‘Salsa’ Articles at Sweetnicks

Recipe: Roasted Tomato Salsa {Whole30}

March 19, 2018 · Narrative

Fresh homemade salsa is one of those things that is so easy to make, you’ll wonder why you ever bought it from a grocery store shelf. Let’s talk about this Roasted Tomato Salsa – delicious, simple, and Whole30-approved!

Would you buy a cookbook based on just one recipe? I mean, like, it’s kind of akin to buying it based on just the cover photo, right? You get hooked, and that’s that.

That’s kind of where I am right now. I happened to catch an episode of ABC’s The Chew last week, and boxer Laila Ali was the guest. Given how focused she and her family are on athletics, it shouldn’t come as a big surprise that she’s also very into eating a clean and healthy diet. She was talking about her new cookbook, Food for Life, and shared the recipe for this Roasted Tomato Salsa. Once I saw how easy it was, and that it was Whole30-compliant, I googled for the recipe and here we are.

And honestly, it could not be simpler to make. Roasting the vegetables, seriously, makes a world of difference. Just a little bit of time in the oven, and then the blender, and you’ll be rewarded with the most delicious, fresh salsa ever.

It tastes great when accompanied with plantain chips (homemade, if you’re doing Whole30), as a side with eggs, or even as a topping for grilled chicken. After it’s made, it will last in your fridge for about a week … you know, if you don’t polish it off beforehand!

I haven’t bought the cookbook … yet.

Hungry for more Whole30 recipes?
This zucchini recipe is seriously one of my favorites and is so quick to make.
These Buffalo Chicken Meatballs are in a weekly rotation in our home.
Just thinking about these buttery, warm Avocado Fries is making my mouth water.

…

Old El Paso Chicken Quesadillas with Homemade Guacamole and Salsa

October 14, 2013 · Ad-Free

So here’s the thing.

When I’m pressed for time and just can’t think my way through making an entire meal from scratch, I sometimes shove the guilt to the side, grab a main item from the freezer and make a handful of side dishes.

Kind of like Sandra Lee’s Semi-Homemade.

But kind of not.

As in way better.

Over the summer, through some of the lunches that Nick was having at one of his summer camps, he discovered he actually likes Mexican food. Especially quesadillas and burritos.

Go figure.

And likewise, I recently discovered that Old El Paso makes quesadillas. With an occasional heat-and-eat quick main course taken care of, it frees up more time to really up the ante with the most delicious sides that ever were.

Namely tons of fresh guacamole and salsa.

Which, next to a con queso, are pretty much the biggest reasons we love Mexican night.

No matter the meal, I am a big fan of dips and toppings and condiments and sauces. My kids? Totally not.

But when it comes to guacamole and salsa, we agree.

Homemade guacamole, the very best kind, takes just a few simple ingredients and only a few minutes to whip up. There is pretty much no reason to buy it pre-made from the store, because the taste just doesn’t compare (unless, of course, you are completely stuck and can’t find ripe avocados).

And salsa? Handful of ingredients chopped and/or whirred around in the food processor.

I personally like my quesadillas smeared with a bit of guacamole, sour cream, and salsa, so you get a flavor explosion with every bite.

Nick dunks his in the guacamole and then the sour cream, and uses the salsa for dipping with his chips.

And Madeline is a purist and pans all the dips and accompaniments that she can.

We’re working on her.

Tomorrow? The belated Weekend Photos in Review. Exhaustion and several hundred photos later meant that I needed no arm twisting to head straight to bed last night after a very full weekend.

…

Recipe: Green Beans with Crumbled Feta Cheese

April 24, 2013 · Narrative

When I’m looking for healthy recipes, I’ve found that the Biggest Loser cookbooks, and recipes from the Bigger Loser celebrities (Allison Sweeney, Jillian Michaels, and Bob Harper) are a great source. Most of the recipes are very simple to make and don’t call for any overly exotic ingredients. Combine that with a tasty and guilt-free meal? Count me in.

Unfortunately, when it comes to green beans, it’s just me. Because try as I might, the kids are still not on board with green beans. To their credit, they eat all sorts of other vegetables, so I shouldn’t complain. But it also meant I had an awful lot of green beans to eat on my own after making this recipe. #greenbeansfordays

Thank goodness I liked ’em.

I found this recipe in an old issue of People magazine, and it’s from Biggest Loser host Allison Sweeney. Although the original recipe called for chicken to be mixed in, I skipped that and served grilled chicken on the side. Crazy simple to make, definitely flavorful, and a great dish to make use of fresh produce as we start to head into farmer’s market season.

Hungry for more green bean recipes?
The feta vinaigrette on this green bean salad recipe was definitely worth making.
And if you’re feeling on being a little less virtuous, this green bean casserole was to-die-for.

Tomorrow? A quick kids craft!

Psst … still time to help me out here!

