Southwest Style Southern Style Hashbrowns

This is a great side dish. I love to make it on sundays with a steak sometimes.

You can either use the shortcut and buy a bag of southern style hashbrowns in the freezer section of the store or use regular potatoes. Secret though, it takes a lot longer to cook when you use raw potatoes. (Just in case you don't know southern style hashbrowns are small little 1/4 inch square potato pieces.)

With some olive oil in a frying pan (non stick is best) cook up your potatoes with a little black pepper. If you really want to be brave you can add some red cayanne pepper as well. When you're potatoes are just about done add some green chile to the frying pan. Stir it up with the potatoes. Dish on a plate with shredded chedder cheese on top. Yummy!

Chile Blanco (Posole)

This is a recipe given to Shane from a friend out at work. I believe its the same friend that loved my green chile chicken stew so much. I haven't made this one yet, so I don't have any suggestions how to alter it. But it should be good!

5 Tablespoons olive oil
1 pound ground pork
1 pounds ground chicken
1 pound ground turkey
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
4 cups chicken stock
2 cans (15 oz each) White northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (16 oz) hominy, rinsed and drained
2 cans (4 1/2 oz each) chopped green chiles (about 1/4 cup)
3/4 cup seeded, chopped poblano peppers
2 tablespoons chopped jalapeno chiles
1/4 cup cumin
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 cup fresh cilantro

Heat oil in a large pot. Add pork, chicken, turkey, and salt. Cook breaking up meet with spoon until cooked through. Add onions, cook until softened. Add garlic, cook 1 minute, add remaining ingredients except cilantro. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer about 50 minutes. Add the cilantro and serve with corn tortillas or pita bread.

(I would think it would be okay to shrink down this recipe for smaller families, and possibly get away with using just chicken. If you make this let me know how it tastes and what you did. I'll have to try this soon.)

Yucatan Chicken-Lime Soup

(This is a recipe from my friend Christy. The first time I made it was this last december. It really is SO good!)

This is SOOO good. I make it with small amounts of broth and lots more chicken. So if you want it more soupy (brothy) just add more broth.

4 small Corn Tortillas, cut into small strips
1 large Tomato, halved crosswise
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 medium Onion finely chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced (YES 8!)
2-8 serrano chile peppers, thinly sliced.
2 1/2 cups Chicken Broth
2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken breasts (Boil with Salt and Lime Juice forst to give it more flavor, then shred it)
2 Bay Leaves
6-8 Tablespoons Lime Juice (I usually go with 8 adjust to your taste preference)
3 Tablespoons Dried Cilantro
Salt and Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Arrange Tortilla Strips on a baking sheet. Bake for 3 minutes or until lightly toasted. Transfer to a plate to cool.
3. Over a small bowl, grate each tomato half on the coarse side of a hand grater. Discard the skin.
4. Heat Oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic and chile peppers. Cook for 4 minutes, or until onions are soft but not brown. Stir in the tomatoes, broth, chicken, and bay leaves. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in 6 tablespoons of the lime juice and the dried cilantro. Season with Salt and Pepper. Remove Bay Leaves and discard. Taste and add more lime juice if desired. (You shoud be able to taste the lime.) Ladle into serving bowls and sprinkle with some tortilla strips.

Serves 4.
389 calories, 10.5g Fat.

I add sour cream to the top of each serving, which hlps it its a bit too spicy. Any leftovers are excellent for chicken quesadilla fillings. Just add some chopped green chiles, and drain the broth, if there's any left.

(I use green chile rather than the chopped serrano chiles in this recipe. About a 1/4 - 1/2 cup should be enough. Remember start out small and add till you get the amount of heat you like.)

Sour Cream Enchiladas

(This is a recipe my dad brought home from work many years ago. They would have these potluck dinners on swing-shift. Someone made this and brought it out. My dad begged for the recipe.)

