queso

Jalapeño Spicy Cheese Dip

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Food Plating: Jalapeño Spicy Cheese Dip! Some call it Tex-Mex, others call it Queso based on the ancient Aztec civilization. No matter what you call it, melted cheeses in a skillet of herbs and spices, plus a kick of heat can be my dinner any night of the week. Some nights I prefer original corn tortilla chips to scoop up the cheese. And other nights I go for the gold and crave a chili lime seasoned gourmet tortilla chip. Be unique and crank things up or calm things down. It’s all a matter of personal taste, so everyone wins. 

JALAPEÑO SPICY CHEESE DIP 

Ingredients: 

1 cup light cream

3/4 pound white American cheese, finely shredded

1/2 pound fontina cheese, finely shredded

1/4 cup pickled jalapeños, roughly chopped 

1/2 teaspoon cumin powder

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Sliced radishes, for garnish

Jalapeño slices, for garnish

Cilantro, for garnish

Instructions:

In an iron skillet over medium-high heat, warm light cream until bubbles form around the edge. Reduce heat to low setting. Gradually stir in American white cheese and fontina cheese, stirring constantly to make a smooth consistency and avoid burning. Continue stirring until cheeses are melted. Add chopped pickled jalapeños, cumin powder, ground nutmeg, red pepper flakes, sea salt, and black pepper. Place iron skillet in the oven. Broil on High for 3-4 minutes, or until cheese begins to bubble. Remove from oven. Garnish with sliced radishes, sliced jalapeños, and fresh cilantro. Serve with chili lime gourmet tortilla chips. 

Quirky Quesadilla

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? The Daily Special: Quirky Quesadilla! Have you ever noticed when you announce quesadillas are on the menu for the next meal, everyone begins to feel as though they’ve been invited to a party? It’s probably due to the fact that it opens the door to endless possibilities. Do you prefer seafood, chicken, vegetables, cheese, or all of the above? No problem. Once you offer a buffet of ingredients, everyone can build-their-own. Win! Win!

QUIRKY QUESADILLA 

Ingredients:

12-ounces shrimp; peeled, deveined, tail off

1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon dill

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 chicken breasts; boneless, skinless, cubed

1/8 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons red onion, chopped

4-6 flour tortillas

4 tablespoons butter

1 cup Queso Fresco cheese

1 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese

1 green onion

Instructions:

Sauté shrimp in 1 tablespoon olive oil, Old Bay seasoning, red pepper flakes, and dill on medium heat. Cook until pink and opaque, turning often, usually 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a dish and set aside.  Using the same skillet, add another tablespoon of olive oil.  Cook the chicken and onion together with seasonings. Turn heat to low. Add the shrimp.  Mix gently. Sprinkle in the Queso Fresco cheese and cover.  It will melt into the quesadilla filling to bond everything together.  Watch carefully so the cheese does not burn. In another skillet over low heat, butter one side of a flour tortilla. Place buttered side down. Sprinkle in cheddar cheese.  Add two spoonfuls of filling. Spread to within 1/2-inch of the edge. Top with another buttered tortilla. Put lid on skillet to melt cheeses. Cook until lightly brown, about two minutes. Turn the tortilla over and cook the other side until the tortilla is lightly brown and the cheese is gooey. Place on a platter to cool slightly before cutting.  Repeat with remaining tortillas until no ingredients remain. Serve with salsa, yogurt, and guacamole.

*Hint: if you’re serving a crowd, it’s easy to prepare several at the same time. Place the filled quesadillas on a cookie sheet and bake them in a 375° oven for 10 minutes. 

Queso Casa Dip

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Home Cooking: Queso Casa Dip! Here’s an all-around favorite for any social gathering. The cheese delivers a smooth creamy taste followed by a “bite” of chile!  Some say it’ll curl the tines of a fork. Just kidding! But seriously, it’s so popular you’ll have your friends asking for the recipe! 

QUESO CASA DIP

Ingredients:

4 cups cheddar cheese, extra-sharp finely shredded 

1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded 

1 tablespoon cornstarch 

2 tablespoons butter

1/7 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup Greek yogurt

1 ghost chile pepper, cut-up and seeds discarded*

2 Roma tomatoes, cut-up

2 green onions, cut-up

16-ounce can green-chile and lime refried beans

Greek Yogurt and jalapeños for garnish

*Ghost peppers are extremely hot, so you may substitute jalapeño peppers instead. 

Instructions:

Empty cheese into a large bowl, sprinkle with corn starch, and toss to coat. Melt butter into a large saucepan and add garlic, cheeses, and milk. Set on low heat and cook slowly, stirring mixture to keep from scorching. As it melts, fold in the 1/4 cup of Greek yogurt. Continue for 10-15 minutes until mixture is smooth and velvety. Add fresh tomatoes, green onions, and the ghost pepper. Stir gently to blend. Keep warm. Meanwhile, place refried beans in a microwave-safe dish and heat through. To serve, layer refried beans on a platter, pour Queso dip over top. Dollop with Greek yogurt. Serve with tortilla chips, café style. 

Queso Blanco Shrimp Street Tacos

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Cheerful Choices: Queso Blanco Shrimp Street Tacos! Not everyone has the luxury of accessibility to freshly-made corn tortillas. Because corn tortillas contain less fat than flour tortillas, they are more prone to breakage. One way to prevent this from happening is to dip them in warmed vegetable oil. The extra moisture enhances the taste. Another way is to take two corn tortillas to create a double-layered shell. That way if the inside tears or cracks when folded in half, the outer shell will keep all the ingredients from falling into your lap. Make sense?

QUESO BLANCO SHRIMP STREET TACOS

Ingredients:

8 corn street tacos

1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 pound medium shrimp, precooked, peeled, deveined, and tail removed

2 tablespoons bacon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon raspberry chipotle seasoning

1 ripe avocado, peeled, stone removed, and sliced into wedges

1 cup broccoli slaw

2 large leaves romaine lettuce, gently torn

1/2 cup prepared queso blanco with jalapeños

Fresh lime, for garnish

Cilantro, for garnish

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 300°. Set aside a baking sheet. Warm vegetable oil over medium-high heat in an iron skillet. One at a time, dip a corn tortilla into the oil for about 15 seconds; flip and repeat. Drain and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with remaining tortilla shells. Stack them two to a pile on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt (optional). Keep warm in the oven. Using the remaining vegetable oil, add bacon olive oil to the skillet. Gently place the shrimp in the warmed oil. Sprinkle with raspberry chipotle seasoning. After one minute, flip. Shrimp should be slightly charred. Cook one minute longer. Remove from heat. In a bowl, combine the broccoli slaw with the gently torn romaine leaves. Toss. Remove tortillas from the oven. On the four stacks of warmed tortilla shells, place avocado wedges. Divide the broccoli slaw blend between the tacos. Top with sautéed shrimp. Warm the jalapeño queso blanco for 20 seconds in the microwave on high setting. Stir. Repeat, if necessary. Drizzle over street tacos. Squeeze fresh lime juice over all. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

Diablo Verde Enchiladas

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Country Casual Cravings: Diablo Verde Enchiladas! If you understand a little Spanish, you’re already familiar with the term “diablo”. Typically it refers to devil. In reference to food, it translates to spicy or sometimes fiery ingredients that crank things up a level. In this case I used jalapeño peppers, but you are certainly welcome to increase the heat by substituting serrano peppers instead. Since I want to keep my husband around a little longer, I played it safe. You choose.

DIABLO VERDE ENCHILADAS

Ingredients:

2 cups precooked turkey, shredded

1/2 teaspoon chili-lime seasoning

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

12 ounces queso blanco dip

10 flour tortillas

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons pickled jalapeños, diced

1/4 cup taco sauce

1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Salsa verde, to taste

Fresh cilantro, for garnish

Green onion snips, for garnish

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray a 9”x13” pan with nonstick oil. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine shredded turkey, chili-lime seasoning, dried oregano, garlic powder, and queso blanco dip. Mix well. Divide the mixture between the 10 flour tortillas, spreading the meat across the center of each tortilla. Roll them up, placing each seam-side-down in the prepared baking dish. In a saucepan over medium heat, warm butter. Do not scorch. Whisk in flour; cook one minute to thicken, stirring constantly. Add chicken broth; whisk until smooth. Add Greek yogurt and diced jalapeños. Do not allow mixture to boil. Reduce heat if necessary. Remove sauce from heat. Carefully pour over enchiladas. Spoon taco sauce over all. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven when cheese is slightly browned and bubbly. Garnish with salsa verde, fresh cilantro, and green onion snips to taste. Serve immediately.

Peruvian Cheese Potatoes

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Uplifting Aromas: Peruvian Cheese Potatoes! My friend, Gian, encouraged me to try a dish from his native land, Peru. He described it as a traditional appetizer so popular it has become the national dish: Papa a là Huancaína. Because it’s basically boiled potatoes covered in a spicy cheese sauce, he explained it as chile-warm, delicious, creamy, and satisfying. Strangely enough, this appetizer is served cold, similar to the American Potato Salad. It taste nothing like it, though. The jury is still out on whether I will make it at home again. I’m thinking the next step is to order it in an authentic Peruvian restaurant. Perhaps they’ll share a secret or two.

PERUVIAN CHEESE POTATOES

Ingredients:

8 yellow potatoes, whole

4 lettuce leaves

Huancaína Sauce (see recipe below)*

2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered

Mixed olives, pitted

Instructions for Potatoes:

Heat a pot of salted water to boiling. Add the potatoes. Boil the potatoes until tender when pierced with a fork, approximately 20 minutes. Drain the water and allow potatoes to cool. Arrange lettuce leaves on a platter. Halve the potatoes and place on top of the lettuce. Pour Huancaína sauce over the potatoes. Garnish with hard-boiled eggs and pitted olives.

