauce, this recipe combines strands of spaghetti squash with Southwestern-inspired ingredients such as black beans, lime juice, tomatoes and roasted corn.

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Roasted Vegetable Salsa

Super easy salsa kicks off any party.

Why buy jarred salsa when making your own is so easy? This is a mild and flavorful salsa recipe perfect for those who find fiery fare a tad too harsh. Try it with some crispy Brown Rice Tortilla Chips.

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Calabasitas Recipe with Summer Corn, Zucchini, Green Chiles and Lime

Zucchini, corn and lime- perfect for a picnic.

Calabasitas Recipe with Summer Corn, Zucchini, Green Chiles and Lime

This recipe makes enough for a generous side dish, perfect for picnics and backyard grilled suppers; but if you'd prefer to make this a one-dish meal, add in two generous cups of cooked chicken or drained canned black beans, pour into a casserole, cover and bake in a moderate 350 degree F oven for 20 to 25 minutes or so, until heated through.

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Vegetarian Enchiladas Griegos with Spinach + Feta

Rain clouds above the mesa, toward Abiquiu.

Today is our anniversary. It is raining here in the high desert. Cloud cover blankets the mesa in a soft dove gray that is flirting with lavender. We married in this weather twelve years ago, sprinting through Cape Cod wind and mist to reach the antique door of our local Justice of the Peace without getting wet, the four of us stepping over the threshold to become a family.

Me and my three men- my love and my two sons.

I look at the photographs taken by the Justice's husband, our single witness. We are so young, all of us. Arms linking. There is palpable tenderness.

The boys are now men. They stand taller than my five-foot-eight. My husband and I, well. We are wiser. And weathered. And we remain expectant. This has been a year of enormous change.

We have sold most of our belongings (except books and paintings) and moved west. From the eastern shore to the high desert. From what was predictable and safe to what is unknown. What is possible. What might be.

After thirteen years together we are still exploring, still traveling, still on our way to somewhere. We are painting less and writing more. We are listening to each other with deeper affection, having shed many old expectations. We have come through a lot this year, on many levels. And so have our sons. Their own lives have not stood still. They too have faced changes and embraced risk.

I look out the window of my studio and exhale. I say a silent prayer for twelve more years. And twelve more years.

And twelve more years.

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Nachos Fabuloso

Tasty, spicy gluten-free nachos? Si, por favor.

I make nachos with a combo of organic blue and yellow corn chips and lots of jalapenos. It's an unbeatable combination. Is your mouth watering yet? No? You must be made of stone. Seriously. Get thee to a blue corn tortilla chip purveyor lickity split. This easy nachos recipe rocks. I serve it to guests and it disappears faster than you can say Antonio Banderas.

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A Menu, A Meme

Which menu would you serve blogging friends for a welcome dinner upon their first visit to your home? I’ve been tagged for a meme by Garrett of Vanilla Garlic fame. This one could be fun. The premise? To come up with a fantasy menu, of “signature” dishes that you might toss together for an evening entertaining food bloggers. Now there’s a nightmare, er, I mean, dream come true. [Kiss, kiss, Garrett.] Can you tell, already, that I am faint with anxiety? Sweating profusely? Weak kneed? I’m no chef. And there are those among us who can rustle up a flaky tart or crackle a Crème Brule in their sleep. There are those among us who make their own ricotta [Seriously!]. And there are those who entertain with aplomb and have the wit and composure to capture it as a slide show. I’m not one of them.

I’m a home-cooking rustic kinda gal. You know, more peasant food than haute cuisine. More make a dish from dreamy ideas in your head and how about a little of this than ever following a recipe. Or, I’ve got that in the fridge and it’s wilting so I better use it. And then there’s the sometimes harrowing, sometimes happy accident recipe stemming from, I wonder would happen if…

That said, Dear Reader, I’ve decided to embrace what I flat out love. If I have to go down in flames, I’ll go down with my taste buds happy. My menu will be New Mexican. So if you visit, prepare to get hot and bothered.

Karina’s Family Style Menu
for Blogging Conviviality



Bebidas::
Frosty Pitchers of Margaritas

Con::
Homemade Tortilla-Cheese Crisps and Blue Corn Chips
Fire Roasted Tomato & Tomatillo Salsa
Guacamole with Lime & Garlic
Baked Goat Cheese with Salsa Verde

Sopa::
Mexican Pumpkin Soup with Chipotle

Comidas::
Chicken Mole
Brown Rice Baked with Mild Green Chiles and Pine Nuts

New Mexican Green Chile Smothered Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas
Sweet Potato & Black Bean Enchiladas [vegetarian]

Los Otros::
Calabasitas
Fresh Fruit Salad in Season Drizzled with Vanilla Yogurt Sauce

Dulces::
Coffee Flan
Coconut-Almond Cookie Bars with Mexican Chocolate Sauce

And [if you haven't been tagged yet], I'm tagging::

Brendon of Something in Season
Cookiecrumb of I'm Mad and I Eat
Stephen of Stephen Cooks
Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen
Susan of Fatfree Vegan

The meme is open to all, so, Dear Hungry Reader, so if you haven't been tagged yet, and would like to participate, drop on over to The Flying Apple.

