CHIPOTLE PUREE RECIPES

Steps:

• Peel and roughly chop 1/4 small onion.  Saute the onion in some oil along with a peeled, roughly chopped garlic clove.  Giving it 5-7 minutes over medium heat will sweeten up the onion and bring out some additional flavors. 
• De-stem and de-seed 7-8 chipotles in adobo.  I usually cut off the stems and then make a slit lengthwise on the chipotles, then peeling them open and discarding the inner veins and seeds.  It's not crucial to get rid of all the seeds but I usually discard most of them. 
• Add the chipotles to a blender or food processor along with the onion-garlic mixture and 1/3 cup white vinegar, 1/3 cup water, the juice of 1/2 orange, a pinch of salt, 1/4 teaspoon cumin, and 3/4 teaspoon Mexican oregano.  Blend until completely liquefied. 
• Take a taste for sweetness.  You can optionally add 1/4 teaspoon of sugar at this point (or more) but I did not add any additional sweetness to this batch.  If you started with less chipotles you can always add more at this point if you want additional heat. 
• Pour hot sauce into a 5 oz. bottle (I find it easiest to use a small funnel).  Store in the fridge where it will keep for about a month.   

Steps:

• Puree all but 3 tablespoons cilantro with 2 cups water, the garlic, chile powder and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a medium saucepan along with the rice and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low; cover and cook until the liquid is absorbed, about 18 minutes. Uncover, stir and let cool 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring the black bean soup to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and cook until the liquid is slightly reduced, about 3 minutes. Stir in the spinach and return to a simmer. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.
• Toss the corn, tomato, lime juice, the reserved 3 tablespoons cilantro, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and chile powder to taste in a large bowl.
• Warm the tortillas in a dry skillet or in the microwave. Divide the rice, bean mixture and cheese among the tortillas; top with some of the corn salsa. Fold up the bottoms of the tortillas, then fold in the sides and roll up. Serve with the remaining corn salsa.