Chipotle

#FoodieExtravaganza: Enchiladas

~ lk529 ~ 5 Comments

foodieextravaganza-300April is here and with it another Foodie Extravaganza! This month Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla told us to make some enchiladas. 

It has been 13 months since I’ve participated with this group but I couldn’t turn down enchiladas! I mean, how could I!? My husband and I had a fun culinary routine of Mexican Mondays which held strong for at least 5 years. And to this day, when I do put Mexican cuisine on our weekly menu, I let it fall on a Monday. Mexican Monday allows way more versatility than Taco Tuesday.

My Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas are a family favorite, and my go-to dish for bringing to friends after having a baby or a deployment. I had to come up with something different for today’s post and somehow my mind wandered to one of our favorite Mexican places in Ohio, Abuelo’s. We didn’t realize it at the time, but Abuelo’s is evidently a chain restaurant, but we still liked it! My favorite dish were their Spinach Enchiladas, so that’s what I have for you today. My husband couldn’t stop raving about them and has declared them a strong competitor to the previously mentioned Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas.

Spinach Enchiladas

Ingredients:

  • 10 oz bag frozen spinach
  • 2 strips center cut bacon, diced
  • 1 1/2 C diced mushrooms
  • 1/2 small onion, diced
  • 1/4 bell pepper, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 tsp diced chipotle peppers in adobo
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 4 oz Velveeta cheese, cubed
  • 3 oz cream cheese
  • 1 C frozen corn
  • 6 taco sized flour tortillas
  • 1 10 oz can green enchilada sauce
  • 3 handfuls shredded Mexican blend cheese

Steps:

  1. Microwave the spinach according to package instructions.
  2. In a large skillet cook the bacon until crispy. Add in the mushrooms, onion, pepper, garlic, and chipotle peppers and cook until tender. Season with S+P.
  3. Add the cheeses and cook until melted. Stir in the corn and cooked spinach.
  4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a casserole dish.
  5. Divide the spinach mixture onto the tortillas, rolling them up and placing them seam-side down in the prepared casserole dish. Top with the enchilada sauce and the cheese. Bake 25-30 minutes until bubbly and the cheese is melted.

This recipe is modified from mollypaul at http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/abuelos-spinach-casserole-112480*

Spinach Enchiladas for #FoodieExtravaganza from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Be sure to check out these other creative enchilada recipes:

If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you’re a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board! Looking for our previous parties? Check them out HERE.

Beef and Chorizo Chili

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

Now that football season is well underway and the weather, in some parts of the country anyway, is cooling down, chili season is in full swing!

The recipe I’m sharing with you today is one I created for a Chili Cook Off in the summer. I actually took the time to think about what I wanted to do. I even did a dry run before the event at my husband’s office! We invited a friend over to help be another set of taste buds, too.

My beef and chorizo chili was a huge hit! There weren’t even leftovers. It was determined that I didn’t need to make any changes. (And we definitely didn’t need the back up plan of “order a pizza.”)

Unfortunately round one of my chili was better than the round that went into the competition. Though, my husband takes full blame for not setting the slow cooker on high to warm the chili through before people would be digging into it. I didn’t bring home a victory like my last chili cook-off experience, but even still, there weren’t any leftovers.

I will definitely make this chili again, and happily serve it to guests. Some mini cornbread muffins are a perfect accompaniment to the subtle smokey chili.

Let me know what you think of my original creation!

An Original Recipe

Beef and Chorizo Chili

Ingredients:

  • 3 links chorizo sausage, casings removed
  • 1 lb top round roast, cubed
  • 1/2 large sweet onion, diced
  • 1/2 large red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 Santa Fe pepper, deseeded and diced
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
  • 2 cans (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 C beef stock
  • 2 cans (4 oz) diced green chiles
  • 1 tsp chipotle in adobo sauce
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • scallions, chopped for serving
  • shredded cheese, for serving

Steps:

  1.  Brown chorizo in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, breaking up as it cooks. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate.
  2. Season the beef with S+P. Sear on all sides in the chorizo fat. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on the plate with the chorizo.
  3. If needed, add a couple of teaspoons of oil to the Dutch oven. Saute the onion, peppers, and garlic until tender. Season with salt.
  4. Add the beans, tomatoes, broth, green chiles, chili powder, cumin, oregano, 1 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper.
  5. Return the chorizo and beef to the chili and bring to a gentle boil. Simmer uncovered 50-60 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  6. Garnish with scallions and shredded cheese. Serve with cornbread.

beef-and-chorizo-chili-sew-you-think-you-can-cook

Chipotle Lime Shrimp with Strawberry Salsa

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

They say you eat with your eyes first.

