Mexican-Style Sweet Corn

Mexican-Style Sweet Corn

 

I found this recipe in Redbook Magazine and knew the boys would especially like it.

I modified it just a bit, reducing the amount of butter their recipe called for.

 

When we lived in Mexico, we enjoyed visiting local parks.  The boys were so young - just toddlers/preschoolers while we were there - and a trip to the park was a big outing :)

 

At all the parks, and lining the streets in the little towns, were fresh fruit and fruit juice vendors.

And one of the most popular street food was Mexican corn on the cob.

And it was muy, muy rico!

 

I was always a little leery of buying food off the street in Mexico, especially for the boys.

But we did enjoy some Mexican corn - what with it being cooked and all :)

 

The corn I remember the most was when we were visiting the rainforest in the state that we lived in, a beautiful lake park.

 

After walking around enjoying the beautiful scenery, we enjoyed some corn.

 

Media Luna

 

 

Brennan (2) at Media Luna

 

I could just squeeze him.  He is so darn cute.

 

 

 

What made it different was that they roasted it on an open grill, then squeezed lime over it, dusted on some cayenne pepper, cheese, and then had mayo or melted butter for you to add if you wanted to.

 

Really, really good!

 

source

 

 

This recipe is for cut sweet corn.  I didn't have fresh grilled, so I used frozen, and cooked it first according to the package, and drained it well.  Then I added it back to the pot.

 

I added in butter and cayenne pepper and let it cook for 3 minutes.

 

Then I removed it from the heat and stirred in grated Parmesan, Kosher salt, and fresh lime juice.

The boys really liked this version.  I think I could use quite a bit more cayenne pepper, especially a dusting on top before serving.  But 1/4 tsp might be enough for your family. 

 

Brennan mentioned this corn from lunch when we were at a play last night. 

How much he loved it. 

 

Didn't have the heart to tell him I finished it off with my dinner :)

 

Looks like I'll be making it again.

 

 

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Buen Provecho!

 

 

 

Brown Rice and Beans with Ginger Chile Sauce

Brown Rice and Beans with Ginger Chile Sauce

My friend Mary sent me this great Bon Appetit recipe that she had recently tried and loved.  Any rice and beans combo goes over great in my house, so we tried it out last week!

 

You start by cooking brown rice, and then tossing it with fresh cilantro.  I had rice on hand so I re-heated 2 cups worth and added in the fresh cilantro and a little sea salt.  It smelled great!

 

Then I cooked a little chopped onion in olive oil, added in cumin and coriander and let it cook through.  Then added in rinsed & drained black beans, vegetable broth, and a little salt and pepper.  I brought it to a boil, then let it simmer about 8 minutes until the beans were thickened.

 

I somehow didn't get a photo of the ginger chile sauce.

It's very simple - in a blender pulse 2 chiles that have been seeded, a garlic clove, 1 Tbsp of chopped ginger, lime zest, lime juice, and a little bit of onion together to make a flavorful salsa. 

 

 

In addition, I had some sweet peppers so I roasted them in the oven to serve with the beans and rice.

 

The original recipe doesn't call for serving on corn tortillas, but I had some so we made little burritos with ours.  Top the cilantro rice, black beans, salsa, and roasted peppers with halved cherry tomatoes, Cotija or feta cheese crumbles, fresh cilantro, and lime wedges for squeezing.

 

Really, really great - the beans disappeared completely.  They were so good!

 

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Enjoy!

Black Bean and Rice Salad

Black Bean and Rice Salad

 

Last week I had friends over and served some light southwestern-y style snacks.

I felt like I didn't have quite enough, so I decided to make a rice salad to go with it.

I used what I had on hand, then topped it with a vinaigrette and it was great!

 

I had leftover brown rice so started with that, heating it up just a bit in the microwave to take off the chill.

Then I rinsed & drained a can of black beans and a can of corn and combined with the rice.

I added a chopped scallion and chopped fresh cilantro.

 

I topped the salad with Honey Lime Vinaigrette that Sandy shared with me.  I had not made it before, but it was really great - and a perfect complement to this rice/bean salad.  I have learned a lot from Sandy during her cooking classes - and I now firmly believe everything tastes better with fresh citrus and herbs!

 

The salad disappeared. 

Brennan even had 3 helpings.

 

 

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Buen Provecho!

 

Cantaloupe Agua Fresca

Cantaloupe Agua Fresca

I saw a number of cantaloupe recipes in Redbook magazine this summer and cut them out to try.

I like agua frescas a lot, and they are so simple to make.
They're also called agua de fruta at times.
They're very common in Mexico, and I shared a watermelon version here.

