Showing posts with label Appetizers/Small Bites/Dips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Appetizers/Small Bites/Dips. Show all posts

Buffalo Chicken Taquitos





I never thought I'd be one of those parents to cook something just because you know your kids will like it.  I'm a firm believer in introducing kids to all foods and all tastes and strongly against cooking a separate meal for the kids.  They can eat what we eat.  My kids have been exposed to so many different foods and love to eat curry,  Thai food, gyoza, and many other things. HOWEVER, that doesn't mean they always enjoy it.  One doesn't like fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, or onions, while the other one eats any and all veggies but isn't a huge meat fan....and every once in a while I do like a break from the turned up noses and the picky whines.

So as I was brainstorming my meal plan over the weekend, I was thinking of doing something different yet pleasing to the kids (and the adults!) at the same time.  Everyone in the family goes crazy when I make Creamy Beef Taquitos so I did a spin on that using chicken breasts I already had in the freezer.  While there is Frank's red hot sauce mixed into the filling, it's toned down quite a bit because of the ranch flavoring, cream cheese and mozzarella.  It was a great experiment!

Recipe by Meal Planning 101
_________________________________________________________________________________

Makes 10 taquitos




2 cups cooked, diced or shredded chicken
1/3 cup light cream cheese
2 tbsp dry Ranch seasoning mix
1/3 cup Frank's Red Hot sauce
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese (or Monterey jack)
10 small flour tortillas
Cooking spray
Kosher salt


Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.   In a medium bowl, heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add ranch seasoning and Frank's red hot sauce and stir to combine.  Add the chicken and cheese and mix. You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.

Place 2-3 tbsp of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Roll it up as tight as you can. If your tortillas are cracking or breaking, you can microwave them for 10-20 seconds with a damp paper towel over top. Once rolled, place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or brush with a bit of oil and sprinkle some kosher salt on top. Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

Remove from the oven and serve with ranch for dipping.



*Alternatively if you don't already have cooked chicken you can place 2-3 chicken breasts in a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.  Sprinkle with seasoning salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until cooked through.  Dice finely. 


_________________________________________________________________________________

RESULTS?
I have this section here called "results" so this isn't one big gush about how totally awesome everything and anything I make is.  It's here so I can be real and tell you our true and honest opinions of the recipes.  So my kids real and true honest opinions were....they didn't hate it (Haha! That's what my 5 year old said).  They ate it without any complaining or coaxing, so that was a plus for Mom.  But my husband, the one who's favorite food in the world is hot wings, loved them!  In the end it was a great compromise meal.  The adults were happy and satisfied while the kids ate them, dipped them in ranch and then asked for more veggies to dip in ranch.  Wins all around I think.

Oh and if you are wondering about spice level, I think it's mild with a bit of heat.  My kids said it was warm but they didn't complain it was too spicy.  My husband, the spice fiend, went to his hot sauce collection and doused his in more hot sauce, while I thought it was perfect.

Meal Ideas:
  • Buffalo Chicken Taquitos + Ceasar Salad or Garden Salad
Tags :

Pico de Gallo


Originally posted Feb 12, 2009.  Photo's and text updated June 3, 2012.

I'm sorry I dropped off the face of the earth again!  This always seems to happen when work gets crazy, and being in the final few weeks of preschool while 7 months pregnant has made it extra hectic.  Two more weeks of putting my nose to the grindstone and I can officially relax and enjoy my summer and my family before this baby comes.

In the meantime, I thought I'd pop in quick and post new photos of this fantastic pico de gallo recipe.  The old ones were HORRRRRID.  Like, really bad.  It's nice to be able to update and improve them :)

A couple Saturday's ago, I was in the throes of a huge preschool Mother's Day project.  My house had gone to pot, the laundry had mountainized, there was still a ton of preschool work to be done....and I was single parenting for the day!  I decided to ignore all the chores that were calling my name, pack up the girls and head to the Farmer's Market.  It turned into such a lovely day!  I let my girls pick out some fresh produce and we came home with some beautiful red and yellow cocktail tomatoes (nothing like those pinkish-orange anemic ones we find in the grocery store), red and green jalapeno's and some fresh cilantro.  Fresh pico de gallo was definitely in order!  The sweet and juicy greenhouse tomatoes tasted like gold amongst the raw pungent onions, peppery cilantro, lime and chile. I served it up on some Authentic Mexican Tacos, but found myself scooping it up later in the evening on tortilla chips and not being able to control myself.

