Chipotle Buttermilk Ranch Dressing is a tangy, eye-popping dressing with just a bit of heat that’s super easy to make and very versatile
I made this Chipotle Buttermilk Ranch Dressing as a way to jazz up all the veggies I’d cut up to snack on in front of the TV. This particular recipe is actually very versatile – you would not think of it as a Southwestern dressing at first taste.
The buttermilk adds a special kind of tanginess – and I only used 2 teaspoons of chipotle. The result is there is lots and lots of flavor, but just a hint of heat. I particularly like it that way. If you want it to have some real heat, just add more chipotle to taste. About 1 more teaspoon will produce a good amount of heat without overwhelming. So if you’re looking for flavor + heat, you’d use a total of 1 tablespoon of chipotle.
Also note this recipe uses chipotle in adobo sauce, but I specifically chose to use about half adobo sauce and half minced chipotle pepper. I wanted little chunks of chipotle pepper along with the flavor thoroughly blended into the dressing.
I also usually have all the ingredients on hand (except perhaps the buttermilk). I always have Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning & Dressing Mix on hand. It’s great for all kinds of different recipes.
If you’re having a get together, you might want to double the recipe. It’s good on fries, sandwiches, chips, all kinds of dishes. Hope you enjoy it!
Fresh Homemade Salsa is full of fresh tomatoes, onions, cilantro, spices, and is tangy, spicy and great on chips, burgers, crudites, whatever.
Fresh Homemade Salsa is a must-have in our house for holiday weekends – fresh ingredients, especially tomatoes, cilantro and jalapenos really do make a difference. This particular recipe is one of my all-time favorites for the exceptional flavor and consistency.
You’ll notice this recipe has about 2 cups of fresh tomatoes but also uses a can of tomatoes – San Marzano, to be exact San Marzano is a variety of tomato, not a brand. They are most often from Italy and are a type of plum tomato that much longer than ordinary plum tomatoes, roughly 4 inches or so. They are canned along with their sauce and have a tangy, robust flavor. So you can substitute another canned and peeled tomato, but you’ll get more flavor with San Marzanos.
Also note the sugar is optional. I found it definitely enhances the flavor, but this salsa is also very good without it.
This is a very easy recipe – essentially just dumping ingredients into a food processor and pureeing it. Then you might want to tweak the seasonings, adding more salt and cumin to taste. This keeps well for 1 to 2 weeks, but probably won’t last that long as it’s a super easy way to enhance meat, potatoes, chips, veggies, whatever. Hope you enjoy this!
Place the fresh tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapenos, cilantro, lime juice, cumin, and salt in a food processor. Pulse until the contents are fine and well blended.
Pour in the canned tomatoes and green chiles, then puree until somewhat smooth. Taste, then add more cumin and sugar if desired.
Chile Garlic ‘Shrooms are full of rich, spicy flavor – ideal on burgers or as a side for grilled steak or chicken.
These Chile Garlic ‘Shrooms are an ultra-rich and spicy take on the classic side dish of sauteed mushrooms in garlic and butter. Green chiles and mushrooms go so very well together that they make a great side or essentially a condiment for a cookout. It’s an easy, quick dish to make.
I happened to have a 5.5 ounce can of Sunsweet Prune Juice, so adding that into the mix was a no-brainer. Sweet-spicy-hot is often a great combination, particularly in both oriental and southwestern food. Cooking the mushroom mixture down after adding the prune juice fully blends it in, resulting in a very rich, robust flavor. It’s not as sweet as you might expect as the garlic and chiles take center stage.
I actually ended up eating this entire dish all by myself in one sitting. It’s just really tasty and satisfying. I would tend to serve this as a side at a cookout with grilled chicken, steaks, pork, whatever. It’s great as a complex side dish or even used as a condiment on burgers and sandwiches. It’s great for a July 4 barbeque.
Chile Cheese Pastry Cups are very easy bite-sized appetizers made with just a few ingredients that are plenty tasty with that special bit of green chile heat
Chile Cheese Pastry Cups are super simple to make, thanks to purchased Athens phyllo cups and just a few basic ingredients, yet are very tasty. These are ideal for parties or get togethers of any kind. Of course, you would make them mild, medium or hot just based on the chiles you choose. We’re coming up on chile season, but I always have both frozen chiles in my freezer and canned chiles in the pantry just so I can make dishes like this on short notice. The phyllo cups keep well in the freezer.
I’ve been using Athens Phyllo Shells for a variety of easy appetizers for years. They also come in red (tomato) and green (spinach), but I only found the regular shells this time, possibly because they only sell the others during the holidays. I bought these at one of the larger King Soopers, and it was harder to find them than I expected. They are in the frozen foods section right near the frozen pie crusts. The box is rather small, so it’s easy to overlook.
Originally I baked these in the oven, but I found that the feta and monterey jack cheeses are slow to melt. Yet the phyllo cups are already baked so the only reason to make them is to melt the cheese. Hence, I melted the cheeses in the microwave and spooned them into the cups. They can be baked for up to 7 minutes in order to serve them hot, but it’s not necessary.
