Ever since I developed my recipe for fajita seasoning, I’ve been pretty lazy on the taco recipe front. The fajita seasoning is sooo versatile: virtually any taco, fajita, quesadilla, etc. can be fully-flavored with it. Plus, it’s quick to make with spices that I always have on hand. I go through batches of it at a fairly rapid clip.

But in the throes of my recent love affair with sweet cherries, I stumbled across this recipe. Pork, rubbed with a paste of garlic, lime, and ground chipotle and topped with charred onions, peppers, queso fresco, and a bright, cherry salsa studded with cilantro and lime Um, YES.

These tacos are delightfully flavorful. The smoky chipotle plays nicely with the bright, sweet, fruity cherries and limes. And while I typically look to chicken or steak for my tacos, the pork is really the best canvas here. The rub and the salsa can be made well in advance, but they certainly don’t have to. This is definitely a weeknight-worthy operation.

This batch makes enough filling for about 8 tacos, but it can easily be changed to feed a crowd. Plus, if you store the different toppings separately, this makes INCREDIBLE leftovers.

So if you, like me, have not yet released your grip on summer cherries, put these tacos on your to do list for the week.

Pork Tacos with Cherry-Lime Salsa
Adapted from Eating Well

Makes about 8 tacos

For the Pork
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground chipotle pepper
zest of two limes
4 tsp fresh lime juice
1 lb pork tenderloin (I used strips for mine, but that’s just what I had on hand)

Mince garlic. Combine garlic and salt in a bowl and press with a spoon (or use a mortar and pestle) until it forms a paste. Add chipotle, lime zest, and lime juice and mix well. Rub paste all over pork. Refrigerate until other ingredients are prepared.

For the Salsa
1 c pitted & chopped fresh sweet cherries (use dark red if you can for the drama!)
1/4 c finely chopped cilantro
4 tsp fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground chipotle pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small dish and set aside. You’ll add some onion once you’ve charred it, so keep the salsa close by.

Assembly
3 T canola oil, divided
1 medium white or yellow onion, sliced in half-moons
1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
2-3 cranks freshly ground black pepper
pinch of course salt
3/4 c crumbled queso fresco
8 taco-sized flour or white-corn tortillas

Heat two medium-sized skillets over medium and add 1 1/2 T of oil to each one. In one pan, add the onions, peppers, pepper, and salt. Toss frequently until onions and peppers are slightly charred and have softened slightly, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, add the seasoned pork to the other pan. Cook until pork reaches a 145°F internal temperature and all sides are golden-brown.

Remove 6-7 slices of onion and chop finely. Add these to the cherry salsa.

To warm tortillas, place in the oven at 170°F on a cookie sheet that has another cookie sheet as a lid for 5-10 minutes. The lid will prevent the tortillas from becoming crispy. Or, place them in a stack on a plate with another plate as a lid and microwave for 30 seconds.

Add a bit of pork, peppers and onions, salsa, and queso fresco to each tortilla.

If heaven is real, then I really don’t think it’s made of puffy clouds and golden harps. I rather imagine it must be filled with endless tables, buckling under the weight of all the chips, dips, cheeses and crackers (all calorie-free, OBVIOUSLY) that a person could possibly want. Really, is there a better way to eat than scooping up succulent dips and salsas with crisp, salty shards of simple carbohydrates?

My obsession with chips is pretty severe. I’m hopeless at Mexican restaurants. Those continuously re-filling bowls of free chips and salsa at the start of the meal virtually guarantee that I’ll be in a food coma before my main course even arrives. I’m pretty shameless about them at potlucks and dinner parties, too. But unless I am hosting a party of my own, I actually avoid buying them: if I have chips in the house, there’s like a 70% chance that I’ll skip cooking dinner and simply dine on chips and salsa instead, strangely able to justify it by pretending they are vegetables. Sad, I know.

