Tag Archive for 'pico de gallo'

South-Western Inspired Chicken & BLT Salad

Published by Hal on February 25, 2008 in Frugal Friday, recipes and rotisserie chicken. 1 Comment

Stacie and I really like food, and I really enjoy cooking (that’s part of how this blog came about). But, sometimes I just don’t want to cook, or I say “the kitchen is a disaster after last night and we need to clean it before we can prepare dinner tonight.”

This, my friends, is how Stacie and I managed to spend just over $400 on going out to eat last month. Now, to our credit, we also spent about as much money on grocery food. But, of course, we hosted a large party at the beginning of the month… And, then, we had a $130 grocery bill Sunday–but $40 was because of meat; almost enough to make me go vegetarian, really! (I should also note that $400 is really easy to hit–neither of us have been particularly diligent about not going out during lunch, though we really should be bringing or eating leftovers. We’ll be watching it a little better in March).

So, I’ve been looking at making some of the food that we enjoy when we go out to eat. There have been two amazing salads that are sort of the same thing, one from Chili’s, the other from a local pub here called “Yogi’s.” The Chili’s version is called a South Western Cobb salad; it’s not a true Cobb salad, since the cheese isn’t marbled. That’s fine with me, however, because I don’t really like marbled/moldy cheese. The Yogi’s version is called a Yucatan Salad. Basically, it’s a romaine based salad with black beans, corn, avocado, salsa, and cheese. Delicious.

So, knowing that Stacie and I spent a small fortune on food last month, tonight I decided to recreate this favorite from these two restaurants. But, not before I watched this:

Yes, that’s exactly right :) This “salad” is probably a loose interpretation of the word, but it was still pretty tasty. And, it’s definitely better than a taco salad. So, I’m okay with it. Again, this is probably an occasional treat (unless you leave out some of the bad stuff), but just as tasty and definitely cheaper than the restaurant version.Big Salad FrontIngredients

  • 1 head of romaine lettuce, washed and chopped
  • 1/2 cup of tomato salsa, pico de gallo, or 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 8 slices of bacon, crisped and crumbed
  • 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar, or blended, cheese
  • 1/2 cup of thawed, frozen corn kernels
  • 1/2 cup of drained and rinsed black beans
  • 1/2 cup of rotisserie chicken, shredded
  • 1 avocado, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 3 medium eggs, hard-boiled

Procedure

Layer half the lettuce on a dinner plate. Then, in rows, layer half of the remaining ingredients. Repeat for the second serving. Toss and serve with your favorite dressing.

It won’t get me a mention in a Bud Light commercial, but darn it, it was a valiant try!

Recipes: Chicken Tortilla Soup

Published by Hal on January 15, 2008 in leftovers and recipes. 0 Comments

Can you see just how versatile are the Chicken Tacos we made Saturday? This is pretty amazing, that we’re on our second dish! My wife loved this, and insisted that I post this recipe. It’s really simple, really tasty, and is a creative use for some left overs.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) of vegetable broth
  • 1/2 cup, plus, of your chicken taco filling
  • 1/2 cup, plus, of your pico de gallo
  • 1 small can of diced green chilies
  • A few handfuls of tortilla chips, some crushed, some whole
  • Chopped cilantro to garnish

Procedure:

Place a two quart sauce pan over medium heat. Into the pan, melt the butter, then add the flour. Stir continuously for about 2 minutes. (Remember, this is the basic recipe for a roux) After you’ve cooked the roux, whisk the vegetable stock into the roux and bring to a boil. Once the liquid has come to a boil, add the chicken, pico, and chilies. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until the remaining ingredients have heated through. Ladle into bowls, then top with the chips and cilantro. You can also serve with shredded cheese and/or sour cream. Serves 4.

Recipes: Pico de Gallo

Published by Hal on January 14, 2008 in recipes. 0 Comments

So, I just ran a Google search for “pico de gallo” to make sure I spelled it correctly. The first hit was to the Wikipedia article, which states “Pico de gallo (Spanish for “rooster’s beak”)…” HOW COOL IS THAT? I don’t have any idea if it’s really true (this is Wikipedia, after all ;) ), but that sounds great so we’re gonna run with it.

Making “rooster’s beak” (heh heh) is ultra easy, and is so inexpensive, YOU’LL NEVER HAVE TO BUY SALSA, AGAIN! Of course, sometimes a recipe just want work until you have that liquid tomato stuff from the jar (or, I know you can make fresh salsa with the same consistency), but I, honestly, just prefer the fresh taste of pico. It’s also very rewarding to make it myself

Okay, so enough animation from me :) I made this to go on top of my chicken tacos, and have used for more than just the tacos (a subject for another post). Like I said, it’s so easy, it’s almost ridiculous. Five ingredients, a little chopping, and you’ve got condiment heaven on a plate:

Ingredients:

  • 4 Roma (plum) tomatoes
  • 1/2 white onion
  • 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of chopped cilantro
  • 1/2 to 1 fresh jalapeno pepper (optional)
  • Salt (and pepper) to test

Procedure:

Chop the tomatoes and onion into a 1/4 inch (.5 cm) dice and place into a bowl. Roughly chop the cilantro, and add it the tomatoes and onion. Finely dice the pepper and add it to the bowl. Be very careful as you handle the pepper, because the oils will stay on your hands and can cause some serious irritation. Stir the ingredients together, and add salt and pepper to taste. I’m pretty sure you’ll need to add salt, but how much is up to your taste; otherwise, the pico will be very bland. Salt will bring out the natural goodness of the tomatoes and allow them to release their juices.

I put “optional” next to the pepper because I know some folks don’t like their salsas spicy. My wife is not a big fan, so I did not put pepper in this batch. Honestly, a jalapeno is a relatively mild pepper, so even a little bit will be tolerable and will add layers of flavor. Additionally, I suggest Roma tomatoes because they hold their shape well, and they don’t usually taste gritty or unflavorful… even in the midwest… In the winter.

Funny story from when I was in college: my housemate was a pretty hardcore vegetarian and a good cook. He’d always be in our kitchen concocting something out of that weeks vegetable spoils from the grocery. One night, he was cooking with a lot jalapeno (or, it might have been a little bit of a stronger pepper), barehanded. I walked into the kitchen to see him and his then-girlfriend (now-wife) hanging out, with his hands in a bowl of milk. Turns out, he was suffering from some major irritation from the oils in the pepper. So, if you’re worried, use some rubber or latex gloves. Otherwise, if you start hurting, you can soak your hands in milk or a mixture of bleach and water. This should help ease the irritation.

And, finally, if you’ve made it this far ;)… Just a reminder that if you like what you see, please click one of the links in the post header to submit this post (or any other) to one of the social bookmarking sites. No good deed goes un-noticed :) Also, if you’re new, thanks for stopping by! Links to subscribe in the upper right corner of this page.

Recipes: Chicken Nachos

Published by Hal on January 13, 2008 in leftovers and recipes. 2 Comments

The best thing about making lots of food is that you get to make leftovers! We had Chicken Tacos last night, and since the recipe makes about 12+ tacos, we had plenty left over. This is a really simple way to use these ingredients, and have a quick snack/light lunch.

To make these, simply spread some tortilla chips on a plate and cover them with some of your chicken taco filling. Next, put some cheese over the filling and the chips. Microwave on high for about a minute or two, until the cheese is melted and the filling is heated through (alternatively, you could do this in the oven at 325 for 5-10 minutes, until the same occurs).

Serve with your choice of condiments. You can see from the picture we chose guacamole, lettuce, and pico de gallo. Enjoy the fruits of your labor… twice!