Creamy Green Chile, Tomatillo, and Avocado Sauce

May 3, 2013 by 2 Comments

Earlier in the week I posted on Facebook about a dinner exceeding my expectations. This is that dinner. When I read the list of ingredients, poblano peppers, tomatillo, avocado, cilantro… OF COURSE I knew I would like the sauce. What’s not to love about all of those things? What I didn’t expect was standing over my food processor bowl with a spoon hoping that I could manage to leave enough sauce in it to actually serve for dinner. That’s how much I liked loved this stuff. (Notice in the photo I put sauce under AND over the chicken).

What makes this sauce even better is its versatility. I used it as a semi pasta sauce and served it with grilled chicken and a black bean and corn salad. Of course it could easily go over rice or just plain right on top of chicken. I also have plans in the near future to serve it over top of fish. I’m guessing it would also go perfectly grilled shrimp. The possibilities are endless. And I’m all about versatility in the kitchen.

Creamy Green Chile, Tomatillo, and Avocado Sauce (served over penne pasta with chicken)

Ingredients

1/2 medium onion, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 or 2 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, and halved*
1 poblano pepper, stemmed, seeded, and quartered
2 medium or 3 small tomatillos, husked, cored, and quartered
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 Tbsp Canola oil
1 avocado, peeled and cut into chunks
2 Tbsp cilantro
2 Tbsp lime juice (about 1 lime)
1/4-1/3 cup half and half

*I only used 1 jalapeno and Jesse and I both agreed that we could have handled one more

Directions

Preheat your oven on the broiler setting. Place the onion, jalapeno, poblano pepper, tomatillos, and garlic on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with canola oil. Place the baking sheet under the broiler, until the peppers start to char and the vegetables are softened. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Once cool, place the vegetables in the bowl of a food processor along with the avocado, cilantro and lime juice. Process until it is almost smooth* then, with the processor still running, stream in 1/4 cup of the half and half. If you would like the sauce a little thinner, add a little more half and half.

Serve with grilled chicken, fish or shrimp over penne pasta or rice. Also goes great with a simple black bean and corn salad.

*I processed mine for a little longer than I needed too, as a result I lost some of the beautiful flecks of dark green cilantro. But it still tasted great!

Source: As seen on Elly Says Opa, originally from Food and Wine Annual Cookbook 2010, via Our Life in Food

Looking for more sauce recipes?

Tzatziki Sauce
Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
Jack Daniels Sauce
Southwest Marinade and Sauce

 

Filed Under: Chicken, Easy Weeknight Dinner, Pasta, Poultry, Sauce/Condiment Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Homemade Italian Dressing

April 9, 2013 by 3 Comments

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I’m a dip and dressing fanatic. I have always especially been a fan of cool, creamy Ranch and Blue Cheese dressings. I’ve even been known to dip pizza in Ranch dressing on occasion (don’t knock it till you try it!). So you can imagine my surprise in the first trimester when the thought of cool, creamy Ranch made my stomach turn. What I craved instead was something tangy and zippy. Not that I haven’t ever liked these kinds of dressings before (because I have) but my obsession went to a whole knew level. I felt like I was literally just using salad as a vehicle to get that sweet, tangy, zippy dressing to my mouth. Mmmmm….

With such strong cravings you can imagine how disappointed I was when we ordered pizza and a salad and the dressing I ordered (and paid for!!) didn’t come. I’m embarrassed to say how upset I really was. I’m looking at you Dominos. Then of course I realized that I do love to make my own homemade versions of foods and that it was a bit silly to be that upset over something I could easily make on my own (but still a little upset, Dominos, your shaming isn’t over yet).

The awesome thing about homemade Italian dressing is that you can change it up to really fit your tastes. This is the recipe that’s been working for me lately. But of course you should taste as you go and add things as necessary. This particular recipe also made a killer roasted veggie pasta salad (which will be shared tomorrow!).

 

 

Homemade Italian Dressing

Ingredients
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup canola oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp dry parsley
1/2 tsp dry oregano
1/2 tsp dry onion flakes
1 tsp dry basil
1 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp sugar
2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely diced
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Whisk together all ingredients and let sit for at least an hour (to give time for the flavors to meld together). Each time you use it, you will probably need to rewhisk or shake to mix it up again. The dry mustard only acts as an emulsifier for so long.

Sunny Side Up

Check out these other DIY/Homemade sauces/condiments!

Homemade Spicy Garlic Buffalo Sauce
Homemade Chocolate Syrup
Homemade Jack Daniels Glaze
Homemade Mayonnaise

Filed Under: Salad Dressing, Sauce/Condiment Tagged With: , , ,

Pretzel Crusted Chicken with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

September 18, 2012 by Leave a Comment

As I recently mentioned, I’m a sucker for sauces. I don’t think I could ever chose just one favorite, but I think honey mustard is towards the top of the list. Honey mustard seems to go especially well with chicken and pretzels, so pretzel crusted chicken and honey mustard dipping sauce seemed like a match made in heaven. And it was!