As an appetizer with chips, or as a condiment for your fave Mexican foods, you must make some pico de gallo this summer.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Makes about 1 1/2 cups



2-3 large ripe tomatotes, diced
1/2 medium red onion, diced (or about 6 green onions)
1/2 jalapeno, deseeded and finely chopped (this is the heat level I like, so adjust to your own tastes)
1 tbsp lime juice
1 clove garlic, finely minced or grated
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper

Dice the tomatoes and add to a bowl. I like to deseed my tomatoes, but that's because I deseed tomatoes for everything I make...I'm not a fan of the goopy stuff. Feel free to just chop them without deseeding because it's not totally necessary for this recipe. Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and stir to mix thoroughly. Taste and adjust salt, lime juice, cilantro and/or jalapeno to your liking. Serve with taco's or as dip for tortilla chips.


Click here for printable version of Pico de Gallo
_________________________________________________________________________________

THE RESULTS?
Really fresh and really delicious. What I like about making pico de gallo is that it's a dish that you don't really need a recipe for. You just chop ingredients and mix them together. Yes, you have to make sure all the flavors are in balance but the nice thing is you can alter and adjust to your own tastes. I like that. I also love that it's a perfect use for fresh summer produce.

Here's some ideas of what to do with it:

  • Layer it into your favorite Layered Mexican dip
  • Grill chicken breasts with lime and grill seasoning and pile pico de gallo on top.  Or slice chicken into a salad and top with pico de gallo and other favorite veggies.  Creamy Lime Cilantro Dressing drizzled on top would taste fabulous.
Tags :

Deviled Eggs with Smoked Salmon and Dill


I have some time off before I have to go back to work, so I plan to work on getting some more meal plan posts and dinner meals written before I do.  In the meantime, I have one more appie recipe for you before the big New Year's Eve celebration.

I made these babies for a potluck bash quite awhile ago and I'm lucky I showed up to the party with a (mostly) full plate!  I had to taste test them for quality control and it was hard to stop myself after I popped one in my mouth.  Smoked salmon works so well when it's blended with creamy things like mayo or cream cheese and the honey mustard and fresh dill all come together to be serious friends.

The other thing I love about this dish is that smoked salmon usually comes in 8 ounce packages.  Since this recipe uses only one ounce of smoked salmon, you can stretch one package into two recipes by then making Smoked Salmon, Horseradish and New Potato Salad or Linguine Alfredo with Smoked Salmon.

Recipe from Eat, Shrink and Be Merry
__________________________________________________________________________________

Makes 16 deviled eggs



8 large eggs
1/4 cup smoked salmon, minced (about 1 oz)
2 tbsp light mayonnaise
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp honey mustard
1 tbsp fresh dill
1/4 tsp hot sauce
Salt and pepper

Place eggs in a large saucepan.  Cover with at least 1 inch of cold water and heat to boiling over high heat.  Remove the saucepan from the heat.  Let stand covered for 18 minutes.  Immediately pour off the hot water from the eggs, then run cool water over them for several seconds to prevent them cooking any further.  Drain and let cool.  Once cool, peel the eggs.

Carefully slice the cooked eggs in half lengthwise and remove the yolks.  Place yolks in a medium bowl and mash well with a fork.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Using a small spoon, or a pastry bag with a large tip (or even a ziplock bag with the corner cut off), fill the centers of eggs with egg mixture, mounding slightly.  Place a small piece of fresh dill on top of each egg or sprinkle with paprika, if desired.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.  


__________________________________________________________________________________

THE RESULTS?
I freaking love these things!  You need some prep time to make them, but they really aren't hard at all.  Once the eggs are boiled, they take maybe 5 minutes to assemble.  Soooooo worth it for your next potluck or party!
Tags :

White Bean Dip with Rosemary and Roasted Garlic with Spiced Pita Chips


Ahhhhhhh.  That's me sighing in relief that the busyness of Christmas is over and I have two full weeks off from teaching.  After all that rich food, I thought a nice healthy (addicting) appetizer as an idea for New Year's was in order.  Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the cream cheese laden spinach dips and the full fat sour cream chip dip (heck I'm still eating coconut tarts from my freezer with a big dollop of Cool Whip leftover from Christmas), but there's something about eating healthy food that doesn't taste healthy that I just love.  This white bean dip is very similar to hummus, but the flavors are so fresh and exciting from the lemon and rosemary.  The combination of the spicy pita chips with the dip is fantastic.  


