Incredible Garlic Dill Pickles

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I like fresh, crunchy pickles and with a little less salt, so I made them myself and they came out great. These are balanced in flavor, if you want a stronger garlic flavor add more garlic.

Ingredients

  • 3 regular cucumbers sliced or cut into spears.
  • 1 3/4 cups white vinegar
  • 1 3/4 cups water
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons pickling salt
  • 3 teaspoons dill seeds
  • 4 – 6 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tsp whole mustard seed
  • 4 cayenne peppers stems removed and sliced in half
  • 1/2 tsp sugar

Directions

Put vinegar, water, dill seed, sugar and salt into pan and heat till steaming and heat till starting to steam and salt and sugar are dissolved. Remove from heat and add garlic, mustard, and peppers. Let cool slightly for about 10 minutes, then pour over cucumbers stuffed into jars evenly dividing the non liquid contents. Put lids on and let cool till room temp, then let it set in the refridgerator for at least 1 day.

Spicy BBQ sauce

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I occasionally make BBQ sauce, this time I was going to make a batch of BBQ beans. I like a spicy,  vinegary sauce and that’s what this sauce is. Here’s the recipe.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup of water
  • 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
  • 2 teaspoons of white vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp prepared mustard
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Directions

Add water to pan on low heat, then add tomato paste and mustard and stir till combined. Add in rest of ingredients and and leave on heat for about 15 minutes. Adjust by adding any additional salt at end if needed.

 

Red Chilli Beef Tacos/Burritos Recipe

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I have had some really good red chili beef tacos at restaurants. They can be pretty expensive so I decided to make some myself. It turned out great and everyone really likes it. The added bonus is you can make enough for 12 large servings for a little more than the price of one meal of this at a restaurant.

Ingredients

  • 3-5 pound Cross Rib Roast
  • 2 level tablespoons of chili powder
  • 1 level tablespoon of chipotle chili powder
  • 1 – 2 tablespoons of New Mexico chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon of salt (More can be added later if needed)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon oregano
  • 1/2 of a large onion sliced thin
  • 4 large cloves garlic chopped
  • Tortillas for tacos or burritos
  • Fresh chopped cilantro and diced onion for topping

Directions

Cut Cross Rib Roast into about 3-4 inch chunks. Mix the next 6 ingredients in a bowl and coat the chunks of roast, and pour any remaining in the crock pot over the meat.  Sprinkle the onions and garlic over the meat chunks and cook on high for 6 to 8 hours till the meat easily shreds. Shred the meat and serve in a burrito or taco with the fresh onion and cilantro.

Hearty Roasted Eggplant Soup

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I have two eggplant plants and they are loaded with eggplants. I am looking for different ways to use them. This is one recipe that turned out great.

Ingredients

  • 4 large asian eggplants
  • 1/2 onion sliced
  • 2 ripe tomatoes pealed and chopped
  • 1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 head of roasted garlic
  • 1/2 tsp italian seasoning
  • 32 oz of vegetable stock (Can substitute Chicken stock)
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro

Directions

Spray eggplants and garlic head with oil and roast at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. When cool, remove inside of roasted eggplant and garlic chop and add into a pan along with the rest of the ingredients (except cilantro) a pan and simmer for 30-45 minutes. Stir in cilantro just before serving. Serve and enjoy.

Healthy Spicy Chicken Chili

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Ingredients

  • 1 lb gound Chicken
  • 1/2 onion chopped finely (chop a little more for topping if desired)
  • 1 ripe tomato chopped finely
  • 1/2 cup of cooked black beans
  • 1/2 cup cooked kidney beans
  • 3 tablespoons of chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon of cumin powder
  • 3 large galic cloves chopped finely
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 tablespoons of hot roasted hatch chilis
  • 1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Shredded Cheese, and chopped cilantro for topping if desired.

Directions

Add olive oil to pan along with garlic and onions and lightly fry for about 5 minutes, don’t brown. Add in ground chicken and chili powder and cook and crumble with a spoon.  Add in rest of ingredients and cook for about 45 minutes till flavors blend. Top with cheese, onion, and cilantro.

For Vegetarian or vegan, use meat substitute and leave cheese out.

