Category Archives: Southwestern
Chicken and Caramelized Onion Quesadilla with Guacamole and Tomato Salsa
We recently found a down to earth Mexican restaurant with very reasonable prices. A friend had taken me there for lunch and I had fabulous tacos and flan there. Soon I took my husband and he loved it as well. We have been going there ever since and really enjoy the food. They always serve a small plain cheese quesadilla while customers wait for dinner. Initially my daughter rejected it, not liking the way it looked. She is averse to anything that looks like a sandwich. Gradually she took a bite and really enjoyed it. It got me thinking, I never make quesadillas at home, especially now that my daughter is eating them. Well I bought some chicken thighs with the skin on, drizzled olive oil and sprinkled paprika, salt, garlic and onion powder before roasting them. I then took the skin off and shredded the meat off the bone and used it as a filling for the quesadillas. I also decided to make some fresh guacamole and tomato salsa. I love making fresh guacamole- it’s so easy to prepare and I don’t like the store bought versions, they are all very bland and chemical tasting. The only hurdle in making fresh guacamole is finding ripe avocados that very day or planning a few days in advance. To accelerate ripening, you can store the avocados in a brown bag. The tomato salsa is also very easy to make and generally has ingredients that are available in the pantry. I wanted to add onions to the quesadillas but didn’t want to keep them raw- and since I didn’t have green onions, I decided to caramelize the red ones. A sprinkle of salt and pepper made them delicious and golden brown. The sweet creamy onions went really well with the shredded chicken. I like spicy food and decided to add sliced pickled jalapenos to mine. My daughter enjoyed hers with just the cheese and the chicken. Overall it was a very successful quesadilla night- definitely many more to follow!
Quesadillas
- 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded- rotisserie will do
- 8 medium tortillas
- 2 cups shredded Monterey jack and cheddar cheese
- 2 medium onions, sliced thin
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt to taste
- Pinch of sugar
- Sliced jalapenos, optional
In a small non-stick frying pan, heat one-tablespoon oil. Add the sliced onion and sauté on medium low heat. Sprinkle a pinch of sugar and salt and cook for about 20 minutes or till the onions are soft and golden brown. Divide into 4 piles. Keep aside.
In a large non-stick frying pan, heat one-teaspoon olive oil. Place the tortilla on the frying pan, spread ¼ cup cheese, ¼ cup shredded chicken, jalapenos and one pile of caramelized onions. Place the second tortilla on top and press it down with a spatula, cook for 2-3 minutes or till cheese begins to melt. Turn the quesadilla over and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Cut into 4 pieces. Repeat the same steps for 3 more quesadillas. Serve with fresh guacamole and tomato salsa.
Guacamole
- 2 ripe avocados cut into 1-inch pieces
- ¼ cup red onion, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- 2 teaspoons salt
- Juice of 2 limes
Mix all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour before serving.
Tomato Salsa
- 14.5 ounces can chopped tomato, excess water drained
- ¼ cup red onion, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- Juice of one lime
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- 1½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
Mix all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Let stand for an hour before serving.
Tomatillo Guacamole-Make it for the big game!
Looking at guacamole makes me happy. It’s the bright green color and the full delicious flavor of the well spiced condiment that does it for me! I don’t care for the store bought ones in the plastic containers, they taste quite bland to me. It is so easy to make at home and you can customize to your taste buds. I like to make it with tomatillos- they look like green tomatoes with husks on. Tomatillos have a nice tart flavor which compliments the avocados really well. You can substitute red tomatoes for the tomatillos if you prefer. A few other ways to change the flavor is to add ground cumin or ancho chili powder or even chipotle in adobo sauce. They all individually give the guacamole a real smoky flavor.
Since it is the big game weekend and everyone is looking to eat yummy snacks, I suggest you make this guacamole and enjoy it with tortilla chips and a delicious Mexican beer!
- 4 ripe Has Avacados- cut into small chunks
- 3 medium tomatillos- taken out of the husk and chopped
- 1 small red onion- finely minced
- 1 jalapeno pepper- finely minced
- 2 garlic cloves- finely minced
- 2 teaspoons lime zest
- 2 limes juiced
- ½ cup cilantro- chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
Mix all the ingredients well. Store the guacamole in an airtight container to avoid oxidation. Serve as a side dish or with tortilla chips.
