Corn & Black Bean Salad
This simple and colorful salad is packed full of flavor. With the combination of sweet corn, tender black beans, cherry tomatoes and zesty cilantro in a vinaigrette dressing what could be better.
INGREDIENTS
2 Cups Fresh or Frozen Corn
1/2 Cup Chopped Red Onion
2 Tablespoons Malt Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Fresh Lime Juice
1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
4 Cups Black Beans
1 Cup Halved Cherry Tomatoes
1/3 Cup Chopped Cilantro
In a medium size pot add water and bring to a boil. Add the fresh corn and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and drain well. Rinse in cold water and drain again. If you are using frozen corn skip the cooking process. Just thaw the corn out. In a large size bowl whisk together the malt vinegar, olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper to make the dressing. Add the beans, corn, chopped onions and cherry tomato halves. Toss just until all of the ingredients are incorporated. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours. Add the cilantro and toss again before serving. Serves 4
Roast Beef Quesadillas
I am always looking for ways to use leftovers. Quesadillas are a tasty way to make use of yesterday’s home cooked chicken, beef or pork.
INGREDIENTS
17 Ounces Cooked Roast Beef (With Au Jus)
¾ Cup Chunky Salsa
1 ½ Cups Sliced Sweet & Hot Peppers
4 Ten Inch Flour Tortillas
¾ Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Fresh Cilantro
In a large skillet combine the beef in its juices with the salsa and peppers. Cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to break up the beef. In the meantime preheat your broiler. For the quesadillas, spoon some of the beef mixture on half of each tortilla. Fold the tortillas over the meat and then fold in quarters. Place the folded tortillas on a foil lined baking sheet. Sprinkle the cheese on each quesadilla. Broil for 1 minute. You want the cheese just to melt and the tortilla to begin to get crisp. Top with cilantro. Makes 4 servings.
Green Chile Quesadillas
Quick and delicious! My Green Chile Quesadillas can be made for lunch, dinner or party food. Serve with homemade guacamole if you like.
INGREDIENTS
2 Cups (8 Ounces) Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
4 Ounce Can Diced Green Chiles
2 Small Chopped Green Onions
1 Small Diced Tomato
Six 6 inch Fajita Size Flour Tortillas
1 Bunch Chopped Fresh Cilantro (Optional)
Salsa (Optional)
Combine the cheese, chilies, tomatoes and green onions in a medium size bowl. Spread ¾ cup of the cheese mixture on one tortilla. Place the second tortilla evenly over the mixture. Place the quesadilla in a medium size skillet that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Cook over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown and the cheese is melted. Slice into quarters and garnish with cilantro and salsa if you like. Serves 6
Salsa Dressing
INGREDIENTS
2/3 Cup Light Sour Cream
2 Cups Salsa
1 Teaspoon Cumin
5 Teaspoons Fresh Lime Juice
¼ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender and combine well. Pour into a bowl or a medium size pitcher and place into the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap, until ready to use.
Chicken Taco Salad
In a hurry? Don’t know what to make for dinner? Trying to cut down on calories? This Chicken Taco Salad recipe is so good and easy to make. Even the Salsa Dressing is low fat. What more could a gal want?!
INGREDIENTS
For the salad:
4 Cups Shredded Romaine Lettuce
2 Cups Chopped Roasted Chicken Breasts
1 Cup Chopped Tomatoes
1/3 Cup Chopped Red Onion
15 Ounces Drained & Rinsed Red Beans
1 Chopped Red Bell Pepper
½ Cup Halved Black Olives
½ Cup Grated White Cheddar Cheese
For the dressing:
2/3 Cup Light Sour Cream
2 Cups Salsa
1 Teaspoon Cumin
5 Teaspoons Fresh Lime Juice
¼ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
To prepare the salad: Roast the chicken breasts in advance (salt & pepper, roast for 45 minutes on 350°F). Let cool a bit before removing the skin and bones. You can use skinless & boneless chicken breasts, but honestly I think that they can be tasteless and dry. Chop the chicken breasts and set aside. Combine the lettuce and the remaining ingredients in a large bowl, including the chicken. Toss gently and serve with the salsa dressing. Serves 4
Salsa Dressing: Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender and combine well. Pour into a bowl or a medium size pitcher and place into the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap, until ready to use.
Tortilla Soup
I really like Tortilla Soup. I used to buy it from Fresh Direct and then decided to make it homemade. Super good!
INGREDIENTS
1 Chopped Onion
4 Minced Garlic Cloves
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Teaspoons Chili Powder
1 Teaspoon Oregano
28 Ounces Crushed Tomatoes (Canned Will Do Fine)
11 Ounces Chicken Broth
1 ¼ Cups Water
1 Cup Cooked Corn Kernels
1 Cup White Hominy
4 Ounces Chopped Green Chile Peppers
¼ Cup Chopped Cilantro
2 Boneless Chicken Breasts
Crushed Tortilla Chips
Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
Chopped Green Onions
Cook and cut the 2 boneless chicken breasts into bite sized pieces. In a medium sized pot heat the olive oil over a medium heat sauté the onion and garlic in the oil
until soft. Stir in the chili powder, oregano, tomatoes, broth and water. Bring the pot to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes over a low heat. Stir in the corn, hominy, chilies, beans, cilantro and chicken. Simmer for 10 minutes. Ladle the soup into serving bowls. Top with crushed tortilla chips, cheese and chopped green onion. Serves 8
Spicy Black Bean Soup
Warmed corn tortillas and a nice green salad go nicely with this hearty soup.
