It's Test Kitchen Tuesday!

Welcome back to Que-Licious!

Well, here it is as promised...TEST KITCHEN TUESDAY...woohoo!

Nothing makes me happier than, as my grandma would say, "piddlin' around the kitchen". For my first blog from the test kitchen I wanted to share some easy make ahead recipes for some of my favorite salad dressings. I found these recipes in a cookbook my daughters bought for me as a Mother's Day gift one year. I enjoyed it so much that I bought one for my good friend Amy Donaldson @LiveLoveMom, who is a fabulous mom blogger who truly lives in the moment of her family.

The cookbook..."Real Women Eat Chiles" by Jane Butel, is a must have for anyone, woman or man, who loves and appreciates the wonder, joy, and "yumminess" of a good chile pepper. Please don't misunderstand my tastes here. I enjoy flavorful food with some heat, especially the kind that sneaks up on you the longer you enjoy a dish. I don't like heat to the point of pain when your food is unbearable to eat...there is no enjoyment in that whatsoever. Which brings me back to what I call my Chile Cookbook. For those of you out there starting your new year off dieting or eating healthier, you will really enjoy the recipes I am going to be sharing with you on Tuesday! JD & I both are eating healthier and are making an effort to be more active everyday. I believe this cookbook will allow us to eat naturally low-fat flavorful foods so that we don't feel like we are actually dieting.  The real beauty about the recipes in this cookbook is that you can actually control the level of heat that is comfortable to you by substituting a hot chile with a milder version more suited to your own tastes. The Cook's Thesaurus is a great website that helps me decide which substitution I want to make.Typically, I tend to follow the recipes in the book because I like a little heat.

So...Let's get cookin'!

In the back of the cookbook is a section titled Sauces & Salsas. Making these items ahead of time will save time in preparing the recipes throughout the cookbook. Plus, you can even double or quadruple the recipes and freeze them in single batches for later use.

First...gather all the goodies!

Ingredients for homemade chile dressing.

Out of respect for all the hard work the author put into the cookbook, I will only be sharing my favorite recipes along with some tips that work for me in my kitchen. I am always in the market for time-saving tips for food prep so please feel free to comment with what kitchen shortcuts work best in your kitchen. Here are the recipes for my two favorite dressings; Hot Red Chile Dressing & Spicy Cilantro Lime Dressing.

Hot Red Chile Dressing
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon hot red chile
2 tablespoons red wine or balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, preferable Spanish

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk, or place in a mason jar and shake. Will keep for up to 1 month in the refrigerator.
Preparation Time: 5 minutes, Yield: 1/2 cup

Per Serving(1/4 of recipe): Calories 47, Protein 0-g, Carbohydrates 1-g, Fiber 0-g, Fat 4-g, Saturated Fat 0-g, Cholesterol 0-g, Sodium 97 mg

Spicy Cilantro Lime Dressing3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (1 or 2 limes)
1 tablespoon honey, preferably desert blossom
1 tablespoon cilantro, coarsely chopped
1/2 jalapeno, minced
Pinch of salt (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until well blended. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding salt, if necessary. This item will keep in the refrigerator for up to one month.
Preparation Time: 5 minutes, Yield: 1/2 cup

Per Serving(1/4 of recipe): Calories 21, Protein 0-g, Carbohydrates 6-g, Fiber 0-g, Fat 0-g, Saturated Fat 0-g, Cholesterol 0-g, Sodium 1 mg

The finished product.

I not only use these items as dressing on my salad but also as a marinade for smoked chicken and shrimp, steak, and grilled veggies. I store these items in the glass bottles I use for bottling our barbecue sauce; however, a standard mason jar or freezer container works just as well. They also make wonderful gifts at the holidays, birthdays, or any gift giving occasion. In the coming "Test Kitchen Tuesday" posts I will be sharing some other time saving make ahead salsa's, Chile sauce, pesto, and other specialty condiments. I am also working on the process for a giveaway for the "Test Kitchen Tuesday" segment and as soon as I work out the detail I will be posting the information here at Que-Licious!

I hope you have enjoyed the first post of "Test Kitchen Tuesday". Come back to Que-Licious! daily for new posts and updates on my whiskey-soaked barbecue journey.

Keep cookin' y'all!