Foo Swasdee, a restaurant owner and sauce manufacturer in Austin, Texas, offers a unique and very flavorful appetizer that should be made a few hours before your party or dinner.

Ingredients

• 30 single spinach leaves, fresh, cleaned and dried
• 3/4 cup coconut flakes, unsweetened, toasted
• 1 tablespoon lime, whole, fresh, diced
• 1 tablespoon shallot, diced
• 1 tablespoon garlic, diced
• 1 tablespoon ginger root, peeled and diced
• 1/2 cup peanuts, fresh roasted
• 1/2 tablespoon Thai chile pepper, fresh, diced
• 4 ounces Satay Thai Roasted Coconut Salsa

Instructions

Place the spinach leaves flat on a serving platter.

Place 2-3 peanuts, one teaspoon of toasted coconut and a few pieces of all other fresh ingredients in the center of each spinach leaf.

To serve, add 1/2 teaspoon of Satay Thai Roasted Coconut Salsa on top of each spinach leaf; roll the leaf into a ball and eat the whole topped leaf in one bite. This results in an explosion of delicious varied flavors and textures.

These tortillas are delicious and spicy and can be served alone, stuffed with cheese and rolled, or used as a wrapper for you favorite filling. To make ordinary flour tortillas, simply omit the chile.

Ingredients

• 3 cups unbleached flour

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons dried ground piquin chiles

• 1/2 cup butter or vegetable shortening

• 1 cup warm water

Instructions

Mix the flour, salt, chiles, and butter in a food processor bowl or a bread machine set on Manual. Slowly add the warm water until the mixture forms a smooth, moist ball.

Remove the dough, divide it into 12 equal size balls, cover with plastic wrap, and let the dough rest for 30 minutes in a warm place.

Flatten each ball in a tortilla press or with a rolling pin to the desired thickness, usually about 1/8 of an inch.

Cook each tortilla on preheated, hot griddle with a medium heat. Turn the tortilla every 10 seconds for about 1 minute. As it cooks, it will develop some puffing and some dark spots. Place each cooked tortilla under a terry cloth or linen towel, When you have finished with all of the tortillas, place them in a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator until they are needed.

Here is a recipe for unleavened corn tortillas with chile powder added. For a leavened version, see the recipe for Sonoran Enchiladas. The yield will vary as to the size that they are rolled out, but a 7-inch diameter is standard. Feel free to use blue corn masa harina to make the slightly coarser blue corn tortillas.

Ingredients

• 2 cups masa harina (corn flour)

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons butter or shortening

• 1 cup water

Instructions

In a bowl, combine the masa and salt and stir. Add the butter and mash in with a fork. Add the water a little bit at a time while mixing with the fork. Take the dough in your hands and knead thoroughly until it is elastic. Add more water if necessary.

For the dough into 12 balls. Roll out each ball between waxed paper to make thin tortillas, or use a tortilla press. Pull off one piece of waxed paper and cook on an ungreased griddle or skillet. Pull off the other piece of waxed paper, flip, and cook the other side until the edges turn slightly brown.

Repeat with all the dough balls.

We don’t know about everyone, but we always seem to buy one too many bell peppers and scallions at the store. Scare up a few black beans, and you’ll be able to give some of the orphans in your refrigerator a second try with this textured, tasty salad.

Ingredients

• 1 can (16 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained

• 1 red or green bell pepper (whichever you have on hand), seeds and stem removed, diced

• 1/2 cup fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced

• 2 scallions, sliced

• 2 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, seeds and stems removed, chopped

• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

• 1 tablespoon corn oil

• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Place the beans in a bowl. Add the bell pepper, tomatoes, scallions, poblanos, and coriander. Toss well.

In another bowl, whisk the corn oil, lime juice, salt, and pepper together. Drizzle the dressing over the bean salad, and toss gently to coat.