corn

#SundaySupper: Easy Taco Recipes for Taco Tuesday

~ lk529 ~ 23 Comments

 

Warning! This recipe is insanely addicting. It will make you want to go out and buy all of the chorizo you can find. In fact, I did just that. However, at the time of purchase there were only two packages of chorizo left on the shelf. But still! I don’t think I can go to the store without getting a package. All because of these tacos. Truth be told, we made these twice in one week! They’re that good. We’ve told friends about them and have promised to make them next time they come over. I need to double the amount of chorizo from now on so that we’ll actually have leftovers!

The first time I made these tacos I did everything ahead of time. I made the salsa and crema around 4pm. Because Treat took a nap I jumped at the opportunity and cooked the chorizo, too. Not one to squander my slightly less hectic house, I decided to assemble a couple of tacos and have a photo shoot while the light was still good.

It’s hard not to yell at your toddler for standing on his chair while you’re standing on yours to get that aerial shot. You’ll see he has some of that salsa on his beloved Thomas plate. He was mostly interested in picking out all of the black beans, one of his favorite foods.

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We had to take a break from the photo shoot to bring Treat up from his nap. Both boys ended up eating their dinner before Daddy got home from work! At least they both adored the dish enough to still sit with us at the table nibbling while we scarfed down some tacos.

Firecracker also decided to help me with some food styling by dumping a heaping spoonful of salsa onto one of the tacos. (Good thing I was already done!)

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That helpful toddler ensured that his little brother had enough salsa to eat, too. It’s moments like these that melt my heart. They’re such good brothers to each other. The love that Treat has had for his older brother has been obviously visible in his adoring looks since month 1. Firecracker also took to our family’s new addition within a couple of weeks, trying to say his name long before the rest of his vocabulary emerged. I just hope this brotherly love lasts them a lifetime.

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Can you believe that until these tacos I’d actually never had queso fresco!? Even with my series of Mexican Monday, which has been severely lacking lately. I’ve typically been “too cheap” or simply unable to find it. Now, living in Southern California, I had no trouble finding a large variety of Mexican cheeses at the store. The queso fresco reminded me of a saltier version of string cheese, so if you can’t find it, I’d suggest shredded mozzarella.

I had bought some typical taco toppings, lettuce and tomato, and then completely forgot about them! Honestly, these tacos shine without them and the lime and cilantro crema keeps them feeling light and fresh.

Chorizo Tacos with Black Bean & Corn Salsa

Ingredients for tacos:

  • 1-2 lb ground chorizo, casings removed if using links
  • soft shell taco tortillas, we prefer flour but corn would work well, too
  • queso fresco

Ingredients for salsa:

  • 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can (15 oz) fire roasted corn, drained
  • 1/4 C diced red onion
  • zest 1 lime
  • juice 1 lime
  • 1-2 tbsp agave, to taste
  • fresh cilantro, torn, to taste

Ingredients for crema:

  • 1/4 C sour cream
  • 1/4 C fresh cilantro, chopped
  • zest 1 lime
  • juice 1 lime

Steps:

  1. Cook ground chorizo in a skillet over medium high heat. Drain and set aside.
  2. Make salsa: Combine all salsa ingredients in a large bowl. Season to taste with S+P. Keep in fridge until ready to serve.
  3. Make crema: Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt. Add water if needed to thin it out.
  4. Assemble tacos with chorizo, salsa, crema, and queso fresco. Option to add other favorite taco toppings: avocado, lettuce, tomato.

*This recipe is modified from Keri at http://fashionablefoods.com/2016/04/25/chorizo-tacos/

Chorizo Tacos with Corn & Black Bean Salsa Sew You Think You Can Cook (1)

Update October 1, 2017: October 4th is National Taco Day and to celebrate the Sunday Supper Movement has collected about two dozen fun and simple taco recipes to celebrate! Be sure to scroll past my recipe to see the mouth watering collection for yourself!

The taco recipe I’m sharing with you today is in fact an oldie but goodie. These Chorizo Tacos with Black Bean & Corn Salsa were first enjoyed about a year ago (8/21/16 to be exact) and shared here on Sew You Think You Can Cook. I kid you not when I say these have made a very regular appearance on our dinner table since then!

Because chorizo is already seasoned with incredible Mexican flavors, all you need to do is cook it up and drain the fat! The salsa is simply mixing a few ingredients and is a favorite of my kids. The crema is another 3 ingredients. Done!

Breakfast, Dessert, and Alternative Tacos

Lunch and Dinner Tacos

 

Sunday Supper MovementJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

#SundaySupper: Summer Corn

~ lk529 ~ 18 Comments

I have been waiting all year for fresh summer corn! I couldn’t have been more excited to see the theme for today’s #SundaySupper. I can’t wait to check out everyone’s incredible recipes to find new and exciting ways to prepare one of my favorite grains (corn isn’t a vegetable, you know)! Be sure to scroll past my recipe to check out what everyone made. Thanks to Ellen Folkman from Family Around the Table for hosting this weekend.

I do have to say, fresh corn is something that California just doesn’t have right. I have been disappointed in what pops up at the grocery stores. It’s probably the only thing (other than our friends) I miss about Ohio. Sigh. When I go visit my parents at the lake next month they better be prepared for lots of corn dishes made with Wisconsin grown corn on the cob. Now if only I could get it back to Cali.

Our farmers market near our home doesn’t have corn so I planned on driving to the larger one to see what was available. But. My excursion was halted before I got out of the driveway. I’d loaded up the boys and promised a trip to the farmers market and to a friends’ house for a playdate. Neither of those things were able to come to fruition thanks to our garage door.

The garage door broke. It’s had sticking problems since we moved in, but nothing that couldn’t be overcome by pushing the button a couple of extra times. But now, here I was with the car out of the garage and a baby screaming bloody murder. The garage door was neither up nor down and I couldn’t get it to go all the way up so I could return the van to its parking place. Luckily a neighbor was just leaving and he took the time to help me out. We discovered that the cable was completely off the pulley. I grabbed a step stool and he put it back for me. Unfortunately, it still didn’t do the trick. He was able to get the door completely open for me and I put the car back. I then had to do a mental exercise and take anything and everything I would need out of the trunk as I wouldn’t be able to get into it once I muscled the garage door closed. I took out the big double stroller, the beach blanket, and some sand toys.

I had to cancel with our friends. Instead, she kindly offered to pick up whatever I needed from the market and to come over to our house. She brought me some fresh white corn so I could still make my dish for today’s event!

The dish I’d been dreaming about was one in Rachael Ray’s Look + Cook Cookbook. How could I pass up cream, corn, and pasta!? Oh, and there’s bacon involved, too. I made this dinner when we invited over one of my husband’s coworkers and his girlfriend. The pasta was a hit and there wasn’t any leftover. Funnily enough, Firecracker fell asleep in my husband’s arms at the table and Treat fell asleep shortly thereafter, allowing us adults to enjoy the sunset with a cocktail in hand. (We’ve told them they need to come to dinner every day!)

Fresh Corn Fettuccine

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb fettuccine
  • 5 ears corn on the cob, sucked and kernels cut off the cob
  • 1 C heavy cream
  • 5 strips center-cut bacon, diced
  • 2 large shallots, diced
  • 1 bell pepper (I used 2 very small green ones we picked), diced
  • 1/2 C vegetable stock
  • 2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • hot sauce (to taste)
  • 1/2 – 1 C shredded parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 C fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • 1/2 C fresh basil, chopped

Steps:

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
  2. Put 1/4 of the corn kernels in a food processor with the cream. Blend until smooth, season with S+P.
  3. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Add the remaining corn, shallots, bell pepper, S+P, cook another 5 minutes until veggies are tender. Stir in the stock, thyme, and corn/cream mixture. Reduce the heat and simmer until slightly thickened. Gently stir in the tomato. Season to taste with hot sauce, S+P.
  4. Toss cooked pasta into the sauce with 1/2 C Parmesan cheese and the parsley. Garnish with basil and extra cheese.

