austin enchiladas

all summer i've been craving real austin enchiladas, the kind i used to get at polvo's. how to get around the dairy-free issue? well, i replaced the cheese with tofu sour cream, and added scallops for creaminess. so, here's my recipe for grilled scallop enchiladas with roasted poblano peppers, tofu-cilantro sour cream sauce, and blue corn tortillas. enjoy!

12 scallops
1 T olive oil
1 1/2 to 2 c. cooked, shredded chicken
12 small blue corn tortillas
2 small poblano peppers, sliced
1 small onion, sliced

for the tofu-cilantro sour cream:
1 block of mori-nu tofu, firm
2 T olive oil
1 1/2 t. rice vinegar
3 T lemon juice
1/2-3/4 c. cilantro leaves

for the salsa:
5-6 small tomatoes
1/4 of a red onion
1/2 c. of cilantro leaves
[OR 2 c. of red or green salsa]

sprinkle olive oil on the scallops. on an outdoor grill, cook the scallops for 2-3 minutes on each side. or, use the broiler and watch carefully. shred the meat from a leftover chicken breast or 2. meanwhile, sautee the poblanos and onion until browned.

in a blender or small food processor, whirl all ingredients for the tofu-cilantro sour cream and set aside. rinse out the bowl, and whirl all ingredients for the salsa. set aside.

in a 9"x13" pan, layer 1/2 the salsa (about 1 c.) and 6 tortillas to cover pan. evenly distribute the scallops and chicken over the tortillas, then cover with the poblanos and onions. spread all of the tofu-cilantro sour cream over this mixture, cover with 6 tortillas, and top with the remaining salsa (about 1 c.).

bake in a 350-degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until warm in the center. serve with black beans, rice, and extra salsa.

EDIT: you may have noticed that i didn't post a photo. that's because this is perhaps not as photogenic as a plate of trudy's enchiladas. but, what it lacks in aesthetics, it makes up for in deliciousness!

to top it all off, here's my new favorite treat. it's essentially a carob version of hot chocolate--any suggestions for a good name? hot carob sounds so flat, and my favorite idea--the frothy caribou--made mr. boot think of a sweaty moose. anyway, here it is in all its creamy, frothy goodness:

1/2 c. carob chips
1 T dark amber maple syrup
2 1/2 c. rice milk

melt chips and maple syrup in a small pot. whisk in the rice milk, allow to heat, and pour into mugs.

(this is especially for good crafternoon, who is quitting sugar! good for her!)

perfect rainy afternoon

scrabble and knitting! this is modulara's garter stitch bolero, with fronts and back kitchener-stitched together and stitches picked-up for one sleeve. yesterday's rain also inspired me finally to use all the arugula in the house to make arugula pesto. it's, um, kind of bitter. perhaps i'll add a few handfuls of basil when our plants get bigger later this summer, and that might make it sweeter? for now--it's going into the freezer. oh, and i won the above scrabble game with my 68-point, 7-letter word "roadies."

eating locally

greens from our CSA box, local corn, and local catfish! for the past few weeks, our box has included fresh garlic, strawberries, lettuces, arugula, and mixed greens--so many greens that we can't keep up! last week i used several types of greens in a huge salad for a potluck picnic. this week i plan to make arugula pesto and freeze it in batches. one of the contributors to the simply in season mennonite cookbook suggests eating greens only when they are in season. while i couldn't give up my daily greens, i do like to extend the season by freezing as much as i can for winter.

d. and i have been thinking about the historical-political implications of our dairy-free, sugar-free, alcohol-free (and now gluten-free) diet, which we have followed for about nine months. we no longer eat sugar or chocolate--which happen to be the key products of the slave trade, completing the europe-america-africa triangle. since european and american companies in africa, latin america, and the caribbean continue to exploit the workers in these industries, we feel pretty good about not supporting them. although i still daydream about hot chocolate.