You start by cutting up a cantaloupe into large chunks, then blending the fruit with 4 c of water in the blender.  I did mine in two batches.

Then you strain the mixture in a fine mesh strainer - straining the juice into a pitcher, and reserving the pulp for a smoothie later on!

Once you have your agua fresca, mix in the juice of two limes and chill.

When you're ready to serve, add some fresh mint.

I think it's almost heartbreaking sometimes to cut up a melon and then turn it into a beverage - I'd rather eat it as is! 

But sometimes it's great to make an agua fresca if I've got a lot of leftover fruit, or just for a change of pace.  And I do save the pulp for a smoothie, which works well.

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Buen Provecho!

L.A.-Style Chimichurri Tacos

L.A.-Style Chimichurri Tacos

200 recipes!

I'm excited to share my 200th recipe with you today on Y'all Come Eat.  And, I'm thrilled that it's a really good one that we'll return to often in our house.

This recipe comes from Vegetarian Times - they asked Cupcake Wars 2010 champion and chef Chloe Coscarelli to share a favorite recipe.

I found Chloe's recipes online and am looking forward to trying out a few more soon!

We really liked this vegan Mexican meal, and I think it's one that you can tweak for your own needs.

I'm modifying the original recipe below.

It calls for rice, so if you have some on hand, you can just reheat it and use it.

Otherwise, cook your favorite kind of rice to include in the tacos.

I started by making the Chimichurri sauce - which I absolutely love!

I plan to keep a batch of this on hand - it's one of my favorite sauces and can be used on meat, as a salsa, on beans, on anything.  It's sooo good!

The Chimichurri sauce calls for cilantro, parsley, olive oil, fresh lime juice, agave nectar (I just used honey), garlic cloves, salt, cumin and black pepper. 

It smells so good once you puree it in the food processor!

We found it was rather oily so I've reduced the amount of olive oil in the recipe card below.

Then I heated a little bit of olive oil in the skillet and added my cremini mushrooms for 10 minutes.

The original recipe calls for sliced mushrooms, but I chopped my sliced mushrooms.

I thought the texture would be better with the size of the black beans.

After 10 minutes of cooking in the olive oil, I added a can of rinsed and drained black beans, plus half of the chimicurri sauce and allowed it all to heat through.

Then we served the mushroom/black bean filling with rice, Fire-Roasted Tomato and Pineapple Salsa, chopped romaine, and the rest of the Chimichurri sauce with heated flour tortillas to make soft tacos.

These tacos were absolutely delicious!

For my non-mushroom lover, Thomas, I made a version without the mushrooms and he loved it - we're all big Chimichurri fans, apparently!

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Buen Provecho!

Vegetarian Tacos

Vegetarian Tacos

Sometimes when I am not creative with what I want to cook for dinner in the coming nights, I'll ask the boys for a couple of suggestions.  Thomas invariably asks for a Taco Night.

Taco Night is awesome, healthy, and makes life easy for me because everyone can add what they want to their tacos.  Last night we had a vegetarian version and it was great.

I usually do ground beef or shredded chicken, but went with beans instead and it was really good.  I don't think anyone even noticed we didn't have meat.

I usually have corn tortillas, flour tortillas, and taco shells on hand, so I warmed a few of each up in the oven at 375* for just a couple of minutes.  The microwave works well too.

I used leftover Mayocoba beans for this dish, but 2 cans of rinsed, drained pinto beans would work well.  Or black beans, which I often serve with tacos.

I coarsely chopped and then roughly mashed the beans and heated them with olive oil in a skillet.

I then added cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper to taste.

Then we layered shredded lettuce, tomatoes (some of us!), red and green salsa, and other goodies in our taco shells and on our warm tortillas and rolled them up, ready to eat. 

The boys had 3 each.  They loved them.

I can easily make a vegan option by omitting the cheese and sour cream from mine.

Other topping options:

cilantro

black beans

sliced black olives

green onions

salsa verde

peppers

hot sauce

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Buen Provecho!



Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

Six Sisters'

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

We love Mexican or Tex-Mex in our house.  I think it's the mix of the basic ingredients, along with the great flavors.  I found this recipe at Six Sisters' Stuff and tried it out last week.

Most enchiladas I've made are made with corn tortillas, but this one uses flour tortillas and it worked out beautifully.  David really liked this dish, and I did too.  It's a definite keeper.

You start by whisking up a marinade from honey, lime juice, chili powder, and garlic powder.

Marinade 1 lb of cooked, shredded chicken breasts for 2 hours in the fridge.

I used chicken breasts that I had baked the night before.  You could also use a rotisserie chicken for this dish.

