Please have a look at that. I’m currently eating fried eggs. That took just 27 years. In other unimportant personal news, I managed to get my African violet to blossom once more. It appears that it enjoys watering every seven days. Why, yes!
I occasionally catch myself wanting praise for these small, every day successes, which may be foolish or childish. Most of the time, working and living alone is perfectly fantastic. However, a simple “nice job” or pat on the back now and then is greatly appreciated.
On occasion, I consider how great it would be to have company. For instance, no one was present when I took up a large vintage desk the other day and dragged a thick wool rug underneath it all by myself. If they had been, I would have flaunted my muscular arms and made a victory lap around the room. Actually, no, I would have simply requested assistance.
Now, about those fried eggs. For years, I’ve had huevos rancheros with scrambled eggs (sacrilege! ), but now I’m switching to fried eggs. My go-to dinner when I want a hearty, delicious meal with lots of protein is a platter of saucy huevos rancheros. A creamy avocado sauce and fiery black beans are featured in my most recent favorite homemade variation.
You’ll notice that I cheated by using salsa verde in a jar. Store-bought salsas are fine in my book, since tomatillos aren’t in season anyhow. The avocado salsa verde dish may be made even faster by omitting the other components and simply blending the avocado and salsa. However, you’ll be missing out on some new flavor. Instead of reheating the avocado sauce, you could also opt to serve it at room temperature. I’m just a little picky about meal temperatures.
Last but not least, I’ll be the first to confess that this meal isn’t the prettiest one on the site. However, I try not to judge others based just on aesthetics. I’ll try to divert your attention with some adorable puppy pictures from the green goo. Is it effective?
Also read: Banana Baked French Toast with Peanut Butter Drizzle
INGREDIENTS
Spicy black beans
- 2 cans black black beans, rinsed and drained (or about 3 cups cooked black beans)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ medium red onion, chopped
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 lime, halved
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Avocado Salsa Verde
- 1 cup mild salsa verde from a jar
- 1 ripe avocado, pitted and sliced
- Big handful cilantro (some stems are ok)
- 1 medium jalapeño, deseeded and roughly chopped (save ½ of jalapeño for garnish)
- 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
- ½ lime, halved
Assembly
- 4+ corn tortillas
- 4+ eggs
- ½ cup feta, crumbled
- Small handful cilantro, roughly chopped
- 4 radishes, sliced into very thin pieces
- ½ jalapeño, seeds and membranes removed, finely chopped
- Hot sauce (Cholula is my favorite)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Cook the beans: Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan (with a lid) over medium heat. Once the oil is warmed, add the onion and sauté for a few minutes, stirring often, until the onions are turning translucent. Add the chili powder, cumin and cayenne and stir. Add the beans and ¼ cup water and stir to combine. Cover the pan, reduce heat, and let the beans simmer for about 10 minutes (if the beans seem dry at any point, add a splash of water). Remove from heat, mash some of the beans with the back of a big spoon and cover the pan until you are ready to serve.
- Make the avocado salsa verde: In a food processor, combine the salsa verde, avocado, cilantro, ½ of the jalapeño, garlic clove and the juice of ½ lime. Purée the salsa until it is super creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary. Transfer the salsa verde to a small saucepan and gently warm it over medium-low heat, stirring often (or transfer the salsa to a bowl and warm it in the microwave). Don’t overheat this stuff! Cover the salsa until you’re ready to serve.
- Cook the eggs: However you’d like ’em. I fried mine but I won’t judge if you scramble yours. Top with a light sprinkle of salt and pepper.
- Warm the tortillas: Directly over a medium-low gas burner flame or in a pan, flipping until warmed through.
- Assemble the huevos rancheros: On each plate, top tortilla(s) with black beans, avocado sauce and egg(s). Garnish with crumbled feta, cilantro, chopped radishes and jalapeño. Serve with a bottle of hot sauce on the side.