Tostadas Salsa Verde

 

Oh, how I love this dish.  First of all, Brad and I adore Mexican food.  We make it a point to fit it into our schedules at least once a week, if not more.  Secondly, this dish is so easy and flavorful, that I made it three times within the same week.  See, we had extra ingredients on hand after the first night, and I didn't want them to go to waste.  The solution?  Enjoy it multiple times, of course!

Making use of a rotisserie chicken makes this meal even easier.  If you can't get your hands on a rotisserie chicken, simply poach some chicken breasts ahead of time and shred the meat.  In fact, that's what the original recipe called for.

The tortillas are covered with shredded cheese and then baked to crispy, cheesy perfection.  Then, they are topped with a mixture of tender chicken, salsa verde, fresh cilantro and ground cumin.  This all bakes in the oven until piping hot, and then it's served with a mountain of shredded lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream on top.

Um, yum!

It sort of reminded me of a Mexican pizza of sorts.  You'll love this, folks!

Bon Appetit, my friends!

Tostadas Salsa Verde
Adapted from:  Great Food Fast by Martha Stewart, pg. 211

Ingredients:
4 (6-inch) flour tortillas
3 ounces shredded (3/4 cup) pepper Jack cheese
2 1/2 cups (10 ounces) shredded chicken (from a rotisserie chicken)
1 cup jarred green salsa, plus more for serving
1/4 cup chopped, plus 2 tablespoons cilantro
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
3 plum tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup sour cream

Directions:Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange tortillas on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle cheese evenly over tortillas; bake until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, toss together chicken, salsa, 1/4 cup cilantro, and cumin. Spoon mixture evenly over tortillas; bake until heated through, about 8 minutes.

Top with lettuce, tomato, and sour cream. Sprinkle with remaining cilantro. Serve immediately, with additional green salsa, if desired. 

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Fish Tacos with Pan-Seared Mahi-Mahi

I recently saw a gorgeous photo of fish tacos that literally made my mouth water.   Ever since, I've been craving them like something fierce!  For the life of me, I can't remember where I saw that photo....I think it might have been a restaurant advertisement.  I keep thinking I'll see the photo again, but not so far.

Plus, the May issue of Food Network Magazine ran a special section on tacos, with 50 Taco Recipes.  Well, after seeing that original photo and seeing all the delicious taco options in FN mag, I've been on somewhat of a taco kick.  Do you ever get on food kicks?  

Well, fish tacos were at the very tip-top of my taco list, so I came up with the recipe below.  I have to say that they came out quite scrumptious...Gorgeous to look at with an incredibly fresh and citrusy flavor.  The creamy guacamole, paired with the fresh lime and cilantro in the pico de gallo results in a stellar combination.

Brad and I even made a special trip to our local fish market to pick out the perfect mahi-mahi filets.   You don't necessarily have to use mahi-mahi.  If you have another favorite, that's a-okay.  You'll just want to use a thick cut of a fish that's not too flaky. 

These have earned a spot on my top-rated recipes...You'll really LOVE these!

Bon Appetit, my friends!!

Fish Tacos with Pan-Seared Mahi-Mahi

Ingredients:

Fresh guacamole (recipe below)

Fresh Pico de Gallo (recipe below)

1 small head red cabbage, shredded

2 tbsp vegetable oil

3 tbsp fresh lime juice

2 lbs. mahi mahi, cut crosswise into 1-inch strips

1 tbsp butter 

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt & pepper, to taste

Ten 7-inch tortillas, warmed

Directions:

Prepare the fresh guacamole and pico de gallo according to the recipes below.  Put both into the fridge until ready to use.

In a large bowl, toss the cabbage with the 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and 2 tablespoons of the lime juice. Season with salt and pepper.  Set to the side.

Add the butter and olive oil to a medium skillet and melt over medium heat.  Season the strips of mahi mahi with salt and pepper, and add them to the skillet.  Cook for approximately 8-10 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through, turning once.  Drizzle the fish with the remaining 1 tbsp of lime juice.  Once cooked, remove from the heat and put to the side.  

