The 2 Spoons

Easy, Fresh Pico de Gallo

July 7, 2019 by Becky Spoon

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Pico de Gallo, what can I say? It’s delicious. It’s beautiful. It’s the perfect condiment for so many Mexican or Tex-Mex dishes like fajitas, tacos, Carne Asada, eggs, and so many others. Pico adds a little texture and acidity to a dish. It is also a perfect way to use our gorgeous tomatoes from your garden. Here’s a link that may give you a couple of uses I didn’t mention: https://blog.terraskitchen.com/10-ways-to-use-pico-de-gallo/

I made this pico to go with my Steak Quesadillas. It is the perfect accompaniment. Simple, but so flavorful. A little spice from the jalapeño, a little tart from the lime juice, salty and a little sweet from the tomatoes. Here’s the link for my Easy Steak Quesedillas: https://the2spoons.com/quick-yet-yummy-steak-quesadillas/

Easy, Fresh Pico de Gallo

I don’t make a lot at a time because it will wilt pretty fast and become watery. Place any unused in an airtight container and try to use the next day.

Here’s my recipe! Enjoy!

Pico de Gallo

Print Recipe

CourseCondiment

CuisineMexican, Texmex

Keywordcondiment, fresh, mexican, pico de gallo, tomatoes

Ingredients

2-3 cups tomatoes, diced
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 jalapeno, seeded, stem removed, finely diced
juice of 1/2 to 1 lime depending on your taste
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 handful of cilantro

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

My Ever So Easy Guacamole

July 7, 2019 by Becky Spoon

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When I need a fast easy Guacamole that is delicious, this is always my go-to. It literally has avocado, lemon juice, granulated garlic, salt and pepper.

Most times, when I’ve planned ahead, I’ll make the guacamole in a Mexican Molcajete, their version of a mortar and pestle. Here’s a link explaining the Molcajete if you are not familiar: https://www.directfrommexico.com/ccm570.html. Mine is a very heavy volcanic lava stone which is typical. I’ve seen lighter versions, but the lava stone helps grind everything together, pretty much pulverizing the ingredients, like the jalapeños and garlic.

When I make it with the Molcajete I add onions, jalapeños, tomatoes, garlic, and lots of cilantro. It’s a great recipe!

Since I didn’t plan ahead and needed a quick guacamole for some Steak Quesadillas, this recipe is perfect. Here’s the link for my Steak Quesadillas, a must have:

https://the2spoons.com/quick-yet-yummy-steak-quesadillas/

Hope you remember this easy recipe when you need to whip up some quick guacamole!

Easy Guacamole

Print Recipe

CourseAppetizer, easy side dish, Side Dish

CuisineMexican, Texmex

Keywordavocado, easy guacamole, guacamole, mexican, texmex

Servings Servings

Ingredients

juice of one lemon, plus more to taste
1/2 tsp granulated garlic, plus more to taste
salt and pepper
3-4 ripe avocados

Instructions

Half the avocados and scoop out into a bowl. Add the lemon juice, garlic, and salt and pepper. Combine mashing the avocado with a fork until creamy. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Quick yet Yummy, Steak Quesadillas

July 7, 2019 by Becky Spoon

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Steak Quesadillas
Steak Quesadillas are a great way to use leftover steak, and who doesn’t love steak? I had a ribeye leftover, didn’t want tacos, so I thought what better way to use the steak than in quesadillas that even Allen loves! The steaks were grilled, they were cooked to a perfect medium rare. I just toss the bite size pieces of steak in at the last minute after all my other ingredients have cooked and just heat it through because I don’t want to re-cook my steak. That would make it tough, definitely what I don’t want in a quesadilla that is hard to eat with big or tough fillings. — Steak Quesadillas

Steak Quesadillas are a great way to use leftover steak, and who doesn’t love steak? I had a ribeye leftover, didn’t want tacos, so I thought quesadillas would be great and that even Allen loves them! The steaks were grilled, they were cooked to a perfect medium rare. I cut it into bite size pieces and just tossed the pieces of steak in at the last minute after all my other ingredients have cooked to heat through. I don’t want to re-cook my steak. That would make it tough, definitely what I don’t want in a quesadilla that is hard to eat with big or tough fillings.

Besides steak, I added mushrooms, onions, peppers, garlic, and Monterrey Jack Cheese! Oh, that cheese! Monterrey Jack is a great melting cheese. If you want to use a different cheese there are other good melting cheeses that would also work in this recipe. Here’s a link giving you a couple of ideas. https://saramoulton.com/2012/01/cheese-what-are-good-melting-cheeses/

Quick yet Yummy Steak Quesadillas

I have served these quesadillas for breakfast many times. All I do is scramble eggs soft and add to the top layer before you add your final later of cheese.

