Salsa, cha cha cha!

Oh, how I miss Mexican food.  I never knew how good I had it (with access to authentic Mexican cuisine EVERYWHERE) until I graduated and left Arizona.  After leaving Tucson, my cravings and Mexican palate were never fully satisfied until I moved to LA.  Here in Geneva, the only salsa one can find is in the Old El Paso section (which disgusts me) and I cannot touch anything in that aisle anyway as it's all full of gluten.  Hmph.  Ben made (and devoured as he was on the phone with me) his famous  homemade guacamole the other day and I thought I would give it a shot.  I have the avocado and the salsa shouldn't be too difficult to make...

Homemade Salsa 

• 2 pounds tomatoes
  
• 2 pounds tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic (pressed)
  
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons chili powder pepper
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/4 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped  

1.  Bring a large saucepan of water to boil. Place 2 pounds tomatoes into water for 3 minutes to loosen skin and set color. Drain, peel and crush (i placed half in my processor and chopped the rest).

2.  Mix chopped tomatoes, garlic, lemon juice, salt, cayenne pepper and cumin into the saucepan with crushed tomatoes. Stir. Bring to a boil. Mix in onion and cilantro. Continue boiling until onions are soft and mixture has reached desired consistency. Taste and add more salt, coriander, or garlic as needed. Remove from heat. Refrigerate until serving.

Yummy!

Homemade Albondigas Soup

I wanted to make a soup using ground beef purchased from AGEA, and this was a perfect recipe I found without flour or any other form of gluten.  Delicious!

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound ground beef
1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups chicken broth (i made my own with this recipe using a roasted chicken carcass)
3 stalks celery, cut into 1 inch pieces
3 potatoes, cubed
salt and ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
1.  Place the ground beef, 1/2 of the cilantro, 1/2 of the chopped onion and garlic in a bowl.  Sprinkle with sale and black pepper, and mix gently until combined.  Form the meat mixture into golf ball-sized meatballs.

2.  Spray a large skillet with nonstick spray, and brown the meaetballs carefully over medium-high heat; remove the meatballs and set aside (the meatballs do not need to be fully cooked; they will finish cooking in the soup).  Cook and sire the remaining onion in the same skillet over medium-low heat until translucent; about 10 minutes.

3.  Pour the chicken broth into a large pot, and stir in the onion; add the carrots, celery, and potatoes.  Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are nearly tender, about 15 minutes.  Add the meatballs and the remaining cilantro; simmer for 30 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Enjoy!