Chipotle's Cilantro-Lime Rice

Steamed white rice tossed with freshly chopped cilantro, a dash of citrus juice and a little salt.

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh cilantro
2/3 cup white basmati rice
2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Lime

Instructions:

In a 2-quart heavy saucepan, heat oil over low heat. Add rice and the juice from half of one fresh lime, stir for 1 minute. Add water and salt, bring to a full rolling boil. Once boiling, cover, turn down to simmer over low heat until rice is tender and the water is absorbed, about 25 minutes, but watch it mine finished much quicker than that. Add the chopped cilantro and the juice from the other half of the lime. Fluff rice with a fork.

Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) jar salsa
• 1 (1.25 ounce) package dry taco seasoning mix (I used 30% less sodium HEB Brand)
• 1 lime, juiced
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Directions

1. Place the salsa, taco seasoning, lime juice, and cilantro into a slow cooker, and stir to combine. Add the chicken breasts, and stir to coat with the salsa mixture. Cover the cooker, set to High, and cook until the chicken is very tender, about 4 hours. If desired, set cooker to Low and cook 6 to 8 hours. Shred chicken with 2 forks to serve.               

Frito Chili Pie

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Ground Chuck
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced (optional)
• 1 can (12 To 14 Ounce) Tomato Sauce
• 1 can (10 Ounce) Ro-tel
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Ground Oregano
• 1 Tablespoon Ground Cumin
• 2 Tablespoons Chili Powder (more To Taste)
• 1 can (14-ounce) Kidney Beans, Drained And Rinsed (Optional)
• 1 can (14-ounce) Pinto Beans, Drained And Rinsed (Optional)
• 1/4 cup Masa (corn Flour) Or Regular Corn Meal
• 1/2 cup Warm Water
• Lightly Salted Fritos
• Grated Cheddar Cheese
• Diced Red Onion (Optional)

Preparation Instructions

Brown ground chuck with garlic in a pot over medium-high heat. Add tomato sauce, Rotel, salt, oregano, cumin, and chili powder. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes.
Add drained and rinsed beans. Stir to combine, then cover and simmer for another 20 minutes.
Mix masa with water, then add to the chili. Stir to combine and simmer for a final 10 to 15 minutes.  Pile in chili and cheese, and diced onion if using.

Low Fat, Gluten Free, Low Sodium Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup Mix

Directions

2 cups nonfat dry milk
3/4 c. cornstarch
1/4 c. sodium free instant chicken bouillon granules (Herbox)
2 T. dried onion flakes or 1 tsp.onion powder
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp pepper

Instructions


Blend ingredients. When ready to use, combine 1/3 c. soup substitute mix with 1 1/4 c. water to equal 1 can of soup. This was from the Mayo Clinic website and is intended for use in casseroles.

Red Chili Sauce to use with Tamales

Ingredients:

7 1/2 large dried chilies (such as Anaheim, New Mexico, California, or pasilla)

2 -2 1/2 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon all purpose flour

1 teaspoon olive oil

Directions:

1. Remove stems and seeds from dried chili peppers.
2. Place peppers in a single layer on a baking sheet.
3. Roast in 350°F oven for 2 to 5 minutes or until you smell a sweet roasted aroma, checking often to avoid burning.
4. Remove from oven and soak in enough hot water to cover for about 30 minutes or until cool.
5. Put peppers and 2 1/2 cups of the soaking water into a blender (save the remaining soaking water).
6. Add garlic, cumin and salt.
7. Cover and blend until smooth.
8. In a 2-quart sauce pan, stir flour into oil or melted shortening over med heat until browned.
9. Carefully stir in blended chili mixture.
10. Simmer uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. (If sauce gets too thick, stir in up to 1 cup of the remaining soaking water until you reach the desired thickness)
11. Note: When working with chilies, use rubber gloves to protect your skin, and avoid contact with your eyes. Wash hands throughly with soap and water to remove all of the chili oils.

Bangin Steak Rub

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 (1.25 ounce) package chili seasoning mix
• 1/2 (1 ounce) envelope ranch dressing mix
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. In a small bowl, thoroughly mix together the brown sugar, chili seasoning mix, ranch dressing mix, garlic powder, onion powder and ground black pepper. The rub should be smooth and granular, with no large lumps. Store at room temperature in an airtight container until ready to use.
2. To use, rub the seasoning mix liberally onto the steak or meat of your choice before cooking.

Simple Crockpot Roast or Brisket

Got this recipe from a great friend of mine, Donna Erfesoglou!  Thank you, it was great!

