mexican – Lucy's Friendly Foods

The Best Spicy Bean Burgers, Mexican Style

¡Viva México! These knock-your-socks-off, totally delicious veggie bean burgers are all about Mexican flavours: spices, coriander, spring onions, lime, beans and crushed up tortilla chips. You can go as hot as you like by adding chilli or your favourite hot sauce. Those are my kind of ingredients. I’ve made dozens of types of veggie burger and these are probably my favourites. Give the mix a bit of time for those flavours to mingle and the texture to firm up, and that’s what makes these patties great. There’s no crumble factor with these, making them perfect for frying pan, grill or BBQ. It’s so often that veggie burgers don’t have the right texture.

Serve in buns, or wrapped up in tortillas, topped with salsa, pickles… anything you want.

The Best Spicy Bean Burgers, Mexican Style (dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soya-free, sesame-free, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan)

makes 4 patties

2 handfuls tortilla chips
1 tin pinto or borlotti beans
1 handful of coriander
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 spring onions, sliced
1 squeeze lime juice
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsps salsa, preferably fridge salsa, or Mexican hot sauce (or combination of both!)

– Whizz up the tortilla chips in a food processor (or crush) until they’re a small rough crumb

– Add all the other ingredients to the food processor and pulse until well combined.

– Turn into a bowl and leave for an hour or so, for the flavours to mix. Taste and preseason if necessary.

– Form into 4 even sized patties, cover and refrigerate until needed

– Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Centigrade/Gas Mark 6

– Fry in a small amount of oil until nicely browned

– Then move to the oven for 10-15 minutes.

– Serve in buns with garnished with more salsa

May 16, 2015May 15, 2016

lucylox10 Comments

Mexican Pinto Bean Soup

Sometimes some purse friendly, super cheap food is what you need – this is the perfect recipe for that week before payday when you’re trying to use up the contents of the cupboard rather than yet another pricy trip to the supermarket. A great comfort soup, as hot as you want it to be, perfect for these colder than expected early spring days. The blitzed beans give a smooth silky texture to the soup, but like many Mexican dishes, it’s all about the garnishing touches. Crunchy tortilla chips are great for texture, and I wouldn’t do this kind of soup without some lime, hot chilli sauce and coriander. The beauty of this is you can tailor each bowl to just how each person likes it.

Mexican Pinto Bean Soup (dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soya-free, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan)

serves 4

2 onions, peeled and chopped
2 sticks of celery, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Sprig of rosemary
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
Chilli flakes, to taste, I added a pinch so everyone could enjoy
1 tin tomatoes
2 cups soaked pinto beans
500ml stock

– Sweat the onions, carrots, celery, rosemary and garlic until softened but not browned

– Stir in the cumin, chilli flakes and smoked paprika and cook out for a couple of minutes

-Pour in the tinned tomatoes, beans and stock

– Simmer for 15-20 minutes until totally cooked through.

– Blitz to a silky smooth soup, then taste and season as desired.

– Serve topped with tortilla chips, fresh coriander, a squeeze of lime and a good dash of hot sauce.

March 16, 2015March 16, 2015

lucylox6 Comments

Mexican spicy polenta and corn cakes

I think there is a perception that Mexican food is on the whole quite humble and not refined. This is a delicate, elegant dish that could make a small starter or larger main. This is another one inspired by The Gate Restaurant – a trip to a good veggie restaurant always fires up my imagination. These polenta and corn cakes are really flavourful, crispy and went fabulously with my black bean salsa, chipotle infused sweet potatoes and shallots, and a good dose of avocado and coriander mayonnaise.

We also found the left over corn cakes made wonderful crispy polenta fries that we served with a salad the next day.

Mexican Polenta Corn Cakes (dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, sesame-free, soya-free, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan)

serves 4

100g quick cook polenta
400ml water
1 tbsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
1/2 tin of sweetcorn
1/2-1 red chilli, finely sliced (I left it out of the children’s half as our chillies were hot hot HOT)
Salt

– Bring the water to the boil
– Pour in the polenta in a fine stream, then whisk over a medium heat for about 5 minutes until the polenta has thickened and no longer sticks to the side of the pan but forms a large ball around the whisk
– Stir in the sweetcorn and thyme and salt to taste. As its essentially very bland you may need to add more than you’d think
– Pour onto a flat baking tray that has been lined with cling film
– Cover the top with more cling film and form into an even square or rectangle
– Place in the fridge to firm up, at least 30 mins
– Cut into desired shapes – squares, circles or fries work well
– Pan fry til golden, then transfer to a medium oven for 10 minutes to completely warm through
– Serve with the black bean salsa, roasted sweet potatoes and this wonderful avocado mayonnaise for a veritable mexican feast

Avocado and Coriander Mayonnaise (dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soya-free, sesame-free, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan)

1 avocado
Juice of 1 lime (use less for a non-Mexican mayonnaise)
1 tsp vinegar
salt and pepper
3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsps sunflower oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 small handful coriander, chopped

– Whiz together the avocado, lime and vinegar in a food processor.