Since cheese and chiles always go together beautifully, feel free to vary this recipe with different kinds of cheese, olives, sun dried tomatoes, whatever. It’s hard to mess this one up. Hope you like it!
With cranberries, cashews, lime, and chiles, this Curried Chicken Salad is bursting with flavor
This Curried Chicken Salad is loaded with flavor, texture, and has just the right amount of green chile heat and taste. It’s great as a main dish or topping a main dish salad. It’s also very good as a sandwich in a half pita. The flavor combination is exceptional.
This dish is a great way to use leftover rotisserie chicken, and it’s good with either white meat or dark meat. I used roasted thigh meat in this case, but the dressing is so flavorful most people are not likely to notice. I used a moderate amount of green chile – you can taste it and detect the heat but with the combination of flavors you might not notice it.
I used dried cranberries that had been in my pantry for about a year, so they were chewy. To plump them up, I put them in the measuring cup and poured boiling water over them and let them site for an hour. Very simple and effective.
This is an ideal dish for a brunch, buffet, or get together. Hope you like it!
5 cups cooked chicken cut in small chunks (about 3 lbs bone in)
2 cups dried cranberries
1 cup salted cashew halves
3 green onions, thinly sliced
Instructions
Optional: If you want the cranberries softer and plumper, put them in a bowl and pour boiling water over just to cover them. Let sit for a half hour and drain off the water.
Make the dressing: In a large bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, sour cream, curry powder, turmeric, honey, lime juice, chiles, and salt.
Stir in the chicken. Set aside some of the cranberries, cashews, and green onion for garnish and stir the rest into the mixture; then add garnish.
Serve and enjoy!
Note: Will keep in fridge for 2-3 days, but cashews will get soft. Ideally wait until shortly before serving to add the cashews.
Chipotle Bean Dip is a killer crowd pleasing appetizer that is super quick and easy to make. I mean, you can literally make it and serve it in 5 minutes.
This actually popped into my head because I had an open can of chipotles in adobo sauce and cans of Rotel tomatoes and refried beans. I instantly knew this would be a winner … and it is. Really, all you need to do is mince the chipotles, blend together with the beans and tomatoes, top with cheese, heat and serve. Ta-da!
This probably makes about the right amount for a 9″ x 9″ baking dish. I see this as perfect for game day get togethers and I’m always going to use my smaller glass baking dishes. I have some that are 6 or 8 inch round or oval that are perfect. That way you can have several of these around the room next to baskets of chips. You can also just pop these in the microwave again for just a minute to reheat if you want.
I made this batch, heated up only half and took photos. Then I fried up about 3 strips of bacon, crumbled it into the second half and took more photos (saving some crumbles for topping). It’s great either way.
It’s absolutely not possible to mess this one up – just too easy to make. Also note that except for the cheese, the ingredients are in cans you’d keep in the pantry. Personally, I always have Rotel tomatoes, refried beans and chipotles in adobo sauce. So this is a great dish to take to a party when you have no time to plan ahead or prepare. (And yes, it is very good without the cheese also.)
3 tbsp minced chipotles in adobo sauce (or to taste)
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
optional: 3 strips bacon, fried & crumbled
Instructions
Stir together the Rotel tomatoes, refried beans and minced chipotles. Add the bacon if desired. Pour into an 8"x8" or 9"x9" baking dish or several equivalent smaller dishes.
Microwave for 2-3 minutes or until bubbling.
Spread the shredded cheese on top and microwave another 1-2 minutes to fully melt.
For the browned effect on the cheese, place a couple inches under a broiler for a minute or two until lightly browned.
Chipotle Deviled Eggs are an easy, interesting, and flavorful variation on classic deviled eggs – great for any picnic or party. Essentially it’s just the addition of minced chipotle in adobo sauce to a traditional deviled egg recipe.
All I did here was start with my classic deviled egg recipe, stir in a tablespoon of minced chipotle, and then keep adding chipotle until I thought it was the right balance. When I make deviled eggs, I always add the ingredients (mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, salt) to taste. Then I add the chipotle to taste. And make it look pretty with pieces of chipotle and maybe a dusting of chili or chipotle powder.
This recipe is really pretty bombproof. Adapt it and tweak it however you want. The chipotle is a great variation and you might want it in the hot and spicy side, or you can make it subtle and mild. The way I made it here is on the mild side, but you can definitely taste the distinct chipotle flavor. I haven’t taken it to a pot luck yet, but I definitely will.
I love deviled eggs, but it’s nice to have a new twist on this classic. Hope you like them!
Chipotle Deviled Eggs are an easy, interesting, and flavorful variation on classic deviled eggs - great for any picnic or party.
Author: Anita
Recipe type: Appetizer
Cuisine: Southwestern
Serves: 12
Ingredients
6 hardboiled eggs
2½ tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp vinegar
2 tsp mustard
¼ tsp salt
1½ tbsp chipotles in adobo sauce
Instructions
Shell eggs and cut each in half lengthwise. Scoop yolks into a bowl.
Add mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, and salt. Mash and blend with a fork until smooth. Adjust to taste if desired by adding more of any of the ingredients.
Finely mince the chipotles, setting aside some larger pieces for garnish.
