May Recipe Club

Ashley hosted us for a Cinco de Mayo themed Recipe Club.  She went all out with her mexican-themed decor...it was all super cute!  We all had a blast!

Love my RC girls!

Anna Kate's Pico de Gallo

1 large onion, diced

12 Roma tomatoes, diced

½ bunch cilantro, chopped

2 jalapenos, seeded and diced

Juice of 1 lime

½ tsp. salt

big bag of your fave tortilla chips

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and toss it all together to combine. Taste a little on a tortilla chip and add more of whatever it needs.

Sarah's Chimichurri Shrimp

1 large bunch cilantro, stems removed

½ bunch flat-leaf parsley, stems removed

3 garlic cloves

Juice of 3 limes

1 tsp. ground cumin

½ tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tsp. salt

½ c. olive oil

3 lbs raw jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 T. olive oil

Fill a blender or food processor with the cilantro, parsley, garlic, lime juice, cumin, cayenne, and salt. Place the lid on the blender then removed the center piece of the lid. With the blender on low, drizzle in the olive oil and blend it until the chimichurri is totally pureed somewhat smooth.

Place shrimp in a separate bowl and pour half of the chimichurri sauce over them. Stir to coat the shrimp. Cover bowl and refrigerate for 2 hours. Save the rest of the sauce in a separate bowl and keep in fridge until ready to use.

Remove shrimp from the fridge. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp to the pan. Cook, stirring frequently for 3-4 minutes, or until they’re a nice pinky-gold. Serve the shrimp with the remaining sauce.

Caron's Fiesta Black Beans

2 pounds dried pinto beans

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 green bell peppers, seeded and diced

2 orange bell peppers, seeded and diced

2 red bell peppers, seeded and diced

1 onion, diced

1 ham hock (or 6 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into pieces)

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Place the beans in a large bowl and cover them with cold water. Set them aside and let them soak for 5 to 6 hours or overnight.

Drain and rinse the beans, and then place them in a large pot. Add the garlic, green, orange and red bell peppers and the onions. Cover them with about an inch of water, and then add the ham hock or bacon. Next add the chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Stir to combine, and then bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the beans until tender, about 2 hours. Check the liquid level about halfway through the cooking process; if you'd prefer the beans to be less soupy, you can ladle off about a third of the cooking liquid.

Dede's Zesty Lime Rice

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 large onion, chopped

2 cups long-grain rice

1 teaspoon kosher salt

 4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

Juice of 3 limes and zest of 2 limes 

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and onions and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the rice and salt. Stir it around and let it cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly to make sure the rice doesn't burn. Stir in the broth and salt. Add the lime juice and half of the lime zest. Cover the pan and cook the rice for 20-25 minutes, until tender. Stir it once or twice during cooking to keep it from sticking to the pot. Sprinkle on the rest of the lime zest and stir to combine. 

Lauren's Mushroom Quesadillas

2 Tb. Unsalted butter or safflower oil

1 white onion, finely chopped

1 serrano chile, finely chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

¾ lb. fresh mushrooms, preferably Portobello, porcini, or other flavorful variety,

brushed clean and coarsely chopped

2 Tb. Finely chopped fresh epazote (optional)

About ½ tsp. sea salt

½ tsp. freshly ground pepper

1 ½ c. shredded mozzarella cheese

2 Tortillas

To prepare the mushrooms, in a frying pan, melt the butter or warm the oil over high heat. Add the onion and chile and sauté until the onion is translucent, about 30 seconds. Add the garlic and continue to sauté for just a few seconds. Toss in the mushrooms and cook for about 4 minutes, tossing every minute or so. They will give off a heady, earthy aroma. When the mushrooms just begin to give off a liquid, stir in the epazote (if using), salt, and pepper and immediately remove from the heat. Let cool.

Place 1 Tb. of the shredded cheese in the center of the lower half of each tortilla, keeping the edges free. Spoon on some mushrooms. Fold the other half of the tortilla over the filling and press the edges together. Heat a griddle or large, heavy frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, gently lay the quesadilla on the hot surface and cook until it starts to brown, 1 minute. Turn the quesadilla and move it to the side to continue cooking, while starting the next one. Repeat the process, and when the quesadillas are well cooked and brown on each side, carefully remove to a low oven to keep warm.

Note- This serves 4-6. You can decide if you want to do a recipe and a half or we can cut them into smaller pieces and serve as an appetizer since we’ll hopefully have 3 other main dishes!

Amy's Taco Chicken Skewers

8 oz. sour cream

7 oz. jar green salsa

2 Tb. Chopped fresh cilantro

1.25 oz. envelope taco seasoning mix, divided

4 skinned and boned chicken breast halves, cut into 1 inch pieces

Combine first 3 ingredients and 1 tsp. taco seasoning mix in a bowl, stirring well. Cover and chill up to 8 hours, if desired. Toss chicken with remaining taco seasoning mix. Cook chicken in a large nonstick skillet coated with vegetable cooking spray over medium-high heat 6 to 8 minutes or until done. Serve on skewers with salsa mixture.

Melanie's Calabacitas

3 – tablespoons of olive oil

2 1/2 – pounds Mexican or regular zucchini (cut into 1/4 inch rounds)

3/4 – cup thinly sliced onion

1/2 – teaspoon salt

1/2 – teaspoon pepper

1/2 – teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 – teaspoon oregano

2 – small tomatoes (cut into 1/2 inch cubes)

1/2 – cup corn kernels

1- cup vegetable broth

1 – cup grated jack cheese

In a large frying pan or pot over a medium high flame add in olive oil and allow to heat until hot.

