March 17, 2014

Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette

dani@slyrooster.com Salads black beans, chipotles in adobo, dip, salad dressing, vinaigrette 3 Comments

Hopefully, you’ve already made last week’s Roasted Orange Chipotle Shrimp and have the leftover chipotles in adobo tucked away in your refrigerator or freezer. Or maybe you’re planning on giving the recipe a try this week? In either case, you will have plenty of chipotles left to play with, so I thought I’d offer up some additional uses.

The first is a very basic Black Bean Dip that my sister shared with me. I believe that it was torn from the Washington Post over a decade ago and is appealing because of it’s ease, versatility and low-fat nature. It is a perfect dip to serve alongside chips and salsa; and would also be great spread on tortillas as the base for a burrito. This dip can be made well in advance and stored in the refrigerator for up to five days. I adapted the recipe slightly by adding freshly squeezed lime juice. Feel free to play around with it a bit to get the seasonings to your liking. You will notice that the recipe is quite forgiving, meaning, Go ahead add some fresh cilantro. Throw in a little extra cumin. Another chipotle, bring on the heat!–you really can’t go wrong.

The next recipe should be made exactly as it is written and that is because it has been “tested and perfected” by my friend and mentor, Jennifer Segal of Once Upon A Chef. Coincidently, this recipe for Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette landed in my in-box shortly after I posted the Roasted Orange Chipotle Shrimp recipe and was in the process of considering follow-up chipotle recipes. Kismet.

As Jennifer explains, she had always been a fan of Chipotle Mexican Grill’s dressing so she checked-out the ingredients list on the company’s website and started fiddling around with proportions to create her copycat version. Having truly enjoyed every Once Upon A Chef recipe that I’ve made (and I’ve been following and cooking from Once Upon A Chef long before I had the opportunity to meet its maker), I put the kids’ homework on hold and whipped together this dressing. All I can say, after eating three spoonfuls directly from the blender and then tearing up some lettuce to drench, is…YUM! I have about four salad dressings in my arsenal that make me want to become a better salad-maker (I’ve already whined to you about my lack of a salad-making gene) and this one has shot to the top. The heat from the chipotle is perfectly balanced by the honey and it is downright delicious. In addition to being poured over lettuce, it would be equally at home paired with a corn salad, sliced avocado, grilled meats, the list goes on.

So go ahead and pick up that little can of chipotles in the Mexican food section of any supermarket and begin your chipotle chow down. I’ve admittedly left you hanging here on St. Patrick’s Day but you are now well-prepared for Cinco de Mayo. I’m off to make some green pancakes for my kids who are home for their unprecedented TENTH snow day of the school year. Is it too early for a beer? What if it’s green?