I Sugges this Recipes

As you can probably already determine, my favorite foods, and the ones I make most often, I guess would still best be described as Southwestern. I particularly enjoy the flavors of that region and most of all the spiciness...for me, the hotter the better! Consequently, I will be sharing food similar to the chicken fajitas with spicy chipotle bean dip that I made last night, at least once a week, but probably more.

I had some of the grocery store bought rotisserie chicken left over from Tuesday nights salad, so I shredded about a cup of dark and white meat and set it aside. Over medium high heat, warm up a large saute pan with a couple of tablespoons of canola oil (or the like). Start by cutting a green pepper (red, orange or yellow could also be used) into thick strips and add to the preheated pan. Add also approximately 1 small onion (sweet white or red could be used) also cut into thick strips. I like to cook the vegetables for a relatively short period of time over a higher heat so they retain some crispiness but still develop some color. If the pan gets too hot and the bottom starts to scorch, no worries, just add a bit of water which will settle things down a bit and deglaze the pan at the same time. Add a few good dashes of Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1/2 teaspoon coriander, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon chili powder and salt and pepper. Stir all to combine. Just before the vegetables reach the desired doneness, add the chicken to the pan. The chicken that I used was already cooked, so it just needs to stay in the pan long enough to reheat. Thats all there is to it. Warm a flour tortilla and fill with the chicken and vegetable mix. Add the toppings of your choice. I used Monterrey jack/cheddar cheese, pickled jalapenos, hot sauce and sour cream. Fold and enjoy!

The bean dip is really easy and so delicious! It would be a great snack to try for Super Bowl watching! In a small food processor I added 1/4 of an onion, 1 garlic glove, 1/4 of a green onion, cumin, coriander, a dash of red wine vinegar, salt and pepper and 1 chipotle chili (these are very spicy, so if your unsure start with less and add to your taste) and 1 can of unseasoned black beans. Process until relatively smooth. Cook in a sauce pan about 10-15 minutes and serve warm with tortilla chips.

Please share your favorite foods! I would love to see some ideas for Super Bowl snacks as well, particularly if they are spicy. Maybe these ideas will inspire someone else.