Salsa Verde

Hey everyone! A real quick update for you: I’ve been on a little vacay this week down on the island so today’s post will be the last one until next week. Now on to the main attraction….

I love salsa verde but until recently I had no idea exactly what it consisted of or how easy it was to make. This is another recipe by the fabulous Yvonne – click her name to link to her blog/web site which will also provide you to a link to her FB page. She is a wonderful chef and I couldn’t help sharing this recipe after I attended another one of her cooking shows and then tried to make the salsa myself.

As you can see here I put the salsa on some fish tacos but the options are limitless for what you can eat this salsa with.

1 lb tomatillo, peeled, washed and quartered

1 white onion, peeled and quartered

4 cloves garlic, peeled

2 jalapeños, seeds and membranes removed

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup cilantro (no need to chop)

1/2 lime, juiced

1. Heat oven to 400*.

2. Place quartered tomatillos and onions, jalepenos and whole garlic cloves and place on lined cookie sheet (parchment paper is best but foil will do). Bake until tomatillos are soft, about 20 minutes.

3. Allow a few minutes out of the oven to cool and then place in a food processor with the rest of the ingredients and pulse.

4. Cool in refrigerator until ready to eat.

5. Enjoy!

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20 Recipes for Summer

Summer is here! Okay, well maybe not “officially” but I think all the moms out there can agree that summer starts when school lets out. Now that it’s hotter outside and the days are longer we want to avoid turning on the oven as much as possible and either grill or eat light, refreshing meals.  I don’t know about you but my kitchen gets really hot when I use the oven so I will definitely be planning any baking for very early in the day and relying more on the grill and other summertime fare.

Here is a roundup of 20 recipes that are summer worthy from appetizers to desserts, and not a one requires an oven.

Appetizers: Bruschetta, Cherry Caprese

Salads: Deviled Potato Salad, Macaroni Salad, Cheeseburger Salad, Chopped Thai Chicken Salad, Chili Lime Chicken Salad, Greek Chicken Salad with Grapes & Pecans

On the Grill: Grilled Balsamic Chicken, Bourbon BBQ Sliders with Garlic Aioli, Honey-Lime Chicken Kabobs

In the Crock Pot: Honey Sesame Chicken, Sweet Chicken Rio, Cashew Chicken, Chicken Teriyaki

Cool Desserts: Chocolate Banana Pudding Pie, Mud Pie, Watermelon Petit Fours, Chocolate & Peanut Butter Ribbon Dessert, Easy Eclair Dessert

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June Menu ~ 2013

Holy moly, I am having a hard time believing it is June already! Don’t get me wrong, I am so ready for summer and for the kids to be out of school, but when I look back at the past 5 months, I’m like wha??? Where’d it go? And it’s not even that so much as realizing that you’re half-way through 2013 already! Before you know it it’ll be 2014 and I still haven’t gotten used to writing 2013 on my checks!!

Ok, fine, enough complaining.

This month I have a lot going on. Most times June is a busy month for this family and this year is no exception. In fact, I have even more going on than usual for June, but mostly it’s coincidence. With that said, I will be out of town for three of the five weekends, and  so my aim is make my menu as easy as possible. There isn’t much in the way of new recipes, though I am sure if I have the time I will add something else. I often do. And there are also the leftover recipes from my May menu that I didn’t get to in time, so I will most likely get to those as well. I hope you find something you like. Happy cooking and welcome summer!

Recipes I have posted before: Bourbon BBQ Sliders, Baked Tacos, Poor Man’s Mongolian Beef, Balsamic Grilled Chicken, Tomato & Zucchini Frittata, Dijon Dill Salmon, Honey Sesame Chicken, Lobster Risotto, Chili Lime Chicken Fiesta Salad, Crispy Cheddar Chicken, Maple Mustard Chicken, Pasta Lentil Soup.

Recipes I am working on this month:

Tomatillo Salsa Verde

Brown Sugar Grilled Salmon

Tuscan Pasta

General Tso’s Chicken Sliders

Egg-Stuffed Potatoes

Crock Pot Pesto-Ranch Chicken

Chicken Pad Thai

Chocolate Fudge Tart with Mint Cream

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

Pear Pecan Muffins

Raspberry Lemon Drop

Deviled Potato Salad

This is Hubby’s favorite. I don’t make it often, but if there’s something that screams the words “summer”, “picnic” or “holiday” it would probably be this one. I usually just throw the ingredients in and make it it to taste, but I will try my best to give you some more accurate measurements in case you decide to try it. And if you’re a deviled egg fan then you are going to love this potato salad.