The recipe calls for 17 oz can of diced green chiles. With the heat of the bag of green chile you have in your freezer you could probably get away with using 1/4- 1/2 cup of green chile. (I'd start with less and add to taste.) The hamburger can be substituted with shredded beef or shredded chicken.


INGREDIENTS:
1 pint sour cream
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can chopped olives
17 oz can of diced green chiles
2 lbs hamburger
1 diced onion
1 lb grated cheese (chedder/monteray jack mixture)
12-14 four tortillas (or as many as you can fit in a pan)


DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven 350 degrees. Combine sour cream, cream of chicken soup, black olives and green chiles in a saucepan. Bring to boil. Fry meat with diced onion. After meat is cooked spoon 2 TBSP sauce, 2 fingerfuls of cheese and 2 TBSP of meat into a tortilla. Roll up, place in large 13x9 pan. Repeat till pan is full. Set aside some sauce and cheese to spread over enchiladas. Sprinkle chopped olives and chopped green onions over the top for some color. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Chicken Chile Verde with Pepitas (or Green Chile Chicken Stew)

(This is another recipe from my friend Christy. She really is an amazing cook. And she finds such good recipes!)

You asked for some recipes to use with Green Chile you're gonna get some! This is a really good meal. I have made it with Southern Style hashbrowns with cheddar cheese sprinkled on top as a side, but really does well by itself.

This recipe calls for one can of chopped green chilies. I usually use two to three whole green chilies minced. It works out to about 3-5 tablespoons.


I've also altered this recipe to make it into a soup. This is the one that Shane took out to work as leftovers where a co-worker sampled it and said "Tell Mama to make me some of that!"

To make it as a soup cut the chicken into 1/2 inch cubes before cooking. Add a little peanut oil to a saucepan instead of a large skillet. Follow all the directions till the chicken broth. Add more chicken broth than the recipe asks for. I think I do one can to almost two cans.

Let the soup simmer or a little while, and regardless of which way you make it I like using dried cilantro found in the spices isle rather than fresh cilantro. Something about the look of it appeals to me better. A dollop of sour cream on top is a must! If its too spicey the sour cream helps to calm it a little.

A Taste of the Southwest

In my freezer I have a bag of flame roasted green chilies. I'm so excited to use them ... but I don't know what to do!

I don't know if it's safe to thaw the whole bag just to use some of the chilies. And I need some good recipes.

Any help?

Thai Chicken Wraps

While I was in Utah we went to Mimi's Cafe for lunch. It was the first time I had ever been there. I ordered the Thai Chicken Wraps. As soon as I took the first bite I knew it was something I had to try to make at home. I made it tonight, much to the pleasure of Shane (who lost 13 pounds while I was gone!).

So here is my attempt at the recipe.

Ingredients:

Tomato Basil Wraps
Sliced Cooked Chicken Breasts
Chopped Cilantro
Chopped Green Onions
Red Cabbage
Green Cabbage
Chopped Carrots
Won Tons (in the fresh veggies section)

Peanut Sauce

Cook the chicken breasts in a frying pan in olive oil. While Chicken is cooking chop up your veggies. (I used a shortcut for the cabbage and carrots by just buying the chopped coleslaw package in the bagged salad section). Cut the Won Tons into thin slices. After the chicken breasts are cooked, add a little more oil to the pan and fry the Won Ton slices. Once the chicken breasts have cooled a little cut into slices. Put a few slices in the middle of the tortilla, add your veggies, roll up tortilla and cut in half. Serve with Peanut Sauce for dipping.

This is SOO Yummy!

African Chicken

1 can (approx 2 cups) chicken broth
2 onions, sliced thinly
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
4 chicken breasts (or whichever piece you prefer)
1/2 cup extra crunchy peanut butter (make sure it has no sugar!)
crushed red pepper flakes

In crockpot, combine broth, onions and peppers.

Spread peanut butter over both sides of chicken pieces. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes and place on top of vegetables in the crockpot.

Cover and cook on Low for 5-6 hours.

(This recipe is modified from "Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook")