Cranberry Pomegranate Chuntney

 This week one of our local grocers was selling cranberries for less than $1 a bag, (I scored 6 bags!!).  I started thinking about making bread, muffins, cookies, etc., etc.  Then I found pomegranates for 75 cents each and I knew I was going to make a cranberry pomegranate chutney for Thanksgiving.  It's so easy, and so quick.  No standing over the stove stirring and waiting for the cranberries to pop open.  Also, I make this much lower in sugar.  All you need is:
1 - 12 oz bag of cranberries
1 medium pomegranate
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tabs lemon juice

Seed the pomegranate, you will need approximately 1 cup of seeds.

Place everything in the food processor. Pulse for a minutes or so.

And you done!!  That fast and easy.  Give it a taste.  This is perfect for us, but if your family likes it a little sweeter, go ahead and add a little more sugar.

This stores in a covered container very well in the refrigerator for a week to ten days.  But it doesn't last that long in our house!!  It goes so well with turkey, chicken, ham, and any kind of pork.  Great to mix with mayo for sandwiches.

For lunch, I having a turkey and provolone cheese sandwich on homemade bread with my homemade chutney.  

OH MAN, does that ever look delicious!!  And it taste heavenly!!

If you don't have pomegranates, go ahead and make your chutney with one medium orange, (remove the seeds first).  It's just as delicious!

Enjoy.

Black Bean, Corn and Mango Salsa

My husband said that I couldn't let summer slip away without sharing my Black Bean, Corn and Mango Salsa.  This is so delicious with grilled fish, roasted, chicken, any Mexican dish, and even eaten simply straight out of the bowl with tortilla chips.  It's quick to make, very inexpensive, and so good.

You will need:
1 ear of corn
1 mango
1/2 medium onion
a couple of tomatoes
1 can of black beans
1 jalapeno pepper
a handful of cilantro
ground cumin
salt

Peel and cut the mango into bite sized pieces

I like to roast my corn to give it a good flavor before using.  It's not necessary - in fact, you could even use a can of whole kernel corn, (drained).  You only need 1 cup of corn, so I will use 1 ear for this recipe, and save the other ear for a different recipe later.

Drain and rinse the black beans, (this removes all the starch and gives a much fresher taste).

Chop the 1/2 onion into small pieces.  In the spring time, I use fresh green onions for a much fresher taste.

Chop your tomatoes to equal about 1 cup.

Dice the jalapeno pepper (remove ribs and seeds).  I am only using 1/2 of the pepper, (I don't like it very hot, if my husband had his way we would use the whole pepper), this is strictly a matter of taste, how much you use.

 Chop the cilantro, you will need about 1/4 cup, of course I like lots of cilantro and you can always add more.  This gives the salsa a nice fresh taste.

Combine all the chopped ingredients in a medium bowl.  Add 1/2 tsp of ground cumin.

Mix well.  Now add sea salt to taste.  You can use table salt, but I find that sea salt seems to be the secret to a fresher tasting salsa.  And that's it!!

Pour the salsa in a bowl and enjoy.  Or serve it on top of freshly grilled fish, (YUMMY).  Tonight, I'm going to serve this with fresh made chili rellenos.  The contrast of the hot rellenos and the cool salsa are a great dish.

Keep the leftovers in a covered container, and serve them up with tortilla chips when you want a fresh alternative to tomato salsa.

ENJOY!!

Fresh Tomatillo Salsa

My garden tomatillo supply is starting to dwindle down, as are the days of summer.  And my family was very adamant that I share my Fresh Tomatillo Salsa recipe.  It is very easy, quick, and so good!!  I have made this on several of our annual trips to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and the bellboys at the Finnistera Resort say that it is very good.  So if the locals south of the border say it's good, then it must be good.  I usually make up several large batches during the summer, and freeze it in bags - that way I have it during the winter for my pork chili verde, chicken chili verde, green chili over eggs, green chili hamburgers, etc., etc...  My family loves to just eat it straight out of the bowl with tortilla chips.  I serve it at gatherings quite a bit and everyone loves it, (it goes fast), and there's no added preservatives or fats.   I don't have measurements, (since I do this all by sight).  So follow along. and adapt the recipe to your family's taste.

First get your broiler turned on, so it's nice and hot!!  (You can also do this outside on the grill, but it seems to take longer to roast the vegetables.)

You will need the following items:
tomatillos
onions (equal to the amount of tomatillos)
garlic (I always say the more, the better)
peppers (Anaheim, jalapeno, whatever you can get!!)
cilantro
limes
sea salt

 Remove the husk and wash the tomatillos.  I like to use lukewarm water and wash mine 3 times to make sure that I get all the oil off.  Then drain off the water and let air dry as you chop the other vegetables.  If you have very large tomatillos, you will want to cut them in half, so they roast faster.

 Wash and seed your peppers.  This helps remove all the excess heat.  I don't like a lot of heat, (my husband says the hotter, the better).  I like to be mindful of others who might be eating the salsa.  So I use only 1 or 1 1/2 jalapeno peppers and more of the milder Anaheim and other peppers, (a tip to help remove the seeds - I cut off the top, slice the pepper lengthwise, then use a teaspoon and slide it down the inside of the pepper to remove the seeds and membrane.  That way I'm not getting it all over my hands).

