Prep: 10 minutes         Time to Make: 5 minutes       Serves: 2-3

These are a staple in Austin, found and served just about any place that promises Breakfast All Day. They are super simple to make, and incredibly delicious and filling. You can serve these for brunch and not feel like you’re cheating anyone. Best of all, you can customize the recipe to your tastes.

Ingredients:

4-5 eggs, beaten
Half of a fresh jalapeno, chopped
8 oz of onions, chopped
Big handful of tortilla chips, crushed
4 oz of shredded cheese (cheddar or jack)
Cumin, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Heat a large skillet to medium and add a pat of butter or olive oil.
Sauté the onions and jalapenos until softened and starting to caramelize.
Add a sprinkle of cumin to the vegetables, a dash of salt and pepper.
Add eggs to the pan and let sit for 30 seconds.
Add the tortilla chips and stir to make curds—your preferred doneness for scrambled eggs.
When the eggs are almost done, add the cheese and cover and remove from heat, and let sit for 2 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Serve with warm flour or corn tortillas, chips and salsa, or any other breakfast thing in the world you want. These are dead simple, but what makes them great is that the recipe becomes yours and yours alone. For instance:

I often add a heaping spoonful of pico de gallo to the veggies at the beginning of the dish.
After the dish is cooked, you can serve with a dollop of sour cream on top, and add pico then.
If there’s any diced or chopped garlic in the house, a spoonful of that with the veggies is awesome.
If you don’t like the heat from fresh jalapenos, you can sub in pickled jalapenos, or cut the amount by half again. You do need SOME heat, so you can decide how much.

The tortilla chips are a hearty part of Migas. But if you don’t like them crisp, you can add them at the beginning with the veggies and a little extra butter or oil and saute them with the onions and peppers to soften them up. Try them crispy first, and see if you like it. If not, saute your next batch. And speaking of chips, you know what I’m talking about, here, right? Restaurant style thin crispy tortilla chips. Not Fritos. Not Doritos. Good tortillas, the kind you eat with salsa. Tostito’s should only be used as a last resort, or if you’re camping. Have some taste.

Ingredients:

2/3 cups creamy peanut butter*
8 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons grated fresh ginger*
4 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar*
2 tablespoons chili oil
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
16 ounces ramen noodles
6 scallions, finely chopped*

Directions:

Place the peanut butter, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, black vinegar, and chili oil into the bowl of a mini-food processor. Process until the mixture is well combined and forms a paste, 1 to 2 minutes. With the processor running, gradually add the chicken broth and process until the sauce is creamy and well combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl, cover, and set aside while you prepare the rest of the dish.
Place 4 quarts water into a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the noodles and cook until al dente, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Drain thoroughly in a colander. Add the noodles to the bowl with the sauce and toss to combine. Serve topped with the peanuts and scallions.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium sweet onions, diced
4-6 cloves garlic, minced (about 2-3 teaspoons)
2-3 pounds beef stew meat (or brisket meat or ground sirloin)
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 tablespoon Chipotle chili powder
1 tablespoon Ancho chili powder
4 tablespoons Ethiopian Berbere spice
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
2 cups tomato puree
2 cans (14.5 ounces) fire-roasted diced tomatoes
4 cups beef broth
1 tablespoon chopped jalapenos
2 (14.5 ounce) cans dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed well

Instructions:

1. In a Dutch oven on high heat, cook meat of choice and onions with salt and pepper until meat is brown. Stir constantly until fluid evaporates.
2. Combine all dry spices in a small bowl.
3. Lower heat to medium and add spices and garlic to meat, cook for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add tomato puree, diced tomatoes, and 2 cups of beef broth and mix well. Bring to a simmer.
5. Turn heat down to low, simmer for 1-2 hours. Add broth as needed.
6. Add jalapenos and beans and another 1-2 cups of broth. Simmer for another 30 minutes. Season to taste with additional Berbere and salt.

Can serve with shredded cheese, avocado slices, crackers, or whatever else you like putting in your chili. It will be spicy!

Ingredients:
1 pound uncooked pinto beans
8 slices bacon cut into 2 inch pieces
4 beef franks, sliced
1 cup cubed ham
1 pound Mexican chorizo
2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 sweet onion, half diced, half whole
1 jalapeño, diced
4 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon cumin
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper

Instructions:

To Cook the Pinto Beans – Stovetop.
1. Soak beans overnight. Drain and rinse.
2. Add the rinsed beans to a large pot with enough chicken broth to cover them. Add salt, pepper, half an onion, and the bay leaves.
3. Let boil for about 1.5 hours, checking often to make sure that there is still enough broth to cover the beans.

To Cook the Pinto Beans – Slow Cooker.
1. Soak the beans overnight. Drain and rinse.
2. Add the rinsed beans to a slow cooker with enough chicken broth to cover them, salt, pepper, bay leaves, and half an onion.
3. Turn the slow cooker on to high and cook for 3 hours.

To Make the Charro Beans:
1. Add the bacon to a large pot and cook for about 5 minutes.
2. Add the chorizo and continue cooking until cooked through.
3. After about 5 minutes, add the ham, the beef franks, and the additional seasonings (including garlic). Cook for 2 minutes.
4. Next, add the tomatoes, the onion, the jalapeno, and cook for 5 additional minutes.
5. Finally, add the cooked pinto beans and the liquid that they were cooked in and let boil for about 10 minutes so that all of the flavors can combine.
6. Stir in cilantro, turn heat down to low and simmer for 30-45 minutes. Add chicken broth as needed. Salt and pepper to taste.
7. Serve hot as a side dish or on its own.