*This recipe is adapted from Rachael Ray’s Look + Cook*

Fresh Corn Fettuccini for #SundaySupper from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Appetizer

Breakfast

Salad

Main Dish

Side Dish

Dessert

Sunday Supper MovementJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

CIC: Corn and Peaches

~ lk529 ~ 21 Comments

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I’m finally back with the Crazy Ingredient Challenge crew! It’s been half a year since I’ve been able to participate. While I did lose 3 months to our move across the country and lack of internet, usually I simply let it get away from me, not having enough time to pull something together. Often times the 20th of the month simply fell on another posting day for another culinary group and my ability to keep up with a double posting day is fairly lacking. But not this time!

This month’s crazy ingredient challenge was to come up with a dish combining corn and peaches. A perfect combination of summer flavors. I made sure to not only get this event written down in my planner, but also wrote down the day I’d be making the dish in my “to-do” column last week.

I’m not the biggest fan of peaches, (or so I thought) but my husband is and so I thought of him in coming up with an idea. I thought of doing something with the grill, maybe a salsa? And then all of a sudden an idea of cornbread came to me! I’m not sure where the inspiration came from, but I ran with it. I thought about grilling the peaches and then chopping them up into the dough. But let’s be honest, I don’t work the grill and I didn’t want to have to wait for Stuart to get home from work. So, “upside down cake” became the direction I went.

Peach upside down cornbread is such a fun take on the southern classic side dish. And one that makes cornbread that much better. I always find cornbread to be dry and begging for a dunk in honey or barbecue sauce. Not this one, it’s got the sweetness and moisture baked right on top of it!

Oh, and you know that side bar “or so I thought?” We’d picked up white peaches from Whole Foods instead of yellow and surprise! I found them to be amazing. Evidently I much prefer white peaches to yellow. Now I can’t wait to check the farmer’s market for some white peaches!

Peach Upside Down Cornbread

Ingredients:

  • 2 C cornmeal
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp Kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 C buttermilk
  • 1 C canned creamed corn
  • 2 tbsp canola oil
  • 1/3 C loosely packed brown sugar
  • 2 peaches, sliced

Steps:

  1. Place a cast iron skillet in the oven. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
  2. In a large bowl whisk together cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
  3. In another bowl whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and creamed corn. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mix until combined.
  4. When oven is preheated remove the skillet. Carefully swirl the oil into the skillet and evenly spread out the brown sugar. Lay the sliced peaches into the skillet, covering the area. Pour cornbread batter over top.
  5. Bake 20 minutes until golden. Allow cornbread to cool in the pan 10-15 minutes. Place a large plate or cutting board on top of the skillet and turn it upside down.

*The cornbread recipe is adapted from Alton Brown at http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/creamed-corn-cornbread-recipe.html*

Peach Upside Down Cornbread for #CrazyIngredientChallenge from Sew You Think You Can Cook

To see the other bloggers who participated in this month’s Crazy Ingredient Challenge click on the link below.

#HotSummerEats: Mexican Corn Salad

~ lk529 ~ 22 Comments

HotSummerEatsToday is the first day of #HotSummerEats, a blogging event headed up by Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla. To kick off the week I went in a Mexican direction – it is Mexican Monday after all!

My favorite thing about summer produce is the fresh corn on the cob. I pretty much only make it one way but have always been intrigued by the Mexican Corn on the Cob you see from street vendors. But I imagine it to be super messy. Lately I’ve been seeing a lot of plays on this favorite snack by taking the corn off the cob and turning it into a side dish. I jumped on the bandwagon and I’m so glad I did! We loved this corn salad and used in on tostadas and in tacos.

caribeque logoTo add a little punch of flavor to the salad I used the spice blend Island Thyme from Caribeque. To say we like this blend would be a big understatement. Twice now I have sprinkled it on pork chops for a quick weeknight dinner, even serving it to guests who enjoyed it as much as we did. I’ve even used it compensate for taco seasoning when I’d used up the last of my supply and needed a couple tablespoons more. My little man liked the corn salad (he picked out the corn and wouldn’t touch the Feta) and he’s gobbled up the pork seasoned with Island Thyme, too!

