Salsa-Not the Dance

I love salsa!  I can it almost every year because come winter, tomatoes are a little expensive and I don't like to pay for them or like the taste of an out of season tomato.  Picky, picky.  I know!  But, it's so worth it and this recipe will knock your socks off!

Get all of your ingredients together in one place. 

For this recipe, you'll need:

6-8 Roma tomatoes
4-5 cloves of garlic, peeled, minced
1/2 white onion, diced
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 cans tomatoes with green chiles, original, mild or hot
2 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh preferred)
*2-3 tablespoons lime juice (fresh preferred)
2 jalapenos sliced, seeded, de-veined and minced (you can substitute any pepper)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. garlic powder

*if you really love the sharp contrast of the lime against the other flavors, you can increase it!

I used to be a Pampered Chef consultant.  I loved the work, the product even more.  It might've created a Kitchen Gadget Monster in me.  That's for another blog.  I do still have a few tools left that I really love and while I'm not paid by anyone to tout their products, if they're great, I'm gonna give them a shout out!

I love, love, love the Pampered Chef Food Chopper.  I've had mine about ten years and used it for nearly everything you can imagine.  From the picture above, you can see that I really prefer my salsa as pico, but hubby prefers it minced, hence the chopper.  It's so easy to use.  Simply cut your veggies into strips or chunks, place the chopper on top and plunge away.  The blades rotate and chop creating either a rough chop or a fine mince.  The cost is nominal in comparison to the use you'll get out of it.  It's great for chopping nuts, too!

Nom. Nom. Nom.  Enough said.

So, to start, have a cutting board handy along with all of your ingredients and tools.  The musts for this are a really sharp knife, can opener (another Pampered Chef favorite), and a deep bowl.

I begin by clipping the ends from my cilantro and soaking it in a bowl of cold water to clean out any sand in the leaves.  Nobody wants that kind of crunch in their salsa!  I then start peeling my garlic and onion.  For the garlic, after breaking the head apart and getting the cloves I need, I place them in a small jar with a lid and shake them.  This removes the peels and all I have to do is chop the ends off before dicing.

The onion is another matter.  Since I'm using only half of an onion, I slice it so that the root is still intact on both pieces.  Supposedly, this is going to keep it from spraying juice everywhere (i.e. in my eyes!).  Just pull the outer skin and any damaged skin under it off and discard.  I do a rough chop, place part of that under the food chopper and proceed to mince away.

Once the cilantro has soaked and been rinsed several times, I repeat the process with it and place it in the bowl with the onions and garlic.  This is where the fun comes in.  I really want to draw the flavor out of these, so I sprinkle my salt, garlic powder and onion powder on top of them along with the lemon and lime juice.  Give it a little stir before adding the canned tomatoes with green chiles.
Now, take care of your peppers.  I used jalapenos in this one, but have been known to use Serrano or habanero peppers in their place or alongside.  It just depends on how much heat you can handle.

Aren't they gorgeous?

Next you'll want to rinse your tomatoes and dice them with the knife.  If they're really firm the food chopper will do a great job, but if not, you'll just end up with a mess on your cutting board.  Place them in the bowl with the other ingredients and stir, mixing well.  Allow to sit for 1/2 an hour or so before serving to allow flavors to marry.

Roughly chopped.  Isn't it gorgeous?  I could eat this for breakfast!

My favorite thing to eat salsa on is a burrito topped in a homemade chili sauce, melted cheese and a few lime tortillas.  I place it on my enchiladas, tacos, sandwiches, omelets, you name it!  I've even been known to put it in the blender and drink it!  

Refrigerate any leftovers (uh, yeah, like that's gonna happen).  I've also taken small amounts (1/2 cup or less) and pour into ice cube trays.  Freeze, place in a zip bag once frozen and take out when you need a little oomph added to your soup recipes!  This is a great addition to taco soup!

NOTE:  No fat, low calorie, high in flavor food that's great for you!

Taco Soup

There's nothing quite like a bowl of hot soup to warm you when you're cold.  A bowl of hot, savory, oh so yummy taco soup will do that and then some!  I promise!  Flavors so rich and creamy...well, just give it a try.  Trust me, you'll be glad you did!

It's so easy that you'll find yourself making it on weeknights as well as weekends!  Here's what you'll need:

1 lb. lean ground beef (optional, may replace with ground turkey, chicken or pork, equal amounts)
1 pack taco seasoning (I normally use mild but have been known to spice it up a bit!)
1 pack ranch dressing mix
2 cans black beans
2 cans pinto beans
2 cans kidney beans
1 can corn
1 can tomatoes with green chilies (mild or hot, your choice)
1 onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
14 oz. beef broth
2 quarts tomato juice

Options:
Cheddar or Mexican blend cheese, shredded
Sour Cream
Avocado
Tortilla chips

In a heavy bottomed pot, brown beef with onion, until done.  Drain as much extra fat off as possible.  Add remaining veggies, broth and juice as well as spice packets.  Stir well.  Bring to a boil and cook 25-30 minutes, stirring often to keep from sticking.  Serve over a bowl of tortilla chips with a dollop of sour cream, a slice of avocado and lots of cheese.

