7 Layer Mexican Dip

This recipe was made before the Instant Chicken Ramen Noodles that I shared previously.  I made this recipe for a Mix n Mingle at church in New York.  My friend Whitney shared this recipe with me.  Sadly, this recipe got lost in the shuffle until now.  Thank you everyone who continues to follow my food hijinks and kitchen adventures.   

Who doesn't love a dip with 7 layers? 

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. shredded Sharp Cheddar
1 1/2 cups  Sour Cream (I used homemade, my recipe is here)
1 Packet Taco Seasoning
1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
3 ripe Hass Avocados
2 tablespoons Fresh Cilantro
1/2 Lime, juiced
6 Campari Tomatoes (You may substitute with 3 Roma Tomatoes,  or 2 Beefsteak Tomatoes)
4 Green Onions
1 can Black Olives
1/2 lb. cooked Black Bean mashed (You may substitute with 3 cans pinto or black beans)

Mix sour cream and taco seasoning.

Spread the beans on the bottom of a 8x12 inch glass/ceramic dish.

Sprinkle garlic, 1 sliced green onion, and cilantro in a molcajete if you have one.
Grind together.  Otherwise cut green onions and cilantro finely in a bowl.

Add chopped up avocado to ground mixture and grind until the texture you like.
Add lime juice and mix.

Spread guacamole on the beans.

Spread the sour cream mixture on the guacamole.

Sprinkle shredded cheese on top.

Cut up tomatoes into 1 inch pieces and sprinkle on the cheese.

Cut remaining 3 green onions and black olives and sprinkle on top.

Grab and bag of tortilla chips and begin dipping.

Enjoy!

7 Layer Mexican Dip

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. shredded Sharp Cheddar
1 1/2 cups  Sour Cream (I used homemade, my recipe is here)
1 Packet Taco Seasoning
1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
3 ripe Hass Avocados
2 tablespoons Fresh Cilantro
1/2 Lime, juiced
6 Campari Tomatoes (You may substitute with 3 Roma Tomatoes,  or 2 Beefsteak Tomatoes)
4 Green Onions
1 can Black Olives
1/2 lb. cooked Black Bean mashed (You may substitute with 3 cans pinto or black beans)

Process:

Mix sour cream and taco seasoning.

Spread the beans on the bottom of a 8x12 inch glass/ceramic dish.

Sprinkle garlic, 1 sliced green onion, and cilantro in a molcajete if you have one.  Grind together.  

Otherwise cut green onions and cilantro finely in a bowl.

Add chopped up avocado to ground mixture and grind until the texture you like.  Add lime juice and mix.

Spread guacamole on the beans.

Spread the sour cream mixture on the guacamole.

Sprinkle shredded cheese on top.

Cut remaining 3 green onions and black olives and sprinkle on top.

Grab and bag of tortilla chips and begin dipping.

Enjoy!

Bouillabaisse

In our church, we bring meals to new moms after they have a baby.  Today I volunteered to bring dinner to a new mom and her husband.  I was told to avoid starches since the new mom has diabetes.   I wanted to make ratatouille again and a fish soup with it so bouillabaisse seemed like the best choice. French food sounded like a good idea for dinner.  My bouillabaisse is simple and does not have as much seafood variety as you would find in France.

I love soup, and since we had a torrential downpour today, this was even more comforting today.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. Red Snapper Fillets
2 lbs. Tilapia Filets
2 Leeks
10 Campari Tomatoes
6 cloves Garlic
1 large White Onion
10 sprigs of Thyme
1 teaspoon Fennel
3 tablespoons Kosher Salt
3 bunches of Scallions
1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
Water

Rinse and cut tomatoes into quarters.  Peel and dice the onion.  Slice the leek, only the white and the light green portion.

Place 2 of each fish fillets in a pressure cooker pot, add tomatoes, 5 sprigs of thyme, onion,
leeks, salt, and enough water to bring to the 16 cups line.

Cook in pressure cooker on high for 30 minutes.

Strain fish broth through a fine mesh sieve into a large stock pot over a medium high flame.

