Damn Good Salsa

I love salsa! 

Recently we did a Salsa & Chips day at work and I brought in a couple of store bought kinds (no judging, it was a big group, LOL) and also a batch of my Chipotle Sour Cream. We had some other people bring some in and this one was so good I asked for the recipe.  They sent me a picture of a work email from 2007 where the recipe had been shared before.  It was so good and so easy, I wanted to make sure to blog this for posterity's sake!

It seems like a lot of spices with 1 tablespoon of each, but believe me, it makes it great! Heck, I even added more pepper and salt to make it just as good as my co-workers version! This is best if you make it a day or two before you need it, but it also tastes great right away.

Thank you for my neighbor, Chrissy, who had an extra chili powder when we didn't have chili powder at our vacation home.  I'm stunned I did not have chili powder at this place!

Makes about 4 cups

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp of the following:

-Salt

-Black Pepper

-Cumin

-Paprika

-Chili Powder

1 can (28oz) crushed tomatoes

2 cloves garlic

1/2-3/4 cup diced white onion

1/4 cup green onions, diced

2 jalapenos, diced small

1 bunch of cilantro, chopped

6oz spicy V-8 tomato juice

Juice of 1 lime

Mix and chill until ready for eating!  We pretty much put salsa on everything, so go for it!

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Shakshuka- Baked Middle Eastern Spicy Eggs

Recently we flew an early flight on first class with Alaska Air, and one of my breakfast choices was Eggs Shakshuka. I'd had them and made them before, so I was eager to have them. I mean, I am not usually eager for airplane food, but these were terrific!  I had to laugh because my hubby immediately wanted to know what I was having. He chose something else- hahaha!  I did give him a bit of a taste (maybe a wee bit begrudgingly) as they were so good.  A couple weeks later, I had more tomatoes than I knew I could use before they went bad so I made this for brunch one morning!  As we served this for just the two of us, I did freeze the leftover sauce and used it for a fantastic topping for baked white fish.  Hubby keeps asking where did I get this recipe, I just laugh and say its an old basic.  He's hooked.

I used half fresh diced tomatoes and one can of diced tomatoes for my recipe, but super easy to use two cans of diced tomatoes instead. If using fresh tomatoes then it "might" be best to peel them....as the skin can be a bit annoying. I didn't peel mine... too lazy.  HINT: a quick dunk in a boiling pot of water for 1 minutes will make the skin easily peel off if you feel so inclined.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2-3 teaspoon paprika

1-2 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 tsp cayenne (optional, and will make it spicy)

2 15oz cans of diced tomatoes w/juice

6-8 large eggs (either 1 or 2 each

salt and pepper, to taste

1/4 cup fresh cilantro (or parsley), chopped

1/2 cup crumbled feta (optional)

Pita bread or toast, for serving

 Heat olive oil in a large oven safe sauté pan on medium heat. Add the chopped bell pepper and onion and cook for 5 minutes or until the onion becomes translucent. 

Add garlic and spices and cook an additional minute.

Pour the can of tomatoes and juice into the pan and bring sauce to a simmer for 10-15 minutes on a medium heat. Season with salt and pepper.

Use your large spoon to make small wells in the sauce and crack the eggs into each well. Cover the pan and cook for 5-8 minutes, or until the eggs are done to your liking.

 

The trick serving this dish with runny yolks but cooked whites is to take it out of the oven BEFORE the egg whites look cooked. I know, crazy, but it works great! Let them sit for a couple minutes and the egg whites will cook all the way through.

Garnish with chopped cilantro and feta.

Any extra sauce makes a great topping for any white fish, like cod or tilapia. 

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