Red or Green | An Inspired Cook

Category: Red or Green
- Candied Bacon with Red Chile
  
  Posted at 10:36 am by NativeNM, on January 19, 2024
  One day I was flipping through the news feed on my phone when I came across a recipe for a thick cut candied bacon sandwich. It looked so good and ever since I’ve been craving one. I didn’t save the article and had to do a bit of research to find a recipe that would hold the flavors that I had in mind. What I found was a great recipe from The Merchant Baker that was easy to prep and very flavorful. I added some red chile flakes to the mix to add some heat which rendered the perfect blend of sweet and spicy. My turkey, bacon and avocado sandwich was so delicious. The candied bacon was a difference maker. You can also elevate any salad with a sprinkle of candied bacon bits. This BLT side salad was so good with bits of candied bacon on top. Whatever you make with your candied bacon, I know it will taste fantastic!
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  Posted in Burgers, Sandwiches, Paninis and Wraps, Recipes, Red or Green, Side Dishes | 2 Comments | Tagged Bacon, BLT Salad with Candied Bacon, Breakfast, Brown Sugar Maple Glazed Bacon with Red Chile, Candied Bacon Turkey and Avocado Panini, Candied Bacon with Red Chile, Candied Bacon with Red Chile Spices, Turkey Candied Bacon and Avocado Sandwich
- Spinach Artichoke & Green Chile Dip
  
  Posted at 1:12 pm by NativeNM, on December 8, 2023
  This recipe is inspired by one of our favorite appetizers at Zio’s Italian Kitchen. Zio’s was an Italian restaurant chain that we frequented when we lived in KC. Sadly Zio’s closed their doors for good, but I fondly remember their menu with so many traditional and non-traditional Italian dishes. One of their most popular appetizers was their Baked Spinach and Artichoke Dip. They also used this tasty dip in their Artichoke Chicken Pizza and Artichoke Pasta Florentine. Today I’m recreating their famous dip with a New Mexico twist by adding green chile. This is an amazing appetizer plus I’ve included my version of their pizza and pasta dishes. If only I could figure out how they made those mini French loaves that they brought to the table with bread dipping spices . . . they were so good!
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  Posted in Dutch Oven and Cast Iron, Entree, Pizza and Calzones, Recipes, Red or Green, Salsa, Guacamole and Dips, Snack | 6 Comments | Tagged Spinach Artichoke & Green Chile Dip, Spinach Artichoke Dip, Spinach Artichoke Dip with Green Chile, Spinach Artichoke Pasta, Spinach Artichoke Pizza, Zio's Artichoke Chicken Pizza, Zio's Artichoke Pasta Florentine Copycat, Zio's Baked Spinach Artichoke Dip, Zio's Italian Kitchen Copycat Recipes
- Duke City French Dip with Red Chile Au Jus
  
  Posted at 9:19 am by NativeNM, on September 1, 2023
  Joe and I love this local cafe called Cinnamon, Sugar and Spice Cafe. They have 2 locations in Albuquerque but both are across town from us so it’s a treat every time we’re in the area. It’s a popular place with locals standing in long lines to order from an extensive menu including breakfast and lunch items. There is a counter behind glass lined with baking sheets filled with freshly made baked goods and pastries. Baristas are busy making specialty coffee’s and tea to order. We have never been disappointed with anything we’ve ordered and today was no exception. Joe ordered the Duke City French Dip topped with Green Chile and a side of Red Chile Au Jus. He shared a bite with me and it was amazing!! So of course I was inspired to remake it which also turned out pretty amazing. To start, I needed a package of sliced rare roast beef and some soft rolls. Since it’s green chile season here in New Mexico, I picked up some fresh chiles from a local farm and roasted them myself. Cinnamon’s au jus was spiked with ground red chile so I tried a combination of NM Red, Guajillo and Chile de Arbol to add flavor and a little bit of a kick. We thoroughly enjoyed this NM chile twist to an old favorite.
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  Posted in Burgers, Sandwiches, Paninis and Wraps, Condiments and Sauces, Dutch Oven and Cast Iron, Recipes, Red or Green, Side Dishes | 4 Comments | Tagged @Cinnamon Sugar and Spice Cafe, Duke City French Dip with Red Chile Au Jus, Green Chile French Dip with Red Chile Au Jus, Red Chile Au Jus, Red Chile Breakfast Potatoes, Red Chile Fried Potatoes, Red Chile Pan Fried Potatoes
- Grilled Steak Salad with Roasted Corn
  
  Posted at 9:25 am by NativeNM, on August 18, 2023
  We are just beginning to find fresh corn at some of the local farms. Every summer I can hardly wait to get my hands on some freshly picked corn and tomatoes. I’ve been craving a steak salad and finding the corn and tomatoes seemed like the perfect way to incorporate all my favorites into one bowl. Roasting corn brings out the sweetness that tastes so good. I also used some of my container grown parsley and chives to make a gremolata to sprinkle over top. It adds to the flavor of the salad and enhances the creamy balsamic dressing drizzled over top. With all my ingredients on hand this salad came together in 30 minutes. We enjoyed our salads with a slice of toasted French bread with dipping spices and olive oil.
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  Posted in Condiments and Sauces, Entree, Recipes, Red or Green | 3 Comments | Tagged @Los Poblanos Lavender Farm, @santafeoliveoil, Creamy Balsamic Dressing, Fresh Herb Gremolata, Goat Cheese, Gremolata, Grilled Steak Salad with Roasted Corn, Grilled Steak Salad with Roasted Corn and Tomatoes and Avocados, Red and Green Seasoning
- New Mexico Inspired Cuban Sandwich
  
