Tomatillo Salsa

I was making some street style tacos with carne asada, chopped onion, lime, and cilantro. I wanted to add some more flavor and spice so I tried out a salsa made from tomatillos instead of tomato. The tomatillos added a really nice acidity which brightened up the whole dish. Took me about 10 minutes to make and was really easy. 

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs tomatillos, outer papery husks removed
1/2 cup chopped white onion
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup cilantro leaves (or parsley)
2 jalapeno peppers or 1 serrano pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut in half
1 tbsp. lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cut the tomatillos in half and place cut side down on a foil lined baking sheet. Add garlic cloves in their skin as well as the jalapenos to the sheet tray. Place under broiler for about 5 minutes until the tomatillos and jalapenos are slightly blackened. Remove from pan and allow to cool. 

2. While tomatillos, garlic and jalapeno roast, put all other ingredients into a blender. 

3. Once cooled to the touch, roughly chop jalapeno and add to blender. Remove garlic skins, roughly chop, and add to blender. Add tomatillos to blender. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to blender.

4. Blend everything together using the pulse button. Combine until desired texture is reached. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust if needed. 

5. Put salsa into a air tight container and allow to cool in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Serve over some tacos or enchiladas and enjoy. 

Seared Tuna with Avocado, Soy, and Jalapeno Dressing

I was super lucky to be given a bunch of fresh tuna - thanks Bucky! I typically like to eat tuna in poke so I did some of the same flavors with a pan seared tuna and rice. When searing the tuna, make sure to count in your head how long you cook each side to make the sear as even as possible on both sides. 

2 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped

1/2 jalapeno, sliced (keep seeds and ribs if you want more spice)

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

1 garlic clove, grated

1 limes, juiced

1/2 tsp sugar

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 (6-ounce) block sushi-quality tuna

1 ripe avocado, halved, peeled, pitted, and sliced

1 cup white rice, cooked according to package directions

Directions: 

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the cilantro, jalapeno, ginger, garlic, lime juice, soy sauce, sugar, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Stir the ingredients together until well incorporated.

2. Place a skillet over medium-high heat and coat with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season the tuna generously with salt and pepper. Lay the tuna in the hot oil and sear for 1 minute on each side to form a slight crust. Pour 1/2 of the cilantro mixture into the pan to coat the fish. Serve the seared tuna with the sliced avocado and the remaining cilantro sauce drizzled over the whole plate.

Lemon Orzo Pasta with Chicken, Spinach, and Tomatoes

I found this pasta in a 30 Minute Meals book with Rachel Ray. She had a different dressing for the pasta but I liked the idea of cooking the thinly sliced spinach in the pasta. I went with a lemon dressing for the pasta since it would add some nice brightness to this summer dish. You could make this a main course by adding some grilled chicken or keep it vegetarian for a great make ahead side dish.

Ingredients:

Dressing:
2 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, grated or finely minced
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. red chili flakes
1/2 tsp. italian seasoning

Pasta:
1/2 lb orzo pasta
1 cup fresh spinach, thinly sliced
1/2 lb cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup shredded chicken, optional
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 Tbsp chopped basil

Directions:
1. Boil a large pot of salted water. Combine all dressing ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk together until combined. Set aside.

2. Cook orzo pasta according to package directions. (Typically 4-6 minutes depending on the brand).

3. While pasta cooks, thinly slice spinach leaves and halve cherry tomatoes. Add to bowl with dressing but wait to stir together.

4. Once pasta is cooked, drain excess water and add to bowl with dressing and veggies. Toss everything together. The goal is for the hot pasta to slightly wilt the spinach and warm the tomatoes. The pasta will soak up some of the dressing. Add in half of the parmesan cheese and basil and stir gently until combined.

5. Take pasta mixture and put on a plate. Top with reserved parmesan cheese and basil. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Chocolate Chip Cookies - Hilton Hotels Recipe

So it's quarantine, which means restaurants and hotels are releasing "secret" recipes. This cookie recipe is super similar to the one I normally make (the toll house cookie recipe) with two surprising ingredients - cinnamon and lemon juice! The small additions of those flavors really elevated the cookie! The Hilton recipe has rolled oats and walnuts which I left out.

Ingredients:
2 sticks of butter, at room temp
3/4 cup + 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Optional:
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup chopped walnuts, lightly toasted


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2. Add butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar to a bowl. Combine with an electric mixer until well mixed and slightly fluffy, 2-4 minutes.

