Don’t get me wrong, my husband makes me pulled pork all the time – his recipe is just ‘put a pork shoulder, a can of Coke, and a bottle of barbeque sauce in a slow-cooker and turn it on.’  Not that there is anything wrong with his recipe – it actually tastes fantastic – but, I couldn’t bring myself to blog about adding Coke to pork and cooking it.   As pulled pork was part of my 30 while 30 mission the recipe I picked had to be a bit of a challenge.  I settled on this recipe for Chipotle Barbeque Pulled Pork, as it sounded different and spicy and delicious.  Also, it’s fantastic for a working woman like myself, as it’s also a slow cooker recipe – throw it in and a few hours later dinner is done!  It came out great – certainly it has a bit of a bite, but the chipotle also brings a smoky sweet taste to the party.  Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce are my new favorite special ingredient for Mexican dishes – the flavor is complex, smoky and spicy while at the same time sweet, and gives any Tex-Mex dish you’re making some great additional depth.  We served our pulled pork atop plain hamburger buns, which were perfect for sopping up the delicious sauce.  Alongside an ear of corn, this would make a fantastic summer-time dinner!

Chipotle Barbeque Pulled Pork

Ingredients:

• 1 bone-in pork shoulder, approximately 4-5lbs
• 2 medium yellow onions, diced
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 4 canned Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce (reserve the sauce) *
• 2 tablespoons Adobo Sauce *
• 12oz dark beer (I used a porter)
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup dijon mustard
• Olive oil
• Salt & Pepper

* Adjust to taste depending on whether you like more or less spice!

Directions:

Rinse and dry the pork shoulder.  Season the meat with salt and pepper to taste, and sear on medium-high heat on each side in a large deep skillet, or a dutch oven.  Remove the pork from the pan to your slow-cooker.  Add the diced onions to the pan, cooking until translucent, about 5-10 minutes.  Add the spices to the pan, heating until they are aromatic.  Add brown sugar, chipotle peppers and adobo sauce, beer, ketchup, vinegar and mustard to the pan.  Simmer until the sauce thickens, about 15 minutes.  Pour the sauce over the pork shoulder in the slow-cooker and cover.  Turn the slow-cooker on low heat for 7-8 hrs, or until the pork is tender and falling off the bone.  Remove the pork from the sauce and shred the meat using a fork.  Serve on rolls with sauce spooned over top.  Enjoy!

Another entry from my 30 while 30 list!  I, believe it or not, had never had a fish taco until I made this recipe.  I saw Alton Brown do this on the food network and thought – well that looks easy enough that I could do it!  It certainly sounded tasty too.  Lately all I’ve been thinking about is how we need a vacation – warm sand, cool water, and margaritas sound incredibly nice right about now.  This week, we finally decided to put the rubber to the road, and decided to plan a trip to California.  To get a jump start on feeling several thousands of miles away from cold weather and work, I decided to whip up a batch of fish tacos from the recipe I saw on Good Eats with Alton Brown.  I have to say, the recipe is so easy it could be made on any weeknight - but the taste blew me out of the water – it is simply amazing.  The important thing to keep in mind is that you need to start the crema 24 hrs prior to making the recipe!  The fish was perfectly seasoned and juicy, the tastes of the crema and shredded cabbage were fresh, and with a little sprinkle of lime juice I really felt like I was a million miles away already.  Now the original recipe calls for homemade tortillas – which I actually did make, although this threw a whole extra layer of complexity - more on that later!  But, if you opt for picking up pre-made tortillas, this really would make a very easy and delicious weeknight meal.  It was fantastic with a tangy margarita…and sitting by the fire on a cold February night if (like me) you don’t happen to already be in Southern California.

Fish Tacos

Source: Alton Brown

Ingredients

• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 cup packed cilantro leaves
• 2 limes, zested
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup tequila
• 1 pound tilapia fillets
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 (7-inch) round Flour Tortillas
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon buttermilk
• 1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Shredded red cabbage
• Lime wedges

Directions

In a food processor, combine garlic, cilantro, lime zest and spices.  Pulse several times, until ingredients are well combined.  Add tequila through the spout as the processor is running to combine well.  Take the tequila mixture and place it and the tilapia filets into a glass container, ensuring that the fish is covered well.  Marinate for 15-20 minutes.  After fish has been sufficiently marinated, saute filets in olive oil over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes per side, or until fish turns opaque.  Cut filets into strips.  Serve with crema, cabbage and lime wedges in warm tortillas.

