Shrimp with Tomato Almond Sauce, Refried Beans, and tortillas

Both of these recipes are variations on ideas I got from a great Mexican cookbook that Terri gave Bill for Christmas a few years back. The sauce turned out to be about twice as much as we needed, so we froze half for a quick and easy dinner next week.

Tomato Almond Sauce

1 ancho or other dried chile
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
4 tomatoes, blanched, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 tsp. cumin
1/4 c. vegetable stock
1/2 c. almond butter
1/3 c. creme fraiche
1/2 lime
1 lb. cooked peeled prawns
cilantro for garnish

Bring a pan of water to a boil. Remove from heat and soak dried chile in it for 30 minutes. Drain and chop, removing seeds if you want a less spicy sauce.

Saute onion and garlic until soft. Add tomatoes, chile, and cumin. Cook for 10 minutes. Add stock and transfer to food processor. Process until smooth. Return to pan over low heat and add almond butter, followed by the creme fraiche. Once thoroughly mixed, add juice of 1/2 lime. Increase heat until sauce simmers, then add shimp until warmed through.

Refried Beans

1 onion, finely chopped
1 can of refried beans
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground coriander

Gently cook the onions over low heat until soft and carmelized, about 30-45 min. Add beans and spices. It's pretty simple, but it makes the beans taste a million times better.

Tortillas

This doesn't really require a recipe. You just add water to flour tortilla mix, roll out the tortillas, and cook them. But they so far surpass store-bought tortillas that I had to mention them seperately to emphasize how important it is that you give them a shot. They are really not difficult; the only obstacle can be finding the mix. Quaker makes it, and sells it at Wal-mart (!) I think. There is also a Great Value brand, which I couldn't find reference to online.