3. Add eggs to butter mixture one at a time and mix until well combined. Add in vanilla extract and lemon and mix until combined.

4. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a small bowl (and rolled oats if using). With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture to butter mixture. Mix until just combined, do not over mix.

5. Add chocolate chips to dough (and walnuts if using). Stir gently by hand until mixed in.

6. Put balls of dough (about 2-3 tbsp) onto a parchment lined sheet pan. Bake in preheated oven for 20-23 minutes, turning sheet tray 180 half way through for even cooking.

7. Remove from oven and remove from pan. Serve slightly warm, maybe with some ice cream.

Chicken Tetrazinni - Keene Family Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 pound angle hair pasta
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup water
3 Tbsp. grated parmesan
3 Tbsp. white wine
2 cups shredded chicken
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 Tbsp olive oil

Directions:

Make Ahead:
Combine soup, cheese, water, and chicken in a bowl. Add in sour cream and wine. Stir everything until combined but be careful to break up chicken too much. Cover with plastic wrap and store in fridge for up to 24 hours.

When Ready to Eat:
1. Preheat an oven to 350. Remove sauce from fridge to bring to room temp. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

2. Once boiling, cook noodles to package direction. Combine cooked noodles into pre-made sauce.  Stir gently until everything is combined. Pour into a buttered baking dish.

3. Combine bread crumbs and olive oil in a small bowl. Top pasta with bread crumb mid. Bake for 30 minutes until heated through and bread crumbs are lightly toasted. Serve warm with a sprinkle of basil on top and a side of your favorite vegetables.

Fried Potato Balls - Potato Croquette

This recipe is courtesy of quarantine. I was bored, wanted a snack, had left over mashed potatoes, and wanted to try something new.

Ingredients:
1 cup left over mashed potatoes
1/4 cup shredded cheese (mozzarella or cheddar)
2 tsp. chives or parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 egg
1 cup panko bread crumbs
canola oil for frying

Directions:
1. Combine mashed potatoes, cheese, and half of herbs. Season with salt, pepper, cayenne and garlic powder. Stir until everything is well mixed.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk egg. In a third separate plate, lay out bread crumbs.

3. Roll mashed potato mixture into small 1 inch wide balls. Coat them lightly in egg and then coat them in bread crumbs tapping off the excess. Put onto a plate until ready to fry.

4. Preheat a saucepan full of canola oil to 350. Drop 2-3 breaded potato balls in a time into the hot oil. Fry for about 2-3 minutes until golden brown on all sides. Remove from oil and put onto a paper towel lined plate. Season with a pinch of salt while potato balls are still hot.

5. After frying all of the potato balls, move to a serving platter. Serve with some dipping sauces. I recommend ketchup, sour cream, or a garlic mayo. Top with remaining fresh herbs.

Proscuitto Wrapped Chicken with Pasta

With the pandemic going on, we're doing more meal kits. It's kind of like having to color with 4 crayons instead of your normal 64 but grateful to have food options at all. This one was from Hello Fresh. It was pretty quick to make and I plan to add this to my future arsenal.

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
4 slices proscuitto
1/2 cup mozarella
6 oz spaghetti
14 oz marinara sauce
1 tsp. italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. red chili flake
1 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 sprigs basil, leaves picked and thinly sliced

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

2. Wash and pat chicken dry with paper towels. Season with pepper. (avoid salt at this stage because the prosciutto is very salty). Lay two slices of prosciutto besides one another on a flat surface. Tightly roll prosciutto around chicken. Repeat with remaining prosciutto and chicken.

3. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large, preferably ovenproof, pan over medium-high heat. Add wrapped chicken (prosciutto seam down) and sear until browned, 2-3 minutes per side (it'll finish cooking in the next step).

4. Top seared chicken with mozzarella. Transfer oven safe pan to preheated oven on the top rack. Cook until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 155, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and set chicken aside to rest.

5. While chicken is roasting, cook the noodles. Once water is boiling, add spaghetti to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes.

5. Heat pan used for chicken over medium high heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil, italian seasoning and red chili flakes and cook until toasted, about 1 minute. Stir in marinara sauce and 1/4 cup of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook until lightly thickened, 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Stir spaghetti, half the basil, half the parmesan, and 1 tbsp. butter into sauce. Season generously with salt and pepper. Divide between two plates and top with chicken. Garnish with remaining basil and parmesan.