3 large potatoes, peeled, cut and boiled

9 eggs, hard boiled

3/4 cup mayo

3 T yellow mustard

1/4 cup dill relish

1 T white pepper

1 tsp salt

2 tsp dill

Please bear in mind that these measurements are extremely adjustable, so be prepared to taste, taste, taste, and adjust, adjust, adjust until you get it just the way you like it.

1. After eggs have cooked and cooled, peel them and separate the whites from the yolks. Chop up the whites and throw into a large bowl along with the cooked and cubed potatoes.

2. In a medium bowl combine the yolks with the relish and mustard. I use a fork to break up the yolk and mix everything together. Use whatever kitchen tool you like to make this mixture creamy smooth (will be lumpy from the relish, of course).

3. Stir in mayo, salt, white pepper, and dill. Taste. Add anything you feel is needed.

4. Fold the dressing into the potato and eggs. If you don’t feel that there is enough dressing you can adjust by adding in a few tablespoons of mayo at a time, then adjust the flavors by adding in a bit of mustard and other ingredients slowly.

5. Taste, taste, taste. Refrigerate until cooled (this helps the mayo infuse with the other flavors) and until ready to serve.

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Parmesan & Chive Quinoa Patties

Wow, these were good! Everyone enjoyed them and I definitely will be making them again. They were the perfect side to my Honey Lime Chicken Kabobs, and just as satisfying as my Rice Fritters but with less mess (always a good thing around here). You should yield about a dozen 2-inch cakes, however size and number will vary.

2 1/2 cups cooked quinoa

4 large eggs, beaten

1/2 tsp sea salt

6 green onions, sliced thin*

1/3 cup fresh shredded parmesan

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup panko bread crumbs

EVOO

1. Combine the quinoa, eggs, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the chives, onions, cheese, and garlic. *When cutting up the green onions, use the entire thing. Add the panko, stir, and let sit a few minutes. If the mixture is too wet add more panko, if too dry add water.

2. Heat 1 T oil at a time in large skillet over medium high heat. Form your patties into approx. 2 ounce/1-inch circles and place into the pan. Fry until bottoms are considerably browned then flip over and cook the tops. Drain on paper towels.

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Four Bean Salad

Recently I went to a dinner at a friend’s house where everyone brought sides to go around the main course, and it was there I discovered this awesome bean salad. Now, I know some of you will say this is old news, but to me it’s not and I had to make one of my own and share. I love the flavors of the balsamic mixed with sugar. It’s not too sweet and not too bitter. Just perfect.

There are lots of things you could add into a salad like this, such as onion and bell pepper, but I just wanted to keep this simple so it’s strictly beans and dressing. And really, you could use any combination of beans you’d like.

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 can green beans, drained and rinsed

1 can navy beans, drained and rinsed

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup EVOO

1/2 tsp salt

Combine the beans in a large bowl. Whisk vinegar, sugar, oil, and salt until sugar dissolves.

Pour vinegar-sugar mixture over beans and toss well to coat.

Cover and refrigerate over night. Stir several times.

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Cajun Chicken Fritters with Cajun Aioli

These fritters were super yummy, and the best part is with all these flavors you could easily swap the meat out for crab or shrimp or any other fish you like. The aioli definitely made this dish so don’t forget to whip up some and refrigerate for a bit while you’re making your fritters.

Cajun Chicken Fritters

3 or 4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 cup flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

4 eggs, separated

1 cup buttermilk

1 T butter, melted

1 tsp srirachi or other hot pepper sauce

1-2 tsp cajun seasoning

1 1/2 tsp liquid crab boil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup chopped bell peppers (any colors)

Cooking oil

Cajun Aioli

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 T grain mustard

1 tsp cajun seasoning

1. Whisk ingredients for aioli together and refrigerate. *This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled, depending on how much you like.

