Fresh and Easy Salsa

 

 

It's Tuesday, yo! I don't know about you, but here in San Diego, that can only mean one thing... Tacos! Taco Tuesday is a legitimate event. A reason to eat, create, and cook delicious tacos. Traditional tacos, crispy tacos, corn tortilla tacos, lettuce wrap tacos.... Ground beef, chicken, pork, lobster... You name it, and San Diego puts it in a taco. There's no stopping the creativity, taste, or options, and for this reason, it's incredibly easy to celebrate taco Tuesday each and every Tuesday without ever getting bored. 

 

Tonight's menu includes a self-serve topping bar, flour tortillas, and traditional ground beef. It's an incredibly easy to prepare meal, that is high in flavor. And at the epicenter of all that flavor? Homemade salsa.

 

There are so many different iterations of salsa. I make several different ones, depending on my mood, and what's on that day's menu. This is by far, not only one of my favorites, but also the most versatile. It's even a great base, from which to build more complex salsa's. And, it pairs perfectly with ground beef.  

 

Ingredients

 

3 vine ripened tomatoes, quartered

1/2 of a large jalepeno

1 small red onion

the juice of 1 lime

1 tsp cracked black pepper

1/2 tsp kosher salt

 

Directions

 

6 hours prior to service (letting your salsa sit for a minimum of 6 hours, intensifies the flavor profiles, and creates an even tastier salsa) grind all above ingredients in a food processor for about 30 seconds. Refrigerate.  

 

 

Seriously, that's it. Simple, easy, fresh. There will be no turning back.

 

Pumpkin Pancakes

It's Veteran's Day, and with no work to do and no place to be, it's the perfect time to indulge in some breakfast for lunch. (In case you were wondering? We also had breakfast for breakfast too). 

I whipped out my trusty Vanilla Bean Pancake recipe; but low and behold, we had no vanilla. Zip, Zilch, Nada. This, in and of itself, is a heinous pantry crime-- one I fully intend on rectifying as soon as I am done with this post! Luckily for me, I had just purchased canned pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice, because? 

My kids are pumpkin fiends. Seriously. I currently have 8 boxes of pumpkin bars, three boxes of pumpkin o's, pumpkin bread, pumpkin yogurt, and pumpkin granola. I'll say it again... my kids are pumpkin fiends.i

Which in this case was extremely advantageous; as vanilla bean pancakes quickly became pumpkin pancakes with just a few minor adjustments. Like the original, they are dairy free (I think using rice milk instead of whole milk creates a lighter, fluffier pancake), however for those of you "true" dairy fanatics, regular milk will work just as well.

Ingredients:

4 cups and 2 T of flour, 

1/2 cup of sugar

1 t salt

1 t pumpkin pie spice

4 t baking powder

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 box of rice milk (plain, unsweetened)

2 T canned pumpkin

Directions:

Preheat a griddle over medium heat. 

Whisk together the dry ingredients.

Add pumpkin, eggs, oil and rice milk. Whisk until batter is almost smooth. 

Using a cookie batter scoop, ladle out pumpkin batter on griddle, Flip pancakes when bubbles form and start to burst.

Tastes of Fall: Apple Cinnamon Sangria

So a couple of years ago, we had the summer of Sangria. And what a summer it was. Multiple recipes tested, tasted, and repeated. Sangria continues to be a staple of summer.

But what about now? Fall has set in, and just like with food, I'm starting to crave something a little less light and crisp, and a little more filling and homey.

Enter the perfect season changer: Apple Cinnamon Sangria.

Made with Hard Cider, instead of wine, and maple syrup instead of honey or sugar, it's a heartier version of the summer favorite. And every bit as drinkable.

Ingredients:

6 Fuji apples, core removed and sliced
2 oranges, sliced
1/4 cup real Maple Syrup
1/2 cup Jim Beam Bourbon Whiskey
1 cinnamon stick
33 oz of Hard Apple Cider
Unfiltered apple juice

Directions:

8 hours before serving combine all ingredients except for apple juice in a large pitcher. Mix to combine. Refrigerate. Couldn't be simpler to enjoy fall in a glass.