That must be true because viewing the stunning food photography by Jessica of How Sweet it is caused me to try this intriguing flavor combination: chipotle, strawberry, and black beans.

I admit, I added the black beans – the addition that really had my husband scratching his head. Instead of eating this Mexican Monday meal as tacos, we had tostadas. And tostadas call for refried beans to act as the “glue” that holds the meat and toppings in place. I didn’t think traditional refried beans would really be the way to go with shrimp so I opted for refried black beans. I’m very relieved to inform you that it worked!

I cut some serious heat from the original recipe and I still found it to pack on the spice. Because I freeze my chipotle in adobo in ice cube trays I never know until the cube thaws if I have just sauce, just pepper, or a combination of both. Jessica’s recipe calls for the sauce to be in the marinade – instead I had a pepper which I cut in half and tossed in the bag. This method is a great alternative if you don’t want too much heat but still want that smokey spice from the chipotle peppers. Additionally, I only used half of one (large) jalapeno instead of two whole jalapenos in the strawberry salsa – by all means, if you like it spicy add as much jalapeno as you like!

Chipotle Lime Shrimp

Ingredients:

  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo, halved
  • 2 limes (zest and juice)
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp

Steps:

  1. Place all ingredients in a bowl, cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
  2. Cook shrimp 2 minutes on each side. I did this on a lightly greased grill pan. If you cook the shrimp in a skillet, add 1 tbsp of olive oil.
  3. Serve shrimp with strawberry salsa (recipe below) in a taco with lettuce and cheese or as a tostada with refried black beans and cheese.

Strawberry Salsa

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz fresh strawberries, diced
  • 1/2 red onion, finely diced
  • 1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced
  • 1/4 C fresh cilantro (I used Gourmet Garden lightly dried cilantro)
  • juice of 1 lime

Steps:

  1. Combine all ingredients and season to taste with salt. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

*These recipes are adapted from Jessica at http://www.howsweeteats.com/2014/04/chipotle-lime-shrimp-tacos-with-strawberry-salsa-you-can-totally-preorder-my-book/*

Chipotle Lime Shrimp with Strawberry Salsa | Sew You Think You Can Cook

#FoodieExtravaganza: Potatoes

~ lk529 ~ 29 Comments

foodieextravaganza-300

Hello, August, it’s so nice to see you! Did you know that August is the only month without a holiday? (Unless you count my birthday!) Good thing there are plenty of food holidays to get us through the last full month of summer. There’s National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day (that was yesterday, folks), National Root Beer Float Day (tomorrow), National S’mores Day (10th), National Rum Day (16th), and National ‘Bacon Lovers’ Day (20th) to name a few.. okay a lot.

But we’re not celebrating any of those, today.

The Foodie Extravaganza is a monthly party hosted by bloggers who love food! Each month we incorporate one main ingredient or theme into recipes to share with you, and today we’re celebrating potatoes! (National Potato Day is August 19th.)

Potatoes are probably the most versatile item in the produce department. Not only are there a wide variety of flavors, textures, and colors to choose from, there are countless of ways to prepare them! An excellent choice from our host Kathleen of Fearlessly Creative Mammas. Be sure to scroll past my recipe for a great selection of new and fun ways to prepare your next spud.

Chipotle Lime Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 lb fingerling potato medley, halved
  • 4 tsp extra virgin olive oil, divided use
  • 1-2 tbsp diced chipotle in adobo with sauce
  • 1 tsp minced garlic (I used Gourmet Garden stir-in garlic paste)
  • zest 1-2 limes
  • juice 1-2 limes
  • fresh cilantro (I used Gourmet Garden lightly dried cilantro)

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Toss the potatoes in 2 tsp olive oil and season with salt. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and roast 30-35 minutes, or until fork tender.
  3. In a small bowl whisk together chipotle in adobo, 2 tsp olive oil, garlic, and the zest and juice of limes. Season to taste with salt.
  4. Toss roasted potatoes in as much dressing and fresh cilantro as desired. Serve warm.

