Happy Cinco de Mayo! Whether you are hosting a brunch or preparing for a Mexican fiesta tonight you will want to make my Cherry Tomato and Chorizo Omelet’s! Or, if you aren’t the Cinco de Mayo celebrating type of person you can serve these up on Mother’s Day. This week I’ll be participating in Brunch Week. A week of delectable brunch-recipes from a wide-variety of food bloggers (31 to be exact)! Today, I’m sharing what I like to call a 2-for-1. This hits both Cinco de Mayo and Mother’s Day!
I recently had the opportunity to try out some OXO egg kitchen tools. Pictured above is the OXO Good Grips Egg Beater. I shared with the world 2 years ago how much I love this egg beater and how easy it is to use. Check out my How to Cook Fluffy Scrambled Eggs post. It was my first cooking video I ever made, too!
Anyway, I digress.
Whenever I make eggs I have to use my egg beater. I had been brainstorming about a brunch related recipe to share for the past few weeks. Last weekend, we had our first-ever community garage sale. I knew this would be the perfect time to make an omelet recipe and have a few of my favorite neighbors test it out. Like I mentioned the other day I have an abundance of cherry tomatoes. I knew I would have to incorporate cherry tomatoes into the omelet. I reached into my pantry and found a package of chorizo and at that same moment found myself gazing at a few limes I had in my fruit bowl. I knew I was going to make a Cherry Tomato and Chorizo Omelet. Before I got started, I walked out to my garden and clipped a generous bunch of cilantro and a handful of chives. I prepped all of my ingredients before hand so cooking my omelets would be a breeze. That is the key when your cooking omelets or really just about anything. If you do all of the prep work in advance the cooking part won’t be as dautning. You won’t burn nor over cook anything because you aren’t worried about chopping, measuring, and dicing.
Pictured above is me showing off how easy it is to use the OXO Good Grips Flip and Fold Omelet Turner! I love this new spatula! So whether you are celebrating Cinco de Mayo today or just starting to plan for a beautiful homemade mother’s day brunch give my Cherry Tomato and Chorizo Omelets a try!
2 links chorizo, casing removed and quartered 1/2 inch thick
2-1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 tbsp jalapeno, minced
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 lime, juiced
1/4 cup cilantro
4 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
8 eggs
4 tbsp half & half, divided
1/2 tsp salt, divided
1/2 tsp pepper, divided
1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco, divided (about 2 tbsp each)
Crumbled Queso Fresco, cilantro, and chives for topping.
Directions
In a medium sauce pan, add one tablespoon canola oil to the pan (medium-high heat). Then add quartered pieces of chorizo. Cook for 2 minutes then add 2-1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, jalapeno, garlic, and salt. Cook on medium for 5-10 minutes. Add lime juice and stir in cilantro right before serving.
Once the cherry tomato-chorizo mixture is almost finished cooking begin to cook the eggs. I made my omelette's in 2 batches using 2 small frying pans.
In a small frying pan add one-tablespoon of unsalted butter (medium-high heat). While butter is melting beat 4 eggs with 2 tablespoons of half & half (*if you don't have half & half use milk--that's just what I had on hand). Add 1/4 tsp of salt and black pepper. Beat well until bubbles start to appear in egg mixture (about 15 seconds).
Divide the egg mixture in half among the two frying pans. Cook on medium heat for 2-3 minutes until eggs have set. Carefully flip the egg over, cooking 30 seconds more. Place 1/4 cup of tomato/chorizo mixture on one side of the omelette as well as 2 tablespoons of queso fresco cheese. Flip the egg to form an omelette, and carefully transfer to plate. Repeat this step until all of your omelette's are done cooking. Top with additional crumbled queso fresco, minced cilantro, and green onion.
Disclaimer:OXO sent me the egg kitchen tools to try out. I was not compensated nor required to blog about it. I love OXO and use their products on a daily basis in my kitchen. There are affiliate links in this post. All brunch week sponsors are providing prizes. I did not receive anything from the sponsors nor was I compensated to write about them. As always all opinions are my own.
Yes, two days straight of non-stop enchilada recipes. I know–I apologize in advance. Some may say I have an addiction to enchilada sauce or others may say poor planning. Whatever side you decide on I know you will be thanking me later for introducing you to my Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Peppers!
