South of the Border Turkey Burger

Last night was burger night. This is a treat at our house. We don't have burgers for dinner too often. My little girl was so excited! Mostly because she thought fries always accompany burgers... so I whipped up some quick fries to go along with the carrot sticks. It was a big hit. Lou ate almost her whole burger, and AC said it was his favorite burger I have ever made.
This is a really simple and delicious recipe.  Plus it is ready to go in less than 30 minutes. And if you don't like spicy stuff - no worries, this isn't hot at all. Actually, I would have liked a little kick; next time I will probably put half a seeded, diced jalapeno in.

South of the Border Turkey Burger

1 1/4 lb ground turkey
1 small can diced green chiles
2 green onions, sliced thinly
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
salt
pepper

Preheat frying pan over medium high heat with a thin layer of olive oil. In a bowl, combine all ingredients until evenly distributed through meat but careful to not overmix. Divide into four patties. Cook until center of burger reaches about 170-175 degrees. Let rest about 5-10 minutes. Top with Cilantro Lime Mayo (see recipe below) and your favorite toppings. I think avocados are a must with these!

Cilantro Lime Mayo

1/4 cup mayo (I use fat free cause I can't tell a difference in taste)
2-4 Tbsp cilantro, chopped fine
1 green onion
pinch garlic powder
1 tsp lime juice (or more to taste)
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper

Stir ingredients together. Adjust seasoning to taste. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Tip:
To test the burgers for seasoning, take a small pinch of the meat and fry it up. It only takes a minute or two to cook and it well worth it to adjust salt, heat, etc.

Ultimate Nachos

A friend and I were headed to meet at a local museum for a play date. Lou and I got ready and headed out the door. I was slightly late, so I was carrying Lou to avoid having to count each step on the two flights of stairs (cute, but time consuming). When we got outside it was cold, and there was just a skim of snow on the ground. In seconds I found myself on the ground with Lou on her back. This wasn't a slip-slip-oh-no!-fall type fall. It was a how-did-I-get-on-the-ground-so-fast? type fall. I felt terrible that I wasn't able to brace Lou, let alone myself for the fall. She wasn't hurt, just scared. I landed on my hands and knees so I wasn't worried about the baby, just my foot hurt a little bit. As I drove away from the icy parking lot, my foot started hurting more and more. After walking around the museum I decided walking was not a good idea and I should stay off of it.
It was to be the night for the delicious looking shrimp soup. But I decided to do my Ultimate Nachos since they were faster and I wouldn't have to be on my foot as much.

I am sure you know how to make Nachos, so this is more just so you can see my ingredient ratio for our nachos. As you can see, I like a lot of "stuff" on my nachos - yes, I promise, there are chips under there.

Ultimate Nachos

1 chicken breast
1/3 bag of Tortilla chips
6 oz shredded cheese (I used Colby Jack because that's what we had)
1 can pinto bean
1/2 jalapeno, sliced (optional)
1/2 small red onion, diced
2 roma tomatoes, diced
3-4 large romaine leaves, shredded
1 avocados
cilantro, roughly chopped
sour cream
salsa

Preheat oven to 275. Season chicken breast with salt and pepper. Cook chicken breast in saute pan until cooked through, cut into small cubes. Line cookie sheet with a single layer of chips, then cheese, beans, chicken breast pieces, and jalapeno. Continue to layer until chips are gone or until you have enough. Place in oven for about 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Keep a close eye on them - it will go from perfect to burnt quickly.
Top with remaining ingredients and eat!

Tips:
I used to put these under the broiler but I found a lower temperature oven gave me a better cheese consistency.

Spanish Tortilla

So the other day, I was reading Vanessa's blog and thought that her Spanish Tortilla sounded yummy, easy, inexpensive, and I had all the ingredients. Perfect! Dinner was solved. So I took her recipe and made a few adjustments.
I will say, the flipping is a little tricky - but if you have a plate, it probably would have worked better than me trying to use the lid of my frying pan (not as balanced).

Spanish Tortilla

adapted from Vanessa
vegetable oil
3 potatoes
8 Eggs
1/3 cup of milk
1 cup shredded cheese
1/2 tsp garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 slices of thick ham, cubed
1/2 green bell pepper, cubed
cilantro, for garnish
1 tomato, diced, for garnish

Heat oil over medium-high heat. You want just enough to coat the pan and about half way up your potatoes. Cook until potatoes are almost fork-tender (about 8 minutes). Meanwhile, whisk together eggs, milk, garlic, salt, pepper, and cheese; set aside.
Once potatoes are browned and almost fork tender, drain oil. Reduce heat to medium or medium-low. Add in your egg mixture. Add ham and peppers. Gently stir the egg mixture for a few seconds. Cover pan with a lid. Once you feel like it is done on the sides and bottom, here comes the tricky part! Get a plate out and flip the pan over to the put the Spanish Tortilla on the plate. Then slide the Spanish tortilla off the plate and back into the pan so the other side can cook. (She made it sound so easy!) Once cooked through, remove from pan, garnish with cilantro and tomatoes.
Serve warm or room temperature. Serves 4-6 people.

