Viva la Organic Tortilla!

This post was originally published by Barbara Freiner at www.organicauthority.com
According to a recent report by Scripps Howard News Service, Mexican food is poised to become America’s favorite ethnic cuisine. Reporter Lance Gay writes that we eat four times more Mexican food than we did 20 years ago, and salsa sales are trouncing ketchup. Tortillas are replacing bread as consumers choose wraps and burritos over sandwiches. Tortilla sales, in fact, are 200% higher than they were a decade ago.

This is great news for organic food shoppers, who are finding a much wider variety of fresh chili peppers, salsas, guacamoles and tortillas at local organic and natural food stores.

Gay also notes that Mexican food has almost doubled in popularity among Americans who cook regularly (from 44% in 1985 to 86% in 2003—statistics provided by the Institute of Food Technologists). This homemade fare, which features vegetables and other fresh ingredients, is much more healthful than the cuisine enjoyed at many mainstream Mexican restaurants, whose chefs often rely on lard, entrees that overflow with cheese and the allure of huge portions.

Ironically, as more Hispanics become U.S. residents, their eating habits shift dramatically as they embrace the far-from-healthy standard American diet: frozen meals, salty snacks, junk food and other high-fat fare. They are prime candidates to embrace organic living!

Chilaquiles

Chilaquiles (chee-lah-KEE-lehs) is a typical Mexican dish used mainly for breakfast. They’re easy, practical and delicious!!

INGREDIENTS
4 bonless, skinless chicken breasts
1 onion, quartered
2 cloves of garlic
2 onions
1 garlic
12 tomatoes peeled and seeded
1 tablespoon cilantro
salt and pepper, to taste
1 green chili seeded (optional. Only if you want to make it hot)
4 ORGANIC CORN TORTILLAS SIKANDA
sour cream
½ pound Oaxaca cheese, if you cannot find it you can use manchego or mozzarella

PREPARATION
· Cook chicken with a little water, pinch of salt, quartered onion and 2 cloves of garlic. Cover and slowly cook over medium heat. You are basically steaming the meat.
· Cook until the chicken is cooked through and tender. Put chicken on a plate and let it cool for a while until you can shred it in very small pieces with your hands or a fork.
· Throw out the garlic and onion. They were only used to add additional flavor. · Purée onion, garlic, tomatoes, cilantro and green chili (optional) in blender to make a sauce.
· Add olive oil to a pan and cook the sauce over medium heat for 10 minutes. The sauce will change color.
· Taste and season with salt and pepper.
· Add the shredded chicken back to the sauce, lower heat and cook for a few minutes so the shredded chicken can absorb some of the flavors from the tomato sauce. Don't let the sauce cook to long. You don't want the chicken to dry out.
· Cut up then tortillas into strips.
· Deep fry them until they are crisp, remove and place them on sheets of paper towels to remove excess oil .
· Assamble the chilaquiles like a lasagna. Layer the following:
1 - A layer of tortillas. 2 - A layer of chicken in sauce. 3 - A few spots of sour cream 4 - Cheese on top
· Repeat by doing the same for next layer and finish with cheese and some sour cream. · Cook in the oven approximately 45 minutes at 335 degrees F. Serve with chopped onion and fresh cheese on top. Complement with refired beans on the side.

Tortilla soup

Ingredients:

1 onion, halved
6 cloves of garlic
6 large ripe tomatoes
10 cups of chicken stock
2 tbsp oil
4 springs of epazote
10 ORGANIC CORN TORTILLAS, cut into strips
6 pasilla chiles, seeds removed and cut into ½ (1 cm) rings
4 avocados. Peeled, pitted and sliced or chopped
8 oz fresh cheese or feta cheese, crumbled
5 limes, halved
Sour cream (optional)

Preparation:

• Roast onion, garlic and tomatoes on griddle or in hot oven until outer layers are charred; peel outer layer of onion, garlic, and peel and seed tomatoes.
• Purée in blender, adding a little chick stock if necessary.
• Heat oil in stockpot and sauté purée over high heat. Boil for 2 minutes; reduce heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 5-10 minutes until purée thickens and changes color. Add remaining chicken stock and epazote. Return to boil; season to taste and cook, covered, over medium heat for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, fry tortilla strips in oil for about 3 minutes or until golden, stirring occasionally. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
• Divide tortilla strips among individual bowls. Add broth, and garnish each serving with a few chile rings and some avocado. Sprinkle with cheese. Pass cream, lime halves, remaining chile rings and avocado slices separately.