You see… I kind of have a thing for my slow cooker. Whenever I can get it to work for me–I make the move. Who doesn’t love dinner cooked for them by someone else? Ok… maybe I am going a little bit too far with calling this slow cooker a person, but for the most part you set it and forget it and hours later your home smells wonderful and didn’t is pretty much cooked!
Remember, my homemade spicy enchilada sauce I shared last week? Well, today I have yet one more way to utilize that delicious spicy sauce. Let’s switch up the traditional stuffed peppers and go for something with a bit more of a kick.
If you still don’t know what your cooking tomorrow for Cinco de Mayo you should most definitely think about these stuffed bell peppers. And if you happen to have leftover rice and rotisserie chicken in your refrigerator, well then my friends you know what you are destine to make. So head on over to Food Fanatic to get the full recipe for these easy-to-make slow cooker chicken enchilada stuffed peppers!
Let’s get our enchilada on today, shall we? With just 3 days until Cinco de Mayo I hope I’ve been able to inspire you with a few new Mexican recipes this week to share with your family and friends. I’m the first to admit that enchiladas are not top on my list. I’d much rather prefer a chicken chimichangas or grilled chopped chicken tacos. But my husband on the other hand loves enchiladas. He has complained that my enchiladas were never that great over the years. That was until I created this recipe!
I also created this recipe during my husbands brew day back in March. The guys tore threw my beef and green chile enchiladas faster than I could even try a bite! Our friend Ricardo (who blogs at The Beer Guerrilla) even mentioned to me that he thought these were extremely authentic and asked where I got the recipe… of course, me being me, responded “I just created it“! To be honest I was taken back by that statement. I have finally gotten to the level of cooking where I’ve turned everyday recipes into authentic recipes. Now, don’t get me wrong–that was just one person telling me that but I feel like I’ve finally jumped to the next level in my culinary journey. I think a big part of the authentic flavor came from my homemade spicy enchilada sauce. The deep bold flavors of this rich sauce really bring this recipe to the next level. So I can also credit me taking a risk and making my own sauce. Let me just tell you… you will want to lick the jar clean. If you can reserve a little extra sauce for topping/dipping your enchiladas in. We were all scraping the jar dry. We couldn’t resist the homemade enchilada sauce.
So whether your hosting a fiesta this Sunday or just making a quiet meal at home with the ones you love… give these (authentic (I say that term loosely here)) Beef & Green Chile Enchiladas a try!
Cook the ground beef in a skillet on medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Stir frequently, and break up the beef. Then add the chopped green chiles, garlic, and onions. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the drained black beans, mix well, and remove from the heat.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Spray a large rectangular glass pan with cooking spray. Spread a half cup of enchilada sauce on the bottom of the pan. Warm the corn tortillas in the oven for one minute. Remove and then begin to create the enchiladas. One spoonful of filling per corn tortillas, carefully roll, making sure not to tear the tortillas. Place seam side down. Repeat until all the tortillas have been used/filled. Pour the remaining 1-1/2 cups of enchilada sauce over top of the enchiladas. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven. Top with 1 cup shredded cheese. Serve immediately and top with green onions and cilantro if desired.
If you follow me on Instagram, you might know that I have a garden. For the past two and a half months while everyone has been shoveling snow, my husband and I have been picking cherry tomatoes like it’s our job. Well, I guess its our side unofficial job–but you get the point. It all started back in late January when we both walked past our raised garden beds. We noticed a 2-foot tall rogue tomato plant. Neither of us had planted the tomato plant. It just popped up. Since we had a tomato plant in the same exact spot last summer ,we figure it must have regenerated from a few rotten tomatoes. This poor plant had been neglected for who knows how many months. We even had a plastic covering the garden beds in hopes to kill off some of the crazy weeds that had grew into our beds over the past few months. So, we started to tend to the tomato plant. Although, we weren’t religiously watering it and we definitely didn’t cover it during any of the 3 freezes we had in Florida this winter.
The cherry tomato plant continued to flourish. Fast forward to present day. This plant has taken over our raised garden beds. It is over six feet tall and we have had to add a few additional supports since it spans about 10-feet wide. I kid you not when I say we pick 20-50 cherry tomatoes just about every other day. This tomato plant is made of steal although I realize that its days are coming to a close. We will probably get about another 100+ cherry tomatoes form it and then I think its done for the season.
