Easy Bloody Mary Salsa to Celebrate National Nutrition Month!

 
 
Happy National Nutrition Month! You didn't know? I wouldn't have either if I hadn't gotten an email from the PR firm for Red Pack tomato products. Was I interested in trying the brand for National Nutrition Month? My answer was a hearty YES!  

Strolling (okay, dashing most harried evenings) through the canned veggie aisles at the local grocery store, bright red cans of Red Pack tomatoes have always been a trusted sight and brand. I couldn't wait to get the package.

What did I get in the mail, but a GREAT BIG can of Red Pack products and a handy selection of kitchen tools to help celebrate the month. Thank you, Red Pack!
I couldn't wait to play with the new fun stuff...what would I make...what would be as much fun as the can, with the removable lid, that everything was packed into? Bloody Marys! Too early in the day? Well now, how about Bloody Mary Salsa instead. 

BIG CAN! Can opener, pasta server, magnets, pot holder, magnets and Red Pack tomatoes!

All the flavors and heat of my beloved favorite cocktail were combined anew in a low cal, high in lycopene, high in Vitamins A and C, fiber-filled dip that's easy to make for drop-in company. I always have a can of diced tomatoes on the shelf and there's always fresh onion, garlic and celery in the pantry. Instant party!

The juice that's reserved in the recipe? You know I don't waste anything. AND you know my favorite cocktail. No surprise at all that juice went into a brand new Bloody Mary mix, is there? My new mix is one with a somewhat south of the border flair using guajillo and jalapeno peppers, a touch of smoky cumin, a little garlic...oh, and instead of vodka? Tequila! That recipe will be coming up very soon. 

In the meantime, check out the Red Pack website for lots more good-for-you recipes to help celebrate National Nutrition month in style!

Red Pack Bloody Mary Salsa

• 2 cups Red Pack canned diced tomatoes in juice, drained well (reserve juice for another purpose) You should have approx. 2 C. tomatoes
• 1 stalk celery, diced small
• 2 tablespoons onion, finely minced
• 1 clove garlic, pressed
• 1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (be sure it's gluten free to make this GF)
• 1 teaspoon tabasco sauce
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 tablespoon vodka, you know this is optional...I just had to put in a bit to make it REAL! Feel free to leave it out.
• salt and pepper, to taste - be sure it's freshly ground black pepper!

Combine all the above ingredients well. Refrigerate for an hour or so to mellow and meld the flavors. Serve with corn chips!
 
NOTE: Want to make this with fresh, glorious summer tomatoes from your garden? Go ahead! The Red Pack version above can be made all year round, no waiting for in-season tomatoes!

Try using Bloody Mary Salsa on eggs or huevos rancheros in the morning, too!

Wondering why I used fresh garlic AND granulated garlic? Fresh celery AND celery salt? Flavor layering. Puts more of a punch into the depth of flavors. Try the technique in your own recipes!
 

Spicy Shrimp & Andouille Jambalaya with Beet Greens

 
On opening the fridge, I realized I had some serious cleaning out to do in there. Where did all those fridge-real-estate-hogging bits and pieces come from? Oh everything was good, but wouldn't be for long if I didn't get crackin'. I needed more space!

There was a big bag of beautiful yellow peppers I'd picked up on my last walk through the Strip District.  $2 for a big basket? You know they came home with me. I'd roasted beets last week and saved the tops - you don't throw out beet tops do you? You won't after this recipe.

There was a nice piece of andouille in the meat drawer, 3 jalapenos that were ready to give up the ship, half a bag of shrimp in the freezer, the last few stalks of celery in a bag and a couple of slices of ham left from last Sunday's dinner. With those ingredients on hand and rice in the pantry, dinner was decided. Hello Jambalaya!

There's a lot to be said about a one pot dinner that can clean out your refrigerator and be an authentic Cajun treat. And it feeds (not literally) an army. Leftovers for the week, YES!

