Spanish Tuesday

Well, I had to change my plans a little this week.....so Tuesday turned into the Spanish/Mexican day. And I think I may say that it all turned out a success. :)
For breakfast we had
Mexicana Brunch Pie

5 large eggs
2 Tbls. melted butter or margerine
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 ts. Baking powder
1 cup cream-style cottage cheese
8 oz. shredded Monterey Jack cheese (with peppers if you wish it to be spicier).
4.5 oz. chopped green chiles

Beat eggs, melted butter, flour, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until mixture is blended. (I used a hand-whip, I don't think it made that much of a difference.)
Stir in cottage cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, and chiles; pour mixture into a well-greased 9-inch pie plate.
Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 350 degrees, and bake 20 more minutes or until mixture is set. Cut into wedges. Yield: 8 servings.
(I added Canadian Bacon for a little more substance; of course that will change the nutrition facts.)
Nutrition facts: (this is for you, Ellen!) Per serving: calories-304; fat-22g; cholesterol-222mg; sodium-581mg.

Dinner was Spanish Quiche

3 7.5 inch flour tortillas
16 oz. Refried Beans
4 oz. diced green chiles
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/4 lb. reduced fat cheddar cheese, grated
7 eggs
1/4 cup skim milk
1/4 ts. paprika

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9-inch pie pan with non-stick cooking spray. Cut 2 tortillas in half and place each half in the pan so that the rounded edge is 1/4 inch above the rim. Place the remaining tortilla in the center of the pan. Spread beans over tortillas. Top with chiles, onions, and cheese. Mix eggs with milk and pour over top. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake 5o minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let sit for 10 minutes before cutting into 8 wedges. Yield: 8 servings.
Nutrition Facts: Per serving: calories-199.3; fat-10.6g; protein-12.9g; carbs-12.3; cholesterol-161mg; sodium-280 mg.

Corn Salad

2 cans white shoe-peg corn (I prefer the mexican-style, if you use that the tomato and green onions are optional)
1 med. tomato
green onions
2-3 heaping Tbls. Mayo
garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste.
Combine all ingredients and refrigerate overnight.

Spanish Rice

3 Tbls. vegetable oil
2 cups uncooked long-grain rice
2 large green peppers, chopped. (I didn't have any, so used 3 cayenne peppers, it definitely made it spicy!)
2 large stalks celery, chopped
2 med. onions; finely chopped
2 ts. cumin seeds, crushed
1-1 1/2 ts. salt
1 ts. chili powder
1/2 ts. pepper
1/4 ts. garlic powder
6 cups water
8 oz. tomato sauce
Heat oil over med-high heat in a heavy Dutch oven (if you don't have a Dutch oven, make do, I did!); add rice and next 8 ingredients to Dutch oven, and cook until rice is browned, stirring often.
Stir in water and tomato sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to med.; cover and cook 25 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Yield: 8 side-dish servings.
Nutrition Facts per serving: cal-266; fat-6.1g; chol-0mg; sodium-330mg.

Spicy Okra-Tomato-Corn Saute

1/2 sm. onion, chopped
1/2 Tbls. vegetable oil
16 oz. frozen okra, thawed (I used fresh, but then you have to cook it first)
1 cup corn
10 oz. Ro-Tel tomatoes & green chiles, undrained
1 ts. sugar
3/4 ts. salt
1/4 ts. pepper
Saute chopped onion in hot veg. oil in a large non-stick skillet over med-high heat 5 minutes or until tender. Add okra, cook, stirring ocasionally, 5 more minutes. Stir in corn and remaining ingredients, and cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Server immediately.

There was quite a bit of dinner conversation over this meal, and half of it was centered on the meal. If you like spicy, mexican type dishes, this is a must-go!