Dove's Nest White Chili

This Dove's Nest White Chili is filled with flavors of the southwest. It is a delicious addition to our family gathering or just because. Trust me, it is delicious! We always go back for seconds. 

3 tablespoons olive oil 
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups red, ripe tomatoes, chopped
6 whole tomatillos, diced (I have used can tomatillos, works well too)
1 whole jalapeño, seeded and minced 
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup chopped green chilies
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 full teaspoon cumin
4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
2 cans cannellini beans with liquid
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until onion begins to soften, 3-5 minutes. 
 Add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes. Do not brown. 
 Add tomatoes, tomatillos and jalapeno, cook until tomatillos are soft. 
 Add chicken stock, green chilies, cooked chicken, oregano, cumin, cilantro, beans and lime juice. 
Simmer 30 - 45 minutes and season to taste with salt and pepper. 
 Garnish with sour cream, grated cheese and cilantro and tortilla chips.

Enjoy!

Butternut Squash - Chipotle Bisque

I often say that this is my favorite or I love what ever it may be that I'm posting. But, I love food in general and have many favorites. However, I can take soups to a whole new level. At any given time, I am either cooking soup, eating soup or looking for my next soup to try. My home is rarely a soup free zone. Now that you know I love soup, I must share this recipe for Butternut Squash-Chipotle Bisque.

This bisque is delicious served hot or cold, as a meal or as a savvy appetizer served in your “finest” shot glass. You can even serve it as a dip with your favorite tortilla chip. The flavor of this recipe will leave your taste buds longing for more of the sweetness of the butternut squash. And let’s not forget the smoky, spicy flavor of the chipotle chilies alongside the chipotle crema and the pepitas.

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 medium butternut squash, halved lengthwise, seeds discarded, washed, and reserved

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 medium onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

6 cups chicken broth, divided

3 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo

Chipotle Cream:

1 teaspoon minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo

1/2 cup sour cream

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds, discarding the stringy pulp. Put seeds in a sieve and rinse. Set aside.

Grease a glass baking dish with 1 tablespoon oil, and then place the squash in the dish, cut side down. Pierce all over with a fork and roast 45 minutes or until tender. Let cool.

Heat remaining oil in a large, heavy pot over medium high. Sauté onion, celery and carrot for 10 minutes. Add garlic; cook 2 minutes more.

Scoop the flesh of the squash into the pot and stir. Add 4 cups of broth and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are very tender.

Meanwhile, toast the reserved squash seeds in a small pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until crunchy, about 30 minutes. Season heavily with salt and set aside. *I did not do this! I placed my seeds on the cookie sheet off to one side with the butternut squash and let them roast for about 10 minutes or so. Just keep an eye on them so they don’t brown too much. Remove them place aside to cool.

Puree the soup in batches in a blender, adding more broth to get the desired consistency.

In a separate bowl, stir 1 teaspoon of the minced chipotle into the crema. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir the remaining 3 teaspoons chipotle into the bisque and ladle into soup bowls. Top each with a dollop of cream and a sprinkling of seeds. Makes 6-8 servings.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from: Marcela Valladolid ~ Fresh Mexico

SaveSave

Poblano Potato Salad

Do you enjoy a tasty chilled potato salad, especially in this summer heat? I do, with Lay's Potato Chips to scoop it up, I'm good to go. So when I came across this recipe from Mexican Made Easy, I knew this side dish would be on my kitchen table soon. With the fresh summer flavors of new potatoes, pablano peppers, roasted corn, and cilantro. This side dish is perfect with your barbecue, hot dogs, hamburgers or anything you choose, on this Fourth of July weekend. Totally simple and really good.

I would like to wish everyone a fun filled Independence Day with good food, friends and fireworks.

This potato salad is full of goodness

Poblano Potato Salad

2 pounds new potatoes, cut into 1/2 to 1-inch pieces

2 ears fresh corn, husks and silks removed

2 poblano chiles, charred, peeled, stemmed, seeded, and chopped

1/4 cup chopped scallions, to taste (white and pale green parts only)

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup mayonnaise

Cilantro, chopped, to taste

Pinch of cayenne pepper, to taste

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Put the potatoes in a large pot and add salted water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until tender when pierced with a knife, about 20 to 30 minutes. Drain the potatoes and let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Add the corn to the grill and cook, turning occasionally, until evenly browned on all sides, about 10 minutes.

Put the potatoes in a large serving bowl. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut the kernels off the cobs and add them to the bowl. Add the poblano chiles, scallions, sour cream, mayonnaise, and cilantro, and fold together. Season the potato salad, to taste, with salt and pepper and serve.

To char the chiles (or any fresh chile): Put the chiles over a gas flame or underneath the broiler and cook until they are blackened on all sides. Enclose them in a plastic bag and let stand for 10 minutes to steam, which will make them easier to peel. Peel, stem, and seed the chiles. Once peeled, the chiles may be chopped, sliced or stuffed.

Enjoy!
adapted from Mexican Made Easy

Migas

Migas is a true Tex-Mex breakfast dish which consists of eggs, strips of fried corn tortillas and a host of colorful ingredients, such as tomatoes, jalapenos and onion or whatever else you have lying around. That is the beauty of migas. All you need is your fried tortillas, eggs, jalapenos, tomato and cheese, and the rest is up to you. Your options are endless.

Growing up I remember watching my Mom make this traditional Mexican concoction. This is probably the first egg dish that I, a professed egg-hater at the time, could actually enjoy. I have since been transformed into a discriminating egg eater. The word Migas, which is derived from the Spanish word for crumbs, describes exactly what is left behind, only crumbs.