So with our influx of cherry tomatoes came this salsa. Oh, and the fact that we have 4 big bushes of fresh cilantro in our garden. I decided I would hack off one bunch of cilantro. If you garden you know that it is extremely difficult to grow cilantro. This is our first successful year from seed in almost 6 years!
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not really one for salsa made from cherry tomatoes. As I was driving home from work the other week I knew I was cooking Mexican for dinner. I wanted to make salsa and knew I only had cherry tomatoes on hand since I refuse spend money on tomatoes right now since we have so many growing organically in our own garden. We like our salsa spicy and I was trying to think of what else I could use in substitute for the traditional jalapenos. That is when it occurred to me that I had a jar of chipotles in adobo sauce in the refrigertor. This was an experiment of sorts and let me tell you that the experiment worked beautifully. The sweetness of the cherry tomatoes complimented the subtle sweet tones of the chipotle pepper in adobo sauce. My husband was head over heals in love with this Chipotle Cherry Tomato Salsa. I didn’t think he would be nor did I think I would like it but it was truly a success. He even told me that this should be my new go-to recipe. I’m not sure I would go that far, but I will tell you that when you have ingredients on hand and need to whip up a simple appetizer–make this recipe for Chipotle Cherry Tomato Salsa.
In a food processor combine the cilantro, green bell pepper, shallot, garlic, and chipotle in adobo sauce. Puree for 30 seconds. Then add the 4 cups of cherry tomatoes, salt, and 1/2 lime juiced. Puree for 15 seconds until everything is well incorporated.
Refried Beans. You either love them or hate them. In the past few years I’ve grown to love them. I will be the first to admit that I had no idea you could make them from scratch. DOH! (in a Homer Simpson voice). I honestly thought they just came in the canned variety. Little did I realize that (duh), you could smash the beans and fry them yourself.
Of course, once I started experimenting in the kitchen and making my own homemade refried beans I reached for my bacon fat jar. Don’t look at me that way… you know what a bacon fat jar is. Don’t act like you don’t. You know… that sacred jar you store in the refrigerator with solidified bacon renderings from your last batch of fried (or baked) bacon. Mmmmm. Bacon…
I digress.
So I reached for a spoonful of bacon fat and let me just tell you… it brought these refried beans to another level. Bacon Refried Beans. Even my non-bacon loving husband loved these beans and commented about how much flavor they had. When I asked him if he knew what the secret ingredient was he gave me a smirk and said “let me guess… bacon”. Of course I proudly proclaimed “yes”. I mean, first off… the man knows me well. But also if the thick scent of bacon in our home didn’t give it away then I’m not sure what else might have.
Back to the Bacon Refried Beans… to kick this easy side dish up a notch (woah, that was very Emeril of me), I added some crumbled bacon on top. Oh and lots of shredded Mexican cheese. The best part about my Bacon Refried Beans recipe is that it doesn’t take long to make, you’ll impress your family and friends, and they taste a whole heck of a lot better than the canned variety.
Cook bacon in a cast iron skillet until crispy. Reserve 1 tablespoon of bacon fat to the side. Remove bacon from pan, crumble, and put to the side. Then cook shallot, garlic, and bell pepper on medium heat for 5 minutes or until browned (but not burnt).
Once the veggies are cooking in a food processor puree pinto beans and slowly add the 1/2 cup of water. Then add the 1 tablespoon of bacon fat and the veggies. Puree for 30 seconds until well incorporated.
Add the pureed beens back to the cast iron skillet with bacon grease. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes mixing a few times. Top with shredded Mexican cheese, cilantro, green onions, and crumbled bacon. Serve immediately.
Last month, I had this brilliant idea for a recipe, but the only problem was that I needed enchilada sauce. I was out of the jarred variety and well I didn’t feel like going to the store. That is when I had an ah-ha moment, “wait I can make my own“. My husband looked at me in disbelief… you can make enchilada sauce? Of course, I proceeded to reply in a smart-alic tone… I mean come on. You can make everything yourself (or just about everything). So that’s when I proceeded to spend the following 10 minutes looking at recipes; comparing ingredients and preparation methods.
