Tag Archives: low carb

Red Chile Sauce

This, though we usually use canned (La Victoria), is what we use for enchiladas.  We always have.  So, when I was looking for an actual recipe to make our own and most of the recipes out there call for tomato sauce I just about flipped out!  LOL!

http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_circulars/Circ533.html

Red Chile Sauce

Makes about 1 cup

Red chile salsa (sauce) can be made from dried chile pods.

Select dry chile pods in optimum condition. Do not use pods with signs of mold, insect infestation, disease, or decay. (Chile pods from ristras sprayed with plastic, shellac, or insecticide are not edible and are to be used for decorative purposes only.)

Remove stems, seeds, and yellow veins from chile pods. Twelve to 14 large chile pods yield about 1 pint of chile puree. Leave the veins if a more pungent product is desired. Wash pods in warm water, lifting pods out of the water and changing the water several times.

Place washed chile pods in a pan and cover with warm water for 1/2-1 hour to allow pods to rehydrate. Add warm water as needed. Simmer pods and water for 10 minutes. Pulp should be soft, thick, and separating from the skin. Place chile pods and some of the water in a blender and blend until a smooth puree is obtained. Run puree through a sieve or colander to remove any unwanted peeling bits.
Measure:
1 c. chile puree
1 c. water
1 minced garlic clove (optional)
1/2 t. salt
2 T. vegetable oil
1/2 t. crushed oregano leaves (optional)

In a sauce pan mix chile puree, water, garlic, salt, and fat. Simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add oregano and simmer another 5-7 minutes. This yields 1 pint or enough for four servings of enchiladas of three tortillas each.  Store left-over salsa or puree in the freezer for later use.

Nutrition Facts

Calories    54.2,  Total Fat    5.1 g,  Sodium    458.5 mg,  Potassium    4.1 mg,  Total Carbohydrate    2.1 g ( Dietary Fiber 0.3 g,  Sugars 0.4),  Protein    0.2 g, Vitamin A    18.8 %, Vitamin C    3.3 %

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Stevia

I have just started my journey with stevia.  The one plant I got a few months ago (I need more) just isn’t enough for all the experimenting I need to do in order to fully incorporate this wonderful plant into my diet.  From all the reading I have been doing, it seems the best way to use the stevia plant as a sweetener is as an extract.  This E-How article explains it perfectly:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2083187_make-stevia-extract.html

It seems the key to eliminate the bitterness is to limit the time the plant material is in the alcohol.  While there are directions out there that use water instead of alcohol, it seems the alcohol pulls out the sweet elements of the plant more efficiently.

So, once I have the extract, how will I use it?  I found this conversion in this .pdf:

http://www.itascanaturopathicclinic.com/Stevia___FOS_Recipes_00000.pdf

Now, I did make a coffee drink with stevia (this is where my leaves have gone so far) but I tripled the amount of stevia called for and it still wasn’t sweet enough for me (so I added a little Splenda).  It also uses water, which from what I’ve read does not extract enough sweetness.  Here’s the coffee drink:

https://www.facebook.com/notes/bulk-herb-store/iced-coffee-sugar-free-and-delicious/10150263228642086

So, onward and upward.  I will be purchasing a few more stevia plants this week and we’ll see how things go!