Migas

Cooking oil, enough to fry the corn tortilla strips

2 corn tortillas , cut into strips

onion, chopped, to taste

1/2 of a jalapeno, seeded and diced

1 roma tomato, seeded and diced

3 eggs, lightly beaten

handful grated cheese

salt and pepper, to taste

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and fry the tortilla pieces until slightly crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the jalapeno and onion and cook for 3 minutes, then add tomato and cook for 1 minute. Set aside. Pour in the eggs and mix with a spatula, scraping up the eggs as they cook. While the eggs are still runny add the onion, jalapeno, tomato, tortilla strips, salt and pepper. Gently stir, add the cheese, toss a few times until the eggs cook and cheese melts. Serve with your favorite hot sauce.

Enjoy!

Fiesta Black Bean Soup

Don't you just love it when you can make a one pot meal? Well, I do! So it seems to me that the simple flavor of a black bean soup is just that. I love to make a large pot and have enough left over so I can have it for lunch for a couple of days. This tasty vegan soup is so quick and easy. You will have plenty of time to prepair your favorite spicy guacamole or pico de gallo and tortilla chips. Serve alongside with a pitcher of organic margaritas and have yourself a fiesta!

Fiesta Black Bean Soup

1 small onions, finely chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 cans 15 oz  black beans, drained
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2-3 celery ribs, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
14.5 oz canned diced tomatoes in juice
2 Cups low sodium chicken broth

Coat bottom of a large stockpot with cooking spray. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are soft but not brown, about 5 minutes.

Place one can of beans in blender; add half can of tomatoes, celery, jalapeno, sautéed onion mixture, red pepper flakes and cumin. Cover and blend on high until smooth, about 30 seconds. Pour mixture back into stockpot.

Stir in other half of can tomatoes, chicken broth and remaining black beans. Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Ladle into bowls and garnish with queso fresco and a little cilantro.Makes about 6 servings.

Note: You can also add a potato and/or corn to this soup and it is just as wonderful.

Enjoy!

Southwestern Egg Rolls

My dear friend Ginger introduced this recipe to me several years back. It is a really tasty recipe that I make by request from my son. I personally call them southwest burritos.  I know they are all over the blog world but, I still have to share. I may reach those few people that haven't seen them.

It’s actually low in fat, packed with a punch of flavor. Red bell pepper, spinach, corn, black beans, jalapeno, cilantro, sharp cheddar cheese, onion and south of the border spices wrapped in an organic tortilla. These are really easy to assemble and the best part is that you can assembled them ahead of time and bake before serving. Serve with your favorite guacamole.

 Absolutely delicious!

 Southwestern Egg Rolls

1 chicken breast, cooked & shredded 
salt & black pepper, to taste
2 Tablespoons minced red bell pepper
2 Tablespoons onion
1/3 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 - 1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained
2 Tablespoos fresh jalapeno peppers, diced
½ tsp. cumin
½ tsp. chili powder
Dash cayenne pepper
1/4 cup cilanto, or to taste
¾ cup grated cheese, I use sharp cheddar
1 pkg. organic flour tortilla

Place all ingredients in a bowl: red pepper, green onion, corn, black beans, spinach, jalapenos, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, cayenne, cilantro, cheese, chicken. Mix well.

Spoon approx. ¼ cup of mixture into the center of a tortilla. Fold in the ends and then roll the tortilla over the mixture. Roll the tortilla very tightly, then pierce it with a toothpick to hold it together. Repeat with the remaining ingredients until you have several eggrolls. Cover the plate with plastic wrap and chill for an hour or two. You may chill the eggrolls overnight if you wish.

When you are ready to cook the eggrolls, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place eggrolls on lined cookie sheet and bake for 17 to 20 minutes or until surface browns and becomes crispy. Turn the eggrolls over about halfway through cooking time.

Let the eggrolls cool for a few minutes and then slice each one diagonally lengthwise and arrange on a plate. You can serve this with guacamole and your favorite cheese sauce. Makes about 10-12 eggrolls.

Heat a small pan with a little olive oil and 1 clove of garlic, minced and add drained black beans and smash them. You will have refried black beans to go with your incredible Southwest Egg Rolls.

Enjoy! 

My Favorite Taco Soup

This is my favorite taco soup recipe. I have looked at numerous blogs with many different recipes, that sound good but I always come back to this one. This recipe was given to me about eighteen year ago. The sad thing is I can no longer remember the name of the sweet lady that shared this recipe with me.

This soup is hearty and delish! We all enjoy this soup and I sometimes add fresh corn and green beans when I feel we need a few more veggies in our diet. It is so easy to put together and is slow simmered to perfection! Plus, I'm able to use my dutch oven ;).

Taco Soup

2 lbs of ground beef
1 garlic clove, chpped
1 small onion, chopped
1 small bell pepper, chopped
1 package taco seasoning mix, I use low sodium
1 package hidden valley ranch salad dressing mix
2 cans crushed tomatoes
1 can Rotel diced tomatoes
1 can pinto beans w/jalapenos, w/ liquid
1 can kidney beans, w/ liquid
1 can white/yellow hominy w/ liquid
1/2-1 cup beef broth, it all depends how soupy you want it

Brown meat, drain off excess fat. Add onions, bell pepper and remaining ingredients into dutch oven, mix well. Simmer slowly for an hour, stirring occasionally.

Serve with rice, corn bread, crackers, tortillas or just fritos ( my fav.). You may also garnish with grated cheese, sour cream and avocado or what ever your little heart desires =).

Enjoy!