Salsa de Chile de Árbol

Since I'm too tired to go to my spinning class today, I'm taking some time to update this thing !

Anyway, chile de árbol rocks !

This prehispanic chile isn't the most spicy of all chiles, but I still had to use canned diced tomatoes to make the sauce more "mild" (I'm using quotation marks because it may be super spicy for many).
If you can't handle too much spiciness, I'd recommend using more guajillo chiles and less chiles de árbol.

Well, here's the recipe.
(OMG, I just noticed that this recipe is pretty similar to the red chile sauce in Viva Vegan [if you don't have that cookbook, you should get it as soon as possible!]; if you like that salsa, you will probably like this one too : ) it probably is a lot spicier than that one, though).

Ingredients:

20 dried de árbol chiles, stems removed
2 large dried guajillo chiles, stems removed

1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. minced garlic
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
1 tbsp. mexican orégano

2/3 cup water
Salt and/or veggie bouillon powder to taste


Heat a skillet or comal and toast the chiles until fragant, they should look like these, but feel free to toast them more or less.

Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the garlic; let it brown a little and then add the diced tomatoes and the orégano.
Let it simmer if it's liquid-y.

Once the tomato mix is a little drier, blend the hell out of it along with the chiles and the remaining ingredients.

I poured some over broccoli and black beans with nooch, woo. It was awesome.

Black beans, broccoli, pan-fried plantains and a baked tostada

Rajas de chile poblano con tomate y cebolla

Oh Hello there !

This semester's end is near, WOOHOO !

Well, yeah... I see that many people in the U.S. celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Why ?
To be honest, I'm not sure.

-Apparently- Wikipedia has the answer, though:

According to a paper published by the UCLA Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture about the origin of the observance of Cinco de Mayo in the United States, the modern American focus on that day first started in California in the 1860s in response to the resistance to French rule in Mexico. The 2007 paper notes that "The holiday, which has been celebrated in California continuously since 1863, is virtually ignored in Mexico."

Anyway !
I'm using this holiday as an excuse to post a recipe. A simple one.

Ingredients:

2 tsp vegan margarine
1/2 medium white onion - sliced, then halved

Few tbsp water
1 can diced tomatoes and chilies (I used the small Rotel can)
2 or 3 minced garlic cloves
1 1/4 cup (approx.) poblano chile strips [I used store bought]

2 pinches ground cumin
Salt to taste

Melt the margarine in a medium-sized pan.
Sautée the onion and add 3 or 4 tablespoons of water to cook them and to avoid adding more fat (hehe).
Once the onion strips are caramelized, add the diced tomatoes, cumin and garlic. Mix a bit.
Add the poblano chile strips, stir sand let the thing reduce.

Sprinkle all the salt you want, stir again and serrrve.

I had my rajas with fat-free "refried" bayo beans with some daiya sprinkled on top and two tortillas.
I may or may not include instructions to roast, peel and cut your poblano chiles (sorry I'm hella tired right now !).

: D