To make the Crema:  Place heavy cream in a jar.  Microwave for 30 seconds, then add buttermilk.  Place the closed jar in a warm area for 24 hrs, or until the liquid becomes thickened.  Add the chipotle pepper with adobo sauce and salt, and use an immersion blender to combine. (be careful not to overmix, lest you accidentally make butter!)

The last entry in my January (well, now early February) dip series is a Tex-Mex inspired black bean dip published (a few days late!)  in honor of that big football game, which as you all know was played in Dallas, Texas this year.  We are had a Superbowl party Sunday, and like many of you, we served up lots and lots of unhealthy (yet delicious) tidbits.  This dip, however, injects just a little bit of sense into our day of beer, fried cheese sticks, and mini pizza bagels, while bringing those favorite Tex-Mex spices to the party.  While it’s creamy and delicious, it is also low-fat as you will notice, and is also full of fiber and vegetables…although granted we ate it off of tortilla chips.  It made me feel just a little bit less gross at the end of the day.  This is another one of those recipes that you can throw together from things you have (or SHOULD have) in your pantry for a day such as Sunday, when the store ailes are clogged with confused single men looking for something to serve during the big game.  (My apologies if you are a single man – clearly if you are one who happens to be reading this blog, you are enlightened and do not fall into this category!) 

I modified the recipe from the original in several ways – first, I used a can of diced tomatoes with green chiles, as I wanted to have a spicier bean dip.  If you would rather something with less of a kick, you can certainly use plain tomatoes.  I also added some light cream cheese at the end to give it silky smoothness that I just love in mexican dips.

Spicy Black Bean Dip

Source: Ingrid, via allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• Olive oil cooking spray
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup frozen corn
• 1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 2oz (1/4 of an 8oz block) light cream cheese
• 1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese
• 2-3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

Place black beans into a sturdy bowl, and mash! ( This takes a bit of elbow grease – don’t worry about getting the beans too smooth, the texture gives the dip character!)  In a skillet over medium heat coated with cooking spray, saute the onion and minced garlic together until the onions start to turn translucent.  Add mashed beans, frozen corn, tomatoes and chiles, and spices, stirring well, and cook until the mixture starts to thicken.  Add in the cream cheese cut into 2 or 3 chunks for ease of mixing, and the cheddar cheese.  Stir well.  Top with chopped cilantro.  Serve warm with your favorite chips!

As an aside – the leftovers made an AMAZING quesadilla filling.

For some reason, I always found the idea of making guacamole intimidating until fairly recently.  I don’t know what it was, but the idea of peeling and mashing avocado just seemed too difficult.  But, for the 3rd recipe in my January dip series, I wanted to post my favorite guacamole recipe. 

Guacamole is one of those dishes that can be prepared in many ways to suit many tastes – I personally really enjoy the flavor of the avocado, so I try not to overwhelm it with many spices or other strong flavors, such as tomato.  Feel  free though to modify this however you see fit – I’ve tried it with the addition of diced tomato, with bacon, with cumin, and using lemon juice instead of lime.  You can make it spicy or tame.  No matter which modifications you make, it’s important to remember to make the guacamole shortly before you intend to eat it, or else it will develop a brown color like apples or bananas do when cut and then left out.  (Please note, though the color may be significantly less appetizing, it still tastes fine like this.)  Enjoy with chips or your favorite Mexican-inspired dish!

I think perhaps what intimidated me in the past about making guacamole was not knowing how to choose and prepare avocados – I find it nearly impossible to find a perfectly ripe avocado in the grocery store.  If your grocery store is like mine, the avocados are all firm as can be when you pick them up.  The trickiest part of making guacamole then is timing your avocado purchase accordingly.  If all you can find are firm, unripe avocados – place them into a paper bag and wait for a day or two.  Do not refrigerate them, or they stop ripening!  (On the other hand, if you happen to find ripe avocados and want to keep them from spoiling – put them in the fridge to halt the ripening process.)  To retrieve the flesh – slice the avocado in half lengthwise around the sizeable pit in the center.  Twist the halves of the avocado in different directions – this ought to loosen up the pit and allow you to pull one side away.  To remove the pit – there are a lot of different methods out there, but I would say that the safest is to pry it out with a spoon.  Scoop the flesh out of the tough, leathery peel using a tablespoon. 

Guacamole – original recipe by Lisa!

• Flesh of 2 medium sized avocados
• 1/2 small onion, minced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 2-3 tablespoons of chopped fresh cilantro (1 tsp of dried cilantro can be substituted – but the flavor just isn’t the same!)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Juice of 1/2 of a lime
• Salt and pepper to taste

Mash the avocado in a bowl prior to adding any other ingredients.  It’s ok if it’s a little lumpy, that will make your avocado have body and character!  Stir in the minced onion and garlic.  Add olive oil and lime juice, stirring until the texture is even.  Add cilantro and stir well.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Enjoy!