Remove thyme from stems.  Slice scallions and the other leek.

Cube the remaining fish fillets.  Remove any small bones if you find any.

Add leeks, scallion, thyme, and fish to boiling broth.

Cook until fish becomes opaque.

Add paprika to soup.

Serve with a nice crusty french bread like we did.

Enjoy!

Bouillabaisse
Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients:https://sites.google.com/site/queensfoodiemama/bouillabaisse

2 lbs. Red Snapper Fillets
2 lbs. Tilapia Filets
2 Leeks
10 Campari Tomatoes
6 cloves Garlic
1 large White Onion
10 sprigs of Thyme
1 teaspoon Fennel
3 tablespoons Kosher Salt
3 bunches of Scallions
1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
Water

Rinse and cut tomatoes into quarters.  Peel and dice the onion.  Slice one of the leeks, only the white and the light green portion.

Place 2 of each fish fillets in a pressure cooker pot, add tomatoes, 5 sprigs of thyme, onion, leeks, salt, and enough water to bring to the 16 cups line.

Cook in pressure cooker on high for 30 minutes.

Strain fish broth through a fine mesh sieve into a large stock pot over a medium high flame.

Remove thyme from stems.  Slice scallions and the other leek.

Cube the remaining fish fillets, remove any small bones if you find any.

Add leeks, scallion, thyme, and fish to boiling broth.

Cook until fish becomes opaque.

Add paprika to soup.

Enjoy!

Ratatouille

Remember Ratatouille, the cute rat Remi who loved to cook and dreamed of working in a French restaurant? His culminating dish being Ratatouille.  I have been fascinated by the simple French dish ever since and finally felt inspired to make it as my contribution to a dinner my family was invited to attend. We were invited to someone else's apartment for dinner! Truly miraculous, our Chinese teenager was surprised too, he even remarked that this was the first time we were invited and he was able to come to someone else's home for a meal. We have friends over often for a meal in our apartment, but more rare for us to go to someone else's home.  It could be because we are a large family of seven.  Or, as Sarah the friend who invited us over remarked, because she is intimidated by my cooking.  Thank you Sarah for inviting us over.  She had a few food issues that I tried to address when I picked a recipe.  She is allergic to shell fish and soy and her stomach has trouble digesting a lot of fat.  When I went shopping last week I picked up the cutest small eggplants and then at my favorite Asian market I bought the other vegetables.  This is a wonderful vegetable side dish.  My husband loved it.  Sarah also enjoyed it.  Now I can say I have made ratatouille, and it was delicious.

 This is how vegetables should be eaten.

Ingredients:

1 Yellow Crookneck Squash

1 Zucchini

3 small Eggplants

6 Campari Tomatoes

1 Red Bell Peppers

1 Orange Bell Peppers

2  Shallots

6 cloves of Garlic

1 1/2 tablespoons Kosher Salt

Olive Oil

Preheat Oven to 500 Fahrenheit

Wash and cut squash, zucchini, eggplants, and  bell peppers into 1/2 inch chunks.

Peel garlic and shallots and mince very small.

Put all the cut vegetables into a large bowl.

Pour olive oil to coat the vegetables, sprinkle salt and stir until all the vegetables are coated with oil and salt.

Place vegetables on one or two sheet pans depending how big your sheet pans are.  

The vegetables should be one layer high.

 Roast vegetables for 10-15 minutes or until the vegetables are browned.

Remove vegetables from the oven and place in large serving dish together.

Wash and quarter the tomatoes and place on the other vegetables. 

Enjoy!

Ratatouille

Printable recipe Found Here

Ingredients:

1 Yellow Crookneck Squash

1 Zucchini

3 small Eggplants

6 Campari Tomatoes

1 Red Bell Pepper

1 Orange Bell Pepper

2  Shallots

6 cloves of Garlic

1 1/2 tablespoons Kosher Salt

Olive Oil

Process:

Preheat Oven to 500 Fahrenheit

Wash and cut squash, zucchini, eggplants, and  bell peppers into 1/2 inch chunks.

