Mexican Hot Chocolate Fudge

Another ~off our usual eating plan~ treat which we made for this Christmas season.  Chocolate fudge is wonderful but the addition of some spiciness just makes it all that much better.  The fudge isn’t too hot or spicy but rather just has a nice little kick.  Make and enjoy!

Mexican Hot Chocolate Fudge

• 18 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 cups miniature marshmallows
• 1 tsp. instant espresso 
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon 
• 1/8 tsp. dark chili powder 
• 1/8 tsp.ground cayenne pepper 
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Line a 9-inch square pan with aluminum foil, or use a square silicone pan, unlined.  Melt the chocolate, condensed milk and marshmallows in a heavy pot.  Remove from the heat and stir in the espresso powder, cinnamon, chili powder, cayenne, salt & vanilla. Pour into prepared pan and smooth the top.  Chill for 2 hours or until firm.  Remove the fudge from the pan.  Remove foil if used.  Cut the fudge into squares. 

Enjoy!!

Chile Relleno Casserole

We adore Chile Rellenos but they are an absolute pain in the bottom to stuff and fry,  so we enjoy them as a once in a while treat when we happen to go to a Mexican restaurant…which trust me, isn’t all that often. 

This though is an easy casserole and it has all the wonderful flavor of the real thing, without all the work and also without any of the gluten that is used for the typical fry coating.  There are many recipes for similar casseroles on the internet, but this version, of no recipe in particular, is our favorite.  It’s not overly spicy hot, just tingly so.  The balance of flavors is spot on and the casserole reheats perfectly, who could ask for more?  Make and enjoy!

Chile Relleno Casserole

• 4 large fresh poblanos
• 1 TBS. olive oil 
• 1/4 medium onion, diced
• 1 lb.  ground beef (or ground turkey or chicken)
• 1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. Himalayan salt
• 1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 375F.  Char the skin of the peppers, either on an outdoor grill, over the burner of a gas stove or under the broiler.  Once the skin is charred on all sides, put the peppers in a bag to allow them to sweat.  While the peppers are sweating, heat the olive oil in a skillet and sauté the onions until golden.  Add the beef to the onions and brown until fully cooked. Once the peppers have cooled enough to be handled, remove the stem and seeds and the skin.  Grease an 8x10-inch pan with olive oil and arrange three of the peppers to cover the bottom of the pan.  Cover the peppers with the beef & onion mix.  Spread the cheese on top of the beef.  Lice the remaining poblano into strips and arrange over the cheese.  In a bowl, whisk together the heavy whipping cream, eggs, cumin, salt & pepper.  Pour the cream mixture over the cheese.  Bake for 35-40 minutes uncovered, until golden and bubbly.  Serve hot, room temperature or cold, all ways are delicious.  Top with sour cream if desired.  To reheat, place desired portion on a plate and heat in microwave.

Enjoy!!

Chicken & Avocado Soup

The weather is cooling down here in Georgia and unfortunately everyone in the CookLisaCook house has managed to get a cold.  So in our book, nothing could be more comforting, warming and healthier than some homemade soup.  But since EVERYONE has been sick, the soup preparation needed to be simple and the flavors bold to make it tasty for our dulled senses.  We all enjoyed this soup and the health benefits worked wonders, helping us all feel satisfied and just that much closer to being healthy again.

Chicken & Avocado Soup

• 5 c. Cheaters Chicken Soup, or chicken stock/soup of your choice
• 1 TBS. avocado oil, or olive oil or oil of your choice
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 1 tsp. dark chili powder
• 2 c. shredded chicken
• 1 14-oz. can diced fire roasted tomatoes 
• 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
• 4 small avocadoes, diced
• juice of 2 large limes
• salt & pepper to taste

In a soup pot, heat the avocado oil and add the cumin, coriander & chili powder and stir, toasting until fragrant.  Add the Chicken soup, shredded chicken & diced tomatoes. Simmer for 10 minutes.  Stir in the cilantro, diced avocado & lime juice.  Allow the avocado to heat through and season to taste with salt & pepper.  Serve with an extra slice of lime for added tang and corn chips if desired.

