Vegetarian Empanadas with hominy/mango salsa

Empanadas are wonderful ways to use up what you have lying around the house. These came out amazing! I also made a salsa full of leftovers (not pictured--greedy Kat ate it all) which has canned hominy in it, (my genius/desperate invention) which is a nice savory counterpart to the fruit--really worked well. Use this recipe as an inspiration to give it your own creative spin.

LEFTOVER EMPANADAS

10 Goya Discos Grandes (other brands will do but Goya is best--try the one with annatto in it)

two cups bean pot or dal (I had made dal the other week and frozen it)

1 red onion, diced

mango pickles (find in your local indian or pakistani market) or pickled jalapenos, diced

1 package Chinese fake pork, sauteed in ketchup and hot sauce and chicken broth

cranberry chedder cheese I got from East Village Cheese on sale for 75 cents a square (but any good cheese that's not too mild or too salty will do), crumbled

DOIN' IT: Defrost the Discos. Put two tablespoons beans, three small pieces of fake meat, sprinkle with cheese, red onion, pickles. Fold over and seal with fingers, then squash with fork on both sides to seal edges.

My brother got me a Fry Daddy for Xmas, which works much better than a skillet full of oil, but a skillet will do. Repeat and fry each one until golden brown. Put on paper towel. Cool and little, then dig in.

MANGO HOMINY SALSA

One ripe mango

1/2 cup blueberries, frozen or fresh

One small can of Hominy or Pozole, drained

juice of two limes

a couple of whatever hot peppers are cheap at the market, chopped fine

1 pickled jalapeno, sliced

2 tablespoons vinegar

1/4 cup molasses  and or sugar (wing it)

salt/pepper

DOIN' IT: Peel and chop up the mango. Put in a pot on low heat. throw in the blueberries and the hot peppers and all the rest of the crap. Pour a little of the juice from the pickled jalapenos as well in there. Stir and simmer for about 5 minutes and season with salt and pepper.

Pour over the empanadas, dunk em, whatever just have fun. A good glass of cold beer or a margarita is a nice buddy to this meal