charred broccoli gaucamole

did you guys see the controversy in the news about adding peas to your guacamole? long story short is that the new york times posted a guacamole recipe that included peas. seems harmless to me. apparently not! america was outraged - even president obama commented on the matter! totally ridiculous in my opinion, especially since i'm currently obsessed with this charred broccoli guacamole i've been making once per week for the last month.

i first saw the recipe in a magazine while getting my hair done. i took a quick picture of the article - realizing later i only clipped a picture of the ingredients - not the directions. i couldn't find the recipe again online, so i just sort of winged it. 

easy dish, endless possibilities, and hello to more veggies! YUM.

recipe adapted from real simple

ingredients

1 large bunch of broccoli, cut into florets

1 jalapeno, diced

2 ripe avocados, pitted and peeled

1/2 cup chopped red onion

3-6 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1/4 cup chopped cilantro (if desired)

kosher salt

pepper

tortilla chips for serving

directions

1. heat grill to high.

2. place broccoli florets on grill pan, and grill for roughly 10-15 minutes until soft and charred. 

stir a couple times. remove from grill and cool.

3. meanwhile, mash avocados, jalapenos, onion, and cilantro (if using). 

add salt, pepper and lime juice to taste.

4. once charred broccoli is cooled, chop finely. 

add broccoli into gauc mixture. mix well.

5. serve with chips.

cilantro lime pulled chicken tacos

guess where i'm going today??

one of my favorite places... the oregon coast!!

(photos from our 2011 trip)

because i love summer so very much,

it's important to make summer cooking easy and enjoyable.

(think: shorter time in the kitchen, means longer time in the sunshine!)

two words: slow cooker! :)

ingredients

1 16oz jar salsa

1 package dry taco seasoning mix

1 lime, juiced

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

 recipe via all recipes

directions

1. add salsa, taco mix, lime and cilantro to slow cooker. stir.

2. add chicken and coat with salsa mixture

3. cover and cook on high for 4 hours, or on low for about 6 hours,

or until chicken is tender and pulls apart easily.

4. shred chicken with two forks and mix with remaining salsa mixture.

5. serve in a tortilla with all your favorite toppings :)

la carta de oaxaca

if i had to eat mexican food every day for the rest of my life,

pretty sure i would be VERY happy (and large).

especially with amazing places like oaxaca.

located in ballard on the main drag,

you will fall in love with this place the moment you walk in the door.

it's a good sign when...

1. there are always people waiting outside for a table

2. the wait staff all speak english as a second language

reason? the food is AMAZING and super authentic.

read about the region of oaxaca here.

we enjoyed...

steak tacos

halibut tacos

check it out :)

slow cooker chipotle pork

i recently ate this:

ingredients

1/2 cup chopped onion

Click to see savings

1 1/2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

9 large garlic cloves, peeled

3 chipotle chiles, canned in adobo sauce

1 lime

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 (1 1/4-pound) boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt), trimmed

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth

original recipe via cooking light.

tweaks by me :)

directions

1. combine first 6 ingredients in a food processor; pulse until finely chopped.

peel and section lime over a bowl, catching juices; discard peel.

add lime juice, lime sections, and 1 tablespoon olive oil to food processor; process until smooth.

2. add pork and ingredients to slow cooker, covering meat.

3. cook on low or high... until pork is tender.

shred pork with two forks and mix with remaining sauce.

4. we ate this in tacos, and it was DELICIOUS!!!

breakfast burritos

can't think of a better way to start cinco de mayo than with a breakfast burrito!

here is my amazing made up burrito recipe :)

ingredients

1/2 pound awesome peppered bacon

(i love hemplers)

fresh homemade tortillas

(i get mine at the local market)

1 ripe avocado

8 eggs

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper (any color)

1/4 cup chopped green onion

salt & pepper as desired

1/2 cup shredded sharp white cheddar

(serves about 2 really hungry adults)

directions

1. cook up your bacon

drain on paper towels, let cool, chop.

2. mix together eggs, peppers, green onions, salt & pepper.

3. cook eggs until just done in the same pan you cooked the bacon.

(secret trick for awesome flavors)

4. assemble burrito with the following:

egg mixture

chopped bacon

sliced avocado

sharp white cheddar

5. warm in the microwave for 30 seconds,

just until all ingredients are warmed up

6. enjoy!! :)

other things you might enjoy on this festive holiday... :)

my famous sangria

a margarita or two

mexiprize

poblano jalepeno chili

chicken enchilada caserole

chicken enchiladas, take two

guacamole

chunky salsa

cheers!

chunky salsa

along with the homemade guac i made this week,

i also enjoyed a new chunky salsa recipe.

i loved all the ingredients and flavors :)

ingredients

1 (11 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 (4 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained

1 1/2 cups diced roma tomatoes

3/4 cup diced red onion

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 1/2 teaspoons minced jalapeno pepper

1 avocados - peeled, pitted and diced

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon salt

(recipe via all recipes)

directions

1. gently stir together all ingredients.

2. salt, pepper, and lime to taste! :)

i really enjoyed this!

next time, i think i will double the corn and half the olives.

then it will be perf! :)

chicken enchiladas

those of you that know me know i love mexican food.

like... conversation normally goes like this:

anybody/anytime: what should we get for lunch/dinner/happy hour?

me: mexican??? (saying it like a question as if i'm open to other ideas)

LOL.

so both saturday and sunday night i enjoyed mexican food. what else?

for how simple this recipe was, i really loved it.

although the dish had lots of ingredients during the beginning,

i really loved the flavors this added, while not overcomplicating the dish itself.

it was tried and true and pretty healthy.

really loved this a lot.

ingredients

3 cups cold water

2 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns

5 garlic cloves, crushed

4  (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped

1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 jalapeno pepper, halved

1/2 medium onion, cut into wedges

1 (7-ounce) can salsa verde

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1 cup chopped seeded tomato

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

4 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened

12 (6-inch) corn tortillas

  cooking spray

1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded


(i increased the chicken breasts from 2 to 4, doubled the cheese,
and would have cut the water from 4 cups to three cups)

*recipe courtesy of cooking light*

directions

1. combine first 9 ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat; bring to a simmer.

cook 8 minutes or until chicken is done.

2. remove chicken from pan using a slotted spoon; let stand 10 minutes.

shred the chicken, and set aside.  drain cooking liquid through a sieve over a bowl;

reserve cooking liquid. discard solids.

3. combine reserved cooking liquid and salsa verde in a saucepan;

bring to a boil over medium-high heat. cook until reduced to 1 1/2 cups (about 30 minutes).

reduce heat to low; stir in whipping cream. place pan over low heat.

4. preheat oven to 400 degrees.

5. place chicken in a medium bowl.

add tomato and next 5 ingredients (through cream cheese) to chicken; toss.

(you're going to need to turn your head for this one. ha!)

6. dip each tortilla in sauce mixture for 10 seconds.

fill each tortilla with about 1/3 cup chicken mixture; roll up.

arrange filled tortillas, seam side down, in an 11 x 7–inch glass

or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray.

7. spoon sauce over tortillas; top evenly with cheddar cheese.

bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

enjoy! :)