But I’ve found a little loophole. As long as I have corn tortillas in my fridge (which is pretty regular) I can make teeny batches of chips whenever I like! Satisfy my cravings without overdosing! Plus they are baked, which in the chip world, is code for healthy! (Right?)

It’s shockingly simple. Cut tortillas. Spray with cooking spray and salt. Flip over and repeat. Bake. Eat.

I’ll admit: it’s hard to compare these to true, deep-fried tortilla chips. But for an emergency craving, they are quite, quite sufficient. And a bit healthier, I daresay. Emphasis on bit.

Whatever. Sometimes I just want chips and now I can have them whenever I want. NOW THAT IS POWER.

Baked Tortilla Chips

Makes 24 chips, but this can obviously be flexed up or down

4 corn tortillas (white or yellow, the thinner the better)
cooking spray
salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut tortillas into six even wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Spray lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt. Flip over each wedge and spray the other salt, also adding a bit more salt.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, flipping chips partway through, or until chips are lightly browned and fairly crisp. Chips will still be a bit bendy while they are warm, but they will crisp up in 2-3 minutes after they are removed from the oven. Sprinkle with additional salt if needed.

Over the last few years, I’ve grown out of my delusions of I’m-young-and-can-eat-whatever-I-want and now do boring things like pack salads for lunch and box up half of my pasta when we go out for Italian. Le sigh. But there continues to be one thing that, when placed in front of me, I have absolutely no control or willpower to stop myself from eating.

Chips and salsa.

Whenever I dine at a Mexican restaurant, it’s a sure bet that I’ll eat my weight in free chips and salsa before my meal arrives. I know that I’m gonna feel like I’m dying within a few hours, but I just can’t help it. Too spicy Doesn’t matter, I’ll cry through the pain. Not hungry That’s literally not a thing.

Typically, when I make salsa at home, they are collections of diced vegetables and herbs. But sometimes I just want a nice, runny, completely blended, restaurant-style salsa.

This particular recipe includes a crap-ton of cilantro and a couple of chipotles en adobo. The combination of bright, herb-y flavor from the cilantro and the deep, smoky spice of the chiles creates a unique spin on the classic restaurant salsa.

Perhaps the best part of this salsa is that it’s SO FAST to put together. Once the onion and cilantro are chopped, everything else gets tossed in a food processor and whirled into salsa in just a few seconds flat.

You can eat this salsa immediately, but it’s even better after a couple hours of chilling in the fridge.

This salsa makes a great appetizer, and it’s great to put out at a party. You could also just get a bag of chips and eat chips and salsa for dinner for several nights straight.

Just an idea…

Smoky Adobo Salsa

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays

1 pint diced tomatoes (or a 15 oz can)
8-10 oz diced tomatoes with green chiles (like Rotel)
1 medium onion, diced
2 chipotle peppers en adobo
1/2 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped with stems removed
2 T lime juice
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp black pepper

Chop onions and cilantro. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until thoroughly blended. Chill for 1-2 hours and serve with chips. Or on anything you like with salsa, actually.

For the better part of middle and high school, I was usually up in time to make breakfast for my mom and sister while they continued bustling about, getting ready for school. Most days, this breakfast consisted of “tortillas with cheese”, which is just exactly what it sounds like: three flour tortillas, each with a layer of rough slices of cheddar or colby cheese, heated in the microwave for 30 seconds or so before being rolled up in paper towels for a to-go breakfast of champions.

At some point later, upon partaking the joys of quesadillas that popped up on restaurant menus all over the place, I made the connection that I’d been making quesadillas all along (freakishly simple though they were). As with most of my cooking projects, though, I’ve stepped up my game and now make quesadillas not for hurried breakfasts on the go, but for sit-down dinners at home.

And you should too.

I will say one thing though, and don’t freak out: these quesadillas don’t have much cheese.

I know. I know. What sort of monster cuts the cheese so significantly in a dish that is literally NAMED after cheese But I tell you, it’s possible to have a delightful quesadilla that doesn’t have puddles of gooey cheese oozing out the sides and sizzling on your frying pan. Trust me on this.