Red Chili Beef Tamales

Published on by richbLeave a comment

These tamales taste really good. I have tried to make it easier and less time consuming to make, but made sure they still have a great flavor. Of course you could go the long route like making your own chilli sauce and spend considerably more time, I have done this before, and the would taste even better. But these are definitely a big step up from store bought ones. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

  • Meat
    • 1 3lb beef rump roast
    • 2 cups of water (to cook the meat in)
    • 2 16 oz cans of good enchilada sauce
    • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
    • 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
  • Masa
    • 3 cups of Masa Mix
    • 1 cup of vegetable shortening
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1/2 cup of the Beef cooking liquid
    • about 1 cup of water (add to masa while mixing till forms a dough consistancy)
  • Corn Husks

Directions

Cook the roast till falling apart (6-8 hours in a crock pot or 1 1/2 hours in a pressure cooker). When roast is nearing cooking completion take cans of enchilada sauce and heat in a pan and add in the garlic and chili powder and simmer for about 15 minutes to combine the flavors. Also soak the corn husks till pliable.  Remove meat and cut into chunks and shred. Now add enchilada sauce and mix. Add all the Masa ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix with an electric mixer till combined. Take the masa mixture and spread over a corn husk and then add about 1 tablespoon of the meat mixture to it and roll the coated corn husk around the meat so it surrounds it. Fold the end of the tortilla up and set on a plate so it doesn’t unravel. Continue to repeat all tamales are done. Now stack as many as will fit into a steamer leaving enough room between for steam to flow around all of them and steam for about 20 minutes till the masa is firm. Let cool enough to eat. You can refrigerate or freeze the extra and microwave later.

Chicken Makhani (Healthy Version)

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I tried to come up with a healthier version of Chicken Makhani since this dish is usually loaded with a lot of fat. I used whole milk instead of cream and used lower fat yoghurt, and use boneless skinless chicken breast. However I did use butter to help add in some richness, but it is still much lower in fat and tastes great.

Ingredients

  • 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1″ cubes
  • 1/2 cup low fat yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon red chili powder (cayenne pepper)
  • 1/4 tsp cumin powder
  • 1/2 onion chopped coursely
  • 1″ piece of ginger sliced across the fibers
  • 5 cloves of garlic
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • 1 Serrano pepper stem cut off
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
  • 1/4 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Directions

Add yogurt into a bowl and mix in garam masala and when mixed evenly add chicken and stir to coat the chicken. Cover and put into the refrigerator for 1 hour to marinate. Add onion, garlic, serrano pepper, and ginger to a food processor and process till it becomes a paste. Heat pan till hot and add olive oil and chicken. Brown chicken, but do not cook all the way through then set aside in a bowl. Add the paste from the food processor to the pan and fry till most of the liquid has evaporated. Now add chicken, cayenne pepper, cumin, tomato sauce, butter, and milk to pan and cook uncovered for about 5 – 7 more minutes till the chicken is fully cooked. I served with brown rice to keep it healthy all around.

Italian Seasoned Grilled Chicken Breast

Published on by richbLeave a comment

This is a great easy to make recipe. Just slice boneless skinless chicken breast up, add marinade mix to oil, water, and vinegar and marinate for a few hours. Grill and eat! They taste great. In a pinch you can use a packet of Good Seasons Italian Salad dressing mix instead of the mix on this recipe, they are pretty much the same.

Ingredients

  • Italian Dressing seasoning mix along with wet ingredients (See Recipe on this site)
  • 3 bonelesss skinless chicken breast (slice to split into 3 thinner beast pieces)

Directions

Mix together we and dry ingredients on Italian Dressing Mix Recipe, then add sliced chicken to marinade in a bowl or ziploc bag and marinade in the refrigerator for 1 – 4 hours. Heat grill very hot (I shut the lid with the burners on and heat to about 450 degrees fahrenheit) then add chicken to grill and cook till browned. Serve and ENJOY!

Italian Dressing Mix

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I wanted to make some fresh Italian Dressing, but don’t like that the Good Seasonings mix packets cost around $1 – $1.50 per packet so I decided to make my own. It came out great, and tastes almost exactly like the packet. It takes spices that you most likely already have setting around and takes less than 5 minutes to make. Here is the recipe for the mix and for the dressing if you want to make it right away.

Ingredients for Mix

  • 1 tsp of granulated garlic (garlic powder)
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp parsley flakes (crushed)
  • 1/8 tsp sugar

Ingredients to make Dressing

  • 1/4 cup white vinegar
  • 1/8 cup water
  • 1/2 cup of canola oil

Directions

Mix all the ingredients for the Mix together and store till ready to use. When ready, add the mix into a bottle with a lid along with all the ingredients for the Dressing and shake well.

Tunaless Tuna Salad Recipe Where You Don’t Miss the Tuna.

Published on by richbLeave a comment

This is a simple recipe that is as easy to make as tuna salad and it tastes very similar and is just as filling.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 can of garbanzo beans drained and rised.
  • 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise of Vegan mayonnaise.
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon or regular mustard.
  • 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic.
  • 1 stalk of finely chopped celery (optional).
  • 1/2 small onion finely copped (optional).
  • 1 heaping tablespoon of finely chopped pick (sweet or dill) (0ptional).
  • Salt to taste

Directions

Put garbanzo beans into a food processor and pulse several times till chopped finely but you don’t want to have a paste that way you still have a little bite to the garbanzos. Mix all other ingredients in and stir till combined.  You can either eat on top of lettuce or put in a sandwich with lettuce and tomato, or however you would use tuna.