Comforting Green Chile

One reason Fall is my favorite season, is because this is the season I make green chili... all the time! And it really is the season of making soups, stews, and anything you can put into one pot and let cook ALL day! It's so wonderful to come home to a house warm with the aroma of whatever it is that has been stewing in the pot all day long. For me, a lot of the time, green chili is that aroma... and I love it.

This recipe has been passed down from generation to generation. I technically got the recipe for our families green chili from my dad, but I called my grandma too, just to make sure I had everything right. And of course like most recipes I ended up changing a few things to make it my own. Still staying true to the process in which you get a thick yet smooth texture to the chili. And of course you can make as spicy or as mild as you like. And I like it spicy!

The way I have always bought my green chili's have been at farmer's markets or local fairs. They've already been roasted and placed in little sandwich baggie's. I usually go for the medium hot chili's know that I can adjust the heat to my taste.

A few simple ingredients you'll need:

-1 baggie of green chili's
-1 1/2 lbs. of pork
-2 cans of Rotel tomatoes & green chili's
-2 tbls. of Olive oil
- Water
-Flour
-Salt, Pepper & Cumin to taste
-1 Mason jar, or clean glass jar with secure lid

*Notes- You can always add a little cayenne pepper if the chili isn't hot enough. If it's too hot, add some tomato paste. If it's too salty, add a little sugar.

You'll want to clean the chili's first, by taking off the roasted outer layer and discard the seeds from inside the chile. You'll want to cut off the stem and dice into small pieces. Set aside. While your cleaning the chili's, heat the olive in a large pot and toss in the pork when the oil is hot. Brown the pork for about 5 to 7 minutes. After the pork is browned, sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of flour over the pork and brown. Fill pot about a quarter way with water and stir. The next process will take about 20 minutes or so. This is where you'll need your mason jar. Put about 2 tablespoons of flour into the mason jar and fill with about a little over a cup of water. Tighten the lid and shake until all the flour has mixed with the water. Pour mixture into chili, stir and repeat 3 times within the next 20 minutes. Then you will put both cans of Rotel into the chili, stir, and fill the rest of the pot with water about an inch from the brim. Add a tablespoon of salt and pepper and cumin to taste. Bring to a simmer, cover and let sit for up to 6 hours on low heat. Stirring occasionally.

Serve on a cold winter day, with tortillas and whatever toppings that make you happy! And enjoy this delicious comforting green chili!

Who doesn't love sliders?

Juicy Jalapeno Sliders

Every summer I always tell myself I want to grill more and create new delicious summer recipes. I've definitely been grilling a lot more, and this is a new recipe I tried inspired by a recipe in Rachel Ray's summer Grilling magazine. She inspires a lot of my dishes because everything is very simple with a ton of flavor. The recipe for for a full sized Jalapeno, Bacon burger and I changed up a few of the ingredients and made them into sliders.

I love sliders because they almost feel a little healthier because of the portion size. And lets be honest, they're just cute and fun to eat too. The theme of what I like to cook always seems to fall in the healthy category. I think it's so important to pay attention to what you're putting in your body and that it should more often than not be something that's good for you. Let's be honest... there are definitely going to be times when we indulge in fried food or sweets, and to me that's just fine. Just make sure you're not doing it every night of the week.

This summer I knew I wanted to make something on the grill and that's when sliders came to mind. I added a couple fresh ingredients to top the juicy burger to make it all come together. It's a burger recipe that is healthier than most and very satisfying, hope you enjoy making it.

Satisfying recipe is-

1 lb. of Organic lean ground beef

5 pieces of bacon

Whole wheat slider buns

1 white onion

Fresh cilantro

1 tblsp olive oil

1/4 cup mayo

1 Lime

2 Jalapenos

1 Avocado

Cilantro Mayo dressing- I make the dressing a few hours before I start grilling just to get the flavors nice and married together. Combine the mayo and about a tablespoon of cilantro in the food processor. And salt and pepper to taste, a pinch of cayenne, and a tablespoon of olive oil. Squeeze half of your lime in the dressing and let it sit in the fridge until you are ready to serve.

