Easy, Very Spicy Salsa/Dressing

I pinned this recipe for salsa TWO YEARS ago from This Chick Cooks. What finally made me decide to make it is my hubby. He has been trying, successfully, to lose weight but wanted to make some more changes to his diet. This included eliminating the Ranch/French dressing combo he likes on his salad. Since he is not a fan of vinaigrette dressings, he thought he would try salsa. The ones you buy in the store contain processed sugars, which he is reducing, so I headed to pinterest for a salsa recipe. This fit the bill and I must say it has been a huge hit! I have made this twice in less than two weeks, the second time adding the garlic.

8 oz fresh tomatoes
1/3 cup chopped onion, I used yellow
1 habanero pepper (leave this out if you want a less spicy salsa, more spicy use two)
2 large jalapeno peppers
juice of one lime, about 3 Tbsp
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp fresh cilantro or 1 tsp dried cilantro
drizzle of raw local honey
1 clove garlic (I would only add this if doing option 3)

Now you can make this three ways. I did option 3, since this is good both as a salsa or a salad dressing. 1) if you want your salsa more like a pico just chop the tomato, peppers and onion; combine in bowl; mix together salt, vinegar and lime juice; add to tomato mix; toss in the cilantro, drizzle with the honey, mix and your done. 2) for a chunky salsa follow the instructions for the pico but then take half the mix, place in blender and pulse a few times, then mix back together. 3) for a very smooth salsa, skip the mixing bowl,

add all ingredients to blender and 

blend until smooth.

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Spicy BBQ Sauce

I started making this several months ago and everyone seems to really like it. We use this on everything - Meatloaf, Pulled Pork, Sausage Wraps, Crispy BBQ Chicken Strips for just a few examples. I am eventually going to try making a sweet BBQ sauce but that is still in the works. I have been storing this in the notes on my phone, it's well past time to get it recorded where it won't get lost (I hope).

2 cups ketchup
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp mustard
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp onion powder
1/2 Tbsp red pepper
1/2 Tbsp black pepper

Combine all and simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.

Pour into jar with lid. Seal and allow to sit in fridge for at least 24 hours before using.

Enjoy!

Mushroom Gravy

I made this yummy gravy with this Yummy Meatloaf, however I do NOT put the gravy on the meatloaf, the meatloaf is yummy on it's own, the gravy is for the mashed potatoes, although there are those who put the gravy on everything on their plate. However you like it, it is yummy!! I made this gravy with some inspiration from Mamie at Chewin' the Fat in the Kitchen.

7 mushrooms
4 Tbsp butter
4 cups water, divided
2 1.61 oz pkgs pioneer brown gravy mix
1/4 cup drippings from meatloaf

First chop or slice your mushrooms.

Then in a small saucepan melt the butter and simmer the mushrooms about 3 to 5 minutes, set aside.

In a larger saucepan bring 3 cups of water to boil. Meanwhile, in small mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining one cup of water and the gravy mix.

Once the 3 cups water has reached a full boil, whisk in the gravy mix and drippings. Continue stirring until gravy reaches desired thickness. Set aside 1/4 to 1/2 cup of gravy for that one person in the house that doesn't eat mushrooms. Then add the mushrooms to the remaining gravy.

Serve and enjoy!

Peach-Cilantro Vinaigrette with Spinach Salad

This month's Improv Challenge, hosted by Kristen at Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker, is to make something using peaches and herbs. Almost immediately a recipe for a Peach Vinaigrette Salad Dressing began taking shape in my mind. I made a few notes, but had to do some thinking on what herb I wanted to do. Finally it dawned on me - Cilantro. I use this stuff in everything, so why not in a vinaigrette with peaches? The hubby is not a big fan of vinaigrette dressings in general. He likes a combo of ranch and french dressing. Well, he added this as a third and said it was really good! I think it was super yummy!

For the vinaigrette:
1 large peach
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp red pepper
1/8 tsp coarse sea salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro

Using a vegetable peeler, peel the peach. Remove pit and chop. Place the chopped peach into blender. Add balsamic vinegar, garlic, brown sugar, red pepper and salt.

Blend until peach is pureed. Add oil and blend until smooth.

Pour into jar, add cilantro, top jar with lid and shake well.

Serve with your favorite salad and enjoy!

For the salad:
mix of spinach and spring greens
red onion strips
grilled peach slices
avocado slices
feta cheese crumbles
dried cranberries

To grill peach: take one large peach. Peel, cut in half and remove pit. Brush the inside of each half with olive oil. Place on grill, flat side down, and grill for about five minutes. Cut into slices.

