Tag: ancho chili powder
Pulled Chicken Tacos
I am really proud of this recipe. We all love tacos in my house- all sorts of tacos. Eating and cooking tacos remind of our trip to Mexico last Thanksgiving- yes, I did the unmentionable and went away for Thanksgiving- my favorite holiday, ever! I was overruled by majority of my family as it is a great time for everyone to take some time off to go away. Anyway, I digress- while in beautiful Mexico, we ventured out to dinner one day and ended up at a very down to earth, a real Mexican cantina. We had the most delicious tacos, guacamole and quesadillas. Everything there was amazing- I still think about the food.
These tacos are very different from what we ate there but they have a lot of the similar flavors going on as in the Mexican ones. I wanted to eat pulled pork but thought using chicken would be healthier. So, I went to work. I seasoned and browned the chicken thighs- which are a key in this recipe. I wouldn’t use chicken breast as it will turn to rubber in a stew type of recipe. I used a variety of spices including ancho chili powder, New Mexico dried peppers and roasted cumin. They all provided an amazing mixture of flavors. I took the meat off the bone and shredded it to get it ready for the corn tortillas. I made fresh salsa and guacamole…
The tacos were amazing- if I do say so myself.. Try this recipe- you will love it…
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Grilled Steak Fajitas
This is the first time I have cooked a flat iron steak. I saw it in Whole Foods and remembered reading about this reasonably priced yet delicious cut of beef. Like a skirt steak, the meat is to be cut against the grain. It has very good marbling ensuring delicious flavor.
I wasn’t sure how I would be using the cut but somehow Mexican food came to mind. I envisioned a dry rub on the steak and making steak fajitas. That is what I did- I mixed ground coriander, roasted cumin seeds, salt, ancho chili powder and paprika. I let the steak sit in the fridge for a while and prepared an avocado crema (recipe to follow tomorrow). I grilled the steak, about medium and it was perfect. The meat tasted delicious- I couldn’t believe it was so reasonably priced. Definitely try this cut next time you go to the supermarket.
I sauteed peppers and onions to serve on top and used corn tortillas instead of the flour ones. I made some rice with tomatoes and garlic and it was a delicious meal…
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Spicy Chimichurri Sauce
Delicious is what I think of when I look at this vibrant sauce. It is full of flavor and best of all- goes with all sorts of meats and even vegetables.
It is my version of a chimichurri sauce which is popular in Argentina, Uruguay, Nicaragua and Mexico. It is mostly used as a sauce for grilled meat and even as a marinade.
Good friends were coming over for dinner and I wanted to barbecue but keep it simple. I had a huge piece of a boneless rib eye steak and I also bought my husband’s favorite fish- alaskan butterfish or also known as black cod. Thankfully our local fish monger (Freemans) now carries the fish regularly.
I bought some corn to grill and potatoes to roast in the oven- and thats it. I grilled the meat and the fish and served it with this delicious sauce. It complimented the steak as well as the creamy fish.
The sauce is simply made with cilantro, parsley, lemon juice, orange juice, garlic and my secret ingredient- ancho chili powder. I love using that spice in sauces and marinades- it gives everything a delicious smoky flavor.
Try this spicy chimichurri sauce- you will want to eat it everything in the fridge…
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Grilled Corn with Ancho Chili and Honey Lime Butter
This was a big hit with the grilled rib eye I served the other day. I was serving grilled fajitas with sweet peppers and onions. I kind of had the vegetables taken care of but I still wanted to serve corn on the side. You have to serve corn if you are grilling- right?
Everyone loves it, especially the kids. For them, I simply drizzled the corn with olive oil, salt and pepper. I wrapped them in foil and placed them on the grill. I actually did the same for the adults- but once our corn came off the grill, we brushed some delicious honey lime butter all over and ate it with our steak fajitas.
The compound butter consisted of butter, of course; lime juice, honey and ancho chili powder. This chili powder has a bit of heat but a lot of delicious smokey flavor. It goes really well with the lime juice and honey. The corn on the cobs were delicious- I wish I had grilled more corn as everyone could have had a few more….
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Chili For The Big Game-What Are You Cooking For The Super Bowl?
I am not sure if some of you recognize this particular chili. I made it last year for the big game and this year I will make another kind but thought I should give a recipe in advance if you are planning ahead.
It is a very busy week for me- my darling daughter turns seven on Thursday and initially I was planning to bake cupcakes for her class as well as her party on Saturday. As the week came upon me, I realized I will be baking 4 dozen cupcakes- somehow that didn’t sound very pleasant to me. I was initially very excited about baking all the cupcakes but the thought of 20 kids in her class eating just a bit of a cupcake and throwing the rest away was not a pleasant one. All that work and effort will go right in the garbage- so I decided to buy the cupcakes for the class instead- of course I talked to my daughter first and she was okay with it. A little less work for me this week- so it opens up some time for me to plan a meal for the Super Bowl.
I think if I had a bit more time I would come up with something very different. For now the plan is to make a chili verde- which is a Mexican stew made with pork shoulder in a tomatillo sauce. Doesn’t that sound wonderful? I can’t wait to make it and taste it- I think I will make it on Saturday because soups, stews taste better the next day. I will be using this recipe as an inspiration- so if you are so inclined- you can do the same.
I will also make some guacamole and corn bread. Although beer is the beverage of choice for the big day- I will stick to wine, thank you very much.
If I can get my act together- I will post the chili recipe at the end of the week. Now that I have shared what I will be making, I want to know what you will be making for the big game?? Please share and give everyone more ideas…. No matter what you do or eat- remember to enjoy the Super Bowl but do try to eat healthy.