To assemble the tacos:

Spread about 1 tbsp of the guacamole on one half of a warmed tortilla.  Top with several strips of mahi-mahi, along with a large spoonful of the cabbage slaw.  Finish it off with a large spoonful of pico de gallo.

Serve with lime wedges.

Enjoy!

Fresh Guacamole

Ingredients:

2 Hass avocados, halved, pitted and peeled

Juice of 1 lime

2 tbsp. minced red onion

2 tbsp. chopped cilantro

1 tomato, diced

Salt & pepper, to taste

Extra Cilantro, for garnish

Directions:

In a medium bowl, mash the avocados with a fork.  Add the lime juice, red onion, cilantro and tomato.  Stir well.  Season with salt & pepper, to taste.

Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the guacamole until ready to use.  (This will help prevent it from changing color).  Garnish with a fresh sprig of cilantro.

Enjoy!

Pico de Gallo

Ingredients:

1 large tomato, diced into small pieces

1/2 red onion, diced

1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Fresh lime juice, to taste

Directions:

Mix all ingredients. Stir well and chill in the fridge. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips!

 

 

 

 

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Fresh Guacamole

When summertime draws near, I find myself craving light, citrusy and fruity flavors.  This recipe for fresh guacamole hits all the right marks this time of year.  It's great in everything from Fish Tacos (which will be my next post!) to simply served alongside your favorite tortilla chips.

Plus, avocados are packed with health benefits.  Although avocados have a high fat content, it is mostly the healthy, monounsaturated fat.  Avocados can also help you to maintain a healthy heart, lower your cholesterol levels, as well as help fight against cancer and inflammation.  Check out these 15 Health Benefits of Avocados.

This particular recipe for Guacamole is my favorite way to make it.  I love the bright splash of lime juice, paired with the creamy avocado and fresh cilantro.  Juicy tomatoes are the perfect way to finish it off.

Bon Appetit!

Fresh Guacamole

Ingredients:

2 Hass avocados, halved, pitted and peeled

Juice of 1 lime

2 tbsp. minced red onion

2 tbsp. chopped cilantro

1 tomato, diced

Salt & pepper, to taste

Extra Cilantro, for garnish

Directions:

In a medium bowl, mash the avocados with a fork.  Add the lime juice, red onion, cilantro and tomato.  Stir well.  Season with salt & pepper, to taste.

Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the guacamole until ready to use.  (This will help prevent it from changing color).  Garnish with a fresh sprig of cilantro.

Enjoy!

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Celebrate Cinco de Mayo!

We love Mexican food around our house.  It's delicious, inexpensive, and seems to always hit the spot.   So, in honor of Cinco de Mayo this year, what do you say we celebrate with one of the following Mexican-inspired recipes?  These are all favorites that I've previously blogged about and enjoyed.  Gosh...I'm getting hungry just writing this post!

Now, go get those margarita glasses ready and have some fun!

Mexican Lasagne

Nacho Spuds

Chicken Fajitas & Homemade Flour Tortillas 

Fresh Pico de Gallo with Homemade Tortilla Chips

Authentic Beef Enchiladas 

Emeril's Shredded Chicken Nachos

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

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Mexican Lasagne

How do mexican ingredients piled into tall layers in between soft flour tortillas sound?  Oh, yes...that is the deliciousness that is Mexican Lasagne!  

A yummy sauce packed with onion, red bell pepper and tomatoes is used, along with a filling of black beans, sweet corn, and cheddar cheese to make the lasagne-like layers.  And what to use instead of pasta...?  Well, soft flour tortillas are just perfect.  They dissolve just enough to almost taste like soft cheese in between the layers.  Who knew??

Nigella tops hers off with a fresh Avocado Salsa that sounds divine.  Unfortunately, I didn't have the needed ingredients for the salsa, so I couldn't make it.  However, I served mine with a fresh salad of chopped lettuce, tomatoes, and a dollop of sour cream...just like they do at my favorite Mexican restaurant.  It was perfection on a plate!

And leftovers?  Yep...this lasagne is even better the next day, after all those flavors have had time to meld together.