When serving, fill glasses 2/3 full with Sangria and top with cold unfiltered apple juice.

Roasted Garlic Salsa

Ingredients:

1 head of garlic, top sliced off to expose cloves

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 red pepper

3 large poblano peppers

2 TBSP fresh cilantro leaves

1 large heirloom tomato (beefsteak tomato size), cut in large pieces

1 shallot

Juice of one lime

Juice of one lemon

2 tsp cracked black pepper 

Sea salt, divided uses

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450. Place garlic head in center of a tin foil square. Pour a generous amount of olive oil over garlic cloves, and gereously salt the top. Wrap garlic in tinfoil, bringing up edges and crimp closed. Place tin foil bundle on top shelf of oven. Place bell pepper next to garlic. Bake for at least 30 minutes, until garlic is soft, turning pepper over periodically to blister all sides. Add poblano peppers during last 10 minutes. 

Remove from oven, cover and let cool. 

Squeeze garlic cloves out of their peel into a blender bowl, along with any olive oil that pooled to the bottom of the tin foil. Remove stem, skin and seeds from red bell pepper, and add to blender. Remove stem and seeds from poblano peppers and add to bowl. Add tomatoes, shallots, cilantro, 1tsp of salt, pepper, and citrus juice. Combine all ingredients using high pulse. Salsa should have texture without being chunky. Taste for additional salt. Salsa will be relatively mild. 

Bloody Mary Marinated Tri-Tip

This is perhaps my all time favorite beef marinade. It works equally well with tri-tip as it does with flank or skirt steak. It's got a hint of heat, a dash of sweet, some great salt, and the lime and tomato work together to break down some of the toughness you can find with this cut of meat. Once cooked, the subtle flavors of the meat compliment so many things without overpowering other flavors, that I've used as a base for many different recipes. From beef fajitas to skirt steak topped with chimichurri sauce; a cous-cous steak salad to a cheese steak sandwich, it's a versatile* marinade you need to have in your repitoire. Plus, it's super easy to make, and you can use the left over ingredients to make yourself an actual Bloody Mary while you wait.

Ingredients:

2 tri-tip cuts of beef, approximately 4lbs of meat

4 cups of tomato juice

1/4 cup of grapeseed oil

1/8 cup Worcestershire sauce

2 Tablespoons creamy horseradish

1 TBlsp celery seed

1 tsp celery salt

Juice of 1 lime

2 tsp white pepper

I garlic clove, minced

2 tsp salt 

Dash of Tabasco sauce

Directions:

Place tri-tip in a large (gallon) ziplock bag. Pour in tomato juice, oil, Worchestershire, and lime. Add dry ingredients. Seal bag, omitting all air, and manipulate liquid around meat until combined. Place in fridge for 4-6 hours. 1/2 hour before grilling, remove meat, pat dry, and let sit out to rest.

Grill on a medium flame, turning every 8 or so minutes, until meat feels firm, but still has some give. (About 25 minutes). Remove from heat and lest rest for 20 minutes. Carve against the grain. 

*lest you think I was over confident about its versatility, we originally served this particular tri-tip as fajitas with grilled veggies. Today I repurposed it as a salad tossed with leftover taco toppings, rose vinegar, evoo, and topped with smoked sea salt. It's the marinade that keeps on giving.

Sweet and Tangy Brussel Sprouts

So Brussels weren't part of our FMB this week- but when your three year-old points them out at the store, and squeals in anticipation- you buy them. As, I did.

Always experimenting with different ways to do Brussels, since they are a commonly requested side 'round these parts, I tried a new marinade before roasting them...Delish! Tangy and sweet, you are sure to love it as much as we did.

