Camping Nachos

Ever been sitting around the campfire, having a beer or glass of wine and get an urge for a snack?  S'mores are great fun but don't go real well with beer (actually they go pretty well with wine, in my opinion. ) On one such night I tried to imagine how some of our favorite snacks could become campfire favorites and the next day I came upon these photos of nachos and knew this would fill the snack void during our next campfire.  Everyone loves nachos and this easy  method is so adaptable that it can accommodate anyone's fancy.  I adapted the recipe by combining several others and the photos are from a pinterest pin that credited The Inspired Dreamer blog (http://inspiredreamer.com)

You can almost make it just from the photos but here are some ingredients and directions.

Ingredients

• FOR THE GARLIC CREAM SAUCE: or use a jar of prepared Ranch or Alfredo sauce
• 1-½ Tablespoon Butter
• ½ Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced 
• ½ cups Heavy Cream(I substitute plain Greek yogurt but it has a little more tart flavor)
• ¼ cups Milk
• Salt and pepper
• 1 pinch Red Pepper Flakes
• ¼ cups Parmesan Cheese, Grated 
• FOR THE NACHOS:
• Tortilla Chips
• ½ cups Garlic Cream Sauce (above)or use a jar of prepared Ranch or Alfredo sauce
• ¼ cups Onion, Diced
• ½ lb cooked hamburger or sausage meat (I brown it in advance and freeze in baggies) As an alternative you could use pepperoni, shredded chicken or a can of beans, rinsed
• ½ cups Black Olives Sliced
• ½ Green Bell Pepper, Diced
• 1 cup favorite shredded cheese
• Sliced jalapenos 

Melt the butter in a sauce pan. Make a roux by adding the Parmesan cheese to the melted butter and blend.   Add in the cream and milk stirring constantly till blended. Add in remaining sauce ingredients. Simmer on low do not boil.
Layer the chips in a dutch oven (or any pan that can withstand the heat of an oven/campfire,) pour sauce over chips and layer remaining nacho ingredients.
Heat in a 350F oven or place over coals till cheese is melted. If you cook on coals remember to have fireproof mitts or pot holders for dutch oven.

Have some tongs or a flat scoop nearby and dish the nachos onto paper plates. Bet there won't be any leftovers!

Healthy Chicken and Spinach Flautas

Flautas at MiTierra's in downtown San Antonio are to die for and I've looked for years for a frozen brand to come close.  Although the store bought frozen ones will do in a pinch, I've searched the internet for a recipe that sounded fairly simple but with all the right ingredients.  This one is a combination of a couple that I liked with a few adaptations for healthiness and RV kitcheness.  

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 45 minutes

Baked flautas stuffed with seasoned, shredded chicken, spinach, and cheese are crispy, but don’t have the greasiness of fried versions. 

                 Ingredients

They're actually better if you can roll them tighter like cigars

• 1 pound boneless, skinless Chicken Thighs (about 4)
• 16 ounces Beer (or chicken broth)
• 2 cups Water
• 1 teaspoon Paprika
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1 teaspoon ground Cumin
• 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
• 1 Pepper, minced, jalapeno or serrano
• 3 cups Baby Spinach, chopped or 10oz frozen box, defrosted & squeezed of its liquids
• 10 small Flour Tortillas
• 6 ounces melting cheese, shredded
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil, or cooking spray

 

 

I use this everyday!

To shred poached chicken easily, I use my baby cuisinart food processor for a few seconds. Store-bought rotisserie chicken can be substituted for the poached chicken to save time. In a real pinch I've used canned chicken.

 Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Put the chicken in a deep sided saute pan and cover with the beer and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the chicken from the liquid and shred it. Mix together the chicken and seasonings.
3. Pour out all but 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Add the jalapeno and spinach and cook over low heat until for 2-3 minutes, or until the spinach is wilted.
4. Cut the tortillas in half. Spoon 1/10th of the chicken (about 1 tablespoon) along the long edge of a tortilla. Repeat with the spinach and cheese. Roll the tortilla up, starting with the straight edge. Place seam-side down on an oiled baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
5. Brush the flautas with olive oil or spray with cooking spray. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn them over and bake for until 10 minutes, or until crispy. Serve with salsa.

Yields 10 flautas.  Each flauta has approx. 180 calories, 9 grams fat, 6 grams carbs, 1 gram fiber, 18 grams protein

photo credit: Collin Harvey via photopin cc

Roasting Some Hotties (Chilies That Is)

How To Roast Fresh Chile Peppers 

Chiles roasted over an open flame, or in the oven, impart a delicious smoky, chipotle flavor to salsas or any dish that uses chiles. This preparation is used for peppers used in chile rellenos and countless other Mexican food favorites.  

Here's an important warning when handling chiles: Wear gloves when working with hot chile peppers. This is no time to be macho. Never touch your eyes when working with chiles, fresh or dried. If you are not a glove person, make sure that you wash your hands very well with soap when you're done.  Alternately you may want to coat your hands with a small amount of cooking oil before you handle chiles. This prevents some of the oils from adhering to your skin.  Once your chile chores are completed wash your hands well with warm soapy water.

Gas Stove

How to char your fingernails

This method works well, especially in the RV kitchen, for roasting a small quantity of chile peppers. You may want to use a long handled cooking fork with a handle made with a non heat-conducting material. Pierce the pepper with the fork and hold the pepper over a gas flame (or grill flame), about 4" from the heat source. Keep turning the pepper until it is evenly charred on all sides. 

(Or if you like charred fingernails try the method in the photo, that's the way I do it.)

 The pepper skins should turn black when properly roasted. Place the roasted peppers in a plastic bag and seal the bag. (You can also use a small wire grilling basket and char a few peppers at a time.)