Onion/Avocado Salad- This will go on top of your burgers. Cut your onion into small slices and do the same with your avocado. Chop up another tablespoon or so of cilantro depending on how much you like. Squeeze the remainder of you lime of the salad, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Start by cooking your bacon and letting it rest on some paper towels to get all the extra fat off. Then chop into small pieces You will also cut all of you jalapenos, removing the seeds an the ribs, chopping into small pieces. Ground beef, bacon, and jalapenos go into a big bowl to get incorporated all together. You can mix it anyway you want, but I prefer using my hands. You want to form the meat into little balls about the size of your palm, but bigger than meatballs. You'll want to grill the sliders for about 4 minutes on each side. I also like to grill my baby hamburger bun, to get the grill flavor on them as well. Let the meat sit for a few minutes after you take them off the grill to let them collect and redistribute all the juices throughout the meat.

Plate your burgers on the buns, with the Cilantro mayo on top and you onion/avocado salad, and dive in!

Enjoy these delicious sliders year round, not only during the summer. It's a nice simple and healthy meal you can do for any occasion or entertaining. Tailgating, watching a game, or even bring them over to a friends for a dinner party. You options are endless with food, and to me there really are no rules! Fabulous food is in the eye of the beholder!

Simple. Tasty. Healthy.

Fresh Mahi Tomato Pasta with Herbs

There are many nights during the week when I want a simple dinner I know is good for me. Just because it's simple and healthy doesn't mean that it has to  be flavorless. I use a lot of fresh herbs in my healthy dishes so I don't a lot of salt or any other unhealthy ingredients to make it tastier. This dish takes under a half an hour and even though it's healthy you still feel satisfied after you've finished your dinner. Keep in mind that fish fuels your body if you are on a low carb diet. Although, we are eating pasta along side this dish, that's just it, the serving size of the pasta is very small like a side would be, but the combo of fish and pasta will give you energy. This is obviously a great meal if you know you're going to need energy for your day tomorrow.

Here's the simple recipe:

What you'll need-

Linguine

Mahi-Mahi

3 Roma tomatoes

Garlic (as much or little as you want)

Salt & Pepper

1 tbls. Capers, smidge of caper juice

Olive oil

2 sprigs fresh Rosemary

Chardonnay

Thinly sliced lemon

Red pepper flake

Foil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Prep about a foot of foil to place the fish on, more or less depending on the size of your fish. Place one piece of the Mahi on each piece of foil. Salt and pepper your fish to taste. I take my tomatoes and cut them into six wedges and place them around the fish (of course you can cut your tomatoes to your liking, but they do cook well in wedges). Roughly chop your garlic and place on fish. Sprinkle on the red pepper flake to taste. Take the Rosemary leaves from the sprig, roughly chop and distribute amongst the fish. Dash of olive oil and a couple dashes of Chardonnay for flavor (this will also become part of your sauce for the pasta). Final step is to place the thinly sliced lemon on top with the capers. I will also squeeze a little amount of my extra lemon for more flavor. Fold up the sides of the foil to make a packet for the fish to steam in, make sure there aren't any areas for the steam to escape. Place fish in the over for about 20 mins, take out of the oven and let sit for a couple more minutes. Serve with cooked pasta and a side salad!

Bon Appetite!

Cervezas & Ceviche

I just got back from Cabo San Lucas with my boyfriend and another couple. Like most tropical vacations, when the time came to leave we didn't want to come back snowy Colorado. I feel like we could've experienced many more cuisines that Cabo had to offer if we had stayed for another week, but like most people we had to come home and get back to the real world. 

While in Cabo, we did get to eat A LOT with our all-inclusive package at the resort. And we also accomplished our goal of eating ceviche multiple times and indulging in some authentic street tacos (I'll get those later). Not to mention we had a beer in hand for most of the week. Tacos, seafood and beer.... sound like a Mexican vacation to you? 

At an all-inclusive resort, you can never be too sure if the food is going to be good at all. Of course there were a few things that were not of our liking, but most everything was really good if not decent. In the picture below is my first taste of ceviche for the week and it was surprisingly tasty. This fish was marinated in lime/lemon juice as most ceviche is and was seasoned just right. I like that it was served in the crispy tortilla shell, which I broke apart and ate with the ceviche. It was the perfect little appetizer and I was quite impressed with it.

How to make a light, fresh and flavorful Ceviche...

