You are currently browsing the Southwest Pantry category.
Me? Grill outside in Arizona… in July? Are you kidding? No way! These Pollo Asado Tacos are one of my brother’s BBQ specialties. He was nice enough to fight the Arizona heat and fire up the grill to cook his famous Chicken Tacos and show us how Southwest grilling is really done. His marinade adds just the right amount of citrus and chile to turn the chicken into a light and summery dish with just a little kick.
He even introduced me to a new chile that I didn’t even know existed. While making a batch of quacamole, we realized that there was only one jalapeno! How is that possible? Not to worry, my sister-in-law pulled out a packet of tiny little chiles from her pantry. Chile Tepin or Chiltepin. These cute, little chiles have just become my favorite pantry item. The chiles are dried and easy to keep on hand. They are tiny so that you can choose just the right amount of heat to add to your dish. You won’t have half of a chile leftover to liquify in your refrigerator. And, more importantly, they are one of the official chiles of Yucatan. These chiles are like keeping a Cancun vacation in your cupboard! O.K. Maybe not. But I can dream, can’t I?
Continue Reading…
Tags:
chicken marinades,
chicken taco recipe,
chile tepin,
chiltepin,
grill recipe,
grilled chicken recipe,
lime juice,
orange juice,
pollo asado recipe,
southwest recipe,
taco recipe
- Home-made Southwest Spiced Chips
I love those “gourmet” chips they sell at the grocery stores these days, but the problem is that for a little sprinkle of, say, chipotle powder, they charge you 2 or 3 times the price of regular old potato chips.
So, I decided to experiment with my own spiced chips.
This is so incredibly simple that you’ll be making your own spiced chips in no time!
THIS IS THE ENTIRE RECIPE. NO, REALLY: Spread potato chips on a baking sheet in a single layer. Heat in a 400 degree oven for 2 to 3 minutes, just until chips become oily. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with spice mix of choice.
Try one of our three FFF spice blends, or whip up your own. Chef Bobby Flay has a fabulous 16-spice blend, if you’re feeling ambitious. Or, just use a favorite spice from your pantry. I love just plain smoked paprika or cumin. Yum!
Happy Summer Everyone!
– posted by Donna
Who says guacamole is the one and only southwest chip dip?
When I was having some people over a few days ago, I decided I needed a dip to go with my enchiladas. But. No avocados. =Sigh=
When I searched the pantry, I had lots of canned black beans and one can of garbanzo beans, both protein powerhouses and so yummy, but could they be yummy together? Answer: Most definitely!
The cumin and chipotle powders are fabulous together, the raw garlic adds a very nice mild bite, and the garbanzo and black beans are a perfect texture pair. I LOVE this dip, and will make it again and again. Especially when I run out of avocados!
Continue Reading…
Grilled Chicken with Mesa Grill's 16-Spice Rub
This recipe is a fabulous way to grill up some chicken breasts or pretty much any other grillable cut of meat. It’s also a fabulous way for me to reminisce.
You see, last weekend two of my best friends and I got away for our annual (ok, it’s usually only semi-annual) Girls’ Weekend. This time we chose fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada a.k.a. Lost Wages, Nevada. We each picked an activity. Lisa picked Donny and Marie. June picked The Blue Man Group. I, of course, picked Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill. So, soooooooo fabulous.
Chef Flay says he prefers rubs to marinades for meat because they add so much more flavor. So, I came home and made up a batch of Chef Flay’s 16-Spice Rub to keep on hand for summer grilling and to bring that fabulous Mesa Grill flavor back to my taste buds. This spice rub adds a ton of flavor without overpowering your meat. I have a batch stashed in my pantry. I hope it lasts the whole summer, cause it’s going fast.
Continue Reading…
I’m not usually a “salad for dinner” kind of girl. But when summer hits full boil here in Phoenix, salad recipes are all I can think about. Salads are quick, easy and there are no rules to follow; you just throw in what ever sounds good at the time. This Strawberry and Goat Cheese Salad with Candied Walnuts is not only what sounds good this time, but it’s all I have this time.
Apparently, I didn’t do that great of a job shopping before I went into the hospital for knee surgery. I found a strange collection of ingredients in the fridge when I got home: left over pizza, dried out chicken nuggets and really smelly chinese food. All signs that my family survived any way they could… by eating take-out. The big bag of salad greens I purchased is still sitting there, looking a little sad. I must have been under the influence of pre-surgery medication when I bought it. I had these images of my husband sitting around, munching on salad and marveling at its crisp, summery, freshness while I was in the hospital eating reconstituted beef bullion and rubberized pork chops.
However, there is a big patch of really fresh strawberries in the fridge that wasn’t there before. He probably picked them up at the grocery store on one of his “emergency runs” for ice cream (the evidence is in the trash can). So, I mixed the strawberries and bag of greens with creamy goat cheese from the fridge (every Southwest cook has goat cheese in the fridge) and candied walnuts from the pantry for a fresh summery salad that made me feel so happy to be home.
Continue Reading…
Tags:
candied walnuts,
cheese,
easy dinners,
goat cheese,
healthy,
low carb recipes,
low fat recipes,
low glycemic recipe,
meatless monday,
pantry,
salad,
southwest recipe,
spinach,
strawberry