Stove Top Chile Grill

For larger quantity of chiles you can use a stove-top grill such as the one shown here. This fits over a gas or electric burner. Sit the chiles on top and turn occasionally to allow even charring.

Use tongs to keep the vegetables turned for even charring. This can also be done on a BBQ grill if you can get the chiles very close to the coals.

Oven Method

This is the secret!

This is my method of choice since I like to do a slew of peppers at once then freeze any extra in a baggie for later.  Freeze them in small

Preheat your oven to 450°F or broil  (232°C.) Spread the peppers evenly on a cookie sheet, in a single layer. Roast the peppers for about 4-5 minutes until the skins blister. Watch carefully so they do not burn but the skins will turn black. 

The secret to easily peeling regardless of the method you use?  Place the roasted peppers in a plastic bag and seal the bag.

Allow the chile peppers to 'sweat' in the plastic bag* for about 10 to 15 minutes. When you remove them from the bag they will be easy to peel. Rinse the peppers under cool running water (wear gloves!). Peel the chile, remove and discard the skin, seeds, and the veins. 

It's a messy job but somebody has to do it.  Preferably get hubby to help then claim you only have one pair of gloves and you'll be glad to let him do the honors. Hey, sometimes it works.

It may be desirable to have a small amount of the charred skin remain, depending on the dish. This can be a flavorful addition to fresh salsa.

*You may also use a paper bag but I find the peppers sweat more in plastic.  You can even put your hand right in the bag and peel the chiles leaving the skins inside the bag.  

Another possibility:  You can also use this method for roasting bell peppers (use various colors) and marinating them in a vinagrette.  This makes a great Italian style salad or condiment.

Chili Rellenos for the Busy Cook

Chile Rellenos Casserole

The chile relleno, literally "stuffed chile," is a dish of Mexican cuisine that originated in the city of Puebla. It consists of a roasted fresh poblano pepper (a mild chili pepper named after the city of Puebla), sometimes substituted with non-traditional Hatch green chile, Anaheim, pasilla or even jalapeño chili pepper. It is stuffed with melted cheese, such as queso Chihuahua or queso Oaxaca (traditionally), or picadillo meat made of diced pork, raisins and nuts, seasoned with canella; covered in an egg batter or simply corn masa flour and fried. Although it is often served in a tomato sauce, the sauces can vary. There are versions in Mexico using re-hydrated dry chiles such as anchos or pasillas. Although the traditional rellenos aren’t difficult, it is time consuming stuffing the chilies…sooo, a lazy busy cook I know developed THIS version…very easy to prepare and loaded with flavor.  A San Antonio favorite, Chile rellenos recipes vary greatly depending on the restaurant or homemaker.  This one is a hit no matter what the occasion and is great for leftovers and breakfast.  It was an instant hit at our RV Park's Vegetarian Potluck Feast.

               Prep Time:  15 Min                                                                             Recipe Yield 6 servings

             Cook Time:  50 Min

               Ready In:     about 1 Hr.

                                                        

Ingredients

• 2 (7 ounce) cans whole green chile peppers, drained OR more traditionally, 8 New Mexico, poblanos  OR Anaheim chiles roasted, seeded and peeled. (don't put your fingers near your eyes after handling these hot mamas.)
• Approx. 16 ounces  mixture of cheeses, shredded
• 3 or 4 eggs, beaten
• 1 10 oz. (approx.) can evaporated milk (can mix half with regular milk)
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 can enchilada sauce.   I like green enchilada sauce best.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 8 X 8-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Lay half of the chiles evenly in bottom of baking dish. Sprinkle with HALF of the cheeses, and cover with remaining chilies. In a bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, and flour, and pour over the top of the chilies.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes. Remove from oven, pour enchilada sauce evenly over the top, and continue baking another 15 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses, and serve.   You can top with black olive or scallion slices.

Note:  If you want more servings you can use a 9 X 13 baking dish and using double the ingredients.  The cheese and enchilada sauce doesn't need doubling.  I never make it exactly the same but it's always delish.

Taco Dip

Taco Dip

The simplest of dips but always a favorite at our get togethers. 

Ingredients:
8 oz. cream cheese
1 package dry taco seasoning mix
½ C. sour cream
guacamole
finely shredded lettuce
finely shredded Monterey jack or cheddar cheese
Finely chopped tomatoes
sliced black olives


Optional Trimmings:
bell pepper
cilantro (chopped)
salsa
jalapenos

Instructions:

Mix together the cream cheese, sour cream, and taco seasoning until completely blended.
Spread onto a flat dish.
Spread a layer of guacamole over the dip mix.
Top the mixture with lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, bell pepper and black olives. Serve with tortilla chips.

Great With Margaritas or a Cold Brew

San Antonio 7 Layer Dip

San Antonio Seven-Layer Dip

A Texas favorite during happy hour, Superbowl Sunday and pot lucks.
12 Servings

Prep Time: 15 to 30 Minutes, depending on if you use prepared guacamole and re-fried beans or homemade.

Ingredients:
1 package prepared Guacamole or homemade.
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) or homemade Re-fried Beans
1 1/2 cups Sour Cream
1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce (about 1/2 head)
2 cups chopped tomatoes
6 green onions, chopped with tops

Sliced jalapenos (optional)
1 bag (16 oz.) Corn Tortilla Chips

Directions:
1. Prepare guacamole according to package directions or make your own (2  avocados mashed with a fork, seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, lime squeeze, hot sauce) and set aside.

2. Spread beans on the bottom of a 2-quart glass baking dish and top with layers of guacamole, sour cream, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions and jalapenos, if desired.

3. Serve with corn chips.  An assortment of Blue, white and yellow corn chips is a nice touch.