Salsa Roja

Here's a simple recipe I picked up during my time living in Mexico. Just a few ingredients, but the charring in a dry skillet adds an amazing depth of flavor. It's my go-to red salsa for fajitas, tacos, breakfast tacos, eggs, and more. Enjoy!

Salsa Roja

Ingredients:

• 6 roma tomatoes, rinsed and left whole
• 2 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
• 1-2 serrano chiles, stemmed and unchopped
• Salt

Directions:

1. Heat a dry, 12 inch, cast iron or non-stick skillet over medium heat. Place tomatoes, garlic cloves, and chiles in the pan and allow to char on one side. Flip tomatoes, garlic, and chiles until majority of sides are charred. 
2. Remove from pan and place whole tomatoes, garlic with husk removed, and chile into a food processor. Pulse until as smooth or chunky as you prefer. I recommend adding chiles one half at a time until desired heat is achieved. 
3. Stir in pinches of salt to taste. 

Pickled Carrots (AKA the perfect sandwich toppers)

These might seem like a strange idea if you've never had them. But the first time I had pickled carrots years ago was on a Vietnamese sandwich called banh mi, which I promptly called the Vietnamese hoagie. I am a die-hard-it-has-to-be-the-perfect-hoagie girl. For the same reason I NEED dill pickles on my hoagie, a banh mi sandwich NEEDS pickled carrot. Pickled deliciousness is the perfect balance to the rich saltiness of all the meat.

These are simple to make, speedy quick, and keep well in the fridge to use on all kinds of things to brighten them up and add some zip. I've used them on sandwiches, banh mi, tacos, salads, and more. Enjoy!

Pickled Carrots

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients:

• 1 c. white vinegar
• 1/3 c. sugar
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 c. carrots, peeled and cut into 4 in long sections, shredded through shredding blade of a food processor or shred by hand on a grater

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine vinegar, sugar, and salt. Stir until dissolved.
2. Add carrots and stir until combined. Let stand for 30 minutes before using.
3. Refrigerate for later use and drain well before serving.

Quick Stir Fry

This is my "grab all leftover veggies and make a one-bowl meal" stir fry. So this week my leftover veggies happened to ALL be green, so it's not a rainbow of color but still tasted really good. I'll add some suggestions of other vegetables that would work well if you're looking for more variety. :) 

One of the ingredients used in the stir fry sauce may not be one you already have in your pantry. But it is so worth having for this sauce alone since it makes for such a quick, easy meal. It is called mirin and it is a Japanese rice cooking wine. It adds some sweetness to the salty soy sauce and the nutty sesame oil. It's a really good balance. And did I mention easy? 

This will become a theme on this blog I'm sure, but one thing I love about this recipe is that I can chop all the veggies and protein and mix up the sauce earlier in the day and just stir fry it up right at dinner time. Enjoy!

Quick Stir Fry

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. hard tofu, cut into long strips or cubes OR chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/4 c. vegetable oil
• 1 c. broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 c. broccoli stem, peeled and sliced into thin 2-3 in. long pieces
• 1 c. string beans, cut into bite-sized pieces 
• (other great stir fry veggies: red bell pepper, corn kernels, edamame, bamboo, water chestnuts, carrots, etc.)
  
• 2 c. white rice, cooked with package instructions
• Stir fry sauce (recipe below)
• Salt/Pepper

Stir Fry Sauce Ingredients:
Mix together in a bowl. Set aside.

• 2 T. sesame oil
• 4 T. mirin
• 4 T. soy sauce
• 1-2 pinches of red pepper flakes

Directions:

1. Make rice according the package directions.
2. Heat oil in 12 in non-stick skillet or a wok, if you have one, over med-hi heat.
3. Prep your protein. I used tofu this week, but chicken is great too. Cut tofu to desired size, pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. 
4. When oil is shimmering but not smoking, place tofu in the pan. Do not stir until one side is browned. Once browned, flip all pieces to the other side. Continue until all sides are browned. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Set aside. (Brown chicken the same way until cooked through)
   
   
   
   
5. Add more oil, if needed, to cover the bottom of the pan. When oil is heated to med-hi again, add firmer veggies to the pan such as broccoli and carrots. Cook until brightly colored and slightly less firm. 
6. Push those veggies to the edges of the pan, making a circle in the middle. Add softer veggies, such as bamboo, bell pepper, corn, etc. Fry in the middle for a 1-2 min., then stir all veggies together until they have reached the desired firmness/softness. We like ours to still have a tiny crunch, definitely not mushy and overcooked.
7. Add your protein back to the pan and mix in until all is heated through. 
8. Pour sauce into the pan and mix until incorporated. 
9. Remove from heat. 
10. Place a scoop of rice into each bowl. Spoon stir fry and sauce over rice. Serve hot. 

Salsa Verde Cruda (by Pati Jinich)

Once upon a time, I lived in Mexico and loved, loved, loved homemade green salsas. Then I moved back to the States, bought jarred green salsas, hated them, and gave up on green salsa in general. What a MISTAKE!

 

First let me say how much I adore Pati Jinich, both her show on PBS and her recipes. This recipe is barely even adapted by me because I just love it the way it is.

Secondly, this is the easiest salsa recipe I have ever made. No cooking required...just ingredients and a food processor or blender! The flavors are fresh, bright/tangy, spicy, and creamy. We put this stuff on everything: tacos, eggs, salads, chips, nachos, etc. I pretty much keep it in my fridge at all times. Enjoy!

Salsa Verde Cruda  

from Pati's Mexican Table

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. tomatillos, husked, rinsed, quartered (they have sticky skin once husks are removed, so be sure to rinse)
  
• 1 avocado, pit removed
• 1-2 T white onion, in rough chunks
• 1-2 serrano or jalapeno chiles, depending on desired heat
• 3/4 tsp. coarse kosher salt

Directions:

1. In the bowl of a food processor or blender, combine the tomatillos, avocado meat, onion, chiles, and salt. I usually add one chile, run the food processor, taste for heat, then add more chiles if I want.
2. Cover and pulse the food processor 4-5 times, then run until smooth.
3. Enjoy on everything!