Add in zucchini, and saute for 10 minutes stirring often.

Add in onion and continue cooking zucchini onion mixture for an additional 5 minutes.

Add in salt, pepper, garlic powder and oregano. Mix to combine.

Next add in tomatoes and corn. Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes or until zucchini is slightly translucent in the center.

Pour in vegetable broth, lower flame, cover pan or pot with lid and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Add grated cheese to the top.

Serve in a bowl.

Jordan's Guacamole

1 ripe tomato, finely chopped

2 Tb finely minced white onion

3 serrano chiles, finely chopped

½ tsp. sea salt, or to taste

3 large avocados, preferably Haas

2 Tb. Finely minced fresh cilantro

Put the tomato, onion, chiles, and ½ tsp. salt in a molcajete or small bowl, and smash with a pestle or fork to a coarse paste. Cut the avocados in half, remove the pits, and scoop the flesh into the tomato mixture. Add the minced cilantro and mis and mash, leaving some lumps. Taste and adjust with more salt.

Ashley's Beef Fajitas

Marinade:

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup chili powder

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

3 cloves garlic, minced

Juice of 3 limes

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Meat:

3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

3 pounds skirt steak

Pico de Gallo:

5 plum (Roma) tomatoes

3 jalapeno peppers

1/2 large (or 1 small) onion

1 bunch fresh cilantro

1/2 lime

Salt

Fajita Vegetables:

2 medium onions, halved and sliced

1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips

1 orange bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips

1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips

1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fixins:

30 to 40 flour tortillas

Fiesta Beans

1 pound grated Cheddar cheese

One 8-ounce container sour cream

5 limes, sliced into wedges

Directions

For the marinade: In a blender, combine the olive oil, chili powder, Worcestershire, cumin, red pepper flakes, garlic and lime juice. Next add the sugar, salt and pepper and blend the marinade until it's totally combined and smooth.

For the meat: Place the chicken and beef in separate 2-quart baking dishes or large resealable plastic storage bags. Pour the marinade over the chicken and beef and rub the marinade all over the meat. Give your hands a good wash, and then cover the dishes with plastic wrap and let them marinate in the fridge for 4 to 6 hours.

For the pico de gallo: Chop the tomatoes, jalapenos and onion into a very small dice. (Leave the seeds in your jalapenos for a hotter pico. Adjust the amount of jalapenos to your preferred temperature.) Next, chop up a nice-sized bunch of cilantro. Just remove and discard the long leafless stems before chopping. No need to remove the leaves from the stems completely. Place all of these ingredients together in a bowl and give it a good stir. Squeeze the juice of half a lime into the bowl. Add salt to taste and stir again.

For the fajita vegetables: Throw the onions and bell peppers into a bowl and toss with the olive oil and some salt and pepper.

When ready to cook, preheat the grill to high heat.

Cook the chicken on both sides until completely cooked through (or to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F), about 4 minutes per side. Remove it to a platter to rest for 5 to 10 minutes.

Grill the beef on both sides until completely cooked through, about 5 minutes in total. Remove it to a platter to rest for 5 to 10 minutes.

Tip the fajita vegetables into a grill basket and grill until cooked, tossing occasionally, about 10 minutes.

To put it all together: Pile the veggies on a platter. Slice the chicken and beef.

For the fixins: Wrap the tortillas in foil and warm through on the grill. Serve the chicken, beef and veggies with the warm tortillas, Fiesta Beans, grated cheese, sour cream, lime wedges and pico de gallo.

 Rhonda's Mango Ensalada

1 mango

1 head red leaf lettuce

1 head green leaf lettuce

½ red onion, finely diced

1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and sliced

Dressing-

1 c. safflower or canola oil

½ c. olive oil

2 ½ Tb. Cider vinegar

1 c. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

½ c. fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 shallot, chopped

1 ½ tsp. honey

1 ½ tsp. sea salt, or to taste

¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper

Small pinch of ground cloves

Peel and pit the mango, cutting the flesh into ¼ inch cubes. Place the mango cubes in a large salad bowl. Tear the lettuce leaves into bite-sized pieces and add to the salad bowl along with onion. To make the dressing, in a blender, combine the oils and vinegar. Add the parsley, cilantro, garlic, shallot, honey, salt, pepper, and cloves. Blend until smooth. Pour just enough dressing over the salad to moisten it, then toss to coat evenly. Garnish with the avocado slices and serve.

Virginia's Sopapilla Cheesecake Pie

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1 c. white sugar

1 teaspoon Mexican vanilla extract

2 (8 ounce) cans refrigerated crescent rolls

3/4 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ c. butter, room temp.

1/4 cup honey

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Beat the cream cheese with 1 cup of sugar and the vanilla extract in a bowl until smooth.

Unroll the cans of crescent roll dough, and use a rolling pin to shape each piece into 9x13 inch rectangles. Press one piece into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Evenly spread the cream cheese mixture into the baking dish, then cover with the remaining piece of crescent dough. Stir together 3/4 cup of sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Dot the mixture over the top of the cheesecake.

Bake in the preheated oven until the crescent dough has puffed and turned golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle with honey. Cool completely in the pan before cutting into 12 squares.