These are great as a meal, but can be used as an appetizer at a party or gathering.

I always serve this with Guacamole and Pico de Gallo. Both of these are available on my blog. Here’s those links: https://the2spoons.com/my-ever-so-easy-guacamole/. And the link to my Pico de Gallo is: https://the2spoons.com/fresh-and-simple-pico-de-gallo/

So, when you have leftover steak, don’t forget quesadillas as a possibility. Delicious! Enjoy the recipe!

Breakfast Quesadillas

Print Recipe

CourseAppetizer, Breakfast, brunch, dinner, Lunch, Main Course

CuisineMexican, Texmex

Keywordbreakfast quesadilla, guacamole, mexican, pico de gallo, quesadillas, texmex, tortillas

Servings Servings

Ingredients

1/2-3/4 Lb chorizo
6 Eggs, beaten
2 Tbsp Butter for scrambling the eggs
1 large potato or 2 medium diced
extra virgin olive oil
2 avocados sliced
salt and pepper
grated cheese of your choice (Monterrey Jack or Oaxaca melts well)
8 flour tortillas

Instructions

Heat a large skillet and add the chorizo, breaking it up as it cooks. Drain on paper towels.
Wipe out the skillet add a little olive oil to the bottom of the pan. I use non stick because it will take very little oil. Heat to medium high and add the diced potatoes. Add salt and pepper. Brown on both sides, then cover, reduce heat and cook until tender. Remove the lid, increase the heat and continue until they’re a little crisp. Drain on paper towels.
Slice your avocado and grate your cheese.
Start hearing your comal or griddle.
Pour the oil from the skillet and add your butter. Beat your eggs and add a little salt and pepper. Scramble your eggs to a soft scramble. Don’t overcook.
Place 4 tortillas on the griddle and allow them to puff up and start to brown. Remove them from the griddle with cooked side up. Place cheese on the bottom, then chorizo, potatoes, eggs, avocado, then more cheese.
prepare the remaining 4 tortillas as you did the first 4 and place them cooked side down on top of each layered tortilla.
Place back on the comal or griddle and brown each side turning back and forth. Cut into fourths and serve with guacamole, sour cream, your favorite salsa or pico de Gallo. Enjoy!

Love this Fresh Tomato – Shrimp Creole with Louisiana White Rice

July 6, 2019 by Becky Spoon

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This Shrimp Creole is a little different than others because it doesn’t start with a roux and it is made with really ripe fresh tomatoes ripened on the vines. It’s a little spicy and sweet loaded with fresh herbs. I used San Marzano tomatoes because that’s what I had that was really ripe and I needed to use them, but you can pretty much use any tomato. I will say that San Marzano tomatoes are sweet which go perfectly with the sweet shrimp. A Brandywine tomato or other heirloom tomatoes would be excellent!

With still getting so many tomatoes from my garden, this is another great dish using them. What’s better than vine ripened tomatoes?

This recipe starts with the Creole or Cajun holy trinity, or onions, celery and bell peppers, with an addition of lemongrass. You can get lemongrass in the produce market or in Asian markets and even comes in a dried powder form. If you’re not familiar with lemongrass, here’s a link to explain: https://www.thespruceeats.com/all-about-lemongrass-2216499

Love This Fresh Tomato Shrimp Creole with Louisiana White Rice

This recipe will feed 6 to 8 with the 5 pounds of shrimp, but you can easily adjust for your purposes.

I hope you try this recipe! It’s easy and delicious! If you love New Orleans food as much as I do here’s another recipe I think you’ll enjoy: https://the2spoons.com/delicious-louisiana-seafood-gumbo/. This Louisiana Seafood Gumbo is equally delicious!

