Chicken Chipotle Tostada

George Hirsch February 7, 2025

Much like an open-faced sandwich or pizza, tostadas usually have a base of corn, sometimes flour tortillas that are toasted, usually by frying in oil, but can also be toasted on a grill or griddle, resulting in easier preparation and a much healthier version without sacrificing taste. What makes for great-tasting tostadas is the toppings with a variety of flavorful condiments such as beans, cheese, crema fresca (somewhat like crème fraîche), sour cream, chopped cabbage, or lettuce, sweet onions, jalapeños, guacamole, and salsa.

CHICKEN CHIPOTLE TOSTADA
From George Hirsch Living it UP!
chefgeorgehirsch.com | George Hirsch Lifestyle

Makes 4
4 6-inch Flour tortillas or very fresh corn tortillas
2 Tablespoons olive oil for tortillas
2 Chicken breasts, marinated, grilled, and thinly sliced
1/4 cup monetary jack cheese, shredded

Optional toppings: Pureed pinto beans, chopped sweet onions, finely shredded cabbage or lettuce, sliced jalapeños, guacamole, tomatillo sauce, salsa, crema fresca or crème fraîche, or sour cream.

For The Chicken Marinade:
Juice of two limes
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 oz Tequila
2 Tablespoons cilantro
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tablespoon chipotle hot sauce
1 teaspoon cumin

Combine all marinade ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well. Pour over chicken, cover, and refrigerate for two hours.

Preheat the grill or griddle to medium-high.

Grill chicken 4-5 minutes each side or until done. Do not overcook. After grilling and cooling chicken breasts, slice them into small pieces.

For the Chipotle Sauce:
1/4 cup orange juice
2 Tablespoons barbeque sauce
1 Tablespoon chipotle hot sauce
1 Tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped

Mix all ingredients in a small pot, simmer for 3 minutes, and cool.

To Assemble Tostadas:

Lay tortillas flat and brush with olive oil, top with pureed pinto beans, sliced grilled chicken, cheese, chipotle sauce, and cilantro.

Place the Tostada on the grill or griddle on medium/ low heat, or bake it in a preheated 375-degree F oven.

Bake for 2-3 minutes, remove when cheese melts and tortillas are light brown.

Serve with fresh cilantro, wedges of fresh limes, and your favorite toppings such as chopped sweet onions, finely shredded cabbage or lettuce, jalapeños, guacamole, tomatillo sauce, salsa, crema fresca, or sour cream.

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Apple Pumpkin Crumb Muffins

George Hirsch November 4, 2024

Seems like yesterday I was driving home from the beach (OK, it was yesterday). But then I passed one of my local farm fields filled with pumpkins. So ready-or-not the season has changed. At home I can still enjoy the best of both seasons on the farm and all the goodness from the farm.

Autumn is one of my favorite food seasons. Here's my seasonal spin on the average apple muffin - add pumpkin and crumb. Great to take on-the-go too. Enjoy!

Apple Pumpkin Crumb Muffins

Makes 18 muffins or 9 x 13 coffee cake

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For the crumb topping:

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup flour

3/4 cup oats, not quick cooking

1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

1/2 cup melted butter

Mix all sugars, flour, oats and nuts. Pour in butter and mix until topping looks like wet sand. Do not over mix; topping should have a lumpy consistency. Reserve crumb topping and prepare muffin batter.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Lightly grease 18 muffin cups or use paper liners.

For the muffins: see recipe below

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour; or 50/50 whole wheat flour

2 cups pure cane granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ginger

Pinch allspice & fresh grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup can pumpkin puree

1/2 cup applesauce, or vegetable oil

2 cups Green or baking apples, peeled, core and chopped into small pieces

In a large bowl, add flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, vanilla, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, pumpkin and oil. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; stirring just to until flour is absorbed. Add chopped apples.

Add batter into prepared muffin cups 3/4 filled. Top each muffin with crumb mixture and bake.

Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.

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Granula

George Hirsch January 30, 2024

Granola is a popular healthy breakfast cereal + snack with a nuttier history than the pile of pecans and almonds in its recipe.

Here's a bit of granola history: Briefly, granola's roots trace back to the mid-1800s beginning with an American physician and minister named Dr. Sylvester Graham (preaching temperance & nutrition), who created the Graham Cracker. Then, in 1863, Dr. Jackson took Dr. Graham’s cracker one step further by grinding up this whole wheat biscuit into smaller pieces and then baking it, which became known as “Granula.” Sound familiar?

That was when Dr. Kellogg’s whole-wheat breakfast food was renamed “Granola” because of a pending lawsuit initiated by Dr. Graham regarding his trademark rights to the Granula name. BTW, Dr. Kellogg’s Granola cereal never really caught on commercially. But, in 1898, granola inspired Charles Post’s Grape Nuts Cereal.

