– Quick N Easy Diet Mexican Recipe.

A QUICK N EASY MEXICAN MEAL

Huevos Rancheros or Ranch Eggs are a popular breakfast in the Americas. Huevos Rancheros / Ranch Eggs may be scrambled or cooked whole on the sauce or served fried on the sauce. To look at the dish reminds one of the Parsi Kanda-tamota Per Eedu but tastes wholly different.

SERVES 6

THE SAUCE:

2 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil;

3 large finely chopped onions;

1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic;

5 medium-sized tomatoes, peeled, seeded and finely chopped, or substitute 3 pint canned plum tomatoes, drained and chopped;

3 canned: Serrano chillies, drained, rinsed in cold water and finely chopped OR for a quicker meal use CHILLY POWDER OR FLAKES;

3 teaspoon sugar;

A flat teaspoon salt;

Freshly ground black pepper;

• tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander (cilantro);

12 Fresh tortillas or ready to eat tortillas bought off the shelf;

Oil to fry tortillas (OPTIONAL);

2 tablespoons butter (OPTIONAL);

12 eggs;

1 large ripe avocado, peeled, stoned and diced.

COOK:

1. Heat 1 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large heavy saucepan over a moderate heat until a light haze forms above it.
2. Add the onions and garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes, until the onions are soft and transparent, PINK but not golden.
3. Stir in the tomatoes, chillies, sugar, salt to taste and a few grindings of black pepper.
4. When the mixture comes to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, or until most of the tomato juice has evaporated and the sauce is a thick smooth purée. Then add the coriander, turn off the heat, and cover the pan to keep the sauce warm.

READY THE TORTILLAS:

1. Take a heavy frying pan.
2. Heat 5 teaspoons of the oil in the frying pan over a high heat until a light haze forms above it.
3. Taking one at a time, fry each of the tortillas for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, or until they are slightly golden, (adding more oil 1 or 2 teaspoons at a time as and when necessary).
4. As you go on, transfer the golden fried tortillas to drain, onto a thick kitchen paper.

OR

Crisp up each tortilla on a hot griddle (this takes longer than frying);

OR

Toast each tortilla to a crisp.

OR

You may use the tortillas cooked but soft. Depending on your taste.

SERVING:

1. Place 2 golden fried and drained tortilla side by side on 6 separate plates.
2. Fry the eggs in butter/oil/preferred cooking medium in batches of six.
3. If frying in butter, heat the pan on moderate heat, add butter, let it melt, WAIT till foam subsides, then break the eggs into the pan.
4. If frying in oil, heat the oil on high heat and directly break the eggs into the pan and lower the heat.
5. Cook eggs till the whites are set and the yolks are still soft.
6. DO NOT LET THE WHITES BECOME CRISP. If there is danger of the whites becoming crisp, lower the heat further or lift the pan off the fire for a while.
7. Separate the eggs with a fish slicer.
8. Taking care not to break the yolk, carefully lift eggs, one at a time, and place on one tortilla each.
9. Spoon a 1 inch ring of the hot sauce around each egg.
10. Garnish with finely chopped fresh cilantro/coriander leaves and bits of Avocado.
11. Serve the extra/ remaining sauce in a separate bowl.

The way I personally prefer to serve these eggs surrounded by the hot sauce is to place them on soft tortillas and to add a dollop of butter on the eggs, sauce and tortilla while still hot. The butter as it melts infusing the sauce and flavouring the tortillas is absolutely delicious!

Beetroot salad (Rodbettor Salad) is quick and easy Swedish Salad, an absolutely delicious diet recipe for the first time cooks. Every time I have served it, it has been a resounding success and it so easy to make. There are many variations of this salad (given at the end), BUT this is my favourite.

Goes with everything; especially well with curries, hot spicy food, roasts, fish dishes and cold meat. It is a Great addition to your meal or accompaniment to your sandwich.

Serves: Two persons
Actual salad making time: 5 minutes
Preparation Time: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

RADISH

HORSE RADISH

Beetroots 4;

Horse Radish 1 or radish 4;

Lime juice of ½ lime;
Salt to taste;
Pepper to taste;
A pot full of water for boiling.

MAKING THE SALAD:

Julienne the radish (as in the instructions below)

Add salt, pepper and juice of ½ a lime and mix

Dice the boiled beetroot (instructions for boiling, below)

Mix the diced beetroot and julienned radish in a bowl.

Cover the bowl and chill. Serve.

HOW TO COOK THE BEETROOT AND PREPARE RADISH:

1. Take 5 moderate size beetroots. Avoid very large ones as they could be fibrous and thus spoil your dish and are hard to cook.

2. Cut off the stalks and leaves, if any. Leave the skin on.

3. Put the beetroot in a large boiling pot; fill with enough water to stand an inch or two above the beetroot. Add a pinch of sugar or 1//2 tea spoon of jagary or any other natural sugar. Place the pot on a high flame to boil. (If you have an electric steamer, steam the beetroot. It tastes a 100 times better).

4. In the mean time, scrape the upper surface of the radish to clean it.

5. Then halve it round the middle. Further, Cut the two halves length wise. You now have 4 pieces. Cut all four into thin strips (juliennes), as fine as possible.

6. Squeeze the juice of 1 lime on it, add a sprinkling of a couple of pinches of salt and pepper, mix and leave aside.

7. Now, check to see if the beetroot is done. To check whether the beetroot is fully cooked, poke the beetroot with a knife. The knife must easily slide all the way in without having to force it at any stage.

8. Once the beetroot is well cooked, remove the pot from the flame. Spoon out the beetroot and let it cool.

9. Once cool, peel the beetroot and dice then bright red flesh into your salad bowl.

10. Taste the radish you had put aside. Adjust seasoning (Taste for salt n pepper)

11. Add the radish juliennes to the diced beetroot.

12. Mix, chill and serve.

ALTERNATE RECIPES:

You can replace:

The boiled and diced beetroot by pickled beetroot. This is acceptable all over Europe. In this case eliminate the lime juice from the above recipe as the pickled beetroot is sour enough;
Or
The radish with red onions;
Or
Lime juice with your favourite vinegar;

OR
Dress the salad with one table spoon each of crème fraiche and mayonnaise or to your taste;

OR
You can add:
Or
Green apples to the salad; again reduce or eliminate the lime juice. The apples are tart;
Or
Pickled gherkins and dill; again eliminate the lime juice;
Or
A spoon of Dijon Mustard, (remember it is sour) chopped chives and dill.