Mexican Corn Salad

Ingredients:

Steps:

  1. Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the thawed corn and allow corn to char about 5 minutes – don’t stir too often but don’t let the corn burn.
  2. In a bowl whisk together the mayo, cilantro paste, garlic paste, lime juice, and Island Thyme seasoning.
  3. Add the corn, onion, and jalapeno. Mix until combined. Gently fold in the Feta.

*This recipe is modified from Danielle at http://www.mostlyfoodandcrafts.com/2015/05/mexican-street-corn-salad.html* (Wow, I just realized Danielle is one of the #HotSummerEats bloggers! Too funny.)

Mexican Corn Salad for #HotSummerEats from Sew You Think You Can Cook

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

Thank you to #HotSummerEats sponsors BenBella Vegan, Caribeque, Casabella, Gourmet Garden, Intensity Academy, Not Ketchup, Out of the Weeds, Pirate Jonny’s, Quirk Books, Spicely Organics, T.Lish , and Voodoo Chef for providing the prizes free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for#HotSummerEats without additional compensation. All opinions are my own.

recreatedbysrc

#SundaySupper: Tropical Food

~ lk529 ~ 38 Comments

Today #SundaySupper gathering together for a virtual luau of sorts and enjoying a wonderful selection of Tropical Food. Be sure to scroll past my recipe(s) for great recipes filled with coconut, pineapple, and mango. A big thank you to Marlene of Nosh My Way and Cindy of Cindy’s Recipes and Writings for hosting this bash!

Like most, my mind first traveled to Hawaii given the theme, but I wanted to do something different. As much as I enjoyed our vacation to The Big Island a couple of years ago, I took the opportunity to create a recipe from a different island in the Tropics.

The Tropics fall between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn and create a belt around the middle of our planet.

The Dominican Republic happens to fall in this tropical region. I’ve been wanting to explore more Dominican food as my father’s family is from there. When we left Illinois when I was in 2nd grade we were also leaving his parents so I didn’t get to experience, at least in memory, a lot of Dominican cooking. The only thing my mom made were rice and beans and the closest we’d get to the cuisine would be the occasional Cuban fare at a nearby shop. When we would return to visit, my parents would always request mangu for breakfast from my grandfather. When I made Chicharrones de Pollo for my Dad’s birthday (a report from my father tells me my bites of chicken were too small) I knew I would have to try more Dominican food as we greatly enjoyed it.

That was a long story to tell you that my recipe today comes not from Hawaii but from the DR.

Majarete is a corn pudding made with lots of cinnamon. I’d never had it, and my dad hasn’t either, but it sounded fun so I thought I would give it a go. My favorite thing about this recipe is how simple it is. It can even be made with a baby in one hand. (In related news, I think my little man is getting over his fear of the blender!)majarete pudding | sew you think you can cook

Even in all it’s simplicity, I still managed to mess it up. Never having made pudding before, I pulled the concoction off the heat too quickly and we were left with a corn drink. I probably could have returned it to the stove and let it cook and thicken some more, but I thought it’d be much more fun to turn the majarete into majarete ice cream!

Majarete Ice Cream

Ingredients:

  • 3 C corn kernels
  • 2 C milk
  • 1/4 C water
  • 3/8 C sugar
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 cinnamon sticks

Steps:

  1. Put corn, milk, water, sugar, cornstarch, and ground cinnamon in a blender. Puree until smooth. Strain into a saucepan and discard the solids.
  2. Add a pinch of salt and the cinnamon sticks to the corn milk and cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring constantly. (If making pudding, make sure it coats the back of a wooden spoon.)
  3. If making pudding: Pour into serving glasses or bowls. Allow pudding to cool to room temperature before covering with plastic wrap and allowing to chill in the fridge before serving. Optional – serve with a little grated nutmeg.
  4. If making ice cream: Pour into a glass bowl. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature before covering with plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge until completely cold.
  5. Follow your ice cream maker instructions. Freeze ice cream. Allow ice cream to soften on the counter 5-10 minutes before serving.

