My mother is always making homemade salsa. She is either using her tomatoes from a grocery trip that need used up, canned, or in the summer fresh. So it inspired me to make salsa of my own. Family loves it and it is EASY, which is my middle name! This is just a base for any type of salsa you may want to make, whether it be fresh, fruit, canned, hot or mild. Experiment with it!

3 jalapeno peppers (more or less depending on your heat level)
1 medium onion quartered
1 garlic clove, halved
drizzle of olive oil
3 14 ounce cans of whole tomtatoes
4 fresh cilantro sprigs
1/2 tsp salt

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Quarter the onion and place on a baking sheet with jalapenos and garlic. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Cook until the peppers are blistering. approx. 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and take the stems out of the jalapenos. If the you prefer you can sweat the jalapenos to remove the outer skin. Do this by placing in a bowl while hot and covering with plastic wrap for 20 min.

Place onion and garlic in food processor; cover and pulse four times. Add the tomatoes, cilantro, salt and jalapenos. Cover and process until desired consitency.

Chill and serve with chips.

Note: Jalapenos vary in heat. I usually cook three, and add two. If the heat is not hot enough I add the last one during the tomatoe process.

Cumin Rib Rub Recipe

3 Tbsp. cumin

1 Tbsp coriander powder

2 Tbsp. dried thyme

2 Tbsp chili powder

2 Tbsp. paprika

2 Tbsp fresh ground black pepper or Montreal seasoning

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup kosher salt

Instructions: Mix. Rub into ribs, marinate over night and cook as desired.

Remove the membrane from the back side of the ribs, and rub the ribs generously with mixture. Wrap in plastic wrap and let sit overnight or up to 24 hours. Cook as desired.

Note: I put the ribs from saran wrap to foil, and braised them in the oven with orange juice and margarita mix. The foil holds the liquid in if you wrap them good. The cooking time for me was 6 hours at 225. Remove from oven and let sit for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, soak some wood chips in water and place in a pan or foil. Put the chips under your grate on the grill to add that smoky flavor to your ribs.

Remove the meat when the carmalization forms from the sauce, and cut into serving size portions.

Braise

Definition: This cooking method is used for less tender meats. The meat is browned slowly and thoroughly on all sides, then a small amount of liquid is added to the pan, the pan is covered, and the meat is simmered over very low heat until very tender.

I love braising food.  There is something about cooking something low and slow that tastes like you slaved away on it all day. 

My husband always says he hates chicken thighs.  I thought I would try again but this time combining them with his favorite thing… Mushrooms!   So below is a delicious way to cook up an inexpensive dinner that tastes like you worked all day to produce it!

Braised Chicken Thighs

1-2 Tbsp Olive Oil (to coat saute pan)
6 chicken thighs
1 Tbsp. Montreal chicken seasoning
2 Tbsp. butter
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 cup sliced onion
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp fresh rosemary

Heat Oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Season chicken Montreal chicken seasoning, and place skin side down in the pan and sear until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. Lower heat to medium. Remove chicken from pan and add 2 Tbsp of butter. Add the onions and garlic, saute till tender and add mushrooms, cook an additional 4-5 minutes stirring till mushrooms are browned and most of the liquid is soaked up. Stir in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes till mixed through and a roux is made. Add the tomato paste, stock and rosemary to pan and bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and add chicken. Cook for 30 minutes on one side, turn and cook an additional 30 min. or till chicken is very tender.

Serve over rice

Makes 4-6 servings

This dish is so easy to make and has such great flavor for a side dish for anything.  I have made it with peas and carrots, broccoli, asparagus mushrooms and the list goes on. Family loves it and friends ask for the recipe.  Hope you enjoy!

Rice Pilaf

1/4 cup butter
1/4-1/2 cup broken uncooked spaghetti (make the broken pieces small)
1/2 tsp garlic
1 1/4 cup jasmine rice
2 1/4 cups low sodium chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup asparagus cut
1/2 cup slivered almonds or nut of your choice

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add spaghetti and stir until lightly brown.

Next add onions and garlic. Cook till tender, about 2-3 min. Stir in rice, stirring and cooking for about 5 min, or until a bit opaque. Pour in chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover and cook 20 minutes or until the rice and liquid is gone.

Meanwhile, cook asparagus either by roasting or steaming. Cook till tender but firm.

Toss asparagus with cooked rice and cashews, and serve.

Note: I have replaced the asparagus with frozen peas and carrots during the cooking stage of rice. If I use mushrooms in place of the vegetables, I saute them with the onions and garlic. Be creative, and tweak it. Brown rice, barley and rice combination, or vegetable stock, so much you can do.

It is days like today when I take a bite of my apple that I have to jump online and tell anyone within earshot of this great experience. 

A Pacific Rose apple, if you have not already  had the pleasure to try, is an apple that is seasonal and hard to find and rather spendy vs. other apples in the store.  The thin skin on the outside lends to a beautiful crunch when you bite into it.  It is sweet, but not overly sweet.  It is crunchy.  There is no tartness.  It is the perfect eating apple.

