Taco Dip

My friend, Nancy Van Patten, brought this dip to our fiesta this past weekend to celebrate the inauguration of our new Rancho. I was lucky enough to get to the last teaspoon for a taste just before all the party guests scarfed it up. Yummy!

Ingredients:
2 large packages of cream cheese, softened
1 can bean dip
1 can picante sauce
Chopped lettuce
Diced tomatoes
Green olives
Shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Mix the cream cheese, bean dip and picante sauce together until well blended. Spread it on a platter. Top with lettuce, tomatoes, green olives and cheddar cheese.

Serve with tortilla chips

Optionally, you can try adding onions, sweet peppers, or whatever else you want.

Dip

0

Chorizo Potato Cheese Balls

These tasty little treats make a wonderful appetizer, served warm, or at room temperature.

Ingredients

• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 cup grated jack or other mild low moisture cheese
• ½ kilo, or 1 pound chorizo (or any flavor of ground sausage)
• 1/3 cup fresh natilla, or sour cream
• 1 medium potato, coarsely grated (about 1 to 1½ cup)
• 2½ cups Krusteaz or Bisquick pancake/baking mix
• ½ teaspoon salt

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Soak grated potato in cold water for 10 minutes.
• Grate the cheeses.
• Remove the casing from the chorizo, or sausage.
• Drain water from grated potato and blot dry in a towel to remove excess moisture.
• Using your hands, combine all ingredients and mix well.
• Form mixture into balls about the size of a walnut.
• Bake on parchment paper for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown.

Yield:  about 3 dozen

Snacks

0

Chorreadas (Costa Rican Corn Pancakes)

(español, ver mas abajo)

Costa Rican Chorreadas are quick and easy to make, especially if you have lots of fresh corn on hand. There are different ways to prepare corn pancakes: sweet, plain, savory or cheesy. These are great for any meal; breakfast, lunch, dinner or as a side dish. It is typical to serve them with fresh sour cream, but they are delicious with lots of different toppings; refried beans, guacamole, and pico de gallo, just to name a few.

Sweet :
4 cups fresh corn
¼ cup milk or water
1 tsp. salt
¼ cup of favorite sweetener
Oil

Savory:
4 cups fresh corn
¼ cup milk or water
1 tsp. salt
2-4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 Tbsp. oregano
Oil

Cheesy:
4 cups fresh corn
1/4 cup milk or water
1 tsp. salt
¼ cup grated cheese
Oil

Plain:
4 cups fresh corn
1/4 cup milk or water
1 tsp. salt
Oil

Mix everything (except the oil) in a blender till smooth. Pour into a bowl and warm oil in a heavy or cast-iron pan on medium-high heat. Scoop out about 2 large spoonfuls into the pan and spread into a circle like pancakes. Reduce the heat to medium and let it brown lightly (about 2 minutes), flip it over and cook the other side until golden brown. Place the Chorreadas on a warm plate covered with a towel and keep making more till the batter is gone.

The great thing about the Chorreada is it can be made totally dairy-free, vegan and wheat-free.

Chorreadas (panqueques de maíz de Costa Rica)
Costa Rica Chorreadas son rápidos y fáciles de hacer, especialmente si usted tiene elote de maíz fresco. Hay diferentes maneras de preparar tortitas de maíz, dulce, sencillo, sabroso o con queso. Estos son ideales para cualquier comida, desayuno, almuerzo, cena o como guarnición. Es típico que los sirven con natilla fresca, pero son deliciosos, con unos otros ingredientes diferentes, frijoles refritos, guacamole y pico de gallo, sólo para nombrar unos pocos.

