lime and cilantro guacamole.

So those of you who know me...know that I love guacamole! Honestly, what is not to love about a lime and cilantro guacamole? Avocado mashed together with lime juice (another thing I love), cilantro (yet another thing that I love), onion and seasoned with salt and pepper. Ummm, I'm going to go make more right now! Just love it! I could eat it every day. I would eat it every day...but girls only with ripe avocados, of course!

Due to my obsession for this flavor packed, healthy snack, I make it QUITE often. You would never have guessed that, right? And when I make something often, I experiment. This lime and cilantro guacamole is an appetizing result of some experimenting that took place one day in my kitchen. Different than my original guacamole, this guac has a lot more lime juice, a lot more fresh, chopped cilantro and a little more onion. But overall there are lot less ingredients...a simpler guacamole, but not to worry it still is packed with flavor.

4 ripe avocados, firm to the touch

1/2 cup diced onion, white or red

4 tablespoons fresh lime juice

4 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

1 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Read details on how to properly select avocados for guacamole, how to remove the pit and obtain the flesh at my original guacamole post. Mash avocado flesh with a fork. Add diced onions, fresh squeezed lime juice, fresh chopped cilantro. salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving.

xx.

val

corn salsa.

When I think of corn salsa, I generally think tomato based salsa with corn in it. Side note: I don't usually love Walmart brand food, but their tomato based corn and black bean salsa is wonderful. Anyway Chipotle does corn salsa a little differently - corn is the star of the salsa! I'm not sure Chipotle's corn salsa has tomatoes in it at all? I'll have to inspect closer the next time I go for a burrito bowl. Since I was attempting to make things similarly to Chipotle, I thought I would give no tomato salsa a chance. Here's my recipe for corn salsa... sweet corn with a nice kick ;)

1 can mexi corn, drained

1/2 jalapeno*, chopped

1/8 cup red onion, chopped

1/8 cup cilantro, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Small dice the jalapeno and red onion. Add to one can of drained mexi corn. Stir in chopped fresh cilantro, fresh squeezed lime juice, salt and pepper. Serve right away or refrigerate until serving.

*Use less or more jalapeno to your liking.

xx.

val

pico de gallo.

Now for some salsas...Stephie's pico is a real tasty time.

3 large tomatoes, chopped

1/2 medium red onion, chopped

1/2 jalapeno pepper*, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

salt and pepper, to taste

Small dice three tomatoes, half a red onion and half of a jalapeno. When dealing with the jalapeno, be careful not to touch your hands to your eyes after touching the pepper. Wear gloves or wash your hands well after use! Stir in fresh squeezed lime juice and fresh chopped cilantro. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve right away or refrigerate until use.

*Use less or more jalapeno to your liking.

xx.

val

chipotle braised chicken.

Next up...juicy, flavorful chipotle braised chicken. Out of all the things I attempted to create for the burrito fiesta, the chicken that I made tasted the most different from Chipotle's chicken. My chicken was still really tasty though and super easy to make. I named it chipotle braised chicken because of the chipotle chili powder that I put in this recipe.

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

4 lbs chicken

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups water

2 limes, juiced

2 tablespoons cumin

1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Heat olive oil in a skillet or pot over medium high heat. Skillet/pot must be deep enough to hold the chicken in a single layer and have a lid. Sear the chicken in olive oil for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Take chicken out and let rest on a plate.

Reduce heat to medium. To the leftover bits in the skillet, add four cloves minced garlic. Let cook for one minute. Add water, juice of two limes, cumin, chipotle chili powder and cayenne pepper to the garlic. Put the seared chicken back in the pan. Simmer chicken in spicy braising liquid with the lid on for 30 to 40 minutes. Move chicken to the serving platter and garnish with chopped cilantro.

I shredded my chipotle braised chicken for our burritos, of course! I left the shredded chicken in the braising juices on very low heat until we were ready to build our burritos.

xx.

val

cilantro lime rice.

First up... my version of Chipotle's cilantro lime rice. Fresh chopped cilantro and fresh lime juice add wonderful flavor to plain, old white rice.

1 cup white long grain rice

2 cups water

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

1 lime, juiced

Cook rice according to package instructions.

I brought two cups water to boiling. Once water was boiling, I added two tablespoons butter, one teaspoon salt and one cup rice. I cooked for 40 minutes over low heat with a lid on the pan.

The rice is finished cooking when all the liquid is evaporated and the rice is soft. Transfer rice to a serving bowl or platter, if desired. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup chopped cilantro and the juice of one lime. Stir to combine and serve warm.

xx.

val