One down, 29 to go!

It’s been quite a while since I last shared a recipe with my readers.  I’ve been busy, but my food choices haven’t been very inspiring.  August passed by in a flurry of activity – painting rooms, staining our deck, sewing up a storm and attending gatherings with family and friends.  In the midst of all this activity, dinner has been simple:  burgers or chicken with fresh produce from our favorite local farm, sandwiches or pizza.

I haven’t stepped beyond the ordinary much lately, but I did manage to make this barbacoa not once, but twice!   This recipe, adapted slightly from Tasty Kitchen, was a fabulous find!  With very little attended prep-time, you can make mouth-watering barbacoa for tacos, enchiladas, burritos or any other favorite Mexican dish.  The flavors meld beautifully, but it’s the chilis in adobo sauce the really make the marinade.  They impart a wonderfully smoky heat that builds gradually, but consider yourself warned that they can pack quite a punch!

Barbacoa

3 pounds Top or Bottom Round Roast
2 onions, roughly chopped
3 tbsp vegetable oil
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp cumin
1 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
1/2 – 1 small can of chipotles in adobo sauce
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup water
2 tbsp white or rice vinegar

1. Place all ingredients except the roast in a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Spoon some sauce into the slow-cooker so it covers the bottom.  Add the roast and pour the rest of the sauce over meat.
3. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
4. Remove beef from slow-cooker and drain sauce from slow-cooker (set aside – don’t throw it away).
5. Shred the beef using forks or tongs and return to the slow-cooker. Gradually add sauce to shredded beef, stirring as you go. You want to coat the meat with the seasoning, but not leave standing liquid in the slow-cooker.
6. Let beef sit on low or warm for 5-10 minutes to allow the sauce to season the beef.

Looking for a Mexican side-dish that’s full of vegetables and great flavor?  Look no further than calabacitas, which traslates to “little squash.”   This dish goes together easily and showcases fresh summer flavors – zucchini, summer squash, corn and fresh oregano.   Throw in some onions, season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes (if you want the heat), sauté for a few minutes and you’re good to go!

Calabacitas

olive oil
1 small zucchini, sliced thin
1 small yellow squash, sliced thin
1 Roma tomato, diced (I omitted)
1 small red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 c. frozen or fresh corn
1 tsp. chopped fresh oregano
red pepper flakes, to taste
cumin, to taste (around 1/2 tsp)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

1. Coat sauté pan with olive oil
2. Lightly coat a sauté pan with oil. On medium heat, cook onion, zucchini and squash until slightly softened – about 5-10 minutes.
3. When zucchini has almost reached desired consistency, add corn and heat through.
4. Season with oregano, cumin, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper before serving.

Chicken fajitas are a summer staple in our house. Throw together some tasty marinade, grill up chicken and vegetables and serve them together on warm tortillas. It’s the perfect summer meal: no indoor cooking, minimal dishes and maximum flavor.  Serve them on the deck with an  ice-cold margarita and you’re faced with pure perfection.

While tequila-lime marinade has been my go-to choice for all things Mexican-related, I decided to shake things up a bit last weekend and searched AllRecipces.com for a new chicken fajita marinade.   Success!  The lime juice provides a bit of tart sweetness, while the liquid smoke and cayenne pepper imparts a smokey zing.  I was in a rush and only let the chicken marinate for about an hour, but that didn’t seem to cause any problems.

I use a grill basket like this one for my grilled vegetables, so it’s just as easy as sauteing on the stove.   I don’t use an actual recipe;  chop up mushrooms, peppers and onions and toss them in either olive oil or Italian dressing and then season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Coat your basket with cooking spray and place on the grill during pre-heating.  Cooking times will vary, but 5-8 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes, will usually do it.

Chicken Fajita Marinade

1/4 cup lime juice
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. In a small bowl whisk together the lime juice, water, olive oil, garlic, soy sauce, salt, liquid smoke, cayenne and black pepper.
2. Pour marinade over meat and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Cook as desired.

My husband and I planned a Mexican-themed dinner to celebrate Mother’s day with his Mom.  We served all of our favorites:  margaritas, chips and corn salsa, tequila-lime chicken fajitas with grilled vegetables and calabacitas.

