June 18, 2009

Hey LilSis, great job on the breakfast potato cake.  Way to represent BigSisLilSis on the Potato Ho Down!  I'd take off the bacon, but there's just one thing I would add to it, and that's a big splash of Frank's Red Hot Sauce!  I am the Spicy Condiment Queen, so you had to know I'd like some spice-o-rama on my taters.

I'm still obsessing over Vivi's Carnival Mustard – in fact I just bought my second jar since I first wrote about it – and I gobbled up that jar of Joe T Garcia's Salsa Picante in record time, so I might as well disclose my obsessive love for Frank's Red Hot Sauce.  Daddy loved it, I love it, and now we have Big T into it.  I put this stuff on and in everything…hummus, deviled eggs, soup, broccoli, green beans, asparagus, blackeyed peas, sandwiches, tofu, edamame, guacamole, anything except eggs. I'm weird like that.  I don't like ketchup or salsa or anything spicy on my scrambled eggs.  It's just wrong.  Scrambled eggs are supposed to be creamy and buttery, not fiery.

So do I, Grandma! So do I!

Anyway!  I used to buy Tabasco sauce, but now it just seems hot with no depth of flavor.  Frank's is a little hot, but not nearly as lethal as Tabasco, and it has tons and tons of amazing flavor.  Frank's web site has some great spicy recipes that use it, so check them out for some inspiration, but all you really need to know is put it on everything!  Including LilSis' potato cake!

~BigSis

June 11, 2009

BigSis, I haven't had Joe T's Salsa Picante in so long; I think I forgot how much I used to like it. For quite some time now, my favorite has been the Trader Joe's Double Roasted Salsa.

Sometimes when I really, really love something so much that I know I won't be able to resist it, I don't let myself buy it.

Well, this salsa is one of those things, like Crunchy Cheetos. (I absolutely cannot have those in my house.) I usually only buy this when we have guests. I got it out yesterday after school for HayHay and some of his friends. There won't be any left for me, so I had myself ‘one perfect chip'.

Doesn't get much better than this!

Not that the salsa itself has any fat or is bad for you at all! It isn't! It's actually quite healthy! Here are the ingredients:

Tomatoes, water, double roasted anaheim peppers, onions, cilantro, cider vinegar, jalapenos, lime juice, sea salt, garlic, cumin, black pepper.

The green chilis are roasted peeled and roasted again. The double roasting process give this salsa such a smoky flavor.

For two teaspoons, there are only 10 calories, no fat, and 140 mg. of sodium.  It's so hard for me to describe the flavor of this salsa. It's very unique! I think it is the smoky flavor that I like so much. I can't even taste the cumin or the cilantro, which makes me happy because sometimes those can be overpowering.

I love the texture because there are no large chunks. And yes, I still buy Pace Picante Mild Extra Chunky for SirHoney! Ick!  I prefer a smoother consistency, so this is just perfect. This salsa would be so good on eggs or veggies.

So, why do I not buy it more often?

Because I have no willpower, that's why! When I have this salsa, I must eat it with these! The best darn tortilla chips ever! We said adios to Tostitos when we discovered these.

What a Perfect Pair!

Unfortunately, there are no Trader Joe's in Texas, as most Texans probably already know. Sorry, BigSis! I've heard that there are some Texans that load up their cars and trucks with coolers and drive on over to Arizona for their favorite Trader Joe's products. I've come to believe that's probably true.

That could be your next outing with SisMama, BDot and Aunt C!  Here's a cool map showing all of the current Trader Joe's locations and locations coming soon!

So, BigSis, I guess when you're in my ‘neck of the woods', I'll share some of the TJ's Salsa with you and when I come to ‘Big D', you can have some Joe T's ready for me.

Or maybe on my next trip, I'll bring a jar with me and we'll have a real live Salsa Showdown!

~LilSis

June 7, 2009

If you're like us, we grill outside almost every single day in the summer. Actually, here in CA, we use our grill year round. If I have the choice of whether to cook inside or do something up outside on the grill, I'm always outside.

I love this idea! I haven't tried it yet, but it makes perfect sense.  You simply thread your veggies on a skewer, brush lightly with oil and cook alongside the meat. While the meat rests, you puree the sauce ingredients in a blender.

