Recipe #85 - Cranberry Salsa with Cilantro and Chiles

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I made this recipe as a side dish for this year's Thanksgiving dinner. I was tired of always eating the cranberry sauce straight out of the can every year. This definitely shook things up a bit.

Preheat over to 200 degrees. 

Place cranberries on a cookie sheet and let simmer in the oven until softened and juicy. Small bubbles should break the surface around the edges of the berries. The Payoff: Simmering softens the berries and allows enough time for all the flavors to meld. For more of a bitter taste, place the cranberries directly in the food processor. Simmering them will bring out the sweetness.

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add pepitas; stir until golden, about 1 minute. Transfer too plate; sprinkle with sea salt.

Place cranberries in processor. Using on/off turns, process until finely chopped. Transfer to bowl. Add onions, cilantro, and chiles. Stir sugar and lime juice in another bowl until sugar dissolves. Do Ahead: Cranberry and lime mixtures can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover separately; chill. 

Add cranberry mixture and pepitas to lime juice mixture; still to combine.

Rating: 7

Time: 40 minutes

Serves: Makes about 3 cups

Ingredients:

4 teaspoons pumpkin seed oil

1/2 cup natural unsalted papitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)

Sea salt

2 cups fresh cranberries or frozen, thawed

1 1/3 cups chopped green onions (dark green parts only; 2 bunches)

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons minced seeded serrano chilles

6 tablespoons sugar

6 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Recipe #84 - Spicy Blackened Salmon Tacos w/ Cilantro Aioli and Charred Corn Salsa

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For the Spicy Blackened Salmon Tacos:

Heat oil in heavy-bottomed skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium high heat until smoking.

Meanwhile, mix chili powder, cayenne, sugar and salt with the flour in a shallow bowl. Dredge salmon in flour mixture and transfer to hot skillet.

Cook until very brown, then flip. Continue cooking till flesh is just opaque. Set aside to cool.

Once the fish has cooled, tear it into small chunks.

Wipe oil from skillet, and throw in tortillas to warm. Arrange the fish, flanked into chunks, Charred Corn Salsa, and desired toppings on one half of a warmed tortilla and drizzle aioli. Fold in half to serve.

For the Charred Corn Salsa:

Preheat broiler and put oven rack in highest position. Toss corn, tomatoes, onion and jalapeno with olive oil in a zip lock bag. Salt to taste. Shake to combine.

Transfer corn mixture to a shallow baking pan. Broil until tomatoes are soft and corn is charred, 5-8 minutes.

For the Cilantro Aioli: 

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Keep chilled until ready to serve (can be made ahead). Top tacos with generous spoonfuls.

Rating: 10
Time: 2 hours
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
Spicy Blackened Salmon Tacos:
1 pound of salmon, or other firm-fleshed fish
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Large flour tortillas
Avocado, cilantro, and green onions for topping
Lime wedges
Charred Corn Salsa
Cilantro Aioli

For the Charred Corn Salsa:
1 cup corn kernels (I used frozen)
3 roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup red onions, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt, to taste

For the Cilantro Aioli:
1/2 cup sour cream
Juice of 2 limes
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1 garlic clove, minced

Recipe #83 - Chipotle's Cilantro Lime Rice

My sister, Teresa, and I have the craziest obsession with Chipotle's burritos. We make a 40 minute drive to get burrito once a week. It may seem a little redic, until you taste their rice. So here is how you make it:

Sautee the rice in oil until almost translucent (as if you are making a risotto).

Add water, bring to a boil. As soon as the water begins to boil, turn the heat down low. 

Simmer, covered for 15-20 minutes, or until all water is absorbed. 

Turn off heat. DON'T PEEK. LEAVE IT COVERED for 30 minutes (this is the "streaming" part... Chipotle steams rice every hour). This is what makes the rice fluffy. You won't be happy with yourself if you don't do this. Be patient. Good things come to those who wait. 

Remove lid, let some of the steam out. I just mixed every thing in the pot for the next step (some might think I mixing bowl would be easier).

Mix salt and lime juice together until salt is dissolved. I had to heat the juice in the microwave for 25 seconds to fully dissolve the salt. 

