This recipe takes only about ½ hour, is fairly easy and packs a lot of flavor. It’s versatile, besides dipping chips you can: roll it up in tortillas with shredded chicken; scoop it onto scrambled eggs and/or breakfast potatoes; dress up a hamburger or hot dog; add to the top of your bowl of beans or baked potato; mix into cooked pasta shapes so it’s like a cheesy noodle casserole…so many possibilities!
Ingredients
1 lb uncooked chorizo, or ground turkey or beef with 1 taco seasoning spice packet
1 white or red onion, finely diced
1 small bell pepper or poblano pepper, seeded/finely diced
1 cup fresh or frozen corn, thawed
¾ lb Monterey Jack or other stringy melting cheese, shredded
¼ lb pepper jack, shredded
Sprinkle of chili powder
Sprinkle of garlic granules
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
Tortilla Chips for serving
Optional Toppings:
1 Roma tomato, diced
2 scallions, sliced into rings
Directions
Preheat oven to 400°.
In a large skillet, cook and crumble chorizo or other ground meat until brown. Stir in chili powder and garlic granules. Mix in taco seasoning packet if using meat other than chorizo. Remove from skillet and drain on a paper towel. Pour off excess fat from skillet, leaving a little.
Add onions, peppers and corn to skillet and cook over medium-high heat until veggies are soft and golden brown, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat, set aside.
In a medium oven-proof skillet, place 1/3 of cheese and then half the meat. Add another 1/3 of cheese and then as much of veggies as can fit, along with rest of meat and finally the rest of the cheese. There may be some ingredients left, just make sure to reach the top of the skillet. Everything will shrink once cheese melts.
Remove from oven and top with cilantro, and diced tomatoes and scallions if using. Serve immediately with tortilla chips.
Freezing instructions: Allow queso to cool completely by sitting at room temp for 1/2 hour or more. Stir occasionally while it cools to help release excess heat, then transfer to fridge to cool further. Divide into smaller, manageable portions. Get as much air out as possible and seal in containers or bags. Will last in freezer for 2-3 months, and may not be quite as creamy-smooth as the first day…but pretty close!
Napa Cabbage Salad with Asian Pears and Red Pepper Ginger-Miso Dressing
4 servings
Looking for a salad that’ll be a hit at the next potluck, barbeque or picnic? It’s fresh and packed with flavor, with a great variety of ingredients so each forkful is a refreshing, fun combo. Add cold rice noodles, shredded rotisserie chicken, tofu cubes…and you’ve got a main dish. Just wait to dress it until you get where you’re going and you’re all set.
The dressing is a keeper. Great for dipping veggies, or just licking off your fingers!
Ingredients
6 cups chopped Napa Cabbage
1 bunch scallions, sliced into rounds
2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup toasted almonds, chopped
2 cups thinly sliced Asian pears – Asian is best, but bosc pears are also good
Leaves from 1 bunch cilantro, picked
Dressing:
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded/chopped
¼ cup tahini, or hulled white sesame seeds
¼ cup water
1-2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp Tamari
2 Tbsp light miso
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp peeled, minced ginger
Juice of 1 lemon
¼ to ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, depending on how thick you want dressing
Salt to taste
Dash of cayenne pepper
Directions
Toss together in a bowl: Napa cabbage, scallions, carrot, pear and cilantro.
Prepare dressing: Put celery, bell pepper, tahini/sesame seeds, water, garlic, tamari, light miso, ginger, cayenne and lemon juice into a (ideally, high-speed) blender jar. With blender running, slowly pour EVOO through hole in blender lid until desired smooth consistency is reached. Adjust salt to your taste.
Dress salad somewhat lightly, you’ll have extra but you can always add more later! Stir in half of the almonds and scatter the rest on top.
Note: You can prep the ingredients the night before and store them separately, except for the pears since they discolor and don’t taste as good as when you first slice them. Only mix ingredients together when ready to serve.
Cabbage has really been having a moment over these past several years. After 4,000 years of cultivation, you don’t need to be a food anthropologist to see that we are officially in Cabbage 2.0. Where it is a bumbling brassica bowling ball no more!
Roasted cabbage wedges and thickly sliced “steaks” are popular ways to enjoy this newly-trendy veggie, with crispy toasted edges giving way to comforting, savory softness once you cut into it. With that in mind, savor this combo of salty-funky-spicy sauce and crispy, crunchy breadcrumbs or potato chips paired with the latest Cinderella of the veggie world!
1 medium green or savoy cabbage, cut into 8 wedges
½ cup panko breadcrumbs or crushed potato chips
1 Tbsp sesame seeds
½ tsp garlic powder
Salt to taste
1-2 Tbsp chopped parsley
Directions
Preheat oven to 400°. Line an edged sheet pan with parchment paper. Cut cabbage in half lengthwise, and each half into four wedges, again lengthwise.
Mix 6 Tbsp of butter with miso and gochujang paste. Brush all over cabbage wedges, including the base.
Lay wedges on their sides on prepared sheet pan and roast for 30 minutes. Remove pan from oven and flip wedges over so they’ll cook evenly. Cook another 30 minutes, rotating the wedges’ positions on the pan half-way through if some are cooking faster than others. Wedges should now be charred on the outside and slightly crispy.
