• Salsa Fresca

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    We love salsa…all salsas.  I think the hardest salsa to make is red salsa–I’m not sure why, but most of the time when we make red salsa at home it’s good but just not memorable good.  Green salsas on the other hand almost always turns out great…go figure!  Anyway, I got this recipe from my friend Mary, who got the recipe from a lady in El Paso, and it really is excellent—yes it’s that good….FINALLY!!!!

    Start slowly with the jalapenos as all jalapenos vary in heat.  You may also want to add more lime juice and/or salt.  The flavors definitely meld after the salsa has been refrigerated for hours, so try to make this one in advance—it’s worth it!
    Ingredients:

    • 1 package of grape tomatoes (about 1 pound)
    • 1-2 jalapenos (more or less to taste)
    • Handful of cilantro, chopped
    • 1 14.5 can of tomatoes, diced, whole or stewed (I used diced with mild green chiles)
    • Juice from 1 lime (add more if necessary)
    • 1 tsp. minced garlic
    • salt to taste

    Directions:

    1. Blend all ingredients. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
    2. Refrigerate….tastes better with “age.”

    Salsa Fresca:

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  • Mango Jicama Salsa

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    I’m always will to try a great new salsa to top chicken tacos or fish tacos.  This salsa is so summery and refreshing, and it went great as a topper for fish tacos.

    I saw a recipe for jicama salad in the March 2009 issue of Cooking Light, which was the initial inspiration of my mango jicama salsa.
    Ingredients:

    • 1/2 c. jicama, julienne-cut
    • 2-3 mangos, sliced or cubed
    • 1/2 of a small red onion, sliced
    • 1/2 of a red, orange, or yellow bell pepper, sliced
    • 1 to 2 jalapenos, chopped
    • 1 lime, juiced
    • 1 tsp. sugar (more or less depending on how ripe the mangos are)
    • 1/4 tsp. salt
    • 1/4 c. cilantro, chopped

    Directions:

    1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
    2. Top your tacos, and enjoy.

    Mango Jicama Salsa:

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  • Quick Steak Taco Dinner

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    Here’s a tasty menu for a quick weeknight dinner.  Top tacos with Mango Salsa and serve with Los Tios Mexican Rice.

    Ingredients:

    • 1 flank steak
    • lime juice to marinate
    • salt
    • pepper
    • garlic powder
    • onion powder
    • ground ginger

    Directions:

    1. Combine all ingredients in a dish or zip top bag and marinate for 30 minutes.  Grill until desired doneness.

    Serve:

    Quick Steak Taco Dinner:

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  • Grilled Salmon with Grilled Corn, Tomato, and Basil Relish

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    Our plan was to grill the fish and the corn.  Then part way through grilling the corn, we ran out of gas…change of plans.  We ended up baking the salmon and finishing the corn in a skillet.  Regardless, this is a winner dish…so tasty and summery–especially if you use your grill.

    You could easily use this relish on grilled chicken too.

    Recipe from Bobby Flay’s Grill It!
    Ingredients:

    • 4 ears of corn, grilled and slightly cooled
    • 1 pint of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
    • 3 TBSP olive oil
    • 2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
    • 3 TBSP thinly sliced basil leaves

    Directions:

    1. After corn is grilled and cooled, cut corn off the cob.
    2. Combine corn, tomatoes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and basil in a bowl.
    3. Serve over grilled salmon or chicken

    Grilled Corn, Tomato, and Basil Relish:

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  • Creamy Jalapeno

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    Chuy’s is one of the most fantabulous tex-mex restaurants on the planet.  Their sauces define d’lish.  One of their tasty sauces is a creamy jalapeno sauce.  Oh, it’s so good. Here’s a copycat recipe that’s pretty close.  It’s tastes awesome on taco salads, fish tacos…really anything.

    Ingredients:

    • 1 c. mayo
    • 1/4 c. buttermilk
    • 1/4 c. chopped jalapeno
    • 1/4 c. tomatillo salsa
    • 1/4 c. cilantro
    • 1 1/2 packets (total 1 1/4 oz.) dry ranch dressing mix

    Directions:

    1. Combine mayo through cilantro in a blender until smooth.
    2. Pour in a bowl, and whisk in rand dressing mix.
    3. Chill and serve.

    Creamy Jalapeno Sauce:

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  • Huevos Rancheros

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    I just love huevos rancheros.  I’ll eat them for any meal, and this recipe is so easy to make!