Ingredients
Roast or Brisket
1 regular coke
1 bottle of Heinz 57 Chili Sauce
1 onion
1/2 16 oz bag of carrots
DO NOT SALT

Directions
Place sliced onions and carrots in crockpot, pour in coke and chili sauce.  Put in the meat and turn around in the mix to coat all sides.  Heat on high covered for 1 hour, then set to low for 7-8 hours!
I served mine with homemade mashed potatoes.

Honey Garlic Pork Spare Ribs

Ingredients

• 4 pounds pork spareribs
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Slice the ribs into individual pieces. In a large bowl, combine the honey, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic and brown sugar. Stir until honey and sugar are completely dissolved, then stir in the baking soda. The mixture will begin to foam. Transfer ribs to the bowl, and turn to coat.
3. Spray a glass baking dish with oil, and arrange the ribs meat side up in the dish. Pour excess sauce over all and cover with foil.               
4. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Maple Iced Cinnamon Rolls

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 quart Whole Milk
• 1 cup Vegetable Oil
• 1 cup Sugar
• 2 packages Active Dry Yeast, 0.25 Ounce Packets
• 8 cups (Plus 1 Cup Extra, Separated) All-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
• 1 Tablespoon (heaping) Salt
• Plenty Of Melted Butter
• 2 cups Sugar
• Generous Sprinkling Of Cinnamon

MAPLE FROSTING:

• 1 bag Powdered Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Maple Flavoring
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 1/4 cup Melted Butter
• 1/4 cup Brewed Coffee
• 1/8 teaspoon Salt

Preparation Instructions

Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan. Scald the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point). Turn off heat and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in both packages of Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute. Then add 8 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.
After rising for at least an hour, add 1 more cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir mixture together. (At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it - overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to overflow out of the pan, just punch it down).
When ready to prepare rolls: Sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. Take half the dough and form a rough rectangle. Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Drizzle 1/2 to 1 cup melted butter over the dough. Now sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the butter followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.
Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Next, pinch the seam of the roll to seal it.
Spread 1 tablespoon of melted butter in a seven inch round foil cake or pie pan. Then begin cutting the rolls approximately ¾ to 1 inch thick and laying them in the buttered pans.
Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for 20 to 30 minutes, then bake at 400 degrees (see note below) until light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.
For the frosting, mix together all ingredients listed and stir well until smooth. It should be thick but pourable. Taste and adjust as needed. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls. Go crazy and don't skimp on the frosting.

Pork Wellington

Ingredients

• 1 whole egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1-ounce dried apple rings
• 1 whole pork tenderloin, approximately 1 pound
• 4 1/2 ounces thinly slice prosciutto ham
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed completely
• 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard

Directions

Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and heat to 400 degrees F.

Whisk the egg and water in a small bowl and set aside. Place the apple rings into the bowl of a mini food processor and process for 30 to 45 seconds or until they are the size of a medium dice. Set aside.
Trim the pork tenderloin of any excess fat and silver skin. Slice the tenderloin down the middle lengthwise, creating 2 separate pieces. Lay the tenderloin pieces next to each other head to tail, so when laid back together they are the same size at the ends.
Lay out a 12 by 16-inch piece of parchment paper on the counter and arrange the pieces of prosciutto in the center, overlapping them enough to create solid layer that is as long as the tenderloin. Top with a second piece of parchment, and using a rolling pin, roll over the prosciutto to help adhere the pieces to each other. Remove the parchment paper and sprinkle the prosciutto with the salt, pepper, and thyme. Set the tenderloin down the middle of the prosciutto. Spread the dried apples in between the 2 pieces of tenderloin and push back together so the apples are held between them. Using the parchment paper to assist, wrap the prosciutto around the tenderloin to completely enclose in a package.
Sprinkle the counter with flour and roll out the pastry to 12 by 14 inches. Spread the mustard thinly in the center of pastry and lay the prosciutto wrapped tenderloin in the center of the pastry on the mustard. Fold the puff pastry up and over the top of the tenderloin, then roll to completely enclose, brushing the edges of the pastry with the egg wash in order to seal. Turn the tenderloin over so the side of the tenderloin with the double thickness of pastry is underneath. Pinch the ends of the pastry to seal.
Brush the entire pastry with the egg wash. Place the tenderloin on a parchment lined half sheet pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the pork reaches an internal temperature of at least 140 degrees F.
Remove the tenderloin from the oven, transfer to a cooling rack and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.