Nifna's Green Salsa

I actually made this about two months ago, which will probably come as no shock since I haven't been posting regularly, but it is such a nice change of pace from regular salsa that I couldn't just not post it.  Apparently Nifna's is a well known Mexican restaurant in the Houston area and this dip is served to everyone with the complimentary chips.  (Side note: I recently read that we are getting a Nifna's here in the Phoenix area, so I will have to check it out and compare once it opens!)  I was not only intrigued by the ingredient list, but also by the preparation because the tomato component is actually cooked first.  This was really good, it had a hit of heat, but the sour cream and avocado in it helped to temper the fire.  Also, this made a ton!  So unless you are going to a party or have a huge family, you may want to cut the recipe in half...or maybe not....cause it probably won't last long!  I took this in to my office and my co-workers went wild over it!  I have a pretty small office and had two requests for the recipe...which can only mean one thing...it's a keeper!

Nifna's Green Salsa

adapted from Home with Mandy

3 medium-sized green tomatoes, coarsely chopped (you can substitute yellow if you can’t find green ones, and you are not supposed to use red, but that is all I could find and it still worked!)
4 tomatillos, cleaned and chopped

1 to 2 jalapenos, stemmed and coarsely chopped

3 small garlic cloves, chopped
3 medium-sized ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced
4 sprigs cilantro
1 tsp. salt
1 c. sour cream

Combine chopped tomatoes, tomatillos, jalapenos and garlic in a saucepan and heat on medium high  Add garlic.  At this point, using a potato masher, start to smash the tomatoes to bring out the juices.  Let the mixture cook, mashing more and stirring occasionally for 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes remove from heat and let cool a bit.

Meanwhile, put avocado, cilantro and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times until combined.  Add cooled tomato mixture to food processor and pulse until smooth.  Remove mixture to a different bowl and stir in sour cream.  (I chilled mine for a bit after this because it was still warm from the tomatoes.)  Dig in with some tortilla chips....mmmm!


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Avocado Mexican Pizza

The Sunday of my Labor Day Weekend was kind of an odd day. I had slept in until 11:00 (don't be jealous, tailgating takes a lot out of a girl!), which meant that at around 11:30 I finally ate something that I considered to be breakfast. I then hung around and watched TV in my pajamas and read the paper, at 2:00 I decided it was finally time to take a shower and get dressed so that I could run some errands. Just as I was about to get into the shower my dad called, he wanted to go to lunch. Well I was not at all surprised about my dad's lunch suggestion, he always wants to go to lunch, but I was surprised that he wanted to go to lunch so late in the day! You see, my dad is a creature of habit, when the clock strikes twelve, he eats lunch; so I was amazed that he had missed his lunch time that day, but, nevertheless, I agreed to go and meet him.

I had to drop some stuff off to my mom, so I swung by their house and picked my dad up, and off we went to his favorite place, Valle Luna. We didn't actually end up getting there until 3:00 by the time I showered, got to my folks, etc., so it basically could have been considered dinner at this point! After we ate, I carried on with my day, but at about 9:00 that night I realized that I was hungry! I didn't want to have anything really big or heavy, but I knew that I needed to eat something. I had been browsing some of the blogs that I read when I cam across this recipe; I quickly realized that I had just about everything on hand to make it, so I decided to whip myself up a light, late-night dinner. I made a few modifications based on what I had on hand, and because of that, I did think that there was a lack of color on the plate, but the taste was not lacking! This was quick and tasty, and hit the spot to curb my hunger until the morning. I did find it funny that the original recipe called these quesadillas, but I just couldn't bring myself to go with that title because they are open-faced, so I changed the name! These can be made as appetizers for a party, or just as an afternoon snack; and the possibilities for toppings is endless!

I will list the full recipe for 4 servings, but I made a single serving just for me.

Avocado Mexican Pizza

adapted from Favorite Family Recipes

1 (4 oz.) can sliced black olives, drained
3 firm-ripe avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and diced
1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped (or 2 baby bell peppers) - I didn't have any on hand
1 jalapeno, finely chopped - I used chopped jalapenos from a jar
1/3 cup fresh chopped cilantro
2 tbsp red onion, finely chopped - I used green onions
Juice of 1 lime
Sea salt to taste
4 flour tortillas
cheddar cheese (or Monterrey Jack), shredded - I used a Mexi blend

Chop all of the vegetables. Stir together olives, avocado, bell pepper, jalapeno, cilantro, onion and lime juice. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste.

Put tortillas on a large baking sheet. Broil tortillas 2-4 inches from the heat until pale golden brown, about 45 seconds. Turn tortillas over and cover with cheese; broil until melted and bubbling, about 30 seconds. Divide olive mixture among the tortillas, cut each tortilla into 4 wedges and serve immediately.

