Chef LaLa Homemade: Mexican simple

Showing posts with label Mexican simple. Show all posts

Chicken Tamales - Tamales de Pollo

Chicken Tamales
Tamales de Pollo

8 ounces corn husks
1 (3½- to 4-pound) whole chicken
1 onion, halved
2 cloves garlic
3 quarts water
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons canola
or vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium potato, thickly sliced
1 large carrot, thickly sliced
1 cup green peas
4 ounces tomato paste
½ tablespoon salt
½ tablespoon black pepper
½ tablespoon garlic powder
1 cup canned Anaheim chiles,
roasted
3 pounds prepared tamale masa

1. Soak husks in large bowl filled with warm water 2 hours. Carefully separate
when softened and lay on a towel to dry.
2. Cook chicken, half of onion, garlic, water and oregano in large pot, covered,
over medium heat 30 minutes. Remove chicken; cool. Shred into medium-sized
pieces. Reserve broth.
3. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir onions and garlic 3
minutes. Add potato and carrot; cook 4 minutes. Add shredded chicken, peas,
tomato paste, reserved broth, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Cover; simmer 10
minutes. Add chiles; stir to combine. Remove from heat. Uncover and cool.
4. Spoon prepared masa into center of husk. Add small amount of filling in
center and bring sides together, folding to enclose filling. Twist ends of tamale
and secure with small strip of husk.
5. Place in steamer. Cover with tight-fitting lid and steam 1 hour, adding water
as needed. Tamales are ready when masa pulls away from husks.

Makes 3 dozen tamales

Per Serving: 250 calories, 9.6g fat (1.2g saturated, 4.7g monounsaturated, 3g polyunsaturated),
21mg cholesterol, 179mg sodium, 31.7g carbohydrate (5.6g dietary fiber), 10g protein

Carne Asada Tacos

3 lbs skirt steak

1 bottle Chef LaLa Homemade Carne Asada Marinade

½ cup yellow onion, diced

½ cup cilantro, chopped

24 corn tortillas

2 cups fresh salsa

Marinade beef for 2 hours (or overnight) in the refrigerator. Drain excess marinade.

Cook to desired doneness.

Allow meat to rest for 2-3 minutes, then slice against the grain into bite sized strips or cubes, and serve in warmed tacos with cilantro and onions and fresh salsa.

Makes 24 tacos.

CHEF TIP: To soften tortillas by warming in microwave (with damp paper towel), in skillet, or on direct heat.

Chicken Fajitas Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

1 Pound boneless, skinless chicken breast halves*
4 oz. Chef LaLa Homemade Fajitas Marinade
1 ½ tsp. canola oil
3 oz. red bell pepper, seeded, sliced lengthwise
3 oz. red onion, peeled, thin slice
1 each jalapeño, seeded, small dice
1 tbsp. soy sauce, low sodium

INSTRUCTIONS:

Pour Fajitas Marinade over chicken. Stir to fully coated.
Cover, refrigerate, and allow to marinate for 2-4 hours
Heat canola oil in a large skillet over a high heat-to achieve stir-fry
Drain excess marinade from chicken
Add chicken to skillet, sauté for 3 minutes, until golden brown
Add red and green bell peppers, onion, and jalapeños
Sprinkle soy sauce over vegetables, stir constantly
Vegetables should be cooked, but still firm
Serve immediately

Tequila Lime Shrimp Ceviche

At one of our favorite little dive restaurants in Montebello (East L.A. adjacent ;) - my sisters and I love the Camarones Ahogados (drowned shrimp) - it is shrimp"cooked" in Lime juice, cilantro and and slices of Jalapenos - a ceviche of sorts. Ceviche is a dish that is cooked in acid, such as lemon and/or lime juice. If you use fresh shrimp, or other seafood, you should be fine. If you are even slightly concerned about freshness, you may be better off cooking them by a more traditional method.

I like to add 1/2 bottle of Chef LaLa Homemade Tequila Lime Marinade to 2 pounds of large raw shrimp, they are usually "cooked" (pink and opaque) in around 20-30 minutes.

Chef LaLa cooks with Tony Tantillo on CBS

Nice and slow Tony. Photo of on the set filming with Tony Tantillo in NY CBS.

