Tex Mex Fiesta!

Being married to an American I have been able to pinch a few recipes from my husband. It would be fair the claim them as my own, but I do always help when we are having a Tex Mex night for our friends…and I’m always in charge of the Honeymoon Cocktails!!!!


Serves 4 people
Preparation Time 1 ½ Hours
Cooking Time 40 mins

Buy two bags of tortilla chips, any flavor it's up to you!

Summer Salsa

Ok so this is a lot of chopping but I could eat a whole bowl of this myself..and it’s healthy to. You could serve this on the side with some grilled chicken or pork…it would work equally well.

5 tomatoes – peeled, seeded
1 mango – peeled, stoned
¼ galia or cantaloupe melon
½ red bell pepper
½ green bell pepper
½ large red onion
Zest and juice of 1 lime
2 garlic cloves grated
30g pickled jalepenos
2 roasted green chillies – peeled, seeded
Handful of chopped coriander

Cut all the ingredients into a small dice and combine into a large bowl.
Add the zest and juice of the lime
Transfer to a serving dish and refrigerate for at least 1 hour
Test and season with salt and pepper if necessary
Refrigerate until ready to eat

Gorgeous Guacamole


Really fresh, this tastes nothing like the over produced store bought guacamole…

3 large ripe avocados
½ large red onion – finely diced
2 plum tomatoes – skinned, seeded and chopped
1 green chilli, roasted, skinned, deseeded and chopped
10g of pickled jalepenos chopped
Handful of coriander leaves finely chopped
2 clove of garlic minced / grated
Juice of 1 lime
Zest of 2 limes
Salt and ground pepper to taste

1. Stone and mash the avocado in a mixing bowl
2. Fold in gently the other ingredients
3. Season and transfer to serving dish
4. Refrigerate until ready to eat

Beans, Beans and More Beans Dip

Really simple these beans will have you dipping over and over again…but remember to leave room for your enchiladas!!!!

225g Red Kidney Beans, drained
1 medium yellow onion finely chopped
1 tablespoon of butter
2 garlic clove minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 handful of finely chopped coriander
120g cheddar cheese grated
Salt & Pepper

1. Soften the onions in 1/2 the butter in a large non stick frying pan.
2. Add beans and mash with a potato masher in with the onions.
3. Add cumin, salt and pepper and cook beans down until they take on a ‘mushy’ appearance
4. Add cheese and melt into beans.
5. Lastly add coriander and serve hot.

Jody’s Enchiladas

These have been hit every time we’ve served them..in fact our friends ask us if they are having the tex-mex night when we throw dinner parties because they love it so much!!!

8 boneless chicken thighs – used breast if you can’t get thighs

For the marinade
6 limes zest and juice
1 lemon zest and juice
1 tablespoon of ground cumin
3 garlic cloves grated
Ground black pepper
Handful of chopped coriander
Salt

For the filling

1 red bell pepper sliced

1 yellow bell pepper sliced

1 green bell pepper sliced
1 large yellow onion sliced
2 garlic cloves grated
2 x 295g condensed cream of chicken soup
12 Flour Tortillas
225ml Fresh Soured Cream
230g mixed cheese (Monterey Jack and Cheddar is a good mix)
50g Green pickled Jalapeno Peppers chopped

1 roasted green chilli, skinned, deseeded and chopped

1 roasted red chilli, skinned, deseeded and chopped
Olive Oil

1. Marinade the chicken thighs in all the marinade ingredients for at least 2 hours.

2. Heat a grill pan and char grill the chicken, reserving the marinade – you don’t need to cook it fully it will be finished in the sauce later.
3. Heat the oven to 350 deg F.
4. Take the chicken and shred into small pieces. Reserve to one side.
5. In a frying pan heat a little olive oil. Fry the peppers, garlic, and onion until they begin to soften.
6. Add the chicken back to the pan with the marinade and roasted chilli and continue to cook until marinade is very hot – remember this has had raw chicken in it.
7. Take off heat and put to one side
8. In a large mixing bowl combine the soured cream, soup, pickled jalepenos,
9. In a large oblong casserole dish put a little of the sauce and spread over base.
10. Lay a tortilla out and smear a layer of sauce, put a line of the chicken mixture and a little cheese and then roll up and place in casserole dish. Repeat until casserole full. Cover the enchiladas with the rest of the sauce and cover with cheese.
11. Place in the oven for approx 30 mins until top is golden and melted.

Honeymoon Cocktail

We were lucky to be able to take our honeymoon at Villa Casa Bella in St Thomas in the USVI. I made this cocktail in ‘large’ quantities to drink by the pool…we rarely left the villa!!!!

200ml tequila
140ml triple sec or contreau
1 litre of tropical juice
Lots of ice


Combine all the ingredients in a large jug, stir, pour and drink….make sure you have another litre of juice for a second round!!!

Broccoli & Cheddar Soup

I was in a 'couldn't be bothered mood' today. Couldn't be bothered to do the ironing, couldn't be bothered to put any make up on, didn't even make the bed until half an hour ago...really I wasn't in the mood to even chew anything for dinner.... So what can I make for dinner that I wouldn't have to chew? Well the easy answer would be to nip to Panera, 5 mins away, and buy some broccoli & cheddar soup... but hold on a minute, surely I can knock some up and maybe enough for the freezer too... On checking the fridge I had most of the ingredients...so here is my broccoli & cheddar soup.
I've tried to keep the calories to a minimum except for the cheese - in the end it is cheddar & broccoli !!Enjoy!

Serves 6-8 people

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves or garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1lb small chopped broccoli -you can use stalk and florets
• 4 cups of chicken broth (low sodium, fat free)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups fat free milk
• salt & cracked black pepper to taste
• 1/2 lb shredded sharp Cheddar cheese - try and get block cheese and shred yourself, it melts better than the pre-shredded.

1. Over a medium-low heat melt the butter in a largish saucepan and then add the onion and garlic and saute until softened
2. Add the onion, garlic powder and white pepper and cook for a minute
3. Add the broccoli and chicken broth, bring to a boil and then simmer for 15 mins until broccoli is softened
4. In the meantime whisk the flour with the milk until flour dissolved.
5, With a hand blender, rough blend the soup leaving some broccoli pieces. You don't want it completely smooth.
6. On a medium heat gradually add the milk mixture. The soup will thicken.
7. Once milk mixture added add the cheddar and melt through the soup.
8. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
9. If the soup is too thick, add some more milk to thin