Recipes from Cinco de Mayo Week

This past week, I seemed to do a lot of cooking, and not a lot of blogging. I am not sure what my deal was, but I was at a barbecue yesterday and my friend Jess told me that I needed to put up some new recipes. So I figured I would share what I made during the week of Cinco de Mayo...and as you may have already guessed....the overall theme is Mexican!

Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars

Last Sunday I was in the mood for something sweet, and realized that I had all the ingredients on hand to make sopapilla cheesecake bars! I just love when no last minute store runs for one missing item are necessary. I had found this recipe a little over a year ago on Recipezaar, and I had been dying to try it out. I LOVE cheesecake....my birthday also happens to be National Cheesecake Day...so it was meant to be that I try these out! I couldn't wait for these to finish baking, the cinnamon aroma had filled my house, and had me drooling. Once I was finally able to dig in, I couldn't understand what took me so long to try these out!! They were so easy to make, but were a 10 on the tasty scale. These will definitely be making a repeat appearance, and I won't be waiting until Cinco de Mayo next year!

Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars

2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese
2 (8 oz)) packages refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup cinnamon sugar

Using a 9 x 13 baking pan, unroll one package of refrigerated crescent rolls and line the bottom of the pan. Pinch together seams and flatten.

Mix together the cream cheese, sugar and extract with an electric mixer, then spread over the crescent rolls.

Unroll the other can of crescent rolls and place on top of cream cheese mixture.
Pour melted butter over the top and sprinkle with about 1/2 cup of the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Store leftovers in the refrigerator, best served at room temperature.


Crockpot Refried Beans

As I am sure you can tell, I LOVE BEANS!!! I had been wanting to try making my own for some time now, so I figured it was a good time to try them, especially the recipe called for no pre-soaking! I found a few different recipes that I altered to my tastes, and while these were good, I still have some tinkering to do. Also, they are missing the one major element that makes them really good...which is lard....but at least these are healthy!

Crockpot Refried Beans
adapted from Coleen's Recipes

1 yellow onion (cut in half, but not chopped)
3 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed and sorted
2 tsp. salt
3 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 oz. diced jalapenos (or you can use 2 (4 oz.) cans diced green chilies)
9 cups water
1/2 cup half and half or heavy cream

Put everything except the jalapenos and half & half in the crockpot. Cook on high for 8 hours until beans are tender. Drain. Put beans and jalapenos into a food processor and puree. Stream in a half & half until desired consistency.



Pollo Fundido Dip

Pollo Fundido is one of my all time favorite items at Mexican restaurants, so when I came across this recipe I knew I had to try it. I made this the same night that I made the beans, and turned into a very festive meal! It didn't have as much heat as I would have liked, which is probably because I used green chilies instead of jalapenos, next time I think I will kick it up a notch! If I was to serve this for a party, I would prepare as directed and then put into a crock pot to keep warm.


Pollo Fundido Dip
adapted from Taste of Home Community Pages


2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 medium chopped onions
2 (7 oz.) cans chopped green chilies or 1 (4oz.) can chopped jalapenos
1 tsp. salt
5 oz. can evaporated milk
1 cup grated white sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup grated Monterrey jack cheese (or pepperjack!)
8 oz. cooked chicken, chopped or shredded

Saute' the onion in the vegetable oil until soft. Add the green chilies and salt and cook until the liquid evaporates, about 5 minutes. Add the evaporated milk and simmer for 4 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Add the cheeses and chicken and continue cooking until heated through and the cheese has completely melted.

Serve with chips or veggies for dipping.



Fluffy Guacamole

I was asked to bring something to a barbecue that I was attending on Saturday. I was having a very lazy day, and didn't get into the shower until 3, and the barbecue started at 4. With no time to go to the store, I had to make do with what I had on hand. I had just received my new Healthy Cooking from Taste of Home Magazine, and found the perfect snack to bring. I used to hate anything that had to do with avocados up until about 2 years ago, it was so weird, one day I just felt that I need some guacamole, and I became hooked! My dad makes the best guacamole in the world, and while he has shown me how to do it, his always seems to taste better. I thought that this recipe sounded tasty for a barbecue and I was right, one of my friends couldn't stop eating it and asked me if I had put crack in it!! No, no crack....just some yummy goodness that will definitely make my regular rotation! (Sorry for the bad picture, we had polished off half of it before I remembered to take a picture!)

Fluffy Guacamole
Adapted from Healthy Cooking by Taste of Home (June/July 09)

2 medium ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
1 (8 oz.) pkg. light cream cheese
1 (4 oz.) can diced green chilies
1/2 medium onion
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 garlic clove, peeled
1/4 tsp. salt
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped

Place onion and garlic in the food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the tomatoes, and process until blended. Stir in the tomatoes by hand. Serve with chips.