*This recipe is adapted from Meredith at http://www.insockmonkeyslippers.com/summer-braise-chipolte-and-lime-roasted-potatoes-giveaway*

Chipotle Lime Roasted Potaotes for #FoodieExtravaganza from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Be sure to check out the rest of these potato recipes:

Latvian Spiced Dill French Fries from Fearlessly Creative Mammas

Chicken and Mashed Potato Waffles from Culinary Adventures with Camilla

 Horseradish Potato Au Gratin from From Gate to Plate

Roasted Purple Potatoes with Rosemary and Thyme from Our Good Life

Slow Cooker Loaded Potato Soup from Making Miracles

Llapingachos (Ecuadorian Stuffed Potato Patties) from Tara’s Multicultural Table

Tortilla Espanola (Spanish Omelet) from Cali’s Cuisine

Japanese Moon Gazing Potatoes from Ninja Baker

Potato Gnocchi with Wild Mushrooms from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Sweet Potato Spiced Swirl Bread from Baking in Pyjamas

Loaded Pierogi from Cooking With Carlee

Bloody Mary Potato Salad from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings

Colcannon with Kale from Cherishing a Sweet Life

Jersey Royals with Mint from Food Lust People Love

Naked Ladies with their Legs Crossed from Passion Kneaded

Shredded Potato Crusted Chicken from The Freshman Cook

Copycat Chicken & Gnocchi Soup from Pantry Friendly Cooking

Mexican Noodle Soup

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

Are you ready for some football?? Or maybe just some good commercials?

The Super Bowl is Sunday and as such I have adopted a theme this week on Sew You Think You Can Cook. Soups!

Get it? Super Bowl….SOUP-er bowl… I just couldn’t help it.

I wanted to do this week of soups last year but lack of preparation meant I didn’t have five soups to share. So I did a week of popcorn instead. Honestly, that was probably more fun. But that’s because I’m a junk food junkie and popcorn is my kryptonite. This year, now that we live in Ohio, where it’s actually cold and grey, like all the time, soup makes sense. We’ve enjoyed this collection of soups I’m about to share over the past couple of months.

To kick off the week is a Mexican Monday applicable soup. But wait, it’s not Monday! Yesterday was my Secret Recipe Club reveal day (I will be sharing a soup from Susan’s blog on Friday too!). So let’s just pretend. But don’t pretend too hard, unless you really like Mondays.

I have a funny story to share about this Mexican Noodle Soup. I decided to make this soup during the day, so as to take advantage of some natural lighting. The beauty with soups is that they can be made in advance and instead of tasting like leftovers, they taste better! That was my thought at least. I left the soup on the stove covered over a low heat for a couple of hours, waiting for Stuart to get back from the gym. By the time he finally got home we had a pot of overcooked noodles in a chipotle sauce. These overcooked noodles were delicious! The chipotle tomato soup-turned-sauce was full of zip. A dollop of sour cream helps to mellow the spice from the chipotle. I think we will make this soup again and eat it as a soup, but if you’re wanting a Mexican pasta sauce, simply reduce it – a lot – and serve over properly cooked pasta.

Mexican Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

  • 2 large tomatoes, peeled and seeded
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 – 2 chipotles in adobo, seeded (amount depends on your heat preference)
  • 3 tbsp olive oil, divided use
  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into cubes
  • 3 3/4 C chicken stock
  • 8 oz angel hair pasta
  • sour cream, for serving (optional)
  • avocado, for serving (optional)

Steps:

  1. Put tomatoes, onion, and chipotles in a blender. Puree until smooth. (I suggest starting with one chipotle pepper and tasting the puree before adding the second.)
  2. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken 3 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove and set aside.
  3. Add remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Toast the noodles until lightly golden.
  4. Add in the tomato puree, chicken stock, and cooked chicken. Return heat to medium-high and cook 10 minutes or until pasta is al dente.
  5. Serve with sour cream and avocado.

*This recipe is adapted from The Illustrated Kitchen Bible*

Mexican Noodle Soup | Sew You Think You Can Cook

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. 

#10DaysofTailgate: Chile con Queso

~ lk529 ~ 5 Comments

Tailgate LogoIt’s Monday and it’s still #10DaysofTailgate hosted by Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla. That means my #10DaysofTailgate post gets a Mexican Monday twist!

Okay, it’s not really Mexican. It’s actually far from being real Mexican. Queso is definitely an American Mexican appetizer. BRMLogoVectorFull4CProBob ESOPAnd this one uses processed cheese. But there is Chipotle involved.

ElDiablo_Logo_Color_TaglineToday’s dip features two of our wonderful #10DaysofTailgate sponsors: El Diablo Hot & Spicy Mustard and Bob’s Red Mill. Combine their products with Velveeta and you have a dip fit to make any tailgater happy.

