RECIPE: HUEVOS RANCHEROS

Serves 4

28 oz. can plum tomatoes, lightly drained

2-5 serrano peppers, depending on your spiciness preference, stemmed and coarsely chopped

1/2 small yellow or white onion, chopped

1 large clove garlic, chopped

1 tbsp. canola oil

Salt to taste

Refried Black Beans (recipe below)

4 eggs

2 tbsp. feta cheese, crumbled

Tortilla chips*

 

To make sauce: place tomates, serranos, onion, and garlic in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil over medium-high heat. When very hot, add the sauce (which will sizzle) and cook, stirring, until the sauce is bright orange-red and thickened. Add salt to taste.** The sauce can be made a day ahead.

To assemble: make the refried beans (recipe below), or reheat if made ahead. Put some beans on a plate and make a hollow for the eggs. Fry or scramble your eggs any way you like them. Add eggs and top with sauce and cheese. Serve chips on the side of the plate. 

Refried Black Beans

1 tsp. canola oil

14 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil over medium-high heat. Add beans and stir to coat with oil. Add cumin and oregano and stir and mash until heated through and the consistency you prefer. Add water or vegetable stock as needed to achieve desired creaminess. Add salt and pepper to taste (up to 1/2 tsp, but consider the whole plate as described above).

* To make this heart-healthy, either use baked chips, warm corn tortillas, or just skip the chips altogether. You could skip the cheese too, though in small amounts feta is not that bad for you.

**I had to add almost a 1/2 tsp. of salt, but check the saltiness of your chips before seasoning your sauce. I have had the overall dish turn out too salty because I made the sauce "just right" and didn't consider the chips.