when have i ever kept something up?

i'm ditching the weekly menu thing for now.  let's be honest, i can hardly remember what i had for breakfast, let alone what i cooked for a week :)  but i do remember what the winners were in terms of new recipes, so i'll continue to share those :)

here are a few that we've really enjoyed the past few weeks.

#1:  shrimp cobb salad - here's my iPhone pic of it.  it was super tasty!  i was skeptical about salad for dinner (few in my book make a meal.  exceptions include: taco salad... and this one.) :)  i did use double the bacon and double the dressing but... it's still salad :)  corn.. tomatoes.. bacon... shrimp.. what's not to like?  it has a yummy lemon-y dressing too.

#2:  sea salt vanilla bean caramel sauce.  i drooled a little bit just typing that.  mmmmmm.  for my birthday, one of my requests was a salt keeper (a cute little olive wood one with a swivel lid).  and wonderful husband that he is, nate followed my carefully constructed amazon list and purchased it for me :)  he also got some fun salts to put in it, one of them was from the farmers' market.  the lady said she goes to some island in the keys and just rakes it up.  sketch?  maybe.  but sea salt down to the literal sense for sure.  i used it in this delicious caramel sauce.

i had never made caramel before and it was mildly tricky.  but the pics on the recipe really helped me decide when it was officially caramel :)  still, when i stirred in the cream (and vanilla bean- yum....), the whole thing seized (right word?  i have no idea.  but the whisk was suddenly weighed down with a gob of sugar) and i had to keep whisking for awhile until the sugar melted back in.  anyway, it was all worth it because it was SO good.  i am officially swearing off buying caramel ice cream topping ever again and forever making this instead.  i also saved my empty vanilla bean and put it in a jar of sugar per the suggestion in the recipe.  any idea what i can do with vanilla sugar?  it smells so yummy!

and so long as we're talking about the winners, it's important that you know there were also losers.  one in particular actually and that loser was mayo chicken.  i think it has a better name, but overall i thought it was bland.  i mean, the recipe sounded bland so i should have know, but i was expecting some kind of mayonaise alchemy or something and it definitely did not occur.  consider yourself warned :)

this week's menu

here's what we're up to this week!  and may i say- tonight's dinner was AMAZING.  i know, i made it so i'm not supposed to say that- but both the pork and polenta were great recipes!! the pork was so easy and so delicious- we'll be making that one again and again and again!  and polenta is another thing i'm new to making... a whole grain?  essentially instant?  has fiber?  polenta!  where have you been all of my life?!

Sunday - Crispy Pork Medallions, Two Cheese Polenta, Green Beans
Monday - Beef & Snow Peas, Jasmine Rice
Tuesday - French Dips, salad, chips
Wednesday - Chili (from freezer)
Thursday - Mayo Chicken, Broccoli, Salad ... okay, i know chicken that's pretty much only flavored with mayonaise and parmesan cheese sounds scary but i have to try it, i keep hearing about it.  and i'm going to use light mayo ;)  i'll report back!

and a little dessert sidenote... i've developed a post-pregnancy sweet tooth so i've been baking more :)  last week i tried this grapefruit pound cake and loved it!  this week i'm going to try fudge walnut brownies.

Bruschetta (the best. for real.)

mom found this recipe years ago as an appetizer for thanksgiving and we've been making it ever since!  everything together is just so so yummy, i love it!  i think recipe is also what got nate to eat tomatoes on a regular basis. mmmm.....

Bruschetta


Ingredients

• 2 lbs. roma tomatoes (core, seed and dice) -- don't skip this step or it'll be way to runny with tomato juice!
• 5 tbl. extra-virgin olive oil 
• ½ tbl. lemon juice 
• ½ tsp. dijon mustard 
• ¼ cup kalamata olives (pitted and chopped) 
• 3 tbl. fresh basil (chopped) 
• 2 cloves garlic (minced) 
• 6 oz. goat cheese 
• 1 baguette 
• Pinch salt/pepper 