Bob’s Red Mill provided us with a bag of their 13 Bean Soup Mix. With it, I made 13 bean chili to do a play on my mandatory tailgating dip. I even added El Diablo Chipotle Mustard to give it another depth of flavor – a tiny bit of heat and a mustardy bite of vinegar.

Chile con Queso

Ingredients for the chili:

  • 1 1/2 C 13 Bean Soup Mix
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 C canned diced tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper

Steps for the chili:

  1. Soften beans by boiling for five minutes. Remove from heat and soak at least one hour. Drain.
  2. Cover beans with 5 C water and simmer until tender 2-3 hours.
  3. Brown ground beef. Add onion and garlic, cook until translucent. Drain.
  4. Add beef, tomatoes, chili powder, and S+P to the beans. Bring to a gentle boil and cook 50-60 minutes.

Ingredients for the Chile con Queso:

Steps for the Chile con Queso: 

  1. In a saucepan heat up chili.
  2. Melt in cheese.
  3. Add mustard and stir until combined.
  4. Keep warm in slow cooker. And serve with your favorite tortilla chips.

Chile con Queso

Don’t forget to enter our giveaway and be sure to check out the other bloggers who posted more tailgating recipes today:

Starters
BBQ Sausage & Cheese Plate by The Spiffy Cookie
Vegified Hot “Wings”  by Curious Cuisiniere
Fried Polenta Cakes with Grilled Tomato and Mozzarella Salad by Love and Confections
Smoky Karma Stovetop Beans by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Mains
Kicking Karma Veggie Fajita Pizza by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
Not Ketchup Cherry Chipotle Steak Tacos by Making Miracles
BBQ Chickpea Sliders with Apple Slaw by Debbi Does Dinner Healthy
Vegetarian Pumpkin Chili by The Pajama Chef
 Beef Kabobs by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Chipotle Pulled Pork Tacos

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

Hi,

So… I forgot to post on Mexican Monday yesterday…

As a result, you get the more popularly known Taco Tuesday.

Stuart picked out this recipe off of foodgawker to have on one of our Mexican Mondays, but I altered it by taking advantage of my slow cooker and using pork instead as it was on sale and chicken was not.

On this particular Monday we both had a long day at the office (due to the fact that we carpool), so the decision to use the slow cooker was even more clutch! And because we got home late and were very hungry, photos were not taken. I did think enough to snap a photo with the trusty iPhone. Please accept my apologies for the sorry photograph.

Chipotle Pulled Pork Tacos

Ingredients:

  • 2 lb boneless pork roast
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes
  • 3 chipotle peppers in adobo, chopped
  • lime

Steps:

  1. Place pork in slow cooker, fat side up. Trim some of the fat if desired.
  2. Top pork with onions, garlic, tomatoes, and chipotle peppers.
  3. Cook on LOW 4-5 hours.
  4. Shred the pork and return to the sauce and squeeze with the lime. Keep warm until ready to assemble tacos.

Chipotle Pulled Pork Tacos

Candy Corn Inspired Fajitas

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

Disclaimer: There were no candy corns harmed in the making of these fajitas.

I wanted to bring my candy corn theme to Mexican Monday and I felt the best way to do this was with bell peppers and onion and the best way to showcase the candy corn colors was through fajitas. Using this platform, the white, orange, and yellow aren’t hidden within closed tortillas or underneath melted cheese.

Steak Fajitas

Ingredients:

  • 4 tbsp olive oil, divided use
  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo, chopped
  • 1 tsp adobo sauce (from can of chipotle peppers)
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 1/2 tsp cumin, divided use
  • 2 1/2 tsp chili powder, divided use
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 1/2 lb flank steak, sliced on the bias into strips
  • 1/2 large white onion, sliced
  • 1 orange bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced

Steps:

  1. Make marinade: combine 2 tbsp olive oil, lemon juice, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp chili powder, onion powder, garlic, Worcestershire, chipotle pepper and adobo sauce.
  2. Season steak with S+P and toss in the marinade for at least 30 minutes.
  3. Toss onions and bell peppers in 1 1/2 tsp cumin, 1 1/2 tsp chili powder, S+P. Saute vegetables in 2 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. When tender remove from skillet and keep warm.
  4. In the same skillet, cook the steak to desired doneness.
  5. Serve with sour cream and cheese.

