Mexican wedding cookies

Mexican wedding cookies was the recipe given for the month of January by Cilantro, who has started a new event called Global kadai, where we have to make an Indian version of the international recipes given every month. I just loved this event because I always have this habit of changing the international recipes with Indian spices, to suit our taste buds :) thanks cilantro for this lovely event.
I tried making these cookies with the ingredients which are easily available in India. Like I substituted the pecans with ground almonds and cashews and I used cardamom powder instead of ground cinnamon and they turned out beautiful and tasty. The original recipe is from Karren Ginnis.Here is how I made my cookies...

MEXICAN WEDDING COOKIES

Ingredients :
1 cup softened butter,
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour,
1/3 cups confectioner's sugar,
2 tsp vanilla extract,
3 tbsp of Cocoa powder,
1/2 cup of ground cashews,
1/2 cup of ground almonds,
1/4 tsp of cardamom powder,
a pinch of salt and
1/2 cup of confectioner's sugar for dusting.

Method:
Pre- heat the oven to 325 degree F or 180 degree C . Cream the softened butter, sugar and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Sift the dry ingredients- flour, cocoa powder, salt and cardamom powder in another bowl to avoid any lumps. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed butter and mix well to form a dough. Wrap the dough in a plastic wrap and chill for 1-2 hours of until firm. Make 1 inch balls withe the dough and flatten a little bit on the top and place them on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cookies are firm. Cool them on a wire wrack and dust with the confectioner's sugar.

Chicken Quesadillas

I have just fallen in love with Quesadillas..easy to cook and tastes yummy.one can never go wrong with Quesadilla...its so simple and the best part is you can fill it with anything.... vegetarians can try making the vegetarian Corn and black bean Quesadilla I had posted few weeks back. This time I made the quesadillas with creamy chicken. Serve it with guacamole and enjoy this perfect dinner.

CHICKEN QUESADILLAS

Ingredients:
4-6 Tortillas,
1/2 lbs of boneless Chicken,
3-4 tbsp of mayonnaise ,
1/2 cup of finely chopped green onions,
1 jalapeno peppers,
1 cup of grated cheddar cheese,
1 tbsp of lime juice,
1/2 tsp of chilli powder and
salt to taste.

Method:
Wash and cut the Chicken into thin strip. Put the chicken in a bowl and add some salt, chilli powder and lime or lemon juice, brush the chicken with some olive oil. OR one can use the taco seasoning instead of the salt and chilli powder.Mix well and grill in the oven or cook on a griddle/pan until the chicken is cooked. Remove and shred the chicken and keep aside.
In a bowl, mix the shredded chicken ,mayonnaise, finely chopped spring onions and jalpeno peppers. Mix well. Melt 1/4 tsp of butter in a pan, place one tortilla and spread a thin layer of the above creamy chicken, scatter some cheddar cheese all over the chicken and cover this with another tortilla. Brown each side of the tortilla for 1-2 minutes. When both sides are lightly browned, remove from the pan and cut into wedges. Serve with sour cream or with some Guacamole.

Guacamole /Avocado salsa

Guacamole is traditional Mexican dip, made with ripe Avocados, served with chips or quesadilla.It takes less than 10 minutes to make this yummy dip/salsa. The secret for a good guacamole are ripe Avocados. So, make sure you choose ripe hass Avocados for Guacamole.

GUACAMOLE / AVOCADO SALSA

Ingredients:
2 ripe Avocados,
1 finely chopped onion,
1 finely diced tomato,
2 tbsp of finely chopped cilantro,
1 jalapeno/ 2 green chillies,
juice of 1 lime,
1/2 tsp salt and
1/2tsp pepper powder.

Method:
Cut the Avocados lengthwise , remove the seed/pit and scoop out the pulp. In a large bowl place the scooped Avocados, onions,tomatoes, chillies, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper to taste and mash with a potato masher. And voila !! yummy Guacamole is ready. Serve with Tortilla chips or with Quesadillas.

I am sending this to Monthly mingle-Winter Vegetables and fruits Hosted this month by Sudeshna of Cook like a Bong , event by Meeta of What's for Lunch Honey.

Corn and Black bean Quesadillas

This is yet another recipe from Kevin's Closet cooking. I was just wondering the other day about what to cook for dinner and *blink* I just remembered seeing this on his blog and voila I had all the ingredients at home. I have tried to stick to his recipe, just doubled the quantity.....because I was cooking this for 3 people. You can find the original recipe here.

CORN AND BLACK BEAN QUESADILLAS

Ingredients:
4 tortillas,
1-2 cups of grated cheddar cheese,
1 cup corn,
1 cup black beans,
1 chopped jalapeno ,
1 tsp of red chilli powder,
1tbsp of lime juice,
1 tsp cumin powder,
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions,
2 tbsp of finely chopped cilantro,
salt and pepper to taste.

Method:
In a large bowl, mix the corn, black beans, jalapeno/green chilli, chilli powder, cumin powder,
green onions, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and keep aside.
Melt 1/2 tsp of butter in a pan, place 1 tortilla on the pan, put some of the above salsa and scatter some grated cheese and cover with another tortilla. Brown each side of the tortilla for 1-2 minutes. when both sides are lightly browned, remove from the pan and cut into wedges. Serve with sour cream or with some Guacamole.

I am sending this to Tried and Tested, hosted by Hema of Salt to taste .

Arroz Verde ( Mexican green rice)

ARROZ VERDE

Ingredients:
4 cups rice,
1/2 cup spinach,
1/2 cup cilantro leaves,
2 cups of chicken stock,
1 cup of water
1 jalapeno chilli,
1 green tomato / red,
2 tbsp olive oil,
1 big chopped onion,
1 clove garlic- chopped and
salt to taste

Method:
Wash and soak the rice for 15-20 minutes. In a blender put the chopped spinach, cilantro leaves, tomato and jalapeno chilli and blend it with some chicken stock, to make a smooth paste.
In a pan, heat the oil, and add chopped onion and chopped garlic and fry for 5-7 mins. Now drain the water from the rice and add to the pan. Fry till the rice changes its colour. Now add the pureed mixture to the rice and mix well, add the remaining chicken stock and water, add salt and bring it to boil. Cook till 80-90% is done. Now reduce the heat and close the lid and let it get cooked for 5- 10 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley. Serve hot with any Mexican curry.


This recipes goes to Jenny's Monthly mingle: Mexican Fiesta. started by Meeta K .