Peel and rough chop your onion to the same size as the tomatillo that you are using.

Peel your garlic, I usually use a whole head.  Just leave the cloves whole.

Now just put everything on a low rimmed baking sheet.  (You DON'T need to spray the pan!).  Now put the vegetables under the broiler.

If your going to do this outside on the grill, make sure you have one of these nifty roasting pans.  It allows the vegetables to roast, and not fall through your grill.  They are very cheap, and you can use them multiple times.

After about 8 - 10 minutes you will notice a nice browning starting to develop.  The more, the better!!  This is where all the flavor comes from.  Stir your vegetables and continue under the broiler until the other side looks like this.

OK, it's been another 8 minutes, and both side of our vegetables are nicely browned, and cooling on a rack for about 15 minutes.  You will notice that your baking sheet has also developed some juices - that's OK, we're going to use those in our salsa.  Remember, we're going for natural flavor.

Now the hard part is done.

NOW just put all your vegetables and the juices in the blender, and LOTS of cilantro.  The more the better.  For this one baking sheet of vegetables I am using almost 2 handfuls of cilantro.  Use the whole thing, stems and all, (there's flavor in the stems, and it will all breakdown in the blender).

OK - now just blend it all up for about 2 - 4 minutes.

 It will breakdown and form your salsa

See - MAGIC!

 Now pour into a bowl.  I like to use a large bowl, so I have room to stir and work.

Time to squeeze some fresh limes to make the flavors POP!!  For this amount, I am going to use 2 limes.  If you want, you can start with 1 and always add another, if needed.

Next add the "SEA SALT".  I swear, this is the secret!!  There's just something about this stuff that makes it taste so much better than table salt.  For this amount, I am going to add 2 Tablespoons.

Stir everything very well.  Get it all mixed up well.

Now taste it!!  Does it need more lime juice?  Does it need more salt?   Have someone else taste it.  Do they think it needs more salt or lime?  This is where family preference come in.  When you get it where you want to be - THAT'S IT!!

Pour it into a small serving bowl, grab some chips and ENJOY.  Or brown your pork, add the salsa, and spoon it on your tortillas, (yummy dinner).

If you bag it and freeze it, it will still taste just as fresh as it does when you made it.

So, there you go, Fresh Tomatillo Salsa.

Mango Salsa topped Fish

We love Mexican food at our house, and sometimes it's nice to have a different type of salsa, (from the traditional tomato/onion/cilantro style).  This dish fits the bill and is so light, easy, and delicious.  And right now all the ingredients are on sale for "Cinco De Mayo" days.

For the Salsa you will need:
1 ripe mango
1 jalapeno pepper
1/2 red onion
1 lime
2 Tabs chopped fresh cilantro
Kosher salt
2 Tabs extra virgin olive oil

- peel and chop your mango
- seed and mince your jalapeno, (I am only using 1/2, since I don't want much heat)
chop your red onion


(Next I grate the peel from the lime and set it aside for the fish)

In a bowl, mix the mango, onion, jalapeno pepper, the 2 Tabs of chopped cilantro, juice from your lime, 1 teas of Kosher salt.

Then fold in the 2 Tabs of olive oil.

You now have a wonderful mango salsa!!

If you wanted to stop and just serve this with tortilla chips, it is wonderful.  You get the sweetness from the mango, the slight hot from the jalapeno, the saltiness, the spice of the cilantro, all the wonderful flavors come together that say MEXICO!!  This wonderful salsa is going on top of your fish.  So just set this aside for now and let the flavor marry each other.

Now to make your fish you will need:
- 1 cup of instant mashed potatoes
- the zest of 1 lime (remember I already saved the zest when I made the salsa)
- 1 teas cayenne pepper
- 1 teas garlic powder
- Kosher salt
- black pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup flour
- 4  6 oz pieces of fish  ( you can use most any kind of mild white fish, I have used tilapia, cod, mahi mahi, pollack, bass, etc.  Whatever I happen to have on hand).

You will need 3 bowls:

In the 1st bowl mix together the instant mashed potatoes, the lime zest, cayenne pepper, 2 teas salt, 1/2 teas pepper, 1 teas garlic powder

In the 2nd bowl, mix together the flour, 1/2 teas salt, and 1/2 teas pepper

In the 3rd bowl, beat the 2 eggs until light and frothy.

Now your going to dredge each fish fillet in the seasoned flour, shake off the excess flour.

Then dip the fish into the beaten egg, shake off excess egg.

Now dip the fish into the potato mixture and coat completely.  This potato mixture will produce a light fluffy coating, compared to a heavy cornmeal and flour mixture.

Pan fry in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat in about 1/4 inch of very hot vegetable oil, until each side is nicely golden brown and fish is cooked completely through, (about 3 - 4 minutes each side).

I then move my fish to paper towel to drain off any small amount of excess oil for a couple of minutes.

Plate your fish and top with your wonderfully delicious mango salsa.  A side of Spanish rice some beans and you  have a complete family meal for just a few dollars.

If you family likes it more on the hot and spicy side you can add the whole jalapeno and more cilantro to your salsa.  Make a double batch of salsa and serve with tortilla chips, (yummy).

Now go serve your family a Mexican favorite that has a little different flair from the usual tomato/onion/cilantro salsa dish.

ENJOY!!