Ingredients:

30 Brussels, washed, cleaned, and halved

2 TBSP Extra virgin olive oil

2 TBSP Apple Cider vinegar

1 TBSP honey

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread Brussels evenly on sheet. Drizzle olive oil, vinegar, and honey over the top. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the top. Using your hands, toss Brussels, distributing liquids, and reposition evenly.

Place sheet in top quarter of oven, and roast 20-25 minutes, until Brussels are fork tender.

Grilled and Chilled Veggie Pasta Salad with Basil dressing

This was a fun one! It's super simple to replicate, and easy to change up depending on what you have in your fridge and your pantry. You can use the basil dressing as a marinade, to coat lettuce for a green salad, drizzled over fish, or eaten straight out of the bowl with a spoon (yes, I have been known to do this...shhhhhh). I used orzo, but any small bite sized pasta would work just as well. 

To start, bring a large pot of salted water to boil, and add in one package of orzo. After cooking for about 7 minutes, remove pasta, rinse with cold water (I only rinse my pasta if I am going to chill it, the cold water helps the pasta not stick together in one large pasta blob, otherwise it's a no-no). When pasta reaches room temperature, remove from cold water, drain and place in bowl. Drizzle a small amount of grapeseed oil over pasta, toss, and refrigerate.

For the dressing:

Ingredients:

10 large basil leaves

2 cloves of garlic

1 Tablespoon honey

1 heaping teaspoon Dijon mustard

A dash of salt and pepper

1/2 cup white balsamic dressing

1/3 cup grapeseed oil

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except for oil in a blender. Blend until combined. While blender runs on low, slowly drizzle in oil, only until mixture is combined.

Reserve at least 1/2 cup of dressing, and refrigerate. Toss pasta with just enough dressing to coat, and return to fridge. Let pasta sit in fridge for a bit to absorb flavor. 

For Veggies:

Ingredients

4 assorted varieties of summer squash, thinly sliced

6 green onions

1 bunch of pencil asparagus

1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup grapeseed oil

Directions:

In a large ziplock baggy add vegetables, oil, and vinegar. Sprinkle in a dash of salt and pepper. Close bag and shake to coat. Let vegetables rest for at least 30 minutes at room temp.

Heat indoor grill pan to medium. Grill veggies until barely tender, about 4-6 minutes a side. Veggies should have slight-brown grill marks, but not be falling apart. Cool. 

Cut asparagus into bite sized pieces, squash into strips, and slice the green onions.

To composes salad. Chiffonade 10 fresh basil leaves, and add to pasta. Add veggies to pasta. Add leftover salad dressing to pasta dish, 1/4 cup at a time, tasting I between additions, to make sure that salad is not overdressed. Refrigerate until serving time.

Panko Crusted Sesame Chicken

This is a really simple recipe with only 4 ingredients... but they all work together to create a new taste sensation. It's easy to do, not as heavy as traditional breaded chicken, and is a huge hit around here.

Ingredients:

2 cups of panko breadcrumbs

2 tsp salt

6-8 chicken breasts, pounded

Sesame Oil

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Heat enough sesame oil to fully cover (and then some) a large pan. On a large paper plate mix panko and salt. Coat each individual chicken breast with panko, using your hands to press the panko onto the chicken. 

Once oil is rippling, place chicken breasts into it. You may need to work in batches, so that you don't over crowd the pan, re-coating the pan with sesame oil each time. You should hear a sizzle, if you don't your oil is not hot enough. Heat chicken on one side until you can see the sides start to turn white, and it becomes easy to turn. Flip chicken over. Cook for a few more minutes until panko is a golden brown.

Remove chicken from pan and place on a parchment covered cookie sheet.  Continue cooking all chicken breasts this way until they have all been browned. Place cookie sheet in the oven and bake for 20 minutes-- until the chicken is cooked through. Serve.

Roasted Chicken Soup with Rice

If you, like me, have young kids, knowing how to make your own chicken soup is a must. I make a traditional chicken noodle from scratch (which I'll share at a later date), but I also make a roasted version, with rice, anytime I roast chickens this way.  This recipe starts, when you pull your chicken out of the oven, and have removed it from the roasting pan to sit.

