Breakfast Quesadillas with Casamiento (aka Gallo Pinto)

2 eggs

4 tortillas

2 tablespoons butter

Pico de gallo

Left oer rice and beans (about a 1/2 cup of beans and a cup of rice)

Shredded cheese

Salt and Pepper

Garlic powder

Casamiento (also known as Gallo Pinto) is a great way to use up left over rice and beans. It is served typically for breakfast, but I have eaten it at all times of the day.

Casamiento means marriage and it refers to the joining together of black beans and white rice. In Costa Rica, this is also called Gallo Pinto. Different places have different names for variations on this same dish. 

Super easy and quick, you need one egg per person you are feeding. 

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a pan and add pico de gallo. You can use as much as you'd like. Let the pico cook for a few minutes. 

Add left over beans and rice. 

Stir. Add salt, pepper and garlic powder. Stir and let it cook on low heat while you're making the eggs. 

For the eggs, you can make regular scrambled eggs. This morning, I made a kind of omelet that I cut up. I started by melting 1 tablespoon of butter in a pan. 

I cracked two eggs in a bowl and added milk, salt, pepper and garlic powder. The milk helps to make the eggs fluffy. You can use water if you don't have milk. Scramble the eggs. 

When the butter melts in the pan, add the eggs. Tilt the pan back and forth so the egg covers the entire bottom of the pan. 

Flip the egg over and cook the other side. 

Chop up the eggs. You will divide this into four portions to make the four quesadillas. Set the eggs aside.

Heat a tortilla in a pan on one side. 

Flip the tortilla over and add shredded cheese. When the cheese starts to melt, add some egg. 

Fold the tortilla in half and keep it warm in a comal or wrap it in a clean dish rag. 

Serve two quesadillas per person with a scoop of the Casamiento. 

To make the Casamiento hold it's shape, fill a measuring cup with the mixture and then turn it over onto the plate. 

Enjoy!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1/2 large onion

1/2 bell pepper

cilantro

1 serrano pepper

1 large or 2 small tomatoes

1 can of mexi-corn (corn with bell peppers)

1 - 2 chicken breasts (cooked) - omit this and add beans if you want to make this vegetarian. 

Tortilla soup spice mix

Water

Shredded cheese (I like manchego)

1/2 lime

crushed tortilla chips

I love this for the end of the week when I need to use up left-over ingredients. Super fast and delicious. Be careful how much of the seasoning package you use, as it is very high in sodium. I use about half of the recommended amount. 

In a large pot, heat oil. Add onion and bell pepper. 

Chop the tomatoes. I use a serrated knife for this. Add tomatoes to the pot. 

Carefully remove seeds from serrano pepper. I enjoy this soup as flavorful and a little spicy. If you can't handle the spice, omit the serrano all together. If you are insane about spice, leave the seeds in - at your own risk. 

Some people wear laytex gloves while dealing with the pepper. I wash my hands immediately after handling it. Whatever you do, don't deal with the pepper and then touch your eyes. You'll be sorry. 

Chop the pepper.

Add the pepper and cilantro to the pot. 

Stir and then add the can of corn. 

Slice the chicken breasts into long strips. Add to the pot. 

Add the seasoning to the pot. You don't need to add all of it to make it flavorful. Be sure to check out how much sodium is in your seasoning. 

Stir. 

Add water to cover the ingeridents. 

Cover with a lid and let it boil for 15 minutes. 

In the bowls you will serve the soup in, add shredded cheese to the bottom of the bowl. This way, when the hot soup is added, the cheese will melt and be a delicious surprise at the bottom. 

Ladle the soup into the bowls. Squeeze lime juice on top and then add the crushed tortilla chips. 

Enjoy! 

2-Step Guacamole

1 avocado
1 tablespoon pico de gallo
Salt and pepper

Cannot get any easier or yummier than this! I use pico from HEB that is already prepared but fresh. If I happen to have a fresh lime, I squeeze the juice on the finished product.

In a bowl, add pico.

Add avocado, salt and pepper.

Smash with a fork.

Enjoy!