Chicken Chile Verde tacos

One of the ways I keep healthy is by making several meals out of one main meal I cooked on the weekend — like a Roasted Chicken. Now if you don't have the time to roast your own chicken, pick one up at the grocery store, It is a healthy quick alternative to fast food.

I take 1 cup of water, 1 bottle of Chef LaLa Homemade Tomatillo Jalapeno Sauce and 1/2 of cooked chicken sheredded and cook for 5–10 minutes on low until it simmers and heats through.

Meanwhile I heat some corn tortillas on the stove until pliable. I fill them with chicken and done!

Servings: Depends on how fat your tacos are ;) — around 6–8 tacos.

Chicken Wings - Carne Asada Style

Yes, Carne Asada means Char-broiled Steak. But this marinade made with garlic, onion, citrus and soy sauce - is so diverse I decided to use it with Chicken wings. 1 bottle of Chef LaLa Homemade Carne Asada Marinade is all I needed for 2-3 pounds of wings. I marinaded them for 2 hours and drained the excess marinade. I placed the wings on a baking sheet and placed them in a preheated 400 degrees F oven for 45 minutes - 1 hour, or until juices run clear.

Caprese Salad with CLH Basil Infused Chipotle Flavored Oil

Finely chop 2 tablespoons of fresh basil into 1/4 cup Chef LaLa Homemade Chipotle Oil. Heat to warm to infuse flavor. Set aside to cool.

Meantime slice fresh tomato and fresh mozerella. Stack on a a plate and drizzle with basil infused Chef LaLa Homemade Chipotle Oil. Top with slice scallions.

Dress up your Rotisserie Chicken

Heat one bottle of Chef LaLa Tomatillo Jalapeno sauce and pour over a rotisserie chicken (store bought works great) for Latin-Inspired meal.

Chef LaLa Zesty Meat Sauce on pasta

1 tablespoon Extra virgin Olive oil

½ pound Lean Ground Beef

1 bottle Chef LaLa Homemade Tomato Serrano Sauce

1 cup Water or Chicken Stock

½ pound dry pasta, cooked al dente

2 ounces cheese

In a medium sauté pan heat oil over medium-high heat. Add meat. Cook to brown for 5-7 minutes. Add 1 bottle Chef LaLa Tomato Serrano Sauce. Add 1 cup of water. Cover, lower heat, simmer for 5 minutes.

Follow cooking instructions for your favorite pasta. Top with meat sauce. Sprinkle on your favorite cheese. (queso fresco used in picture)

Roasted Red Potatoes

Roasted Red Potatoes Recipe

INGREDIENTS

1 pound baby red potatoes, cut in quarters
1 tablespoon fresh dill, rough chop
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, rough chop
¼ cup Chef LaLa Homemade Chipotle Flavored stir fry oil
½ teaspoon Kosher salt

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 450°F
Place all ingredients in a large bowl
Toss to coat potatoes fully
Transfer to a baking pan
Cook for 40-45 minutes until golden and tender on the inside.

Provecho!

Smokey Green Beans

For a nice smokey taste (kid of like bacon) saute you greens beans in Chef LaLa Homemade Chipotle Flavored Oil.

Today Show video: Poblano Pepper, sweet potato and corn soup

Turkey tips by Chef LaLa

A Thanksgiving menu generally consists of the traditional turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and corn. Although this is a fine menu to serve to your guests, you may want to add a few additional Latin inspired items or change up your recipes like adding mango salsa to your cranberry sauce to spice up your menu.

Turkey is great for all year end celebrations. I like to place my turkey in the pan breast side don for the first 3/4 of the cooking time so that the natural juices drip down into the breast ,and then flip it over for the last 1/4 time turning up the heat by around 50 degrees.

When cooking, I love natural, lots of flavor and easy solutions, so I prepare my turkeys with my Chef LaLa Homemade Orange Chipotle Marinade. The citrus in orange acts as a natural tenderizer and the natural sugars in the orange caramelize the skin adding a beautiful color and crispy texture without having to add a lot of extra fat.

Also, The smokiness from the chipotle pepper compliments the bold flavor of turkey. The drippings from the turkey are amazing when you add a bit of cornstarch, your family and guest will be delighted with a spicy twist on gravy.