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Appetizers, Dinner, Lactose Free, Mexican, Recipes, Sauces, Vegan, Vegetarian

Roasted Salsa Verde

June 6, 2021

Roasted Salsa Verde

This tomatillo based salsa is delicious and because it’s homemade, it tastes far better than any jarred salsa found on the grocery store shelves.  I find that store-bought salsas tend to be quite salty so making my own allows me to add just the right amount of seasoning and heat from the peppers.  It’s very easy to make and can be eaten with tortilla chips or served with your favorite Mexican dishes.

Cilantro, Tomatillos, Onion, Garlic, Serrano, Poblano

I made a small batch that was just the right amount for four meals, but feel free to double the recipe if you are serving more than two people.  Broiling the tomatillos, peppers, onion and garlic add an extra depth of flavor. Peppers can vary in heat.  Buy a couple of serrano peppers just in case using one is too mild for your taste.  

Roasted Salsa Ingredients

Instead of turning on my oven broiler, I use my Breville toaster oven which saves me from heating up the house during these hot summer days.

Roasted Salsa Ingredients + Cilantro

After the the tomatillos, peppers, onion and garlic are broiled, everything gets blended into a thick salsa with the immersion blender.  Do you have one of these gadgets?  It definitely comes in handy when you don’t want to drag out the big blender for a small project like this.  

Roasted Salsa Verde with Tlacoyos

I usually chill the salsa a bit before serving it so plan ahead if you want to do the same.  Otherwise serve it at room temperature with crispy tortilla chips, tacos and burritos, or our new favorite Mexican dish: Tlacoyos.  It’s delicious on scrambled eggs scooped into warm corn tortillas.  

Roasted Salsa Verde

Roasted Salsa Verde
 
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Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • ¾ pound tomatillos, husked, washed and cut in half
  • 1 small garlic clove, peeled
  • ¼ small onion, cut into wedges
  • 1-2 serrano peppers
  • 3 strips of poblano pepper
  • ½ cup lightly packed cilantro, finely chopped (reserve 2 tablespoons)
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon sugar
  • fresh lime juice
Preparation
  1. On a foil lined broiler pan, lay tomatillos cut side down, along with the garlic, onion and peppers. Broil for 10-15 minutes or until nicely charred (remove garlic clove earlier to avoid burning). Let cool for 5-10 minutes.
  2. Carefully lift foil and pour ingredients into immersion cup or food processor (including juices from tomatillos). Add cilantro, salt, sugar and a few squeezes of fresh lime juice. Blend or pulse just until ingredients are thoroughly combined and have a thick consistency. Remove to a serving bowl. Adjust seasoning with extra salt and lime juice. Stir in reserved 2 tablespoons of finely chopped cilantro.

 

 

Chicken, Dinner, Lactose Free, Mexican, Recipes, Soups

Chicken Tortilla Soup

March 27, 2020

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Spending time in the kitchen whether chopping vegetables, baking, or cleaning up, means more to me than ever before. It’s the best therapeutic respite from all of the terrible news that we are confronted with these days.  Cooking gives me a break from the stress.  Making tortilla soup fits the bill for a perfect meal that is a breeze to prepare and it tastes so good.  A warm bowl of soup is always so comforting.

Tortilla Soup Ingredients

Poblano Pepper, Onion & Garlic

White Corn Tortillas

Sometimes we don’t use all of the corn tortillas we buy so we freeze them to use later. This is a perfect way to use them up.

Sautéed Onions, Poblano Pepper & Garlic

I love that everything goes into one pot.  Sautéed onion, garlic and a poblano pepper makes the house smell so good, especially when the onions start to brown.

Sautéed Onions, Poblano Pepper & Garlic

Sautéed Onions, Poblano Pepper, Garlic, Tomatoes

Diced tomatoes are added along with chopped corn tortillas.  It may be hard to imagine how this might turn in to a glorious soup but I assure you it will.

Sautéed Onions, Poblano Pepper, Garlic, Tomatoes & Corn Tortillas

Sautéed Onions, Poblano Pepper, Garlic, Tomatoes, Corn Tortillas, Chicken Stock & Broth

I use an immersion blender to puree the soup.  It may look a bit plain, but once you add toppings it turns into a beautiful bowl of soup full of color and flavor.  Once pureed, roasted chicken breast that has been shredded is added to the soup.