*This recipe is modified from Rachel at http://www.thestayathomechef.com/2013/05/flank-steak-fajitas.html*

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Chicken and Pineapple Kebobs with Honey Chipotle Glaze

~ lk529 ~ 4 Comments

The reason I love to cook is the same as any other chef and home-cook. I like to make people happy, and a great way to do that is through food. Just bring in a plate of cookies to the office and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

When I decide on a recipe, I’ve got one person’s interest on my mind – my husband’s. I know what type of flavors he likes and try to find something that will make him happy. This dish did just that.

“What are we having for dinner tonight?”

“Chicken and Pineapple Skewers with a Honey Chipotle sauce”

“You know me so well.”

Stuart is addicted to pineapple, he likes meat of any kind, is obsessed with honey, and enjoys chipotle spiciness. There’s no way this could go wrong. (And it didn’t!) If you’ve never had grilled pineapple, you really should try it – it brings out the sweetness of the fruit while toning down the tartness.

Chicken and Pineapple Kebobs with Honey Chipotle Glaze

Ingredients:

  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
  • 1/2 fresh pineapple, cubed
  • 3 chipotle peppers in adobo
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 tbsp canola oil
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 – 3/4 C honey, to taste

Steps

  1. Soak 10-12 bamboo skewers in water for 15-30 minutes.
  2. Assemble kebobs by alternating chicken and pineapple.
  3. Grill kebobs until chicken is cooked through.
  4. In a blender, puree chipotle peppers, mustard, oil, salt, and honey.
  5. Brush cooked kebobs with the glaze and reserve some for dipping.

*This recipe is adapted from http://bsugarmama.com/chicken-pineapple-skewers-with-honey-chipotle-glaze/*

Chicken and Pineapple Kebobs with Honey Chipotle Glaze 1

Chicken and Pineapple Kebobs with Honey Chipotle Glaze 2

Chicken and Pineapple Kebobs with Honey Chipotle Glaze 3

Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Salad

~ lk529 ~ 5 Comments

When I travel I like to bring a magazine on the flights with me. On my last business trip in April I made it through the 3 Food Network magazines I brought with me before my last flight, so during my layover in Atlanta I scoured the shelves for something that would interest me. I was hoping for a book of crosswords, but all I could find were Sudoku and Word Searches. Then I saw the most appetizing looking salad on the cover of Everyday with Rachael Ray. It was the May issue and had lots of Mexican style recipes and party ideas. This salad recipe has been worth the $4 I spent because I’ve made it four times already! I’ve even made just the sauce for leftover chicken and created nachos when I didn’t have any lettuce left.  Another variation, and time saving tip, is to use leftover chicken and warm it through in the sauce.

You have to make this! (It takes care of Mexican Monday and Salad Night)

Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Salad

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 lb chicken, sliced into strips
  • 1 tsp each cumin, paprika, coriander
  • 1/3 C + 1 tbsp olive oil, divided use
  • 1 shallot
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce depending on your desired heat level
  • 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 hearts of romaine lettuce
  • 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 avocado, diced
  • juice 1 lime
  • 2 tomatoes, diced
  • 1/2 C chopped cilantro
  • 2 C crushed tortilla chips

Steps

  1. Season chicken with salt and pepper and spices. Cook completely in a large skillet with 1 tbsp olive oil. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.
  2. Make the sauce/dressing in a food processor or blender. Puree shallot, garlic, chipotle peppers, vinegar and brown sugar. While the machine is running, pour in 1/3 C olive oil. Simmer in the same skillet from step 1 for about 1 minute.
  3. Make salad with remaining ingredients. Top with chicken and warm dressing.Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Salad

And don’t throw away the remainder of the can of chipotle peppers in adobo! I have an ice cube tray that I use for freezing foods. Simply put a pepper in each segment of the tray and the sauce over each of them, when frozen put into a freezer bag and now you’ll have chipotle peppers in adobo whenever a recipe calls for them. As a general rule of thumb, one ice cube is about 1 tbsp. I do this for tomato paste too.

Update August 2016: We’ve made this salad many times and it was a favorite go-to dinner for quite some time. It was fun to revisit it this summer, and while I’m still not thrilled with these updated photos, they’re immensely better than what you see above! I now prefer to buy the colorful tortilla strip salad toppings to crushing up regular tortilla chips; I find they provide a better crunch ratio as they don’t get soggy as quickly.

Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Salad | Sew You Think You Can Cook | http://sewyouthinkyoucancook.com