  Posted at 9:58 am by NativeNM, on August 11, 2023
  When you look at this sandwich I realize it really doesn’t look nearly as good as it tastes. I hope you can get past the photo and imagine how this sandwich will taste with all the flavors that are packed within it. The story of this sandwich began in late spring when I got together with my sister Kat for a day out on the town. When we get together it doesn’t matter what we plan for the day, it always includes a lunch date. After some debate we decided on Range Cafe, a local favorite here in Albuquerque. They have a seasonal menu that they change, well . . . seasonally, so if you find something that sounds really good, you’d better order it because next time it might be gone. Their “Spring Features” menu included a Cuban Grilled Cheese that sounded intriguing. It was layered with Pork Carnitas with a Red Chile and Coffee Rub, Green Chile Mustard, Swiss and Cheddar Cheese with Ham and Pickles on a Crusty Baguette pressed panini style. All it took was one bite and I knew this was the one for Joe who loves a good Cuban sandwich. A year ago I made smoked carnitas that featured a red chile and coffee rub so the first order of business was to smoke another pork butt. The green chile mustard did not have roasted green chile but rather was spiked with dried ground green chile. This sandwich is so delicious, it’s been one of our favorite new sandwiches over the summer.
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  Posted in Burgers, Sandwiches, Paninis and Wraps, Recipes, Red or Green, Sandwiches & Paninis | 2 Comments | Tagged Cuban Sandwich, Green Chile Mustard, New Mexico Inspired Cuban Sandwich, Panini Pressed Cuban Sandwich, Red Chile and Coffee Rubbed Pork Cuban Sandwich
- Pork and Green Chile Burritos
  
  Posted at 8:21 am by NativeNM, on July 1, 2023
  Today is the 12th anniversary of An Inspired Cook. I’m proud of the content and how I’ve grown as a better cook over the years. In the beginning, I tried to put out 2 – 3 posts a week but these days I enjoy taking time in between traveling around New Mexico to explore our beautiful state as well as sampling some of the best food along the way. This past year I’ve been taking photos of our favorite dishes from some of the restaurants we’ve visited on our day trips and also here in Albuquerque. We try to seek out where the locals eat, sometimes in a little mountain town or a food truck at an art festival. Sometimes you find the best food at a little unknown cafe out in the middle of nowhere. One day I will put together a “best of” list but today I’m going to share the accidental burrito that changed my perspective on how to build a burrito. The plan was to make some green chile sauce with pork to smother burritos or enchiladas. I had an end piece of a tender pork loin that I saved to go in the sauce. I cut it into small bits and then stir fried the pork with some green chile salt. As the sauce simmered and cooked down it seemed obvious that this would make a delicious filling by scooping out the pork and green chile to fill a couple of tortillas. And there was enough sauce leftover to smother the burritos. It was one of the best tasting burritos I’ve ever made, however I didn’t measure the ingredients or take pictures so this is take two. I made enough for 2 burritos but it can be easily doubled or tripled. You can also substitute ground beef, chicken or steak in place of the pork.
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  Posted in Condiments and Sauces, Dutch Oven and Cast Iron, Entree, Recipes, Red or Green | 8 Comments | Tagged Green Chile Sauce, New Mexico Burritos, Pork and Green Chile, Pork and Green Chile Burritos, Pork and Green Chile Sauce, Pork and Green Chile Smothered Burritos, Pork and Green Chile Wet Burritos
- Mangonada Margarita
  
  Posted at 11:07 am by NativeNM, on May 5, 2023
  Happy Cinco de Mayo all! Cinco de Mayo has always been one of our favorite holidays to celebrate with spicy food and drinks. I have to admit I rarely drink alcohol but I do enjoy a good margarita now and then. It’s just as tasty to leave out the alcohol and make it a mocktail. Mangonada margaritas are made with chamoy sauce and are a favorite among New Mexicans. What is chamoy sauce? Well, it’s described as a salty, sweet, sour and spicy sauce made from a combination of dried fruits such as apricots, mangos or plums with chili powder, salt and sugar. Many of our farmer’s markets or outdoor arts & craft fairs will have a booth selling these tasty chamoy margaritas in a mason jar with lime and Tajin seasoning around the rim. They can be made with other citrus and tropical fruits but mango seems to be the most popular. The explosion of flavors is like nothing you’ll ever taste. I love the tangy salty flavors that are blended with the sweet fruit, spicy chamoy and Tajin spices. And, one day while I was in Spouts Market, I found a bag of spicy chamoy gummi worms . . . OMG they are amazing and fun to put a couple in your margarita! So cute and tasty too. If you haven’t tried one of these tasty drinks, it’s time to make one. You will be happy you did!
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  Posted in Favorite Drinks, Recipes, Red or Green | 2 Comments | Tagged Chamoy Margarita, Chamoy Sauce, Cinco de Mayo, Frozen Margarita, Mango Frozen Margarita, Mango Margarita, Mangonada Margarita, Tajin Seasoning
- Red Cornmeal Scones with Roasted Red Chile
  
