"ATW80DS" - Jamaican Sweet & Sour Wings

Prep Time:15 mis Total Time:1 hr 15 min Makes:  6 servings

 This unique dish is distinctly from the island’s Chinese heritage that dates back to the descendants of migrants from China to Jamaica in the Early the 19th century.

Ingredients

• 24 chicken wings or chicken drumettes
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 4 cups water
• 2 tablespoons Jamaican Sweet & Spicy Sauce
• 1 large onion
• 1 teaspoon garlic
• 6 slices fresh pineapple 
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 small sliced carrots
• 1 small sliced green pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 1 cup chicken stock*

Directions

1. Soak chicken wings in a 1/4 cup vinegar and 4 cups of water solution for 30 mins and rinse, then season with salt and pepper, set aside.
2. Finely chop onion and garlic, 
3. Cut pineapple into bite sized chunks, sliced other vegetables.
4. In a wok, heat Vegetable Oil, add half of the garlic and onion, saute for 1 minute.
5. Add chicken and keep stirring, as soon as chicken is cooked, add soy sauce, pineapple, vegetables, vinegar, sugar and stock.
6. Add the remaining garlic and onion and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. PREHEAT oven to 400°F. Place chicken wings in greased 13x9-inch baking pan. Bake 30 min or until well browned and sauce is thickened.

SERVE hot over rice.

"ATW80DS" - Yellow Pepper & Spinach Salsa

For our Toss Together Tuesday Challenge, we would invite everyone to make their favorite salsa and share it. The only catch is you can only use items that are already in your pantry. On shopping allowed today.

Here is ours... From Guatemala

Yellow Pepper & Spinach, why spinach? Well because Cilantro and I do not get a long very well, but I do like the green leafy look that it gives to salsa and we have a lot of fresh spinach hanging at the pantry... So why not? :)

Ingredients:

1 large can of diced tomatoes
1 large yellow sweet pepper  (diced)
1 small handful fresh spinach (washed & shredded)
1/2 diced fresh onion
1/2 diced fresh jalapeño pepper or 1 fork full of canned jalapeño sliced (diced)
1 teaspoon of jalapeño juice (add more the hotter you like your salsa)
1 tablespoon katsup
Sprinkle of sugar
Sprinkle of salt to taste

Mix all the ingredients together and let rest at least two hours before servings.

"ATW80DS" - Homemade Chimichangas

Today we are in Mexico and we are getting ready for our big CINCO DE MAYO party. We decided we wanted to learn how to make Chimichangas. They are known as a deep-fried burrito that is popular in Southwestern U.S. cuisine, Tex-Mex cuisine, and the Mexican states of Sinaloa and Sonora.

Today is one of those two step days, first we need to start our meat filling in the slow cooker and then we need to make the Tortillas.








For the Meat Filling, you will need:

1 pound shredded beef (we like to use leftover roast)

1 medium onion, cut into thin strips

1/2 green pepper cut into thin strips

1 small can of diced green chillies 

1 can enchilada sauce

Salt and black pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients together in and put your crockpot, dutchoven or roasting pan. Cook on Medium heat for at least four hours. 

Next we will need to make our tortillas. We love the simple basic two ingredient recipe of  2 cups masa harina (corn tortilla flour) with about 1 1/4 cups water. There is a great video by BH&G that explains it better than we do. you can find the video here... Homemade Tortillas

When you get ready to assemble and enjoy, we will need the following :

Vegetable oil for frying and any of the following ingredients as toppers...

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce

2 cups chopped green onions

2 cups diced tomatoes

2 cups Guacamole
2 cups sour cream
2 cups salsa 

Sliced black olives (optional)

If you would like to make this a full meal you can always serve them with a side of Spanish rice and re-fried beans.

Preparation:

In a large pot or deep fryer over medium heat, add at least 4 inches of vegetable oil. Heat oil to 375 to 400 degrees F.

In the center of each warm tortilla, place about 3 tablespoons of meat filling. Fold tortilla, tucking in the ends to make a secure fat tube, and fasten with wooden toothpicks. like pictured on the right. NOTE: Assemble only 2 or 3 at a time, as the tortilla will absorb liquid from the sauce.

Fry the chimichangas, 1 or 2 at a time, 3 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oil, drain and place on serving plates. Top with Cheddar cheese, lettuce, green  and any optional ingredients that you prefer.

"ATW80DS" - Armadillo Eggs (New Mexico)

 Armadillo eggs are not eggs, and they are definitely not from armadillos. In fact real armadillo are mammals, so the only real armadillo eggs you can enjoy are delicious appetizers popular in the Southwest. I got my recipe from a friend that had grew up in New Mexico and tells the story of her mom making these for every holiday.

