Mexican Brie Panini

A panini maker + leftovers in the fridge + a wee bit of creativity = one delicious sandwich!

MEXICAN BRIE PANINI
two slices French bread, buttered on the outside
Brie baked with marmalade, diced jalapeño, and crushed pistachios (leftover from our party on Saturday night)
leftover chicken (cooked with fajita seasoning and shredded)
avocado slices
mango slices
Chili Lime Sansel

This was so yummy... I heart paninis!

St. Patrick's Day - Green Appetizers and Desserts (that have absolutely no Irish background!)

I had friends over last weekend, and since it was St. Patrick's Day I thought I would try my best to make a green menu.  Here's what we had:

CUCUMBER SMOKED SALMON ROLLS (inspired by this recipe)
1 or 2 cucumbers
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 tsp. Lemon Dilly dip mix
2 green onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp. smoked salmon, diced
juice of 1/2 a lemon
salt & pepper

Using a mandolin or vegetable peeler, thinly slice cucumber lengthwise to create "ribbons".  Mix together remaining ingredients and place a scoop at the end of each cucumber ribbon.  Roll up the cucumber and secure with a toothpick.

SALSA VERDE DIP
1 pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 c. sour cream
1 c. salsa verde
mozzarella cheese, grated
2 green onions, diced

Mix together cream cheese and sour cream and spread in a baking dish.  Cover with a layer of salsa verde, then sprinkle with grated cheese and top with green onions.  Serve with tortilla chips.  (You could add diced avocado and green pepper if you really wanted this to be an extra-green appetizer.)

ANTIPASTO SKEWERS
artichokes hearts, marinated in oil and herbs
cherry tomatoes
fresh basil
mozzarella
salami

AVOCADO BRUSCHETTA (sorry, no picture)

2 avocados, diced

4 tomatoes, seeded and diced

juice of 1 lime

2 tbsp. cilantro, chopped

1/4 c. onion, finely chopped

salt & pepper

Toss everything to gether and serve on toasted baguette slices.

PISTACHIO CRÈME BRÛLÉE (sorry, no picture of this one either)
1 c. raw pistachios (shelled and unsalted)
4 c. whipping cream
10 egg yolks
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
green food colouring (optional)
extra sugar for on top

Grind pistachios in a blender or food processor until they are completely crushed.  Heat whipping cream over medium heat until steaming (don't let it boil, and stir often.)  Add pistachios and let it simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature.  Whisk together egg yolks and sugar, and pour in whipping cream.  Add vanilla and almond extracts and the food colouring.  Pour into 12 ramekins (about 1/2 c. custard mixture in each) and place ramekins in a baking dish that is half-filled with water.  Bake at 325 F for 45 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool.  Refrigerate overnight if you like.  If you refrigerate them, allow them to warm up to room temperature before topping with approx. 1 tbsp. sugar on each one.  Place directly under broiler for a few minutes until sugar melts.  Allow them to cool on the counter before serving.

Mexican Cheese Dip

I won't have a picture of this, because I'm taking it over to my dad's tonight, but it will just look like a hot bubbly mess of cheese and salsa so you can use your imagination.

MEXICAN CHEESE DIP
1 package cream cheese
1 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. grated mozzarella
1/2 c. grated cheddar
1 tsp. Pueblo Bean Dip Mix
1 tsp. Cinco Pepper Blend
2 tbsp. jarred salsa

Bake in the oven till bubbly, and serve with tortilla chips.

Fish Tacos with Avocado Cream Sauce & Pico de Gallo

I have made fish tacos before, but I always use grilled fish and last week I saw a recipe for fried fish tacos on Chuck's Day Off on the Food Network.  He had some delicious condiments to go with the tacos, so I bookmarked it right away and made it this week.

FISH TACOS WITH AVOCADO CREAM SAUCE & PICO DE GALLO
450 g. white fish
1 c. flour
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 egg

1 beer (I used a lime beer)

oil

Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, egg, and beer to make batter.  Dip fish in batter and then fry in oil.  (I used a frying pan with about 1" of oil in it.)  I halved the recipe for the beer batter, and there was plenty to cover all the fish.  Serve on a tortilla with avocado lime sauce and pico de gallo (recipes below) as well as shredded lettuce.