What you need:

- 2lbs. of any fresh firm-fleshed fish diced into cubes

- 1/2 cup of both fresh squeezed lemon and lime juice

- 1/2 red onion, finely diced

- 1 cup fresh chopped seeded tomatoes

- 1 Serrano chili, seeded and finely diced

- salt & pepper to taste

- dash of cayenne pepper

- cilantro (if desired), mix in before you serve

You're going to need a ceramic bowl to put the fish in. Incorporate all of the ingredients into the bowl, pouring the lemon and lime juices over it. Let sit in the fridge for and hour, take out and stir to make sure all the fish is swimming in the juices. Let sit for another 2 hours and you will see that the fish has changed from the translucent pick color to a white and it will be firm... that's when you know it's ready to eat! Serve with Beer and tortilla chips... mmmm!

An example of the All-inclusive breakfast... delicious but at the same time gluttonous. Guess we got out money's worth..

... But lets get to the highlight of our Cabo culinary experience.  Of course I'm talking about THE street tacos. We hit a couple of taco joint through-out the week, but one definitely stood out amongst the rest. It was a true hole in the wall joint, no door, no signs, plastic furniture and hispanic music to set the tone. Just one of those lucky finds by just walking past.... it drew us in with the smell of chorizo, barbacoa, and seasoned chicken. I was so distracted with the experience that I didn't take a picture.. but we did get a video.. take a look...

As you can see, I'm mesmerized with the process of how they made the tacos. The cook first asked what type of meat I wanted and moved the meat onto the hot round surface the meat was surrounding to let it cook. Next he threw the corn totillas onto the grill to warm up before he put the meat in them. The best was that I was able to build the tacos with whatever my little heart desired.... onions/cilantro, pico de gallo, fresh lime juice and some extremely spicy salsa cause I like it hot. We did take a gamble on how local food like this would effect us later that night.... we gambled and we won! No upset tummy's but we did ache for more, sadly we didn't have time to return to our beloved taco joint. Until next time, I will dream of my tacos and search for any street taco joint in Colorado.

Whether you're in Cabo san Lucas, New York City or Turks & Caicos I say walk that extra block, ask one more local, and keep your mind open and adventurous. It will make your trip just that much more exciting.

I wish you all fabulous food finds! 

Lamb Lollipops & Asparagus Risotto

Occasionally, I like to make a gourmet meal on a Thursday for no reason what-so-ever. Last night was one of those nights. Lamb chops seem to be gourmet maybe because when you order them in a restaurant they can be a little pricy. Making them yourself isn't cheap either, but it's a lot less expensive and you have the choice of buying organically. Lately, when I'm cooking meat I really try to buy organic... I also do this with eggs. It makes me feel like what I'm eating is a lot healthier because there are so many hormones going into meat these days. The way the animals are treated and fed is a lot different compared to the non-organic meat you buy. If you don't care about the type of meat you buy, than no big deal... but this is just what makes me feel better when eating meat.

First, I like to marinate the lamb chops in a Rosemary/Lemon marinade and let it sit while I'm cooking the Risotto.

Marinade- 1/4 cup olive oil, juice of 1 lemon, pinch of lemon zest, 1 tbls. or more of rosemary sprigs (chopped), salt & pepper. Coat each lamb chop with the marinade and set aside at room temperature while you cook the risotto. Or you can put them in the fridge and let them marinate for a few hours.

Asparagus & Shiitake mushroom Risotto!

The asparagus and shiitake mushroom risotto is the perfect side for the lamb. Since, the meat on the lamb chop can be minimal it's great to have a starchy or pasta to pair along side. You can also put shrimp or chicken in your risotto... just like any recipe, you can make it your own by switching up a few ingredients.

Ingredients- 2 tbls olive oil, 2 cloves garlic (minced), 1/2 lb. shiitake mushroom (stems removed and chopped), 3/4 lb. asparagus cut into 1/4 inch pieces, 1 (49 0z.) can of chicken stock, 1/2 stick unsalted butter, 1/2 cup diced white onion, 2 cups Arborio rice, 1/2 cup white wine, salt & pepper, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.

Directions- Heat the oil on medium-high in a large skillet. Add the garlic and mushrooms and saute for about 3 minutes. Add the asparagus and cook until tender, about 2 mins. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. In a separate saucepan bring the chicken broth to a simmer. In another large saucepan (4 quart), melt 3 tablespoons of butter and add the onion to it. Saute the onion until just translucent. Add the rice and stir for a few mins. Don't forget to salt & pepper as you go along, so that it will get absorbed while you cook. Add the wine and let come to a boil... make sure you stir until most of the liquid has evaporated. Then start to add the chicken stock 1/2 cup at a time, stir frequently until the liquid is gone then repeat until you have used all of the chicken stock. The rice should be plump and creamy by the end and cooked through. To finish it off, add the last tablespoon of butter and the veggies back in. Top it off with the parmesan and wah-lah!