…

Recipe: Carnitas Salad

March 4, 2011 · Narrative

I have been to Chipotle exactly three times. Each time, I’ve ordered the exact same thing. Rut much? But when it’s so very good, why deviate, right? After the last time that my friend Beth and I went, I decided to get to work on recreating my favorite dish at home. After all, it really was just a combination of a few different components, packed with fresh ingredients and clean eating to the very last bite. Why shouldn’t I enjoy it at home?

When you order the salad at Chipotle, you start with the base of lettuce and build from there, deciding on your meat option, which salsa you want, whether you want red beans or black, rice or not, corn or not, guacamole, sour cream and so on down the line. When I’m ordering, I go with carnitas (pork), black beans, fresh salsa, cilantro lime rice and guacamole. Although it comes with dressing, I swear you don’t need it. All the other flavors mingle together to do a happy little dance in your mouth without it. The salad is filling, utterly satisfying and guilt-free.

As far as a recipe goes, the most important one you need is for the carnitas. It’s super simple since it just hangs out in your crockpot. The pork is insanely tender, coming apart with just the touch of your fork after it’s done.

To assemble your dish? When serving, I put out lettuce leaves in a big bowl, and then separate bowls for the pork, black beans, fresh salsa, guacamole (avocado, cilantro, sea salt and lemon juice, that’s it people), and cilantro lime rice (last weekend, I used my own made up version, but I have since found this copycat version, which I’ll be trying tomorrow night). This way, everyone could build their Carnitas Salad the way they see fit. And now with the recipe below, you can too, so hop to it. It’s so very good, especially when all put together … your only regret will be not having had it sooner.

Project 365
March 4, 2011, Photo #62
Went to a fundraiser tonight at a new (to me) gym, which is, by all accounts, more like a spa resort than a place to go sweat. Loved this poster on the way out.

Bonus picture from Thursday night. Jamie taught the kids the art of eating whipped cream from a can. As you can tell by the look of pure joy on Madeline’s face, she was fighting every second of it….

Summer in a Bowl: Pico de Gallo (Salsa)

July 21, 2009 · Narrative

We had company for dinner tonight, and the theme was Mexican. In one hour, I had made Mexican Roast Chicken, homemade guacamole, Pico de Gallo, Sausage Con Queso and Mexican Rice. I had emptied and filled the dishwasher. The kitchen was all cleaned up. The table was set and I was making a tray of food to send next door to my neighbor. She’s having her baby tomorrow – no cooking for her!

With minutes to go before our guests were due to arrive, I breathed a sigh of relief. No crazy stress, everything was done, and I could relax for a few minutes. And then Madeline starts to call me. She was playing while I was cooking and had gone to explore the dining room. The good part about when she’s doing something she’s not supposed to be doing is that she calls me right away to help save her from whatever mess she has created. The bad part is, well, whatever she’s doing that she’s not supposed to be doing. I walk into the dining room to find her standing on a chair, motioning over to the table. The table I just set, mind you. Next to her hands, on the table, was a pitcher of juice that I had just made. On its side. Completely and positively empty. Not one speck left in the TWO GALLON pitcher. Why, you ask? Because she had knocked it over and it.was.all.over. Everywhere. In all the plates. All over the table. Dripping through the leaf of the table onto the floor. All over the chair. One big sticky, icky mess.

“Mommy?” she asks, looking up at me with those big brown eyes. She motions that she wants to get down from the chair. OH REALLY?

So minutes after the guests are ringing the doorbell, they’re all on the floor with me cleaning up the mess. Come on in, get comfortable, grab a paper towel or two or forty. Fifteen minutes later, the mess cleaned up, the plates washed, we finally got to start all over. Of course, the floor is ultra-sticky now and needs to be scrubbed down again, but moving on…

Mexican night. Nothing better to kick off a night of Mexican food than a bowl of fresh salsa or pico de gallo (really, what is the difference between the two?), and with the crazy fresh summer produce ripe for the picking, this is one of my favorite ways to use tomatoes. It really is summer in a bowl. Yes, there is a bit of chopping involved, but ten minutes later, you’re tasting something that is better than any jar you can get at the grocery store. I absolutely promise.

This is a Sweetnicks’ Greatest Hit, originally hitting our table two years ago. Still just as delicious then as it is now… go get ’em.

…

Tequila Lime Marinated Chicken

May 11, 2009 · Narrative

Yesterday morning, as Nick and I were waiting for Madeline to wake up, we were catching up on a few Tivo’d episodes of Rachael Ray’s daytime talk show.

“Mmmm, that looks good,” he said as we watched her make a chicken recipe.

“It does. Do you want to make it for dinner tonight?” I asked.

“Yes!”

And so a plan was made, and I scribbled down the ingredients. In this house, grilled chicken is an easy sell. Nick is picky with sauces sometimes, so plain grilled chicken is always a sure thing, and it’s really easy for Madeline to pick at.

Want a 20 minute, super-healthy, fresh dinner that is kid-approved and family-friendly? This is it.

…