Cooking when guests are over has become tricky with Surya around.  She loves to be in the kitchen, clinging to my legs and wanting to be picked up.  It’s hard to keep chopping onions when an adorable 2.5 feet tall little cutie pie is dying for you to pick her up and cuddle.  So you cave, bend down, scoop her up and try to multitask.  The quality of my cooking at this point greatly diminishes.

We had friends over brunch recently and one asked if I could make huevos rancheros.  It was hard to say no.  She said my huevos rancheros was really good.  I was a victim of flattery.  I knew that with Surya underfoot, I would never be able to make and plate huevos rancheros for all.  Plus, I no longer eat eggs so was planning to also make nutella ricotta pancakes in addition, which I needed time for as well.

I thought “Why not throw it into a frittata that could go into the oven without much fuss?”  What the heck.  I figured I would give it a try.  Since I’m off of eggs, I didn’t actually taste the frittata.  But considering I was barely able to snap one photo of the frittata (which was only being shared by three people), I think it’s a sign that it’s a winner.

Huevos Rancheros Frittata

Frittatas are great for brunch because you can do most of the prep work ahead of time.  Cook the bean-tomato mixture ahead of time and mix with the eggs and bake when your guests arrive.  By the time you finish catching up with them, the frittata is ready to serve – nice and hot.

Ingredients:

1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
1 28 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
2 handfuls of cilantro, washed and chopped
About 1/4 cup feta cheese or queso fresco, crumbled
1 packet Mexican taco/fajita/chili seasoning (they are all pretty much the same)
8-9 eggs
2 teaspoons milk
Salt to taste
Salsa

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

1. Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a wide skillet.  Add the onion and cook for about 8-10 minutes until glassy.  Add the garlic and pepper and cook for a few more minutes until the garlic is soft but not golden.

2. Add the beans and tomatoes.  Cook for about 15 minutes on medium heat until the liquid from the tomatoes has mostly evaporated.  Stir in the Mexican seasoning and salt (about 2 teaspoons).  Stir in most of the cilantro (keep a little pinch for garnishing the top of the frittata).

3. Crack 8-9 eggs in a large mixing bowl and whisk until yolks and whites are mixed.  Stir in the bean-tomato mixture, milk and the feta cheese (keep a little feta cheese for garnishing on top of the frittata).

4. Oil a pie dish.  Place the dish on a cookie tray and then pour the egg-bean-tomatoe mixture in.  This will make it easier to clean up and egg spills.

5. Bake on 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes until the eggs look set.  Sprinkle remaining cheese and cilantro on top and bake for a few more minutes (or turn the oven off and just close the door for a few minutes).

Slice the frittata like a pie and serve hot with salsa and tabasco sauce. 

Also, a little shout out here to Brooklyn Salsa Company.  A friend invited us over to taste these a few months ago.  I was immediately moved by the fact that they have a curry flavored salsa (interestly called The Bronx and not The Queens).  Their salsas are locally sourced, fresh and delicious.  My favorite is The Staten Island, Golden Tomatillo Verde.

A little something sweet to start your week off.  Yes, even we stop with the spicy and savory for the occasional sweet treat.  Moist whole wheat muffins studded with sweet cinnamon spiced apples and crunchy nuggets of pecans topped with brown sugar.  The perfect treat with a cup of chai on a cold, rainy day.

I made a batch of a dozen last night using this recipe from Smitten Kitchen.  The only change I made was to use half of the butter Deb called for (I used 1/2 a stick), and I added one-fourth a cup of chopped pecans for texture.  Also, I used Siggi’s Strained Vanilla Non-fat Yogurt.  It’s an easy to follow, no stand mixer required recipe that even a non-baker like me can make!

Cinnamon Apple Pecan Muffins (from Smitten Kitchen)

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 egg
1 and 1/2 cups strained yogurt
2 apples, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 450°F. In a small mixing bowl, mix together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.  In a larger mixing bowl, cream the butter and add the sugar and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar. Beat until fluffy then add the egg and mix well. Mix in the yogurt.  Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the apple chunks and pecans.

Drop muffin cups into a muffin tin.  Divide the batter evenly among the cups.  The muffins will not rise much so fill the cups to the top.  Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar on top of the muffins.  Bake for 10 minutes, turn the heat down to 400°F and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes until golden, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.  Wait 5 minutes then turn the muffins out onto a plate or a wire rack to cool.

My mom has had me on a strict “baby friendly” diet ever since Surya arrived.  There’s a whole laundry list of foods that should apparently be avoided while nursing.  The list is in part derived from the internet and by way of word of mouth from my aunties in India.  I’m just thankful to have my mom cooking for me so I haven’t really complained much.  Plus, Rajat and I are a big fan of whatever might help keep Surya calm during the night.

Potatoes sadly made their way onto her list of no-no’s.  So please, for me, have these skillet potatoes with mojo de ajo this weekend.

For the last few months, I’ve been doing two new things. One, I’ve been eating breakfast at home.  <Baby, you’re welcome.>  Two, I’ve been reading cookbooks and cooking magazines while I eat breakfast.  An odd way to start off the day?  Maybe.  For some.  But I love it.  It helps me brainstorm ideas for dinner.  Although I’ve been told that it’s abnormal to think about dinner before 10 am.  I find this hard to believe.  What time do ‘normal’ people start thinking about dinner?  I am almost always thinking about dinner.  Or lunch.

Martha Stewart Living from June 2009 kept finding its way into my breakfast reading rotation.  And I kept going off to work salivating over Martha’s description of mojo de ajo, a garlic oil sauce with lime juice and hot pepper.  Martha’s recipe is for making mojo de ajo to top off chicken fajitas.  I contemplated concocting vegetarian fajitas with mojo de ajo but honestly I’m too lazy for fajitas.  The at-the-table-self-assembly process is too much for me.

So, I made a batch of mojo de ajo and drizzled a generous amount over potatoes that had been cooked until they were melt-in-your-mouth soft with green bellpeppers and onions for an earthy balance.  Be forewarned – mojo de ajo’s garlicky-lime-chili pepper kick is addictive.