Start planning for Cinco de Mayo with these "Thingamajigs"

I never gave much thought to ChimiChangas.

Funny name. Lots of meat. But, I thought, if I could find a vegetarian version, I'd give them a try.

With Cinco de Mayo approaching, I thought I'd better start digging up some good Mexican or Tex-Mex recipes or, at least, things that had that sort of flavoring to them.

The pre-packaged Chimies did not come without meat and, besides, they were pretty expensive for my budget...probably less than they might be in a restaurant, but more than I wanted to spend for something I couldn't even eat.

According to legend, the unusual name is a colloquial term that loosly translates as "thingamajig". It is said that a Tex-Mex chef accidentally dropped a pastry into the deep fryer and, rather than say the Spanish equivalent of the f-word which starts with "Chi-", she yelled out "ChimiChanga!" I don't know if that's true or not, but as one who often makes up curse words rather than use the "real" thing, I like the story.

And, when I came across this recipe for vegetarian Chimies, I decided to give it a try.

Que bueno! Deliciouso.

Veggie Chimies

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

10 medium mushrooms, sliced
1 large green pepper, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
1 15 ounce can of black beans
1/2 cup of cooked rice
1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
6 10-inch tortillas
cooking oil
Garlic powder, black pepper, crushed red pepper and cumin to taste (start with 1/4 teaspoon of each)

• In a frying pan saute the garlic cloves, the mushrooms, the green peppers and the onions until they are soft but still slightly crisp.
• In a bowl mix the cooked rice and the black beans together.
• In another pan,  heat about 1/2" inch of cooking oil.
• Warm the tortillas in the microwave until hey're soft.
• Put a couple of large spoonfuls of rice and beans on each tortilla and  top with a large spoon of vegetables, and sprinkle with some mozarella cheese.
• Season to taste with the garlic powder, the crushed red pepper, and the black pepper.
• Fold in the edges tightly and roll up each tortilla as tightly as you can.
• Put them with the  folded edges down in hot oil.
• Brown each side until it's golden brown.
• Top with some avocado and tomato chunks

Vegetarian.