Tortilla Soup

Crushed tortilla chips, diced avocado, lime and cilantro (only for those cilantro lovers) are perfect toppings.  The poblano pepper adds a mild heat to the soup but for those who like it hot, a dash or two of your favorite Mexican-style hot sauce adds a bit of zing along with a squeeze of lime juice.  You could leave out the avocado and cilantro, but the crushed tortilla chips are a must.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup
 
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Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons Earth Balance Buttery Sticks (or regular butter)
  • 1 large onion, roughly chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 medium poblano pepper, roughly chopped
  • ¾ cup Rotel tomatoes with green chiles (mild)
  • 6 white corn tortillas (6-inch) cut into small pieces
  • 1 tablespoon mild chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 32 ounce carton chicken stock (I use Swanson)
  • 32 ounce carton low sodium chicken broth (I use Swanson)
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt (more to taste)
  • 3 cups coarsely shredded roasted chicken breast (I use Costco roasted chicken and shred the breast meat)
  • Toppings:
  • crushed tortilla chips
  • diced avocado
  • chopped cilantro
  • lime wedges
Preparation
  1. Combine olive oil and butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onions, garlic and poblano pepper. Sauté until onions are lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
  2. Add tomatoes and tortillas and stir to combine with other ingredients for a minute or two.
  3. Add chili powder and cumin, stirring to coat the vegetables.
  4. Add chicken broth, chicken stock and salt to the pot, stirring to mix the soup. Bring to a boil then simmer for about 20 minutes on med-low heat until the soup thickens slightly.
  5. Remove pot from burner. Using an immersion blender on low speed (so the soup doesn't splatter) puree the soup until it is smooth. Add the chicken to the soup.
  6. Serve with crushed tortilla chips, avocado, cilantro and lime.

 

Dinner, Dressing, Lactose Free, Mexican, Recipes, Rice Dishes, Salad, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Cilantro Brown Rice

June 28, 2019

Cilantro Brown Rice Bowl with Avocado, Tomato & Cucumbers

During a recent trip to Seattle to visit family, we baked up some Enchiladas Suizas for a luncheon one afternoon.  My stepdaughter Jessica made a delicious cilantro rice side dish she had recently discovered on What’s Gaby Cooking blog.  Generally there’s no middle ground on the subject of cilantro.  You either love or hate it.  Even though she may not yet be a fully converted cilantro lover, I’m happy she shared this recipe with us.  It’s truly delicious.

Fresh Cilantro

Besides waiting for the brown rice to cook, the only other step that takes a few minutes to complete is removing the stems from the cilantro sprigs. Otherwise, it’s a snap to make.  I used our immersion blender the first time I made the cilantro dressing. It did a decent job but our Vitamix turned out perfectly pureed ingredients in just a few seconds.

Cilantro Dressing

Brown Rice & Cilantro Dressing

The rice makes a wonderful side dish for any Mexican meal or as a meal of its own served with avocado and crispy cucumbers.  Mexican Style Grilled Chicken is the perfect main dish to serve with this rice.

Cilantro Brown Rice

Cilantro Brown Rice
 
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Adapted from What's Gaby Cooking
Author:
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 2 cups long grain brown rice
  • 2 tablespoons roughly chopped shallot
  • 2 cups tightly packed fresh cilantro, tough stems discarded
  • 1 medium garlic clove
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (more if you prefer a spicier flavor)
  • ⅓ scant cup mild olive oil, or a mix of canola and extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Preparation
  1. Cook brown rice in a rice cooker or on the stove top according to package directions.
  2. Combine shallot through salt in a blender (Vitamix or other high-powered blender works best). Blend ingredients for about 20 seconds. Scrape down the sides as needed. Blend another 15 seconds, or until the cilantro dressing is very smooth.
  3. Place cooked brown rice in a large serving bowl. Pour cilantro dressing over the rice and toss to coat well.
  4. The rice is best eaten when warm. You may reheat the rice if made in advance or if frozen, defrost in the refrigerator and reheat gently.

