The Secret's in the Cheese

I lived in Washington, D.C. for about a year, and during that time, it was nearly impossible to find a Mexican restaurant in the city that served white cheese dip. Sure, restaurants had cheese dip on the menu, and I made the mistake of ordering it a couple times. When a bowl of bright orange glop (sometimes with diced, canned tomatoes or ground sausage mixed in) was brought to my table, I would think, "Who ordered this? I asked for cheese dip!" Call me picky or snobby or whatever you want, but the only cheese dip I'll eat is queso blanco, a.k.a. Mexican white cheese dip.

Now, I live in the Dirty South again, where white cheese dip is the norm - whew, thank goodness! Also, select restaurants in D.C., like Los Cuates in Georgetown, have caught on to the white cheese dip phenomenon. But back in the day, I used to quell my frequent cravings by making my own at home in my teeny, tiny apartment in The District. Turns out, it's a super simple process that takes 15 minutes to put together and costs $10 max. For those of you who have always wondered how those Mexican restaurants do it, the secret is in the cheese, my friends. I use white American cheese from the deli counter (Land O'Lakes brand), but you also can use Asadero or Manchego.

I made a batch of queso last night for "Glee Club" at Molly's house, and she made Mr. C's Enchiladas with pulled, roasted chicken instead of beef.

Try out the following Queso Blanco recipe the next time you have a fiesta!

Note: Obviously, cheese dip is best served warm. Consider cooking and serving it in a crock pot if you have one, especially if you're making a large batch for a big group of friends - it's easier than making multiple trips back and forth to the mircowave!

Homemade Queso Blanco with Fresh Jalapenos (Serves 8)

Ingredients

1 lb. white american cheese, cubed
1/2 cup milk
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped

Directions

Place first two ingredients in a small pan or crock pot. Cook over low heat until melted and well blended, stirring occasionally. Once the cheese is fully melted, check the consistency. If the mixture is too thick for your taste, add more milk and continue cooking for a few more minutes.

Transfer to a bowl or serve the dip right out of the crock pot. Garnish with fresh jalapeno and serve with tortilla chips and salsa.

Ole! Shrimp Taco Salad

Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone! In honor of this lively holiday, we wanted to post a recipe that you can prepare at home this evening if you decide to forego the crowded Mexican restaurants. Kinger and I invited our friend, Lisa, over last night for shrimp taco salads and Coronas. Lisa happens to be an amazing cook/fellow foodie and has her own blog with her fiance, Andy, so we were aiming to impress her. We also wanted to make a healthy dish - our calorie intake has increased significantly since we started AF, and we're trying to watch our figures in anticipation of bikini season.

We adapted the following recipe from one we saw in this month's issue of Cooking Light, substituting honey for maple syrup to sweeten the shrimp marinade/salad dressing and non-fat greek yogurt for light sour cream. We also grilled our shrimp on Fire & Flavor's Alder Grilling Planks rather than on metal skewers. You will be amazed by the intense, smoky flavor these planks add to the shrimp. It makes a huge difference! Fire & Flavor's founder, Gena Knox, recommends using alder rather than cedar for shrimp because it brings out the delicate flavor of the shellfish. The planks retail for $9.99 for a pack of two 15-inch planks, but Kingsley got a set for free simply by taking advantage of a deal that was advertised in the company's e-newsletter.



The ingredients for this dish came to about $30, and the recipe makes enough for six people. Since there were only three of us, we ended up with tons of leftovers. Pair the salad with ice cold Corona Lights with fresh lime slices. Here's the best part...each serving was a measly 228 calories (minus the beers). We guarantee you'll love this meal, and you won't feel like a total heifer after inhaling it!


Ole! Grilled Shrimp Taco Salad

Ingredients

1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. honey
2 tsp. chipotle hot sauce
3/4 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 ears shucked corn
1 cup chopped romaine lettuce
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 (15-oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
3 plum tomatoes, chopped
2 oz. baked blue corn tortilla chips (about 1 1/2 cups)
non-fat greek yogurt
1/4 cup diced peeled avocado
1 jar prepared salsa
1 container non-fat greek yogurt
Lime wedges (optional)

Directions

Soak two small cedar planks in warm water for at least 15 minutes.

Combine lime juice, olive oil, cumin, garlic, syrup, and hot sauce in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Place the shrimp in a shallow bowl. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the lime juice mixture over shrimp, tossing gently to coat. Reserve the remaining lime juice mixture; set aside. Place chopped lettuce, green onions, cilantro, black beans and tomatoes in a large bowl; set aside.

Prepare grill to medium-high heat. Place shrimp on cedar planks. Once grill comes to temperature, place corn on grill. Grill about 10 minutes. Turn corn and add shrimp planks. Grill for 10 minutes or until shrimp are pink and firm. You do not need to turn the shrimp as they cook.

Remove shrimp and corn. Cut kernels from ears of corn. Add shrimp and corn kernels to bowl with lettuce and other ingredients. Drizzle reserved lime juice mixture over the salad, and toss gently to combine.

Divide tortilla chips evenly among shallow bowls; top each serving with salad. Serve with lime wedges on the side. Guests can top their salad with greek yogurt and salsa to taste.

One Dish Wonder

It's my hope that one of these days we can throw an Affordable Foodie bash here in my "quaint" little apartment. Not only would that give us all a chance to experience these delectable dishes in each other's company, but it would provide you with the opportunity to see my kitchen. It's one of those kitchens where you basically have to laugh to keep from crying, if you know what I mean. For starters, my washer and dryer are right there...literally just a few feet from the sink. But that's only the tip of the iceberg. Maybe at some point in your life you've lived sans dishwasher. I hope not, for sanity's sake, but if you have, you understand that even for someone who loves preparing great meals (and I do), not having a dishwasher can often take the wind out of your cooking sails. I mean, here you've slaved away and enjoyed the spoils of your hard work...and then you're left with 30 extra minutes of manual labor requiring rubber gloves. Ugh! With that in mind, this Affordable Foodie has a new found appreciation for recipes that are not only tasty, but ones that don't clog up the sink with countless dishes.

My very favorite of this type of recipe is for beef enchiladas. It's a no-mess, easy and absolutely mouth watering dish! And the best part is it only uses one pan and one baking dish. I pair the enchiladas with slices of avocado, romaine lettuce, pickled jalapenos, sour cream and Jack's Fresh salsa. The recipe is below. Enjoy! I apologize for the pics; I had to use my iPhone.

C's Famous Enchiladas

(You'll need an 8x10 in. baking dish)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cans of El Pasos enchilada sauce
1 package of 12 in. tortillas
1 can of Rotel
1 package of McCormick's taco seasoning
1.5 - 2 lbs of ground lean sirloin
1 package of chopped romaine lettuce
Jack's Fresh salsa
2 avocados sliced into 1/2 wedges
1/2 cup of picked jalapenos
3 cups of pepper jack cheese, freshly shredded)
1 cup of shredded 4 Mexican cheese blend
1/4 cup of cilantro, roughly chopped

Directions

Cook meat in pan until brown. Add package of taco seasoning (follow the standard directions on the seasoning package). Also add 2 tablespoons of enchilada sauce - we recommend the Old El Paso sauce you can find at your local grocer. Once meat is cooked, add about 3-4 tablespoons of meat to each 12" tortilla. Tightly roll 5 tortillas with beef in a casserole dish. Cover with remaining enchilada sauce, rotel, and picked jalapenos.



Then add cheeses and cilantro to top.



Bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes or until cheese bubbles. Serve with romaine, sliced avocado, salsa and sour cream.