These quesadillas start out very similar to my Easy Chicken Fajitas. A hearty sprinkle of Fajita Seasoning on half of a chicken breast (seven or eight ounces) will give you enough chicken for two very chicken-y entrees. You can also stretch this to four entrees if you’re okay with less chicken in each tortilla.

Chicken cooks in one pan while peppers and onions cook in another. In all honesty, though, I usually make quesadillas 2-3 days after making a batch of fajitas. It’s a great way to use up the leftover peppers and onions from that recipe and it makes this one even easier!

When the chicken and veggies are cooked, it’s construction time. I use two kinds of cheese: sharp cheddar and monterey jack. I like the contrast of colors, as well as the pungent cheddar against the mild jack. But you can really use whatever varieties make your heart happy. As you can see, you don’t need much: I have no more than two ounces of grated cheese on each. Stacked with chicken, veggies, and salsa, I like just enough cheese to form a glue to keep the sides of the tortilla together.

Quesadillas like to be squished when cooked, rather like a panini, to create a thin but full tortilla that is crispy on the outsides. I don’t have a panini press or a quesadilla maker, but trust me: you don’t need one! I use a heavy pan (in this case, my cast iron skillet) to press down upon the tortilla in a skillet heating on the stove. Not the prettiest technique, but it gets the job done without another one-trick-pony taking up precious cabinet space in my kitchen.

And that’s it! After a few minutes in the pan on each side, chop that sucker up in to quarters and serve with your favorite toppings. I adore these with sour cream, and if I happen to have it handy, with guacamole as well.

This recipe works equally well with ground beef or with steak. You can also be totally happy without any meat whatsoever! Though, in that case, I might actually add more cheese.

Not-So-Cheesy Quesadillas

Serves 2 as a meal, 4-8 as an appetizer

Note: I rarely actually cook the peppers and onions for this dish on their own. Often, I’ll make quesadillas a day or two after a batch of Easy Chicken Fajitas and dice up the peppers and onions leftover from that. Cook smart, folks.

Another Note: You can really put ANYTHING you want in a quesadilla. In the summer, I love cutting the kernels off a cob of corn. You can add green chile, beans, a different meat, no meat, different cheeses, whatever.

8 oz boneless skinless chicken breast
1-2 tsp Homemade Fajita Seasoning
2-3 tsp vegetable oil, divided
about 1/2 a green bell pepper, diced
about 1/4 red onion, diced
course salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 oz sharp cheddar cheese
2 oz Monterey jack cheese
3-4 T your favorite chunky salsa
2 burrito-size flour tortillas
sour cream, guacamole, and or salsa for serving

Heat half the oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken breast generously with fajita seasoning and, if desired, a bit of salt. Cook until chicken is cooked through, then set aside and dice.

Heat the other half of the oil in a medium frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the peppers and onions and season lightly with salt and pepper. Sauté until peppers have softened and are lightly charred. Remove from heat and set aside.

While you construct the quesadillas, heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Set another heavy pan or pat next to the stove.

To construct the quesadillas, fold each tortilla in half to form a visual crease. Unfold, then sprinkle the Monterey Jack cheese evenly on one half of each tortilla. Evenly layer on the chicken, peppers and onions, chunky salsa (use as little liquid as possible so it doesn’t squeeze out during cooking), and finish with the cheddar cheese. Fold the top of the tortilla over the filling and press slightly.

Working one at a time, gently place each quesadilla into your hot pan and rest the heavy pot or pan on top. Cook for 4-6 minutes, checking periodically to make sure you don’t burn the tortilla. Once the tortilla is golden-brown and crisp, carefully flip the quesadilla and rest the heavy pot on top of it again. When the second side closely matches the first, remove to a cutting board and cut into four wedges.

Serve immediately with sour cream, guacamole, salsa, or whatever your little heart desires. If you save any for leftovers, I highly recommend re-heating the quesadilla in an oven or toaster oven so avoid the soggy-licious future that awaits it in the microwave.