 

Chicken, Dinner, Lactose Free, Mexican, Recipes

Mexican Style Grilled Chicken

April 5, 2019

Mexican Style Grilled Chicken Breasts

Chicken breasts are an ideal foil for brines, marinades, and flavor-rich sauces.  These Mexican style grilled chicken breasts are now a favorite recipe of ours.  The chicken is tender and juicy and the marinade is delicious.  The best thing about this recipe is its versatility.  If we have leftovers, we use it in tacos, burritos and sandwiches.

Mexican Style Grilled Chicken Breasts

Juicy and flavorful chicken breasts are sometimes hit or miss. The most important technique is to pound the chicken breasts into even thickness.  This will ensure each piece is uniformly cooked.  Otherwise, you may end up with that lopsided piece of chicken cooked through on one side and not the other.  Chicken breasts do not have to be bland.  A tasty marinade will infuse the chicken in just a couple of hours.  Using the indirect grilling method helps to keep the breasts tender and moist.  Direct high heat can lead to a leathery exterior as well as an overdone interior.  A digital thermometer is an essential tool in preventing overcooking.  Once the temperature reads 160 degrees remove the chicken from the grill.

Chicken Marinade

This marinade does its magic in just 2 hours.  Reserve some of the marinade before adding it to the chicken, and use it later to baste when you grill.  The beautiful color of the chicken comes from the ancho chile powder.  You should be able to easily find this in your grocery store (McCormack brand is what I found at Safeway).  The chipotle chile gives the chicken a nice smoky kick.

Mexican Style Grilled Chicken Breast Tacos

Leftover chicken makes splendid tacos, burritos or sandwiches.

Mexican Style Grilled Chicken Breasts

Mexican Style Grilled Chicken
 
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Delicious moist and tender grilled chicken breasts
Author:
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 6 boneless and skinless chicken breasts, pounded to uniform thickness
  • Marinade:
  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • 3 tablespoons ancho chile powder
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • ¼ cup fresh lime juice
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 1 teaspoon chipotle chile in adobo sauce, finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
  • 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 green onions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Preparation
  1. Place 1 or 2 chicken breasts in a Ziploc freezer bag and pound lightly with a meat mallet, rolling pin or skillet to uniform thickness. This will ensure the chicken will cook evenly, be moist and tender.
  2. In a small bowl mix all of the marinade ingredients and whisk to combine. Set aside about ⅓ cup of the marinade for basting the chicken later. Pour the remainder of the marinade in a Ziploc freezer bag along with the chicken. Massage marinade into the chicken so that it is evenly distributed and all pieces are coated well. Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours. If you are not ready to grill the chicken after the 2 hours are up, remove the chicken from the bag to a plate and discard the marinade.
  3. Light your grill for indirect grilling. We found that this produces the best, juiciest, chicken breasts. After the chicken has cooked for a few minutes on each side, baste generously a few times on each side with the reserved marinade. Remove chicken when it reaches 160 degrees as measured with a digital thermometer. Serve with your favorite side dishes.

 

Beef, Dinner, Mexican, Recipes

Tacos Dorados

August 7, 2018

“The hard-shell taco has been an American staple for more than half a century.”  So opens “Introducing Tacos Dorados” in the July/August issue of Cook’s Illustrated. The crispy shell tacos have long existed in Mexico under the name tacos dorados or golden tacos.  We certainly enjoy a perfectly fried corn tortilla filled with savory meat and our favorite garnishes. Upon reading the article, I was intrigued by their promise of “the ultimate hard-shell tacos.” The Cook’s Illustrated recipe was a bit too elaborate for me so I decided to create my own version.  Voila, these are now our favorite tacos!

The meat filling is delicious. Once cooked, it is spooned on to one side of the prepared tortilla.  The tortillas are then folded over and ready to be fried.

The cool thing about these crispy tacos is that the folded edge of the tortilla stays pliable.  Once they are fried crisp, you are able to pry them open and fill with your favorite taco garnishes.  And because the meat filling and garnishes are on one side of the tortilla and not stacked from the bottom up, each bite includes savory meat and whatever other fillings you prefer (ours are cheese, pickled jalapeños, onions, diced tomatoes, and crispy iceberg lettuce).  I serve these with my favorite sopa de arroz and Cuban style black beans.


