Tex Mex Night is a Homerun

So last night I made the most well received meal I've created in a LONG time. It was one of those nights that I made all these new things, and everyone was running every which way and, unfortunately, when it was all ready to be served, we all had to be somewhere else BUT we heated it up in the microwave when we got home (at 8:30 pm) and had a metropolitan late night dinner, and everyone -- pretty much -- cleaned their plate.

I grilled chicken breasts, I made a sour cream/lime sauce (from Southern Living, March 2008) to go with that, I made black beans (also Southern Living, March 2008) and I made rice from a recipe I found on the internet that was credited to the Chipolte Grill.

My pickiest customer (Kate) gave it rave reviews.

Here are the recipes:

Cheesy Black Bean Mash
2 (15-oz.) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1/ cup vegetable broth
1 small onion, chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Mexican four-cheese blend


Preparation
1. Process beans and broth in a food processor 10 to 15 seconds or until smooth.
2. Sauté onion and jalapeño pepper in hot oil in a large skillet 4 to 5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Add black bean puree and salt, stirring until blended. Cook, stirring frequently, 3 minutes or until bean mixture is thoroughly heated. Stir in cheese until melted. Serve immediately.

Yield
Makes 4 to 6 servings

Creamy Lime Sauce
Ingredients
1 cup light sour cream
1 tablespoon lime zest
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper


Preparation
1. Stir together 1 cup light sour cream and remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Serve immediately, or cover and chill up to 3 days.
Yield
Makes about 1 cup

Southern Living, MARCH 2008

Chipolte's Basmati Rice
1 teaspoon vegetable oil or butter
2 tsp. fresh cilantro
2/3 cup white basmati rice
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Lime

In a 2-quart heavy saucepan, heat oil or butter over low heat,
stirring occasionally until melted. Add rice and lime juice, stir for
1 minute. Add water and salt, bring to a full rolling boil. At
boiling, cover, turn down to simmer over low heat until rice is tender
and the water is absorbed, about 25 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork.

[bahs-MAH-tee]
Basmati is a long-grained rice, with a fine texture. It can be found
in Middle Eastern and India markets, as well as some supermarkets.


The source of these recipes is attributed to Chipolte's Executive Chef
(and CEO), Steve Ellis.