2. In a large mixing bowl combine flour, cornmeal, salt, and baking powder.

3. In another bowl combine buttermilk, butter, slightly beaten egg yolks, hot pepper sauce, cajun seasoning, and crab boil.

4. Stir to combine the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture. Add in peppers, garlic, and shredded chicken.

5. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form and then fold into the chicken mixture completely.

6. Heat cooking oil (about 1 inch) in a dutch oven or heavy skillet, and drop chicken mixture by spoonfuls into the oil, about 4 at a time so they have room to cook and don’t stick together. Flip and cook until golden brown. Drain on paper towel-lined plate.

7. Serve with cajun aioli and something creamy and crunchy like cole slaw.

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Bacon Cheddar Potato Cakes

Use your leftover mashed potatoes to create a new side dish full of flavor and crunch. These are really good!

2 cups leftover mashed potatoes

4 slices turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 egg

1 tsp onion powder

salt & pepper, to taste

EVOO

1. Combine all the ingredients and form 2 oz. patties.

2. Heat EVOO in skillet over medium-high heat and cook each potato cake for about 4 or 5 minutes on each side until golden brown. *Cook about 3 or 4 at a time so they don’t stick together and you can easily flip them.

3. Drain on paper towel.

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Thai Dragon Noodles

These noodles are super yummy. You can adjust the heat as much or as little as you want. They went great with my Honey Sesame Chicken and gave me an awesome idea for a Pad Thai recipe (coming soon)! You can use lo mien noodles, or even regular linguine if you’d like, but for an authentic dish try these Thai rice noodles.

8 oz. Thai rice noodles

2 T butter

2 eggs

1/4 tsp red pepper

1 1/2 T brown sugar

3 T soy sauce

2 tsp sesame oil (optional)

1 T Sriracha (rooster sauce)

2 green onions, sliced (all of it)

2 T fresh cilantro, chopped

1. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

2. In small bowl mix together soy sauce, the brown sugar, sriracha, and red pepper flakes. Set aside.

3. Heat skillet up with the butter and scramble the eggs with the chopped whites of the green onions. Reserve the scallions (green bits) for later.

4. Take eggs out of skillet and set aside. Put sesame oil into hot skillet and do a real quick pan fry of the noodles. Combine eggs and sriracha sauce into the skillet with the noodles.

5. Sprinkle top with scallions and cilantro before serving.

Southwest Chicken and Corn Chowder

You probably are thinking this would be a great recipe for the Fall and I agree, but the weather here has been cold and rainy for nearly a month, so it feels pretty Fall-like. Besides, comfort food is welcome in my house anytime of the year and I’d bet you’d agree if you try this lovely chowder. Just serve with some crusty bread and enjoy.

1 T EVOO

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 green onions, chopped

1/2 cup carrots, sliced thin or diced

1/2 cup celery, sliced thin or chopped

1 small to medium potato, peeled and cubed

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 mini bell peppers, red & orange, chopped (optional)

jalapeno pepper, minced

4 pieces turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled

3 cups chicken broth

 1 1/4 cups heavy cream

2 T flour

1 1/2 cups frozen corn

2 tsp southwest seasoning*

salt & pepper

1. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and toss with southwest seasonings. *This is just a combo of chili powder, chipotle powder, and paprika. Cook in EVOO in skillet heated over medium heat.

2. In soup pot place the chicken broth and the chopped carrots, onion, garlic, jalepeno, bell peppers and celery. Allow time to soften and simmer in broth before adding the chicken, corn and potato. Cook for at least 20 minutes.

3. Fry up your bacon, drain and crumble into the chowder pot. Season with thyme, salt and pepper. Taste.

4. Using a small whisk, combine the flour with the heavy cream in a bowl to make a roux. Add to the chowder and stir in well.

5. Let simmer another 20 minutes or more until potatoes are tender and all the flavors are combined.

I will share a few secrets with you: First, I used the crock pot, in stages, which made the chowder awesome. If you have the time I’d recommend this. Just follow the recipe with longer cooking intervals. After several hours the chicken is extremely tender and the overall flavor is amazing. Also, I used leftover chicken from my Chicken Enchilada Pasta Bake since there was so much leftover and I didn’t want to waste all that chicken or fantastic flavor. If you have any leftover dishes in your fridge, don’t be afraid to dig your hands into it and find a way to use it.