__________________________________________________________________________________
serves 12 as an appetizer


White Bean Dip with Rosemary and Roasted Garlic
2 15.5oz. cans of white beans, drained and rinsed
1-2 heads of whole roasted garlic (recipe follows)
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
the grated zest of 1 lemon
2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

In a food processor, combine all ingredients except salt and pepper; process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with fresh vegetables or pita chips.


Roasted Garlic
1 head garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Cut the top third of the garlic head off so that the tops of the cloves are exposed and place on a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with oil and cover completely with foil.  Bake for 45 minutes to an hour until soft and golden brown. Cool. Squeeze the roasted garlic from each of the cloves and mash into a paste. Store any additional roasted garlic in an airtight container in the refrigerator.


Spiced Pita Chips
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
6 pita breads, cut into 8 wedges each.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Combine the olive oil and spices in a large bowl. Add the pita wedges and toss to coat. Spread the wedges in a single layer on two baking sheets and bake, tossing once, until the pitas are brown and crisp, about 10-15 minutes (mine seem to cook quicker). Cool.  Serve with white bean dip.

These will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days.


Click here for printable version of White Bean Dip with Rosemary and Roasted Garlic with Spiced Pita Chips
__________________________________________________________________________________

RESULTS?
I've made this recipe soooo many times over the last couple years and love it so much.  When my brother in law and his wife had their twins, I went and stayed with them to help them out and cook for them.  They love hummus, so I made tons of different variations, but this recipe was one of the favorites, especially with the spicy chips.  The dip tastes fantastic smoothed on wraps or inside pita bread with chicken and lettuce and other veggies.   I made a Rosemary Marmalade Ham last night for a family dinner and still have some fresh rosemary in my fridge.  Writing this post has given me a serious craving for this dip, so I think I'll have to add it to my grocery list!

One note about the pita chips: start checking them after about 8 minutes.  In my oven 15 minutes is WAY too long, yet it was fine when I was cooking at my brother-in-law's house.  You want them lightly golden and crispy.

Meal Ideas:

Tags :

Chinese Beef and Green Onion Pot Stickers


Over a year ago I cracked the code for making my own gyoza (Japanese pot stickers) at home.  It's a bit time consuming, but really couldn't be easier.  I love to get together with my Dad and make a huge batch and store them in my freezer (and his) for a super quick 15 minute supper pulled from the freezer.  My Dad loved the recipe so much, he bought me a copy of Asian Dumplings: Mastering Gyoza, Spring Rolls, Samosas, and More.  There are so many great dumpling recipes to choose from, but the Chinese Beef Pot Stickers caught my eye.  Lean ground beef is insanely cheap here, and I'm always looking for creative ways of making dinner with it.  I went ahead and made them and invited some friends over for a Chinese themed dinner, and we all loved them.

How can you not love pot stickers?

Recipe adapted from Asian Dumplings: Mastering Gyoza, Spring Rolls, Samosas, and More
__________________________________________________________________________________


Makes about 48 dumplings
Serves about 6 as a main course and 8-10 as a snack/appetizer


1 lb lean ground beef
2/3 cup green onions, finely chopped
1 1/2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/3 cup chicken stock or water
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
1 1/2 tbsp canola oil
1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil

1 package of gyoza skins (also called Shanghai dumpling wrappers)
1/4 cup water
1 tsp cornstarch

Filling the Pot Stickers:
Before you start making the pot stickers, prepare your workspace. Get out a large baking sheet and moisten a clean kitchen towel or paper towel until just damp. In a small bowl mix together the water and cornstarch.

In a large mixing bowl mix together the ground beef, green onions, ginger, salt, pepper, chicken stock, soy sauce, rice wine, canola oil and sesame oil.  You can let this sit covered in the fridge for 30 minutes (or up to 24 hours) to develop the flavors.

To begin filling your pot stickers, hold a dumpling wrapper in one hand. Dip your finger in the cornstarch water and moisten all around the outside edge of the wrapper.