These were YUMMY (although I wish my kids at more than just the tortilla and fish!)  They don't know what they were missing, though, because that avocado sauce was fantastic, and the pico de gallo is so awesome.  I ate half the bowl before we even had supper.  It's such a fresh, healthy snack or condiment for your meal.  It's time consuming to dice up all the ingredients, but that's the only skill required to make this stuff, and believe me, it's so delicious.

AVOCADO CREAM SAUCE (this is half the recipe that Chuck Hughes used, and it was more than enough for us.  In fact you could probably even half it again if you wanted.)

2 avocados
1 c. sour creamjuice and zest of 1/2 lime
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced
a few leaves of cilantro, chopped (maybe 1 tbsp. all together)
salt & pepper

Combine ingredients in a food processor until smooth, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

PICO DE GALLO
2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1 garlic cloved, minced
1/2 onion, diced
juice of 1 limecilantro, chopped
2 tbsp. olive oil
salt & pepper

Combine all ingredients together and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Epicure Enchiladas with Turkey & Refried Beans

Sorry I haven't had many new recipes for you lately.  After a somewhat expensive weekend in Las Vegas, I decided to make some economical meals that would allow me to use up stuff in my freezer/pantry and have enough leftovers to feed us for days.  I made a turkey on Monday and then used some of the leftovers to make these delicious enchiladas, which gave me the opportunity to try out two of the new seasonings from Epicure (Refried Beans and Enchilada Sauce).  I'm happy to say that they turned out really well!  (And we still have a lot of leftover turkey, so I might have to make more enchiladas!)

TURKEY & REFRIED BEAN ENCHILADAS
1 can (540 ml) kidney beans, drained and puréed/mashed
2/3 c. water
1 pkg. Refried Beans Mix
2 c. leftover turkey, diced
Taco seasoning
salt
grated cheese
5 tortillas
1 1/4 c. water
1 pkg. Enchilada Sauce Mix
more grated cheese

Simmer first three ingredients in a frying pan until heated through.  Add turkey, Taco seasoning, and salt.  Scoop some of the mixture into each tortilla, top with grated cheese, roll them up and lay them seam-side down in a baking dish.  Pour Enchilada Sauce Mix into water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.  Pour over enchiladas and top with more cheese.  Bake at 350 F for 15-20 minutes.  Top with green onions before serving.

I really loved the refried beans - they were far less gelatinous than the canned refried beans you get from the store.  "Less gelatinous" is always a good thing, unless you're making jello.

I thought the kids would revolt at the sight of bean-filled tortillas smothered in sauce, but they ate them without any complaints.  Even William!  (He did scoop out some of the filling, but he didn't it without whining, and he ate the majority of it, so I think after those few months of horrible supper times with him, I have finally broken him!)

So this week we've eaten turkey dinners, turkey enchiladas, and turkey soup.... and we still have a small roaster filled with leftover turkey.  Remind me never to cook a whole turkey again unless we have company, because clearly our little family can't eat it all!  (But damn the house smelled good on Monday night when that turkey was roasting!!!)

Coconut-Crusted Cuban Tilapia with Fruit Salsa

This is one of my favourite recipes, and it's perfect for today since my husband doesn't eat meat on Good Friday.  I was going to make grilled fish instead, sprinkled with some Cuban seasoning and a splash of lime juice, but I opted for this instead:

COCONUT-CRUSTED CUBAN TILAPIA
4 tilapia filets
Cuban seasoning
1 egg, beaten
coconut
Panko breadcrumbs

Season fish with Cuban seasoning, then dip it in egg and coat it with a mixture of coconut and Panko.  Heat oil in a frying pan and cook fish for a few minutes on each side.  Serve with a generous portion of fruit salsa.

FRUIT SALSA
granny smith apple (1)
mango (2)
cucumber (1/2)
red onion (3 thin slices)
avocado (1)
jalapeno (1)
red bell pepper (1/2)

Chop everything up (finely dice the jalapeno and red onion, but the rest can be larger pieces).  Squeeze in the juice of 1 lime.

