Huevos Rancheros

I hail from Southern California. San Diego, specifically. And so perhaps it goes without saying that I have a deep and abiding love for Mexican food. Taquitos, guacamole, and Orange Bang run through these veins. (Es cierto.)

One of my favorite go-tos when I can't decide what to eat for breakfast, or nothing sounds particularly appetizing, is huevos rancheros. This is true for both eating out and at home.

Fortunately, there is no one right way to make them, and only a couple essential ingredients. Obviously there are huevos, or eggs. (The runnier the better, in my opinion; poached or over-medium will do.) Most restaurants tend to serve the eggs poached on huevos rancheros, a skill I have yet to master. I'm going to give it a go one of these days. (I like this tutorial.)

Second is some sort of bean element. I've used seasoned or plain black and pinto beans, and even canned chili with beans (vegetarian, beef, turkey and chicken are all tasty). When using plain beans or vegetarian chili, I will often add crumbled soyrizo from Trader Joe's. It adds a lot of flavor as well as a meat element. (Melissa's also makes a good soyrizo.) It sounds weird, but the flavor and texture are on point. It's also excellent scrambled into eggs and served in corn tortillas like a breakfast taco.

Optional add-ons: cheese (shredded or the magical orange stuff that goes on movie theater nachos), guacamole, pico de gallo or salsa, cilantro, sour cream, sriracha,  and tortilla chips. The combinations are endless, really.

Comerse!