Place a heaped teaspoon of filling in the middle of the wrapper.
These photos are from when I made Japanese pot stickers.  It will show you the method, but obviously there will be no cabbage in your filling.
Fold the gyoza wrapper in half and pinch in the middle.

To make a pleat, you'll need to make a small fold to the left of the middle.

Pinch that together.

Make another fold to the left of the pleat you just made and pinch together.

It will look like this.

Make the same pleats pinching them together on the other side until the dumpling is completely sealed.

Your cute little pot sticker is now folded and ready to stand up....

In the palm of your hand or on a hard surface, stand the gyoza up and tap to make a flat bottom.

I've looked at pictures in dumpling cookbooks and they have many more pleats than I do but this works for me, takes less time and this is what ours look like at our local Japanese restaurant. You can get fancy and add more pleats if you like.

When you are all done folding and making the potstickers, you could at this point place your whole baking sheet in the freezer. The pot stickers will freeze in about an hour or two and can then be placed in a ziplock bag. This prevents them from freezing into a big potsticker ball. When you are ready to use them, just pull them out of the freezer and add an extra minute or two for cooking time.

Cooking the Pot Stickers:
Whether cooking these fresh or frozen, get out a large non-stick skillet that has a tight fitting lid. Place a couple teaspoons of oil in the pan and turn the heat up to high. Get a 1/2 cup of water ready and place on the counter beside you. Place the pot stickers in the pan on the flat side with their pleats sticking up. Depending on the size of your pan you should be able to fit about 12 or so into the pan (if I'm serving this as a meal for 4, I have two frying pans going at once). After about a minute or two the bottoms of the pot stickers will be browned and crispy. Grab the lid to the frying pan in one hand and the 1/2 cup of water in the other. Quickly pour the water into the pan and put the lid on. Turn the heat down to low and set a timer for 10 minutes. The dumplings will finish cooking in the pan by steaming.

After 10 minutes remove the lid of the pan. If not all the water is gone let them sit another minute or two to let the water evaporate and let the bottoms of the pot stickers get crispy again. Remove to a serving dish.

Serve the pot stickers with your choice of dipping sauce:

#1 Soy Sesame Dipping Sauce

2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil

Mix ingredients together in small bowl and serve with gyoza.


#2 Tangy Chili Dipping Sauce

3 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp chili oil (Layu chili oil)
Dash of chili pepper (Ichimi togarashi)

Mix ingredients together in small bowl and serve with gyoza.


Sauce #1 is made with easily accessibly ingredients that most people already have in their pantry. Sauce #2 is the same as the one served in our Japanese restaurant and I found the chili oil and chili pepper at our little Asian market. Both are great dipping sauces. I serve both to give my guests choice. My personal favorite is the two sauces mixed together.


Click here for printable version of Chinese Beef and Green Onion Pot Stickers
__________________________________________________________________________________

THE RESULTS?
I really wasn't sure how I would like beef pot stickers because I love the sweet and juicy pork filled Japanese ones.  Definitely a great variation!  The addition of all the green onions is fabulous with the beef.  As with any pot sticker, the crispy bottoms combined with the succulent steamed filling is fantastic.

Meal Ideas:

  • Chinese Beef and Green Onion Pot Stickers + Rice + Broccoli
  • Chinese Beef and Green Onion Pot Stickers + Fried Rice + Sauteed Green Beans with Almonds
Tags :

Creamy Beef Taquitos

Over a year ago, I dove into the debate of flauta versus taquito since they are both made from a tortilla filled with meat, tightly rolled and then deep fried. Ummm...yep I'm still slightly confused, except that maybe I figured out taquitos are smaller than flautas. A reader commented and said that using corn tortillas is more Mexican, while using flour tortillas is Tex-Mex.

In any case, those baked Flautas were such a big hit both with readers and in our family, I wanted a baked taquito using ground beef (since it's so inexpensive). The addition of cream cheese and salsa stirred right into the meat gives these puppies full flavor with a slightly creamy texture.