This recipe is very forgiving... the salsa recipe I made was enough for at least 6-8 people (and since my kids didn't eat any, we've got a whole swack of it left!)  You could add more/less of any of the ingredients, or switch things up a bit.... add some cilantro or mint, use different bell peppers, add some tomato.... whatever you like.  My husband said he could just eat the salsa and forget about the fish (but only because the salsa is so yummy, not because the fish was crap.)  You could also use this salsa for chicken or pork or just to snack on with some tortilla chips.

Have a wonderful Easter weekend!

Tilapia Ceviche

Today is more of a "hearty soup" kinda day (yes, it's April 14, but the temperature is around the freezing mark and there were wind gusts over 50km/hr today!)  But I didn't make soup, I made ceviche.  Ceviche is seafood that is "cooked" by soaking in a citrus juice.  Today I used tilapia and lime juice, after seeing this recipe on "Mexican Made Easy" on the Food Network.  Here's how I made it:

TILAPIA CEVICHE
2 tilapia filets, finely chopped
4 limes, juiced (about 1/2 c.)
2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/4 c. red onion, finely diced
1/4 c. English cucumber, finely chopped
1 tbsp. cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 serrano pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 avocado, diced
2 iceburg lettuce leaves, chopped
salt & pepper

Pour lime juice over fish and cover with saran wrap.  Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.  Meanwhile, add remaining ingredients into a bowl.  Pour fish into a strainer and push to drain off all the lime juice.  Add to the vegetables and stir to combine.  Serve on soft tortillas.

If you can chop vegetables, you can make ceviche!  It's so easy, and it tates so fresh and healthy.  I can almost picture myself sitting at a resort in Mexico eating this delicious tortilla filled with seafood goodness!  Tomorrow I might have to make some hearty soup though.... stupid Saskatchewan weather.

Birthday Party Food

It was my husband's birthday party last night, so I made tons of appetizers for the event.  Here are the recipes:

BAKED BRIE WITH APRICOT & JALAPENO
1 brie wheel, with the top sliced off
apricot marmalade
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
crushed pecans

Spread the marmalade on top of the cheese, and sprinkle with jalapeno and pecans.  Bake until gooey, and serve with crackers or bread.

I took the picture before it went in the oven, because it's not nearly as pretty after it's all melted
(but it tastes soooo good!)


SALSA (this recipe was used to make the world's largest bowl of salsa!)
4 tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
6 tbsp. red onion, diced
1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped
6 mint leaves, chopped
1 lime, juiced
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper

SUSHI ROLLS (see how to make them here)
nori papers
2 c. sushi rice (soak in 3 1/2 c. water for 30 minutes, then bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover slightly with the lid and simmer for 10 minutes or until water is all gone.  Turn off the burner but leave the pot there and put the lid on tight for 10 minutes.  Stir in 3-4 tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar.)
smoked salmon
1/2 cucumber, cut into long skinny pieces
1 avocado. sliced




PINEAPPLE CRAB MUSRHOOMS (adapted from the cookbook "Just Add Rum!" by Angela Spenceley)
1 can crab meat
1/2 small onion, diced
1 garlic cloved, minced
1/8 c. red bell pepper, diced
1/8 c. pineapple, diced
1/8 c. mushroom stems, diced
1 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 c. panko breadcrumbs
2 tsp. butter
2 tsp. rum
pepper
approx. 30 mushrooms, stems removed

Sauté onions, garlic, red pepper, and mushroom stems in some oil in a frying pan.  Add crab, pineapple, and parsley and sauté for 1-2 minutes.  Add breadcrumbs, butter, rum, and pepper and mix well.  Spoon into mushroom caps and place on a baking sheet.  Bake at 350 F for 15 minutes.

EXTRAORDINARY CHEESE DIP (I don't have a picture, but there is one on the link.)

All of these appetizers were delicious (either that, or our friends are just really polite and ate everything to make me feel good!)

Red Adobo Chicken with Beans & Rice

I have to put the kids to bed, so no time for a story to go with this post. Last night I made Red Adobo Chicken and Rice & Beans. It was all really good.

(For the rice & beans, I just added 1 c. store-bought salsa instead of the diced tomatoes and Epicure Salsa Mix.)

Off to read bedtime stories!