– Season.

– Add the other ingredients and whiz until smooth.

– Taste and adjust the seasoning.

– Add a little more sunflower oil if too thick.

– Keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days

October 22, 2014October 22, 2014

lucylox2 Comments

Black Bean Salsa

This is a nifty little recipe for an interesting variation on a ‘regular’ salsa. Inspired by a delicious lunch I had at the fabulous the Gate Restaurant the other day, this is my take on black bean salsa. Wonderful scooped up with tortilla chips, as an addition to a wonderful Mexican main course (recipe coming soon!) or a topping for nachos or any tortilla based dish. It’s also the kind of dish that is enjoyable to prepare, just simple ingredients put together in an uncomplicated way.

There’s nothing wrong with a tomato salsa (especially this awesome salsa), but it’s good to have more in your locker, and for me a great new way with beans that is fresh and zingy.

Black Bean Salsa (dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soya-free, sesame-free, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan)

1 bell pepper, cut into small dice
1 shallot, very finely chopped
8-10 cherry tomatoes, chopped fairly small
1 tin of black beans, drained and rinsed
Large handful of coriander, roughly chopped
Juice of 1 lime (or more to taste if you have a dry old line that gives little juice!)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt, to taste

1. Mix together all the ingredients in a bowl and set aside for about half an hour for the flavours to mingle

2. Taste and adjust the salt and lime juice accordingly

3. Enjoy!

October 15, 2014October 15, 2014

lucylox3 Comments

Mexican Taco Soup

It’s funny how you suddenly feel like eating a certain dish. Spring has suddenly hit, but I just really fancied some soup. I didn’t really feel like a warming wintery root veg based concoction, or one that was totally summery. Difficult!

So spurred on by a half eaten pack of tortilla chips, here is my resulting Mexican bean soup. It managed to tick all the boxes, being quite light and refreshing with the lime and coriander; but also hearty and warming with the beans and spice.

I would say the topping of crushed up tortilla chips, fresh coriander and an extra squeeze of lime is absolutely essential to bring a basic mexican bean soup into the realms of deliciousness. A classic ‘meal in a bowl’ type dish.

Mexican Taco Soup (dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soya-free, sesame-free, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan)

serves 4

1 onion, finely chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
Splash of wine or water
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chilli flakes or 1 small chilli, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
1 tin mixed beans, drained
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tin vegetable stock
1/2 tin of sweetcorn, or 1 cob shaved of its kernals
juice of 1/4 lime

To garnish:

Fresh coriander
Crushed tortilla chips
squeeze of fresh lime

– Saute the onions and peppers in the oil until soft and just starting to turn golden.

– Add the garlic and chill and cook until fragrant.

– Add the other spices and cook out for a minute or two.

– Pour in the splash of wine to deglaze the pan. Once the wine and reduced to almost nothing, stir in the tomato puree and again cook for a couple of minutes to get rid of any raw flavour.

– Pour in the beans, tinned tomatoes and stock. Season and cook for 10-15 minutes.

– Taste and adjust the seasoning. Add the sweetcorn and lime juice. Cook for another 5 minutes.

– Serve garnished with crushed tortilla chips, fresh coriander and an extra squeeze of lime.

May 12, 2014May 12, 2014

lucylox4 Comments

Mushrooms in Adobo Sauce

I think it’s the sudden chill in the air that has made us want to turn up the heat in our meals. Besides, D is a sucker for anything Mexican and a bit spicy. Warning though, this recipe is HOT, not one for the kids unless they have a more adventurous palate than mine do! You could use the basic adobo sauce in a number of ways, it worked well with these mushrooms, one vegetable that I wouldn’t always serve as part of a Mexican meal, so it’s nice to include them.

Mushrooms in Adobo Sauce (dairy-free, nut-free, sesame-free, soya-free, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan)