local spot: Anitgua Latin restaurant

^^delicious pupusa and empandas^^

^^best.flan.ever^^ photo by Michael Sears

A few weeks ago, we finally made it over to Antigua Latin restaurant (I've had a groupon for this for months!) and we were both very impressed with....everything! 

The restaurant, located in West Allis, was totally different than I expected-fresh, lots of bright colors and of course, traditional Latin American decor. Our waitress was wonderful which is always huge and appreciated in any dining experience. 

We decided that we would just sample some of their small plates so we could get a taste of a variety of dishes, but I think we will certainly head back to try an entree or two next time. First, we started with ceviche-a first time for both of us and it did not disappoint! Light, great citrus sauce on top and served with homemade tortilla chips, a win-win-win for sure!

Next we tried the Yolanda empanadas, an Argentian dish with ground beef, onions, egg, and raisins-seasoned really well with a great balance of salty and sweet. We also chose the pupusa, corn tortilla pockets filled with pork and beans...simple, but great flavors. Final dish of the night: cochinita sliders! Pulled pork perfection.

So even though I was feeling pretty satisfied with the meal, when our waitress brought out the dessert menu and I saw "Milwaukee's Best Flan" right on top, I couldn't pass up the chance to try a piece. I will selfishly (and embarrassingly) admit that I miiiight have had the whole piece to myself, but MAN was it g-o-o-d! Lucky for me, I happened to stumble across the recipe for their flan, so now I can recreate the magic at home!

Long story short: fun, vibrant, delicious, can't wait to go back!

in the kitchen: black bean soup for two

sometimes simple really is best and that is just what this Black Bean soup is! I was able to whip it up in about 15 minutes for Ry and me to have for lunch this weekend, I thought it was really tasty. And a big thumbs up from Ry too :)

Black Bean Soup for Two adapted from A Beautiful Mess

1 can black beans

1 sm or med red onion

1/2 can of corn (I used creamed corn because it was all I had!)

1/2 med red pepper, chopped

1 1/2 cup vegetable or chicken stock

1/2 tsp cumin

salt + pepper

ancho seasoning (I used this because I did not have canned adobo pepper the original recipe called for)

Garnish: Tortilla chips, cilantro, avocado, cheddar cheese

Directions
1. Heat 1-1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and saute onions and peppers until somewhat soft. Season with the cumin and salt and pepper. Add in corn and saute for a few minutes.
2. Add in stock and black beans and continue cooking until it's nice and hot!
3. Serve with tortilla chips (we crushed ours up), cilantro and cheese on top....enjoy!

in the kitchen: sweet potato & black bean enchilada bake

Last night I decided to chef it up and make sweet potato and black bean enchiladas using the left over corn tortillas that my brother had from his (excellent!) Mexican night. Sadly, the tortillas were not behaving when I tried rolling them to make the enchiladas, so I quickly changed the plan and decided to make an enchilada bake...or casserole if you will. I think the results weren't too bad at all and actually a lot easier than the doing the whole enchilada process....a win-win! So if you are looking for a Tuesday night dinner idea or feel like planning ahead for tomorrow, you should try this one out!

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Enchilada Bake

serves 4-5 (depending on how hungry you are!)

Ingredients

2 medium sweet potatoes, diced

1 medium red onion

2 cans black beans, washed & drained

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 can adobo chipotle peppers

2 cans red enchilada sauce

15-18 small corn tortillas

-9x13 pan

Optional: 1 cup sour cream + ½ creamed corn + cilantro, blend for a fresh crema sauce topping!

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Chop sweet potatoes. Once the oven reaches 400, place sweet potatoes on a pan and bake for 30 mins the oven.
2. Chop red onion. Mix 1 cup shredded cheese, red onion, black beans in a large mixing bowl. Add sweet potatoes to this mixture once they are cooked.
3. In separate mixing bowl, mix enchilada sauce with 2 tablespoons of the sauce from the adobo chipotle peppers. Feel free to cut up a few of these peppers and put them into the sweet potato, black bean and red onion mix for even more of a smoky flavoring!
4. Pour some enchilada sauce to coat the bottom your pan. Put one layer of corn tortillas on top, then add first layer of sweet potato mixture.
5. Add next layer of tortillas and lightly coat with enchilada mix; add sweet potato mixture. Repeat this until you have filled your pan, finishing with a tortilla layer on top.
6. Spread generous amount of enchilada sauce on your final layer of tortillas and top with remaining cheese.
7. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes…top with crema sauce if you’d like or just dig in!

Bon appetit!

awkward...nope, just awesome!

I sat down to gather my thoughts today and realized that there really has been nothing awkward going on in my life this past week...very weird...I bet next week will be real interesting! Still, I figured there is nothing wrong with just acknowledging the "awesome's" so far this week!
Awesome
-the feeling that spring really is just around the corner...breathe in that fresh air!
-hikes in Chester Creek, a hiking spot right in the middle of town (going to make this a regular thing on my agenda)
-my shellac manicure staying strong, no chips at all! I'm impressed.
-new puppies at work (new foundland, golden retriever, black lab mix-I die.)
-sippin' on tasty Pagan brews outside, soaking up the sun
-late night chats with the roomies (and by late night I mean 9:30...we're old!)
-Anytime Fitness's new & improved facilities...hallelujah! 
-countdowns in my planner til seeing friends in Chicago


-this lil' number that I decided to cook up tonight: Spinach and Chicken Tortilla Bake! 
Here's the recipe if you are looking for something easy for your dinner tonight

Spinach and Chicken Tortilla Bake (adapted from Rachel Ray)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

4 chicken cutlets (about 1 pound)

Salt and pepper

1 1/2 cups store-bought salsa verde *I plan on substituting this for a slightly less spicy salsa

3/4 cup ricotta cheese

4 large (8″) flour tortillas

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

3 cups baby spinach (about 1/4 pound)

2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese *Going to use a combo of cheddar and pepper jack

Preheat the oven to 450°. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, add to the pan and cook, turning once, until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Let cool, then shred the meat.

Whisk together the salsa verde and ricotta; season with salt and pepper. In a greased 9-inch square baking dish, layer one-third of the salsa mixture, tortillas, chicken, onion, spinach and pepper jack; repeat twice. Bake until golden-brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with side of salsa and sour cream!

Yield:  4 servings