Epicure's Cha-cha Chicken Chili

I tried the Tortilla Soup. I tried the Pulled Pork. I tried the Jambalaya. They were all amazing, and tonight's Cha-cha Chili was no exception. These are all from the "What's For Dinner" collection in the new Epicure Selections catalogue. This chili was ridiculously fast and simple to make, and pretty darn healthy too! It takes less time to make this meal than it would to go through a drive-thru at McDonald's, and it only cost me $4 for the ground chicken, less than $2 each for the beans and tomatoes, and the seasoning package costs $3.95. The packet says it makes 4 servings, but I think we got about 6 servings out of it. So it works out to less than $2 per serving!

EPICURE'S CHA-CHA CHILI

1 lb. ground chicken or beef (I used chicken)

1 package Cha-cha Chili seasoning mix

1 - 19 oz. can kidney beans (rinsed and drained)

1 - 28 oz. can diced tomatoes (I used low-sodium)

1 c. frozen corn (this isn't part of the recipe on the packet, but I think it adds a nice touch!)

Brown the meat (and drain if necessary), add the remaining ingredients, and bring to a simmer. Cover and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Serve with sour cream and grated cheese if you like.

I love the list of ingredients for this seasoning packet: onion, red bell pepper, spices, green bell pepper, tomato, garlic, salt, ancho chili. Since I rinsed off my kidney beans and used a low-sodium can of tomatoes, this meal had almost no salt in it at all! But it had tons of flavour, and you could easily spice it up with some chipotle or cayenne powder if you like it muy caliente!

Epicure's Pulled Pork

I tried out another one of the What's For Dinner? products from Epicure Selections, and just like the Tortilla Soup, this one was a huge hit! The Pulled Pork Seasoning Mix is a fool-proof way to make delicious shredded pork - simply mix with ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, and a little water in the crockpot, and add a pork roast (the recipe suggests a 2.5kg. roast, but mine was only 1.5kg.) Coat the roast with the sauce, and then cook on high for 5 hours. Then remove the roast, cut the strings, and use two forks to tear apart the meat. Put all the meat back into the crockpot and let it soak up all that amazing sauce before you serve it up on a crusty bun, piled up nice and high and topped with the most delicious coleslaw!

COLESLAW DRESSING

store-bought coleslaw mix

mayonnaise

sugar

Italian Dressing Mix (the link on the Epicure website isn't working right now, sorry!)

fresh lemon juice

Sorry, I don't have measurements, but I'm going to guess that I used about 2 c. coleslaw mix, 1/2 c. mayo, 1-2 tsp. sugar, 1 tbsp. Italian Dressing Mix, and 1 tbsp. lemon juice. It was the best coleslaw I've ever tasted!!

There was tons of pulled pork leftover, so I put it in the freezer to save for another day. The package says that it makes 20 servings (if you use a 2.5kg roast). I forgot to read the list of ingredients on the back before I put the empty package in the garbage, but I trust that it's filled with wholesome ingredients, just like all the other Epicure products. Low-sodium, no fillers or preseratives, and lots of flavour!

If you live in Canada and would like to order any Epicure products, please let me know and I'd be happy to help you out!

Epicure's Tortilla Soup

I love making homemade soup, and for the most part I find it pretty simple to whip up a batch whenever I feel like it. So I was a little leary when Epicure launched a new Tortilla Soup Mix for the 2011 catalogue. As far as I'm concerned, the key to a great soup is that it tastes homemade, which is rarely the case when you dump in a packet of seasoning and mix it with water and tomatoes. This Tortilla Soup Mix is delicious, though, and it is so simple to make it's almost embarrassing to write down the recipe!

EPICURE'S TORTILLA SOUP
1 package Tortilla Soup Mix
1 can (14 oz./398 ml) crushed tomatoes - Please note, the package says 19 oz./398ml - this is a typo, it should 14 oz./398 ml)
5 c. water

Mix ingredients together and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve with garnishes of tortilla chips, diced avocado, grated cheese, fresh lime juice, and/or sour cream (I forgot the sour cream in the picture!)


This was perfect - I wouldn't change a thing! And check out the list of ingredients: dried black beans, dried corn, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, spices, salt, garlic, green onion. How often do you find a soup mix at the store that has 6 "real" ingredients listed before salt? Usually it's MSG, a bunch of words from a chemistry textbook, salt, and then the real ingredients. My kids loved this soup, and I felt good about serving them something healthy. I hope Epicure will start selling larger jars of this stuff, but in the meantime I'll stock up on the little packages!

