Red Enchilada Sauce

 

When the Covid Pandemic of 2020 hit, I wasn’t able to find my favorite enchilada sauce. Since my favorite sauce is made from hatch chilies, I decided to buy the chili powder online. I had this recipe, in my arsenal, but it got an upgrade, with the hatch chilies. This turned out great, for me. Before pandemic, a can of enchilada sauce was $.99. Now it’s $3.50! Homemade is a money saver, and it tastes better, too!

(Left) made in Vitamix Ascent Series blender, using soup setting (Right) made on the stove

If you have the Vitamix Ascent Series, or Venturist Series, with the soup function; you can make this sauce in the blender. It takes approximately six minutes for this recipe to be completed. The result is a thicker, smoother, enchilada sauce. If you want a little thinner sauce, using the Vitamix blender; reduce the flour to one tablespoon.

A YouTube tutorial is available, by clicking this link.

RED ENCHILADA SAUCE

INGREDIENTS:
2 Tablespoons chili powder
2 Tablespoons flour
1 Teaspoon salt
1/2 Teaspoon cumin
1/4 Teaspoon garlic powder 
1/4 Teaspoon onion powder 
2 Tablespoons cooking oil
1 (8 ounce) Can tomato sauce 
2 Cups water 

DIRECTIONS:
Whisk dry ingredients, in a small bowl. Set aside. In a medium sized sauce pan; heat cooking oil over medium high heat. Stir in tomato sauce and spices, adding a little water, to incorporate spice mixture. Add remaining water. Mix well. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Cover pan. Let simmer for 10 - 15 minutes. 

Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwich

 

Who doesn’t love a grilled cheese sandwich? It a childhood favorite, that an adult can appreciate. It goes great with a bowl of your favorite soup. I love to dunk my Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwich into a nice hot bowl of tomato soup. My hubby dunks his into chicken noodle soup.

I’ve grilled my sandwiches with butter. I’ve, also, grilled them with mayonnaise; using the restaurant hack. This time, I did a taste test. I wanted to see which tasted better. I was quite surprised. You can see my reaction, on my YouTube tutorial. A video demonstration is available, by clicking this link.

GRILLED HAM & CHEESE SANDWICH

 

INGREDIENTS:

2 Slices sandwich bread

1 Tablespoon full fat mayonnaise - or - butter, softened

2 Slices American cheese, unwrapped

3 Slices deli ham, thinly sliced

 

DIRECTIONS:

Heat frying pan, or griddle, to medium high heat. Spread mayo, lightly, onto one side; of each slice of bread. Stack sandwich in pan: 1 slice bread (mayonnaise side down), cheese, ham, cheese,  1 slice bread (mayonnaise side up). Grill until golden brown, and

crispy. 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Making sure cheese has melted. Makes 1 sandwich

Mix things up, with more grilled sandwich options.

 

BREAD:

Croissant

Wheat

White

Sourdough

 

CHEESE:

American

Brie

Cheddar

Jack

Provolone

 

MEAT:

Ham

Pastrami

Roast Beef

Turkey

Shredded Beef With Consomme

I don’t want to say this is Birria Style Shredded Beef, because it is not authentic, as prepared in Mexico. First of all, Birria is goat. Secondly, I don’t use all the spices. I’ve made this according to my cooking style. Typically, the meat is cooked with the consommé. I have separated the beef, and consommé. This gives the option of having the consommé, or not.

A YouTube video demonstration is available, by clicking this link.

SHREDDED BEEF WITH CONSOMMÉ

SHREDDED BEEF:

2 - 3 Pound Chuck Roast

1/2 Teaspoon Righteous Seasoning

4 Tablespoons cooking oil

1/2 Large onion, chopped

1 Jalapeño, destemmed, deseeded

6 Large garlic cloves, peeled, crushed

1 1/2 Cups water - or - 1 (12 ounce) bottle Corona beer

2 Beef bouillon cubes

1 Cup water

2 beef bouillon cubes

 

PICO DE GALLO:

1/2 Onion, diced

1/2 Bunch cilantro

1 Small tomato, diced

1/4 Teaspoon Righteous Seasoning

1/2 lime, juiced

 

BEEF CONSOMMÉ:

2/3 Cup Pico De Gallo, divided

1 1/2 Cups beef broth, defatted

1 Dried Pasilla chili pepper, stem and seeds removed

1 Dried Guajillo chili peppers, stem and seeds removed

2 California chili peppers, stems and seeds removed

6 Dried Arbol chili peppers, stems and seeds removed

1 Cup water

1/2 lime, juiced

1/2 Teaspoon Righteous Seasoning, if needed

1/2 Teaspoon granulated garlic

1/4 Teaspoon cumin

Up to 1/2 Teaspoon tajin, to reduce spiciness, if desired

 

TO PREPARE SHREDDED BEEF:

Coat 1 side of roast with 1 tablespoon cooking oil. Rub 1/2 teaspoon Righteous Seasoning onto meat. Flip meat, and repeat. Heat oil, in skillet, over medium high heat. Place onion and jalapeño into hot skillet. Add meat, to center of skillet. Let meat seer, for 3 minutes. Flip meat, and seer the other side. Turn heat to medium low. Place seared roast into crock pot. Add crushed garlic to skillet. Let cook a few minutes. Add water and bouillon cubes. Scrape bits off bottom of pan. Turn off heat. Transfer braising liquid to crock pot. Cover. Let cook until meat is fork tender. Check beef at 3 hours. If braising liquid has absorbed into the meat, add 1 cup water, and 2 beef bouillon cubes. Continue cooking, to 4 hours. Meat should spread easily. Place shredded beef in bowl, and refrigerate.

 

TO PREPARE CONSOMMÉ:

Place 1/3 Cup Pico De Gallo, in a slow cooker, or crock pot. Set aside. Place prepared dried chilies in a blender. Add beef broth. Process until smooth, about 6 minutes. Pour chili mixture into slow cooker. Rinse remaining chili mixture, with 1 cup water, from the blender; and pour into slow cooker. Add lime juice, Righteous Seasoning, if needed, garlic, and cumin; stirring to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. You do not want your consommé to evaporate. If consommé is too spicy; stir in tajin, 1/4 teaspoon at a time. The tajin will reduce the spiciness. Stir in remaining 1/3 cup Pico De Gallo. Serve as a dipping sauce with tacos or quesadillas.

Pork Quesadillas With Consomme

 

My family loves Carnitas! Every time I make them, they get better. This is a recipe for Pork Quesadillas with Consommé. In Spanish, they are known as, Quesa Carnitas con Consomé. It has several components, mostly the toppings! 

A YouTube video demonstration is available, by clicking this link.

PORK QUESADILLAS WITH CONSOMMÉ

QUESADILLAS: 

Shredded Pork:  See recipe
Carnitas Dry Rub: See recipe
Lard, reserved from shredded pork
Packaged corn tortillas
Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

TO PREPARE SHREDDED PORK:  
Cook shredded pork as directed in recipe. Remove fat and bones from pork. Save fat, to fry quesadillas. Strain pork broth. Cube meat, then place in large mixing bowl. Season, liberally, with Carnitas Dry Rub. Set aside. 

TO PREPARE QUESADILLAS: 
Coat a frying pan or griddle with lard. Fry cubed pork, until crispy. Place in bowl. Set aside. Coat griddle with more lard. Place corn tortillas on hot griddle. Cover tortilla with shredded cheese. Place crispy carnitas onto half of the tortilla. Let tortilla start to brown, on the bottom. Fold tortilla over the carnitas. Continue cooking until crispy and browned, about 3 minutes. Flip quesadilla, and brown. 

Serve With: 

PICO DE GALLO:  See recipe

TO PREPARE PICO DE GALLO:  

Prepare pico de gallo as directed in recipe. Divide into three equal portions. You will be using one portion, each, for: pico de gallo, guacamole, and consommé.

GUACAMOLE:  See recipe

TO PREPARE GUACAMOLE:  

Prepare guacamole as directed in recipe, using Pico De Gallo. 

PORK CONSOMMÉ:  See recipe

TO PREPARE CONSOMMÉ: 

Prepare consommé, as directed in recipe. 

Pork Consommé

 

This recipe is for Pork Consommé, to serve with pork tacos or pork quesadillas; as a dipping sauce. I will have a detailed recipe to make Pork Quesadillas with Consommé (Quesa Carnitas con Consommé) in a separate post. There are a lot of components, because of the toppings: consommé, guacamole, and pico de gallo. For now, I will concentrate on the Pork Consommé recipe. 