Ingredients:

1 chicken, roasted and meat removed in small pieces.

Pan drippings from roasting

3 large sprigs of thyme

6 rosemary sprigs

5 ribs of celery diced in small pieces

1 large yellow onion, diced

4 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 cup of long grain white rice

7 cups of chicken stock.

Juice of one lemon.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Directions:

Strain the liquid from your roasting pan, into a large dutch oven. 

Add in herbs and turn heat to medium. You don't need to remove the leaves, as they will fall off the stems during cooking. When your soup is done, simply remove them before serving.

Add in chopped vegetables, salt and pepper, and stir. Cook until softened. 

Add 6 cups of chicken stock, and bring liquid to a boil. Once boiling, turn down to simmer, and add the cup of rinsed rice. Let simmer for 30 minutes. Add in chicken meat, torn into bite sized pieces. Add lemon juice, and continue to simmer for 20 more minutes. Remove herb stems and serve.

Basic Roast Chicken

We have roast chicken almost every week. It's easy, you can make it a variety of ways, and it's a family favorite. But what I love most about roasting chicken is how it lends itself greatly to many other great recipes. Broth, gravy, tetrazini, enchiladas, chicken noodle soup, and many other great foods all start with roast chicken... All that changes is how you season it. When I roast chicken, I know we'll be enjoying it in at least two different ways throughout the week.

The recipe that follows is the most simple of flavor profiles. I roast it this way when I want to serve it with gravy over mashed potatoes, make chicken soup for sickies, or keep on hand for sandwiches.

Ingredients:

2 large whole chickens for roasting
2 large white onions, halved and quartered
8 cloves of garlic, peeled
8 ribs of celery, cut into four pieces each
8 carrots, peeled and cut into four pieces each
Handful of Italian parsley
8 sprigs of rosemary
10 sprigs of thyme
Olive oil
Salt 
Pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400. Remove any giblets from the inside of your chickens. Generously coat the inside of each bird with olive oil, salt and pepper. Stuff each cavity with a few sprigs of parsley, rosemary, thyme, four pieces each of onion, carrots, celery, and 2 garlic cloves. Spread the remaining herbs and vegetables on the bottom of a large heavy bottomed roasting pan. Place chickens in the pan, breast side down. Coat chicken with olive oil, salt and pepper. Flip chickens over and repeat on breast side. Place a leave-in-thermometer behind the thigh, and roast to 170. (About 1 1/2 hours). Remove chicken from the pan and place on a cutting board to rest for 20-30 minutes. Carve and serve. Or, remove chicken from bone and use elsewhere.

Avocado Aioli

Ingredients:

Avocado
1/2 cup mayo
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 tsp granulated garlic
1/4 tsp sea salt

Directions:
Scoop out the avocado flesh into a metal bowl. Add mayo, lemon, salt, and garlic. Mash together using the back of a fork, until ingredients completely combined.

Sugared Strawberries

Sugaring fruit, and letting it sit, helps it to release it's natural juices. (It's similar to salting eggplant or cucumbers to  release excess water). I use this recipe for strawberries, over everything. Shortcake, vanilla ice cream, vanilla pudding, and tonight? Over Pancakes for dinner.

Ingredients

1 basket of fresh strawberries
1 1/2 TBS granulated sugar
1 tsp almond extract

Directions:

Stem and slice your strawberries. Sprinkle sugar over them, and add almond extract. Gently mix to coat all strawberries. Set in the refrigerator to chill and juice, at least 1 hour before serving, no more than 4. Serve.

Au Jus

This is a basic Au Jus that can be adapted after cooking any type of roast, utilizing the brown bits and flavor that accumulate at the bottom of your roasting dish. After cooking, remove the roast from the baking dish, and set aside to rest.

