A Little Taste of Mexico

I think I probably should have called my recipe blog "101 Great Recipes Shay Has Given Me" ! We had friends over for dinner last night and I knew I was making Chicken Chimichangas but I didn't know what to make with them. I emailed Shay the night before and by morning I had some great ideas waiting in my in-box ... gotta love that about the time difference !
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Fennel and Orange Salad - from Shay
(this was a bit spicy but next time I won't go so heavy on the chili powder and I think it will be fantastic !! I just finished the leftovers tonight ... yum !)

2 or 3 oranges ( I used 2 )
fennel bulb, sliced (cut sticks and bottom off, chop in 1/2, cut out V-shaped root )
red onion, thin sliced
clilantro

for dressing:
olive oil
lime juice
lime zest
salt
chili powder

All you do is segment (and de-seed) the oranges, add fennel, onion and cilantro. Make dressing and mix into salad. Simple ! The dressing is to taste. I used probably 1 tbls (or less) oil, a whole lime, a pinch of salt and next time I'll only use a pinch of chili powder. Play around with it. Just remember that the flavors will be stronger once they've sat a while ...

Guacamole.
My Mom gave me this recipe years ago.

2 avocados, one mashed, one chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
red onion, diced
garlic - to taste, I use about 4 or 5 cloves - crushed
splash of lemon juice
cilantro ( coriander leaves ) - I use dried for this recipe

Mix all those things together. EASY DONE ! Very Tasty !! Do ahead because it's yummiest after it's sat for a while.

Ok ... here's the homemade salsa recipe that Shay emailed me ! SOOOOO good !!

28 oz. diced tomatoes, can
28oz. crushed toms, can
3 serrano peppers, seeded, ribs remove
2 lemons, juiced
3 garlic, minced
3 tbsp. black pepper
2 tbsp. cumin
1 tsp. vanilla (weird I know, but good)
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
Salt
1 sm. Purple onion (red onion)
1/2 bunch green onion (spring onion)
1/2 bunch cilantro (coriander leaves)

Put everything, but onions and cilantro, in the blender till chunky. You can reserve some of the
diced tomatoes to add after to make it chunkier if you like. ( I reserved the whole can of diced tomatoes) And I diced the purple onion, finely sliced the green onion, and chopped the cilantro to add at the end. THIS MADE A LOT of salsa !

Oven Baked Chicken Chimichangas
I used to be on a mailing list called Real Food For Real People. I got this recipe from one of those emails. It's a great one. I made it the other night ... took some photos so I could share it with you all.
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What you need:
1 and 1/2 cups cooked and thinly diced chicken ( about 2 breast )
2/3 cup salsa
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 chopped green onions
6 eight inch flour tortillas
2 TBLS melted butter ( last night I didn't use the butter, I used olive oil and there was no difference in the taste !! )
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Mix salsa, cumin, oregano, chicken, cheese and onions. Place about 1/2 cup chicken mixture in centre of each tortilla. Fold opposite sides over filling. Roll up from bottom and place seam side down in a greased casserole dish. ( You'll see from my photo below that I don't fold this way ... I just roll them. They fit in my pan better that way !! ) Bursh very liberally with melted butter. Bake at 400F degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown. ( watch them the first time you make them ... mine don't ever take that long to cook ) Sprinkle with additional cheese. Serve with salsa, sour cream and guacamole.

I should have taken a new photo last night ... this is an old one that I took when I first posted this to Leah's Recipe Exchange.