Shrimp Creole

Print Recipe

CourseAppetizer, dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisinecreole

Keywordcreole, louisiana, shrimp, shrimp creole

Ingredients

5 lbs jumbo Louisiana or wild American shrimp, peeled and deveined
salt
fresh ground pepper
1 tbsp minced fresh lemongrass (substitute 1 tsp powdered or 1 tsp lime juice
1/2 cup olive oil
3 mediuim onions, diced
10 garlic cloves thinly sliced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 bell pepper, red, green or yellow seeded and diced
5 pounds overripe tomatoes or other tomatoes peeled and chopped (Brandywine or other heirloom would be good if you can find)
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
leaves from 2 branches fresh basil, torn
pinch of sugar
6-8 cups Louisiana White Rice

For the Louisiana White Rice (for 8 cups)

2 tbsp chicken fat, extra virgin olive oil, or butter
1 medium onion, minced
3 cups long grain white rice
6 cups chicken stock (homemade if possible, otherwise a good brand)
2 bay leaves
1 tsp salt

Instructions

Put the shrimp into a large bowl, season with salt and pepper, then mix in the lemongrass. Heat ¼ cup of the oil in a large deep skillet over moderate heat. Add the shrimp, stirring and tossing them with a spatula. Sauté until they turn pink, about 2 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside while you make the sauce. Into the same skillet with the oil and shrimp juices, put the remaining ¼ cup oil and the onions, garlic, celery, and bell peppers and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and when the sauce comes to a simmer add the bay leaf, allspice, and red pepper flakes. Simmer for 10 minutes .Add the shrimp back to the skillet along with the basil and mint. Cook for a minute or two. Season with salt and pepper. If the sauce tastes too tart, add a little sugar to balance the flavor. Remove the bay leaf. Serve over steamed Louisiana white rice.

For the Louisiana White Rice (for 8 cups)

Put the fat, oil, or butter and the onions into a medium saucepan and sweat the onions over moderate heat until they are translucent, about 5 minutes. Pour the rice into the pan and stir for 2 minutes. Then add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the bay leaf and salt.
Cover the pan with a lid, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 18 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, fluff the rice with a fork, and serve.

Notes

You can fourth, half or just adjust this recipe to the amount you need. Same with the rice.

Wonderful Mushroom Stuffed Summer Squash

July 5, 2019 by Becky Spoon

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This recipe for Mushroom Stuffed Summer Squash is the perfect solution for all that summer squash you have in your garden or that’s available in the grocery store. I didn’t grow squash this year, but I’m telling you, when I do, I am always looking for recipes to use the abundance I have. There’s different varieties of summer squash and this recipe would work with any of them. Here’s a link with the different varieties: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/squash/different-summer-squashes-to-grow.htm

The other day I was trying to figure out what I was going to do with some squash a friend had given us. I remembered my stuffed mushrooms recipe and decided that filling tweaked a little would be the perfect stuffing for this squash and I was right! If you later want to try the stuffed mushrooms, here’s that link: https://the2spoons.com/youll-love-these-stuffed-mushrooms/

Wonderful Mushroom Stuffed Summer Squash

I actually served this the other day with my . I thought it’d make a nice side dish for my Sunday Pot Roast, but this would be a great side dish for almost any meal or even the main course!! With the mushrooms it would be a hearty meal on its own! Here’s the Sunday Pot Roast recipe if you don’t already have: https://the2spoons.com/the-best-instant-pot-sunday-pot-roast/.

Hope you try this!! Remember, it makes a great no meat meal! It shines and does not have to be a side dish!

Mushroom Stuffed Summer Squash

Print Recipe

CourseAppetizer, Side Dish

CuisineItalian

Keywordeasy side dish, mushroom stuffed summer squash, side dish, summer squash

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Servings

Ingredients

10-12 Button or Baby Bella mushrooms, thickly sliced or chopped
2 Tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the tops of the mushrooms
1/2 Cup Finely chopped green onions
1/2 Cup Finely chopped red bell peppers
1/2 Cup Coarse bread crumbs ( I used Panko)
1/2 Cup Parmigiana -reggiano cheese or other Parmesan cheese
1/4 Cup Finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
4 Tbsp Unsalted butter
1/2 Cup Chicken stock
1/4 Cup Dry white wine, optional
4-6 summwr squash, can be yellow or zucchini, par boiled with the inside scraped out after par boiling

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Par boil the squash in boiling water a couple of minutes. Remove from the water, drain and when cool enough to handle, cut in half and scrape the inside of the squash into a bowl. Including the stems, thinly slice or chop the mushrooms.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the green onions and cook until wilted, about one minute. Stir in the red peppers and chopped or sliced mushrooms and cook, stirring until tender and they begin to slightly brown and carmalize. Remove and cool, then add to the scraper put squash and combine.
Toss the bread crumbs and grated cheese, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, add to the sautéed vegetables until thoroughly blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity of each squash that has been halved with the filling.
Using 2 tablespoons of the butter, grease a 12 X 18 inch low sided baking pan. Add the stock, wine, if using, and remaining 2 tablespoons parsley to the pan. If you like drizzle the top of the squash with olive oil. Bake until the squash are cooked through and the bread crumbs are golden brown, about 10-15 minutes.
Serve on a warmed platter. Pour the pan juices into a small pan and bring to a boil on top of the stove. Boil until lightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Spoon the juices over the squash.