Veggies for Creamy Green Chile and Avocado Sauce

These three sauces were the ones shown in the June 2009 Food & Wine issue.

Creamy Green Chile and Avocado Sauce

Creamy Green Chile and Avocado Sauce

1 firm Hass avocado—quartered, pitted and skin left on for grilling; remove skin when blending
1 small onion, quartered
2 tomatillos—husked, cored and halved
4 peeled garlic cloves
1 jalapeño—stemmed, seeded and quartered
1 poblano chile—stemmed, seeded and quartered
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
1/4 cup water 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Thread the avocado, onion, tomatillos, garlic, jalapeño and chile onto skewers. Brush the kebabs with oil and grill over high heat, turning occasionally, until the vegetables are charred in spots, about 15 minutes; let cool slightly. Remove the ingredients from the skewers and transfer them to a blender.

Add the cilantro, water, and lime juice. Puree until smooth and season with salt.

Recommended to serve with grilled chicken.

Pineapple and Red Chile Salsa

Pineapple and Red Chile Salsa

1/2 pound plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
4 peeled garlic cloves
1/2 pound fresh pineapple, cut into 8 pieces
1 red bell pepper—stemmed, seeded and quartered
1 fresh long red chile, such as a cayenne or Holland chile—stemmed, seeded and quartered
12 mint leaves
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Thread the ingredients onto skewers. Brush the kebabs with oil and grill over high heat, turning occasionally, until the vegetables are charred in spots, about 15 minutes; let cool slightly. Remove the ingredients from the skewers and transfer them to a blender.

Add the mint leaves, water, and lime juice and puree until smooth. Season with salt.

Recommended to serve with grilled pork chops.

Smoky Steak Sauce

Smoky Steak Sauce

2 thick slices of bacon, halved crosswise and rolled into cylinders
1 small onion, quartered
1 portobello mushroom, stemmed and cap quartered
2 plum tomatoes, cored and halved lengthwise
4 pitted prunes
4 peeled garlic cloves
1 large supple ancho chile, seeded and quartered
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 cup water

Thread the ingredients onto skewers. Brush the kebabs with oil and grill over high heat, turning occasionally, until the vegetables are charred in spots, about 15 minutes; let cool slightly. Remove the ingredients from the skewers and transfer them to a blender.

Add the wine vinegar, light brown sugar, and water and puree until smooth. Season with salt.

Recommended to serve with grilled steak.

I can't wait to try some of these sauces. When you think about it, the possibilities are endless. Happy grilling!  🙂

~LilSis

June 2, 2009

I'm so excited about my new discovery!  I'm pretty much a condiment queen…I have every condiment in my fridge from Sriracha to spicy brown mustard to real mayo to jalapeno ketchup to tamari to chili garlic sauce to horseradish sauce.  I love condiments, and if they add flavor without adding any fat, I'm even more in love with them.  Enter Vivi's Carnival Mustard!

Vivi's Carnival Mustard

I heard about this condiment a long time ago, but wasn't sure about ordering something online and paying shipping on it when I didn't even know if I'd like it.  So I never ordered it.  A couple of weeks ago, I spotted a Vivi's display at Central Market and remembered all of the rave reviews I'd read.  Being an impulse shopper, I grabbed a jar of the roasted garlic variety.  OMG!  This stuff is over the moon delicious!  I thought it was yummy on cheese and crackers, but when I put it on a whole wheat hot dog bun with a Tofu Pup, I thought I'd died and gone to vegetarian heaven!

What's so special about Vivi's?  Picture mustard meeting up with pickle relish, garlic, tomato paste, pepper sauce and spices!  Is your mouth watering yet?  I don't think you can quite imagine how good this is, especially if you're a spicy girl like me!  It's vegan and all natural with no fat, no MSG, no preservatives and about the same amount of sodium as regular mustard.  You can choose the garlic variety as I did, or the original or the chipotle flavors.  Besides slathering it all over my Tofu Pup, I used it in my favorite Mock Tuna Chickpea Salad over the weekend, and I can't wait to try it in deviled eggs.   Move over, my darling mayo.  There's a new condiment in town who is tastier than you and who won't add fat to my arse!

~BigSis