One addition I did make was ground turkey.  I simply added it as part of the sauce and cooked it along with the onions and red bell pepper in step 1.  I also had to drain a little of the water out of the sauce, to avoid it being too runny.

Bon Appetit, my friends!  :)

I tore the tortillas into pieces so that there were no gaps.

A layer of filling...

Then a layer of sauce...

Top it all off with shredded cheddar cheese...

 

And voila!

Mexican Lasagne

Source:  Nigella Kitchen by Nigella Lawson

Ingredients:

Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon garlic flavoured oil
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 green chiles, chopped, with seeds
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt or 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro stalks
• 2 (14-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, plus 1   2/3 cups water to rinse out empty cans
• 1 tablespoon ketchup 
• I added 1 lb. of cooked, ground turkey

Filling:

• 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 1/4 cups drained canned corn, from about 1   1/2 (15-ounce cans)
• 2 1/2 cups grated mature goats Cheddar, or cheese of your choice
• 8 soft flour tortillas (approximately 10-inch diameter)
• 1 round ovenproof dish, approximately 10 inches diameter and 2   1/4 inches deep
• Avocado Salsa, for serving, recipe follows

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, slipping in a cookie sheet at the same time. 

For the sauce: Heat the oil in a saucepan on the stove and fry the onion, bell pepper and chiles (along with ground beef or turkey like I did...until meat is cooked through). Add the salt and cook gently for 15 minutes, and once soft, add the chopped cilantro stalks. 

Add the canned tomatoes then rinse the cans out with water and add this too. Spoon in the ketchup and let things come to a simmer, leaving the sauce (or salsa in keeping with the Mexican mojo) to cook while you get on with preparing the filling- about 10 minutes. 

For the filling: 

Mix the drained beans and canned corn in a bowl. Add most of the grated cheese, reserving some to sprinkle on the top at the end, and mix together. 

Start to assemble the lasagne by spooning about a third of the salsa into the bottom of your ovenproof dish and smear it about, then layer on 2 tortillas so that they cover the sauce overlapping slightly, like a Venn diagram. 

Add a third of the beans and cheese mixture covering the tortillas, and then about a quarter of the remaining salsa and another 2 tortillas. 

Repeat with another third of beans and cheese, and more salsa before layering on another 2 tortillas. 

Finally, add the last layer of beans and cheese, nearly all of the remaining salsa and cover with the last 2 tortillas. Spread the very last bit of salsa over the tortillas and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. 

Place on top of the cookie sheet in the oven (to catch any over-flow from the lasagne) and bake for 30 minutes, and let it rest for a good 10 to 15 minutes before slicing like a pizza, and eat with the avocado salsa. 

Make Ahead Note: The lasagne can be assembled 1 day ahead. Cool the tomato salsa before assembling. Cover dish tightly with plastic and refrigerate until needed. Bake as directed in recipe, allowing an extra 5 to 10 minutes baking time and checking the lasagne is piping hot in centre before removing from oven. 

Freeze Note: The assembled but uncooked lasagne can be frozen for up to 3 months. Wrap dish tightly in double layer of plastic and a layer of aluminium foil. Thaw overnight in fridge and cook as above. 

Further Note: Leftovers should be covered and refrigerated as soon as possible. To reheat, put individual slices in ovenproof dish, cover with foil and reheat in oven preheated to 350 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes. Check the lasagne is piping hot before serving. Wedges of leftover lasagne can be frozen for up to 2 months, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and then either in foil or in resealable bag. Thaw overnight in refrigerator and reheat as above. 

Avocado Salsa

• 2 avocados
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons chopped green jalepenos from a jar or can
• Salt
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro

Halve the avocados, remove the pits, and then, using the tip of a sharp knife, cut lines down the flesh of each half, about a 1/4-inch apart and then the same across. Turn the avocado halves inside out, or otherwise release the pale green cubes into a bowl, then tumble in the scallion, chopped jalepenos, salt to taste, lime juice and most of the cilantro and toss gently to mix. Taste to see if any more salt is needed before scattering with the remaining cilantro and taking to the table.

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