Easy and delicious! A great party appetizer. You can really use any kind of cheese, as long as it’s melty like jack.

1 lb. Monterey Jack

Cut cheese into 1/4 inch squares. Place on nonstick cookie sheet at least 3 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes at 400*.

Allow crackers to cool for before removing from sheet. “Crackers” will have all of the flavor of toasted cheese!

Thanks to Beth C. for this one.

We had a Mexico-themed party at the Boulder Reservoir the other day, so I had to try out this new recipe. I've never made salsa before and it was a hit (though my salsa connoisseur friend Mike said it needed more heat--feel free to adjust accordingly).

Got this one from Sunset, I think. I've always loved the green salsa, more tangy than a plain old tomato-based one. This one was good and fresh--I've upped the cilantro (surprising) and salt.

Lesson learned: The small serrano chiles will roast before everything else, so take them out of the oven earlier so they don't get burnt to a crisp. Seriously.

½ lb. Tomatillos, husked and rinsed
1 thick Onion slice
1 large Poblano chile
1-½ medium Serrano chiles
¾ cup Cilantro, coarsely chopped 
1 clove Garlic
2 tbsp. fresh Lime Juice
¾ tsp. Kosher Salt

Preheat broiler and set a rack about 3 inches from heating element. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and place tomatillos, onion, and both chiles. 

Broil the veggies, turning as needed, until tomatillos and onion are speckled brown and chiles are black all over, about 12-15 minutes. Transfer done vegetables into a covered bowl, and let sit for 5 minutes until chile skins loosen.

Remove stems and blackened skins of chiles. Don’t rinse—it’s okay to leave some of the black bits on. Open the poblano pepper and remove seeds. For extra mild flavor, remove seeds and veins from serranos as well. 

In food processor, pulse vegetables and any juices from the oven, cilantro and garlic. Coarsely puree. Put into a bowl and stir in ¼ cup water, lime juice and salt.
 

People have had bad experiences with hummus–there are a lot of different ways to make it, and not all of them end up tasty. Try this one and you’ll have a whole different view.

In a food processor/blender, mix:
1 can drained Garbanzo beans (reserve some of the juice for later)
4 1/2 Tbsp Tahini (sesame seed paste)
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
5 Tbsp Lemon Juice
2 cloves Garlic
2 Tsp Curry
Couple dashes of Cayenne Pepper
Couple dashes of Sea Salt

Mix it all up, then add some Garbanzo juice if it’s too thick. Add more salt, curry, cayenne to taste. Delish!

Sometimes i double the recipe just to make sure it lasts. This stuff is good with crackers, carrots, on sandwiches, with blue corn chips.

I was with the fam last week and got to enjoy some of my brother’s famous salsa. He’s long been perfecting this recipe, and the combination of sweet, spicy, salty and tangy gives it a fantastic fresh flavor. And it’s got a whole BUNCH of cilantro in it, which you know makes me happy.

The most important variable is the jalapeno—for a really mild version use a small pepper and remove all the seeds. Up the size and seed content to add some heat!

1 8 oz. can Crushed Tomatoes (a good brand, organic if possible)
1 8 oz. can Tomato Sauce (again, good and organic)
1 medium Jalapeno
1 medium sweet Yellow Onion (like a Vidalia), roughly chopped
1 bunch Cilantro
1 large clove Garlic
1 tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
¼ tsp. salt (or to taste)
1 tsp. Maple Syrup (only the real stuff)
Juice of ¼ lime

Place everything except the crushed tomatoes in the food processor and mix well. Add crushed tomatoes at very end, pulse until everything is combined, and serve with good chips.