Cilantro Green Mojo Sauce

from Spanish food 

Notes: this was my first attempt at recreating Jacqueline's awesome green sauce. Was good. Had over roast beef burritos and was enjoyed by both of us. This last time I used a whole bunch of cilantro and seemed a touch strong. Also want to add lime and could possibly skip vinegar?

 Ingredients

• 3-4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 3/4 tsp coarse salt
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 1/2 - 1 cup virgin Spanish olive oil
• 4-5 Tbsp (approximately) water
• Spanish sherry vinegar to taste (just used apple cider vinegar, no idea if their similiar)

• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: 1.5 cups

Preparation

Peel the garlic cloves. Trim stems from the cilantro bunch.
Process the cumin, garlic, cilantro and salt in a food processor or blender to create a paste. While blending, drizzle in olive oil gradually. Add small amounts of water until the sauce is thick, but not as thick as a paste. Add 1-2 tsp vinegar or more, according to your taste.
If you will not use the sauce the same day, store in a glass jar, (such as the jars made for canning). Seal tightly and refrigerate.
Serve with potatoes, meat or fish.

Substitution Note: Substitute a bunch of Italian (flat leaf) parsley for the cilantro for a different flavor.

Aztec Cake (or Pastel Azteca)

from Jacqueline

Notes: Hands on prep time was fast on this and usually have everything on hand. We all enjoyed it and almost ate the whole thing in one meal. I added an extra slight layer of tortilla before the cheese. I used tomato sauce but I want to try salsa next time as it would give it a bit more depth and flavor. I forgot the bouillon and was fine. The bake time is an estimate as there wasn't a time/temp on the original recipe but that is how long it took me.

Ingredients:
1/2 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 diced chicken breasts, can use cooked chicken
1 can chile poblano (or green chilies)
1 can corn, drained
1 can tomato sauce (15 oz) or 2 C salsa
1 cube of chicken bouillon
tortillas, cut up (flour/corn, or mixed) I used about 4 flour, and 5-6 corn mixed
1 C sour cream, little more or less depending on your preference
1 to 1 1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese

 Saute:
         1/2 onion
         1 garlic clove
         2 diced chicken breasts

Add:
          1 can chilies
          1 can corn
          1 can tomato sauce
          1 cube of chicken bouillon

Layer:
          Cut up tortillas, chicken mixture, sour cream, and grated cheese. Bake at 350 for 30-45 min. until warm and cheese is well melted.

Is good with shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes on the side.

Bacon and Potato Quiche

Notes: I used my bigger pie pan and my potatoes weren't all that big, so I adjusted the amounts a little from the original. I took 4 potatoes, 2 onions, 6 eggs and I think 3/4 C cream. Everything else was about the same. I didn't mix the potatoes and bacon and cheese together before putting in, but I wonder how this would be?  Daniel loved so that's always great! Very similar to what Mom used to make with potatoes in the skillet when I was younger, minus the pie crust.

from Jacqueline

Ingredients:
1           uncooked pastry crust
2-4        diced potatoes, steamed
2-4        green onions, chopped
3/4 lb    bacon, cooked
1 1/2 C cheese
4-6        eggs
1/2-1 C  cream
salt, pepper

Directions:
1. Fry potatoes and green onions together and then place in crust.
2. Crumble bacon on top.
3. Sprinkle cheese on top.
4. Combine eggs and cream and pour over top.
5. Bake at 400 for 45 minutes until done.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

from Jacqueline

Ingredients: (I double the sauce part of the recipe)
4 chicken breasts
flour
butter
1 C sugar
1sp salt
1/2 C vinegar
2 T soy sauce
1/2 tsp ginger
pineapple juice and water to make 1 1/4 C liquid
3 T cornstarch.
pineapple chunks
green pepper

1. Coat chicken breasts with flour and then brown them with butter. Put chicken in a baking dish and set aside.

2. On stove top combine the remaining ingredients except pineapple chunks and green pepper. Cook stirring constantly until sauce starts to thicken.

3. Pour over chicken in pan. Add cut up pineapple and green pepper. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until done.

Serve with rice.

Moroccan Shish Kabobs

from Jacqueline

Ingredients:
3 lb diced chicken
red and green peppers
onions
tomatoes
pineapple
mushroom
marinade

1. Marinade chicken for at least 2 hours. Then skewer (if using wooden skewer, soak in water for at least 30 minutes before using) it with chunks of peppers, onions, tomatoes, pineapple, mushroom, or whatever vegetable you desire. Bake/grill as desired.
2. Serve with couscous and/or warm pita bread.

