My girls and I love to eat at Qdoba’s restaurant.  We always get the burrito bowl, sometimes with rice sometimes without (we like brown rice but you can also use quinoa or another grain).  We try to eat really healthy the majority of time but we admit to having a serious queso weakness!  A mix of a little bit of queso and pico de gallo makes a perfectly divine dressing.

This bowl in comprised of baked chicken thighs (which have so much more flavor than breasts, I buy frozen and bake from frozen state) liberally sprinkled with Milford’s Mexican Blast, shredded lettuce, rice if you want it, black beans and corn, pico de gallo and queso.  We topped the bowl with some baked corn tortilla strips for crunch.  This fabulous south of the border seasoning is hand blended from Mexican Oregano, black pepper, ancho powder, pasilla powder, chipotle powder, cumin, garlic flakes, granulated onion, onion flakes and coriander.  This blend is fantastic in any south of the border recipe!

We enjoyed a cold glass of chardonnay with this meal.

Enjoy!

Many years ago I was introduced to Tacos Al Pastor at a tiny, hole in the wall, Mexican restaurant in Boulder, CO.  I thought these were the most amazing tacos I had ever had. I cannot express how excited I was when Milford Spice Company introduced their version of this fabulous blend of Mexican flavors…

These are soo easy to make, just a few simple ingredients and voila, a wonderful, healthy dinner the whole family will love!  Traditionally, this pork is made on a spit and slow roasted for hours.  Juicy interior and crisp at the same time, deeply flavored by chilies with a hint of sweetness from the pineapple.  This version is much simpler and the results are fantastic.  You can keep or drain as much of the marinade as you want.  delicious either way!

Tacos Al Pastor is hand blended from chipotle, ancho and guajillo peppers, annatto, coriander, garlic, kosher sea salt, cumin, cilantro and Mexican oregano.

An ice cold Tecaté beer is terrific with this meal.

Wine & Spice Makes Everything Nice!

Eating healthier in the new year! Trying some new things to lighten up some of our favorite dishes. Cauliflower is surprisingly similar in texture to rice and can be substituted for this usually high carb side. Today I made a “risotto” by pulsing the cauliflower in food processor, then sauteéing and adding mushrooms, chicken broth and parmesan/romano cheese. Very flavorful and satisfying. Even my uber-picky hubby loved it.

I used one of my absolute favorite spice blends—An Evening in Tuscany. This amazingly flavorful blend is hand blended from garlic, Kosher salt, Mediterranean oregano, basil, crushed red pepper, black pepper, rosemary, onion and parsley. Fantastic on just about anything.

I paired this wonderful risotto with some easy baked jumbo shrimp—low calorie and waist friendly.

Hope you enjoy!

Wine & Spice Makes Everything Nice!

This soup is wonderful on a cold winters night (or truly, anytime of the year).  It is a light, filling and so flavorful.  Simmering the beef long and slow makes the beef bites incredibly tender!  Mushrooms and barley go so well with the beef.  You can make this on the stovetop or in a slow cooker on low for 6 hours.

This soup is light enough to serve with a grilled cheese sandwich if you so desire.

To make this recipe Paleo friendly, substitute or eliminate the barley.  It will still be delicious!

Ravensview Rosemary Garlic is hand blended from black pepper, rosemary, granulated garlic, granulated onion and sea salt.  This blend is fantastic on potatoes, steaks, lamp chops,  poultry and veggies.  Definitely a must have pantry staple…

We enjoyed cold beer with this meal.

Wine & Spice Makes Everything Nice!