*This recipe is adapted from Clara at http://www.dominicancooking.com/964-majarete-corn-pudding.html*

majarete ice cream | sew you think you can cook
Tidbits and Pupus

Breakfast

Companions

Condiments and Sauces

Coolers

Main Event

Delectable Delights

Tropical Foods and Drinks Sunday Supper

Wine Pairings

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Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the#SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Sweet Potato Enchiladas

~ lk529 ~ 5 Comments

Mexican Monday has taken a serious hit this year. The league that I bowl on happens on Monday nights and while I don’t bowl every week it’s often enough that our traditional dinner gets switched around or even skipped.

The enchiladas I’m sharing with you today are a meatless variety – perfect for a Friday during this Lenten period. Which is when I made them. If you want to add some meat to these be my guest; cooked shredded pork or chicken would be great. The meat isn’t missed though.

There are some changes I would make though. The sweet potato is cubed instead of mashed, which provides body and meatiness to the filling, but I struggled with the texture. Next time, I’ll mash the sweet potato and add some Mexican rice to the filling to add some more substance.

Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Ingredients:

  • 1 large sweet potato
  • 1/2 C corn & black bean salsa (I used Kroger brand)
  • 2 C shreded Mexican blend cheese, divided use
  • 2 C red enchilada sauce
  • 8 flour tortillas

Steps:

  1. Microwave potato for 10 minutes. Allow to cool and remove the skin. Cube or mash as desired.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  3. Mix sweet potato with salsa and 1 1/2 C of cheese.
  4. Pour half of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish.
  5. Assemble enchiladas: Place about 1/3 C of the sweet potato filling into each tortilla, roll, and place seam side down in the prepared casserole dish.
  6. Top enchiladas with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese. Bake 20 minutes, or until bubbly and golden.

*This recipe is adapted from Averie at http://www.averiecooks.com/2014/06/sweet-potato-corn-and-black-bean-enchiladas.html*

Sweet Potato Enchiladas | Sew You Think You Can Cook

Bacon and Corn Stuffed Shells

~ lk529 ~ 1 Comment

The pantry and fridge in our home has been pretty empty since Thanksgiving. Before the holiday the only food items on the shopping list were those required for my Thanksgiving contributions. And for the cookies that needed to be made as soon as we returned. I provided 107 cookies for a Cookie Drive for the local unaccompanied airmen who will be spending the holidays without their families. The cookies were due on the 3rd so December 1st and 2nd was Operation Cookie in my kitchen. Don’t worry, you’ll be seeing the recipes later this month!

I’ve also been slowed down with a wonderful December cold – which I have unfortunately passed on to my 5 month old. He’s taking it like a champ though and it’s not slowing him down.

And to top it all off my car’s check engine light came on before Thanksgiving and is finally awaiting its “doctor appointment”. Which means I have no means of going to the grocery store. I don’t think Sparrow appreciates the cold.

So I found myself brainstorming what I could possibly do with whatever I had in the fridge. I had some bacon, I had my staple of corn in the freezer, and I always have onions, there was some ricotta cheese left over from the twice baked sweet potatoes, and I had plenty of heavy cream. I also thought I had some jumbo pasta shells so that’s the direction I went. I still had to have Stuart hit the grocery store for a couple finishing ingredients (like more jumbo pasta shells, 7 wasn’t going to cut it, and Parmesan cheese) along with groceries for the rest of the week.

recipe 1

This recipe, I am proud to say, is a Lauren original. And one that turned out quite well, if I say so myself! Loaded with cheese and cream it doesn’t exactly fit on a diet plan, but it’s a wonderful comfort food dish. This filling would also be great in ravioli for a quicker meal. Serve these shells with a side salad for a complete meal. The filling stuffed 14 shells perfectly, and we had 2 left over. So I’d say it feeds 2-3.

An Original Recipe

Bacon and Corn Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:

  • 4 strips center cut bacon, chopped
  • 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 C chicken stock (or white wine if you have it)
  • 1 1/3 C heavy cream
  • 14 jumbo pasta shells
  • 1 C whole-milk ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 C frozen corn, thawed
  • 1/4 C + 1/3 C shredded Parmesan cheese, divided use
  • 1 egg, beaten

Steps:

  1. Cook bacon in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. When crispy, remove to a paper towel lined plate. Saute onion in bacon grease until translucent. Season with S+P. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 60 seconds. Deglaze the pan with chicken stock (or wine), scrapping up delicious brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a bubble and let reduce, about 3 minutes. Slowly add in the heavy cream, whisking. Reduce the heat and let simmer 7-10 minutes, until reduced. Stir occasionally to prevent from burning.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  3. Cook pasta shells according to package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
  4. Prepare the filling: In a bowl combine ricotta, corn, 1/4 C Parmesan cheese, and cooked bacon. Season to taste with S+P. Stir in 1 egg.
  5. Spoon a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish. Spoon the filling into the shells when cool enough to handle and place in the casserole dish. Top shells with sauce, reserving 1/2 C for serving and/or leftovers.
  6. Bake shells for 20 minutes. Top with remaining Paremsan and bake another 5 minutes, until cheese is melted.

shells 2

#10DaysofTailgate: Corn and Cheddar Dip

~ lk529 ~ 7 Comments

Tailgate Logo

Today marks day five of #10DaysofTailgate hosted by Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla! Hopefully you followed yesterday even though I took a mini break from the event to celebrate my brother-in-law’s birthday. If you didn’t, follow this link to Camilla’s page to check out the wonderful tailgating displays from day four’s tailgating spread.

For my birthday this year we went to my parents’ lake house in Lake Geneva, WI. While we were there we had a huge “meet and greet” for the family to come on out to the lake and see the newest addition to the family, my son Wesley. The rain stayed away and we had a wonderful time in the backyard with food and drinks. A family tailgate, if you will!

One of my cousins brought a dip over that I’d never had before. It was a cold corn dip with shredded cheddar cheese. She told me the list of ingredients and I knew I would have to try and recreate it for #10DaysofTailgate. The ingredient list included cayenne pepper – but I knew that I would be spicing my dip up with a different secret weapon – Carrot Karma hot sauce by the Intensity Academy.

Intensity AcademyWhen I discovered that I’d be receiving a bottle of carrot based hot sauce, the first question out of my aunt’s mouth was “How do you make hot sauce of out carrots?!” I can’t answer that question, but I do know that the Intensity Academy uses all natural ingredients. Their philosophy is “Through the perfect karma of good foods, one meets the Perfect Guru, whose taste is intense.” The level of heat in this hot sauce is perfect, it’s mild enough for people afraid of spicy foods yet lends perfect flavor for that little somethin’ somethin’. And when people ask you, “What is that?” you’ll be able to surprise them with a reply of “carrot hot sauce!”

Corn and Cheddar Dip

Ingredients:

  • 1 can (15.25 oz) Southwest Corn with Poblano and Red Peppers, drained
  • 1 1/2 C shredded mild cheddar cheese
  • 3 scallions, chopped
  • 1/8 C mayonnaise
  • 1/8 C sour cream
  • 1 – 1 1/4 tsp Carrot Karma Hot Sauce (depending on your heat preference)
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Steps:

  1. In a large bowl gently stir together corn, cheese, and scallions.
  2. In a small bowl whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, hot sauce, and salt. Add more hot sauce to taste.
  3. Pour mayo mixture over corn mixture and gently mix until combined. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Remix dip to break it up before serving.
  4. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips.

Corn and Cheddar Dip

Thank you Michele for sponsoring our event.

Disclaimer: I was provided a bottle of Carrot Karma hot sauce through this event, however all opinions and statements are my own.

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

Starters
Sticky Mango Mustard Glazed Duck Meatballs by girlichef
Pretzel Sticks with Two Sauces by Eliot’s Eats
Cherry Chipotle BBQ Pork Nachos by The Spiffy Cookie
Duck Poppers by CafeTerra
Duck Bacon Pumpkin Soup by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Dips
Steakhouse Deviled Egg Dip by From Gate to Plate
Mains
Ultimate Bacon Burger by Cheese Curd In Paradise
Cincinnati Turkey Chili by The Pajama Chef
Smoky Date Pulled Pork by Curious Cuisiniere
Grilled Avocado with Melted Cheese & Karma Hot Sauce by Making Miracles
Sides
Just Ducky Baked Beans by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Sweets
Linebacker-Sized Chocolate Chip Cookies by Things I Make (for Dinner)
Rocky Ledge Bars by Debbi Does Dinner Healthy
Pear Poppy Snails {Birnen Mohn Schnecken} by The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
recreatedbysrc

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

~ lk529 ~ 4 Comments

One of my favorite ways to incorporate salads into our menu is under the influence of Mexican Monday. Typically salads are just plain boring, but with big flavors in Mexican cuisine, no salad is ever boring. And creamy dressings are my favorite. This dressing gets a kick from the chipotle pepper in adobo, but is mellowed out by the sour cream and cilantro.