Then you pour 1/2 of your jar of salsa verde in the bottom of a 9x13 dish and then beginning stuffing your enchiladas with the chicken and Monterey Jack cheese, reserving 1 cup of your cheese.

I had a package of 8 tortillas so I overstuffed them. 

The recipe calls for 10 though.

This is the salsa verde (also known as "tomatillo salsa" and "green enchilada sauce" to many) that I usually have on hand.  I've made it homemade but it takes a lot of time and this is fantastic.  You can find it in the Latino section of any grocery store.

Then you mix the leftover marinade, salsa verde, and cream together and pour over the enchiladas, topping with your remaining cheese.

Bake at 350* for 30 minutes and let stand for 10 before serving.

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Buen Provecho!



Avocado Sour Cream

Sugar Cooking's

Avocado Sour Cream

I shared Sarah's Chicken, Spinach, and Goat Cheese Quesadillas on my blog here.

This is a delicious sauce that she serves with the quesadillas and one I tried out last night.

It's really, really good, and I could see using it in a number of ways!

It's very simple.

You chop and mash an avocado and add sour cream, lime juice, mayo and season it with salt and pepper.

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Buen Provecho!



Poblano Chicken

Toyi's Poblano Chicken

Ever have an epic fail in the kitchen? 

This recipe is one of mine (one of many).

My friend Toyi shared it with our cooking club a couple of years ago and I made it for my crew.

Here are Toyi and Jose Luis at their daughter's baby shower 5 years ago.

I followed Toyi's recipe and no one else in my family liked it.

David didn't care for the rich sauce and the boys didn't like the peppers.

So, I modified it and served it again.

Everyone liked it this time.

And my modifications made it a simpler dish.

Perfect.

We discovered poblanos when we lived in Mexico.

If you remove the seeds and veins from the peppers they're flavorful without being hot.

I love them and they really make this dish, giving lots of flavor to the chicken.

You can find them in any grocery store.

My Mexican friends either roast the peppers and peel off the skin, or boil them.  I've done both.  Boiling is faster and in this dish you don't miss the roasted flavor.

I season chicken tenders with salt, pepper, and a little garlic powder.

Then I cook them in a little olive oil in a skillet until they're browned on both sides and almost cooked through.

I clean the peppers and cut off the tops and remove the veins and seeds. 

Then I slice them the same size as the tenders and boil them for a few minutes until they're tender.

In a blender I blend Mexican crema, Worcestershire, 1/4 of a pepper, and bouillon.

Mexican cream is in the dairy section and is similar to sour cream, but thinner.

Then I layer the chicken breasts, sauce, cheese, and peppers in a 9x13 baking dish.

In this photo I have more cheese on top, but having the peppers on the very top makes it easier for my boys to remove them before eating and not lose out on the sauce and cheese!

Cook at 375* for 15 minutes and serve.

I believe I have shared this before but this is the cheese that I use most often.

Chihuahua cheese is mild and melts well so it's great for enchiladas, quesadillas, etc.

I buy it at Wal-Mart, right next to the Crema.

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Buen Provecho!



Taco Casserole

Jeanne's Taco Casserole

My friend Jeanne and her mom have shared some wonderful recipes with me over the years.
I still use the breakfast casserole recipe that they shared with me 19 years ago.
Here's Jeanne with the boys on a day trip to Louisville earlier this summer.

Jeanne sent me her Taco Casserole recipe that is a big hit in her house.
We had to try it out this week.  The boys liked it. 
David evidently loved it since he had 3 servings!

I've modified it slightly for my boys - the recipe is below.

You cook ground beef and onion with chilis, taco seasonings, taco sauce and water.
Then you layer broken taco shells, the beef mixture, and cheese.
What's not to love?!

You'll have 2 layers of shells, ground beef, and cheese.

Note to self:  puree the chilis before adding to the sauce.

We love the flavor but the boys spent time picking out the offenders.

Don't let this photo fool you - the dish was delicious.

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Buen Provecho!

Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

Mary's Steak and Chimichurri Sauce

My sweet friend Mary has a great food blog.  You can find it here. 

She's a true gourmand and loves trying out new recipes.

Earlier this summer she posted her chimichurri sauce and I had to try it out.

I loved it and am anxious to make it again soon.

Here's Mary with her hubby Mike

Brennan helped me make the sauce to serve with steaks.

Here he's zesting the lime.

It's all made in the food processor.  Super easy!

My sauce turned out a little thin because I didn't pack the leaves when measuring them, but it was still fantastic!  It was great served on steak. 

I think it would be awesome with chicken, on fajitas, as a marinade, with beans and rice, etc.

Mmm, I loved it!

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Buen Provecho!