*Ingredients for Huancaína Sauce:

1/2 cup aji amarillo paste

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup evaporated milk

2 cups white queso fresco cheese

4 saltine crackers

Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

*Instructions for Huancaína Sauce:

Warm oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the aji amarillo paste, chopped onion, and minced garlic. Sauté approximately 3 minutes, or until the onions have softened. Remove pan from heat and set aside to cool. In a food processor, combine the chile/onion mixture, and evaporated milk. Blend well. Add the queso fresco cheese and saltine crackers; blend until smooth. The sauce should be thick. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Queso Chicken Flautas

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Elevated Edibles: Queso Chicken Flautas! Are you as torn between corn tortillas and flour tortillas as I am? There are days, and certain dishes, where nothing but corn will do: tamales, taquitos, enchiladas, tacos, and chips. Corn tortillas, generally, are much smaller and easier to hold. When they are soaked in sauce, they are more pliable and suitable for baking. If you like the taste of toasted corn as well as the chewy texture, corn tortillas are for you. The same applies to flour tortillas: quesadillas, flautas, fajitas, chimichangas, and burritos. Flour tortillas are bigger, not to mention softer for folding. You already know this if you’ve ever eaten a monster burrito or ginormous chimichanga. One is baked, the latter is fried. Today’s recipe features the sturdiness of a flour tortilla to hold the juicy chicken and melted cheese filling without turning soggy or falling apart. What a delicious dilemma.

QUESO CHICKEN FLAUTAS

Ingredients for Herbed Sour Cream:

8 ounces sour cream

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon lime juice

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped

2 tablespoons green onions, chopped

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked chicken, shredded

1 cup Mexican cheese blend, shredded

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

4.5 ounce can green chiles, drained and diced

1 envelope taco seasoning mix, less 1 tablespoon for remaining recipe

12-count flour tortillas

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

15-ounce jar queso cheese dip, warmed

Instructions:

To make the herbed sour cream, combine sour cream, honey, lime juice, and sea salt in a bowl. Stir until smooth. Gently fold in chopped cilantro leaves and green onions. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. In a medium bowl, combine shredded chicken, Mexican cheese blend, cream cheese, and diced green chilies. Sprinkle with taco seasoning mix (less 1 tablespoon of mix). Stir thoroughly. Set aside. In a small dish, whisk vegetable oil with reserved taco seasoning mix. Set aside. Preheat oven to 425°. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick oil. To assemble flautas, place 1/4 cup chicken mixture on bottom third of each flour tortilla. Roll up tightly, leaving ends open. Place seam-side down on prepared baking sheet. Brush filled chicken flautas with seasoned oil mixture. Repeat until all tortillas are filled. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until flautas are crispy. Serve with warmed queso cheese dip, herbed sour cream, and chunky salsa.

Volcano Cheese Fries

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Waste Not, Want Not: Volcano Cheese Fries! Say, Whaaat? I first had these tasty morsels at my fav fish hut in Kauai. But after returning home, I really had a craving for them again. Granted, being a Midwesterner, I simply couldn’t resist adding a glob of queso cheese on top. In my defense, the bonfires we have always mix the colors of fiery red and golden yellow. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it. But if you have the willpower, I won’t be offended if you skip it. The furikake seasoning and sriracha sauce are the star attractions anyway.

VOLCANO CHEESE FRIES

Ingredients:

16 ounces shoestring fries, frozen

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons sriracha sauce

1/3 cup Queso cheese dip, warmed

1 tablespoon furikake seasoning

Instructions:

Bake French fried potatoes according to package directions. Remove from oven, sprinkle with sea salt. Toss gently. Transfer to a large bowl so the fries can be piled into a volcano mound. Drizzle sriracha sauce over the top, to taste. Add the warmed Queso cheese dip. Sprinkle with furikake seasoning. Serve immediately.

BBQ Pork Nachos

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Waste Not, Want Not: BBQ Pork Nachos! Mealtime can be hectic for this reason or that. I admit, some days I am not in the mood for a lavish meal. Perhaps you feel the same way and need a shortcut now and then. That’s when I go to the freezer to pull out fully cooked products, like smoked barbecue pork. When buying, always check the ingredient list for additives. From my experience, it’s the sauce that makes the dish.

BBQ PORK NACHOS

Ingredients:

11-ounce bag tortilla corn chips

1 pound container bbq pork, fully cooked

1/2 cup Queso cheese dip, store-bought

1 tomato, chopped

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

6 sprigs cilantro, leaves removed

1 bottle Heinz Hawaii sweet and fruity bbq sauce, to taste*

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400°. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick oil. Places tortilla chips in a single layer on the baking sheet. Randomly drop bbq pork onto chips using a fork. Next spoon prepared queso dip around the pork. It will melt as it bakes. Scatter chopped tomatoes over all. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes, to taste. Bake nachos for 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Garnish with fresh cilantro. Drizzle barbecue sauce over top. Serve immediately.

*I receive no recompense for mentioning this product.