Recipe adapted from Our Best Bites
__________________________________________________________________________________

Serves 4

1 lb lean ground beef
2 tbsp taco seasoning (homemade or store-bought)
1/3 cup light cream cheese
1/4 cup salsa
1 tbsp lime juice
3 tbsp cilantro, chopped
2 tbsp green onions, chopped
1 cup grated cheese (cheddar, mozzarella or pepperjack)
12 small flour tortillas (can also use corn tortillas)

Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef and break it up into crumbles as it cooks. Add the taco seasoning and cook the beef about 8 minutes until cooked through.

Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add salsa, lime juice, cilantro and green onions and stir to combine. Once the beef is browned, add the beef and cheese and combine well. You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.

Place 2-3 tbsp of beef mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Roll it up as tight as you can. If your tortillas are cracking or breaking, you can microwave them for 10-20 seconds with a damp paper towel over top. Once rolled, place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or brush with a bit of oil and sprinkle some kosher salt on top. Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

Dip taquitos in salsa, sour cream, guacamole, or Chipotle Ranch dressing.


Click here for printable version of Creamy Beef Taquitos
__________________________________________________________________________________

THE RESULTS?
Oh my these things are good! Loved by the kids and the adults in our family, I made these for dinner one week, then made them the next week for company (who also raved) and made some more a few days later for couple from our church that just had a baby. Both creamy and crispy you'll love these for dinner or for an appetizer.

These also reheat really well for lunch the next day by placing in a 350 degree oven just to warm through and crisp up a bit. You could also freeze them after they have baked and cooled. For a quick meal, pull them from the freezer and place on a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven to heat through and crisp up.


Meal Ideas:

Tags :

Westphalian Ham Wrapped Shrimp with Mango Chili Reduction

This was the brainchild creation of Dan for our Prideful Prawn appetizer at our 7 Deadly Sins dinner party. It was incredibly over-the-top with raspberries, cantaloupe squares, mini key lime wedges and chives as garnishes. Dan even peeled tiny little lime zest curly cues from the key limes that were ridiculously cute. With ribbon roses of Westphalian ham distributed throughout and painted arches of mango-chili reduction and dabs of raspberry lime coulis to finish the dish off. The entire masterpiece was served on top of a mirror to really emphasize the pompous sin of pride.

And let me tell you....IT WAS DELICIOUS.

We wrapped the shrimp with the Westphalian ham and scooped up the other sauces and fruit until the whole thing was an empty mess.


The best combination was the shrimp wrapped in Westphalian ham and dipped in the mango-chili reduction. Soooo yummy! If you've never had Westphalian ham before, it's very similar to prosciutto from Italy....it comes from Germany and has a smokey flavor. If you can't find Westphalian ham you could easily substitute prosciutto or even cooked bacon.

____________________________________________________________________

Serves 4 as an appetizer


8-12 large shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails left on
8-12 slices of Westphalian ham
2 tbsp butter

Mango-Chili Reduction:
2/3 cup Mango nectar
1/2 Thai chili, deseeded and minced
1/4 cup sugar

To make the reduction, pour all the ingredients into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Let reduce for 3-5 minutes until it becomes the consistency of a nice sauce. Remove from the heat and let come to room temperature before serving.

To make the shrimp, put a frying pan over medium heat along with the butter. Once the pan is hot, add the shrimp. It should take a couple minutes per side to cook the shrimp. They will turn bright pink and the tail will curl up. Don't overcook the shrimp. Remove from the heat.

To serve, you can either wrap each shrimp in a piece of ham or serve the shrimp on a plate with the ham curled into roses amongst the shrimp. Serve the mango-chili reduction for dipping.

Click here for printable version of Westphalian Ham Wrapped Shrimp with Mango Chili Reduction
____________________________________________________________________

THE RESULTS?
The combination of sweet, smokey and spicy is wonderful. I loved these shrimp. I had never had Westphalian ham before but I'm definitely going to create more dishes with it. And the mango-chili reduction...superb.
Tags :

Pico de Gallo



Has anyone noticed it has taken me two weeks to post one week of recipes? I do have excuses for my absence, all of which involve company...and being lazy. My dad was here visiting this week and I found it difficult to steal away and write posts. I'm going to attempt to catch up before I post my new meal plan on Sunday and pretend that a whole week of meals didn't slip into the abyss.

Back to pico de gallo. The fresh flavors of a pico de gallo salsa are a nice change from the jarred variety. It has more zip and pow on your tongue from the raw pungent onions, peppery cilantro, sour lime and of course the heat of the chile. It is a perfect condiment on Authentic Mexican Tacos. Or even just on it's own with tortilla chips to scoop up the deliciousness.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Makes about 1 1/2 cups


2-3 large ripe tomatotes, diced
1/2 medium red onion, diced (or about 6 green onions)
1/2 jalapeno, deseeded and finely chopped (this is the heat level I like, so adjust to your own tastes)
1 tbsp lime juice
1 clove garlic, finely minced or grated
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper

Dice the tomatoes and add to a bowl. I like to deseed my tomatoes, but that's because I deseed tomatoes for everything I make...I'm not a fan of the goopy stuff. Feel free to just chop them without deseeding because it's not totally necessary for this recipe. Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and stir to mix thoroughly. Taste and adjust salt, lime juice, cilantro and/or jalapeno to your liking. Serve with taco's or as dip for tortilla chips.

Click here for printable version of Pico de Gallo
_________________________________________________________________________________

THE RESULTS?


Really fresh and really delicious. I love pico de gallo on it's own but it was absolutely fantastic on the Authentic Mexican Taco's I made. What I like about making pico de gallo is that it's a dish that you don't really need a recipe for. You just chop ingredients and mix them together. Yes, you have to make sure all the flavors are in balance but the nice thing is you can alter and adjust to your own tastes. I like that.
Tags :

Aloo Pakoras (Indian Potato Fritters)


These are so yummy and I would describe them as an Indian-spiced french fry. The flavors of the batter really make them stand out and not bland at all. For our Secret-Secret Geography Club Indian Feast, I sent out an email telling my group members what dishes I would be bringing and this was one of them. Dan is our biggest food critic and he admitted later that when I said I was bringing Indian "Potato Fritters" he thought "how boring?" But after trying them and everyone making them disappear very quickly he retracted this thought and said they were amazing.

"Why do I doubt you Kindra?" he said.

I'm not sure Dan. But neither you or anyone else would be disappointed if these showed up on your dinner table.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Serves 4-6 as an appetizer



2/3 cup chickpea flour
1/3 cup warm water
½ tsp baking powder
3 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
3/4 tsp salt
2 green onions, chopped
2 potatoes, thinly sliced
1/4-1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

Oil for deep frying
Mango chutney for dipping

In a bowl put the chick pea flour and half the water and beat with an electric mixer until it becomes a thick batter. Beat hard for 5 minutes gradually adding the rest of the water and set it aside for 10 minutes. Add salt, cumin powder, chili powder, garlic, ginger, baking powder, green onion and chopped cilantro and beat again.

Slice the potatoes into 1/8 slices. Put the sliced potatoes into a microwave safe dish and cover with water. Microwave on high for 5 minutes so the potatoes are par-boiled. Drain them well and add to the batter a few at a time. Drop them into the hot oil which is heated to medium-high heat (about 350 degrees) until golden brown and crispy. Put them on a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle with salt as they come out of the oil. Keep adding the potatoes to the batter and dropping them into the oil until all potatoes are gone. Serve with mango chutney for dipping.

Click here for printable version of Aloo Pakoras

__________________________________________________________________________________

THE RESULTS?
Every time I make these they get better and better. I have adapted the recipe from a few different authentic Indian recipes, as well as tweaked and added and changed the method each time I make them to produce an even better pakora. The mango chutney for dipping is a great accompaniment.
Tags :

Guacamole


I'm not sure there is an easier dip to throw together than guacamole. Because avocado's are quite bland and buttery, I like the pungency of fresh garlic and lot's of lime juice...so it's good and tangy. It's a perfect add-on to nacho's, taco's, quesadilla's....pretty much anything. Even my California Chicken Burger.

____________________________________________________________________

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

2 ripe avocado's
1 tbsp lime juice
1/2-1 clove garlic, grated
Big pinch of salt (I use kosher. It tastes better and is more forgiving)

Slice avocado's in half and scoop flesh into a bowl, removing the big stone in the middle. Grate the clove of garlic into the bowl, add lime juice and salt. Mash with a fork until desired consistency and serve. To add a bit of extra creaminess you can also stir in a tbsp or so of sour cream.

Tip: To keep guacamole from turning black, put saran wrap directly on the surface, pressed right up to the guacamole and store in the fridge. This keeps it from oxidizing.