Taco Seasoning

I usually don't buy spice mixes mostly because I like to control my flavors. Typically taco seasonings are a little too much for me - I feel like I taste the taco seasoning more than the meat. This is my mix that I have made in large batches and then use as much as I need.

Taco Seasoning

3 Tbsp Cumin
2 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp Cayenne
1 Tbsp Salt
2 Tbsp Pepper

Mix and store in an air-tight container.

Tips:

I use about 3-4 Tbsp of this mix on each pound of meat. Adjust for your tastes.

Rubio's - Not Just Fish Tacos

My husband summed it up well when he tried my leftovers, "Oh, it isn't another Cafe Rio."
Last week Rubio's invited a few of us bloggers to try their delicious food. We were stuffed of delicious burritos, tacos, salads, and their variety of salsas. I knew about Rubio's long ago becuase my mom said they are her favorite fish tacos ever. (and she lives in Hawaii! She has had good fish.) But they have such a variety of flavors and dishes. My favorite dish was their roasted vegetable salad. With all this chicken, avocados, and a delicious dressing for 320 calories. I keep tellingi everyone that because I can't believe it. But it had so much flavor you didn't feel like you were eating 2000 calories less than some other fresh mex salads in town. They have other great options for the health conscious eater - grilled fish or chicken tacos, whole wheat tortillas, 4 different salads. They are great to substitue anything for anything if you want. I love that.

Everything I tasted was delicious, fresh, and full of flavor. They were nice enough to donate a free meal to one lucky winner.

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Salsa Verde

Tonight for dinner we are going to have some ultimate nachos. I had a lot of tomatillos I needed to use up so I thought salsa verde would be perfect. This is perfect for all Mexican food, we especially love this with homemade taquitos. And don't be afraid of it - you can adjust the spiciness from mild to hot. I used to think this was always the hottest at restaurants, but it just depends on the cook. See what you think!
Oh you don't know what tomatillos are? They are actually a fruit, related to tomatoes. You can find them in the section of the grocery store where the specialty produce is (in our store they are by the jalapenos, altufo mangoes, cactus - you know, the weirder stuff.

This is what tomatillos look like - with and without the husk on.

This is what they look like cut. 

Salsa Verde

8 medium tomatillos, husked and cut into quarters
1 large (or 2 small) onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1-2 jalapeno, sliced
1/4 c cilantro, roughly chopped
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp sea salt
2 cups water
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

Combine all ingredients except the lime juice in your saucepan. The water probably won't cover all your ingredients, but that's okay, they will cook down.

Bring to a boil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until onions and tomatillos are soft, or until you finish doing your dishes, which ever comes first.

Blend in food processor or blender (in batches - be careful!) until smooth. Pour into serving bowl and stir in lime juice. Place in fridge until ready to serve.  Serve cool or at room temperature.

Voila!

Tips:

(This isn't a hard recipe, I don't know why I have so many tips...)

• For varying spiciness - just adjust the jalapeno. The seeds and veins are the spiciest part. So if you are scared, just add one without the seeds. If you want to blow your socks off, slice both with seeds left in. I like somewhere in the middle (but leaning on the spicy side) so I left the seeds in one and took out the other.
• To pick out your tomatillos, pull back the husk and make sure the skin of the fruit looks okay, the husk may be nasty and the fruit okay, or visa versa. The skin should be smooth, even in color, with no "Yuckies."
• If you use normal salt (which is perfectly fine if you ask me - you might need to add some more later, sea and kosher salts have more flavor)
• This can be made a few days in advance - may get slightly spicier with time.
• This makes a lot, I had a lot of tomatillos to use up, but you can easily reduce this recipe.
• If you think your salsa is too runny (I did when I did three cups of water) then just return it to the pot (before adding lime) and simmer until your desired thickness.

Cinco de Mayo

I was feeling bad that I didn't have any latin-themed recipe for you. So here is a compliation of some of recipes, incase you need something for your party tonight

Chicken Posole - a delicious, really simple and quick Mexican soup. My husband says it tastes very authentic.
Tex-Mex Salad - a simple salad you can whip up in a flash
Pico de Gallo - yummy salsa
Caramel Cheesecake Flan - I wouldn't leave you without a delicious dessert
Shrimp Tacos with Mango Salsa - make just the tacos or just the salsa, or enjoy them together. mmm.
Cuban Braised Beef - I know, it says Cuban and Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican holiday... but its latin.

Chicken Posole

When my husband saw me looking at a Chicken Posole recipe he told me I had to make it. He ate it a lot when he was living in LA and visiting a lot of Hispanic people. This was a common soup served to him. After trying this recipe he said it was very authentic.