Perhaps associated with the first burst of warm-ish weather, I tend to also get an itch to vacation at this time of year. It might also be years of Spring Break indoctrination, but I suddenly yearn to pack my bags for some tropical adventure! Not that I actually did a lot of that growing up, but the once or twice that we did vacation somewhere warm over Spring Break were enough to permanently spark anticipation every February. Unfortunately, we have no imminent vacation plans for this spring. So! To ease my wanderlust, I’ve settled by making some charred corn salsa.

Now obviously, fresh sweet corn on the cob and peppers are not exactly in season in the midwest. I fully admit that. But what better way to pretend it is summer than to dine on some wonderfully summery vegetables?

This salsa is pretty quick to make. Once the ingredients are prepped, the only cooking involved is a little charring of the peppers and corn. In theory, you could even go without this step and mix it all together raw, but I love the smokiness that comes from a little bit of pan-charring.

The onions and cilantro, though, should remain raw. They’ll provide a delightful bite and lovely color.

When it’s done, I like to chill this salsa for a couple hours before eating it, but you could also eat it while the corn and peppers are still warm. And this isn’t just for chip dipping: it makes a delightful filling for quesadillas, breakfast burritos, and omelettes, and it makes a wonderfully spicy salad when mixed with some chopped romaine.

Here’s to the return of warm weather!

Charred Corn Salsa
Inspired by Chipotle

2 tsp canola oil
1 poblano pepper, seeded and minced
2 cans (or two ears) sweet corn, drained
1/2 red onion, diced
1 T finely chopped cilantro
dash lemon or lime juice
1/4 tsp cumin
pinch or two sea salt

Prepare all ingredients that require chopping or mincing. If using ears of corn, cut the kernels off the cob raw and discard cobs.

Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add minced poblano pepper and sauté for 3-5 minutes until the peppers begin to char a bit, stirring once or twice. Add corn and sauté for another 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. For the last 3 minutes, turn the heat up to medium high to allow the corn to char, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and transfer corn mixture to a mixing bowl.

Add onion, cilantro, lime juice, cumin, and salt. Mix well and taste, adding more salt or cumin as necessary.

Chill for 1-2 hours before serving. Delicious in quesadillas, breakfast burritos, omelettes, or simply on chips! Stores for up to 3-4 days in an airtight container.

A few days ago, I escaped the humid crush of the Eastern United States with my annual return to my childhood home in Southwest Colorado. Each summer, I look forward to this return with great anticipation, but each year I continue to be humbled and amazed by how much I love this place. To be sure, living in the mountain desert has its hardships: this year’s drought is threatening to run our well completely dry, and the cool dry air that normally greats me when stepping off the plane was this year flooded with smoke from the West Fork Fire Complex, a wildfire raging in the high country just an hour away. My parents keep large stock pots in each bathroom so that we can catch the gray water from our showers, haul it outside, and attempt to help our adolescent trees survive the long, dry summer.

Despite all this, I miss the Southwest. I miss watching the summer monsoons boil over the mountains, occasionally releasing precious rain to the parched earth below. I miss the abrupt landscape shifts from spruce tree forests, the sagebrush meadows, and the bare sandstone mesas and canyons. I miss the cultures, celebrations, people, and flavors.

When I’m out to eat, I frequently seek out southwest-y meals on a menu. A few weeks ago I was pleasantly surprised by a meal at a Chapel Hill favorite that I urgently wanted to recreate at home, and after Brad and I completely consumed multiple batches, I’m sure this will remain on my own home menu often.

I really don’t know why I didn’t think of this pasta sooner. Perhaps because I so strongly associate pasta with Italian flavors. But friends! I urge you to release pasta from it’s bonds in tomato sauce and alfredo. It is equally at home surrounded by black beans, red peppers, and spicy red chili.