Pour the lime mixture over the rice a little at a time. Taste as you go. Mine turned out a little too limey. Then fluff with a fork. Sprinkle in cilantro, and toss well to evenly coat with cilantro and the lime mixture.

I served the rice with the Recipe #84 - Blackened Fish Tacos. 

Rating: 6

Time: 55 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon oil (canola/vegetable)

2 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped fine

1 fresh lime 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1 cup  long grain white rice

2 cups water

Recipe #77 - Flank Steak Salad with Jalapeno Poppers

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Recipe idea courtesy of Chuck Hughes from the cooking show Chuck's Day Off.

For the steak salad:
Rub the flank steak on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy skillet on medium-high heat and cook the steak on one side for 6 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side for 6 more minutes.

Meanwhile combine the red onion, cucumbers, tomatoes, avocados, cilantro, mint and lime juice in a bowl and mix well. (Side note: this step called for 2 tablespoons olive oil, but I left it out and it tasted just fine with just the lime juice.)

Season the salad with salt and pepper, to taste and set aside.

For the jalapeno poppers:
Heat oil in a deep fryer or a heavy-bottomed skillet to 350 degrees F. Carefully slice down the side of the peppers and remove the seeds. Set aside. In a bowl combine all the grated cheeses, season with pepper, to taste and stuff the peppers.

In a separate bowl, mix the flour, egg, and beer to form a batter. Dip the stuffed peppers in the batter.

Fry in the deep fryer or in a heavy skillet for about 5 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

Slice the flank steak into thin pieces.

Pile the salad on a plate with slices of flank steak, and top with 1 popper, sliced in half.

This recipe turned out really well. The colors where bright. It had a very fresh, summer taste to it. I've never tasted mint and cilantro together, but it was a memorable surprise pairing perfectly with the lime juice. It has been raining all day, so it's was a nice, uplifting, healthy lunch that brought some sunshine back into the dull house today.

Rating: 9
Time: 1 hour (there's a lot of cutting involved)
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
For the Steak Salad
2 pounds flank steak
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 red onion, sliced
2 cucumbers, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tomatoes, diced
2 avocados, halved, pitted, peeled and diced
1 cup torn fresh cilantro leaves
1 cup torn fresh mint leaves
Juice of 2 limes
2 tablespoons olive oil, optional

For the Jalapeno Poppers
6 jalapeno peppers or milder peppers (which I recommend)
1/3 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1/3 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1 cup flour
1 egg
3/4 cup beer
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Vegetable oil, for frying

Recipe #49 - Spicy Seattle Tuna Rolls

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Puree chiles, ginger, sesame seeds, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a mini-processor until paste forms. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in both oils and vinegar. Season dressing with salt.

If you couldn't find tuna sashimi, you can just buy the yellowfin tuna. Add a little sesame oil in a skillet and sear all edges, about 20-30 seconds per side.

Gently add tuna to the first mixture, toss to coat.

Place nori sheets on a work surface with short side facing you. Spread about 2 rounded tablespoons rice evenly on bottom third of each sheet.

Divide tuna among rolls, spooning over rice. Top with fillings. Roll into cones or log shape, using a few grains of cooked rice to "glue" to seal.

Now my mother didn't like the nori sheets very much at all. She dosen't like the texture. So I put together a little tuna salad over rice. She loved it. And I did too. It made me want to rewrite this whole recipe around this tuna salad. A-mazing.

Rating: 7
Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients:
4 green Thai chiles (or serrano peppers if you can't find the latter), stemmed, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon grated, peeled, fresh ginger
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoons kosher salt plus more for seasoning
1/4 cup sunflower or vegetable oil
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
1 pound sashimi-grade yellowfin tuna fillets, cut into 1/8" cubes
4 toasted dried nori sheets, halved lengthwise
1 1/2 cups (about) cooked short-grain rice, cooled
Assorted fillings, such as sliced scallions, English hothouse or Persian cucumber, avocado, cilantro leaves, and/or chive blossoms.

Recipe #38 - Pork Chops with Tropical Salsa

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I thought I'd try two low calorie dinners from the Weight Watchers program this week. My father and mother have been off and on this diet for years with very successful results. I've always appreciated the idea of portioning and exercise that they promote to help lose weight. Over eating and inhaling large portions are a huge issue here in the US. Everything is "Super Sized" and "Fast Food". If we ate our food slower, the brain would get a chance to tell us that we are full before we overindulged. We need to train our minds and stomachs to realize we don't need as much food to be full.