Margarita cupcakes are usually my go-to dessert for a celebration like this, but this time I wanted something light and summery.  A quick search on AllRecipes.com yielded this Margarita Pie.  The original recipe did not contain any alcohol, so I added tequila and triple sec to give it a true margarita flavor.

The margarita pie was a hit!  Everyone, including the guest of honor loved it!  The pie was cool and smooth with just the right combination of sweet and tangy flavors.  Using crushed pretzels for the crust added contrasting texture and the saltiness enhanced the margarita flavor – I for one love salt with my margarita!  I only allowed the pie to chill for three hours, so it was still a bit soft when I served it.  In the future I’d give it more time, but that certainly did not detract from the flavor.

Given the rave reviews and the ease with which this dessert came together, I’ll be adding it to my list of go-to summer desserts!

Margarita Pie

1 1/4 cups crushed pretzels
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup white sugar
2 limes, zested and juiced
1/4 cup orange juice
4 tsp tequila
1 tsp triple sec
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
(8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

1. In a medium bowl, combine crushed pretzels, melted butter, and sugar. Press mixture into a pie pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together lime juice, lime zest, orange juice, tequila, triple sec and sweetened condensed milk. Fold in whipped topping.
3. Spoon filling into pretzel crust. Place in refrigerator and allow to set for at least 4 hours.  (6+ hours or overnight is better)

When we were engaged, my husband and I registered for the Cuisinart Duet, a combination food processor and blender. Beyond making frozen beverages, I had no idea what I would use these small appliances for, but I registered for them because it was the thing to do and they seemed potentially useful. While unpacking our shower gifts, I thumbed through the enclosed recipe booklet and was surprised to see that many recipes called for the blender, including salad dressings and (Mike’s favorite!) salsa. Thinking that Mike would be equally interested, I shared the news with him: “Guess what? We can use our blender to make more than just frozen margaritas!” Mike responded with “Like frozen daiquiris?” While I ended up using the food processor to make salsa, I often remember this exchange and smile.

We go through lots of salsa in our house. Not only does my husband love it, we often serve it as a simple appetizer when friends visit for dinner. While I think there are plenty of excellent jarred salsa, homemade salsas remain my favorite. I started making this particular salsa a few years ago based upon a Chili’s salsa copycat recipe. Over time, I’ve modified it to suit our particular tastes. That’s the beauty of salsa: it’s completely customizable, super-easy to make and almost impossible to run.

Now go grab your food processor or blender, a bag of chips and maybe even a frozen margarita!

Cumin & Lime Salsa

1 (14 1/2 ounce) can tomatoes and green chilies
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can whole canned tomatoes (plus the juice)
1 tbsp jalapeños chopped (I use more)
1/4 cup yellow onion, diced
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 – 2 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp sugar

1. Pulse japapenos and onions in food processor.
2. Add both cans of tomatoes, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, lime juice and sugar.
3. Process all ingredients until well blended, but do not puree.
4. Place in covered container and refrigerate for a few hours before serving.

My husband I love grilling pizza because it’s quick, easy and the topping possibilities are endless. I first made this Southwestern Chicken Grilled Pizza when I was faced with leftover Tomatillo Salsa, Tequila Lime Chicken and lots of fresh cilantro.

Using tomatillo salsa in place of traditional tomato sauce gives this pizza a light, fresh taste. The flavors of the tangy, bright salsa, smokey chicken and mellow caramelized onions blend beautifully. The pizza is full of flavor, but not overly spicy, so it will appeal to a wide variety of palates.

Southwestern Chicken Grilled Pizza

Pizza dough
Corn meal
Olive oil
1/2 large sweet onion, sliced thin
1/4 – 1/2 cup tomatillo salsa (store-bought or homemade)
1 grilled chicken breast, chopped (I used Tequila Lime chicken)
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese
2-4 tbsp chopped, fresh cilantro

1. In a saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute onions for 7-10 minutes or until soft and translucent.
1. Place pizza stone on cold grill. Preheat grill on high for about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, stretch your dough by hand or roll it out on a lightly floured surface.
3. Sprinkle pizza peel liberally with cornmeal. Place stretched dough on top of cornmeal-covered peel.
4. Spread tomatillo salsa over the dough.
5. Distribute chopped chicken and sauteed onions evenly over the salsa.
6. Top with shredded cheese.
7. Reduce grill heat to medium-high. Slide prepared pizza onto preheated stone,close lid and grill for 8-10 minutes (for thin crust) until crust is golden and slightly crispy. Thicker crusts will require more time.
8. Remove pizza from stone and allow stone to cool on the grill.
9. Sprinkle chopped cilantro onto finished pizza.