Creamed Corn with Green Chili
This creamed corn is not your usual recipe that you will find on the web. Most creamed corn recipes are full of cream, butter and cheese- which makes sense since it is called, “Creamed Corn”! I have adapted this recipe from my sister-in-law who learnt this many moons ago in Mumbai. I think the original recipe did call for cooking the corn in cream and adding butter at the end. Over the years I have used whole milk and reduced fat milk. I find that cooking the corn in reduced fat milk works just fine, as long as you put plenty of milk and let it cook and reduce on a low flame for a while. The corn drinks up the creamy goodness of the milk and you are left with a delicious dish. Of course adding the serrano chili helps as well. It gives the dish a fresh, grassy and spicy flavor. I was using yellow or white corn but recently discovered the roasted corn from Trader Joes! The smokiness of the roasted corn works beautifully with the other flavors. Of course if you can’t find the roasted corn, regular corn works really well. In the summer I use fresh corn and the flavor is out of this world!
- 2 cups frozen roasted corn (regular corn will do as well)
- 1 cup milk (whole milk, 2% or 1% will do-depending on how rich you like the dish!)
- 1 serrano chili, chopped and deseeded if you don’t want the dish too spicy
- 1 teaspoon salt
In a 10-inch skillet add the corn, milk, chili and salt. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to a medium low. Cook while stirring occasionally for at least 20 minutes. The milk should begin to evaporate and corn looks tender and creamy. Adjust seasoning and serve.
Mango Tamarind Shrimp with Roasted Corn & Lime Rice with Cotija Cheese
I bought two mangoes last week and wanted to use them in some dish. I love the combination of sweet, savory, sour and spicy. Felt like cooking shrimp and that is how I came up with this concoction. I read some recipes that used blended mango as a glaze but I wanted to use it as a sauce, so I cooked it and then added onions with the shrimp. I had gone to the grocery store to buy medium sized shrimp but then I saw the really tiny shrimp were on sale! They worked quite well in the recipe, very tender.. of course you have to be extremely careful not to over cook them. The rice came right from my head, with the hours of food television I watch coupled with all the magazines I read, it kind of just came to me. I wanted to use a Mexican cheese, and found Cotija in the store. It’s very salty and has a firm texture so it doesn’t melt all the way when you add it to the rice, gives it a nice texture. Overall the recipe was a success! It may look a little tedious but it really isn’t, just has a few more steps than usual. We had the meal with some Pinot Noir and called it a night.
- 2 mangoes, cut into one inch pieces
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- ½ teaspoon tamarind concentrate (if using tamarind paste, use one and half teaspoons)
- 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Up to ½ cup chicken broth
In a small frying pan heat the olive oil and add the five ingredients above. Cook on a medium heat for 20 minutes. Once the mango and garlic are soft, blend to a smooth sauce. Add chicken broth if the sauce is too thick. Keep aside.
- 1 pound shrimp
- 1 big yellow onion but into one inch pieces
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- ½ cup green onions, chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 lime, juiced if needed
Heat up the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the onions and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes until they are soft. Then add the shrimp and cook for a minute. Then add the mango sauce and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Adjust seasoning and add the cilantro and green onion. Taste to see if the limejuice is needed.
Roasted Corn & Lime Rice with Cotija Cheese
- 1 cup rice (basmati or any long grain rice)
- 2 cups chicken broth
- ½ cup roasted thawed frozen corn (trader joes brand)
- 4 ounces cotija cheese (queso blanco or ricotta salata will do)
- Zest and juice of one lime
- ¼ cup green onions, chopped
- 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
- Salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
In a heavy pan, bring the chicken broth to a boil. Add the rice and cook on high till it comes to another boil, lower the heat, cover and cook for about 20 minutes. Add the roasted corn and cover for 5 more minutes. Then add the cheese, limejuice and zest, salt, olive oil, green onions and cilantro. Mix well and taste and adjust seasoning.
Spice Roasted Potatoes
- 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Put the potatoes on a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle the parsley. Toss the potatoes to coat. Roast in the oven, until golden and crispy on the outside, tender and cooked through on the inside, about 30 minutes.
Fresh Tomato Salsa
- 2 medium ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
- 1 garlic clove finely chopped
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
- 1-2 limes juiced
- 1 tablespoon good olive oil
- ½ teaspoon chipotle in adobo
- Salt to taste
Combine the tomatoes, onion, cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, chipotle in adobo and oil in a mixing bowl and season with salt.
Let it sit for an hour or so before serving.
Ancho Chili Chicken
- 2 tablespoons corn oil
- 4 boneless chicken breast halves (pound thin)
- 2 teaspoons ancho chili powder
- Salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Pan Sauce
- Juice of 2 limes
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/4-cup chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ¼ cup cilantro
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and heat until shimmering. Season the chicken with ancho chili powder and salt, to taste. Cook the chicken on each side for about 4-5 minutes or until done. The internal temperature should be 160 degrees.
When chicken is cooked through, transfer the pieces to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. In the meantime, add the limejuice to the pan. After 1 minute, add the honey along with the chicken stock to heat through. Remove pan from heat and stir in reserved 1/4-cup cilantro and butter.
To serve, divide the chicken among 4 plates, drizzle with pan sauce.