Ingredients:

4TBS of butter
1 TBS of flour
1 cup of red wine
3 cups of beef stock

Directions:

Melt 4 TBS of butter in the roasting pan. Whisk in 1 TBS of flour on high heat for at least 3 minutes. You want to do this at a relatively high heat, whisking the entire time, to make sure you cook out the taste of flour. Add in the red wine, whisking to bring up all the brown bits stuck to the bottom from the roasting process. Add in beef broth. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium-low. Whisking frequently, allow liquid to reduce, about 30 minutes. The au jus should be thick, but still more liquid than gravy.

Roasted Brussels

Brussels, Brussels, and more Brussels. We are a Brussel Sprout family. In order to satiate all of our brussel craving, it takes at least four bags of brussel sprouts per meal. And even then, someone (usually me, since everyone else has no shame in stealing them off my plate, while I'm up getting something for someone else) is never feeling like they had enough...

I do a version of them like this quite often, but today I'm going to talk about simply roasting them. It's a lot easier than you might think... the hardest thing about brussel sprouts is the time it takes to prep them. First off, the smaller the sprout, the more tender and sweet it is. To make cleaning/prepping a little easier, what I do is cut of the very bottom of the stem (this removes a little of their bitterness), and then slice them in half from top to bottom. When you do it like this, you will see that their outer leaves will just fall off, saving you the hassle of peeling the outer layer. It also allows some of the inner leaves to fall off, and/or separate from the base of the sprout-- which you want, if like me you are partial to the crispy leaves created by roasting. The crispy leaves are my favorite part about roasting brussels... it's almost like a kale chip in consistency.

A big mistake that people make when cooking brussel sprouts, is not salting them a lot. The salt helps counter the bitterness and, just like the sprout's cousin the cabbage, salt really brings out the flavor.

To roast, preheat your oven to 425. You want a higher oven temp to help crisp them up. But don't worry, they won't get too crispy, the insides will be nice and tender-- and, if you don't want them crispy, you can follow the same steps, just lower your oven to 400.

After you've prepped your brussels, toss them in extra virgin oil, salt (use a heavy hand like mentioned above), and pepper. pour them out on a parchment lined baking sheet, and roast for 20 minutes. That's it. That's all there is to it. Don't be afraid to play around with the length of cooking time, to get the level of crispy/tenderness you desire. And most of all, enjoy them!

Vegan Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

8 large tomatoes, cut in large pieces
2 red bell peppers, cored and sliced in 4 large strips
Splash of balsamic vinegar
3 Tbs vegetable oil, divided use
1 sweet yellow onion, diced
1 cup of chopped carrots
2 ribs of celery, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 cups of vegetable stock

Directions:

Preheat Oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss tomatoes and bell peppers in enough vegetable oil to barely coat, about 2 Tbs. Salt and pepper, and add just a splash of balsamic vinegar. Pour onto parchment paper and roast for 40 minutes.

In a large sauce pan, saute onions, celery, carrots, and garlic in 1 Tbs of vegetable oil. When soft and translucent add roasted tomatoes and peppers. Add chicken stock, and bring to a boil. Turn down heat to low. Using an immersion blender, puree ingredients together. Serve warm.

Roasted Tomato Sauce

There not one part of me that is willing to give up carbs. Not one. So, we eat a lot of pasta. And I try to make up for the amount of pasta I eat, buy making light and fresh pasta sauces.  One of my favorites is a simple roasted Tomato Sauce, that can be thickened up to make a dip, thinned down to make a soup, and served as is to make a perfect pasta sauce.

Ingredients:

10 Roma Tomatoes, quartered
1 red onion, chopped into 8 large chunks
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
Salt, pepper, olive oil
1/2 c chicken stock
2 tsp tomato paste
1 tsp sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400. Toss tomatoes, onions, and garlic in a generous amount of olive oil, salt and pepper. Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper, and dump veggies on it. Roast for 30 minutes.