I did an inventory of all the ingredients on hand. Confirmed that I had everything and got to work. I think I amazed my husband with this one. In less than 20 minutes, our home smelled of Spicy Enchilada Sauce! Truly aromatic, in my opinion. I gave my husband a taste of the sauce and not only was he sold but high impressed. I’m not sure if I will ever use store bought enchilada sauce again. After learning how easy it is to make and then of course tasting the rich deep flavors. Nothing beats the homemade version. I used 1 jar for my Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Peppers (recipe to come), and then saved the rest for ground beef and black bean enchiladas (also to come). I sealed the other two jars up and refrigerated them until the next day when I proceeded to cook more!
In a medium saucepan, heat vegetable oil to medium heat then add flour, Stir with a wooden spoon, and cook for 1 minute.
Add chili powder, stir well, and cook for 30 seconds. Then add chicken broth, tomato paste, oregano, cumin, cayenne pepper, and onion powder. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes (the sauce will begin to thicken and smooth out). Serve on enchiladas or store sauce in sealed container for up to 3 days.
Come join #DairyBreakfastClub recipe party at TidyMom along with The California Milk Advisory Board and RealCaliforniaMilk.com
Today is a special day. It is my husbands birthday! I figured it would make sense to post about a recipe he loves on his birthday; Huevos Rancheros Breakfast Nachos. First off. He loves breakfast. Fun fact: he once screamed this while competing in a push-up contest against his older brother. Making everyone laugh and him winning the push-up contest (p.s. if you are ready right now don’t be mad at me for sharing this fun fact).
So getting back to the breakfast thing. You’ll find me cooking up a big breakfast for us every Saturday and Sunday. I also make my husband breakfast just about every day. Whether it’s a veggie bagel sandwich (I’ll be introducing this recipe to you next month) or an egg and cheese on a biscuit. Sometimes we get crazy and I make my faux chocolate croissants. But on the weekends this man wants some hardcore breakfast. Some days I’m tired of the same-old same-old and that’s how these Huevos Rancheros Breakfast Nachos came about.
Last month, I shared my recipe for Egg White Tacos. If you remember, I utilized leftovers for the tacos and for these nachos as well. Seriously, you can put together a single plate of Huevos Rancheros Breakfast Nachos in less than 15 minutes. Using up all the leftovers from the night before and then some! I’ve made these nachos now over a dozen times. It is the one thing that my husband request if he knows we have leftover taco toppings from the night before. Of course get creative. If you don’t have all these taco toppings on hand use what you have and of course most importantly what you like! If you want to make this gluten free and have corn chips on hand… use those! No queso? No problem. Just add extra cheese into your scrambled eggs as they cook! These Huevos Rancheros Breakfast Nachos are fit for any fiesta–especially a birthday fiesta!
Anyone can make Huevos Rancheros Breakfast Nachos for a quick-and-easy breakfast. Utilize leftover Mexican toppings to create a customized breakfast fit for a fiesta!
Ingredients
4 taco size tortillas, quartered
zest of half lime
salt
3 eggs, scrambled
1/4 cup diced tomatoes
1/4 cup leftover queso dip
1/4 cup salsa
1/4 cup guacamole
1/4 cup sour cream
Additional shredded cheddar for topping
1 tbsp sliced black olives
1 tbsp sliced green onions
1 tbsp cilantro, chopped
Directions
Preheat oven to broil on low.
While the oven is preheating cut the flour tortillas. Place on a baking sheet and sprinkle with lime zest and salt. Broil on low for 1-2 minutes until golden brown.
While the tortillas are toasting re-heat leftover queso dip and scramble three eggs on the stove top.
Plate the tortillas, pour the leftover queso dip on top of the tortillas, then top with scramble eggs. Place diced tomatoes, black olives, green onions, cilantro, and shredded cheddar cheese on top. Place the salsa, sour cream, and guacamole on the side for dipping.
I think there are two types of people in life. Those who embrace leftovers and those who hate them. We embrace them in my house. I try not to let any food go to waste, although it does happen on occasion, but not as often as some households throw out food. I love to transform my leftovers into something magical — into a brand new meal!
So if you are a part of the waste no food club, I dare you to head over to Food Fanatic. It is a new website that I’ll be contributing to twice a month. Every food blogger on the site will be writing about a particular niche. Mine just happens to be one-pot meals. So get ready to see leftovers transformed, crock pot recipes, and skillet sensations from yours truly!
