Tuesday, November 2, 2010

MOFO - Day 2 - The Day of the Jalapeno

Jalapenos

Today we'll be featuring the ever-so-popular jalapeno. These babies show up on dishes all over the country and all over the world. The fun thing about jalapenos is you never really know how hot they are going to be. I have a theory (that is not proven by the way) that the more pointed they are the hotter they will be. While I find this to be the case most of the time, I have been proven wrong on occassion. I have gotten a mighty hot surprise by using this theory on some not-so-pointy-hotter-than-hell peppers. Ouch! But it hurts so good.

Most jalapenos are grown in North America, with most being grown in Texas and New Mexico. It is estimated that 5500 acres in the United States are dedicated to growing jalapenos. This pepper is named after the town Xalapa, Veracruz where the pepper was traditionally grown in Mexico. In Mexico it is also called Huachinago or chile gordo. The jalapeno is a medium sized chile pepper measuring about 2 - 3 1/2 inches long. It is most commonly green in color, but when ripened will be red. They measure 2500-8000 on the Scoville heat scale, so these are considered medium heat. Now remember even though they are considered medium heat, they pack quite a punch if you touch your eyes after handling them. So make sure you are careful when you handle them, lest you burn your delicate parts.

So I worked 12 hours today and had an appointment after work. I really am trying to make my own recipes as much as possible for MOFO. Tonight it had to be quick and simple.

Jalapeno Chickn Salad



1 cup Butler Soy Curls
boiling water
1/2 cup jicama, diced very small
1/3 cup green onions white and green parts finely chopped
1/2 cup tomatoes, seeded and diced small
1/4 cup loosely packed cilantro, chopped (will be about 1 tablespoon when chopped)
1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Bill's Chicknish Seasoning
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons Vegannaise

Place soy curls in a bowl and cover with enough water to cover by 1 inch. Let soak for about 5 minutes to rehydrate. Drain and let cool. Once cool dice into small pieces. In medium sized bowl add all ingredients and mix until evenly distributed. Add more salt and pepper to taste if you'd like.

Now we started eating this before I had a chance to measure how much it made. I can tell you we served these in the Fillo Factory Brand Mini Fillo Shells. I love these shells, they are so cute, convenient, organic and VEGAN! It filled 15 of the shells. They are a cute tasty little appetizers. Fred loved them, so I will make them again soon and measure the volume for you. Our jalapenos were a bit wimpy tonight, so next time I might up the amount, but my heat tolerance has been pretty high lately.

Serving Suggestions

You might also like to serve these as a sandwich, a wrap with some avocado, or in a corn tortilla mini-shell. It's versatile, so have fun!

Look at this cute little guy!

No comments:

Post a Comment