Ingredients:

• 6 pickled jalapeno or 3 sweet banana peppers
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 8 oz. cream cheese
•  1 clove garlic, minced 
• 1 teaspoon chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon chopped bacon
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 pound bulk pork sausage
• 3 cups breadcrumbs
• 1 teaspoon canned green chilies chopped
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup favorite BBQ dipping sauce and Sweet Pineapple & Pear salsa. (Recipe found below)

Directions

• Mix together cheese, cream cheese, onion, garlic, bacon, Cut each pepper in half lengthwise; remove seeds and stems. Stuff each pepper half with about 1 tablespoon cheese mixture. In a bowl, combine the uncooked sausage, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs and green chilies. Salt and pepper to taste,  mix well. Shape about 2 tablespoonfuls around each pepper.
• Dip into eggs, then roll in the rest of the bread crumbs. Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Grill or Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.

Nutritional Facts 1 appetizer equals 126 calories, 8 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 36 mg cholesterol, 543 mg sodium, 9 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 5 g protein. 

Sweet Pineapple & Pear Salsa

Ingredients:

• 1  Bartlett pear, peeled, cored, and diced. Needs to be fresh, canned does not work well.
• 1 cup fresh pineapple,  chopped & drained (can use 1 can tidbits)
• 1 cup dried cranberries or dried blueberries
• 1/2 tsp chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon mango juice
• 1 tablespoon chopped red onion 
• 1 tablespoon sweet red pepper, chopped fine

Directions

In a glass bowl, combine the pear, pineapple, cranberries and red pepper. Allow to stand for at least 10 minutes. Stir in juice, onion and cilantro, Allow to stand another 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 2 1/2 cups or 4 generous servings.

"ATW80DS" - Sabbath Observance

Just as a FYI... For those of you who may be joying us for the first time or maybe new to the Pantry Life. The Pantry is and will remain dark on Sundays! We are God fearing, church going people who, enjoy a day full of sabbath blessings, family time and everyday, over-the-counter snacks !!!!!! :)

"ATW80DS" - Louisiana Rice

 Simple and southern! I fell in love with Red Beans and Rice after I moved here to South Carolina. And now I love them served with my Pulled Pork and slaw. Red beans and rice was originally created in the kitchens of New Orleans' French Quarter, even though the history of red beans go way back, they quickly gained in popularity and became a fixture of the staple cuisine of New Orleans. Traditionally made on Mondays using the pork bones as left over from Sunday dinner, they are one of the few New Orleans style dishes that is commonly served both in people's homes and in restaurants.There are many many variations of this old style recipe, but I like this one the best.

 Red Beans and Rice

1 lb red beans, soaked in about 2 quarts water overnight
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot chopped fine
2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
dash of ground red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 package smoked sausage, cut in 1/4-inch thick slices


Rinse and drain soaked beans; place in a 5 to 6-quart Dutch oven and add
about 6 cups of fresh water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for
about 1 1/2 hours, or until beans are tender. Stir occasionally. Add
remaining ingredients and salt to taste; simmer for about 1 hour, stirring
occasionally. Add water as necessary. Serve over hot rice. Serves 6.

"ATW80DS" - Avocado, Corn and Tomato Salad (The South)

We love the simplistic of the South, with all its fun fresh flavors that you find in the farmer's markets starting this time of year and once in a while here at the Pantry we come a crossed a recipe that just looks to good to pass up and so we love to post it here and give credit where credit is due. This recipe is being passed on from one of our favorite facebook pages entitled "Oasis Advanced Wellness"

This salad looks yummy and healthy... and we think this will be our "Thrifty Thursday" side dish tonight to go with our baked chicken. You should be able to find all the ingredients in your pantry.

Ingredients (always use organic ingredients)

4 ears of organic corn
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 pint grape tomatoes
2 medium authentic Mexican Avocados
½ cup very thinly sliced red onion
½ cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup packed chopped fresh cilantro
Zest of 1 lime (about 1 teaspoon)
Two tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
Himalayan salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Husk the corn and cut the kernels from the cob. Heat the tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and sauté the corn for 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until slightly tender. Remove from the heat and transfer to a large bowl. Cool completely to room temperature.
While the corn is cooling, cut the grape tomatoes in half and cut the avocado into ½ inch pieces. (You can also slice the onions and drain the black beans at this point.)
To make the dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together the ½ cup olive oil, chopped fresh cilantro, lime zest and lime juice. Add a pinch of Himalayan salt and a few grinds of black pepper.
To the large bowl with the corn, add the halved tomatoes, diced avocado, red onion, and beans. Pour in the dressing and toss gently. Add additional Himalayan salt and pepper to taste as desired.

Via: www.afamilyfeast.com/avocado-corn-and-tomato-salad-and-iloveavocados-for-cinco-de-mayo-sweepstakes/