Salsa Fresca

Prep time 5 minutes

Makes ~1.5-2cups

This was a quick attempt when we ran out of salsa, and it turned into something beautiful!  It makes about 1 1/2C, so roughly what you get when you buy salsa.

Since Fuego can’t eat onions (texture issue), I used onion powder, but most of the rest was fresh!

1 medium-to-large jalapeño 

6 pearl tomatoes (about 1/2lb)

1t fresh cilantro

1 minced clove of fresh garlic

Juice of 1 lime

Two pinches (~1/8t) onion powder 

Pinch (~1/16t) chili powder

Pinch ground cumin

Pinch salt

Small pinch black pepper

Prep fresh veggies (wash and remove stems). In small insert-bowl of Cuisinart, using the small chopping blade, dice jalapeño.  Add remaining fresh ingredients and pulse until desired texture.

Pour into a bowl and add spices to desired proportions.  Stir with a fork, taste, and adjust as necessary.

Enjoy.

Coctel de Camerones

Prep time: 15 minutes
Serves 4 (or 2 for dinner)

Living in Fort Collins, Fuego and I LOVED going to the Caballero family's taqueria, Los Tarascos, and the restaurant their son, Hugo jr., opened himself, La Buena Vida.  In particular, their Caballero margaritas and their Coctel de Camerones (shrimp cocktail) were our favorites!  Leaving Fort Collins, we just haven't found another Coctel that measures up to the family recipe we enjoyed at our friend's restaurant!

I checked with a local friend who lived in Oaxaca with his family for many years, and pieced together what we now enjoy almost as much as the Caballero family's Coctel de Camerones here at home (thanks, Jaybe).  As reported by Jaybe, the missing ingredient was Maggi, what he calls "secret Mexico sauce," which, of course, contains wheat gluten, wheat flour, and wheat bran... so I had to seek out an alternative.  I was able to substitute Bragg's Liquid Aminos with excellent results (thanks, Google ;). 

As usual, I don't measure, so what follows is approximate and should be adjusted to personal taste.

Ingredients:

1lb cooked large prawns (deveined and tails removed)
1-2 medium-large avocados, diced
1-2 large jalapeños, diced
4 limes, juiced (about 2-4 ounces)
1 tub Casa Sanchez, Medium Fresh Roasted Salsa (or pick your favorite)
Bragg's Liquid Aminos to taste (about 1-2T)
2-4 stiff dashes of Cholula hot sauce
1T onion powder (unless your salsa has onion in it :)

Prep:

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and gently toss until combined.  Spoon/ladle into sundae glasses and serve with tortilla chips (and a margarita!).

Curried Pumpkin Potato Soup

Prep Time:  as little as 25 minutes

Serves: 4

Dubbed “warm potato hummus” to avert Fuego’s gag reflex (15 1/2 years ago, she was the sickest she’s ever been and made the mistake of having carrot soup... She hasn’t been able to eat orange soup  since—until tonight’s “warm potato hummus”).

Ingredients:

15 ounces of pumpkin (I used organic canned—thus the 25 minutes ;)

15 ounces coconut milk 

4 potatoes in 1/2” cubes (also thus the 25 minutes)

4 pinches (~3/4t) salt

~3/4t red curry powder 

~1/2-3/4t onion powder

~1/2-3/4t garlic powder 

~1/8/-1/4t habanero powder 

~1/8t ground ginger

Prep:  

Combine pumpkin and coconut milk in a sauce pan over medium-high heat and bring to boil.  Reduce heat to simmer and add diced potatoes and spices.  Cover for 20 minutes, whisking occasionally to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.  Serve hot with a sprinkle of sheredded goat cheddar.

Great over rice.  Apparently also good with toast as “hummus” ;)

Ketchup--30 minutes--Yields 2 Cups

Our garden turned into a jungle this summer, resulting in our three tomato plants reaching heights of about six feet and producing about a dozen tomatoes per day.  Now that they're ripening, we get about a dozen tomatoes per day for using in recipes, such as this one!  If you don't like it as zippy as this makes, you can cut out the cayenne and decrease the balsamic vinegar (increasing the white to compensate).  My family loved it, hope yours does too :).

12 medium size ripe tomatoes (makes about 3.5-4 C)
1/2 C Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 C White Vinegar
1/2 C Honey
1 1/2-2t fresh minced garlic
1 3/4t salt
1/8-1/4t ground black pepper
1 pinch ground cloves
1 pinch ground cayenne

Wash, de-stem, and puree tomatoes in blender or food processor.

In a medium sauce pan, boil tomato puree.  While boiling, add vinegar and honey and return to a low boil.  Add spices and whisk, boiling until reduced by half (about 10 minutes).

Cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

I don't know how long this will keep--we've never had it last longer than a week ;).

Thanksgiving Stuffing--30 min prep (add 2 hours if making croutons from scratch)--serves 8

Every Thanksgiving for the past five years since being diagnosed with Celiacs, I have tried a different variation of several stuffing recipes.  Last year I finally loved it!  So, barring any anomalous cause to the enjoyment of last year's recipe, here it is in the hopes that it will be just as satisfying this year (and thereby confirmed as a recipe that will stay on my blog ;).  (Stuffs a 16-18 pound turkey)
10C Croutons (I make 2 gluten free French loaves and then cube them --about 1/2" cubes-- toss with olive oil, and bake single-layer on a cookie sheet at 325 for 20 minutes, tossing once or twice to evenly brown)

1t salt

1t dried thyme

1/2t dried (powdered) sage

1T fresh rosemary

1/2t black pepper

1/8t cayenne

1/8t cinnamon

1/8t cloves

1/8t nutmeg

1/8t allspice

1 onion (1T powder)

4 cloves garlic (1/2t powder)

10T butter

1 1/4C turkey broth (boil the neck for 20 minutes)

Mix spices in a small bowl, 

Place 10c croutons in a large bowl

Boil turkey neck in 2-3c water for 20 minutes to make broth and measure 1C for the stuffing

Melt butter in a skillet over med-low heat

Pour butter over croutons and toss to coat thoroughly.

Sprinkle spices over croutons and toss to coat thoroughly.

Pour 1c of broth into croutons and fold by hand until mixture is coated thoroughly

Add remaining 1/4c of broth into croutons only if they are not moist enough.

** If you are not stuffing the turkey with the stuffing, add upto an extra 1/2c of broth to ensure it is moist enough to bake in a casserole dish (or get fancy and use a muffin tin for a shapely presentation at dinner!)

Tuna Cakes -- 15 mins -- serves 2

Description
This is a quick, easy, and delicious recipe for lunch or dinner - and it is a GREAT way to use up some left over mashed potatoes.  Easily adaptable depending on the quantity of potatoes you have on hand, and the number of people you want to serve.  This was another of those spontaneous creations that was worth repeating.  Enjoy!

Ingredients
2C left over garlic mashed potatoes 
2 eggs
3/4C shredded cheese
2 habaneros (minced)
1C pancake mix
1 5oz can tuna (Wild Planet's Skipjack is excellent - remember to keep to the smaller species to limit mercury)

Directions
Beat eggs.
Stir in the potatoes and pancake mix, then cheese, peppers, and tuna.

Make thin patties and fry like pancakes.

Pepper Salmon Béchamel -- 45 minutes -- serves 2

Description
On occasion, I can get away with preparing fish for Fuego - provided we know and trust the source of the wild catch, the way in which it was caught, and the region from which it came.  This means that fish is an occasion worth celebrating with a certain culinary flair.  The following rather serendipitously came together in my imagination while shopping, and was AMAZING.  This is almost a Bearnaise Salmon, but without the egg yolks it is technically more of a Béchamel.  Whatever you call it, it is delicious - Fuego asked me to write down the recipe so we could make it again - so here it is!  We'll be tasting this one again next month - hope you enjoy it too!  (I recall this being somewhat spicy... adjust peppers to your personal tastes.)


Ingredients
1/2 t cayenne
1/2 T onion powder
1/4 t black pepper
1/2 t thyme
3 tomatillos
2-3  jalapeños
1-1 1/2 T ghee
2 Salmon fillets (about 6-8 oz each)
1/4 t salt
1/4c goat milk
12-16 oz broccoli florets (fresh or frozen)
1 lemon
Directions
While fish is simmering, prepare spiral pasta (enough to cover each plate).
To serve, place pasta on a plate as a bed for the Béchamel, carefully place one salmon fillet on each plate (it should want to fall apart - thus the care), surround with broccoli, then top with the Béchamel sauce.  

2T Olive Oil
1T minced garlic
1/2 t pepper flakes

2 Serrano chilies

1 Package spiral pasta

Oil wok (2T Olive Oil) and preheat for about 20 seconds over medium high heat. 

Add garlic, pepper flakes, cayenne, onion powder, black pepper, and thyme.
Dice 3 tomatillos and sauté with spices for 2 minutes.
Dice  jalapeños and serrano chilies and sauté with other ingredients for 3 minutes
Add Ghee, stir mixture until fully melted.
Add Salmon (move pepper mixture out of the way and lay on the bottom of the pan in ghee/oil and spices - SKIN DOWN)
Sprinkle salmon with about 1/4t salt.
Add goat milk to sauce (not on top of salmon).
Add broccoli florets (not on top of salmon).
Slice lemon and lay on top of salmon.
Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.