Place desired amount of greens in bowl. Top with onion, peach slices, avocado slices, feta cheese and cranberries.

Serve with Peach Vinaigrette Dressing and enjoy!

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All My Bloggy Friends

Thursday Favorite Things

Freedom Fridays

Pico de Gallo

I love pico de gallo but have only made it a few times. It is great on tacos, enchiladas, tostados, with chips or on anything you want to add a bit of fresh, spicy flavor!

1 medium tomato, chopped (about 1 cup)
1/3 cup red onion, chopped
1 serrano pepper, chopped
1/4 cup snipped cilantro leaves
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate for one hour or more. Serve with your favorite Mexican dish and enjoy!

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Spicy Ranch Dressing/Dip - Crazy Cooking Challenge

Wow! Another month has passed and it is time for this month's Crazy Cooking Challenge hosted by Tina at Moms Crazy Cooking. This month's theme - Ranch Dressings and Dips. If you are not familiar with the challenge it is a fun monthly linky where we are given a certain theme. Past themes have been:

Cheesecake 

Fried Chicken

Fruit Smoothies

Grilled Cheese

Spaghetti with Red Sauce

Chocolate Cake

Chicken Noodle Soup

These are just the ones I participated in. To view all the challenges and to get all the details visit Moms Crazy Cooking - Crazy Cooking Challenge.

Now for my version of THIS ranch dressing/dip recipe from food.com. I cut it down to 1/4 the original recipe and subbed red pepper for accent seasoning (MSG). It turned out quite thick, more of a dip than a dressing.

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup buttermilk or sub 1/4 cup milk + 1 tsp vinegar or lemon juice and let sit for five minutes

1/4 tsp red pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp dried minced onion

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 Tbsp parsley flakes

Combine all ingredients and mix well. 

Pour into jar, cover and chill. We LOVE ranch dressing with onion rings. 

So I served this up with some onion rings and burgers! The added spice made this super yummy and I may be making this again soon - but next time I won't cut it down to 1/4, I'll make the full recipe.

Honey Mustard Dressing

This is the super yummy dressing that was supposed to be used on my Aussie Chicken recipe that posted as part of the Crazy Cooking Challenge on Saturday.  I totally forgot to spread this on the chicken after frying it in bacon fat. Of course now I have a yummy dressing to eat with some fresh veggies. I wanted to try this IMMEDIATELY, but did not have any salad greens so I chopped some onion, added some petite carrots and shredded cheese then topped it all off with this dressing.

I found the recipe for this Honey Mustard Dressing over at The Frugal Kitchen when it was linked up with the Aussie Chicken recipe.

1/4 cup canola oil

1 1/2 Tbsp white vinegar

1 Tbsp water

1/8 cup honey

1/8 cup stone ground mustard

1/4 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp salt

Place all ingredients in jar with tight fitting lid. Close and shake well. 

I followed her wonderful tip to measure the oil first and then use the same measuring cup for the honey, the honey pours right out! Store in refrigerator. Enjoy!

Homemade Pizza Sauce

I have not made homemade pizza sauce in YEARS and the last recipe I used was NOT this simple! This recipe was sent to me by my wonderful blogger friend, fellow full-time RVer and Gate Guard, Bobbie (and Jim) of Chappy Trails, where they share their RVing adventures. You should check out their blog, there is always something interesting going on!

I had to make a couple of changes, the recipe originally called for 1 1/2 tsp basil and 1/2 tsp rosemary. I knew I didn't have rosemary and when I went to the local store they didn't have it either. I actually thought I had basil, I was wrong, so I substituted Italian seasoning for both. This sauce turned out super yummy and is inexpensive to make. I will definitely be making it again.

6 oz tomato paste
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tsp oregano
2 tsp Italian seasoning
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1/8 to 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)

Mix all ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes

OR increase olive oil to 1/3 cup, combine all ingredients and let stand for several hours before using.

For the pizza I used my now fav Crescent Roll Pizza Crust, brushed with olive oil, top with pizza sauce and your favorite toppings (we used pepperoni, bacon canned jalapenos and Italian blend shredded cheese). Bake at 400 degrees for ten minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

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http://katherinescorner.com/2012/06/21/thursday-favorite-things-blog-hop-linky-party-41/

You'll definitely want to check out all the amazing things linked up this week!