Tip: If your avocado's aren't ripe, place them on the counter with some other ripening fruit like banana's or apples (I put my avocado's right on top of my banana's). The ripening fruit releases chemicals that will help them ripen really quickly. I had some totally green and hard avocado's and only 2 days on the counter with my banana's and they were perfectly soft and ripe. If they are already ripe and you aren't planning on using them yet, put them in the fridge to slow down the ripening process.

Click here for printable version of Guacamole

____________________________________________________________________

THE RESULTS?
You gotta love when a recipe only has three sentences for directions. That tells you there's no excuse for you not whipping up a batch of this RIGHT NOW. Sooooo good.
Tags :

Refried Beans


My only thoughts about refried beans used to be that they tasted like dog food....not very appetizing. If they didn't taste like dog food, they sure were bland and I really didn't get the big fuss over them. Until my Mother in Law who is a full-time missionary in Guatemala showed me how to make homemade refried beans. I was converted!

Homemade refried beans have so much delicious flavor. My husband who is a big canivorous meat fan, even told me that I could replace the beef in his taco's for these refried beans....WHA?!?! Okay, I guess they ARE pretty good.


Recipe adapted from Virginia Birss
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Makes about 1 1/2 cups


1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup water
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp taco seasoning (homemade or store-bought)
Salt to taste
3 slices of bacon (optional)

In a bow, dump in the kidney beans and begin to mash with a potato masher. This is where I add the water to get them mashed a little better. It's okay if they start to look soupy because the liquid will cook out. Add the garlic, taco seasoning and a good pinch of salt to the bowl and continue mashing.

If you are using bacon (and it's just as good if you don't), then chop up into small bits and add to frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry them until almost crispy. Drain the fat except for about 1 tsp. If you aren't using bacon, use 1 tsp oil. Dump the mashed, seasoned beans into the pan with the bacon and let cook for about 3 minutes or so stirring often. You will see the beans really start to thicken up. Taste them to see if you need more salt or other seasonings. When they are a thick consistency like refried beans should be, remove from heat, and scoop into a bowl.

Serve warm or at room temperature as a fixin' for taco's, quesadilla's and nacho's. You could also use as a filling for taco's, burrito's or enchilada's. Or just grab a bag of tortilla's and some salsa and start dipping away as a delicious snack or appetizer.

Click here for printable version of Refried Beans

_____________________________________________________________________________________

THE RESULTS?
I used to complain when my husband would ask me to make these in addition to all the other fixin's for our tacos....now I can't do without. Our taco's just wouldn't be the same. These are so yummy, inexpensive to make, and totally easy.
Tags :

Hummus


I'm really loving Elise's recipes at Simply Recipes these days. It seems she's always catching my eye when I'm searching for a recipe, and not to mention all the one's I've tried so far have been bang on. This hummus recipe is just that...BANG ON.

This was my first time making hummus homemade, and boy do I feel silly that I've never done it before. You know how much work it is to make? So little work you will feel silly too just reading the directions. This would make a fabulous dip to serve to company that pops over unexpectedly...provided you have a can of chick peas and some tahini hangin' around. But I'm sure you will after you've tried this recipe.

Recipe from Elise at Simply Recipes
____________________________________________________________________

Makes about 1 1/2-2 cups


2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup of tahini (roasted, not raw)
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 teaspoon of salt

Dump everything in the food processor and let 'er rip. Serve with pita's, as a side to a Greek meal, as a dip for veggies or as a spread for sandwiches. I could eat this stuff on anything.

Click here for printable version of Hummus
____________________________________________________________________

THE RESULTS?
Are you kidding me?! I will never again buy hummus. Homemade is so fresh and delicious tasting and not to mention it's way more budget-conscious to make it yourself. Wow. So good. After eating this with our lamb souvlaki and pitas, the next day I gorged myself and ate only hummus and pita for lunch.

The only expensive component to this recipe is the Tahini. It was approximately $4.00 and using 1/3 cup means I could make 3 batches of hummus. I think I will experiment with cutting it down to 1/4 cup just to make the tahini stretch a bit further. That's only if it doesn't affect the flavor...because right now it's DANG good!
Tags :

Nacho Night


Here's my big tip for nights when you are too busy to spend a half hour in the kitchen cooking: Plan to make a crockpot meal, a make-ahead meal that all you have to do is reheat, or in this case, a meal when you can do the prep early in the week and then assemble within minutes.