Marinade:
1/4 C olive oil
1/2 grated onion
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
2 T minced fresh cilantro
1 T paprika
1/4 C fresh lemon juice
2 T minced fresh parsley
2 minced garlic cloves
1 tsp pepper

Mix altogether in a plastic ziplock or tupperware and add chicken pieces. Turn occasionally.

Enchilada Sauce for Brown Tostadas

from Grandma M Brown

A favorite of many, this can be served a variety of ways. We usually get it all cooked and then let everyone line up and fry their own tortillas, dip their tortillas, and dish everything up. But here are the basics.

Enchilada Sauce (or just buy a can of your favorite enchilada sauce):

1 pkg Schilling Enchilada Sauce Mix
1 1/2 C water
1 can tomato soup
1 can tomato sauce

Other Ingredients (most of these are optional, mix and match how you like it):

1 lb ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 can black beans

1 can refried beans

corn tortillas

lettuce, shredded

cheese, shredded

tomatoes, chopped

olives, sliced

sour cream

avocadoes or guacamole

eggs, fried

oil, for frying

Directions:

Sauce: Mix everything together in a small sauce pan big enough to dip a tortilla into it and bring to boil.

Cook: Brown the ground beef and onion on stove and keep warm. Warm up the black beans and refried beans separately.

Fry: Fry tortillas in oil and place on paper towel lined plate. Some people prefer theirs crispy and others like them soft and just barely fried. Fry 1-2 eggs/person in a separate pan and keep warm.

Serve (assembly line style is easiest): First get a fried tortilla and dip it til its covered in the enchilada sauce and place on plate. Then add meat, black beans, and refried beans as desired. Get a second fried tortilla and dip it as well and place on top. Then layer the rest of desired toppings ending with fried egg on top and enjoy!

Ham Crepes

from Jacqueline

Crepe, whip in a blender and let sit for a while:
1 C flour
2 eggs
1 C milk
1/2 tsp salt
3 T melted butter

Filling, saute in a little butter with a dash of pepper, add ham last:
1 C chopped onion
2 C diced celery
1/2 C chopped green pepper
2 C cubed ham

Sauce, add only a small part to the filling and save the rest for the top:
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 C sour cream

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes until warm. Add grated cheese the last 10 minutes of baking.

Garlic Bread

from Jacqueline

Ingredients:
french bread (sliced diagonally)
Butter

optional:
cayenne pepper
garlic salt
dried parsley
grated Parmesan cheese

Butter each slice with a mixture of the ingredients. Cover with foil and bake.

Blueberry Syrup

from Grandma M. Brown

Ingredients:
2/3 C water
1/2 C sugar
4 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp lemon peel
1/4 tsp cinnamon
dash of salt
1 tsp lemon juice
10 oz pkg of frozen blueberries

Heat together in a saucepan. Stir until boiling.

Deep Fried French Toast

from Jacqueline

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 C milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 C flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon

Beat eggs in blender until frothy. Add wet ingredients. Combine dry ingredients, add, and thenw hip until smooth.

Dip bread in mixture and fry in hot oil.

Sweet Salad Dressing

from Jacqueline

Ingredients:
1 C canola oil
3/4 C sugar
1/2 C red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic (pressed) or garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika (optional)
1/4 tsp pepper

Mix all ingredients together. Keep in fridge for up to one week. Serve with mixed greens, dried cranberries, cubed Monterrey Jack cheese, and sugared pecans.

Crockpot Lentil Soup

Note: Great with homemade tortillas or Naan (make from 5 min. dough under bread label)

From Jacqueline T.

Ingredients:
1 bag of dried lentils
1- 1 1/2 C of ground hamburger, browned
1 C tomato puree (or 1-2 cans of whole tomatoes pureed)
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
handful cilantro, chopped (2-3 T)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. sugar
Cumin
1-2 stalks of celery,diced
2-3 carrots, grated
salt and pepper to taste

Cook lentils in 8 cups of water in crockpot until soft. (I often rinse them, and soak them in the crockpot overnight and then start cooking them in the morning on low.)

Brown hamburger and onion together and add to lentils after they have cooked for a few hours.

Add remaining ingredients and spices (I prefer to stick the tomato, green pepper, cilantro, garlic, celery and carrots together in a blender first and then add to the crock pot) and simmer to blend flavors.

Serve with grated cheese, fresh limes/ lime juice (our favorite part) and fresh tortillas/ naan.

This recipe makes a lot, I often freeze 1/2 to reheat and eat later.