Enjoy!

Roasted Grape Tomato, Garlic & Poblano Ragu

I swear that just a week ago here in Georgia, we were still sporting long pants and sweatshirts.  I don’t like being cold so I'm thankful that the warmth of summer has finally arrived. It was one of those cold days though when it came time to cook for this month's Secret Recipe Club so we were looking at recipes which were healthy, easy, warm and hearty. That's how we decided on Beth's Roasted Grape Tomato, Garlic & Poblano Ragu, it fit all our criteria. Beth's blog, It's Good to be the Cook is my assigned blog this month.  Beth has lots of wonderfully delicious looking and sounding recipes on her blog and had the weather been warmer we probably would have made her Emily’s Chicken Marinade and Thai Slaw with Spicy Peanut Butter, both of which will probably now be made as the weather is thankfully warmer.  We have been following Beth’s blog for quite a while as she cooked from this blog last September when she made two of our recipes, Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala and Strawberry Soup so it was fun to now cook from hers.    

Getting back to the ragu, we stayed pretty true to Beth’s original recipe, just doubling the amount of poblano and cumin we used as we tend to like dishes more on the spicy hot side.  In the end though, the sauce wasn’t spicy at all, just well balanced, flavorful and delicious.  We also changed around the preparation method a bit just to make it easier for us and the way we cook but either method would work just as well.  We enjoyed the ragu over zucchini pasta, totally delicious!  This is a great make-ahead recipe as we enjoyed the ragu the first night but totally loved it as leftovers once the flavors really melded.

Roasted Grape Tomato, Garlic & Poblano Ragu  (adapted from here)

• 1.5 pints grape tomatoes
• 15  garlic cloves, peeled 
• 1 poblano pepper
• coconut oil, or oil of your choice 
• 8 oz. ground beef 
• 4 red sweet baby peppers, large dice 
• 1 medium onion, large dice
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/4 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. dried parsley (or 1T fresh)
• sea salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• additional fresh basil leaves for garnish 

Preheat the oven to 400F.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and drizzle with a little coconut oil or oil of your choice.  Put the tomatoes and garlic cloves on the prepared pan and stir everything around so that all is covered with a light coating of the oil.  Dust with salt & pepper.  Bake for 30-45 minutes, until the tomatoes are a bit browned and the garlic is tender.  While the tomatoes and garlic are roasting, char the poblano on either the grill or on the burner of a gas stove.  Char the skin on all sides and then place the poblano in a plastic bag so that it can sweat. 

In a skillet, add a small amount of coconut oil and then add the diced sweet peppers and onion.  sauté until the onions and peppers begin to caramelize.  Push the vegetables to one side of the pan and add the ground beef.  Season the beef with salt and pepper as it browns then stir in the cooked peppers and onions into the browned beef.

Once the roasting vegetables are finished, scrape all of the tomatoes, garlic and accumulated juices into a blender or food processor.  Remove the skin and seeds from the poblano and add that to the tomatoes and garlic, along with the can of diced tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin & parsley.  Pulse until blended but still a bit chunky.  Season to taste with salt & pepper. 

Pour the contents of the blender into the pan with the beef, peppers & onions and bring to a simmer.  Cook for 15-20 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.  Season as needed with additional salt & pepper.

Serve the ragu over pasta of your choice.