The lamb chops just take about 10 minutes to make. I started making them when I was just about done with the risotto. Make sure you have a large enough skillet to cook the lamb chops in without crowding the pan. If you don't have a large pan, you can always cook the lamb is two or three shifts. 

Directions- Put a small amount of oil in the pan, just to coat. Add the chops to the pan, and season top side with salt and pepper. Cook about 2 to 3 minutes on one side, and turn. Season the other side and cook another 2 to 3 minutes depending on how thick they are, the chops should be cooked to medium/medium rare. Remove from pan to a plate. Tent the plate with foil and let the lamb chops set for another 5 minutes. Serve with the Risotto and you are good to go!

No matter what day of the week it is, you can always make an easy gourmet meal that is tasty and filling. You can also use this Lamb Lollipop recipe to impress friends when having a dinner party, it really is quick and simple. I thought the perfect wine pairing for this meal was the Cabernet we had. Though there are no rules you have to follow, you can pair this meal with any of your favorite red wines.... and Enjoy!!

Beefing it up in the Kitchen

Beef Wellington for... well two. This is a elegant meal that I've been wanting to try for a long time now. It's quite time consuming, but is well worth it in the end. I really think it something every cook should try at least once... and have maybe once a year on a special occasion. My special occasion was New Years eve. That fact that it took about 3 hours to make actually worked out in my favor for this night, considering we wanted to stay up and watch the ball drop. 

I was a little nervous starting out with the meal, hoping that it wasn't going to turn out disasterous. Figured I had already decided to make the meal, so I put on my sweats, grabbed a glass of wine and started prepping for the meal. The recipe I decided to go off of was Tyler Florence's Ultimate Beef Wellington recipe. I changed a couple things to add some of my flavor to it, but definitely tried to stick to the recipe. I also made my fresh spinach and roasted basil potatoes to go along as sides. These are two really easy and tasty sides that you can add to any meal. I've used these to pair with fish, chicken and even Italian dishes. They are super simple and have minimal ingredients.

Simple Spinach with garlic

Ingredients

1 lb. fresh spinach, 2 tbls. olive oil, 2 cloves garlic, 1/4 cup white wine, splash of chicken stock, pinch or more of red pepper flake... salt & pepper to tast

Directions

Heat the olive oil on medium heat for a few minutes. Chop the garlic and add to the oil to cook for about two minutes. Add the spinach to the pan and stir in with the garlic. Immediately add in the wine, let it cook and reduce until the spinach is wilted and most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the chicken stock and red pepper flake and let cook for a few mins. Before serving add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot!

Roasted Basil Potatoes

You can really make these potatoes a million different ways. Sometime I add different spices according to the type of cusine I'm making that night.

Ingredients

1 lb. of red potatoes (halved), 2 tbls. olive oil, dried basil and oregano, garlic salt, salt and pepper to taste.

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Halve the potatoes and put on baking sheet. Add the oil, make sure all the potatoes are covered as it makes it easier for the spices to stay on.  Sprinkle enough basil and oregano to cover all the potatoes. Add a small amount of garlic salt to each potatoe. And finally add the salt and pepper. Cook in the oven for 20 minutes and check on them to stir and flip. Let cook for another 10 mins and stir again. Let them finish cooking for another 10 mins or until soft all the way through. Cooking time is about 40 mins. Let stand to cool and serve!

  

The main event takes about 45 minutes in the oven to make, but make what they call the Duxelles for the Wellington takes some time. Especially when you have a teeny tiny food processor... like I do. I'm not one to really lose my temper, or get impatient... but this particular night was an exception for me. I needed to make enough Duxelles to cover a 2 pound beef tenderloin, so I had to do about six separate shifts in the food processor and then add them together. I ended up not being too bad, but I'd suggest you wait to make this until you invest in a large food processor. 

Tyler Florence's Beef Wellington recipe:

http://bit.ly/3asL3

I hope you all enjoy making this Beef Wellington as much as I did. I made it for two, but it can easily feed four to six people if you decide to make it for a dinner party. Either way, I know family and friends will enjoy tasting this delicious recipe! Happy food finds to you all!