Booze beans and eggs

3 large celery stalks, plus additional stalks for serving

3 teaspoons prepared horseradish

2 teaspoons grated yellow onion

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons) I didn’t have lemons so I used orange juice.

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon celery salt I only have celery seed which I ground up in a mortar and pestle.

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt I only have sea salt.  I also used more salt because the canned tomatoes I used have less salt than processed tomato juice.  I adjusted the salt at the end.

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco, or to taste

1 (46 ounce) can Sacramento tomato juice I made a half batch and used two 14 ounce cans of diced tomatoes.  One was no salt one had salt. I used 1/2 of all ingredients.  I pureed the canned tomatoes before adding them to the pitcher.

2 cups vodka I used tequila and didn’t add it to the mix.  I made each drink separately.

Cut the celery in large dice, including the leaves, and puree in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the horseradish, onion, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, celery salt, kosher salt, and Tabasco and puree it again. Pour the tomato juice into a 2 1/2-quart container, stir in the celery and seasonings mixture, then add the vodka and chill. Place a few ice cubes in each glass, pour in the Bloody Mary mixture, and garnish with a celery stick.

This makes the drink a little crunchy but it’s tasty and healthy!

Make due with what you have or can find.  I just ground this up in a mortar and pestle.

I blended up the canned diced tomatoes separately before adding to this base.

I don’t add the booze at this point. I make each drink separately. Then you can freeze the left over mix as ice cubes.

Add booze and ice.

Booze beans and eggs – Huevo(s) rancheros

This recipe can’t cost even a dollar per serving if you don’t use meat.  Huevos rancheros are usually a spicy saucy, sometimes with meat like chorizo in it, topped with a crispy corn tortilla.  On top of the tortilla is more spicy sauce and then a fried egg.  I’ve never bothered making a sauce I use canned refried beans in place of sauce.  I make mine with jazzed up refried beans on the bottom, a crispy tortilla, more refried beans spread over the tortilla and then a scrambled egg and some more jarred salsa.  You can also add any vegetables you have laying around.  In this case I added some leftover canned fire roasted tomatoes on the side.

Jazzing up refried beans.

I always add Frontera Salsa to canned refried beans or when I mash canned beans. Then I add some shredded cheese of your choice.  Stir, microwave and eat or use in a recipe.  Just don’t add so much salsa that the beans are runny.  I usually stock the Frontera Guajillo and Mexicana salsas (both medium heat). Once you open the jar the salsa doesn’t stay fresh for long because it isn’t loaded with preservatives. I either use the balance of the jar to make ground beef tacos (which I freeze in small servings) or I freeze the rest in a couple of snack size zip top bags and use it to make beans later.

Jazz up canned beans with some jarred salsa and the cheese of your choice. Stir and microwave until blended.

Crispy tortilla

I place a corn tortilla on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and lightly brush both side with vege or canola oil and bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Place some jazzed up beans on the bottom of the serving dish.

Add a crispy tortilla and more beans.

Top with egg and any veges you have lying around. I used some canned fire roasted tomatoes and jalapeno slices.

How to freeze tortillas

If you want to freeze corn or flour tortillas and be able to use one or only a few at a time you need to freeze them with either parchment paper or wax paper ( I always use parchment paper) between each tortilla.  Then put them in a large zip top,  When you want some just open the bag and pull out what you need.  Voila.  I reuse the parchment paper to either bake a tortilla on or when I freeze a new bag of tortillas.  Just leave the old sheets in the bag in the freezer.  Initially you will have to cut out sheets that are the size of your tortilla.  You will be left with narrow strips of parchment paper.  I use those also to line baking trays when I’m freezing something like tablespoons of tomato paste, chipotle in adobo, tomato paste, grated ginger etc.  Keep them in a zip top back with your parchment paper.

Corn tortillas frozen with parchment paper between each tortilla.

Booze beans and eggs – Quick Chilaquiles – Rick Bayless

This recipe can’t cost even a dollar per serving.  I substitute beans and eggs for meat.   Mr Bayless’ recipe probably makes four servings.  I cut it in half and it made three small servings.  Chilaquiles are a recipe created to use up left over sauce and tortillas.