Dulce:
4 tazas de maíz fresco
¼ taza de leche o agua
1 cdta. sal
¼ de taza de edulcorante favorito
aceite

Savory:
4 tazas de maíz fresco
¼ taza de leche o agua
1 cdta. sal
2-4 dientes de ajo machacados
2 cucharadas. orégano
aceite

Queso:
4 tazas de maíz fresco
¼ taza de leche o agua
1 cdta. sal
¼ taza de queso rallado
aceite

Sencillo:
4 tazas de maíz fresco
¼ taza de leche o agua
1 cdta. sal
aceite

Mezclar todo (excepto el aceite) en una licuadora hasta que es liso. Vierta la mezcla en un tazón. Caliente el aceite caliente en una sartén o hierro fundido a fuego medio-alto. Saque unos 2 cucharadas grandes en la sartén y se extendió en un círculo como panqueques. Reducir el fuego a medio y dejar que se dore ligeramente (unos 2 minutos), darle la vuelta y cocine del otro lado hasta que estén doradas. Coloque el Chorreadas en un plato caliente cubierta con una toalla y seguir haciendo más hasta que la masa se ha ido.

La gran cosa sobre la Chorreada es que puede ser totalmente libre de lácteos, trigo y vegana.

Side Dish

1

Black Beans

Ingredients:
2 cups (about ½ kilo or 1 pound) dried black beans, picked over and rinsed
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pork bone with plenty of meat, or a ham hock, about ½ kilo (1 pound)
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium sweet pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
6 cups water
2 chicken bullion cubes
6-8 sprigs of fresh cilantro (culantro)
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Soak the beans in a large bowl overnight. In a 6-quart pot pour in 3 tablespoons oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the pork bone/ham hock, onions, and peppers and cook until the onions peppers are wilted and the pork is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. (If you like celery, you can even add some diced celery to the onions and peppers to make a really nice sofrito.) Throw in the garlic and oregano and cook for 1 minute more. Drain the beans and add them to the pot, giving them give a good stir. Pour in the water and add the bullion cubes and cilantro. Cover the pot and bring the beans to a boil. Then let them simmer for about 2½ hours. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper. If the beans are underdone, simmer them with the lid off until tender. Pick meat from the bone, dice it and add it back to the beans; discarding the bone. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Note: You can make these beans in a pressure cooker without soaking in about 25 minutes. You just need to add an extra tablespoon of oil to keep the pressure release valve from clogging.

Beans

0

Cochinita Pibil

Cochinita Pibil, or Roasted Suckling Pig, is a popular cuisine found in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. The pork is frequently marinated for 24 hours and then roasted in the oven, wrapped in plantain leaves. This recipe is a quick method, using a pressure cooker.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds/1 kilo pork sirloin
• 1 cup Orange juice*
• 1/2 cup Lemon juice*
• 3 tablespoons of Achiote paste
• 1/4 teaspoon Cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
  
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground Black Pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried Oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon Thyme
• 3 cloves of Garlic, minced
• 1 dried Chipotle Morita pepper, sliced in half & minced (with or without seeds, depending on how hot you want it)
  
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 2 tablespoons of Olive oil
  

(* In Costa Rica, I use 1.5 cups of Naranja Agria juice in place of the Orange and Lemon juices.)

Directions:

• Dissolve the Achiote paste over low heat. Remove from heat, add the lemon and orange juice and all of the other spices (except for the Bay Leaves) and mix until well blended.
• Slice the pork across the grain in about 1 inch thick and place it in a large bowl
• Pour the juice mixture over the pork, add the Bay Leaves, cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator to marinate for 2-3 hours.
• Coat the bottom of a pressure cooker with the olive oil, arrange the pork in the pot evenly and pour all of the marinade over the meat.
• Seal the pressure cooker and cook at high heat until the pressure valve start to whistle. Set the temperature to low and cook for 45 minutes.
• Turn off the heat, allow the steam to escape and open the pot.
• The pork will be fork tender. Gently remove it from the pot and place it on a serving platter.
• Remove the Bay Leaves and any remaining pieces of the Chipotle pepper from the pot.
  
• Continue to cook the sauce over medium low heat until it is reduced to a rich gravy.

Serve the pork with the gravy on the side. This dish goes well with a mango salsa and rice. It is also delicious served in corn tortillas or taco shells.

Pork

1

Chorizo w/Pork & Turkey *WP*

This is a recipe for Chorizo we developed that is lower in fat than standard recipes. We like our Chorizo hot and spicy. If you want a milder version, just cut back on the cayenne pepper. It will still be delicious...