Tacos Dorados
 
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Adapted from Cook's Illustrated
Author:
Ingredients
  • 1 pound ground sirloin or 90 percent lean ground beef
  • vegetable oil
  • 1 cup finely chopped onion
  • 1½ tablespoons mild chile powder
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
  • ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1½ tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1½ teaspoons finely minced chipotle chile in adobo
  • 2 ounces finely shredded cheddar cheese (1/2 cup)
  • 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
  • Taco Garnishes:
  • shredded iceberg lettuce
  • diced onion
  • diced tomato
  • pickled jalapeños
  • shredded cheddar cheese
  • sour cream
Preparation
  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Combine chile powder, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, oregano and kosher salt in a small bowl.
  3. Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 5 minutes. Add spice mix to the onions, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Stir in tomato paste and chipotle chile and cook for another minute. Add ground sirloin and cook, using a wooden spoon to break meat into pieces no larger than ¼-inch, until beef is cooked through and no longer pink, 5-7 minutes. Transfer beef to a bowl; stir in cheddar until cheese has melted and mixture is homogenous. Wipe skillet clean with paper towels.
  4. Thoroughly brush both sides of the tortillas with canola oil (or spray lightly with cooking spray). Arrange tortillas, overlapping slightly, on a foil-lined baking sheet (2 rows of 6 tortillas). Bake until tortillas are warm and pliable, about 5 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees.
  5. Place 2 tablespoons of filling on 1 side of each tortilla. Fold and press to close tortilla. The filled tortillas can be covered and refrigerated for up to 8 hours.
  6. Set a small wire rack in a rimmed backing sheet (for first batch of cooked tacos). Heat ¼ cup oil in the skillet over medium to medium-high heat until shimmering. Arrange 6 tacos in the skillet with open sides facing away from you. Cook, adjusting heat so oil actively sizzles and bubbles appear around the edges of the tacos, until tacos are crispy and deeply browned on 1 side, about 2-3 minutes. Using a spatula, carefully flip tacos. Cook until browned on second side, about 2 minutes, adjusting heat as necessary.
  7. Remove skillet from heat and transfer tacos to a paper towel lined plate and blot tops with paper towels. Transfer tacos to prepared rack and place in oven to keep warm. Return skillet to medium to medium-high heat and cook remaining tacos.
  8. Serve tacos with your favorite garnishes, rice and beans.

 

Beef, Dinner, Mexican, Recipes

Dry-Rubbed Ribeye Steak

September 2, 2016

Dry-Rubbed Grilled Ribeye

Grilling a steak always makes for a quick delicious meal, especially when that steak is liberally coated with a flavorful mixture of spices!  This particular dry rub is adapted from Bon Appetit magazine.  We used the dry rub on skirt and ribeye steaks.  Both were delicious, but there’s something about the tenderness and flavor of a ribeye that is truly satisfying.

Dry-Rubbed Grilled Ribeye with Corn Salsa

Serve the steak thinly sliced with grilled corn salsa and roasted potatoes.  This is a wonderful meal to make for a small group of friends.  You can prepare the salsa and potatoes in advance, grill the steak and serve everything on a big platter.

Dry Rub Spices

If you like your steak quite spicy, use the 1 teaspoon of cayenne called for in the original recipe. I used a half teaspoon instead, and it was perfect since I like to drizzle our homemade hot sauce over my tacos.

Dry-Rubbed Ribeye

We butterflied two center-cut ribeye steaks then liberally coated each side with the dry rub and a drizzle of canola oil to help the dry rub adhere better.  One of our favorite ways to serve the grilled steak is in crispy tacos (a tasty version of carne asada).

Dry-Rubbed Grilled Ribeye Tacos

 

Dry-Rubbed Ribeye Steak
 
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Adapted from Bon Appetit magazine
Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon hatch mild chile powder (or ancho chile powder)
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
  • 1 teaspoon English mustard powder
  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1½ pounds ribeye steak (butterflied to make thinner steaks)
Preparation
  1. Combine all dry rub ingredients in a small bowl.
  2. Coat steaks with all of the dry rub. Drizzle a little canola oil over the steaks to help the rub adhere.
  3. Grill steaks to your desired doneness. Serve steaks with roasted potatoes and grilled corn salsa or as a filling in crispy tacos.

 

 

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