    Ingredients:

    • 1 small can (10 oz) of red enchilada sauce
    • 1 small can (10 oz) of diced tomatoes with chiles (such as Rotel)
    • Juice of 1 lime
    • 1/2 c. chopped cilantro, divided
    • Tortillas
    • Refried beans
    • Eggs

    Directions:

    1. Sauce: combine enchilada sauce, diced tomatoes with chiles, and lime juice in a saucepan.  Simmer until ready to serve.  Just before serving add 1/4 c. cilantro and mix to combine.
    2. Meanwhile, heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat, add some butter and cook your eggs.  I prefer over easy, but you could certainly use scrambled eggs or any type of eggs you like.
    3. Heat refried beans.
    4. Assembly: take a tortilla, spread some refried beans on top, add your eggs, ladle sauce over eggs, and sprinkle with cilantro.

    Huevos Rancheros:

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  • Cranberry Relish with Grapefruit and Mint

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    This cranberry sauce was delicious!  Recipe comes from the November 2008 issue of Bon Appetit.

    Ingredients:

    • 2 large pink grapefruits
    • 1 c. sugar
    • 1 c. water
    • 2 1/2 c. cranberries
    • 2 TBSP mint (I didn’t add this because the store didn’t have any)

    Directions:

    1. Remove the zest from one grapefruit in 2 inch strips; then cut the strips so they are 2 inches by 1/8 inch.
    2. Juice both grapefruits.
    3. In a medium saucepan, stir sugar and water over medium heat until sugar dissolves.  Add grapefruit peel; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer until peel is soft, about 15 minutes.
    4. Add grapefruit juice and cranberries; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until berries start to burst, about 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and stir in mint.

    Cranberry Relish with Grapefruit and Mint:

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  • Steve’s Spicy Red Salsa

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    This Steve’s recipe. It was delicious, but super spicy. I’ve cut down the number of chiles used, but I would be overly cautious to start out with.  All chiles vary in degree of heat, so there is a bit of trial and error.

    Ingredients:

    • 1/2 to 1 chile morita (smoked red jalapeno)
    • 1 1/2 lb. roma tomatoes
    • 2 garlic cloves
    • 1 tsp. Mexican Oregano
    • 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
    • 1/2 c. cilantro, chopped
    • 3/4 tsp. salt
    • black pepper to taste
    • juice of 1/2 lime

    Directions:

    1. Pan roast chile morita for 15 seconds, then soak in water for 30 minutes.
    2. Meanwhile, pan roast tomatoes, garlic, oregano, and cumin; set aside.
    3. In your food processor bowl, add soaked chile morita, roasted tomatoes, garlic, oregano, cumin, cilantro, salt, pepper, and lime juice and process until combined. Taste.  You can always add more chile morita if you desire more heat.

    Steve’s Spicy Red Salsa:

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  • Marinated Grilled Chicken Breast with Watermelon-Jalapeno Salsa

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    This recipe comes from the August 2007 issue of Cooking Light. It was delicious. The chicken tasted great, and the marinade would be great for a fajita marinade. The Watermelon-Jalapeno salsa was also delicious and the kiddos even ate it! Excellent summer dish!

    Ingredients:

    • 1 TBSP chopped fresh oregano
    • 1 TBSP olive oil
    • 1 tsp. chili powder
    • 3/4 tsp. ground cumin
    • 1/2 tsp. salt
    • 3 garlic cloves, minced
    • 4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
    • Cooking spray
    • 2 c. (1/2-inch) cubed seeded watermelon
    • 1 c. (1/2-inch) cubed peeled ripe mango
    • 1/4 c. finely chopped red onion
    • 1/2 c. finely chopped red bell pepper
    • 2 TBSP chopped fresh cilantro
    • 1 jalapeno, finely chopped
    • Juice of 1 lime
    • 1/2 tsp. sugar
    • 1/4 tsp. salt

    Directions:

    1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken to bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator up to 4 hours, turning bag occasionally. Prepare grill.
    2. Place chicken on a grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 5 minutes on each side or until done. Combine watermelon and remaining ingredients. Serve watermelon mixture with chicken.

    Marinated Chicken Breasts with Watermelon-Jalapeno Salsa:

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  • Mango Salsa

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    This is one of our summertime go to dishes. The salsa is delicious over grilled chicken, and you can make it as spicy or mild as you like depending on how much hot peppers you add. It’s super easy to make and always a crowd pleaser.

    Ingredients:

    • 2 mangoes, diced
    • 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
    • 1/4 c. cilantro, minced
    • 1 small serrano pepper, minced (seeded and deveined)
    • Juice of 1 or 2 limes
    • Salt to taste

    Directions:

    1. Combine everything and serve over grilled chicken.

    Mango Salsa:

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