Peel garlic and shallots and mince very small.

Put all the cut vegetables into a large bowl.

Pour olive oil to coat the vegetables, sprinkle salt and stir until all the vegetables are coated with oil and salt.

Place vegetables on one or two sheet pans depending how big your sheet pans are.  

The vegetables should be one layer high.

Roast vegetables for 10-15 minutes or until the vegetables are browned.

Remove vegetables from the oven and place in large serving dish together.

Wash and quarter the tomatoes and place on the other vegetables. 

Enjoy!

Spicy Chicken Salad

When I was a young mother with one child, and managing our first house in California, I loved trying to find new recipes for Summer potlucks we were invited to attend.  This recipe was one of those recipes.  I don't have the recipe anymore, so today I made one up based on my memories.  We had the best Summer's in California with friends and family spending time together and playing in parks, at the beach, or in different backyards.  My memories are what I cherish now being so far away from family and friends we left behind in California.  Cooking brings me joy, and cooking and preparing food that reminds me of my California home really lets me feel better about my future.  Today I wanted food to lift my mood, and nothing like a nostalgic meal to help that along.  This is a very simple chicken salad, and it doesn't have mayonnaise.  My husband doesn't like the white stuff, so this was just for him.  

 Chicken Salad Torta, this was so yummy, you have to try this easy recipe.

Ingredients:

2 Cooked Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (leftover rotisserie chicken works well for this)

1/2 English Cucumber

1 Orange Bell Pepper

4 Campari Tomatoes (or 1 large tomato)

2 Green Onions

1/2 Seeded Jalapeño

1 Avocado

1 Lemon

1/2 cup Avocado Oil (or Olive Oil)

1 clove Garlic

1 teaspoon Kosher Salt

 Clean cucumber, bell pepper, and tomatoes.  Dice into 1/2-1/4 inch pieces.

Shred the chicken breasts.  I had to go shopping at Costco, so I picked up a rotisserie chicken
from the deli section to use for this.  I removed the two breasts and the skin.  Using
my fingers, I shredded the chicken into a small metal bowl.

You don't have to do this part the way I did, but it does do wonders for the salad, and if you like to crush stuff.  

Cut greens onions, jalapeño, and garlic into small pieces and with the salt add them to a molcajete.

Otherwise you can add the ingredients already cut up to a small bowl.

 Grind into a paste.

 Cut lemon and squeeze lemon juice and pour avocado oil into molcajete or small bowl with
the paste and mix.  

Cut avocado in half.  Remove pit, and cut the avocado down and across inside the skin and 

remove from the peel.  

 Add cut up vegetables and fruits to the chicken, pour in the sauce and stir.  

This salad gets better if you refrigerate it for at least an hour.

Spoon some of your salad on a Torta roll, which I also purchased from Costco.

Enjoy!

Spicy Chicken Salad

Printable recipe Found Here

Ingredients:

2 Cooked Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (leftover rotisserie chicken works well for this)

1/2 English Cucumber

1 Orange Bell Pepper

4 Campari Tomatoes (or 1 large tomato)

2 Green Onions

1/2 Seeded Jalapeño

1 Avocado

1 Lemon

1/2 cup Avocado Oil (or Olive Oil)

1 clove Garlic

1 teaspoon Kosher Salt

Process:

Clean cucumber, bell pepper, and tomatoes.  Dice into 1/2-1/4 inch pieces.

Shred chicken breast. (Rotisserie chicken from any grocery store deli works well for this recipe)

Cut greens onions, jalapeño, and garlic into small pieces and with the salt add them to a molcajete.

Otherwise you can add the ingredients already cut up to a small bowl or food processor.

Grind into a paste, or process in a food processor.

Cut lemon and squeeze lemon juice and pour avocado oil into molcajete or small bowl or food processor with the paste and mix.

Cut avocado in half.  Remove pit, and cut the avocado down and across inside the skin and remove from the peel.  

Add cut up vegetables and fruits to the chicken, pour in the sauce and stir.  

This salad gets better if you refrigerate it for at least an hour.  

Enjoy!