Chilaquiles with Jalapeño Cocktails
Who says meat-free cooking can’t be kind of indulgent? When meatless nights-in fall on a weekend, & I’m in charge, they better come with some cheese & a good cocktail! For the most part, my weekday routine usually falls in the realm of either plant-based cooking or the Paleo realm (I’ll admit….there are definitely a couple cheats here & there), but one thing that is for certain is all alcohol is totally omitted. And for the record - I’m totally happy with that. It’s probably more mental than anything, but I’m convinced that by doing so my body is better equipped to bust out some longer runs, get more quality rest, and my whole self is more hydrated via surviving on sparkling water and kombucha. With that said, I’m ready to have some fun at mealtime once Friday hits! Chilaquiles are such a fun, nacho-like treat to make at home, and doing Chilaquiles with Jalapeño Cocktails set the tone for a solid kick-off to the weekend.
My personalized chilaquile plate…finished with a side of jalapeños & a dollop of fresh guac.
Chilaquiles are one of those things that five years ago I would’ve been way too intimidated to try and whip up myself. They really are a fun variation on nachos…the heaps of cheese are replaced with veggie heavy sauce that coats each and every tortilla chip, but they chips magically maintain a bit of there crunch. The sauce is tomato based, & kicked up with some chiles and garlic to build a flavor that takes on more of a south-of-the-border vibe. & let me clarify, the sauce isn’t just dolloped on top of the chip. Your tortilla chips essentially cook in the skillet with the sauce, so everything is thoroughly coated in a spiced up tomato goodness. So a fork is essential for consumption! Big picture - though the base remains tortilla chips, a hearty sauce makes it easy to go easy on the cheese & sneak some healthy stuff in there.
Chilaquiles can be easily described as a cross between nachos & enchiladas, and just like enchiladas the sauce is f*cking key. The sauce is really the shining star of this dinner, and truly the only thing that requires a little tender loving care. Your base is tomato sauce & broth, cooked over medium heat until it reduced by at least half. It will be noticeably thicker. The spice comes from chipotle peppers…just the ones from the can. Even just one does the trick of bringing some heat and a nice flavor, but you can of course use more if you’re feeling wild. I also add some of the liquid from the can, because what else am I going to do with it? Only about a tablespoon keeps the heat fairly mild, and the focus remains just the flavor.
Tortilla chips…post saucing.
Toppings can be anything you want, but chilaquiles taste so good when paired with extra crisp veggies. I used radishes, cabbage, and red onion…and literally all you have to do is cut them up and throw them right on top of the chips. They’re the perfect, simple accompaniment to the sauce. All the veggies chosen for my version have a definite crunch that serves as the perfect contrast to the sauced up tortilla chips. So fresh and the perfect texture balance! I also added a side of pickled jalapeños (the same peños used for my cocktail) for my husband who lives for the heat…he had like 10 and I had far less.
But now let’s get down to business - the cocktail. & I mean we’re having a somewhat Mexican meal, so tequila and jalapenos sound like a pretty perfect pairing. At the risk of sounding like a total pig, I am the person who will suck down a cocktail. Like a super sweet, can’t taste the alcohol margarita won’t last five minutes. It’s weird…..I guess I take big sips. Anyways, the way I can combat this is by adding some spice to my cocktail. Having just something with a pleasant heat causes me to slow it down, and turns my drink into a sipper opposed to a gulper, which is really what I’m going for. So jalapeño drinks it is! This jalapeno cocktail I made reminded me of a boozed up kombucha. I used pickled jalapenos and a bit of the pickling liquid, which is pretty much straight vinegar. Sounds gross, but literally it was like a kombucha. tbh - Jordan has help on to the pickling liquid and takes sip of it on it’s own once a day. To each his own, and proof that it’s pretty freakin’ tasty. That with some pineapple juice, tequila, and an IPA floater - too die for!
My hacks to making this dinner a success:
Use a liquid measuring cup to measure out your tortilla chips . It’s just so much easier than trying to measure it out one cup at a time - just try to make sure your total chips are between the 4 cup & 5 cup mark (notice mine are filled to the brim of the measuring cup).
Make a drink while you cook. Because that is the best kind of Friday cooking! So just skip down to the end of the recipe and start there.
Go heavy on the veggies! It’ll help you fill up your plate with veggies…eating less tortilla chips and more of the good stuff. Even just some thinly sliced cabbage fills up the dish & is so satisfying with each chilaquile bite. & remember…chips + veggies on each forkful is the holy grail of doing chilaquiles right.
For the Jalapeno Cocktails
3 jalapeños, sliced into disks
2/3 c. apple cider vinegar
1/4 c. sugar
Juice of 3 limes
1/2 c. silver tequila
1/2 c. pineapple juice
A juicy IPA (one described as citrusy is perfect)
For the Chilaquiles
4 heaping cups tortilla chips
1 tbsp canola oil + a bit more to cook the eggs
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 chipotle pepper from the can + about a tablespoon of the liquid
1/2 c. chicken broth
1 15-ounce can of tomato sauce
Salt & pepper
2 eggs
1/4 c. shredded pepper jack cheese
2 cups shredded cabbage (either cut fresh or from a salad mix)
4-5 radishes, thinly sliced (I used a mandolin)
1/4 of a red onion, thinly sliced (I used a mandolin)
1 tbsp minced cilantro
Start by pickling the jalapenos. Place the jalapenos, vinegar, and sugar in a mason jar, and screw on the lid. Shake it up until all the sugar is dissolved. Place it in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
Now time to make the sauce. Place a large skillet (like the biggest one you have) over medium heat. Add the oil to the skillet, and let it get warm for about a minute. Meanwhile, mince up the chipotle pepper. Add in the pepper and the chipotle liquid to the pan, letting it cook for another 2 minutes. Deglaze the pan by adding in the chicken broth followed by the tomato sauce. Add in a pinch of both salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Keeping the skillet over medium heat, let it cook uncovered for 10-12 minutes so that the sauce can thicken up. Cover the skillet and turn the heat down to low.
Place a smaller non-stick skillet over medium heat, adding in a dash of oil if you think it’s needed to cook the eggs. Crack both eggs in the skillet, and cook them to sunny side up. If the egg white bubbles like crazy when you crack them in the skillet, turn down the heat down a notch. To get the eggs to sunny side up, and making sure the yolk is still runny, cook them just until the egg whites aren’t slimy on the top. I cooked my eggs over medium heat for about 4 minutes, and then turned off the heat, keeping the eggs in the pan to finish cooking just by the heat of the skillet until you’re ready to eat.
Go back to the skillet with the tomato sauce, uncover the skillet, and stir in half of the tortilla chips. Toss in the tomato sauce. Once they’re all totally coated in the sauce, stir in the remainder of the chips, continuing to stir until those chips are also coated in the sauce. Crank up the heat to medium, and let them toast without stirring for two minutes. Transfer the chips from the skillet to the serving tray.
Top the chips immediately with the shredded cheese so it will melt on top of the warm chips. Then top with the cabbage, radish, and red onion. Then place your eggs right on top, finishing the whole dish with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro.
For the cocktail: place the lime juice, pineapple juice, tequila, and a 1/2 cup of the jalapeno pickling liquid in a cocktail shaker or larger mason jar with a lid. Shake it up for about 30 seconds. Fill two small cocktail glasses half way with ice, and then fill the glasses about three-quarters full with the pineapple mixture. Fill up the rest of the glass with an IPA floater. Finish it with a couple of jalapeno slices and a slice of lime.
