Cinco de Mayo

Today is May 5th. Happy Cinco de Mayo!.

For some it's about all the margaritas and salsa you can handle. At the office we are also celebrating with a food day.
I have made a couple of dishes as well.

One is the Cous Cous cheesy casserole from the Chopped contest and the other is Cowboy Caviar.

Remember the Chopped Food Network contest had to do with what you can make with chicken tenders, cheese, cous cous and salsa.
If you don't know, cous cous is a middle eastern wheat product. When you open the package it looks like sand. Israeli cous cous looks like small pearls. 
It is usually l made with olive oil, herbs, and veggies. Cous cous by itself has a neutral taste so for this  dish, we give a Mexican taste.

Cheesy Chicken Cous Cous.

• 1 box of cous cous
• 4 cusps chicken stock
• 1 small can green chiles
• 1/3 cup green chili salsa
• 1/3 cup medium salsa
• 3 cups of shredded cheese, Mexican blend is best
• 2 Tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 cup diced chicken
• hot water

In a medium large stock pot add the chicken stock, salsas, olive oil and green chillies. Bring to a boil, add the cous cous, and turn off the heat.
Let stand for 5 minutes . Stir in the cheese. If it seems too thick add just a little hot water.

Sever and enjoy.

Chili and Cheese Chops

Sometimes you just feel like being a little spicy. Besides it is good for the sinuses. right? I changed the origanal just a little; instead of separate salsa and green chilies, I add a small can of tomoatoes and green chillies. Something like Rotel. I also added 1/2 a bell pepper and a small onion.

 

This does up the carbs al little, but that's ok, the origanal only has 3.5 grams. By the way this serves 4, if you have some veggies with it.

 

Ingredients:

 

1 Teaspoon canola oil

14 Ounce-weights pork chops
1/4 Cup salsa
2 1/4 Ounce-weights diced green chilies, canned
1 Teaspoon ground cumin
1/3 Cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 Tablespoons cream cheese



Directions

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season chops with salt and pepper. Brown chops about 2 minutes per side.

Combine salsa, chilies and cumin in a bowl. Pour mixture over chops. Reduce heat to low, cover skillet and simmer chops 5 minutes or until cooked through.

Mix cheeses in a bowl. Divide cheese mixture over chops, cover and cook 1 minute, just until cheese melts.



 

 

Taco Soup

I love a good hardy soup on a cold day. Don't you?  and we all love Paula!


Recipe courtesy Paula Deen



 

.Prep Time:15 minInactive Prep Time:-- Cook Time:6 hr 0 minLevel:


EasyServes:


12 to 16 servings.Ingredients


2 pounds ground beef
2 cups diced onions
2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans pinto beans
1 (15 1/2-ounce) can pink kidney beans
1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can tomatoes with chiles
2 (4 1/2-ounce) cans diced green chiles
1 (4.6-ounce) can black olives, drained and sliced, optional
1/2 cup green olives, sliced, optional
1 (1 1/4-ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (1-ounce) package ranch salad dressing mix
Corn chips, for serving
Sour cream, for garnish
Grated cheese, for garnish
Chopped green onions, for garnish
Pickled jalapenos, for garnish


Directions


Brown the ground beef and onions in a large skillet; drain the excess fat, then transfer the browned beef and onions to a large slow cooker or a stockpot. Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, green chiles, black olives, green olives, taco seasoning, and ranch dressing mix, and cook in a slow cooker on low for 6 to 8 hours or simmer over low heat for about 1 hour in a pot on the stove. To serve, place a few corn chips in each bowl and ladle soup over them. Top with sour cream, cheese, green onions and jalapenos.






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Lunch at the Star Light Lounge

There are times when you have a taste for something, like good Mexican food, you need to skip the chains, and head for the smaller, “Mom and Pop” type restaurants. Sometimes you might even find the best food in taverns and bars.


My first summer in Denver,  I had just that experience.  We wanted Mexican food, and was directed to a tavern style eatery. We called it the “Star light lounge”. I don’t remember if that was its real name…

This place had a bar on one side and a small restaurant on the other. Even though the look of the place was not something we’d expected,  small, brightly painted, with a black ceiling with silver sparkles all over it, and not one word of English spoke in the bar. our meal was incredibly good. The chips were hand made and warm. And the salsa was just the right amount of spicy and tangy-sweet.

For the main entre we had chicken and green chili burritos. All I can say is Oh, My God! I had Mexican food before, and I spent some time in Colorado when I was little, that’s how a developed a taste for it. To start with the burrito was huge. The chicken was shredded and mixed with peppers and cheese, and smothered with a topping of cheese and sour cream.

There have been other chicken enchiladas, and other burritos, but that was the best.


This is my version, based on taste, it is very close.

1 lb chicken breasts without bone or skin
1 can green chills, mild heat save the juice.
1 cup sour cream
½ jalapeño seeded and chopped
½ small green peppers chopped
½ small onion, chopped.
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 cup cooked chili beans
½ cup chicken stock
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded
½ cup Monterey jack cheese shredded.
8 large tortillas
Salt and pepper to taste





Place chicken in a baking dish. Add the broth, 1Tablespoon of the onions and 1 tablespoon of the green peppers 1 tsp of the chopped chilies, and the juice from the green chili can. Cover with plastic and set in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350. Take plastic off chicken. Add the chilies, the onions, garlic, cumin, chili powder, and peppers. Bake for 30 minutes. When the chicken is cool, shred the chicken with a fork. Add salt and pepper to taste Mix the shredded chicken with the pepper mixture

To ensemble, scoop 3 tablespoons of beans  and 2 oz of chicken on each tortilla. Add 3 oz of cheese and 1 tablespoon of sour cream, fold up. Add burritos to a clean baking; add the rest of the sour cream and the cheese. Bake 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.