  Posted at 9:21 am by NativeNM, on March 24, 2023
  On one of our hiking ventures last year, Joe and I stopped at a roadside stand at Velarde, NM which is north of Espanola. Out front were baskets filled with fruit and vegetables for sale with chile ristras hanging all along the front of the building. What we didn’t know was there was a whole store inside an overhang that had all kinds of dried goods; they had a variety of dried beans, dried corn and red chile. We found jars filled with fruit preserves and salsa’s on shelves that looked so good! I ventured over to a table where we discovered packaged ground cornmeal in yellow, blue and red. I’d never come across red cornmeal before and was so intrigued that I had to have a bag. I had no idea what I would make with it but I knew I wanted to try it. It’s been a few month’s since then but I had an idea to make a savory cornmeal scone to eat alongside a pot of beans or soup. Since the cornmeal was red, I decided to enhance the flavor and color by adding roasted red chile and grated Oaxaca cheese. If you haven’t tried roasted red chile, it has a hint of sweetness while still maintaining the heat of the chile. Ever since I discovered roasted red, I’ve been experimenting with new ways to use it in recipes. I really love these scones and think think you would enjoy them too, drizzled with some red chile honey butter alongside a bowl of your favorite soup. I couldn’t decide if I wanted green chile stew or beans so I added some pinto beans to the stew and it was beyond delicious!!
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  Posted in Bread, Recipes, Red or Green | 4 Comments | Tagged @LosRoast, Cornmeal Scones, Organic Red Corn Meal, Organic Red Cornmeal, Red Chile Honey Butter, Red Cormeal Scones with Roasted Red Chile, Red Cornmeal Scones, Roasted Red Chile
- Heavenly Hash Eggs Benedict
  
  Posted at 10:22 am by NativeNM, on February 23, 2023
  There’s a cozy little restaurant “Hannah and Nates Market Cafe” that serves some of the best breakfast and lunch dishes in Corrales and Albuquerque. One of their signature dishes is the Heavenly Hash which is a mound of hash browns topped with cheese, bacon, sausage or ham, eggs cooked your way with red or green chile. They also make some of the best Eggs Benedicts in town. I always have a hard time deciding whether to order the Heavenly Hash or the Eggs Benedict, so today I’m combining the two with my own version of the perfect breakfast dish. It starts with hash browns that are cheesy and crisp on the outside topped with perfectly poached eggs with hollandaise sauce, crispy bacon bits and diced green chile. The combination is heavenly all right! Joe and I ate every bite, it was so good! But if you want a healthier version, ditch the hollandaise sauce as it is very rich in butter and egg yolks. I took several short cuts to make this timely dish easier with less mess. For instance using dehydrated potatoes cuts down the time it takes to make hash browns from scratch. Microwaving the bacon in less than 5 minutes while leaving no mess on top of the stove is a big plus! And I can’t say enough about using poaching bags; they are the way to go for perfectly poached eggs in only 4 – 5 minutes. It shouldn’t be hard to make breakfast this good!
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  Posted in Breakfast, Recipes, Red or Green | 4 Comments | Tagged @hannahandnatesnm.com, Eggs Benedict, Green Chile and Bacon Eggs Benedict, Hannah and Nates Market Cafe, Hash Browns with Eggs Benedict, Heavenly Hash, Heavenly Hash Eggs Benedict
- Green Chile and Cheese Polenta with Sweet Roasted Corn
  
  Posted at 1:47 pm by NativeNM, on February 17, 2023
  I am not sure if you would consider this grits or polenta with both being made from ground corn. Even my package of Bob’s Red Mill is labeled “Corn Grits also known as Polenta”. However, after looking at several online sources I decided my dish was a polenta dish. Recently Joe and I took our boys out for a seafood dinner which has become our tradition when we get together. Joe ordered blackened mahi with cheesy grits and sweet corn that was so so good! He gave me a taste and I wished I had ordered a side to take home, it was that good. The addition of sweet corn was what made this dish. I loved the contrast between the sweet corn and the savory butter and cheese flavors. After giving it some thought I decided to make a NM inspired polenta that included roasted sweet corn, cheddar cheese and green chile. I paired it alongside some red chile stewed pork that I simmered in my dutch oven all day. I thickened the juices from the pork with a bit more red chile sauce which acted as a thin gravy for the polenta. It was so delicious! We had a bowl of pork and polenta every day until we ran out of polenta. I froze the remaining pork to keep for another day.
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  Posted in Recipes, Red or Green, Side Dishes | 5 Comments | Tagged Bob's Red Mill Corn Grits also known as Polenta, Cheese Polenta with Green Chile, Green Chile and Cheese Polenta with Sweet Roasted Corn, Polenta with Sweet Corn
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