Using parchment paper, transfer roasted vegetables and all the juice to a saucepan. Add chicken stock, tomato paste, and sugar. Using an immersion blender, puree all ingredients. Simmer on low for 10 minutes.

To make a dipping sauce: Omit the chicken stock, adding instead 1/2 cup of fresh breadcrumbs. Serve with warm bread.

To make soup: Add an extra cup of chicken stock. 

Quick Tofu Soup

Ingredients:

2 boxes of beef broth (8 cups)
1 carton of extra firm tofu, chopped into bite sized pieces
1 carton of white button mushrooms, sliced (if you are using this as a really quick meal, get pre-sliced)
6 green onions, sliced
2 Tbs Soy Sauce
2 Tbs Sesame Seed Oil

Directions

In a large sauce pan, pour in beef broth, soy sauce, and sesame seed oil. Bring to a boil. Add tofu, mushrooms, and green onions. Reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes. Serve hot.

*If you want to get super fancy, and still make a quick soup, most grocery stores sell pre-cooked Udon noodles. Add these in, at the same time as the tofu, and you have a complete meal.

Roasted Cauliflower

I'm pretty sure Cauliflower must be one of the most underused vegetables around.  Most people think of cauliflower as the 'white broccoli' and that couldn't be further from the truth.  Cauliflower was my grandfather's favorite vegetable, and as a result it was served quite often in our family.  It's perfect by itself, simply steamed over boiling water until tender.  It's fabulous pureed, and almost tastes just like mashed potatoes when milk and butter are added. However, my most favorite way to have it? Roasted.  It's an easy side dish, and has a buttery quality to it, that makes it seem more decadent than it is.  Roasting brings out the flavor and when done right, will make it melt in your mouth.

Ingredients

2 Heads of cauliflower
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400.  Cover the bottom of a jelly roll pan with tin foil. (Why? Because I'm lazy and like to avoid cleaning a pan... and it also helps you to avoid staining your pan with olive oil, keeping your pan looking clean for when you need to use it for a Texas sheet cake).

Peel leaves from the cauliflower, and cut into bite sized 'trees', place in bowl.  Using your hands toss cauliflower spears with olive oil and a generous amount of salt and pepper.  Spread cauliflower on tin foil, being careful not to overlap pieces.  Bake until slightly browned... about 20 minutes.

Vanilla Bean Pancakes

When my eldest were little, they were diagnosed with severe milk and egg allergies. We went completely milk and egg free for the better part of two years... until they were retested, and had aged out of the allergies (very common where milk and egg are concerned). But for two years, I cooked and used all types of substitutes, and recipe variations. Most have been abandoned as we introduced milk and egg back in our diets, many were resurrected when my youngest two faced the same issue... and a select few made it into our cooking arsenal for good.

This pancake recipe I developed is one of those I still prefer to use today. Although we cook with actual milk and real eggs these days, I prefer the batter consistency that the recipe gives by using rice milk.  I will use real eggs, but only because it's easier. Weird I know... but oh so good! If you want, you can use real milk and/or the eggs substitute... but really, try it this way once, and you just might not go back.

Ingredients:
4 c. flour
5 T sugar
1 t kosher salt
2 1/2 T baking powder
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
1 box Rice Dream (or 4 cups of whole milk)
1 t vanilla
1/2 vanilla bean, split and seeded
(if you don't have vanilla bean, or you want to make your life easier- substitute 1 t vanilla paste in lieu of both vanillas)
2 eggs (Substitute:  3 T veg. oil, 3 T oil, 2 t baking powder, whisk before adding)

Directions:

Preheat griddle over medium heat.

Whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. In a separate bowl whisk rice milk, vanilla, vanilla bean seeds, oil, and egg. Whisk until blended.

Turn griddle to medium low. Using a 1/8 measuring scoop up mixture drop on ungreased griddle. Flip when top is completely bubbly.

*If you use real eggs, increase the amount of baking powder from 2 1/2 to 3 T. No other changes are necessary.