Enjoy!!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts: 

Mexican Feast: Cream of Ancho Chile Soup, Roasted Poblano Burger with Chile de Arbol Guacamole & Pork Crusted Baked Poblano Fries 
Zesty Zucchini Skillet 
Garlic Seafood in Coconut Milk 
Lamb & Eggplant with Chiles
Fijian Ceviche
Carrot & Sweet Potato Pancakes   
Chicken Burgers with Spinach & Mushrooms 
Paradise Mango Curried Shrimp 
Laura Goodenough’s Apple Coffee Cake 
Loaded Potato Soup
Lemon Almond Biscotti 
Creamy Mints 
Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken 
Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings 
Fried Green Tomatoes 
Chicken Satay Noodle Salad 
Double Chocolate Mousse Cake 
Candied Popcorn
Fruit, Nut & Poppy Seed Chicken Salad 
Broiled Sushi 
Health(ier) Peanut Brittle 
Crunchy Fudgy Heart Bites 
Texas Chicken with Lime Butter 
Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens 
Thin Mint Irish Coffee 
Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies 
Welsh Cakes 
Nutella Crêpes 
Cilantro Lime Chicken 
Holy Guacamole 
and
Home Style Chicken Curry

An InLinkz Link-up

Fire Roasted Tomato and Chicken Tortilla Soup

Oh my gosh this soup is probably one of the most wonderful soups that I have ever made and it’s super quick and easy to make.  Even though it contains chili powder and green chilies it is not spicy but instead it is rich and full of flavor.  If you want to kick up the spice just increase the green chilies and chili powder.

Fire Roasted Tomato and Chicken Tortilla Soup 

For the soup:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon dark chili powder, more to taste
3 oz. tomato paste 
8 cups cheaters chicken soup or low-salt boxed or canned chicken broth
1/2 cup corn kernel (I used frozen)
1 - 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 small can chopped green chilies (about 3 oz.), more to taste 
1 - 14.5 oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes (Wal-Mart brand is very good)
1 cup shredded cooked chicken (store bought roasted chicken works great)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish

For the tortillas: (These fresh tortilla strips are awesome and fast & easy to make but you could substitute your favorite store bought chips.) 
1/2 to 1 cup vegetable or corn oil
8 – 6-inch fresh corn tortillas, cut in half and then into 1/4-inch-wide strips
sea salt

For the garnish:
1 ripe avocado, diced
crumbled queso fresco
sour cream
fresh cilantro
fresh lime wedges

In a large pot heat 1 tablespoon of oil.  Add onions and cook until lightly caramelized.  Add the chili powder and tomato paste and stir continuously over medium heat for 1 minute.  Add the chicken stock, stir to combine and simmer for 5 minutes.  Add the corn, black beans, chopped chilies, tomatoes including all the juice, chicken and cilantro.  Simmer for a couple of minutes until everything is heated through.

To make the tortilla strips heat about 1/4-inch of oil in a fry pan.  Working quickly in batches so not to over crowd the pan, fry up the strips until light golden brown.  Remove to a plate lined with paper towels.  As soon as you remove the strips from the oil sprinkle with sea salt.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top with the tortilla strips as well as your choice of diced avocado, crumbled queso fresco, a dollop of sour cream, fresh cilantro and a big squeeze of fresh lime.

Enjoy!!

Blog Parties I may be attending:  Cast Party Wednesday, Delectable Tuesday, Everyday Sisters Sharing Sundays, Fat Camp Friday, Food on Fridays, Food Trip Friday, Foodie Friday, Fresh Food Friday, Friday Favorites, Friday Food, Friday Potluck, Full Plate Thursday, Homemaker Monday, Jam Hands, Let’s do Brunch, Make a Food-e-Friend Mondays, Mangia Monday’s, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Menu Mondays, Mingle Monday, Mommy’s Kitchen, Mouth Watering Monday, Savory Sunday, Seasonal Sunday, Simply Delish, Tasty Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday’s, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, This Chick Cooks, This Week’s Cravings, Totally Tasty Tuesdays, Tuesday Night Supper Club, Tuesday Time Out, Tuesday’s Tasty Tidbits, Recipes I Can’t Wait to Try, What’s Cooking Wednesday, What’s on the Menu Wednesday, Your Recipe My Kitchen