Salsa Ranchera

Salsa Ranchera

Condiment Food Gluten-free Mexican Recipe Salsa Vegetable Vegetarian

Unknown 03:00 Add Comment

Cinco de Mayo is quickly approaching and I have been thinking about recipes for it starting with this classic one for a salsa ranchera. Salsa ranchera, or ranch style salsa, is a salsa that is made with a base of roasted tomatoes and chilies that is typically served warm and it has a thick soup like consistency. Of course this recipe is best when made with perfectly ripened field tomatoes but for the rest of the year canned tomatoes, especially fire roasted canned tomatoes, work just as well! This salsa is so easy to make that you will never go back to store bought salsas. It's perfect for dipping with tortilla chips and used in other recipes! (For some ideas, look below the recipe!)

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Harissa

Harissa

Condiment Food Gluten-free Moroccan Recipe Salsa Vegetarian

Unknown 02:00 Add Comment

Harissa is a Tunisian hot chili sauce/paste that is gaining popularity in other countries and cuisines including Moroccan cuisine. It is typically made from piri piri chili peppers, garlic, coriander, caraway and oil and it is actually pretty easy to make at home. Although piri piri peppers are more traditional you can use pretty much any dried red chili peppers like cayenne, chilies de arbol, chipotle, guajillo so you can make harissa with whatever chili peppers that you have available. When I was first looking for harissa I could not find it so I decided to try making my own and I have been making it at home ever since! Once you have the base form of harissa down you can play around with if by changing up the peppers for different levels of heat and flavours in addition to adding other ingredients like tomatoes or roasted red peppers. I always enjoy experimenting with harissa and pretty much every batch that I make is different! I have included the recipes for a few of my favourites below including a traditional harissa, a harissa made with fresh red chili peppers along with roasted red peppers for some sweetness to balance the fiery heat and a Mexican style salsa roja take on harissa.

I use harissa in a number of recipes! Check out below for a list!

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Enchilada Sauce

Enchilada Sauce

Food Gluten-free Low-carb Mexican Recipe Salsa Sauce Texmex Vegetarian

Unknown 03:00 Add Comment

I use enchilada sauce in a lot of different recipes and instead of buying those expensive cans I like to make my own! Not only is it cheaper to make your own, it's also super easy to make and you know exactly what's in it! I start out with some seasonings including onions, garlic, cumin and oregano and then I add some heat with smokey chipotle chilli peppers and the base of the sauce is a can of diced tomatoes. After seasoning with salt and pepper and pureeing in a food processor you can simmer it a bit to reduce it and thicken it to the desired consistency. All said and done you can make this tasty and healthy enchilada sauce with commonly stocked pantry ingredients in less than 20 minutes; once you try it you'll never go back to those store bought cans!

See below for some tasty recipe ideas that use this enchilada sauce!

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Roast Zucchini Salsa

Roast Zucchini Salsa

Condiment Food Gluten-free Italian Low-carb Mexican Pesto Recipe Salsa Vegetable Vegetarian

Unknown 13:58 Add Comment

Not too long ago a made an absolutely fabulous swiss chard pesto that was really more of a combination of a pesto and a salsa, and I have been fascinated by the idea ever since. With all of the zucchini around these days I was thinking that a zucchini salsa/pesto would be a great way to enjoy some! At its base this zucchini salsa looks like a basic pesto with the basil being replaced by zucchini, the pine nuts replaced with pepitas and the lemon juice replaced with lime juice. From there some more salsa like ingredients are added including some spicy jalapeno peppers and fresh cilantro. Of course I decided to roast the zucchini first to tenderize it and bring out more of its flavour! Because of the roasting, this salsa takes a bit of time to make but well worth it! The roasted zucchini goes amazingly well with all of the flavours in this salsa and the creaminess of the pureed pepitas adds a whole new dimension of texture.

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