To get started here are the ingredients that you will need for your salsa:

• Charred, steamed, and pealed Hatch Green Chilies
• Cilantro
• White onion
• Limes
• Fresh Jalapeno or Serano Peppers
• Garlic
• Distilled Vinegar
• Water
• Salt

Combine all of the ingredients in a large pot, like a spaghetti pot.  Then cover the ingredients with water; not until they are floating, just enough for your emulsion blender to have room to work.  If you don’t have an emulsion blender (boat motor for you Emeral fans) then you can blend all the ingredients in your margarita maker and then dump them into the pot.  I like a really fine consistency to my salsa, and I find it seals up better in the canning process.

Simmer the blended salsa for a few minutes and it is ready to go. 

Ok now the good stuff, Hatch Grilled Chicken Enchaladas! There are a couple of challenges when making enchiladas; the tortillas break apartand they get dry in the oven.  So here are a couple of tips to help your enchiladas turn out muy bueno.  You have to cook a corn tortilla to make it hold together.  In a Mexican food restaurant you will see them flash-fry the tortillas in oil before rolling them into enchiladas.  We were doing a grilled chicken for this dish so we just grilled ours.  I like the added dimension of the smoke from the grill, it goes great with this pepper.

To make the enchilada sauce for this dish, we used our green chili salsa.  I just added some chicken stock and creme, it’s really easy.   Just grill your chicken (I used thighs), wait for it to cool and pull it off the bone.  Then you will need some graded cheese, I prefer Monterey Jack and even a little Asiago will add some depth to the flavors. 

To build the Enchiladas: Cover the bottom of a baking dish with the sauce. Take one of your tortillas and fill it with chicken and cheese repeating until you have filled the dish.  Next put a layer of cheese over the top of the enchiladas then cover with the remaining sauce.  Bake it covered on 350 degrees just to melt the cheese and heat the chicken, everything is cooked so you don’t need to over do it.  It is a simple dish that is really satisfying and a great way to use your Hatch Chilies. 

I wish I had a picture of the finished product, but I didn’t have a chance.  Those enchiladas were gone before I could even get the camera out!

It’s an amazing thing to witness a true believer’s faith in times of testing, especially in death.  My family has seen its share of death in the last couple of years and, at times, it has been very trying, but a good friend once said that, “If you live long enough, you are going to die”.   It’s a funny quote but so true; death is something that is afforded to every man (Heb. 9:27).  

In praying for strength and comfort God chose to give me a dream that proved to be a great blessing to me and my family.  I have so often thought of how overwhelmed John the Revelator was as he received his vision of Heaven.  I guess we could never imagine what the feeling of complete freedom is like; living without the burden of sin in our bodies, being removed from the pressures and tragedies of the world that we live in now.  To finish your race and to receive that crown of righteousness that He has laid up for us in Heaven (John 10:9). 

I was lying in bed contemplating the losses that we had suffered and I began to imagine the contrast of being confined to an illness to the total freedom that we have in Christ.  I drifted off into a dream.  Suddenly I was standing at the edge of the most beautiful meadow.  It was a first person experiences, were I was seeing everything from my perspective.  The meadow was surrounded by snow-capped blue mountains silhouetted against a cloudless summer sky.  Knee-high grasses covered the valley of the most beautiful shades of browns and greens. 

I was getting lost in the scenery when the grass began to sway in a coming breeze.  Then a wind like I have never felt blew in from behind me.  It was invigorating and brought me to life like jumping in a cold river.  My eyes opened wide and my hair stood on end as I began to sense something behind me. Before I could turn around horses started running past me and out into the meadow.  They were unlike anything that we know.  They were so tall and strong, hair slick and shining like the sun.  They were so strong, unbelievably strong and fast.  It was like they were gliding on ice, effortless power and grace; they were beautiful.  

As I watched them run past me and into the meadow, it was my natural instinct to wonder why they were running or to what purpose did they have.  No more did that thought cross through my mind than the answer struck me.  They are running because they can! There is no task to complete, their race is already run.  Now they have been turned out into a greener pasture and they are simply running because they can.  They are completely free.

In my human mind, I guess that is as close as I could get to imagine the complete freedom that we will feel when we enter into the Kingdom (Ezekiel 34:31).  Any image of joy that we might concieve will simply pale in comparision to what God has prepared for us.  What a beautiful hope we have as Christians and what amazing grace our God has shown us (Romans 5:8).

At the time that I wrote it, I was struggling.  I had so many questions about salvation, mainly how to be sure that I had it and how not to loose it.  In reading through the simple lines of this poem I could feel those same feelings cropping up again.  I see a man who is trying to assure himself that his sorrow is great enough for God to save him.  That his lamentations are sufficient and that he has done all that is required to receive forgiveness and, more importantly, never loose it.  The problem is, he is worried about what “he” can do. 

