I think it’s about time I get back on the blogging train. What do you think? I figured I would start things off with a recipe that many people have requested over the past few years: a way to make Three-Ingredient Crockpot Chicken Tacos without using processed, preservative-packed salsa and seasoning from the store. For a long time I was hesitant to break down the components of this recipe into homemade versions because 1) If you make your own salsa and taco seasoning, the recipe is no longer three ingredients, and aside from the taste, that’s the best part about it. 2) The original recipe only takes about 2 minutes in prep time. 3) As we all know, making something healthier often means spending more money to buy fresh ingredients.

I decided that my approach would be to make a homemade salsa that would be delicious on its own.  Homemade salsa is easy to make if you have a food processor -- just throw in all of the ingredients you like and pulse them together. I did use canned tomatoes (no salt added) and canned green chiles in mine, but you could leave both of these out and just add in more fresh tomatoes if you're opposed to anything canned. I’d recommend blanching the tomatoes first if you decide to do that.

I used the standard All Recipes taco seasoning for the second “ingredient” in my crockpot chicken tacos. The recipe has thousands of 5-star ratings, so I made it exactly as written.

After cooking the chicken, salsa and seasoning in the crockpot for 6 hours I was ready to go. The results? The chicken tasted the same. Hooray!

I know what you're thinking: "What?! There's nothing spectacular and fresh about the taste now that I've used all fresh ingredients?" No, but the flavor in the original recipe is exactly what you want. The reward is that you feel slightly better about eating it because you know exactly what you used to make it. I’m generally not one to care too much about this (judge me, if you will), but that’s not to say I don’t appreciate knowing my ingredients, when possible.

Make the salsa on its own, or go ahead and make the salsa, seasoning and the tacos. Regardless, you will love the results. You can keep it healthy and top the chicken with fresh ingredients like corn, tomatoes, and avocado. I ate mine in corn tortillas with guacamole and cheese, BUT I used greek yogurt instead of sour cream on top. That was enough for me to justify eating another one..or two.

Enjoy, and thanks for your patience during my long hiatus. I’m back!

Crockpot Chicken Tacos
1oz Homemade Taco Seasoning (See Recipe Below)

16oz Homemade Salsa (see Recipe Below)

6 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Thawed*

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker and stir to mix the seasoning with the salsa, coating chicken. Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 6-8 hours. Chicken should shred easily with a fork once it is done. 

Shred all chicken with a fork until it is fully incorporated into the remaining sauce. Serve in tacos, quesadillas, tostadas, taquitos, on salads, etc. You can't go wrong!

*Use standard-sized chicken breasts that you find at the grocery store. I often only use 4 breasts, and keep the other amounts the same. There will be slightly more liquid if you reduce the size or number of chicken breasts, but the recipe will still work.

 

Homemade Salsa

Juice of One and a Half Limes
1 Red Onion, Chopped
1 Clove Garlic, Chopped
1 14.5oz Can ‘No Salt Added’ Diced Tomatoes, Drained
1 4oz Can Green Chilis, Drained
1 Jalapeno, Seeded and Diced*
Large Handful of Fresh Cilantro
1/2 Tsp Ground Cumin
5 Fresh Tomatoes, Sliced

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in food processor. Pulse until salsa has reached the consistency you prefer.

*If you want more heat, you can leave some of the jalapeño seeds in.

Homemade Taco Seasoning
Recipe from All Recipes

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:
Stir all ingredients together in a small bowl. Store in airtight container if not using immediately.

Whoever invented pesto was really onto something. I typically stick to basil pesto, but recently I've been on a Cosi kick (not sure how widespread that chain is), and they have the most amazing sun-dried tomato spread. I could eat it on anything. I'm thinking about it now, and I'm honestly getting hungry as I type.

So, I decided I'd make my own sun-dried tomato pesto spread, and proceed to eat it on delicious bread and then use it as a spread for one hell of a grilled cheese sandwich. Everyone has different opinions on how to make the perfect grilled cheese sandwich. I change it up depending on the recipe I'm making, but I usually butter the bread (not the pan), use shredded cheese, and heat the pan over medium low so it can slowly get a nice crunch to the outside while getting the perfect melty cheese inside.

The pesto couldn't be easier to make. You just toss everything in the food processor and pulse until it's done. If you use fresh sun-dried tomatoes you will need to add 1/4 cup olive oil, but if you're just purchasing a jar of sun-dried tomatoes (which is what I did) they come pre-packed in olive oil.

It's a grown up grilled cheese that kids will like too because it tastes slightly like my pizza grilled cheese, just without the pepperonis. I used the Swiss and Havarti grated blend from Trader Joe's for the cheese, but you could also use mozzarella. Some of the other  mild white cheeses would work as well. This should be your lunch tomorrow.

Sun-dried Tomato Pesto
Makes roughly 1 cup 
 

Ingredients
8-8.5oz jar of sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil (or 1 cup fresh sun-dried tomatoes)
1/2 cup basil leaves
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
*If using fresh sun-dried tomatoes, add 1/4 cup olive oil.

Add the sun-dried tomatoes and their oil, basil, Parmesan cheese, and garlic to a food processor. Pulse until well-combined. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you are using fresh sun-dried tomatoes, add all ingredients except the olive oil and pulse together prior to adding the EVOO. Once ingredients are combined, slowly add the olive oil and pulse until smooth. You do not want the spread to be liquidy, so use your judgment to pulse until it is spreadable and combined.

Sun-dried Tomato Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Makes Two Sandwiches

Ingredients
Four slices thick white or wheat bread (sourdough works well)
1 tablespoon mayonnaise (optional)
3/4 cups shredded Havarti cheese or six slices of fresh mozzarella
4 tablespoons sun-dried tomato pesto 
1 tablespoon softened butter


Heat skillet/pan over medium heat. Butter one side of each slice of bread, making sure to cover the whole surface. Spread approximately 2 tablespoons of the Sun-dried Tomato Pesto on the opposite side of two of the slices. On the remaining slices, spread a thin layer of mayo on the non-buttered side (this is optional, but you're already eating a super cheesy grilled cheese sandwich, so why not go all out and make sure it's the best grilled cheese sandwich?).

Place the two slices with the tomato spread buttered side down into the pan. Sprinkle on cheese generously. It's ok if some falls into the pan, it will sear into the outsides of the sandwich and make an even more delicious crust. Lower the heat to medium-low. Cook about 2-3 minutes, or until sides have turned golden brown. Flip the sandwiches and cook another 2-3 minutes. Slice and serve immediately.

*A tip for getting gooey melted grilled cheese sandwiches is to grate your own cheese and bring it to room temperature before adding it to the sandwich. I did not do that here, but I recommend it for amazing grilled cheeses.

 

I'm not a snob when it comes to pizza. I have been happily enjoying greasy pizza for years, and I'm not really sure whether I will ever grow out of it. After all, when you want pizza at 2am you have to make some sacrifices. You may regret those sacrifices in the morning, but quality is never an overriding factor when the pizza craving hits right as you're heading in for the night. I also make homemade pizza a decent amount, and I'll admit that I'm not remotely above using jarred sauce. 

All that said, nothing beats great pizza with fresh ingredients. Using a homemade sauce makes a noticeable difference. The same thing goes for using homemade dough (even if you purchased that homemade dough from the bakery counter or a local pizza place). This sauce has a bold tomato flavor mixed with the perfect blend of spices. It's slightly sweetened with a teaspoon of sugar, and has a little kick from the red pepper flakes. It's well worth the time if you have it. I've also found that eating pizza with homemade sauce and homemade dough reduces the guilt factor you get from eating it by at least half.

I realize I'm talking about pizza and my pictures only show a jar of sauce, which is only part of the equation. You'll have to imagine the sauce on a delicious, cheesy slice of pizza because I didn't take pictures of the one I devoured shortly after making the sauce. But it was good. This recipe makes enough for more than one pizza, and if you keep it stored tightly it will stay good for over a week.

Enjoy!

Homemade Pizza Sauce

Recipe Slightly Adapted from Robyn Stone | Add a Pinch

Serves: 2 cups

 

Ingredients

• ¼ cup olive oil
• ½ medium onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 ½ teaspoon fresh basil (or 3/4 dried)
• 1 ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions

1. Drizzle olive oil into 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent and tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, chopped basil and dried oregano. Cook for about 1 minute to release flavors.
2. Pour in tomatoes, tomato paste, and add salt, sugar, and black pepper. Stir well to combine. Add fresh oregano. Reduce heat to low-medium and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring often to prevent any sticking or burning.
3. Remove from heat and use immediately or allow to cool before storing in an airtight container for up to one week.

 

There are few things better than a bowl of great guacamole. It seems like an unwritten rule of life that almost everyone loves guacamole. We love it so much that we're willing to pay $2 to add a tiny dollop of it to a burrito bowl at Chipotle. I've also never seen anyone complain when someone orders it as an appetizer. Since it turns brown if not eaten, we justify eating ridiculous quantities because "it will go bad if it's not eaten now."  I personally judge Mexican restaurants based on two things: 1) margaritas 2) guacamole. If they pass with both of those, I really couldn't care less about the rest of the food. I'm a happy camper.

Guacamole is easy to make, but it's also easy to add too much of one ingredient and accidentally ruin the entire batch. It then becomes a desperate attempt to even out the flavors, and this almost always backfires because unless you have spare avocados you're probably out of luck (and the avocados from the store are never ripe right away). This is my go-to guacamole recipe. It's based on Alton Brown's guacamole, which has a five star rating and 634 reviews. Let's take a second to think about that. More than 630 people of all culinary backgrounds have made this guacamole and it still has a five star rating?! That's rare. It makes perfect sense when you try it, though, because it's amazing. It has the perfect amount of everything, and then a few random additions like cayenne pepper.

I always adapt his recipe slightly, omitting the cumin, using an entire jalapeno (be sure to completely seed it), and bumping the cilantro up to two tablespoons. If I have an extra lime or a lemon I also squeeze a bit more lemon or lime juice on top before serving. Alton Brown also recommends leaving it out for an hour before serving. While I'm sure this does help the flavor, if you're in a pinch for time I guarantee no one will complain about eating it before an hour has passed.

Enjoy!

Go-To Guacamole
Recipe based on Alton Brown's Guacamole

Ingredients

3 Ripe Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled

1 lime, juiced

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 medium red onion, diced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

1 clove garlic, minced

Directions

In a large bowl place the scooped avocado pulp and almost all of the lime juice, leaving about one tablespoon for use later in the recipe. Mash together gently with a fork until lime juice is integrated into the avocados. Next, add the salt and cayenne pepper, mash together until mixed. Then, fold in the onions, jalapeno, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic. Add the rest of the lime juice*. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour and then serve. If you run out of time, go ahead and eat it before the hour. It'll still be delicious!

*A lot of people may know this, but a really great way to juice a lime if you don't have a citrus juicer is to use a fork. Simply press the fork inside the center of a lime half and squeeze while moving the fork from side to side. Easy peasy.