I work every Thursday and get home around 6:30-6:45pm....much too tired, exhausted and hungry to spend any time cooking. I was getting sick of the crockpot meals (I don't know how the CrockPot Lady does it!) and decided to switch it up a bit and make a treat I knew my husband would appreciate. Nacho's.

If you fry your beef earlier in the week and/or prechop the veggies, then assembling this takes only minutes. And it's fun and delicious.

We love to eat these on a Friday night for Family Nacho/Movie Night. We bust out the tv trays and dip and eat and watch until our hearts content. Of course you don't need to eat this for supper, but you could also serve it at a party as an appetizer or when you are in the mood for going out with friends and having a beer and some appies. You will save yourself a load of money doing it at home.

____________________________________________________________________


1 bag of tortilla chips (or baked tortilla chips)
Ground beef
Pkg taco seasoning
Green onions
Tomatoes, seeded and diced
Lettuce, thinly shredded
Cheddar cheese, shredded
Salsa
Sour Cream
(Base all the amounts on how much your family will eat)

Brown your ground beef. To save time, do it earlier in the week or when you are making another ground beef meal. In my case, the day before I made Spaghetti Bolognaise so I browned up 1lb of ground beef with 1/2 a diced onion. I took out 1/3 of the beef and mixed in some taco seasoning and put it in a contatiner in the fridge for my Nacho's. I made my Bolognaise sauce with the remaining 2/3 - doing it this way means absolutely NO extra effort.

Another way to save time, is doing the rest of your prep work earlier in the week or the night before. Shred your cheese, seed and dice your tomatoes and chop your onions.

Assembling the Nacho's means preheating your oven to 450 degrees, spreading out a layer of tortilla chips, topping with seasoned ground beef and sprinkling with shredded cheddar cheese. Put in the oven until nice and melted. Top with green onions, tomatoes, lettuce and serve with salsa and sour cream. Also delicious with refried beans and guacamole.

____________________________________________________________________

THE RESULTS?
My family loved it. Especially my husband. He kept saying "Great idea Kin. Let's have Nacho's more often." I loved it because it took 5 minutes to make (and I exerted no energy to do it).
Tags :

Tzaziki


Back in the summer of 2002, I was 18 years old and dating this really hot muscular guy.  I planned a special picnic for us by the beach and thought I would re-create our favorite pitas from this pita joint in the city.  The pitas would not be complete without tzaziki, so I made sure to find a recipe and try making it myself.  The recipe told me to grate the cucumber and then wring it out, but I was a naive teenager and figured "what a waste of time, I can skip that."  Yeah no.  My tzaziki sauce turned to soup!  Apparently a cucumber is 95% water and once added to the yogurt there was no salvaging it.  I panicked and kept trying to stir more yogurt into it to thicken it up but there was no use.  We tried pouring it onto our pitas anyway, but it soggified them so much they turned to mush.

I never again tried to make tzaziki.  I figured it was WAY too hard, WAY too easy to screw up.  Then I came across this recipe and gave it another shot.  As long as you wring out your cucumber in a kitchen towel, there's no way you can screw this up.  Super easy.


Recipe from Everyday with Rachael Ray
__________________________________________________________________________________


1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
1/2 cup grated cucumber
1 clove garlic grated
1 tsp dried dill (or about 1 tbsp of fresh dill)
Salt and pepper


Dump the yogurt in a medium sized bowl. Grate the cucumber and place in a clean kitchen towel. Wring out over the sink, then place dry cucumber into the bowl with the yogurt (this step is important, since it ensures that your sauce won't get runny). Add garlic, dill and salt and pepper to taste. Place in the fridge to let the flavors meld until you are ready to eat.

Click here for printable version of Tzaziki
__________________________________________________________________________________

RESULTS?
I could not get over how easy this is to make!  After all those years of steering clear of homemade tzaziki and buying the expensive tubs in the deli, I learned my lesson: sometimes you just need to follow directions!

Meal Ideas:

Tags :
 
Copyright © 2011 by Fish Oil Benefits.All Rights Reserved.
Designed by JogRunRace Thanks to Buy hCG | the hCG Diet | online casino | http://online-casino.eu.com