Turkey Meatloaf & Enchi-lasagna

It's been a few weeks since I made this Turkey Stuffing Meatloaf from Rachael Ray's Yum-o! Family-Friendly Cookbook. I used some Montreal Chicken Spice instead of poultry seasoning, and it was a lot stronger than I expected so the meatloaf was quite spicy.

I liked it, but the kids hated it.That posed a slight problem for the next night's meal, since I was planning on trying out Rachael Ray's Rollover Enchi-lasagna with the leftover meatloaf. So I just browned up some ground beef instead and seasoned it with Fajita seasoning. Instead of layering it in a lasagna pan, I used my new dutch oven (which I love!) and made sort of a layered-tortilla pie. Again, I loved it, but the kids hated it. I added some cilantro though, and that was the source of all their woes. Sans cilantro, this would have been a kid-approved meal.

Halloween Supper

Don't get all excited - there's nothing really Halloweeny about tonight's supper, but if you use your imagination, I think it's an appropriate meal for October 31.

MEXICAN SLOPPY JOES (SPOOKY JOES?)

1 lb. ground beef

1 onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

2 tbsp. Tex-Mex seasoning (or any mixture of cumin, chili powder, taco seasoning, etc)

1 c. tomato sauce (I put 1 1/3 c. so feel free to add a little more if you like)

1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp. brown sugar

Garnishes: grated cheese, diced avocado

Brown beef and onion in a pot. Drain and add remaining inredients. Simmer until sauce thickens slightly, and serve on a bun or thick slice of bread, topped with grated cheese and diced avocado.

This is one of my favourite recipes, although I haven't made it in ages. It is so quick and easy, and it's super delicious. You could always add some beans or cilantro or corn and a little extra tomato sauce if you wanted to make a larger batch.

PUMPKIN CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE ICING (courtesy of Dinner with Julie)

I halved this recipe and made an 8" round cake. As you can see, I don't make very pretty cakes.

I'm really no good at icing cakes. Luckily, when I make cakes they are usually devoured (often by myself) within a day or two, so no one has to look at this eye sore for very long. It tastes damn good though!

Happy Halloween!!

Upside-Down Taco Bake and Mexican Layered Dip

I'm going to try out a few recipes from Best Recipes Ever this week - I love this show because the recipes are "tested till perfect" and they really do turn out perfectly! (Nothing irks me more than when you follow a recipe to the letter, and it's a total flop.)

Tonight's recipe was featured on an episode called "One Pot Wonders". I must have smaller pots than Kary Osmond does, because I had to do this in two batches, but it was still delicious and simple to make. Even my son said, "Wow!" when I brought it to the table. (Of course, that's because he saw nachos on top of his plate, but still it's better than his usual groan when I put supper on the table.)

UPSIDE-DOWN NACHO BAKE (click link for original recipe)
1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1-2 tsp. Tex-Mex seasoning
1/2 tsp. salt
1 - 19 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 - 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1/3 c. tomato paste
1 c. frozen corn
tortilla chips
cheddar cheese, grated
1 green onion, sliced

Brown beef and drain the fat. Transfer to a casserole dish. Sauté onions, garlic, and peppers along with seasonings for about 3 minutes. Add beans, tomatoes, tomato paste and bring to a boil, then simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add corn to the ground beef, then pour tomato mixture overtop and combine everything together. Top with tortilla chips and then sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 375 F for 15 minutes, then garnish with green onion before serving.

This was super tasty, and everyone enjoyed it. It's basically a quick chili topped with nachos - how can that be bad? The only problem will be with the leftovers - the tortilla chips will likely get all soggy overnight, but I'm sure it'll still be delicious!

Later tonight we're having a few friends over, so I made some Mexican-inspired appetizers using my new verrines.