My friend Nikki recently shared the recipe she uses for honey mustard, so I used that as a jumping off point. Side note, I said “recently” then when I went to copy the URL I realized the post was from January. Wow. Time flies!! I wanted a stronger mustard taste so I cut the mayonnaise in half and added a little dijon mustard. The result was a dipping sauce that I easily could have eaten with a spoon.

For the chicken, I used a classic breading method. We loved how crunchy the crust was, and it really seemed to hold in the moisture of the chicken. It was really the perfect vehicle for the honey mustard dipping sauce.

 

Pretzel Crusted Chicken with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

Pretzel Crusted Chicken

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts, cut into strips
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups pretzel sticks or twists
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
pinch of cayenne pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place pretzels in the bowl of food processor and pulse in 5-10 second increments until the pretzels are crushed, but not so long that they turn to powder. Alternatively, place pretzels in a Ziploc bag and beat with a rolling pin until crushed.

Place whole wheat flour and eggs separate bowls. In a third bowl, stir together the crushed pretzels, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, and cayenne pepper.

Lightly coat the chicken strips with whole wheat flour, then dip in the egg, then in the pretzel mixture. Place on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining chicken.

Bake for 6-7 minutes then carefully turn over with cooking tongs and bake for another 6-7 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Sunny Side Up Original

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

Ingredients
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 Tbsp honey
1 1/2 Tbsp yellow mustard
1/2 Tbsp dijon mustard
Juice from half a lemon (or 1 Tablespoon)
1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions
Whisk together all ingredients. Chill for 1-2 hours before serving.

Adapted from Pennies on a Platter, originally from Paula Deen

 

Filed Under: Chicken, Dinner, Main Course, Sauce/Condiment Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Copycat Jack Daniels Glaze

August 24, 2012 by 15 Comments

One thing you might not know about me is that I am a dip and sauce fanatic. I’m the girl that bugs the waiter/waitress for extra sauces – pretty much every single time I go out to eat. Extra side of salsa, a side of ranch, extra buffalo sauce, extra Yum Yum sauce…. You get the picture. Especially if there are fries and/or a wrap/sandwich of some sort. I think I might even embarrass Jesse a little bit because I’ve been known to ask for 3 or more sauces at one time.  It’s a problem, that’s for sure.

There is a popular chain restaurant that has a featured menu that is all about Jack Daniels Glaze. It’s sweet, salty, sticky, and delicious. We don’t go to that restaurant very often, but when we do, you can bet we’ll order the Sesame Jack Chicken Strips as an appetizer. And chances are good that I will also ask for an extra side of the sauce, just so I can dip my fries in it later.

When I came across this copycat on Kate’s blog during a previous recipe swap I was super excited. Of course that time around the Enchilada Casserole won the blog spot, but I didn’t forget about this glaze. When I was assigned Kate’s blog again for this swap, it was fate.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have to come clean and tell you that the sauce I made would technically have to be Johnnie Walker Glaze, since the only whiskey we have on hand at the moment is a bottle of black label. It’s technically different because it’s a Scotch whiskey and not a Tennessee Whiskey, but it worked. And guess what, this sauce is pretty spot! The only other change I made was to use only soy sauce instead of soy and teriyaki because… well, because I can’t read most of the labels at the grocery store (Chinese characters) so I’m not sure if my store had teriyaki sauce!


Copycat Jack Daniels Glaze

Ingredients
1 head of garlic- roasted
2/3 cup water
1 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup soy sauce (alternatively you could use 1/4 cup teriyaki and 1 Tbsp soy sauce)
1 1/3 cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp  white onion, minced
1 Tbsp Jack Daniels Whiskey *
1 Tbsp pineapple, very finely minced
1/2 tsp minced ginger (omit if using teriyaki sauce)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

*Obviously, you can substitute Johnnie Walker or any other decent brand of Whiskey. 

Directions
To roast the garlic, cut the top off of a head of garlic so the ends of the cloves are exposed. Peel off any excess layers of the papery skin. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and loosely wrap with aluminum foil. Place on a baking sheet and roast at 350 degrees for about 45-50 minutes, or until the cloves appear golden brown.

In a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat, combine the water, pineapple juice, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer.

Squeeze out the roasted garlic and whisk in to the simmering liquid, discard the papery skin. Add the lemon juice, onion, whiskey, pineapple, ginger, and cayenne paper and stir to combine.

Continue to simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally, or until the liquid has reduced by half and is thick and syrupy*. Careful not to let the liquid boil over.

Glaze can be basted onto meats (chicken, steak, shrimp) while grilling, or drizzled over crispy chicken strips (and sprinkle with sesame seeds!), or used as a dipping sauce for fries.

* If your sauce doesn’t thicken up as much as you want it to, you can stir together 1 tsp of corn starch and 2 tsp of cold water, and add that to the sauce.

Adapted from Kate’s Recipe Box, originally from Insider’s Recipes Master Edition

 

 

Filed Under: Grill, Sauce/Condiment Tagged With: , , , , , ,