Sunday Pot Roast — Mushroom Stuffed Summer Squash

Super Southern Fried Okra with Creamy Buttermilk Dip

July 5, 2019 by Becky Spoon

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Do ya’ll like Fried Okra? Yes I said ya’ll! I guess posting this Southern recipe really brings out the “South” in me! LOL! I saw this recipe in one of Emeril’s cookbooks and I’ve made it many times!

I love the foods of the South I grew up eating. I love this okra! It’s crispy and the buttermilk dressing is so yummy and it can be used for so many other fried things or even for a crudité platter! Salad Dressing? Yes, it’d be great! Oh, and it’d be a great dip for potato chips!

I like to just spit the okra down the middle for presentation purposes, but I think most are more familiar with the sliced in about a 1/2 inch thick round. So, either way works, whatever is your particular preference.

I have a few different ways I fry okra. For one, you can just toss in some seasoned flour and fry. Another way I cook fried okra is to have a batter station set up with flour, beaten eggs, then seasoned cornmeal. I coat each piece in flour, then the beaten eggs and then seasoned cornmeal. It’s really good, very similar to this, but this recipe has fewer steps and is really easy.

Super Southern Fried Okra with Creamy Buttermilk Dip

Before I start the recipe let’s talk ingredients, specifically the buttermilk. I have made this buttermilk dressing with a low-fat readily available brand, but it just seemed so thin, resulting in a watery consistency. I want thicker buttermilk for this dip. I mean, it’s a dip! You don’t want a thin coating from a watery dip, you want a dollop of dip!

With all that said, use whole buttermilk, not low-fat. I only use whole milk even if it’s not buttermilk. It’s like using the real thing, like butter. The real thing is healthier in the long run because it is more natural, it doesn’t have a lot of “stuff” to change its character. My philosophy is always “everything in moderation”. And, honestly, how can the “real” stuff as it is intended to be, be bad for you? I don’t want to lead you wrong so here’s a link that will give you certain health benefits of both. https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/whole-vs-lowfat-buttermilk-1947.html.

I just love Fried Okra. I guess I just love okra! I love okra as in Okra and Tomatoes. I love okra fried with potatoes and onions. Oh, and in Gumbo. Absolutely one of my favorite uses for okra! So, the other day my have to have meat hubby was gone so I made Macaroni and tomatoes from my garden and I made this along with it. Here’s that link because you need that recipe too! https://the2spoons.com/macaroni-with-fresh-tomatoes/.

Super Southern Fried Okra with Creamy Buttermilk Dip

Here’s the super easy recipe! Hope you try this!

Southern Fried Okra

Print Recipe

CourseAppetizer, Side Dish

CuisineAmerican

Keywordappetizer, easy side dish, fried okra, okra, side dish, southern food, southern fried okra

Servings servngs

Ingredients

For the Okra

vegetable oil for frying
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
2 tbsp Louisiana hot sauce or your favorite
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tsp. cayenne pepper (omit if you don't like the heat or reduce the amount)
2 tsp garlic powder or granulated garlic
1 tbsp salt plus more for seasoning
1 tsp black pepper
2 lbs okra, either sliced into 1/2 inch thick rounds or sliced down the middle like I did)

For the Buttermilk Dip

3/4 cup buttermilk, not low fat
1/2 cup mayonaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp green onion tops
salt to taste

Instructions

For the Okra

Heat the oil in a deep-fryer to 360°F or in a heavy iron dutch oven, or similar.
In a small bowl, whisk the buttermilk, egg, and hot sauce to combine. In a second bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, cayenne, granulated garlic, the 1 tablespoon salt, and the black pepper.
Working in batches, dredge the okra first in the buttermilk mixture, allowing any excess to drip off, then in the flour mixture. Shake to remove any extra breading. Repeat until all of the okra is breaded.
Fry the okra, in batches, in the hot oil, turning it as necessary, until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer the fried okra to paper towels to drain, and season lightly with salt. Repeat with the remaining okra.
Serve the okra hot, with the Creamy Buttermilk Dip on the side for dipping.

For the Buttermilk Dip

Combine the buttermilk, mayonnaise, sour cream, cayenne, garlic, and chives in a small bowl, and stir to mix well. Add salt to taste. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve (up to 1 day in advance).

Southern Fried Okra
Macaroni and Tomatoes