The beauty of it is that this man later realizes that salvation is God’s work, not his.  He saved through the finished work of Jesus Christ at the cross.  By His Grace through faith he is justified.  The price that was owed by all of us was paid in full by God’s Christ as he boar our sins.  I grew to realize that to bring any of my own righteousness or works before the throne is an insult to the free gift that He offers.  We as believers are clothed with His righteousness, not our own.  So in the sight of God we are as righteous as His own son. 

Know that as a believer your salvation is secure because it rest in the hands of God All Mighty.  He describes Himself as the Good Sheppard, and tells us that, “of all that the father has given me, I have not lost a single one” John 6:37-39.  And if you are seeking Him, it is because He called you, and He says, “My sheep know my voice, and they will not follow anyone else” John 10:27.  Our salvation is rest in Him and He assures us that “no one can pluck them from my hand” John 10:28-29. What a great place to be. 

Today the simple rhymes of this poem take on a different meaning and I see it as a portrait of a man who is seeking God but doesn’t realize that he has already been found. 

The Precious Vine

In this world I find no rest

Enmity upon my breast.

The weight of chains I can not bear

Yoked to sin by that I swear.

Crying in the wilderness a voice I hear

Mighty God the One I fear.

Upon my face I lament my sin

And by His grace new life begins.

Chosen in love I’ve been set free

Only to Him I bend my knee.

Leading my way He holds my hand

Firm upon the rock I stand.

Longing for the day I drink new wine

Grafted to His precious vine.

In a small sauce pan:

• butter and a little olive oil.
• diced onion.
• red and yellow bell pepper, diced.
• salt/pepper

Let those sautee’ and then set them aside to cool.

In a large mixing bowl:

• the cooled onion and peppers
• jumbo lump crab meat
• course ground mustard
• mayonnaise
• parassian cheese
• Southern Home Style Tortilla or Corn Flake Crumbs

Put just enough of the tortilla crumbs to allow the mixture to bind together.  You don’t want to over-do it on the crumbs because that’s all that you will taste, and after you see the price tag on the crab meat, you will want to make sure and savor every bite! 

Form the mixture into anything from golf ball size up to as big as the palm of your hand.  Remember that the bigger you make them the harder they are to flip in the pan; Crab Cakes are a delicate creature.

Fry them in a heavy pan in about 1/4 inch of olive oil on a medium heat.  They will tend to brown really quickly with this recipe so get your oil to a temperature that will allow for about 1 minute on each side to make a golden brown. 

This is a great recipe to modify.  You can substitute  fish or shrimp for the crab meat, or add hot sauce and cilantro with goat cheese for a Mexican version.  I know you will enjoy making these; they are my most requested dish.

Odds are you can’t get a live goat, so I won’t go into the butchering of the animal, but ask were your goat came from; a grass fed, young goat not over 40 pounds is ideal.  In South Texas we usually get some type of Spanish Goat cross. 

I start by seasoning with Adams Fajita Seasoning, it’s gluten free and goes great with almost anything that you are going to BBQ.  Put the goat on the smoker for about 4 or 5 hours with mesquite wood or charcoal. 

After smoking the meat, put it into a dutch oven with:

• onion
• garlic
• cilantro
• fresh jalapenos or seranos
• the juice of a fresh lime
• mexican oragano
• comino seeds
• tomatos or tomato sauce
• salt
• pepper
• about 1/2 a beer

Put your Cabrito in the oven on 225 degrees for about 2 hours or until it is fall apart tender.  To serve the dish, pull the Cabrito off the bones and put it on a serving plate.  Then spoon the suace from the dutch oven over the meat.  Garnish with cilantro, lime and fresh jalapeno.  Serve the Cabrito with GF Mission Yellow Corn Tortillas and fresh avocado slices or guacamole.

Don’t be nervous about preparing this dish.   If you don’t have a smoker, just do the entire preparation in the dutch oven.  Just start the dish out on 350 for an hour then down to 225 for another 3 hours.  It’s a traditional taste of  Old Mexico that you can prepare gluten free at home.

Tuna is not boring.  There is so much that you can do with this fish.  The picture above is a tuna steak that I seasoned with salt and pepper and then covered in Black sesame Seeds.  I recommend grilling your tuna over mesquite charcoal.  That little bit of smoke gives the dish a rustic dimension that really takes it to another level. 

Tuna is not the usual suspect for fish tacos, but I’ll bet a dollar to your donut that you’ll love it.  The smokey tuna steak goes great with the sweet and peppery mango and the gluten free Mission Yellow Corn Tortillas make this an extremely easy dish to prepare.  The mango salsa is simple: dice fresh mangos, onion, jalapeno, fine chop cilantro, squeeze of lime, salt and pepper.  The salsa adds a ton of flavor and gives the taco that sweet and savory element that is so satisfying.

Tonight we went to my parents house to watch the NBA All-Star contests, so I wanted to spend less time making pizza dough and more time watching the dunk contest!  We picked up a couple bags of Bob’s Red Mill Pizza Crust along with basil leaves, tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and some really good olive oil; everything that you need for a classic Margarita Pizza.  It was a great time and extremely low stress.  The pizza crust is simple to mix up, roll it out and everyone enjoys putting on the toppings over a glass of red wine.  Put some corn meal on your pizza stone or baking sheet; this dough is the best tasting but tends to stick a little bit.  You can make a Margarita Pizza with or without sauce, so start with your pizza crust, layer your sauce, mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, then basil leaves.  A generous drizzle of olive oil and it’s ready for the oven. 