This salad makes for a great lunch or quick dinner – and can be assembled even more quickly if you have left over cooked chicken or stop at the store and pick up a rotisserie chicken from the deli. With black beans in the salad, you could even omit the chicken if desired for a Meatless Monday too.

For a little crunch in your salad, topped with crushed up tortilla chips or the tortilla strips salad topping from the store (they’re typically next to the packaged croutons).

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

Ingredients for dressing:

  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo*
  • 1/3 C packed fresh cilantro
  • 2/3 C sour cream
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • juice of 1 1/2 limes
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar

*for a milder dressing remove seeds from pepper, for a spicier dressing include some of the adobo sauce

Ingredients for salad:

  • 1-2 chicken breasts, cut into strips
  • 1 head of lettuce, chopped
  • grape tomatoes, halved
  • red onion, thinly sliced
  • canned black beans, drained and rinsed
  • canned corn, drained and rinsed
  • avocado, diced
  • red bell pepper, thinly sliced

Steps:

  1. Season chicken with S+P. In a non-stick skillet, cook chicken over medium-high heat in a little bit of olive oil.
  2. Place dressing ingredients in a food processor or blender. Pulse until smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste.
  3. In a large bowl combine salad ingredients with cooked chicken. (Note: I didn’t specify amounts for the salad ingredients, use any or all to create your perfect salad!)
  4. Toss salad with as much dressing as desired.

*This recipe is adapted from David at http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/chipotle-chicken-taco-salad-10000001215905/*

Chipotle Taco Salad

Protein Packed Southwestern Salad

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

I am keeping with my healthy kick of Mexican Monday (previous weeks included Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers and Turkey Lettuce Wraps) with a double duty Mexican Monday & Salad Night.

It’s been way too long since my last salad post – and unfortunately that also indicates it’s been way too long since our last salad night! Stuart has been looking for healthier meals lately, and after eating this Southwestern Salad he was completely satisfied.

The dressing for the salad is made with Greek yogurt. If you’ve paid attention, or know me, you realize that I have a great dislike for Greek yogurt. But I do try and give it another chance every now and then. I was prepared to revert to bottled salad dressing, but I’m happy to state that I loved the creamy cilantro vinaigrette!

I added chicken to the salad so we’re getting 3 sources of protein: the Greek yogurt in the dressing, chicken, and black beans! I promise this is no rabbit food.

Protein Packed Southwestern Salad

Ingredients for the chicken:

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken tenders (you can also cut up 1 breast into strips)
  • 3/4 tsp Adobo seasoning
  • 1 tsp Ancho chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp olive oil, divided use
  • 1 head iceberg lettuce
  • 1/2 C canned corn, drained
  • 1/2 C canned black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 on-the-vine tomato, chopped and seeds removed
  • 1 avocado, chopped
  • crispy tortilla strips, for topping

Ingredients for the dressing:

  • 1/2 C Greek yogurt
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 1 C fresh cilantro
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
  • salt, to taste

Steps:

  1. In a small bowl combine adobo seasoning, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Season both sides of chicken with spice mixture (you will have some left over).
  2. In a medium skillet heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook chicken 4-5 minutes on each side, until cooked through.
  3. In a food processor combine all dressing ingredients.
  4. Assemble salad with lettuce, corn, beans, tomato, avocado, and chicken. Toss with as much dressing as you like. Top with tortilla strips.

*This recipe is adapted from Chung-Ah at http://damndelicious.net/2014/01/10/southwestern-chopped-salad-cilantro-lime-dressing/*

Protein Packed Southwestern Salad 1 Protein Packed Southwestern Salad 2 Protein Packed Southwestern Salad 3