MEXICAN LAYERED DIP VERRINES

6 tbsp. refried beans

2 tsp. Pueblo Bean Dip Mix

1/4 c. cream cheese, softened

1 tbsp. mayo

1 tbsp. sour cream

1 tsp. Cheese & Jalapeno Dip Mix

6 tbsp. salsa

cheddar cheese, grated

green onion, sliced

Combine refried beans and Pueblo Bean Dip Mix. Put 1 tbsp. of beans into each verrine. (I used a little ziploc bag and cut a corner off so I could use it as a piping bag.) Combine cream cheese, mayo, sour cream, and Cheese & Jalapeno Dip Mix. Put 1 tbsp. of this mixture overtop of the beans. Top with 1 tbsp. salsa, and then a little cheese and green onion. Serve with tortilla chips.

This dip (or any variation thereof) is always a huge hit at parties, and I think the little individual glasses make it so cute! I can't wait to try out more verrine recipes.

Chocolate Chili

This summer I had a 10 year reunion with some of my old roommates from Mexico. We had a great time reminiscing and gorging ourselves on margaritas and fajitas. Food (and drink) was a big part of our time in Mexico, and a decade later I can really see how it has influenced my palette and my cooking style. Tequila, lime, cilantro, jicama, beans, chilies, tortillas -- these are some of my favourite things. (Except for chicharrón - I never learned to like that stuff!) Another thing I never learned to love was mole (the sauce, not the animal, although I wouldn't like that either.) So when my friend PJ told me about this amazing chili recipe that uses unsweetened baker's chocolate, I was a little skeptical. I trust PJ though, and she didn't let me down!

She said she got the recipe from allrecipes.com, but I couldn't find the actual link for it. I made a few changes to it anyway, so here's my version:

PJ'S CHOCOLATE CHILI
1 lb. ground beef chuck
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 Poblano chili, seeded and diced (I think I used a ginormous jalapeno, but I'm not entirely sure - my pepper identification skills are limited)
1 red pepper, chopped
2 - 28 oz. cans diced tomatoes
1 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 c. chicken stock
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tbsp. chili powder (I used 1 tsp. Louisiana Hot & Spicy Dip Mix, 1 tsp. Pueblo Bean Dip Mix, and 1/4 tsp. Chipotle Chili Powder)
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
1 oz. Baker’s unsweetened chocolate or Mexican chocolate
15 oz. black beans, drained
15 oz. red kidney beans, drained
15 oz. romano beans, drained
1 c. frozen corn
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
6 limes, juice only (I only used 3 limes because my husband doesn't like lime as much as I do)
sour cream, to garnish
grated cheddar cheese, to garnish

Brown beef over high heat and set aside. Reduce heat and sauté onion, garlic, chili, and red pepper until soft. Add beef and stir in remaining ingredients (except for beans, corn, cilantro, and lime juice). Cover and simmer for 2 1/2 hours. Add beans and corn and simmer for another hour. Remove cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Stir in cilantro and lime juice, and serve with sour cream and cheese on top.

This was delicious! There was just the tiniest hint of chocolate and lime - you wouldn't even notice it if you weren't looking for it, but it adds a little something. With the exception of the beans, my kids both loved this chili. And hey, even I picked out the beans when I was a kid.

Campfire Fajitas and Beans

We went camping this weekend with another family and we each took a turn making supper for everyone. My turn was on Saturday night, and I decided to make fajitas and a side dish of black beans. I didn't take a picture, but here's a rough idea of the recipe:

CAMPFIRE FAJITAS (this fed 8 people)
Take three ziploc freezer bags and fill them with the following:

1. 3 chicken breasts (cut into strips), some Tex-Mex seasoning, 1/3 c. tequila, 2-3 tbsp. lime juice, and 2-3 tbsp. olive oil
2. 1 inside round steak (cut into strips), and the same seasonings & marinade as the chicken
3. 2 onions and 3 red bell peppers (cut into strips)

The meat can be frozen in the ziploc bags before you put it in the cooler and head out camping.

Heat a large pan over the fire and cook the veggies until they are soft. The peppers should start to blacken a little, and the onions should be nice and golden. Set them aside in a large container covered with tinfoil. Cook the chicken, and then cook the beef, adding each one to the container with the veggies when they are done. Serve meat and veggies in tortillas along with salsa, guacamole, sour cream, and grated cheese.

