chipotle chiles in adobo Archives

When we moved from our family home to a condo a few years ago, I set up one of the bedrooms as my office. It has a huge desk and a really comfy ergonomic chair, perfect for sitting and writing blog posts, editing photos and all the other desk work I do. There is a huge window and lots of lovely light. Yet, somehow, I’m not using this space as I envisioned.

My office has become a storeroom for all my props, an addiction that has usurped my previous addiction for shoes, as well as a repository for all the items I’m not sure what to do with yet. Oh, and under the floating bookshelves, are several cases of empty wine bottles that have been piling up since social distancing began almost 19 weeks ago, but we won’t go there today.

I spend all my time in my kitchen. I have a small sitting area, off the kitchen, with two chairs and an ottoman. I bought a laptop tray and have set up an office from there. I’m happy, so all is good, but I really need to organize that office.

I’m excited to share this recipe with you today. It’s moved into our weekly rotation of dinners around here. The inspiration came from a Bon Appetit recipe for Chipotle Honey Shrimp Tacos. This is my adaptation. I love a dinner you can eat with your hands, where everyone assembles their own. This used to really confuse my husband. He would come to the table and see all the bowls of ingredients and sauces and say, “Cin, what do we do here?” It’s become one of our favourite family jokes.

Start with marinating boneless, skinless chicken thighs in a mixture of honey and canned chipotle chiles in adobo. They are found in the Latin/Mexican section of the supermarket. If you can’t find them, I included instructions for making a substitute sauce in the recipe.

Let the chicken marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes. Roast in a 375°F oven for about 30 minutes. While the chicken is roasting, prep all the sides. Anything goes here. Be creative. I used red and green cabbage, sliced jalapeños, pickled red onions, cilantro, avocado and lime. I mixed up a quick crema sauce with garlic, mayo and dairy-free sour cream (Tofutti sour cream).

Serve with beer (optional) and lots of napkins (not optional). These are a delicious drippy mess.

Click here to print recipe for Honey-Chipotle-Chicken-Tacos Download

I have been making squash fries at least once a week for over two years now. It recently occured to me that that I have not shared the recipe with you yet. My bad! Sorry about that. Once you try them, you too will be serving them often. I started making them around the same time that I discovered smoked paprika. Squash and smoked paprika are just made for each other. I usually roast vegetables at a high heat (450°F), which gives then that gorgeous char. However, I have been reading that roasting veggies at a low temp (250°F) deeply concentrates the flavours and gives you a velvety-custardy texture. They turn out more evenly cooked and less shriveled than their high-heat friends. I will admit that the roasting time balloons from 45 minutes to over 2 hours, but it’s unattended roasting time. If you can plan ahead, your patience will be rewarded.

First we need to tackle peeling and cutting the squash. This can be scary if you don’t know what you’re doing. Here’s my method.

Make sure you spread them out in a single layer on the baking sheet.I love dipping them in chipotle mayo. I just mix low fat mayo (please do not use that fat-free stuff) with canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce. It is commonly found in the Mexican section of the supermarket. One can will give you way more than you need for this recipe. Here’s what I do to deal with leftovers. Remove all the seeds from the chiles, and process into a smooth paste in the food processor. Transfer paste to a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze. Once the paste is frozen solid, transfer to a zip-loc bag and store in freezer. Then you can simply break off pieces as you need them. Here are some great ideas on what to do with leftover chipotles.

Salt and Serenity

Tales from my kitchen

Tag Archives: chipotle chiles in adobo

Chipotle Honey Chicken Tacos

Squash Fries with Chipotle Mayo

Click here to print recipe for Squash Fries with Chipotle Mayo.