Blend the chipotles into the yolk mixture. Be sure to include some of the adobo sauce from the can in order to optimize the chipotle flavor. Adjust amount of chipotle and adobo to taste.
Spoon the chipotle yolk mixture into the egg whites. Garnish with chipotle pieces. If desired, sprinkle with chili or chipotle powder.
Chipotle Kale Sauté is a simple, nutritious, and particularly flavorful way to prepare fresh kale (or other greens), with a Southwestern spicy heat.
This Chipotle Kale Sauté is one of my favorite veggie dishes – easy, healthy, and it has a wonderful robust and distinctive flavor. I’m currently eating the leftovers cold; I made a double batch. I think it’s just as good cold as it is hot.
The most time consuming part of this dish is just trimming the fresh kale. I actually weighed the kale before and after cutting the ribs out. The ribs were nearly half the weight. I bought this kale at Walmart and I noticed that some of the kale included the bottom part of the plant where the stalks come together. Perhaps this varies at different stores or store chains. Otherwise, this is a very simple recipe.
I always have cans of chipotle in adobo sauce in the pantry. For most recipes, I use very little – no more than a few tablespoons; I generally buy a 4 oz or 7 oz can. You’ll notice there are chunks of the chipotle peppers in the photo as I used chipotle peppers in adobo sauce; I chopped up the chipotles and scooped up some of the adobo sauce to include in the dish. If you don’t want chunks of chipotle peppers, you can buy chipotle sauce, which is essentially a pureed version of chipotles in adobo with a higher proportion of sauce. Brands that make this include La Costeña, San Marcos, and La Morena. This is a very forgiving recipe, so feel free to experiment.
Also note that fresh kale cooks down a lot. If I make this in my biggest skillet, it’s hard to fit the fresh greens in. So to double the recipe I have to use a big pot – something I’d make a vat of chili in for a crowd.
This is a great variation on sauted or stir fried greens – and I’ve never seen anything quite like this before. The chipotle flavor goes really well with greens. Just be sure to adjust how much chipotle you put in to the heat tolerance of your family. I used just over 2 tablespoons and it was definately spicy.
Southwestern Sausage Stir Fry is a family-pleaser complete meal in itself with lots of flavor, veggies, and sausage
This Southwestern Sausage Stir Fry is a new go-to recipe for me, so I’m making it and variations of it when I need a satisfying and easy recipe. I’ll add other veggies like mushrooms, bean sprouts, olives, whatever, and seasonings like chile powder and lime juice. This is basically hard to mess up and you can add other seasonings to taste as you go along.
I make this with napa cabbage, but you can use cabbage or purple cabbage just as well. The napa cabbage has thinner leaves so I like the way it easily slices into very thin shreds. In general I like it better for stir fry dishes. This dish is also very good leftover. It may not look as good, but it still tastes great a few days later.
I find I need to use my largest skillet for this one. The cabbage takes up a lot of room and cooks down to about half the size. I usually have the ingredients on hand for this, so I can typically make it with almost no notice.
Try this and your own variations … I’ll bet you’ll like it too!
2 bell peppers, any color, sliced into short strips
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
½ cup medium diced green chiles (more if desired)
Instructions
In a large skillet over medium heat, break up the sausage into small chunks. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic and ginger and saute, stirring, for 1 minute.
Add the cabbage, cover and cook until just starting to wilt, about 2-3 minutes.
Add the green chiles, soy sauce and rice vinegar and stir well and cook until cabbage is wilted, about 3-4 minutes. Add more chiles to taste if desired.
Remove from heat, stir in the sesame oil, and serve.
Killer Green Chile Creamed Corn is the ultimate comfort food – rich, creamy, bursting with flavor, and with that distinctive green chile taste
This Killer Green Chile Creamed Corn is the ultimate comfort food – rich, creamy, flavorful with a bit of heat and that distinctive green chile taste. Plus you can’t mess it up. This is a big hit in my family.
I was going for a thick consistency and super rich flavor with this. In reality, it’s a very forgiving recipe. If I want to serve it as a soup, I would add milk – a half cup to a cup depending on how soupy I want it. I also thought about increasing the cream cheese, but it’s pretty rich with just one ounce.
The amount of green chiles is definitely a matter of taste. Here it has the distinctive green chile taste and noticeable heat, but it’s not particularly hot. I did add extra green chile on top just for garnish; of course that also increases the heat level.
This recipe keeps well. It’s also a great recipe to take to a pot luck – I’d put it in a small slow cooker and perhaps have small dishes of extra green chiles and Parmesan cheese on the side. Plus I would double or triple the recipe as it will go really fast.
Extra green chiles for garnish (as in photo), if desired
optional: increase milk and/or green chiles to adjust soupiness and heat as desired
Instructions
In a skillet over medium heat, combine the corn, cream cheese, cream, salt, sugar, pepper, and butter.
Whisk the flour into the mils and stir into the corn mixture. Cook while stirring over medium heat until thickened. Add the Parmesan cheese and green chiles and stir till cheese is melted.
If desired, add more green chiles and milk for desired heat and consistency.
Garnish with extra green chiles if desired. Serve hot.