Do you ever have an ah-ha moment where you dream up something amazing? Yah, that is these little spuds. They are pretty amazing. They are mini making them bite-size and chocked full of flavor. Oh, and did I mention they are Gluten Free?!?! Yes, so all of your GF friends can indulge on these as well! Oh, and your vegetarian friends, too. Yah these are pretty much pleasing all your friends at this point. Well, maybe not the carnivores. However, these are hearty one-bite wonders and thanks to the fabulous flavors they won’t be asking for a plate of steak after eating a few of these.
It has been about a year since I last posted about potato skins. I don’t know what it is about football that always reminds me of this glorious appetizer. Last year, I published my favorite and go-to recipes for loaded potato skins. I can’t lie, though. Homemade potato skins of any kind do take a lot more time to prepare verse going to the store and buying a box of frozen spuds. However, they taste ten times better than the frozen version. So if your short on time. These might not be the appetizer for you to make, now. However, you could assemble them ahead of time and then pop them in the oven as your guest arrive.
If you want to really kick up the heat. Don’t just add a dash of the cayene pepper. Add like 1/8 of a teaspoon of cayenne. Then you just might see all your carnivorous friends crying like babies.
Get creative with these. If you have a jalapeno on hand–add it! If you have grilled fresh corn, by all means please do add it! You have a little salsa instead of fresh tomatoes. Add that instead. Make it saucy! Don’t be afraid to steer away from making a recipe just because you don’t have a single ingredient on hand. Make it your own creation. Heck, you don’t have little potatoes use larger potatoes and just increase the quantity of filling! Either way–homemade potato skins (whether they are bite-size or larger) are the way to go this football season.
In a large pot, boil the mini potatoes until you can easily prick them with a fork (about 20 minutes). Let them cool.
While the potatoes are cooling, in a mixing bowl add roma tomato, black beans, corn, cheddar cheese, spices, cilantro, green onion, and a dash of lime juice. Mix well and set aside.
Once the potatoes have cooled, halve each potato. Carefully, using a melon baller carve out a hole for each potato and begin filling with bean/corn mixture.
Bake at 450 degrees for 12 minutes or until cheese has melted and the skins are crispy. Top with a tiny dollop of sour cream.
Notes
*Don't throw away the potato filling you spoon out. Save it and fry it up for breakfast the next morning!
Last year, I shared this recipe over at Nutmeg Nanny’s blog! And I wanted to share this with my readers in case you missed it! This is a perfect way to start the new year. Use up some leftovers and well eat healthy! My husband and I are big breakfast people, so on the weekends we naturally have large sometimes fancy morning breakfast/brunch. I had a wide variety of taco topping leftovers and a few taco shells left so I decided to make breakfast tacos!
I’ve always only eaten egg whites, so I ran with my idea to create an egg white taco. This is super simple to put together. You can make a large pan of eggs and set all of your toppings out on the counter and let your family and friends build their own breakfast tacos just as they would if it were a traditional dinner time taco bar. I love using the extra-large overstuffed taco shells because you can fit a lot more in them. Typically you will use 3/4 of an egg per extra-large taco shell. I never thought to mix my egg whites with guacamole. The flavors work well together, trust me! Next time your hosting brunch–switch it up and make an egg taco bar!
In a frying pan add one tablespoon of butter and melt, cooking on medium heat. While the butter is melting, remove yolk from egg whites. Lightly whisk egg whites to add air to the eggs.
Place taco shells under broiler for one minute. Remove once heated through and golden in color.
Pour eggs into frying pan, and scramble until cooked.
Divide eggs among 3 taco shells. Sprinkle cheddar cheese, salsa, guacamole, diced tomatoes, sliced olives, and cilantro on each of the tacos. Serve immediately and enjoy!
I'm Katie Jasiewicz: home cook, food blogger, and recipe developer. I’ve always had a love for cooking, and more so in the past few years a love for eating!
Join me on a culinary adventure where life always tastes good. {more}
I'm Katie Jasiewicz: home cook, food blogger, and recipe developer. I’ve always had a love for cooking, and more so in the past few years a love for eating!
Join me on a culinary adventure where life always tastes good. 
