Pumpkin seeds – chili lime

These are a Halloween must although I am not sure most people LOVE them. I find it is essential to wash them and allow them to dry overnight for best crispy results when baking. I wash them and air dry them (stirring a few times) on paper towels. Season as desired. This year I did lime juice, 3 sprays of olive oil, and 1/4 teaspoon each of these chili powders.

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Then I baked them on a sheet pan at 300 degrees for 20 minutes. I stirred the mix after 10 minutes of baking. My family really tries to limit salt when possible. I did not salt them and I really do not feel as though I miss it.

Homemade tabasco sauce

 

 

This is the first year (of the 8 of my urban garden) that I successfully grew a Tabasco plant….. from a seed. I am pretty proud. Holy cow! It makes a LOT of peppers. So I made hot sauce. I recommend opening windows prior to trying this. The air gets a bit spicy.

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1 cup tabasco peppers – remove stems

2 teaspoons Himalayan salt

2 cups apple cider vinegar

 

Basically you bring all 3 ingredients to a boil in a saucepan. Allow the mix to boil for 5-7 minutes. Gently crush the peppers with a potato masher. Remove the pan from heat and fully cool. Place the mixture in blender/food processor and blend. Transfer the mix to a sealed container and chill in refrigerator for 3 weeks. Strain the seeds and pepper pieces through a metal strainer. Bottle the remaining juice and enjoy.

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After initial mashing:

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After blending. The seeds float.

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Pickled Jalapeno and Carrots

My husband and I garden. This is our 8th year. Our garden seems to be more efficient and grow more each year. Right now, the Texas heat leaves us with ample peppers, onions and okra. I searched many recipes online and then altered them to suit our tastes which is pretty spicy.

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The color is a bit cloudy because I have ground bay leaves and oregano instead of whole.

The ingredients:

3 large carrots – peel and sliced

1 yellow onion – peel and slice

10 small jalepenos – trim of stems and slice. I did not remove seeds.

6 whole garlic cloves

1.5 cups apple cider vinegar

1 cup water

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon salt

1-2 tablespoons whole peppercorn

1 teaspoon ground mexican oregano

1 teaspoon ground bay leaves

1 teaspooon whole cumin seeds

1 teaspoon whole coriander seed

Saute the veggies in olive oil over medium heat for 5 minutes or so. Add in vinegar, water, and all spices. Bring to a boil and then lower heat and simmer 10 minutes. Cool completely. Pour into jars. This will keep for about 4 weeks in the refrigerator. I did not process mine for shelf storage. It made 4-5 pint sized mason jars.

The photo on the right shows the final color you want the jalapenos to be after boiling. That is how you know to stop cooking them.

My husband wanted more heat. I did a second batch using 5 carrots, 4 jalapenos,  and 2 seeded habaneros. That was too hot for me. He loved it.