There are so many great gluten free products out there, and don’t be afraid of using them.  Instead of struggling with a “scratch” pizza dough, I spent tonight enjoying my family.  And to be honest, they would have never known the difference; the pizza was awesome!

I don’t know about the rest of the world, but in South Texas we call anything that you fry seafood in…..

Fish Fry (GF)

•  rice flour
•  fine ground corn meal
• garlic powder
• dried thyme
• dried oragano
• dried basil
• dry mustard
• smoked paprika
• black pepper
• salt

When ‘breading” your butterflied shrimp, take one at a time and cover with the fish fry and then dip them into a buttermik bath.  After the butermilk dip,  put the shrimp back into the the fish fry for a second time.  This will insure that the breading will stick and not be floating around the frying pan long after your shrimp have escaped.  And, as I have mentioned before, test out different types of frying oils.  I prefer Canola but corn oil or a blend might work better for your stomach.  Frying oils can be a bit of a tricky situation in regards to gluten.  Fry them at 350 degrees and don’t over crowd the pan.  The oil will drop as much as 20 degrees when you put your raw seafood into it, so only fry a few at a time.   For me fried shrimp is one of those classic comfort foods, and a reminder that eating gluten free doesn’t have to mean giving up your favorites.

A good chicken recipe is worth its weight in gold; and this one is quickly becoming my go-to.  It’s quick and easy enough to have anytime, and it’s easy to get right, so you can feel confident serving it to guest.  Sautéed asparagus, garlic mashed potatoes, and you’ve got a plate for any occasion. 

 Store bought pesto just doesn’t get it done. They usually contain hidden binders and flavor enhancers that will cause problems for you, so just take the time to make your own; homemade pesto is a great thing to keep in your refrigerator. 

Pesto

• Basil leaves
• Parmesan-reggiano
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Walnuts
• Garlic
• Salt / Pepper

Combine everything in your food processor, except the olive oil.  Give it a few pulses until the ingredients break apart, and then start adding your olive oil until you have the desired consistency.  I like it to be thick enough to hold to a spoon. 

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Get your chicken out of the refrigerator.  For this dish I like to use a whole chopped chicken, but split breast are also great.  Just make sure you use pieces that have bones and skin; this will intensify your sauce.
3. In a large roasting pan combine
   1. 2 scoops of your homemade pesto
   2. 1 cup of white wine (I like a Pinot Grigio with this dish)
   3. 1 cup of chicken stock
   4. 2 cloves chopped garlic
   5. ½ cup diced onion
   6. 2 tbsp of butter
   7. Salt and pepper to taste
4. Mix the ingredients together until combined into a sauce. There should be about ¼ inch of liquid in the bottom of the pan.
5. Add chicken pieces and rub them in the sauce until they are completely covered.  You will need to use your hands!
6. Put your chicken in the oven, uncovered, for about 45 minutes.  If you are not sure if your chicken is done, just take one of the dark meat pieces out and cut into it.  If the juices are clear, it’s done. 
7. Take the chicken out of the oven. Next remove the chicken from the pan and place on a serving dish. 
8. Pour the sauce from the pan into a medium sauce pan.
9. Over medium-high heat, simmer your sauce until it thickens. If it won’t thicken add some butter. This sauce really comes together when you take it off the heat, so don’t worry if it looks a little thin.  If it will lightly coat a spoon, it’s ready.
10. Last pour the sauce over the chicken.  Garnish with some fresh parsley and even a lemon wedge is nice with this chicken. 

After you have made this dish a couple of times it really is easy to put together.  And if you have your pesto already made, it’s even easier.  We like to serve Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio; it’s dry and flavorful with a pleasant aftertaste that complements the chicken.

The Rub (steak x)

• Sea Salt
• Course Black Pepper
• Paprika
• Cayenne Pepper
• Dark Chili Powder
• Dried Garlic
• Dried Parsley Flakes
• Brown Sugar
• Almost Espresso Grind Coffee
• Ground Coriander Seed

You will just have to play-around with the quantities because that’s what will make it your own.  And remember to get your grill hot! I prefer mesquite lump charcoal, but a high BTU gas grill is the best for consistency and ease of use. Put a good crust on the steak and those ingredients, along with the natural fats, will caramelize and give you a great flavor and texture.  I like a seasoning that enhances the flavor of the beef instead of covering it up; this rub does just that.

Finding GF Seasonings

If you have a Whole Foods or a Central Market near by, that is your best bet for quality GF seasonings.  We live out in the sticks, so I started looking for a store brand that was gluten free.   Adams Extracts (you have used their Vanilla Extract) makes a line of spices that are all Gluten Free.  All the ingredients listed above are available GFree from Adams.