I served mine with cheesy garlic toast and a side salad.

NOTE:  This freezes well!  If you make too much (not an issue at my house!) or just want to make it ahead, here's your chance.  I'd label it with a three month freezer life!

Gingered Garlic Chicken

This lovely gem is a blast from the past.  I'd had a bad day, cleaned out the fridge and freezer, left two whole fryers in the sink, they thawed. :(  then I locked myself out of the house (yeah, it was one of those kinds of days!) so I had to cook them!  I placed one in a slow cooker with only salt and pepper to season and let it cook away.  Turned out to be pretty tasty!  The second one, well, I got all fancy on it!  

Here's what you'll need:

Whole fryer, thawed
1 large clove of garlic (I use elephant garlic)
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 piece candied ginger, chopped
2 Tbs. Sriracha chili sauce
1 Tbs. soy sauce
1 tsp. fish sauce
1 tsp. Hoisin sauce
2 cups ginger ale
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper to taste

In a slow cooker, place whole fryer.  Baste it with a mixture of fish sauce, Hoisin, soy, Sriracha and ginger ale, pouring the remaining sauce over top of the chicken.  Add garlic, onion, ginger and bay leaf.  Cook on low for 4-5 hours or until browned and cooked through.

I allowed mine to cool considerably before taking it off of the bone.  

PAIRS WELL WITH:  

• Green beans with almonds & mashed potatoes
• on a lovely bed of salad greens
• in a stir-fry
• on a nice challah bun
• with roasted fall veggies

Spicy Pasta Alfredo with Veggies

Do you remember in the bit about me how I said to use moderation?  Here's a prime example.  However, if you add lots more veggies, it's easier to do!

Spicy Pasta Alfredo with Veggies

This dish is soooo easy that it'll become a weekly favorite at your house like it has at mine!  For the dish you'll need:

1 lb. pasta, uncooked (I used macaroni, but I really like penne or rigatoni)
4 oz. can mushroom slices, drained
12 oz. grilled/roasted chicken breast, diced
16 oz. Ragu cheesy garlic sauce (their version of alfredo)
1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes
2 oz. mini pepperoni
2 cups baby spinach
1 clove garlic, minced
red pepper flakes (to taste)
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)

Cook pasta per directions-being sure to salt the water to add flavor to your pasta, reserve one cup of starchy water from pasta once cooked and drain. In a large sauce pan, spray liberally with non-stick cooking spray, heat on medium and saute zucchini for 2-3 minutes.  Next, add tomatoes.

The idea here is to cook the veggies that take the longest, first and add the ones that don't take very long as we go.  Again, saute for just a couple of minutes.  The tomatoes should just be warm, not ready to burst.  Next, add the mushrooms.

Doesn't this look yummy?  Now we're at the point where the mushrooms are already cooked and just need to heat up.  This doesn't take very long, maybe a minute or two.  Just stir the vegetables so that the heat is evenly distributed.   Here comes the good part:  baby spinach!

Because you just want the spinach to wilt a little, you can literally put it in the pan, stir it around and it's done.  Like 20 seconds!  Now, pour the veggie mixture onto the pasta.  Into the skillet will go another shot of non-stick cooking spray, the chicken, pepperoni and red pepper flakes. I use just a couple of good shakes on the red pepper flakes.  It lightly warms the tongue without feeling like you're on fire.

Since the chicken and pepperoni are both cooked, they only need to heat for 2-3 minutes.  Add minced garlic at this point.  Just give them a good stir to keep from sticking.  Next, add the pasta sauce.  Once you've dumped the jar onto the meat, pour the cup of reserved liquid into the jar, cap it and shake vigorously.  Pour over mixture.

Here's the best part!  It's almost done!  Just give this a good stir, cook for 3-4 minutes until the sauce is heated thoroughly and pour over pasta, veggie mixture.

Once the sauce is on, return mixture to heat and incorporate by gently stirring. You don't want the veggies to break down, but just enough that the sauce covers everything.

Salt and pepper to taste.  You may find it doesn't need much since there's seasoning on the chicken, pepperoni and in the sauce.  I literally used a dash of black pepper in mine, no salt needed.

I served mine with garlic knots (mmm, my favorite!).  It's a big hit in my family and you'll soon see why!  Give it go and see what happens at your house!

NOTES:

• In place of or in addition to the zucchini, I've used eggplant, squash, okra, really any summer veggie is great!  Just don't add too much as it makes the dish mushy!  You can also substitute your favorite green in place of the baby spinach!  
• You can easily halve or quarter it if you're cooking for less.  It does keep well in the fridge (about 3 days is all it's made it at our house) but don't try and freeze it.  The results are not pretty!
• You can make it vegetarian!  Just leave out the meat!  You might prepare some tofu to add to it!  
• It's also easy to use different meats!  I've substituted chicken breast (prepared), turkey breast, tuna...so easy to do!