Spicy Shrimp & Andouille Jambalaya 

with Beet Greens

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 3/4 pound ANDOUILLE, or other smoked sausage, sliced in half lengthwise then across to make half-rounds about 1/4" thick
• 1/2 pound ham, diced small

 

• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 1 large green bell pepper, seeds removed, diced
• 2 medium yellow bell peppers (or use red or orange...whatever you have), seeds removed, diced
• 2 large jalapeno peppers, seeds removed, finely minced
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced

 

• 1 can diced tomatoes, fire roasted is my favorite, add all the juices, too
• 3 fresh thyme, sprigs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 3 Tablespoons cajun seasoning, I used Slap Ya Mama - nice and spicy!!!! (if you don't like big heat, use less)
• freshly ground black pepper, LOTS - to taste

 

• 4 cups chicken stock, I used a box from the store shelf, feel free to use your own homemade if you have some!
• 2 cups long-grain white rice
• beet greens, the tops from 1 bunch, washed and sliced across into about 1/2" ribbons (if you don't have beet green around, kale works beautifully!)

 

• 12 large shrimp, raw, peeled and deveined, tails left on
• 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or other stove to table cookware.  Once the oil is HOT, but not smoking, add andouille and ham and saute until WELL browned. Remove meats with slotted spoon and set aside.
 
Add to the remaining oil in the pot, onion, celery, green and yellow peppers and jalapeno.  Once the veggies are about halfway to translucent, add the minced garlic and continue cooking until the onions are translucent and the rest of the veggies are soft.
 
Next add the diced tomatoes and seasonings and continue cooking for a few minutes until everything is nicely melded.
 
Now add the chicken stock, rice and greens, stirring until the rice is evenly distributed throughout the veggies.  Bring to a boil.
 
Add the meats and stir well again and bring to a boil again. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer about 25 minutes. 
 
Toss the shrimp with the teaspoon of cajun seasoning. Uncover the pot and place the shrimp on top of the rice, cover and continue cooking until the shrimp are pink.  Do NOT overcook the shrimp. 
 
Spoon into bowls and serve with good crusty bread!


NOTE: Be sure not to overcook your rice OR your shrimp.  Nobody likes mushy rice or rubbery shrimp.
 
   

Gin Fling

It feels like Spring again!  Today anyway.  Who knows what tomorrow will bring, so I'm celebrating (again) while I can.  Out on the deck the other day, I spotted tiny little leaves of mint just emerging from their winter hibernation.  Wouldn't they be just the thing for a Spring cocktail?!  Yep.

Deck Mint!

 What else would be bracing and refreshing and would suit the occasion?  In Saturday's Mixology class, we used fresh celery juice in a celery and honeydew drink - very good, but very sweet...how about using celery and mint?  Hmmmm...two beautiful spring green colors going on there so why not reinforce the spring green color with lime?  Yes!  And gin?  Yes, again!  Gin and beautiful weather seem to go together simply....well, beautifully.  

A little tasting determined all that lime tartness needed some sweet, so I used my current favorite fennel simple syrup (yep, another spring green going on here) to achieve just the right balance.  I don't know if this cocktail creation has a name anywhere else, but I'm calling it a Gin Fling...kind of a combo of a spring fling and gin!  I used Bluecoat Gin, made in Pennsylvania and with lovely citrus notes.  I much prefer a citrus-y or botanical gin instead of the overly pine-y English-style gin....especially in my Gin Fling.

Here's how I did it.

Gin Fling

• 2 oz. Bluecoat Gin
• 3/4 stalk of celery, sliced
• 1/4 lime, cut into half again
• a few tiny mint leaves or 1 larger mint leaf
• 3/4 oz. fennel simple syrup or plain simple syrup
• juice of 1/2 lime
• ice

In a cocktail tin, put in the celery, lime, mint and simple syrup and muddle well.  Add gin, juice of 1/2 a lime and fill tin 3/4 of the way with ice.  Cap and shake until tin is frosted and very cold.  Strain into a martini glass or glass of your choice and garnish with a sprig of celery leaves and a lime wheel.

Enjoy!