Dip March 7, 2011

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7 Layer Bean Dip:

 

Ingredients:

• 1 can refried beans
• 2 tablespoons Jalapeno juice
• 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup diced onions
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• Juice from 1 lime
• 1 large avocado
• 1 container of sour cream
• 1 cup shredded cheese
• 1/4 cup sliced olives
• 1/4 cup diced green onions
• Tortilla chips

Directions:

Heat refried beans on the stove top and add the jalapeno juice. Stir until nice and smooth. Add beans to a serving dish and spread out evenly.

Next make the guacamole. Combine 1/4 cup diced tomatoes, 1/4 cup diced onions, garlic cloves, lime juice and avocado. Stir until well combined and smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spread this mixture on top of the refried beans.

Next add the sour cream and smooth out evenly. Sprinkle shredded cheese all over the top and then sprinkle the remaining diced tomatoes, green onions and olives.

Serve with tortilla chips. Enjoy!

 

 

Homemade Tortillas October 4, 2010

Thought it might be fun to make my own tortillas for our fajitas one night. Lets just say they tasted wonderful and definitely better than the store bought ones but it is wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy easier and quicker to just buy them from the store! These guys do come out nice and fluffy and you have the ability to make them as thin or thick as you like, which I enjoyed. I think next time I’ll make a whole lot and then freeze the left overs.

Homemade Tortillas:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Tortilla Flour (I used a brand called La Paloma)
• 1/2 cup warm water

Directions:

Preheat a griddle or electric skillet to 400-425 degrees.

Pour 2 cups flour into a large mixing bowl and then add 1/2 cup warm water. Mix well. Knead mixture for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and slightly elastic. If the dough is sticky then add a little more flour.

Cover in bowl with a damp cloth and let rest for about 15-20 minutes.

Depending how big you want your tortillas divide your dough into small little balls. This batch made about 8-10 tortillas. On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough balls using a rolling pin. Make them about 1/8 inch thickness. Don’t worry if the dough looks thin, it will fluff up once you start heating it.

Place tortillas on the hot skillet and cook for about 2 minutes on each side. Making sure they are golden brown on each side.

Adapted from my friend Dina

Tacos September 14, 2010

Let me start by saying that this tasted sooooooooooooooo wonderful! I was a little iffy about trying this only because I don’t like the flavour of pork in some dishes. It tastes kinda weird to me sometimes. But, this was so tender, juicy and had a nice sweetness flavour to it.

Carnitas:

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds pork shoulder (butt) roast
• 1 cup orange juice
• 8 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• water to cover

Directions:

Cut pork shoulder in pieces and arrange in a large cast iron pan or skillet.  You want a pan you can cover at least partially and is large enough at the base so the meat is in a single layer (or close to).

Add the garlic, salt, orange juice, and enough water to just cover the meat. Bring the mixture to a boil and cover loosely.

Allow meat to simmer until tender and liquid is evaporated (about 3 hours or so). If liquid evaporates and the pork is not yet fork tender, add more liquid and continue to simmer.

Once the liquid evaporates and the pork is tender, there should be rendered fat in the pan.  Break the meat up into small chunks with a fork.

Turn heat to medium and fry the meat until brown and crispy.

Adapted from Chaos.

Nachos July 22, 2010

Quick and easy meal to make when you don’t have alot of time.

Beef Nachos:

Ingredients:

• 1lb Ground Beef
• 3 Garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 can Rotel
• Shredded Cheese
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 avocado, diced
• Sour Cream
• Jalapeños
• Tortilla chips or Doritos (I use tortilla chips with a hint of lime)

Directions:

Brown beef in a skillet with the garlic. Drain off any fat once browned. Add can of rotel with half the juices and taco seansoning. Stir well. Allow to simmer for about 5-7 minutes.

Place desired amount of chips on a plate. Cover with the beef. Then some diced onion. Sprinkle generously with cheese and then melt in microwave for about 45 seconds.

Sprinkle more onion (I love onion), the tomatoes, avocado and jalapeños. Top with sour cream.

Guacamole June 29, 2010

I love love love guacamole. I seriously could sit there all day eating it. It’s fabulous and it’s really easy to make.

Guacamole:

Ingredients:

• 5-6 ripe avocados
• 4 roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 jalapeño, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• Handful of cilantro leaves, chopped
• Juice from 2-3 limes
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine all ingredients into a large bowl and mix well. You can also add a dash of garlic and onion powder if you wish to give some more flavour.

Depending on the size of your avocados (or how much you want to make) you may need more or less of the tomatoes, onions and jalapeños.

Enjoy with your favorite tortilla chip!