Así es como mi papá lo hace

Much to my delight a lot of the foods I grew up with can be veganized with ease. Chilaquiles are deeply embedded in my soul along with memories of carne asada, machaca and nopales. Those last three will have their time in the spotlight in future posts. For now it's all about my dad's super-easy recipe for some Mexicali comfort food.




Hector's Chilaquiles

• 6 corn tortillas, sliced into chips or the equivalent in tortilla chips
• 1 8oz can tomato sauce
• up to 1/4 C water
• 1/4 C onions, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 ts cumin
• 1/4 ts paprika
• 1/4 ts dried oregano or 1 ts fresh oregano, chopped
  
• 2 TB oil
• salt & pepper to taste
• vegan cheese, as much as you like
• fresh cilantro, optional
  

Method

Over medium/high heat in a hot frying pan add oil, garlic and onions and saute for about 2 minutes. Add the cumin, paprika and oregano, then add the tortillas or chips and thoroughly mix in with the onions, garlic and spices. Cook for about 5-7 minutes or until the tortillas begin to lightly brown and crisp. Pour tomato sauce plus a small amount of water over tortillas and toss to coat chips evenly. Everything will be soggy at first, but continue cooking until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Add a little more water if chips seem too dry. Season with salt and pepper. Top with vegan cheese and fresh cilantro, and serve alongside tofu scramble with refried beans. If you want to get buck wild with this, you can use fancy stewed tomatoes with bell peppers, fresh diced tomatoes, chipotle peppers, etc. I like to keep it simple just like Dad.