We start with a wide array of foods that will give this pasta lots of texture and color. The peppers, onions, black beans, and corn will come together to create the base of the “sauce” for this zesty pasta. After they are cooked together, just a bit of cream is added, along with a decent dose of red chili powder to pump up the flavor.

The chicken is seasoned with my Homemade Fajita Seasoning, a go-to in my house for LOTS of meals. Looks like I need to mix up another batch soon…

Now with all the textures already integrated into the pasta, this dish would be perfectly delicious. But I really wanted something super-crisp and crunchy to take it over the edge. A couple of corn tortillas sliced into strips and baked into, essentially, corn chips, did just the trick. Sprinkled on top of the pasta with some chunks of cool avocado, it’s a pasta party!

This meal is one of the favorites that has come out of my kitchen in the last few months. It’s bright, pretty, and full of interesting textures and flavors. And frankly, it tastes like home.

Southwest Chicken Pasta
Inspired by Top o’ the Hill

6-8 oz skinless boneless chicken breast
2-3 tsp fajita seasoning
3 T canola oil, divided
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
4 oz canned black beans, rinsed and drained
2 ears fresh sweet corn, sliced raw off the cob
8 oz gemelli pasta
2 six-inch corn tortillas
cooking spray
3/4 c cream
1 1/2 tsp pure red chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
half an avocado, cut into 1″ chunks

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the canola oil in a small frying pan. Rub chicken on both sides with the fajita seasoning and pan-fry until cooked through. Remove to a cutting board and chop the chicken roughly into bite-sized pieces. Place under another plate to keep warm and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350° F. Slice two small corn tortillas into strips and place on a cookie sheet. Spray lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with a bit of salt. Bake for 10-15 minutes until crisp and beginning to brown. Keep an eye on them, they can burn quickly!

Heat remaining canola oil in a large frying pan or skillet. Add onions and peppers and sauté over medium heat for 5-10 minutes until onions are tender and peppers are beginning to brown. While the onions and peppers cook, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add pasta, cooking ton al dente.

Add black beans and corn to the onion and pepper mixture and sauté for 2-3 minutes more. Reduce heat to low and add cream, chili powder, and cumin and mix well, allowing the mixture to simmer until the pasta is ready.

Drain pasta and add to the sauce mixture. Add the chicken and mix well until all pasta is coated. Serve sprinkled with crisp tortilla strips and a few chunks of avocado.

Can we talk about bell peppers?

I don’t particularly care for them. I like a good roasted red pepper cream sauce sloshed over some pasta, I think they are super pretty cut into strips and fanned out on a tray of crudités, but I’m never one to actuallyeatthem from said tray.

I do, however, make an exception when for fajitas. Green bell peppers and red onions snuggle up in a tortilla so nicely with well-seasoned chicken, perhaps some cheese, and a healthy dollop of sour cream. I used to buy those little packets of fajita seasoning, but I found I never used it all in one go. Why accumulate half-used packets of seasoning in the pantry when I could just make my own?

Also, what better time to do a glitzy little photo shoot for my most recent kitchen obsession THESE. My beautiful spice jars. I recently ordered an assortment of jars to make my spice and herb rack the prettiest little thing you’ve ever seen, and I still can’t fully express my delight. I know, I know: spices last longer if they are protected from the light. But my kitchen is a cave for 18 hours a day anyway. Plus, they are sooooo pretty!

Fajita seasoning is pretty straightforward. Most of the spices required are common enough that most of you probably already have them in your kitchen. Plus, it can be used for lots of things. In addition to taco meat, I use mine for taco seasoning and also anytime I want a little extra kick in a batch of roasted vegetables. All you need besides the spices is a little jar of your own.

Once your spice are added, give the jar a good shake and you’re ready to make fajitas!

See how easy Kiss your old fajita seasoning packet days (do you have those?) goodbye!

Then make yourself some excellent Tex Mex for dinner.

Homemade Fajita Seasoning
Adapted from Food.com

4 tsp chili powder
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp white sugar
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground cayenne
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Combine all ingredients in an airtight jar or other small container and shake well.

