Cheesy Crab, Shrimp and Artichoke Dip

Tip: Read directions completely before preparing.

Ingredients:

1 cup shrimp, cooked, peeled and chopped

1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1 (6 oz) can crab meat

1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded

1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1/2 cup green onions, chopped

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 teaspoon salt

paprika

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together Cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, artichoke hearts, green onions, garlic, salt, mayonnaise, crab meat and shrimp.

Place mixture in a approximately 6 1/2" x 11" baking dish.  Spread out mixture evenly and sprinkle with paprika.

Bake in the preheated oven 25 - 30 minutes, or until bubbling and lightly browned.  Enjoy!

Tip:  Did you know the artichokes are nutrient dense, so, for the 25 calories in a medium artichoke, you can get 16 essential nutrients!

Turkey Herb and Spice Butter

Tip:  Read directions completely before preparing.

Ingredients:

1 stick butter, (1/2 cup) softened

2 teaspoons, fresh thyme, minced

2 teaspoons, fresh rosemary, minced

2 teaspoons, fresh sage, minced

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

½ teaspoon, white pepper, freshly ground

2 teaspoons, comino (cumin) seeds, freshly ground

Directions:

Place butter, minced herbs, and spices in small bowl, stir until thoroughly mixed.

Tip:  Slide hand between skin and breast meat to loosen skin.  Rub 4 tablespoons of the Turkey Herb and Spice Butter over breast meat under skin.  Rub remaining herb butter over outside of turkey.   This butter can also be used for baking hens, chicken, and quail!  Use the dripping for making your gravy!

Green Chile Corn Casserole

Tip:  Read directions completely before preparing.

Ingredients:

1 - 15 ounce, can sweet corn, liquid drained

1 - 15 ounce, can cream-style corn

½ small sweet onion, diced

1 - 8 ounce, package Jiffy corn muffin mix

1 cup, sour cream

2 large eggs, beaten

1/2 stick, butter, melted

2 cups, mild cheddar cheese, finely shredded

1 - 4 ounce, chopped mild green chili’s

no-stick cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl add 1 cup cheese, and all other ingredients.  Stir together until well combined.

Pour into a no-stick sprayed, 9” X13” casserole dish. 

Bake for 55-60 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through, remove from oven.  Cooking time varies depending on oven and casserole dish used.  Be sure to cook through.  Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup of cheese and place back in the oven.

Let cheese melt and turn a nice golden light brown!  Serve warm!  Enjoy!

Tip:  You can also add jalapenos or red pepper flakes to make it spicier!

Green Chili



Tip:  Read directions completely before preparing

Ingredients:

4 (4 oz) cans of Hatch Fire Roasted Green Chilies, chopped coarsely
1 (14-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained, coarsely chopped
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups chopped onions
6 large cloves garlic, minced finely
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons fresh ground comino (cumin) seeds
1 teaspoon celery salt
5 cups chicken stock
3 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
salt to taste

Directions:

Open cans of chilies and tomatoes, drain and chop coarsely, then set aside.

Chop onion coarsely and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in pressure cooker, over medium-high heat until shimmering, then add onions and cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 4 minutes.

Add garlic, comino, celery salt, cilantro and oregano and cook, stirring frequently until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add chopped chilies, tomatoes, only 3 1/2 cups of the chicken stock, and pork.  Seal pressure cooker and cook at high pressure for 20 minutes.  Safely release pressure as per pressure cooker instructions.

Remove lid from pressure cooker and skim off the fat.  Continue to cook without lid until liquid is reduced to half, about 30 - 35 minutes.

Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a small saucepan over medium heat, then add flour and using a whisk stir constantly until very light brown in color, about 3 minutes.  Slowly add remaining 1 1/2 cups of the chicken broth and stir constantly with whisk until it is smooth.

Once the liquid has reduced in the pressure cooker add the smooth flour mixture and stir well.

Lower heat to medium low and continue to simmer chili until desired texture is reached.  Season to taste with a little more salt.  Enjoy!

Tip:  You can enjoy this Green Chili recipe dish by itself or pour over breakfast eggs and top with Monterey Jack cheese!  Also use as a sauce for Green Chili Enchiladas!  Best of all, use it to make Sloppers!  Whether they be Hotdog Sloppers or Hamburger Sloppers!  Place a hotdog in a bun, cover with shredded cheese and pour a ladle or 2 or Green Chili over the hotdog!  Same for burger!  That's a Slopper!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Tip: Read directions completely before preparing.