A YouTube video demonstration is available, by clicking this link.

PORK CONSOMMÉ

 

SHREDDED PORK:

Shredded Pork (see recipe) meat, broth, and fat separated

 

CONSOMMÉ:

2/3 Cup Pico De Gallo (see recipe), divided

1 Dried Pasilla chili pepper, stem and seeds removed

1 Dried Guajillo chili peppers, stem and seeds removed

2 California chili peppers, stems and seeds removed

6 Dried Arbol chili peppers, stems and seeds removed

2 1/2 Cups pork broth

1/2 Cup water

1/2 lime, juiced

2 Chicken bouillon cubes

1/2 Teaspoon Righteous Seasoning

1/2 Teaspoon granulated garlic

1/4 Teaspoon cumin

Up to 1/2 Teaspoon tajin, to reduce spiciness, if desired

 

TO PREPARE CONSOMMÉ:

Place 1/3 Cup Pico De Gallo, in a slow cooker, or crock pot. Set aside. Place prepared dried chilies in a blender. Add pork broth. Process until smooth. Pour chili mixture into slow cooker. Rinse remaining chili mixture, with reserved pork broth, from the blender; and pour into slow cooker. Add water, lime juice, chicken bouillon, Righteous Seasoning, garlic, and cumin; stirring to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. You do not want your consommé to evaporate. If consommé is too spicy; stir in tajin, 1/4 teaspoon at a time. The tajin will reduce the spiciness. Stir in remaining 1/3 cup Pico De Gallo. Serve as a dipping sauce with Pork Quesadillas With Consommé.

Restaurant Style Hash Browns

Hash browns, also known as hashed browns, or hashbrowns are an American Diner favorite. They are shredded, fried potatoes. My recipe makes light, fluffy, crispy hash browns. 

I learned how to make hash browns, working in diners. One diner boiled potatoes, skin on, just for hash browns and home fries. A different diner used leftover baked potatoes. At home, we rely on the microwave, to cook the potatoes.

I like that this recipe doesn’t involve shredding a raw potato, soaking in water, and squeezing the excess water. After that work you’re watching your potatoes turn brown. Still, they aren’t as fluffy as my recipe. 

A YouTube video demonstration is available, by clicking this link.

RESTAURANT STYLE HASH BROWNS

INGREDIENTS:
2 Large russet potatoes, microwaved, chilled, shredded
1 Tablespoon Wondra flour
1/2 Teaspoon Righteous Seasoning
2 - 4 Tablespoons cooking oil

DIRECTIONS:
Add potatoes, flour and Righteous Seasoning, to a medium sized mixing bowl. Toss to combine. Heat 2 tablespoons cooking oil, on an electric griddle , over medium high heat. Place 3 equal mounds, of potatoes, onto hot griddle. Shape into ovals. Drizzle tops of potatoes with more oil. Cook 3-4 minutes, or until brown. Flip, carefully. Brown other side. Makes 3 hash browns.

Peanut Butter & Banana Nachos

 

A TikTok friend asked me if I’ve tried peanut butter on a tortilla. If I had, it wasn’t memorable. I’m used to eating peanut butter on crispy lavash; and that is a favorite. I knew I wanted a crispy tortilla, so I went with nachos.

The moment I tried these Peanut Butter & Banana Nachos, I knew they were a hit! Now, I can’t wait to tell my friend, I have tried peanut butter on a tortilla.

A YouTube demonstration is available by clicking this link.

PEANUT BUTTER & BANANA NACHOS

 

INGREDIENTS:

1 Mission Carb Balance flour tortilla

3 Drops cooking oil

Ceylon cinnamon, to sprinkle

1/3 Banana, sliced

1 1/2 Tablespoons peanut butter

 

DIRECTIONS:

In a baking tray; brush cooking oil, onto both sides of tortilla. Sprinkle cinnamon, generously, onto both sides of tortilla. Cut into 16 wedges; like a pizza. Arrange wedges, in an even layer, on baking tray. Toast in an air fryer, about 5 minutes; flipping wedges half way through, until wedges are crispy. Or, use the broiler setting, in the oven. To plate: place tortilla chips on center of plate. Top with banana slices. Spoon peanut butter into a microwave safe bowl. Heat for 20 seconds. Peanut butter should be softened enough to drizzle. Drizzle peanut butter over nachos.  Makes 1 serving.