Chicken Posole
recipe adapted from Real Simple Magazine
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
salt and pepper
32 oz chicken broth
28 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1 dried ancho chili, thinly sliced
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken meat
15 oz can hominy, rinsed
1 lime, cut into wedges

heat the oil in a large sauepan over medium heat. Add the onion and 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper, stirring occasionally until onions are soft and starting to brown. Add broth, tomatoes, and chili. Bring to boil. Stir in chicken and hominy and simmer until heated through. Serve with a lime wedge.


Tips:

Those dried ancho chilies are pretty hard to cut with a knife - cut with kitchen shears.
The original recipe says you can substitute 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, but avoid if you can - the ancho gives the authentic taste.

When shredding your chicken, save the skin, bones, and all other "leftovers" to make broth or another soup.
I use the lid of the rotisserie chicken to hold the chicken until I am ready to use it - save me a dish from washing.

Cop-Out Salad

This is way easy, so easy I probably don't even need to post it.

Tex-Mex Salad
Romaine Lettuce
Black Beans (rinsed)
Tomatoes
Caramelized Onions
Cilantro
Tortilla strips (cut corn tortillas into strips, fry in oil until golden brown)
Chicken

Chicken:
Cut in thin, bite size pieces. Season with salt and pepper and salsa verde, saute until just done.

Dressing:
3 Tbsp salsa verde
1-2 tsp sugar
splash of lemon/lime juice
3-6 T olive oil

Assemble and enjoy. I used this prepared salsa for a quick help. You could use anything similar to this.

Pico de Gallo

English translation: peak of the rooster. Culinary translation: delicious!
I love this salsa - simple yet delicious. This is it on top of our chicken fajitas.


Pico de Gallo
4 large tomatoes, seeded.
1 medium onion
1/2 bunch cilantro
2 Tbsp lime or lemon juice
1 jalapeno
salt to taste

Cut onions and tomatoes to desired size. I like them pretty small. Chop cilatro and add. Cut jalapeno in half and remove seeds and ribs according to desired heat: mild - remove all, medium - remove one half, hot - keep it all. Add to bowl, stir well. Add lime or lemon juice. Add about 2 tsp salt. Taste, adjust as needed. The amount of salt really varies depending on the flavor of the tomatoes.
If you want to skip all the cutting. Make this in the food processor. I would do each ingredient individually so you keep the texture just right.

Dressed Up Pork Chops

I love pork chops. It is just a nice alternative to the everyday chicken breast. But I try to think of different ways to dress it up so that it is not the same old pork every day. Today I had some mangoes that I needed to use. So I made a pork chop, seasoned with just salt and pepper, then topped with this mango salsa. It was delicious.

Mango Salsa

2 mangoes
1 english cucumber or 4 tomatillos
1 small red onion diced
1 tomato drained of seeds and diced
1 jalapeno seeded (when I make a normal salsa I usually leave in some seeds, but this isn't meant to be super hot)
juice of 2 limes
juice of 1/2 an orange
1/2 c chopped cilantro
salt and pepper

Mix and enjoy!

These are all estimates of the amounts I use, I just adjust to what I have on hand, how it tastes, and how it looks. This is great for any protein: chicken, fish, pork. Also great alone with chips!
If using this to top a protein, don't test with tortilla chips (my usual way of testing salsas) because the salt from the chips may throw off your need for seasoning.

Caramel Cheescake Flan

I am worried about starting my blog with this post seeing how I did falter a little on it. It is a tried and true recipe, although I was trying new techniques. While I do get a little self-conscious when something doesn't turn out just right, I thought the recipe is worth sharing.

This recipe was made by my a good friend, Gayle. She is amazing - award winning!
My husband doesn't really like the texture of flan (too jello-y) but he loves this - the flavor of flan with the texture of cheesecake. This recipe is copied directly from her. The green are my tips - learn from my mistakes!

Caramel Cheesecake Flan

1 cup sugar
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup water

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Over medium-high heat, cook some sugar in a small skillet, stirring occasionally, until melted and golden in color. Pour into ungreased, deep, 2-quart mold, tilting to coat bottom and sides. (Be so careful!) (I used smaller individual molds because I didn't have bigger ones. Make sure you get high enough on the sides so that the flan falls out - I didn't do this... oops.)

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add sugar and beat. Gradually add milk and mix until smooth. Add eggs and beat at least 2 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients slowly and beat until well combined. Pour mixture into caramel coated pan.
Place flan in larger baking pan and fill pan halfway up sides with hot water. (easier to do this with a pot in the oven already...)
Bake approximately 1 1/2 hours or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. (I did mine a little too long... they probably shouldn't get this dark... but they still taste good)
Remove from hot water and place on rack to cool.
Chill overnight. To remove, run a thin knife around the mold to loosen flan. Place serving platter on top of mold and invert. Scrape additional sauce from mold and spoon over top if desired. Garnish with whipped cream and toasted almonds.