Yucatan Barbeque Shrimp Dip

Recipe courtesy of Erin Seymour

The amounts of the ingredients are very flexible.

2 lbs Monterey Jack Cheese
1 lb. frozen or fresh small shrimp
(tails off)
1 cup fresh salsa
1 tsp cinnamon
Tortilla chips


Slice the cheese in 1/4 inch thick slices. Overlap on the bottom of a heavy frying pan. Layer with shrimp, salsa, and sprinkle the cinnamon on the top. Heat on the barbeque until the cheese is totally melted.(I did it in a fondue pot today) Serve with chips.

This makes a great appetizer for a Mexican Fajitas Barbeque.

Presto Black Bean Salsa

Recipe courtesy of Holly Merritt

Presto Black Bean Salsa
from Taste of Home Magazine

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups fresh or frozen corn
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 red pepper,chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
1 can (4oz) chopped green chiles
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 lime, juiced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1 16 oz jar prepared salsa (the family canning salsa works great)

Combine ingredients and serve with chips.

Enchildas Verde

Recipe courtesy of Dave (and Tera) Nelson

Serves 4-6. Published July 1, 2008. From Cook's Illustrated.

You can substitute three 11-ounce cans of tomatillos, drained and rinsed, for the fresh ones in this recipe. Halve large tomatillos (more than 2 inches in diameter) and place them skin-side up for broiling in step 2 to ensure even cooking and charring. If you can’t find poblanos, substitute 4 large jalapeño chiles (with seeds and ribs removed). To increase the spiciness of the sauce, reserve some of the chiles’ ribs and seeds and add them to the food processor in step 3.

Ingredients:

4 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion , chopped medium (about 1 cup)
3 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 to 3 breasts), trimmed of excess fat
1 1/2 pounds tomatillos (16 to 20 medium), husks and stems removed, rinsed well and dried (see note)
3 medium poblano chiles , halved lengthwise, stemmed, and seeded (see note)
1 - 2 1/2 teaspoons sugar
Table salt
Ground black pepper
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
8 ounces Pepper Jack cheese or Monterey Jack cheese, grated (2 cups)
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas

Garnish:
2 medium scallions , sliced thin
Sour cream

Homemade salsa

Instructions:
1. Adjust oven racks to middle and highest positions and heat broiler. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering; add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Add 2 teaspoons garlic and cumin; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Decrease heat to low and stir in broth. Add chicken, cover, and simmer until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken registers 160 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking. Transfer chicken to large bowl; place in refrigerator to cool, about 20 minutes. Remove 1/4 cup liquid from saucepan and set aside; discard remaining liquid.
2. Meanwhile, toss tomatillos and poblanos with remaining 2 teaspoons oil; arrange on rimmed baking sheet lined with foil, with poblanos skin-side up. Broil until vegetables blacken and start to soften, 5 to 10 minutes, rotating pan halfway through cooking. Cool 10 minutes, then remove skin from poblanos (leave tomatillo skins intact). Transfer tomatillos and chiles to food processor. Decrease oven temperature to 350 degrees. Discard foil from baking sheet and set baking sheet aside for warming tortillas.
3. Add 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, remaining teaspoon garlic, and reserved cooking liquid to food processor; process until sauce is somewhat chunky, about eight 1-second pulses. Taste sauce; season with salt and pepper and adjust tartness by stirring in remaining sugar, 1/2 teaspoon at a time. Set sauce aside (you should have about 3 cups).
4. When chicken is cool, pull into shreds using hands or 2 forks, then chop into small bite-sized pieces. Combine chicken with cilantro and 11/2 cups cheese; season with salt.
5. Smear bottom of 13- by 9-inch baking dish with 3/4 cup tomatillo sauce. Place tortillas on 2 baking sheets. Spray both sides of tortillas lightly with cooking spray. Bake until tortillas are soft and pliable, 2 to 4 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees. Place warm tortillas on countertop and spread 1/3 cup filling down center of each tortilla. Roll each tortilla tightly and place in baking dish, seam-side down. Pour remaining tomatillo sauce over top of enchiladas. Use back of spoon to spread sauce so that it coats top of each tortilla. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese and cover baking dish with foil.
6. Bake enchiladas on middle rack until heated through and cheese is melted, 15 to 20 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with scallions, and serve immediately, serve salsa and sour cream separately.

Carrot Cookies

Recipe courtesy of Erin Seymour

Cookie Dough Ingredients:
3/4 c. butter
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
1 c. chopped walnuts
2 c. flour
1 c. grated carrots

Instructions:
Mix & drop on cookie sheet. Bake at 350° F. for 8 - 12 mins.


Orange Frosting Ingredients:
1/4 c orange juice
1/3 c butter
1 t vanilla
Powdered sugar


Instructions:
Cream, room temperature, butter until light and fluffy. Add remaining ingredients. Beat until desired consistency.

Rotkohl (Red Cabbage and Apples)

Recipe courtesy of Andrea Simmons
*This is one of my favorite German side dishes and is usually served with meat (it is especially good with pork).

1 1/2 oz butter (about 2 tbs)
1- 1 1/2 lb red cabbage (one small head)
juice 1 Lemon
2 apples, peeled and diced (tart work best)
2 Tbs red currant jelly
2 cloves
2 Tbs beef stock

1. In a heavy-bottomed casserole melt butter. Add the cabbage and pour over the lemon juice (this will help preserve the color). Add the apples, red currant jelly, cloves and beef stock.
2. Mix all the ingredients together and simmer 15 to 20 minutes. The cabbage should not be over-cooked.

Light Carrot Cake

Recipe courtesy of Tera Nelson

Cooks Illustrated Recipe:
You can either use the large holes of a box grater or the large holed shredding disk in a food processor for grating the carrots. Use a metal cake pan, not a glass or Pyrex pan, for best results. This cake is terrific with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar, or for a special treat, some Light Cream Cheese Frosting.

Ingredients
Vegetable cooking spray
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (12 1/2 ounces)
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon table salt
3 large eggs
1 cup packed light brown sugar (7 ounces)
1 cup granulated sugar (7 ounces)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 pound carrots (about 6 medium), peeled and grated (about 3 cups)

Instructions

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 13 by 9-inch metal baking pan with vegetable oil spray, then line the bottom with parchment paper.

2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugars together in a medium bowl until they turn thick and creamy, 1 to 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low and slowly whip in the oil until thoroughly combined and emulsified, 30 to 60 seconds. Sift half the flour mixture over the batter and gently mix in. Repeat once more with the remaining flour mixture and continue to whisk the batter gently until most of the lumps are gone (do not overmix). Using a rubber spatula, gently stir in the carrots.

3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking (do not overbake). Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert the cake onto a wire rack and remove the parchment paper. Flip the cake right-side up, and cool completely on a wire rack, about 2 hours, before frosting (if desired) and serving.

Zucchini Bread

Recipe courtesy of Andrea Simmons

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup apple sauce
2 1/4 cups white sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups grated zucchini (about 3 medium zucchinis)
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

Directions
Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
Beat eggs, oil, apple sauce, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and chocolate chips until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.