INGREDIENTS
1 ½ Cups Dried Black Beans
5 Cups Water
1 Cup Chopped Yellow Onion
1 Cup Spicy Salsa
3 Minced Garlic Cloves
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
½ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
6 Tablespoons Sour Cream
6 Tablespoons Chopped Cilantro
¼ Cup Diced Tomatoes
Soak the dried beans, covered with cold water, over night. The next morning drain the beans. Transfer the beans into a medium cooking pot with the 5 cups of water. Bring the beans to a boil and cook for 30 minutes. Add more water if you need to. Add the onion, salsa, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir occasionally. And cook on medium for another 30 minutes. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 2 hours until done to the consistency that you desire. Serve in bowls garnished with sour cream, chopped cilantro and diced tomatoes. Serves 6
Chicken Tacos
From living on the West Coast for so long I became spoiled. Everywhere I turned there was authentic Mexican food. Good Mexican food is definitely missing here in New York. I don’t care how hard the Mexican restaurants try they just can’t compete with the West Coast. Period!
INGREDIENTS
1 ½ Pounds Skinless & Boneless Chicken Breasts
½ Cup Garlic Lime Marinade (Lime, Chili Powder, Kosher Salt, Pepper)
¾ Teaspoons Ancho Chili Powder
½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
¼ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
1 Can Rinsed & Drained Mexicorn
¼ Cup Fire Roasted Salsa Verde
¼ Cup Diced Red Onion
2 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Cilantro
1 Tablespoon Fresh Lime Juice
8 Yellow Corn Taco Shells
Shredded Romain Lettuce For Garnish
1 Diced Tomato For Garnish
Lime Marinade: ½ Teaspoon Chili Powder, 1 Squeezed Lime, ½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt, ½ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
In a medium bowl, toss the chicken and marinade together. Set aside. In a medium bowl mix the mexicorn, salsa verde, onion, cilantro and lime juice. Set aside. Heat a stovetop grill pan over a medium heat. Cook the chicken for 4 minutes per side until cooked through. Remove and set aside. Cut the chicken breast into ½ inch pieces and fill each corn tortilla with the chicken. Divide evenly. Top each with 2 tablespoons of the corn mixture ( mexicorn, salsa verde, onion, cilantro, lime juice, salt, pepper & Ancho Chili Powder). Roll up and garnish with lettuce and tomatoes. Serves 2 or 4
Chile Rellenos
Chile Relleno is a Mexican dish that originated in Puebla and literally means “stuffed chile.” Chile Rellenos are usually stuffed with melted cheese like queso Chihuahua or queso Oaxaca (which are good for melting). They are also stuffed with something called picadillo meat which consists of diced pork, raisins, nuts and spiced with canella. Typically roasted poblano peppers are used, but sometimes are substituted with Anaheim, Hatch, Pasilla or Jalapeno chili peppers. After stuffing the chile pepper it is either covered in egg batter or corn masa flour and fried. Then served in a sauce.
INGREDIENTS
6 Fresh Poblano Chiles
1 Pound Queso Blanco
3 Tablespoons Flour
3 Eggs
½ Teaspoon Salt
2 Cups Olive Oil For Frying
For The Sauce:
14 Ounces Diced Tomatoes With Juice
1 Cup Chicken Broth
1 Diced Onion
For roasting the chiles place them directly on the burner of a gas stove until they are mostly blackened on each side. If you have an electric stove then put the chiles under the broiler. Remove the chiles from the burner and place them in bowl covered with plastic wrap for a minute. Peel off the blackened skin with your fingers. Don’t worry if you don’t get every bit of the skin off. Slice each chile on one side from the stem to the bottom. Remove most of the seeds and membranes, but if you like the chiles spicy then leave them in. Cut the cheese into long slices that fit the chiles and stuff the cheese into each chile. Roll in the flour. Separate the eggs. In a medium bowl beat the egg whites and salt until they are stiff. In a separate bowl beat the egg yolks and then gently fold into the egg whites. Pour the olive oil into a medium sauté pan and heat on medium high. Dip each chile into the egg coating and drop into the oil and cook for 2 minutes until golden brown on each side. Turn once with a spatula. Drain on paper towels. Top with either tomato sauce or enchilada sauce. You can top with chopped cilantro, sour cream, green chiles or shredded cheese. Serves 2
For the sauce: Combine onions, chicken broth and tomatoes with the juice. Simmer while you are making the rellenos. Serve on the side or cover the rellenos before serving.
Summer Melon Salsa
This salsa recipe is refreshing and light. Serve it with tortilla chips, over grilled chicken or fish or just serve it as a fresh fruit salad.
INGREDIENTS
2 Cups Cubed Seedless Cantaloupe, Watermelon and/or Honeydew
1 Cup Chopped Seedless Cucumber
½ Cup Chopped Orange Bell Pepper
½ Cup Chopped Green Bell Pepper
½ Cup Fresh Corn Cut From The Cob
4 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Cilantro
1 Tablespoon Finely Chopped Red Onion
3 Tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice
1 Tablespoon Honey
In a medium bowl combine the melon, cucumber, peppers, corn, cilantro and onion. In a small bowl whisk together the lime juice and honey and toss with the melon mixture. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Serves 4