"The core philosophy behind the Weight Watchers program is to use a science-driven approach to help participants lose weight by forming helpful habits, eating smarter, getting more exercise and providing support."

This first recipe was off of a recipe card from "Week 10" in the program.

Rinse pork chops and pat dry with a paper towel. Lightly coat the pork with olive oil. Then season on all sides with a basic meat tenderizer.

Grill or broil pork chops until cooked through. I broiled mine. About 18 minutes, flipping once about halfway through.

This was my first time preparing kiwifruit. They smelled so sweet! Though proved a little difficult to dice after the skin was peeled off. Slippery little suckers.

While pork is cooking, prepare the salsa. In a medium bowl combine kiwifruit, pineapple, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Serve pork chops with salsa. I also served long grain wild rice. (The recipe suggests cooked couscous though.)

The salsa was amazing! The pork chop was a little dry, but the juiciness of the salsa balanced out the dryness perfectly to where I barely noticed.

If I did this recipe over, I would leave the pork in about a minute less on each side and serve the recommended couscous as the side. The rice didn't pair as nicely as I had hoped.

Rating: 5
Time: 35 mins
Serves: 4
Per serving: 244 calories; 7 g fat; 2 g fiber
Weight Watchers Points: 5
Ingredients:
4 (4-oz) trimmed boneless center loin-cut pork chops
3 kiwifruit, peeled and diced
1 cup drained, canned, unsweetened crushed pineapple
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil for drizzling
Meat tenderizer of choice for seasoning

Recipe #31 - Dominican Chimichurri Burgers

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So my attempt at stepping outside the box and making something a little different didn't turn out the way I'd hoped. I wanted to make a burger with a twist and found this recipe at epicurious.com.

What pairs perfectly with a burger?! Home brewed beer, of course! My dad just finished putting his home brew into a keg that my brothers bought him for Christmas. All day he kept saying, "You know what would fix that? A beer from the keg." or "You know what would go well with that (talking about cereal)? A beer from the keg." So, finally, he got to have his beer from the keg.

Start by mixing together the beef onion, bell pepper, garlic, cilantro, oregano, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, a scant 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Form into 4 (4 1/2-inch-wide) patties. I had a little more beef than the recipe suggested, so I had enough to make one more patty.

Heat on a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until hot, then lightly toast buns. Oil skillet, then cook patties, turning once, about 8 minutes total for medium-rare. Transfer to buns.

Mix together cabbage, carrot and 1/4 teaspoon salt, then cook, turning occasionally, until slightly wilted, about 2 minutes. Divide among burgers.

Oil skillet again, then sear onion and tomato, turning once, until slightly charred, about 2 minutes total. Divide among burgers.

Stir together ketchup, mayonnaise and mustard, then top burgers with sauce.

Looks pretty huh? There was just a lot going on in this recipe. A lot of different flavors and ingredients that seemed to clash rather than blend together like I was anticipating. At least in my opinion. My sister and mother, however, loved this recipe. It really wasn't that bad I guess, but the flavors were very confusing for my father and I.

Time: 45 minutes
Rating: 4
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
1 1/4 pound ground beef chuck
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 large red bell pepper, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
4 hamburger buns, split
2 cups thinly sliced cabbage
1 carrot, coarsely grated
1 small red onion, cut into rings
1 tomato, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon mustard

Recipe #29 - Bird's Nest Breakfast Cups

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I found this one on my friend Clay's Facebook page. Actually it popped up on my News Feed after he liked it. Nevertheless, it looked amazing and had to try it.

This was originally was supposed to be a "healthy" recipe. All the way from turkey bacon to the egg substitutes. Of course I scratched all that and used the good shiz.

So, it's that time of the year again, time to take an extra long time to make egg recipes because I have to tap out the top and shake the heck out of the egg to try and extract the insides. All in the effort to have enough confetti eggs on Easter to turn our back yard into a confetti war zone.

