And.....we're back!

I apologize for the brief hiatus from posting. I actually got a little vacation time and then did not cook last week due to the weather. Yesterday I finally was able to prepare the accompaniments to the Garlic Lime Marinated Chicken Thighs that I made several weeks ago. I grilled up the chicken with asparagus, which is just coming into season. Remember to grill until just tender, otherwise they will overcook. I also grilled up corn on the cob which we coated in butter and rolled in grated Cotija cheese a la Esperanto in NYC...one of my favorites. This was all served with a simple salad and Rice and Beans, recipe below:

Sweat half an onion diced and 1 clove chopped garlic (in 1 T butter and a splash of oil) until really tender...10 to 15 mintues. Saute with 1 cup cooked brown rice and 1 can of cooked black beans, rinsed. Add 1 t ground cumin and 2 t chili powder. Season with salt and pepper and serve. Delicious and healthy!

We finished up this yummy and light spring meal with a really simple strawberry rhubarb crisp scented with cardamom. This meal was a hit with everyone.

Chili

This recipe is an approximation of how I make my chili. I often play around with ingredients I have on hand and change around the flavors and I encourage you to do the same. That's how you learn to cook! I often make a vegetarian version of this chili at the same time if I am going to have vegetarians over. It is honestly just as good as the meaty version.

Hearty Chili

1 U-link Turkey Kielbasa (this time I used Boulder Chorizo Sausage meat...worked great)
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
2 T, minced jalapeno
1 zucchini, diced
about 10 cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 sweet potato, diced
1 bunch kale, sliced (or your favorite leafy green)
2 14 oz. cans of diced tomato
2 cans black beans, rinsed
2 cans kidney beans, rinsed
2-3 T ground chili powder
1 T ground cumin
2 T ground coriander
juice of 1 lemon
1-2 cups cooked brown rice (depending how thick you like your chili)
salt and pepper to taste

Cut sausage into 1/2 inch pieces and saute over medium-high heat in a large pot for 5 minutes. Add onions and saute until starting to soften. Add next 6 ingredients and saute for 5-7 minutes. Toss in beans, season with salt and pepper and add dried spices. Give a quick stir and add canned tomatoes with their liquid. If you feel you need more liquid you can add some water here. Toss in greens and stir until everything is mixed evenly. Simmer for 20 minutes over low heat. Add cooked brown rice and simmer for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Before serving, add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. It's important to taste here and adjust flavors as you see fit. You can add more spices, juice and/or salt. If the flavor is still lacking in your taste you can add a few tablespoons of your favorite store bought salsa (usually picks the flavor right up...especially in the vegetarian version).

Happy Birthday Anne!

Yesterday, Anne the oldest turned 8. She had a party of about 25 people. We had a snack table or crudites and dips. I made hummus and a healthy ranch-like dip. I was hoping to make guacamole as well but the avocados were not in my favor. The table also had some Boulder Canyon Salt and Pepper chips (a favorite of mine), plenty of Pirate's Booty and Kale Chips.

Following the snacks we had pizza. Plain for the kids and Squash, Caramelized Onion, and Sage for the adults. I have been using Molly Katzen's pizza dough recipe since high school...it is one of the best around...

Molly Katzen's Pizza Dough

We also had chili (vegetarian and "man chili" with spicy chorizo). I will post my healthy chili recipe in the next few days (when I recover for this cold!). I have a friend who has been asking for this recipe for months so she will be pleased! Yes Arielle, I am talking about you....

We actually got a store bought cake so I was off the hook on that front...phew!

Just the Five of Us

Last night Mom and Dad decided to go on an impromptu date, so it was the four girls, Skippy and Kipling (the dogs), Star (the kitty), and I for dinner. It seemed as if I had an audience while I was cooking because the three oldest girls were sitting on the counter asking questions and chatting while I was cooking. The girls watched me prepare a Lemon Tart (their favorite). This consisted of a quick and easy tart shell, whipped up in the Cuisinart, cooled and filled with lemon curd. The lemon curd is a snap, so if you feel uncomfortable making tart shells, you can always buy one and fill it.

For dinner we had tacos, which always seems to go over well. We warmed some small tortillas, has a pack of shredded cheese, and I shredded some romaine hearts. Then we made:

Guacamole

3 ripe avocados, mashed
1 small clove minced garlic (I like to use a garlic press for this because it really mashes it)
Juice of 1 lime, and half a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients. The guac is ready to serve immediately. If you need to wait a bit cover the top with plastic wrap so it doesn't brown and refrigerate.

Fresh Salsa

4 vine ripened tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup finely diced red onion,
2 T chopped parsley (you can use cilantro if you like it...I'm a hater)
1/4 of a jalapeno pepper, minced
1 t ground cumin
juice of 1 lime
a splash of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients. Let sit for about 30 min at room temperature to marinte.

