Earlier this year I had Chipotle Mexican Grill for the first time in California.  Needless to say I loved it.  I especially loved the guacamole and chips.  After a bit of research, I realized that the recipes for their food items were published online so you can try them at home.

If you have never heard of Chipotle Mexican Grill or have never tried the food there… you must!  Their food with integrity philosophy is really eye catching and hits close to home when you think of prepared food in a restaurant setting.

Chipotle’s Story

“Food with Integrity” is our commitment to always look closer, dig deeper, and work harder to ensure that our actions are making things better, not worse. It’s our promise to run our business in a way that doesn’t exploit animals, people or the environment. It is the philosophy that guides every decision we make at Chipotle.

Well of course I had to try it out.  I did this a while ago and just never posted it for you to enjoy.  Here is the low down on what I feel is one of the top 5 guacamole I have ever had.

Ingredients

• 2 Hass Avocados
• 1/2 of a Jalapeno pepper, seeded, and minced
• 1/4 of a red onion, finely chopped
• 2 heaping Tablespoons of Cilantro, finely chopped
• 1/4 of a lime, juiced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Method

1. Combine all of the ingredients into a bowl, and mash together until smooth.
2. Add additional lime juice or salt to taste. For extra spicy guacamole, you can leave in the jalapeno seeds!

Zesty Tip: This recipe is an approximation based on the original Chipotle recipe. Please use it as a base for your guacamole creation, and feel free to make improvements based on your own personal preferences.

Ok, I have to get to work…. 3 million things to do after being away last week and away all weekend.  Have a great start to your week and I cannot wait to hear your favorite guacamole recipe in the comments.  You know you have to tell me them so don’t be shy.

Take care

zesty

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Happy Wednesday to you!   It feels like I am going full throttle all the time with the house, work and zesty and sometimes feeling like I do not have the proper time to create great meals.  I’ve been craving cream cheese as of late and I had just picked up a fresh bunch of dill from the farmers market so I thought I would make a fresh dip.  This dip recipe is great with some kashi crackers or some fresh bread.

The recipe is very simple but again refreshing with the dill.  It doesn’t get much easier than this – see below for the scoop on how to make this delicious dip for your next party.

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) Package cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 Cup sour cream
• 1 Cup Crumbled Feta Cheese
• 1/2 Tsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill weed
• 1/2 Tsp. minced garlic (optional)

Method

1. In a medium bowl, blend cream cheese, feta cheese and sour cream with an electric mixer until smooth.



2. Mix in  salt, dill and garlic.
3. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to blend flavors.
4. Enjoy!!

Zesty Tip: When working with cream cheese,  it is best to let out to become to room temperature as it will mix much easier and create that great consistency.  By choosing the cream cheese light version you will not see a degradation in flavor.

I hope you have a great hump day!  If you have any recipe ideas to feature here, I am open for suggestions.  Drop me a comment and tell me what you would love to see zesty make.

Take care

zesty

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Do we really need a reason or excuse to make chicken wings? For me… The answer is No.

However football season is back in full swing and what better food to be munching on while watching all the action is some spicy chicken wings. This recipe is nothing fancy but the process of combining the dry ingredients and then adding the oil to make a paste allows a nice crust to form on the wings while cooking. If you have a some people over and need another munchie on the menu… you could always try some knock out chicken nachos.

Ingredients

• 1 (5 lbs) bag Chicken wings
• 1 tablespoon Cayenne
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon Onion powder
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions

1. Rinse Chicken and pat dry.
2. If wings are whole, cut off and discard pointed tip and halve wings at the main joint
3. In food processor or blender, combine all remaining ingredients, EXCEPT oil.
4. Process until well blended.
5. With machine on, slowly add in oil and process until a thick paste forms.
6. In a large bowl, combine wings and paste.
7. Toss until wings are well coated.
8. Cover and refrigerate over night.
9. Broil or grill wings until nicely browned outside and cooked through.
10. Serve warm or at room temp.

One of my favorite parts of this chicken wing dish is the dipping sauce. The blue cheese dip goes very well and is a nice balance with the heat of the chicken wing.

Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces blue cheese
• 1 teaspoon hot red pepper sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and process on high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.
• Pour into a decorative bowl.

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