Easy Chicken Fajitas

Makes enough for 4 medium-sized fajitas

2 T canola oil
8 oz chicken breast
1 T fajita seasoning, use more or less to taste
1 T salsa (your favorite)
1 green bell pepper, de-seeded and sliced into long strips
1 small red onion, sliced into long strips
1 cob of sweet corn
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
four tortillas, approximately 8″ in diameter
cheddar cheese (optional)
salsa (optional)
sour cream (optional)

Trim fat from chicken breast and slice into long, thin strips. On a separate cutting board, de-seed bell pepper and slice into long strips. Peel your onion, slice it into flats, and then cut each flat in two so that the pieces will be half-moon in shape. Separate the layers from one another. Shuck a cob of sweet corn and cut the kernels off of it.

Place two frying pans on the stove and pour 1 T canola into each pan. Heat both pans over medium heat until the oil glistens. To the smaller pan, add your chicken and sprinkle with fajita seasoning. To the other, add the peppers, onions, corn kernels, black pepper, and salt. Cook peppers and onions until peppers have started to softe, tossing frequently. Cook chicken through, adding additional seasoning as desired. As the chicken finishes, I like to add a spoonful of salsa to the pan, toss well, and remove from heat.

While both pans are cooking, grate about 3/4 c cheddar cheese (more or less to taste). To prepare your tortillas, place another frying pan (or sauté pan, anything large enough to hold a tortilla laying flat) over low heat and gently heat tortillas on each side. Cover with a plate until ready to serve.

Construct fajitas as you desire, adding sour cream, salsa, cheese, guacamole, or whatever toppings you prefer.

I find the phrase “holy guacamole” somewhat misleading. Holy things are revered. They are viewed from afar. They are stored in stone cathedrals and world museums.

They are never scooped onto chips, dolloped onto quesadillas, or spooned directly out of the bowl.

By these guidelines, this is decidedly unholy guacamole.

Cinco de Mayo was as good of an excuse as any to buy avocados and make my favorite electric-green dip. I generally try to limit my produce purchases to those grown locally, but the convergence of both a holiday AND a dinner invitation were enough to merit an exception.

The cilantro on the porch, however, was ready to harvest! After researching HOW to harvest cilantro without killing the plant and preventing future growth, I went to the balcony armed with scissors and a bowl and voila! Really fresh cilantro!

Guacamole is one of those things that can be prepared “perfectly” in a million different ways. Some guacs are smooth and creamy, some are chunky and spicy, some have tomatoes, some don’t. Personally, I’m in the no tomato camp. If I want tomatoes, I’ll eat salsa from the other dip bowl, thank you very much.

If this dip looks like a recipe for you, I’ll offer one word of caution: it’s reeeeally easy to make guacamole too thin. Most recipes I’ve seen suggest mashing up the guac before adding other ingredients, or even using a food processor. But if you are using ripe avocados, you won’t need more than a few mashes with the back of a spoon to achieve a creamy dip speckled with tender slices of avocado. Divine.

Or is it holy?

Whatever.

Guacamole
Adapted from Chipotle Fan

Note: I started this with two avocados. After sampling, I sliced up a third. I recommend starting with two and adding the third if you want it really avocado-y. Which I do.

2-3 large avocados, sliced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
2/3 c red onion, chopped
2 T fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 T lime juice
1/2 T lemon juice
1 heaping tsp kosher salt (or other course salt, but I like kosher)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mix with a spoon just until ingredients are combined. Dip should be creamy but should still include solid pieces of avocado. Or mash it up completely, it’s your guac, I don’t mean to impose. Scoop into a pretty little dish and serve with yummy corn chips.

Another note: Like apples, avocados react with oxygen and turn an ugly brown during storage. This doesn’t mean it has gone bad, but it won’t be that pretty bright green anymore. If you plan to store this for more than a couple of hours, cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the dip to keep out as much air as possible.