Taco Steak

Season a piece of skirt steak (sirloin flap) with salt and pepper. Rub taco seasoning generously on both sides. Either grill steak to desired doneness, or brown both sides on the stove and finish cooking in a 400F oven, flipping halfway. Time varies depending on size and thickness of meat.

Taco Fish

You'll need 4 Tilapia fillets (if you prefer to use another fish, go for it). Season 1 cup of medium grind cornmeal with salt and pepper. You can leave it like this or add half a packet of "fish taco seasoning" like we did. It can be found at your local natural market. Pour cormeal on a dish. Cover each side of fish generously with the cornmeal mixture. and pan fry unitl cooked through. About 3-5 minutes on each side.

These are all the yummy components to my really yummy tacos. Now I just need to find out how to get the girls to help me with the dishes!

Chinese Please

I popped into Whole Foods after work yesterday and they had very nice looking Norwegian salmon (I must have fish on the brain...) I bought about 1.25lbs from the belly and marinated for about 2 hours in my great Asian Salmon Marinade:

1/3c low sodium soy sauce, 1 T hoisin, juice of half a lemon, 2 T olive oil, 2t minced ginger, 2 minced garlic cloves, and 3 chopped scallions.

Then bake the fish at 375F for 25-30 minutes (less for a smaller piece) in an ovenproof skillet. If you are unsure if the fish is ready you can slide a fork between two flakes in the center of the piece. The fish should be just pink all the way through. Another great way to tell that it's getting there is that the fat from the fish will start rendering and sizzling in the pan, and the meat will feel firm (not hard) to the touch.

I served the fish with Brown "Fried" Rice

Cook 1c brown rice.

Saute:
1 large carrot, julienned
1 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
about 10 shiitake mushrooms, sliced

Toss in cooked rice and season with salt and pepper. Pour on a good dash of toasted sesame oil (until the taste suits you). Then create a well in the middle of the rice. Crack 2 eggs and scramble, then mix with rice. Voila!

I served the salmon and rice with sauteed snow peas garnished with toasted chopped almonds. If you prefer, the snow peas can be julienned as well and sauteed into the rice.

A Good Vegetarian Entree (Wheat Free)

So I have literally had some recipes in my Epicurious "Recipe Box" since 11th grade. I decided I would look through it to see if there was anything good to unearth. I found a recipe from Gourmet 2/92, which always sounded appealing to me, but I have never actually tried it. "Vegetable and Ricotta Stuffed Collard Rolls with Tomato Sauce" was finally getting it's chance in my repertoire, however as written is didn't seem right to me. With some changes though, it was delicious! Especially the next day. The "cheesy rolls," as we called them, are really a great way to get dark leafy greens into picky eaters. I will post the link to the recipe followed by the changes I made.

Cheesy Rolls

So, the sauce recipe was pretty good, except that it is really chunky. If you prefer that consistency then leave it as is. I pureed it. You can really use any sauce recipe you like, or if you're short on time use a pre-made sauce.

One big change that I did make is that I substituted the corn and peppers in the filling for sauteed onion, mushroom and zucchini, all diced finely. It fits WAY better with the recipe in my opinion. Also a pinch of nutmeg really kicks everything up (not to sound like Emeril).

Also, there is all this business in the recipe about cooking the rolls and then removing them to reduce the sauce. I found this to be totally unnecessary. Instead I just flipped the rolls halfway through cooking and sprinkled them with some grated parm. Then I just cooked them until the cheese was browned and bubbly.

Apple Crisp with Fingertip

So, no I did not have any sort of McDonald's-esque finger in my food incident. However, my brief hiatus is due to the fact that I peeled a sizable chunk of my finger off on Tuesday while peeling apples to make Apple Crisp. Man did I regret buying the family a brand new peeler!

Anyway...what I did manage to make on Tuesday was a wonderful marinade for chicken thighs and a small piece of sirloin that we grilled up for lunch the next day. The chicken actually really benefited from marinating overnight, however just a few hours will also suffice.

Garlic Lime Marinade

5 garlic cloves, minced
Juice of 4-5 limes (about 1/2-3/4 cups)
1/4 c honey
2 t ground cumin
1 T chili powder
A heavy pinch of salt

Give the marinade a taste to make sure that the flavors are balanced...you may need to add a touch more honey. Pour over meat and refrigerate for 2 hours to overnight.

The meat will taste best if grilled, however a pan-fry will also work well. I was planning to serve this with beans and rice (black and brown...a healthy version), and a Latin inspired salad. Due to the trip to the ER I never really got there, but hopefully I'll get a recipe up for that soon! More to come...stay tuned.