Ingredients:

1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

1 cup cabbage, thinly sliced

1/2 cup cilantro, leaves removed from stems

1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped

2 green onions (scallions), chopped

1 large Hass Avocado, cut in 1/2 - 1 inch cubes

1 lime, cut into 8

1 cup tortilla chip strips

4 chicken thighs, boneless, skinless

8 cups water

1 tablespoon chicken bouillon

1 teaspoon salt

1 large clove garlic, finely minced

1/8 teaspoon comino (cumin), fresh ground

Directions:

Chop, slice, cube and shred your vegetables as describe in ingredients (onion, cabbage, scallions, cilantro, avocado, lime and cheese). Set aside.

Cut chicken thighs into approximately a little less than 1/2 inch, chunks.

In a 5 1/2 quart pot, bring 8 cups of water to boil. Add chicken, fresh ground comino (cumin), minced garlic, chicken bouillon, and salt. Let boil for 10 minutes, then lower heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.

To plate, in a large soup bowl, ladle 2 cups chicken and broth, make sure the broth is very hot before ladling. Add 1/4 of each into the bowl, cheese, avocado, scallions, cabbage, red onion, and then top with tortilla chips. Enjoy!

Servings: 4

Tip:  What could be better on a cold day then a bowl of fresh, hot homemade soup. A soup that is quick to make, flavorful, and filling!

You can either buy the tortilla chip strips from you favorite grocer. They are usually stocked in the vegetable or salad department. Or you can cut and fry your own using fresh corn tortillas!

Baked Yuca and Potato Fries

Tip:  Read directions completely before preparing.

Ingredients:

1 lb. peeled potatoes (1 large potato)

1 lb. peeled yuca (1 large yuca)

3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon ground cumin (comino)

¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt

Directions:

Prepare the potatoes, by peeling off the skin and cutting into thin French fry cuts, and set aside.

Prepare the yuca, by cutting of the ends, peeling off the tough waxy skin, including the pinkish-purplish layer.

Cut into three-inch sections, then in half and boil for 10-15 minutes, until fork-tender and the ends start to split open a little bit.   Remove from water and let cool.

Once the yuca has cooled, remove the thin, woody stock that runs through the middle.  Slice into fry cuts, then set aside.

In a large bowl add, olive oil, coriander, cumin, black pepper, and coarse Kosher salt, then mix thoroughly.

Place potatoes and yuca in bowl with olive oil mixture and thoroughly coat all the fries.  Being gentle, so as to not breaking up the yuca.  Let potatoes and yuca sit in bowl for about 10 minutes, while oven preheats at 425 degrees.  Then place them on a large dark non-stick sprayed rimmed cookie pan.

Bake in oven for minutes for 20 minutes or until slightly brown, and tender, turning once after 10 minutes.  Enjoy!

Servings:  4

Tip:  Serve warm with hot sauce or an aioli.  For my dipping sauce, I used ½ cup mayo, ½ cup ketchup and 2 teaspoons of garlic paste and mixed thoroughly!  

Chicken in Nutty Cumin Gravy

This is one of my favorite chicken recipes.  Great with fresh homemade tortillas to dip into the gravy! It has the nice nutty smoky flavor of the comino.

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

1 teaspoon cumin (comino)

2 large gloves garlic

1 tablespoon of oil, preferable the Colavita Garlic Oil Blend

2 teaspoons chicken bouillon

2 cups water

2 tablespoons flour

4 leg and thigh quarters
salt to taste

Tip: Read complete directions first, before cooking.

Directions:

Wash chicken and sprinkle just a bit of salt and pepper. Begin to heat a 10" - 12" non-stick skillet on medium high. Add the oil. Add the chicken leg thigh quarters to the pan, skin side down. Should sizzle a bit. Cover the pan and lower the heat to medium. Brown the chicken, approximately 7 - 10 minutes on each side

As the chicken is browning, in a molcajete (mortar and pestal), grind the peeled garlic gloves, comino (cumin) and black peppercorns. Once ground into a paste, add 1 cup of water and swish it around the molcajete or mortar to remove all the paste and pour in another bowl. Add the chicken bouillon and other cup of water into the bowl and stir.

Garlic Gloves, Black Peppercorns and Comino (Cumin)

Spices in the Molcajete

Spices and garlic ground to a paste.

Once the second batch of  chicken browns, remove from the pan. Place pan back on stove on medium high heat. Into the drippings of the pan stir in 2 tablespoons of flour. Stir with a wire whisk until the flour has thickened a bit and turns a very light brown, stir constantly. Once browned, slowly pour in the bowl of water with the spices and chicken bouillon. It will be begin to thicken, continue to stir until you get a smooth gravy.

Flour browning.

Smooth Gravy

Last 15 minutes of cooking with chicken and gravy in pan.

Place the chicken back in the pan, lower the heat and simmer on low for another 15 minutes.  Taste and add additional salt to taste if needed.  Enjoy!

Servings: 4

Tip: A molcajete (Mexican Spanish, from Nahuatl mulcazitl) is a stone tool, the traditional Mexican version of the mortar and pestle tool.