Comida buena, Chicas & Chicos!

menu for food bloggers meme

Vegetarian Green Chile Recipe

Fresh roasted Hatch green chiles.

Steve brought home two more bags of fresh roasted green chiles, still warm. Hot and spicy Hatch chiles are my favorite. The fragrance is smoky, sweet and spicy all at once. I wish Blogger provided smell-a-vision. I got cookin' and whipped up a vegetarian version of my New Mexico green chile.

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Tequila Lime Salmon

Need a fabulous but easy recipe? Here it is. Marinate your salmon steaks in tequila and lime juice. After a day spent cruising with our friend Joey (no not that kind of cruising, Dear Reader- my life is more tame than you can imagine, trust me) and seeing some of the stunning (dare I say, breathtaking!) overlooks and canyons in northern New Mexico, we turned our little Honda Fit around and jetted back to our casita, hungry, a bit sun washed and giddy (swaying on a high altitude precipice will do that to you).

Joey, of course, immediately began making a frosty batch of vodka martinis (for those of you dying to know, Joey takes his very dirty; in fact, I've never seen a dirtier martini!).

Then we raided the refrigerator. As luck (some might say, near-genius) would have it, I had three wild salmon steaks blissfully marinating in tequila, lime juice, and minced garlic. And Joey brought the cutest little perky heads of Belgian endive, a bag of organic spinach, and three flavors of Haagen Daz sorbet for dessert (mango, raspberry, and lemon). Now do you see why I adore him?

Tequila-Lime Salmon Recipe
 

We plated the salmon steaks on a bed of wilted spinach braised with a touch of extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and ground pepper, and a hint of balsamic vinegar while Dashing Husband chose to keep his spinach crisp and raw with a scant drizzle of olive oil. Both ways were good! The endive was trimmed and halved then braised in a little olive oil and chopped garlic - this was Joey's contribution, and Babycakes, it was too yummy.

3 to 4 wild Alaskan salmon steaks

2/3 cup tequila

1/3 cup fresh lime juice

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

5 cloves of garlic, chopped

Pinch of organic brown sugar

Dash of Worcestershire sauce

Combine the marinade ingredients in a large measuring cup (tequila through Worcestershire). Place the salmon steaks in a wide shallow bowl and pour the marinade over the steaks. Cover, and pop in the fridge.

Go sightseeing for the afternoon.

When you return, put on a pot of brown rice (add Old Bay Seasoning and a dab of olive oil), wash and cut a few vegetables (endive, and spinach, and carrots work) and chop copious amounts of garlic.

Make some ice cold vodka martinis.

Play music. Talk about life and politics and religion (everything your mother told you not to talk about).

When the rice is done, turn on your oven- 400 degrees F will work.

Arrange the salmon steaks skin side down on a broiler pan or other shallow baking pan.

Pour the marinade into a saucepan.

Place the salmon in the oven on a rack near the top.

Turn the burner on under the saucepan and start reducing the marinade to make your tequila sauce; keep it at a gentle simmer; stir now and then, between sips of a dirty martini and snorts of laughter.

Meanwhile, quickly braise the endive, and the spinach (in two different pans) and saute the carrots (yup, in another pan).

Keep an eye on the salmon steaks while all the braising and sauteing is going on- this is why Chefs get the big bucks. After about 6 minutes, turn the salmon over and cook briefly to crisp the skin. Cook till fork tender, maybe a minute.

You're ready to plate. Spoon the tequila sauce over the steaks.

Light some candles. Eat. Drink. Live a little.

More salmon and fish recipes

Shrimp Fried Rice

Salmon & Spinach Goat Cheese Strata

Garlicky Shrimp & Spinach Bake

Pineapple Salmon Brown Rice Bake

Mexican Pumpkin Soup

A kicked up Mexican twist on pumpkin soup.

My blogging amiga Susan at Fatfree Vegan Kitchen posted this beautiful pumpkin soup recipe a few days ago, and I knew instantly I had to try it. I love soup with a pumpkin flavored base, and this one is a little bit different; it's not thick like my usual go-to pumpkin soup recipe. It's more brothy and textured with chunks of red potato, beans, and spicy green peppers. Pure comfort food with a kick.

I hope you like it.

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