CAMPFIRE BEANS
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 onion, diced
1 tomato, diced (I used some leftover canned Italian tomatoes that I had put in the freezer)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp. cumin

Mix everything together in a frying pan over the fire. Simmer for quite a while, until the onions are soft and liquid has evaporated. Serve as a side dish, or wrap in a tortilla with some sour cream and grated cheese.

These are colourful and tasty and wonderful! Camping season may be over now, but I'll definitely be making this entire meal again soon.

Salmon Quesadilla with Corn & Avocado Salsa

This recipe basically sums up all my favourite things: salmon, Mexican cuisine, lime, avocado... it's got everything I love, and nothing I don't. I hope you'll enjoy it too.

SALMON QUESADILLAS WITH CORN & AVOCADO SALSA

Salsa:

1 cob of corn (cooked), kernels sliced off

2 roma tomatoes, diced

1/4 c. red onion, diced

1 tsp. cilantro, chopped

1 avocado, diced

1 tsp. Chili Lime Sansel

1 tsp. lime juice

Salmon:

1 small salmon fillet, skin removed

olive oil

2 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. Chipotle Chili powder

salt & pepper

4 tsp. lime juice

grated cheese (I used Edam)

tortilla (I used a black bean & salsa flavoured tortilla)

Combine the salsa ingredients and set aside. Cut salmon filet into two pieces (so that each piece will fit in a folded tortilla.) Drizzle with olive oil. Combine cumin, chipotle powder, salt, pepper, and lime juice. Brush over both sides of the filets, and cook in a hot grill pan for 3-4 minutes per side. Lay out two tortillas and put some grated cheese on the bottom half of each one. Place a salmon filet on top of the cheese so that it melts a little. Top with salsa and fold each tortilla in half. Slice each quesadilla into two pieces, and serve.

Rachael Ray Recipes

I've neglected you for a few days, but fear not, I have lots of new recipes for you! You're getting the lazy versions though, because my arms are sore from painting our master bedroom. So just click on the links and check out the recipes from the Rachael Ray magazine.

Corn Cakes with Peppers and Onions (I added a little bacon to the corn cakes, but these were still a huge flop. Kids hated them, but I wasn't really surprised. They look pretty, though!)
Jalapeno, Avocado and Bacon Burgers (I used goat cheese instead of queso fresco, and got lazy with the avocado/onion salad so I just put avocado slices. These were really good, although there was way too much of the cheese topping.)Grilled Creamed Corn (I made a half-batch and used some of it to make Chipotle-Corn Turkey Burgers, and I'll use the rest of it to make Corn Fritters with Grilled Tomatoes. I actually hate creamed corn with a passion, but this stuff was really good! And the burgers were fabulous!)

Update: Here are the Corn Fritters I made. Very yummy, although I didn't have any grilled tomatoes =( to go on top. That would have been delicious!

Fish Tacos

I got a seafood cookbook for my birthday last week, and I also picked up a copy of this month's Rachael Ray magazine, both of which had a recipe for fish tacos. So tonight, guess what we had for supper? You betcha - fish tacos!

I'm not sure which recipe I really followed - I think most fish taco recipes are essentially the same: fish soaked in lime juice, chili powder, maybe some cumin, a little oil, and then grilled and topped off with fresh veggies in a tortilla. It's not rocket science, it's just really delicious. Here's a rough idea of how I made them tonight:

FISH TACOS

6 tilapia filets

2 tbsp. olive oil

3 tbsp. lime juice

3 tsp. Cuban Seasoning (or try a mixture of chili powder, cumin, and whatever else you like)

avocado

radishes

coleslaw or shredded lettuce

cilantro

green onions

salsa verde

Marinate fish in a mixture of oil, lime juice, and seasonings for about 10 minutes. Cook in a grill pan over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes per side. Break fish into pieces and place in tortillas with remaining ingredients.

I was all excited that I found corn tortillas at the store instead of just wheat ones. When I lived in Mexico, I didn't like corn tortillas, but that was 10 years ago and my palette has matured since then. Apparently it has not matured to the point of liking corn tortillas, however. They were dry and mealy - but otherwise the fish tacos were delicious! So quick and simple to make, and super healthy too. Next time I'll remember to scrap the corn tortillas, or maybe try using iceberg lettuce instead to make lettuce wraps.