Ingredients for 15 Lbs.

• 5 tablespoons coarse ground sea salt
• 1 1/2 cups of white vinegar
• 3 tablespoons smoked hot paprika
• 2 tablespoons smoked sweet paprika
• 1 tablespoon annatto powder or achiote
• 1 tablespoon cumin
  
• 5 1/2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
• 6 tablespoons fresh minced garlic
• 1 1/2 tablespoons oregano
• 3 tablespoons black coarse pepper
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 12 lbs boned pork butts
• 3 lbs lean ground turkey

20 - 1 3/8" (35 MM) natural or collagen casings

Grinding and Mixing:

In a medium mixing bowl, blend all the garlic herbs & spices with the water and vinegar and set it aside. Grind all the pork buts through a 3/8" grinding place into a large mixing tub. Mix in the ground turkey. Pour in all of seasonings and mix until all the ingredients are evenly distributed. Stuff into casings. Hang sausage on smoke-sticks or drying racks and let it dry overnight.

WP

0

Bizcochos *WP*

"Bizcochos" or "Rosquillas de Queso", a traditional Costa Rica snack food, are corn meal cheese rings. Usually, bizcocho is fried in vegetable oil until golden brown. This baked recipe is a lower calorie/lower fat option.

Like Fritos Corn Chips or Doritos Tortilla Chips? You'll love these!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups corn flour - I use Maseca Masa de Maíz or Quaker Masa Harina de Maíz (tortilla mix)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/3 cups warm water
• 6 ounces of finely grated cheese (Cheedar, Manchego, Monterrey Jack)
  

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350° F
• Mix the corn flour and salt in large bowl. Gradually add the warm water and mix with your hands until all the flour is incorporated into a dense ball of masa.
• Add the cheese to bowl and knead it into the masa until it is well mixed.
  
• Pinch off a piece of masa about the size of a cherry and form rings by rolling the dough between the palms of your hands until it's a little more than a 1/4 inch in diameter and about 3" long (the width of your palm is a good measure).
• Place the rings on a cookie sheet and bake until a light golden brown, about 35 or 45 minutes.
• Allow to cool completely and the bizcocho should be very crunchy.

Yield: About 96 rings, 8 rings per serving

For a fun and mildly spicy alternative, add 1/4 teaspoon of Cayenne pepper to the corn flour and salt. Then mix 1/2 teaspoon of Tabasco sauce into the warm water before you add it to the flour.

WP

0

Baked Penne Pasta with Italian Turkey Sausage, Zucchini & Mushrooms

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
  
• 1/2 (16-ounce) package penne pasta
• 1 pound Italian Turkey sausage
• 1 medium yellow onion diced
• 1 cup yellow sweet peppers diced
• 2 cloves chopped garlic
• 2 cups fresh Roma tomatoes diced
  
• 1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons concentrated tomato paste
  
• 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 tablespoon sugar
  
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 cup fresh mushrooms chopped
• 2 cups zucchini squash cut in 2-3 inch shoestrings
• Salt and fresh ground black pepper
• 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Directions

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Coat a 9 by 13-inch baking pan lightly with cooking spray.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium heat with a tablespoon of canola oil and 2 teaspoons of salt. Add the pasta and cook for about 6 minutes. It should be a little less than al dente; it will finish cooking in the oven. Drain it and set it aside.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the Italian Turkey sausage without the casing and saute until browned. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and set it aside. Add the onion and peppers to the skillet and saute until slightly tender, about 3 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the fresh and canned tomatoes, tomato paste, stock, red wine, Italian seasoning and salt and pepper to taste. Bring it to a boil, then simmer on low for about 30 minutes. Add the mushroom and zucchini and cook an additional 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste.

Add the penne pasta to the prepared baking pan. Pour the tomato sauce over the pasta and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted and lightly browned , about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.

Yield: 8 Servings

Turkey

0

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

A quick and easy sauce for grilled sausage...

1/2 cup Dijon Mustard
1/4 cup Yellow Mustard
1/4 cup Honey
1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/4 tsp Black Pepper

Sauce

0