Birthday Feast

Sorry about the week-long hiatus, but I was busy celebrating my birthday!!! First of all, thank you to everyone who made my day (Ok, week) so special. You are all amazing! :) There's nothing that makes me happier than cooking for people (except maybe anything Mexican), so the day before my birthday, I threw a little dinner party (and I made Mexican food). I cooked the most delicious Mexican feast ever (Ok, maybe not the most delicious because it wasn't my mom's guac, but it was pretty tasty). I tried to make a lot ahead of time, but I still ended up being an hour late with all my food (worth the wait). My mom is a really amazing cook and she makes a similar feast for parties (she just made a delicious looking salsa bar for her friend's wedding).

We go to Cabo a lot, and when we go, we eat at Felix's restaurant. It is the best food I've ever had. Ever. They are famous for their margaritas, their salsa bar with 30 different kinds of salsa, and their carnitas. Spencer, the owner, is a cool old hippie from California. He sends a newsletter out with some of his recipes and my mom has recreated them. She showed me her magical ways and we've each added our own twists to Spencer's classics. I'm not going to share the carnitas recipe because it's definitely not a health food, and then it wouldn't be so awesome when I make it. :) I'm also not going to share my mom's famous guacamole recipe because it's hers and it's awesome and I'm going to be a little selfish and keep it to myself. But I will share a couple of the recipes I made. The sweet potato recipe is already posted so check out my previous posts!! Here's what I did: Carnitas, Chicken and Steak Fajitas, Mexican Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Homemade Refried Beans, Black Beans, Roasted Corn and Black Bean Salsa, Smokey Jalapeno Salsa, Creamy Cucumber Salsa, and Guacamole. I also made some sauteed veggies and brown rice.

Chicken Fajitas

3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken (I used a mix of thighs and breasts)

Juice of 2 limes

3 tbsp olive oil

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a container and let the chicken marinate for at least 1 hour, but up to 6 hours. When you're ready to cook, grill the chicken until it's cooked through. Mine took about 5 minutes on each side on a hot grill pan. Let the chicken cool and slice it thin. Serve with sauteed bell peppers and onions. 

Refried Beans

1 lb dry pinto beans

1 red bell pepper, cut into large chunks

1 large onion, cut into chunks

5 cloves garlic, halved

1 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp cayenne pepper

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup olive oil or vegan butter

Overnight, soak the beans in enough water to cover. The next day, drain and rinse the beans. Add all the ingredients to a large pot and add enough water to cover. Bring the water to a boil and then turn down to a simmer. Cook until the beans are tender, about an hour. Puree the beans in a food processor. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the beans to the pan and cook for 10 minutes until some of the moisture has evaporated. Add additional seasoning if needed. 

Roasted Jalapeno Salsa

This one is adapted from Spencer's recipe. I just made mine a little healthier. 

1 cup lowfat sour cream

2 1/2 cups nonfat Greek yogurt

3 jalapenos 

1 onion

1 head garlic, unpeeled

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel the onion and wrap in foil with 1 tbsp of the oil. Wrap the garlic in oil with the other tbsp of the oil. Roast the garlic and onions for 10 minutes, until they are soft. Meanwhile, turn on a burner on the stove to high, and CAREFULLY, using tongs, blacken the skins of the jalapenos. Let them cool for a minute, then, running them under cold water, peel the skins off, leaving the soft flesh. Depending on how spicy you want yours, you can remove the seeds. If you want it spicier, leave them in. I usually remove half the seeds. They peel out really easily if you just run the back of your knife along the inside. Put this in a food processor with the onion and garlic. The garlic can be easily squeezed out of the skin right into the food processor. Add the salt and blend until creamy. Combine with the sour cream and yogurt. My favorite dip of all time. 

Creamy Cucumber Salsa

Also Spencer's, but again a little healthier. I always make it with the creamy jalapeno one because it uses the same ingredients and the coolness goes really well with the spiciness of that one.

1 cup lowfat sour cream

2 1/2 cups non fat Greek yogurt

1 cucumber, diced

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

juice of 2 limes

1/2 tsp salt

Combine everything in a large bowl and eat!! Yummmm

I hope you enjoy!! If you love Mexican food as much as I do (which is unlikely), you will love these. Let me know how your recipes come out!!!