The first season is from New Zealand from June to September, and just when you start to crave them again, they come back but from out of Washington from December to March.

So if you haven’t tried this amazing treat, run to your local produce section and check it out!  Let me know what you think?

Here is a quick dinner for those busy nights.  My family loved it.  The sauce can either be served rustic, just poured over the chicken, or creamed in a processor or blender.  I chose to blend it last night, it made it a bit thicker.   This would also work great for a light pasta or a pesto.  

Chicken With Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Sauce

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil or Canola Oil
4 garlic cloves minced
1/4 cup drained sun dried tomatoes
Dash of red pepper flakes (these are hot.. start with 1/8th tsp and adjust to your personal taste)
1/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

Pat chicken dry and season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat oil in skillet over moderately high heat until hot. Brown chicken on both sides, turning once. Chicken will not be cooked through. Transfer to clean dry plate.

Turn heat down to medium and add garlic, tomatoes and red pepper flakes to skillet, saute’ stirring until garlic is pale golden, about a minute. Add wine and stir the pan to remove any browned chicken bits from the bottom, and reduced by half. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Return the chicken with any juices and simmer covered till cooked through, 4-5 minutes.

Transfer the chicken to a platter to keep warm and cover with foil. Stir Cream about half the basil into sauce in skillet and bring just to a simmer. Pour the sauce into a blender or processor and blend till smooth. Make sure you use a dishtowel over the top of the processor or blender to prevent the hot liquid from burning your hands. If the sauce seems too thick, thin with a bit of water to right the consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve sauce over chicken and sprinkle with remaining basil.

For those of you who have not subscribed to or read Eating Well Magazine, you should take a look.  I love the way they take an everyday fat laden recipe and trim it down while maintaining flavor.  This recipe here has got me back here to post on the blog. I was running out of inspiration and new ideas.  Doesn’t help that I am trying to drop some of these winter pounds.  

I followed the recipe as it was written.  This recipe is a good base to build on.  Next time I will use the same methodology, but will increase the heat factor a bit.  I will also will use larger dices of shrimp.  I used a 21-26 count and diced into thirds.  I think half would be perfect for bigger shrimp flavor.

You can make this recipe up to a day ahead and refrigerate, just make sure to take it out 20 min or so before baking to warm the casserole dish.

Shrimp Enchilada Bake
(Eating Well Magazine)

1 pound peeled cooked shrimp tails removed, diced
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
2 4-ounce cans chopped green chiles (not drained)
2 cups canned green enchilada sauce or green salsa, divided
12 corn tortillas
1 15-ounce can nonfat refried beans
1 cup reduced-fat shredded cheese, such as Mexican-style cheese blend, Monterey Jack or Cheddar
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime, cut into wedges

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Combine shrimp, corn, chiles and 1/2 cup enchilada sauce (or salsa) in a microwave-safe medium bowl. Cover and microwave on High until heated through, about 2 1/2 minutes.
3. Spread 1/4 cup enchilada sauce (or salsa) in the prepared baking dish. Top with a layer of 6 overlapping tortillas. Spread refried beans evenly over the tortillas. Top the beans with the shrimp mixture, followed by the remaining 6 tortillas. Pour the remaining sauce (or salsa) over the tortillas. Cover with foil.
4. Bake the casserole until it begins to bubble on the sides, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil; sprinkle cheese on top. Continue baking until heated through and the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes more. Top with cilantro and serve with lime wedges.

No Mixer Banana Bread

3 or 4 ripened bananas smashed
1/3 cup melted butter
3/4 cup sugar
zest of half a lemon
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350

In a large bowl smash the bananas. Add 1/3 cup butter folding it in. Mix the sugar, egg and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix into the bananas and butter. Add the flour and mix all ingredients together. Pour mixture into a buttered loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

So here is what I came up with on my first try.  I think overall it turned out pretty darned good. 

Kung Pao Chicken

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons light sesame oil or vegetable oil
1-2 small zucchini chopped into cubes
1 red bell pepper cut into strips
3 tablespoons green onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-1/2 tsp. chili paste (start with one and adjust to your desired heat level)
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger (can use fresh grated if preferred)
2 tablespoons white wine or rice vinegar (whatever you have on hand)
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 packet splenda or 2 tsp. sugar
1 sm. can water chestnuts, sliced
1/3 cup dry roasted peanuts
4 cups cooked rice, hot

Combine chicken and cornstarch in small bowl. Toss to coat and set aside

Heat oil in large non-stick skillet or wok on medium heat. Add chopped zucchini and red bell pepper, cook till tender, not too soft. Remove from pan and set aside.

Next add chicken to the pan.

Stir fry 5- 7 minutes or until no longer pink in center. Remove from pan.

Add onions, garlic, chili paste and ginger to skillet. Stir fry 15 seconds.

Add chicken and vegetables and toss with onions, garlic mixture.

Combine wine, soy sauce and sugar in small bowl and add to skillet.

Stir in nuts and water chestnuts. Heat thoroughly, stirring occasionally.

(If sauce seems too thick, thin with a bit of white wine or rice vinegar)

Serve over hot rice.