Refried Beans

Ingredients

• Pinto beans
• Water
• Salt
• Onion
• Chile serrano
• Queso seco

Preparation

Wash beans thoroughly.

Cook in pot, preferably a pressure cooker. If you don't use a pressure cooker, soak beans overnight. Add salt before cooking.

Once beans are cooked, on a flat pan add some oil (to taste).

Chop onion and chile and saute on pan.

Add beans (without liquid).

Use a tool to mash the beans.

Mash thoroughly.

Enjoy as a side dish. Add Mexican queso fresco o queso seco,

Makes a great side dish for chilaquiles verdes

Gallo Pinto

Ingredients

• Black beans
• Rice
• Onion
• Serrano chilly
• Ginger
• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic
• Chilero sauce, habanero sauce or other hot sauce.

Preparation

Inspired from a trip to Costa Rica where we ate it everyday! Wash black beans thoroughly. Soak for a couple of hrs or over night. If not soaked, use a pressure cooker. Boil black beans with water and salt. Add three times as much water as beans.

Chop half an onion, one clove of garlic and one Serrano chilly and some ginger.

Brown on pot with some olive oil.

Add steamed rice. Use a rice cooker to cook rice or use a large bowl and microwave for 15 minutes at high temperature. Add twice as much water than rice when cooking regardless if using a pot, rice cooker or microwave.

Add salt and pepper.

Add cooked black beans without bean liquid.

Add bean liquid if needed to make soft (not too liquid).

Garnish with cilantro.

Enjoy as a side dish with chilero sauce - must have!

Shrimp Paella

Ingredients:

• Tomatoes
• Serrano chiles
• Onion
• Raw shrimp/vegetarian without shrimp
• Peas
• Tumeric Powder
• Garlic
• Salt
• White wine
• Rice

Preparation

Finely chop tomatoes, onion and chiles.
 

Stir fry onion until brown.

Add tomato and chiles.

Add garlic powder, salt and tumeric powder.

Add white wine.

Add raw rice. Let it boil for 10 minutes or until rice is a bit tender.

Add raw frozen shrimp.

Add peas.

Enjoy!