Oh well, it's always worth it in the end... Lol. I digress. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium size bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, parsley, salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat for 2 minutes on each side or until partially set but not crisp. Coat six muffin cups with butter; wrap two bacon strips around the inside of each cup. Fill each with 1/4 cup egg mixture; top with cheese.

Place into the oven for 18-20 minutes or until set. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan. I served with a side of biscuits. Dad presumed to put his whole Bird's Nest inside the biscuit, which actually looked yummy.

However, I think this recipe is all for show. It tasted just like bacon, eggs and cheese in a different form. Maybe if it had a sauce or something to compliment it, then it might have been a little more interesting end result.

Time: 30 minutes
Rating: 6
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
12 pieces of bacon
5 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon parsley
Salt & pepper to taste

Recipe #8 - Jalapeno Popper Sliders

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We had a lot of ground beef in the frig for some reason, so I needed to make a recipe using ground beef. I was in the mood for hamburgers, but didn't want to do the typical mayo, mustard, pickle, cheese thing. I've never made sliders before and began researching recipes. I found this:

"If you're in the mood for the flavors of the southwest, you'll love this pork and beef burger covered with roasted peppers and an avocado, sour cream, cilantro, Fresno chili and line juice dressing."

That was the tag line that hooked me for this recipe. Avocado! Sour cream! On a burger? Yes, please!

Everything but the Worcestershire sauce. Plus my recipe holder aka iPad.

There were a few things I threw out of the original recipe and a few that I added from others. For example, I didn't use pork, replaced it with more ground beef. It called for Pablano peppers (way too spicy for me), but used red peppers. I used Guinness Extra Stout beer instead of Negra Modelo.

I started out pre-heating the oven to broil. I cut up the the peppers into long thin strips and placed them on a cooking sheet. I then placed the pan into the oven (with the oven door ajar to allow steam to escape) to char them all over. Once charred, I quickly removed the peppers from the pan so that they didn't stick. I threw them into a small bowl to cool. Once cooled, using a food processor, I pureed them. Or as I like to say, "mush them up real good like". That's a technical term... Ha.

While the peppers are cooling before you puree them, cut the red onion into then rings and place in a bowl. Add half of the lime juice, salt, pepper, and drizzle with EVOO to coat. 

In another bowl, mash together the avocado, sour cream, cilantro, fresno chili and the remaining lime juice; season, to taste, with salt. This makes a thick sauce to top the slider with when finished. 

In a large bowl, combine the beef, pork, pureed peppers, cumin, coriander, paprika, cinnamon, salt and lots of pepper. Mix in the beer and Worcestershire sauce. 

Form the mixture into eight 3-inch patties (a little thinner in the center and thicker at the edges). Drizzle a little EVOO in a large skillet or nonstick griddle over medium-high heat. Add the burgers and cook, turning once, for about 7 minutes for medium-rare. Top with the pepper jack cheese slice (it's ok if it's much larger, it will melt around the edges of the slider).

Place the burgers on the wheat roll bottoms. Top with the onions and sauce and set the roll tops in place. Wala! You now have fabulous looking and tasting Jalapeno Popper Sliders!

I was impressed by the depth of the flavor. I could pin point the beer and the Worcestershire sauce as well as the broiled peppers. I felt like each item could have been it's own recipe, good enough to be eaten separately. The onions marinated in the spices and EVOO. The avocado, jalapeno and sour cream. Even the cinnamon added to the beef was just superb.

Almost to pretty to eat... almost.

  

Time: ~1 hour

Rating: I'm going to give this a 10. I would def make it again. In fact, I want to make it again right now just writing about them. 
Serves: 4
Ingredients:

2 large red peppers

1 small red onion, thinly sliced into rings

Juice of 2 limes, divided

Salt and pepper

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling

1 small ripe avocado

1/2 cup sour cream

A handful of cilantro, finely chopped

1 Fresno or jalapeño chili, seeded and finely chopped

1.5 pounds ground beef sirloin

1/2 palmful each ground cumin, ground coriander and smoked sweet paprika (about 1 1/2 teaspoons each)

A pinch of ground cinnamon

1/3 cup beer, such as Guinness Extra Stout

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Sliced pepper Jack

8 white, potato or whole wheat slider rolls, split