Salsa and Cabbage Slaw

It has been a few days since I have posted anything. For some reason this last week was packed full of busyness and leftovers. Toby had finals, and was at school all week, and me and Emory seemed to stay really busy doing who knows what, so we celebrated Cinco De Mayo late, which was fine with me. I am not a huge chips and salsa person, unless the salsa is really good. I like my salsa to be perfectly seasoned with cilantro, and have a smooth texture. Some people are hesitant about cilantro, but when it is perfectly balanced with roasted garlic, onion, and jalapenos, cilantro becomes incredible.

We love making homemade salsa and cabbage slaw anytime we cook mexican food. There is something about the freshness of it, that takes tacos to a whole new level. And the best thing about it is that it is so easy to do, and has no comparison to jarred salsa's, or shredded lettuce. I like to buy the already shredded cabbage (it comes in a bag next to the bagged lettuce), and add a few fresh ingredients to it. The salsa recipe uses 2 roasted jalapenos, and is just spicy enough for me, but if you like things really hot, you may want to try using 3 jalapenos. The cabbage slaw recipe was created by my mom and sister (Kayla), and was adapted from a slaw that my Aunty Dawn makes. It brings a whole new level of freshness to tacos (or anything else mexican), and tastes even better the next day! We made these dishes last night for our Cinco De Mayo dinner, and then we made some churros for dessert! As far as the churros go, they were really good. They did not have the same crunch as your typical "county fair" churro, but they were delicious in their own aspect. We melted some chocolate to dip our churros in, but next time I think we will just eat them as is.

Roasted Jalapeno Salsa

Roasting the veggies brings out a whole new depth of flavor that adds some much to the salsa. Before you add too many spices to the salsa, let it sit a few minutes to let the flavors merry together, and then add salt or garlic salt as needed.

1 large head of garlic

1 large yellow onion

2 jalapenos

1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 tsp salt

1 bunch of cilantro, stems trimmed

Preheat broiler in oven. Cut the top of the head of garlic off to just barely expose the garlic cloves (refer to picture above). Cut the onion into fourths, and remove outer skin. Place jalapenos, onion, and garlic on cookie sheet, and drizzle with olive oil. Place in oven under broiler for 8-12 minutes until jalapenos are charred and blackened. Set cookie sheet aside to cool, and place jalapenos in a plastic bag to sweat (this makes taking the skin off much easier).

 Let the jalapenos sit for 5-10 minutes until the skin is soft, and rub the skins off in the bag. Once the skin is removed, take out of the bag, cut in half, and de-seed. You may want to use kitchen gloves, or be extremely cautious not to tough anything until you have thoroughly washed your hands. 

Place the onion, garlic, jalapenos, cilantro, tomatoes and salt in a food processor, and pulse until desired texture (I like mine smooth). Add more salt to taste. 

Cilantro-Lime Cabbage Slaw

This slaw is very basic, but sometimes less is more. We don't like raw onions in ours, but finely diced red onions would be a great addition.

1 bag of shredded cabbage

1 small bunch of cilantro, chopped

2 big red tomatoes, diced

2 limes, juiced

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 red onion, finely diced (optional)

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, and add seasonings to taste...I know its too easy...

Mini Churros

There is not too much to say here... Fried dough dusted with cinnamon sugar. It doesn't get much better than that.

1/2 cup butter

1 cup water

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

vegetable oil for frying

Melt butter and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat until it starts to simmer. Remove from heat, and slowly add in flour, salt and brown sugar, until the dough forms a ball. Let cool for 5 minutes, and then beat in eggs in three batches (you want to temper the batter, and avoid having scrambled eggs) until dough is smooth. Place dough in a pastry bag with the large star attachment. Place bag in fridge for 15 minutes to cool.

Heat oil in a large saucepan to 350 degrees. Squeeze three inch long churros into oil (you will have to use scissors to cut them as you squeeze), and fry for 6-8 minutes until golden brown. Let churros drain on a paper towel, and then toss in cinnamon sugar mix. Serve hot.

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