A couple of years ago I did a short post on NOLA’s salsa, and how much I really liked their product. So this time around, I wanted to do something a little different. Sure their salsa is great served with chips, but I wanted to see what else it could do. So I decided to hit the kitchen and do some cooking. I used their salsa fresca to make Mexican stuffed shells. I adapted the recipe from food.com, see the original recipe here. These were super easy to make and it was a hit with my family! Side note, I love the Taste of Mexico spice set from Penzey’s Spices, I use it all the time (it has the chili powder, chipotle and adobo seasoning I used in it) – now that it’s getting cooler, I’m looking forward to making some chili with it!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb ground chicken
  
• 1 tsp ancho chili powder
• 1/2 tsp red chipotle
• 1/2 tsp adobo seasoning
• 1 (4 ounce) package cream cheese
• 14 -16 large  pasta shells
• 1 cup  NOLA salsa fresca
• 1 cup taco sauce (NOT enchilada sauce)
• 1 cup  cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 cup  monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 3 green onions, chopped

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a frying pan cook ground chicken; add seasoning. Add cream cheese, cover and simmer until cheese is melted. Blend well. Set aside and cool completely.

While the ground chicken is cooking, cook the pasta shells according to directions; drain. Set shells out individually on baking sheet so that they don’t stick together.

Pour salsa on bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish. Stuff each shell with the chicken mixture placing shells in dish open side up. Cover shells with taco sauce. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, add shredded cheese and crushed tortilla chips; bake for 10-15 more minutes, with the foil removed. Top with green onions and serve with more salsa.

Now meatloaf isn’t very photogenic by nature…I wish you could smell the one I made when it came out of the oven, because it was heavenly. So even though we eat with our eyes, give this one a shot, it’s delicious. I used NOLA’s fire roasted corn and black bean salsa for this easy salsa meatloaf recipe. After making it, I think I would have added some additional corn to punch this up a notch. See the original recipe here.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 lbs  lean ground beef
• 1 cup plain dry bread crumb
• 1/2 tsp ancho chili powder
• 1/2 tsp red chipotle
• 1/2 tsp adobo seasoning
• 1 1⁄2 cups  water
• 1 cup  NOLA’s fire roasted corn and black bean salsa
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 egg

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425°.

In a small bowl, mix the bread crumbs, water and salsa and set aside for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, add onions, garlic, beef, egg and when it’s ready, the water/breadcrumb mixture.

Using your clean hands, mix together.

Shape into a loaf shape in a large pan. (I actually used to smaller pans)

Bake for 60 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before slicing.

What is your favorite recipe you use salsa in?

Disclaimer: I was provided complimentary samples of NOLA’s salsas. All opinions are my own.

The post Get Cooking with NOLA’s Salsa appeared first on A Little Bit About a Lot of Things.

If you’re like me, anytime you go out for Mexican food you just want to order the chips, salsa and guacamole for dinner. (And I’m totally a sucker for table side guacamole) So while I think about salsa and guacamole all year round, it’s especially fun in the summer time when you’re hosting fun parties or a backyard bbq. Leah invited me over to her house for a little chips and salsa party – which I was totally pumped for, chips and salsa for lunch, yup, count me in! I should have known that it wasn’t going to just be a let’s crack open a container and we can eat straight out of them kind of thing (umm…who does that?!? ), but that Leah was going to put out a full on spread. So yes, there were chips and salsa and guacamole, but there was also pulled pork and creamy dip and warm tortillas (oh and did I mention I can’t get over that Leah makes her own tortillas, I tell everyone I know!).

So about the food, Chica de Gallo is a local company based out of Jamaica Plain. They make ghost pepper salsa, a mild salsa fresca, a medium salsa fresca, a mango pineapple salsa and guacamole. Now let me tell you my beef with store bought salsa and guacamole: the salsas can sometimes be watery (ick) and the guacamole can be this weird consistency (I know you know what I mean). But I was really pleasantly surprised by the Chica de Gallo line. I make my own guacamole when I can, but in a pinch, I would totally buy theirs. The guacamole has a great texture, a little chunky and is filled with tomatoes, peppers and onions. The salsas were not watery at all and they had great texture and flavor. The salsa has a mix of tomatoes, onions and peppers (the medium salsa has some jalapeño peppers in it to spice things up). I was a little concerned about how hot the ghost pepper salsa was going to be, but was pleasantly surprised that I could still feel the inside of my mouth after sampling it. The salsa starts off fruity and then hits you with that slow burn in the back of your mouth.

Chica de Gallo is available at your local Whole Foods Market. You can also find them at the Copley Farmers Market on Fridays (until November 24th), SOWA on Sundays (until October 30th), Dewey Square on Tuesdays (until November 24th), Kendall Square on Wednesdays (until October 28th) and Roslindale on Saturdays (until October 31st).

Disclaimer: Leah was provided samples of the salsa and guacamole for review. I just showed up and ate. All opinions are my own.

Chica de Gallo

www.chicadegallo.com

The post Chips and Salsa Party with Chica de Galllo appeared first on A Little Bit About a Lot of Things.

Nola’s salsa is made right here in Boston by Sherie Grillon, a New Orleans native. The name Nola’s pays tribute to her hometown. Her traditional Mexican salsa is made with the freshest ingredients resulting in a salsa that is bold and flavorful. There are no preservatives, no oils, no sugars and no artificial colors. The product appeals to a variety of people because it is also vegan and gluten free.

I loved the Fire Roasted Corn and Black Bean Salsa, it is a very rich, full-flavored, smoky salsa that combines roasted corn, roasted tomatoes and fresh cooked black beans. The website has some great recipes that you can add the salsa to, but I loved it plain with chips!

The salsa fresca is a  traditional tomato-based raw blended salsa that most people associate with Mexican food. Once you try this, you can never go back to salsa in a jar!

NOLA’s Fresh Foods

Check out their website for where to buy.

http://www.nolasfreshfoods.com

Disclaimer: Nola’s provided me with two complimentary samples. All opinions are my own.

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