Not all healthier cereal was Kellogg's inspired, though. A similar cereal by the Swiss Dr. Bircher-Benner created the popular Swiss cereal Muesli in the 1900s after hiking in the Swiss Alps. Birchermüsli Complet is still a popular food served, especially on hot summer evenings. It's a combo of whole grains, fruits, and nuts, topped with good Swiss cream and yogurt.

Like Dr. Bircher-Benner’s Muesli, granola is delicious beyond the breakfast table. It is a great midday snack and is good topped on ice cream. Granola makes a taste baking topper on fresh summer fruits like peaches. Just bake as you would a cobbler. Prepare a fresh berry parfait or Creamy Rice Pudding from George Hirsch Lifestyle TV Series as an elegant dessert!

Today, granola recipes are as varied as our imagination and are so easy to make your own. Start with rolled oats (not quick-cooking oats).

Spices may include cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom, orange zest, and crystallized ginger.

Nuts or seeds; may include almonds, cashews, pecans, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, and pecans.

Other additions may include coconut, cranberries, raisins, dates, peanut butter, pure maple syrup, honey, or brown sugar. I almost hate to say it - even chocolate chips. Just use very good quality chocolate.

George's Granola

About 12 servings

chefgeorgehirsch.com | from George Hirsch Living it UP! cookbook

2 cups of rice cereal

2 cups bran cereal

2 cups rolled oats (not quick-cooking or instant)

1 cup raisins or any combination of dried fruit

1/2 cup pecans chopped

1/2 cup honey

Optional for flavor: 2 Tablespoons butter, melted

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Vegetable spray

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Spray vegetable spray on a nonstick roasting pan or use parchment paper.

Combine the rice cereal, bran, rolled oats, pecans, cinnamon, melted butter, and honey.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, then remove from the oven. Granola should brown evenly; the browner it becomes, the crunchier and nuttier the granola will taste. Use caution not to burn. Mix in the raisins. Cool completely and store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to one week.

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Top Of The Muffin To You

George Hirsch April 16, 2023

Who doesn’t like a good muffin? After all, once the recipe is mixed, it bakes in minutes and is ready to serve.

Tips: Using very ripe bananas (black) is the key to success with a banana muffin recipe. Save ripe bananas and freeze them in a plastic bag until you have enough to make a full recipe.

For a "lower fat" muffin, replace the butter in part or all with applesauce.

Banana Nut Muffins

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makes 10-12 muffins

Optional: For the Crumb Topping:

1/3 cup light brown sugar

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 Tablespoons nuts, chopped

1 Tablespoon sweet butter

Mix brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nuts in a small bowl. Blend butter in with a fork until the mixture is crumb-like.

For the Muffin Mix:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups, about 3-4 large very ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 cup pure cane granulated sugar

3 Tablespoons honey

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest

1/2 cup sweet butter, melted or replace with part/ all applesauce

Lightly grease 10 muffin cups or line them with muffin papers.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and follow the directions below.

Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, honey, egg, cinnamon, vanilla, zest, nuts, and melted butter. Fold in the banana mixture by hand with a spatula into the flour mixture until moistened.

Place batter into muffin cups filling each cup to three-quarters full. Divide the crumb topping evenly over the top of the muffin batter.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin; when a toothpick comes out clean or when touched lightly, the muffin should resist finger pressure slightly.

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Macho Nacho

George Hirsch January 2, 2020

Sliced Steak Plank Salmon click watch final.jpg

This shrimp nacho is a nice way to kick up post holiday meals. The shrimp is marinated in lime and tequila and then served over a bed of nachos. Even better about this recipe its a quick heat up in the oven—or brave hearts can take it outside to the grill for a smoky flavorful addition.

Cilantro Shrimp Nachos

Makes One Platter of Nachos

chefgeorgehirsch.com | From George Hirsch Living it UP! cookbook

1 pound large shrimp 26-30, peeled deveined and marinated

1/4 cup cooked or canned black beans

1/4 cup corn, cooked or grilled off the cob

2 green onions, chopped

6 jalapeno peppers, grilled & sliced

4 cups tortilla chips (assorted, blue corn, red corn, and yellow corn)

1 Tablespoon cilantro, roughly chopped

1/2 cup jack cheese, shredded

For the Shrimp Marinade:

1/4 cup lime juice

2 oz Tequila

2 Tablespoons cilantro

1 Head caramelized garlic

1 Tablespoon hot sauce

1 teaspoon cumin

2 Tablespoons corn syrup

In a medium bowl, combine all marinade ingredients. Add shrimp and allow to marinate 20 minutes in the refrigerator, drain and save marinade.

Pre-heat a grill or saute pan. Pour in the reserved marinade and bring to a quick boil. Add shrimp and cook on high heat for 4-5 minutes or until shrimp is cooked. Remove cooked shrimp from pan and reserve.

To assemble nachos- on an oven proof or grill pan, place tortilla chips, beans, corn, green onions, jalapenos, cooked shrimp and cheese. Warm on covered grill until nachos are warm and cheese melts. Top with fresh cilantro and serve with pico de gallo and guacamole.

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