Salsa Verde

I'm not dead yet!

The last real thing I made was salsa verde. I made it late Wednesday night to take to a party on Thursday, and despite being a little too spicy, it was very well received. This recipe makes a whole lot of salsa, but it's easy enough to halve if you don't want so much.

Ingredients

• 14 tomatillos
• 8 jalapenos
• 1 onion
• freshly ground salt
• a tiny bit of freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup cilantro (rip the leaves from the bunch and lightly pack it into the measure)
  
• juice of 2 limes
• 1/4 cup water
  

Directions

1. Remove the husks from the tomatillos and wash off the sticky residue.
2. Slice the onion into thick rings. Do not separate the concentric rings.
   
3. Remove the stems from the jalapenos (you can wiggle off the whole part around the stem). Go ahead and wash those, too, because you just never know.
4. Heat a skillet over high heat. Cook the tomatillos on both the top and bottom sides until blackened and blistered.
   
5. Blacken the jalapenos on as many sides as possible.
6. Cook the onions until dark brown on both sides.
7. Let the jalapenos, onions, and tomatillos cool slightly, then put them in the food processor along with the other ingredients
   
8. Put the salsa into an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.

Monday Night Chicken

Weekday cooking sucks.

Seriously, it's already depressing enough that by the time I get home from work, I have to go to bed in 3 hours. And do you want to put a knife in my hand when I've just been sitting in rush hour traffic? Yeah, didn't think so.

That's what salsa chicken is for!


Ingredients

• 1 package of dry salsa mix (I found mine in the produce section)
• 1 16oz jar of pomegranate salsa (I have also used mango and pineapple salsas in the past)
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• Grated parmesan

Directions

1. Rub the chicken thighs with the dry salsa mix, same as you would with any other grilling rub. If the thighs were frozen, you may want to "unroll" them so that the center is exposed. This will require making a few cuts, but will ensure that the meat cooks through.
2. Put the chicken in a baking dish.
   
3. Pour the salsa over the chicken.
4. Sprinkle with grated parmesan.
5. Cook at 375 degrees for 40 minutes.

But then you need a side!



Ingredients

• 1 cup Thai red rice (a.k.a. cargo rice)
• 4 cups broth (chicken, vegetable, beef... doesn't really matter)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
  
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• Freshly ground salt and pepper
• Large sprinkling of garlic powder (maybe 1/8 tsp)
  
• Pinch of cayenne
• Large sprinkling of basil flakes (1/8 tsp? Ish?)
  

Directions

1. Heat the broth and olive oil to boiling.
2. Add the rice and seasonings.
3. Cook for 40 minutes, adding the onion when half the liquid is absorbed.
4. Cargo rice is very thirsty. Keep an eye on it, and if the liquid is absorbed while the rice is still inedibly chewy, add more broth.
   

More salsa!

I made another salsa the other night! It took 15 minutes and was so delicious. I would have gone to the farmers' market and bought more tomatoes for another batch, but after trundling in from a birthday party at 4 a.m.... no. Just, no.

Okay, so, a few tips and notes:

• Like all salsas, it has to sit overnight. Absolutely has to.
• The flavor was best after 3 days.
• It's really, really hot.
  

Ingredients

• 8 tomatoes, quartered
• 1 large onion, cut into chunks
• 4 garlic cloves, whole
• Juice of 2 limes
• 5 chipotles in adobo sauce, whole
• 2 tablespoons of the adobo sauce
• Small handful of cilantro (about 1/4 cup)

Directions

1. Process everything in the food processor until smooth.
2. Pour into a container (I use Gladware) and let sit for at least 24 hours.
3. Nom nom nom!
   

Lunchtime!

Well, it's not lunchtime right now. I just finished dinner, actually. But I did throw together a black bean salad to take to work tomorrow. When your only viable option three days a week is Subway, packing lunch sounds really good after three weeks.

It's a great summer lunch or side dish, and it takes all of five minutes. It's also really cheap and easy to make for a barbecue.

Ingredients

• 1 can of black beans, rinsed
• 1/3 cup frozen corn, rinsed under cold water until thawed
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• freshly ground salt
• juice of 1 lime, minus a little bit (just cut it into quarters, juice 3, and put the last quarter in a Corona or something...)
• 2T smooth salsa or a 1t hot sauce (to taste)
  

Directions

1. Toss everything together in a bowl.
2. Let sit overnight.
3. Take to work and eat instead of junk food.
   

Pico de gallo

I'm taking a container of pico de gallo to a party tonight.

Salsa is absolutely my #1 favorite snack/condiment/lunch (yes, lunch: a good pico de gallo tastes great eaten right off a fork and has next to no calories).

Anyway, this particular salsa was very well received the last time I took it to a party, and this batch is even better. Here's how to make your own!

Ingredients

• 8 Roma tomatos, finely chopped
  
• 1 medium-sized white onion, finely chopped
  
• 1 bunch of cilantro, coarsely chopped
• 4-6 serrano chiles, minced
• juice of 2 limes

Directions

• Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Just dig right in with your hands.
• Cover and refrigerate overnight. The flavors need time to sit and get to know each other, so don't eat it yet!
• Stir before serving. It's okay to use a spoon this time.