While cabbage is roasting, make topping. Melt remaining 2 Tbsp butter in a pan. Add breadcrumbs/crushed potato chips, garlic powder and sesame seeds. Stirring constantly to avoid burning, toast until golden. Remove from pan immediately to stop cooking.
Sprinkle cabbage with crunchy crumb mixture, followed by chopped parsley. Adjust salt level to you liking. Serve.
This here is culinary velvet, and a great showcase for the magic of nutmeg in savory dishes. Serve with crusty bread and a nice, light salad for a meal that’s sure to please.
Ingredients
¼ cup melted butter
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup flour
2 cups half and half
2 cups stock or broth
½ lb broccoli, chopped into bite-size pieces (about 3 cups)
1 cup julienned carrot (can also buy pre-made large shreds/matchsticks)
1/8 – ¼ tsp freshly-grated nutmeg
Generous pinch dried thyme
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or sub smoked cheddar for ½ cup of this!), plus more for garnish
Salt and pepper
Directions
Melt butter and sauté onions until soft. Sprinkle in the flour and cook/stir over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and dried thyme and cook for about a minute longer.
Whisk in stock/broth and half-and-half. Add broccoli and carrots. Cook over low heat for about 25 minutes, or until veggies are tender.
Leave the soup chunky, or blend up to half of it and stir it back into the pot. (If blending warm/hot soup in a blender, be sure to vent!) Return to low heat and add the cheese – if the heat’s too high the soup can get grainy. Stir in the lesser amount of nutmeg, as well as salt and pepper to taste. Add more nutmeg thoughtfully if desired.
Sprinkle on additional shredded cheddar cheese right before serving.
Herbs ‘n’ Cheese Smashed Red Potatoes with a Simple Spring Salad
4 servings
A great way to bridge the seasons in the kitchen is to make what some folks call “baked” or “hot salads,” with roasted veggies to satisfy your cravings for something cozy and toasty to go with the spring greens winding their way to market.
Reach for red potatoes if you want to build an irresistible combo. Their flesh is soft and creamy-smooth, perfect for smashed potatoes, and their skin is wonderfully paper-thin and full of flavor.
Smashed potatoes are great in baked salads, since they’re simple to make and pair well with a wide variety of other ingredients. This version includes garlic and fresh herbs along with plenty of Parmesan for flavor. Yummy and fun to eat!
Ingredients
1 lb small red potatoes (about 12)
8 cloves garlic, peeled/pressed
1 Tbsp thyme leaves, finely chopped
2 tsp rosemary leaves, finely chopped
1-1 ½ cups freshly/finely shredded Parmesan cheese
½ – ¾ cup plus 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 cups fresh spring salad greens
1 red bell pepper, cut into bite-size pieces
2 scallions, sliced into thin rings
Juice from 1 lemon
Salt and pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°, line a sheet pan with parchment paper and drizzle about 2 Tbsp olive oil over it.
Bring potatoes to a boil in a medium pot of water. Reduce to a high simmer and cook until a knife gently inserted into several of them comes out easily. Remove from heat, drain hot water so potatoes stop cooking.
Drain/dry potatoes and set them on a flat work surface. Using a small Mason jar or similar flat object, gently press the potatoes one by one until each is between ¼” – ½” thick and edges are crumbly but intact. Use a spatula to loosen any taters that don’t want to release from the smasher. Place smashed potatoes on sheet pan so edges aren’t touching and drizzle on ¼ cup of the oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place in oven for about 25 minutes. Turn potatoes over to ensure even cooking and cook 20 minutes more.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine garlic, fresh herbs and ½ cup shredded Parmesan. Add remaining oil and stir so everything comes together.
Remove potatoes from oven. Using a spatula, carefully lift each potato and place about 1 Tbsp shredded Parmesan where it was sitting. Put potato back on top of cheese and press down gently. Repeat.
Take a little of the garlic/herb/Parmesan mixture and put it on top of each potato. Sprinkle any remaining Parmesan on top of potatoes.
Place back in oven for another 15-30 minutes, until the cheese is crispy. Remove from oven and let cool a little. Once cool enough to comfortably touch, but ideally still warm, remove from sheet pan and place several on top of a dressed Simple Spring Salad or your salad of choice.
Make Salad: Put veggies in a medium bowl with plenty of room to gently toss. Juice lemon. Drizzle olive oil around edges of bowl, not on top of tender greens. Do the same with the lemon juice and then using one of your hands or two rubber/silicone spatulas, gently get the dressing onto the greens by lifting them and tossing while scraping the side of the bowl and redistributing the oil/juice throughout. Sprinkle on salt and pepper and toss once more. Taste a leaf to see how it’s going, adjust seasoning as needed. You want enough dressing to accentuate the veggies but not weigh them down.
Outrageous flavor is hiding underneath a simple pale and creamy exterior, ready to lend a punch alongside your robust beef dishes like prime rib or corned beef, stirred into or topping mashed or baked potatoes, or folded into salad dressing or hummus.
It’s also great as a sandwich spread, or a topper for a bowl of comforting tomato soup. Or, celebrate St. Paddy’s Day with Irish Empanadas, and this dip as a true side-KICK!
