Roasted Salsa

Why buy salsa when you can make it at home?  This was a fairly easy recipe that took some time and used several bowls/appliances!  Much cleanup afterwards!  I would halve this recipe if you are not making this for a party - way too much.  Additionally, be careful when you add the jalapenos to the food processor, only add a few at a time as it can get a tad overwhelming.

Roasted Homemade Salsa
Adapted from Sassy Radish
Serves a ton (You can halve this recipe or use the Sassy Radish recipe for smaller amount)

10 roma tomatoes
1 1/2 onion, cut into wedges
6 jalapenos
1 bunch of garlic (separate each clove but no need to peel off the skin)
3 limes
Bunch of cilantro
S&P
White Pepper
Few dashes of tobasco sauce

1. Turn on your broiler to high.

2. Put the tomatoes, onion, garlic cloves and jalapenos on a lined baking sheet.  Put under the broiler for 15 minutes (make sure to watch so it doesn't burn).  Take it out and flip them quickly with tongs. Put back under the broiler for 10 minutes.

3. Juice three limes.

4. Put the tomatoes and onion into the food processor. For the garlic, you should be able to easily squeeze out the garlic from the skin. For the jalapenos, cut in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. I added in all the jalapenos at once and thought it was too spicy. Recommend that you add in two at a time to determine the hotness of your salsa. Blend everything together.

5. Put the salsa into a large bowl and add in the lime juice and chopped cilantro. Mix well.  Take a taste and add in S&P as necessary. Add in a few dashes of tobasco sauce and for a different flavor, add in some white pepper. Serve with chips!

What's the Chip without the Guacamole?

If you're from Texas, you best love guacamole.  If you don't, I don't know you.  Whether it's served with fajitas, toppings on enchiladas, part of a taco salad, one of the layers in 7 layer dip or as a dip on its own, you'll notice that it comes served in a variety of ways.  Smooth, chunky, lots of tomatoes and onions incorporated or just plain.  Me? Just give me a bag of chips and the dip and I'm one happy lady.

My colleague, Sarah Bodenman "Bodie," is an excellent cook and we tend to share recipes or simply talk food.  In fact, this morning, she gave me a recipe for a Peach Shortcake with Vanilla Whipped Cream dessert!  The torture of having to read the recipe, realize it's only 9:00 am and yet you still desperately want to eat dessert before breakfast or lunch. 

Sigh.

Bodie shared this recipe with me last year, and the first time I made it, it was a major hit.  I've added/omitted a few things just based on my preference, but I haven't used another recipe since. Read the steps first before you buy the ingredients.  I've put in comments on what Bodie's recipe calls for vs. what I've changed/omitted so you can make it based on what you like!  For instance, you may love red onions and green onion while I do not (I use shallots intead).  I also use double the avocados and tomatoes so the recipe below makes a lot more.

You will be hard pressed to find leftovers after two days.  If you make this recipe, let me know if you change it up. I'm always looking for new ways!

The Best Guacamole Your Chips Will Ever Meet, Seriously

Adpated from Bodie's recipe

5 cloves of garlic

2 large jalapenos

2 large roma tomatoes

Big bunch of cilantro (tips/leaves only)

6-7 small/medium ripe Haas avocados

2 large shallots (you can substitute w/1/2 of an onion if you don't like shallots)

1 orange (zest and juice)

2 lemons (zest and juice)

Olive oil

S&P

Dash of hot sauce

1.  Be prepared for lots of chopping.  If you do not have a food processor, start chopping the garlic cloves, jalapenos, one bunch of cilantro, shallots and one tomato.  I like to roughly cut them into smaller pieces and them put them all together on the board and chop them together.  For the tomato, I cut in half, squeeze the juice into the bowl where you'll be making the guac. so you only chop the meat.  Halfway through chopping the mixture, I add in a tsp of salt and then continue chopping.  You want the mixture to be a pesto-like consistency and once done, I push this mixture to the side of my cutting board.

**Bodie calls for only 1/2 a roma tomato. I love tomatoes and always like to add more.  Also, she uses 1 jalapeno instead of 2 - again, it's all up to preference and how much of a kick you would like.  I added in shallots in this step. Bodie uses a red onion and does not incorporate the onion until later.  Personally, I dislike the taste of raw onions but find that using two shallots adds that necessary flavor without being as overpowering as an onion.  Again, what makes this recipe so great is that you can easily adjust to what you like!

2. Peel and core all the avocados. Take 1/3 of the avocado halves and mush them in the same bowl with the tomato juice you squeezed out.  The other halves, chop up into cubes - whichever size you like to eat with your chips. 

**Bodie uses about 3-4 avocados.  I tend to make a bigger pot having a Ross and a mother who loves avocados =)

3. Chop up the other tomato into cubes similar in size to the avocado.

**Bodie puts in the other 1/2 of a roma tomato here.

4. Add the pesto mix to the mushed avocados and mix to incorporate. You can start by adding 1/2 to 3/4 but I end up using the entire mixture.

5. Fold in the cubed avocados and tomatoes. Add in some chopped cilantro here too if you like the taste, which obviously I do.

**Bodie adds in the chopped red onion as well as chopped green onions (light green/white parts only).

6. Add in the zest of the orange and one lemon.  Then squeeze in the juice of the orange and lemon.  I taste and then almost always squeeze the other lemon as well, but you should taste and add to your preference. 

**Bodie does not add in the zest (I have an odd fascination with zest and whenever I can, I find myself automatically adding it) and uses juice from 1/2 an orange and 1 lemon.

7. Add in a good swirl of olive oil and a good pinch of sea salt.  Be careful with the salt.  Add, taste and then add more if you need to.  Also, if you know what chips you are serving with, taste the guacamole with the chips if they are salted.  I like to add in a few dash of hot sauce here too. :) 

8. While it will be hard to resist, I like to cover and let it sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes to an hour. This really lets the flavors of the cilantro, jalapeno, shallots and juices mesh.