Not that there aren't a bizzillion other places where you can find awesome eats but the point of this blog was to kinda show you where we are in terms of our eating habits and what changes we're making.
Currently with my laptop out of commission I don't want to take over Abels laptop 24/7 drafting recipes and cluttering it up with food photos. Truth be told, as the weeks are going by, its already starting to happen so the only thing to do is to start sharing more of our eats with you guys, regardless of my culinary amateur abilities.
There are a few recipes from the Vegetarian Times that I have been meaning to try but their Spanish White Bean Tortilla with Piri-Piri sauce was on top of the list. As we made out our menu for the week on Sunday, we had deemed Thursday night to be the night we introduce our tastebuds to this interesting "piri-piri" sauce.
Funny thing, when I jotted down the recipe title I had assumed it actually involved tortillas. I figured, a casserole of some sort perhaps, right?
Even looking at the exquisitely beautiful photo in their magazine wasn't enough for me to realize I was mistaken. In my mind I had already decided I was going to ditch the casserole and make this dish into tacos instead... I even wrote the word "tacos" on a recipe card for our menu board.
Silly, silly me.... I was completely oblivious to the fact that Spanish tortillas aren't tortillas as we know them at all -- they are more along the lines of a frittata.
Feeling slightly disappointed (because I really wanted tacos) I was about ready to ditch the idea altogether and return the recipe to the "another day" pile.
Luckily curiosity got the better of me and I kept to the original menu.
My decision was only further reinforced when low and behold I went to check out one of my favorite recipe blogs that very day and there it was. The same dish we were destined to eat for dinner over at Caras Cravings.
Being such a newbie to the cooking world I geeked out a little because this had to have been a sign from the culinary Gods. A sign that said this dish was going to be amazeballs.
Not that Cara is the end all be all in tastes (or anyone for that matter) but you know, I'm a geek and I geek out. Its just a fact.
I was also a little more at ease because she laid it all out there in a better way than I currently have the abilities to. The recipe I am providing below is what I did for two servings. It doesn't differ very much from Caras except that she used red pepper flakes while we stuck to the original cayenne. We both also had the same idea along the lines of adding greens to the mix though we used spinach and she used swiss chard.
The recipe below is, as I mentioned, the way I made it for a mere two servings. To see the full version (serves 6) recipe and a much more appetizing photo of this very dish check out Caras Cravings. You'll note there is a dry spice mix to make before making the piri-piri sauce but for the love of all things delicious, don't let that deter you because it really doesn't take much time nor effort.
Spanish White Bean Tortilla w/Piri-Piri Sauce
(serves 2)
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| Spanish White Bean Tortilla with Piri-Piri Sauce |
Piri-Piri dry mix:
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp pepper
-(the original recipe does call for salt but we made the omission and didnt miss a thing)
Piri-Piri Sauce:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp piri-piri dry mix-Whisk ingredients together in a small saucepan set over high heat until it comes to a boil (this should happen rather quickly less than 2 mins). Set aside and let cool. This is obviously a tiny amount of sauce so feel free to up the quantities to make more. I set mine on the stovetop in a tiny frying pan to boil and it was just enough for the two of us.
"Tortilla":
2 eggs
1 tbsp parsley
1/4 cup onion
1/4 cup white beans (we used great northern beans)
1tsp piri-piri dry spice mixture
1/2 red roasted bell pepper
In small bowl, whisk eggs with parsley. Set aside.
For anyone following the SASS 5-piece puzzle food strategy, you'll note this dish doesn't incorporate all the required vegetables which is why we served it with a side salad. There are also no grains and slightly more from the "proteins" category than what Cynthia recommends but it was quite filling and we were just fine sans the grain. I do admit though, the thought of this sauce spilling into some delicious quinoa makes my mouth water.
My apologies for the long read, I promise as time goes by I will learn to paraphrase and just get to the recipe from the start ;0)
Everyone enjoy the weekend!!
1 tbsp piri-piri dry mix-Whisk ingredients together in a small saucepan set over high heat until it comes to a boil (this should happen rather quickly less than 2 mins). Set aside and let cool. This is obviously a tiny amount of sauce so feel free to up the quantities to make more. I set mine on the stovetop in a tiny frying pan to boil and it was just enough for the two of us.
"Tortilla":
2 eggs
1 tbsp parsley
1/4 cup onion
1/4 cup white beans (we used great northern beans)
1tsp piri-piri dry spice mixture
1/2 red roasted bell pepper
In small bowl, whisk eggs with parsley. Set aside.
- Saute onion and spinach together in a skillet until spinach begins to wilt. We used a non stick cooking spray though feel free to use olive oil or veggie broth. Considering the sauce already has our alotted olive oil, I decided against using any more.
- Add beans and a teaspoon of piri-piri dry spice mix and stir as beans get coated with the spices. Add in the egg mixture and cook for 2-3 minutes, lifting and stirring to allow for even cooking.
- Cover and reduce the heat to low until egg is cooked through. Divide into two portions, plate and garnish with strips of roasted red peppers. Serve the piri-piri sauce on the side or simply drizzle atop the finished dish as we did.
For anyone following the SASS 5-piece puzzle food strategy, you'll note this dish doesn't incorporate all the required vegetables which is why we served it with a side salad. There are also no grains and slightly more from the "proteins" category than what Cynthia recommends but it was quite filling and we were just fine sans the grain. I do admit though, the thought of this sauce spilling into some delicious quinoa makes my mouth water.
My apologies for the long read, I promise as time goes by I will learn to paraphrase and just get to the recipe from the start ;0)
Everyone enjoy the weekend!!
