Chili Nacho's

Aunt Millie’s Silly Chili Nachos

2 green/red peppers, chopped

8 cooked meatballs, diced or sliced

1 medium onion, chopped

1 ½ cups red kidney beans, drained (not rinsed)

1 ½ cups tomato sauce

1 red Chile pepper, finely chopped

1 tsp chili powder

½ tsp cumin

6.5 oz tortilla chips

1 ½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

¼ cup parmesan cheese

8-10 black olives

3 small Chile peppers, sliced

Sour cream

Salsa

Preheat oven to 450°.

In medium skillet, sauté onions and peppers for five minutes.  Stir in meatballs, kidney beans, tomato sauce, and spices and cook just until heated. 

Spread tortilla chips on cookies.  Spoon chili over top and sprinkle with cheeses; top with olives and Chile peppers.  Bake 450° for 10-12 minutes, just until cheese starts to bubble and edges of chips start to brown.  Serve with sour cream and salsa on the side.

© Crackerberries 2012

Turkey Bean Enchiladas

½ lb ground turkey

1 cup red kidney beans, drained, reserve juice

½ cup bean juice

1 cup tomato sauce

2 tsp cumin

4-5 jalapeno or hot peppers, chopped (save one for garnish)

3 large flour tortillas

1½ cup shredded Colby Monterey cheese

Preheat oven 350º.  

Cook turkey in skillet until brown, stir in beans and peppers and mix well.  Put equal portions in each tortilla and sprinkle each with ¼ cup of cheese.  Wrap and place seam side down in greased baking dish. 

Combine bean juice and tomato sauce together with cumin.  Pour over tortilla wraps and sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Slice jalapeno for the top and bake for 25-30 minutes until cheese is bubbly.  Let stand 10-15 minutes before serving with your favorite sides.

© Crackerberries 2012

Hot Pepper Sausage Corn Cakes

Hot Pepper-Sausage Corn Cakes w/Honey Lemon Butter

These are great for any meal of the day... even just a snack.

¾ cups Jimmy Dean hot breakfast sausage, cooked; reserving grease
1 cup self-rising buttermilk corn meal

½ cup whole wheat flour

2 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp fresh ground pepper

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

1 ¹/₃ cups buttermilk (1½ tbsp lemon juice and top off with whole milk)

3 medium eggs, slightly beaten

1 medium onion, diced

2 Chile or jalapeno peppers, finely chopped

1½ cups frozen corn

Cook sausage in cast iron skillet, crumble as it cooks.  Remove sausage; set aside to cool.  Cook onion, peppers and corn in reserved sausage grease until lightly browned (5-7 minutes).  Remove from skillet and cool.

In medium bowl combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, pepper, baking soda, baking powder and cayenne pepper and mix well. 

Combine eggs and buttermilk and pour over dry ingredients.  Stir just to combine and moisten.    Fold in cooled sausage, corn, onions and peppers. 

Grease large skillet and pour ¼ cup portions onto skillet or grill.  Cook cakes until golden brown on edges (2-3 minutes), flip and cook an additional 1-2 minutes.  Serve warm drizzled with honey lemon butter.

Honey Lemon Butter:

½ cup butter

½ cup honey

1½ lemon zest

Melt butter in small pan, whisk in honey and lemon zest; spoon over corncakes.  Store leftovers in fridge and re-heat in microwave.

© Crackerberries 2012

Cherry Tomatoes & Hot Peppers

When in Rome …

Do you have an over abundance of those leftover garden vegetables?  Believe me, as a native Mainer I never thought I’d see the day when I’d be deep-frying cherry tomatoes, but… as they say, in the South, “it ain’t food unless it’s fried”.  These fry up so tasty and who would have thought anything fried could be good for you? 

1-2 dozen cherry tomatoes

1-2 dozen hot peppers (I used jalapeño and Chile peppers)

1 cup self-rising buttermilk corn meal

½ cup all purpose flour

1 egg

1¼ cup beer

1 tsp Creole seasoning

Oil for deep frying

Wash and dry veggies and let stand at room temperature before cooking.

Combine corn meal, flour and Creole seasoning and mix well.  Beat egg slightly and add to beer, pour over corn meal/flour and mix well. 

Dip veggies in batter to coat.  Be sure to cover all of the tomato before dropping into the oil or they will pop.

Cook in batches a few at a time.  Peppers for two minutes or so and one minute for the tomatoes.  Cool at least 10-15 minutes before eating tomatoes because they are very hot.  Serve with your favorite dipping dressings.  Honey mustard and Ranch works really well.

© Crackerberries 2012

Chicken Corn Enchiladas

Chicken Corn Enchiladas

1 cup great northern beans

4 cups water

½ cup maple syrup

½ tsp chili powder

½ tsp cumin

½ tsp celery seed

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp dry mustard

1 bay leaf

Combine above ingredients in slow cooker on low for 8-9 hours. Remove bay leaf.

1½ cups diced cooked chicken

3 pieces bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 onion, chopped (reserve ¼ for topping)

½ red bell pepper, chopped

1 tbsp oil

8 corn tortillas

Preheat oven to 375º.  Sauté onion and pepper in skillet for 3-5 minutes, add chicken and bacon and cook a few minutes longer.  Add to beans and stir to combine.  Spoon onto corn tortillas and carefully roll and place in lightly greased baking dish seam side down.  Bake at 375º for 20 minutes until slightly crispy.

Melt butter in sauce pan over medium high heat; add flour and stir, pour in chicken broth slowly, stirring constantly until thickened, add cheese and stir to combine.  Pour over top of baked enchiladas and sprinkle with chopped jalapeño and onion.  Bake 10-15 minutes longer at 375º.  Cool 5-10 minutes before serving.

2½ tbsp butter

2½ tbsp flour

1 cup chicken broth

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 jalapeño pepper, diced

 Crackerberries 2011