Directions

1. Slice baguette in roughly ¾ “ thick slices, brush olive oil on each of the slices (2 tbl. total) and bake at 425 for 5-8 minutes or until slightly golden brown (or cheat, and use your Misto to spray them all with olive oil once they're on the pan. your call.). Let cool. 
2. Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, and dijon mustard. 
3. Add olives, basil, garlic and tomatoes to mixture. Spread goat cheese on bread slices, add a spoonful of tomato mixture to each.

last week's menu

• monday - beef o' bradys (i had a late meeting) :)
• tuesday - calzones!  i cheat and get the refrigerated pizza dough from the deli at publix.  definitely falls into my much loved "quick, easy and tasty" category :)
• wednesday - i cannot remember!  seems like we went out...
• thursday - summer squash and corn chowder with spring salad with grapes and pistachio crusted goat cheese - one of my personal favorites but having soup for dinner tends to depress nate :)  he liked the salad though, it was super easy and the little crusted goat cheese makes it look super fancy :)  it would be a good one for company!
• friday - something like beef stroganoff with peas-- a family favorite :)  recipe below!

Ingredients

• 2 cans Campell’s cream of mushroom soup (the normal stuff!  not the healthy request or reduced sodium....trust me!)
• 1 lb ground beef (lean) 
• 8 oz fresh mushrooms (regular or portabella) 
• ½ a medium size onion, diced small 
• Fresh parsley, chopped (optional, for color) 
• 1 garlic clove 
• ¼- ½ cup reduced fat sour cream 
• Splash of milk (or more!) 
• Egg noodles 
• Salt, pepper to taste 

Directions

1. Sauté onions, set aside. (or if you're feeling lazy  like I often am, just thrown them in near the end of browning the beef)
2. In a saucepan on medium, brown ground beef, drain off any fat (it will make the sauce too thin). 
3. Once mostly done, add in mushrooms, onion and garlic, salt/pepper. 
4. Continue cooking until mushrooms look done. 
5. Start noodles, cook according to package. 
6. Add cans of cream of mushroom soup to saucepan, mix well. Add a splash of milk or more to get desired consistency for the sauce. 
7. Just before serving add sour cream (to taste, I add a couple of spoonfuls at a time) and fresh parsley to sauce, mix well. Serve sauce over egg noodles.

more meals at home!

so part of the goal of me going part-time was more meals at home (and a bit more of a necessity with less income!)  here's our menu from the past week:

• Monday - Pasta with Italian Chicken Sausage (I never made it out to the grocery store, so it ended up being a smorgasbord of what was available) :)  
• Tuesday - Chicken Picatta
• Wednesday - Beef & Snow Peas (love this recipe!  super easy and yummy)
• Thursday - Dr. Pepper Ribs (first time we'd tried these, they were so good!  cooking ribs in the oven, then on the grill is definitely the way to go for fall off the bone ribs)
• Friday - Food Trucks! 
• Saturday - Taco Salad

avocado egg rolls

Serious yumminess.  Go make them.  Go make them right now.

although my #1 food priority when i'm in arizona is always mexican food (and lots of it!), i also always want to go to kona grill to have their avocado egg rolls.  they are really really good.  i mean.. avocado.. in an egg roll...what's not to like?  they key to the amazing-ness is the delicious dipping sauce they come with.  last time mom and i tried to figure out what was in it in order to re-create it and we only got so far as cilantro and vinegar.  thank goodness for the internet because i found a copycat recipe that turned out almost exactly like them (and there's no way we could have guessed our way into this one)!  i also had no idea i could make egg rolls turn out at home.  now i'm going to try a bunch more recipes involving egg roll wrappers :)  but for now, all i need are these.  forever.  and ever.  they are that good.

 –Sauce–
 * 1/4 cup olive oil
 * 4 teaspoons white vinegar
 * 1 teaspoon white balsamic vinegar
 * 1/2 teaspoon tamarind pulp  (i looked EVERYWHERE and finally gave up.  substitute 1/2 tsp orange juice with a few drops of lime juice)
 * 1/2 cup (or slightly less) honey
 * 1 pinch turmeric
 * 1/2 cup chopped cashews
 * 2/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
 * 2 garlic cloves, minced
 * 2 green onions, chopped
 * 1 tablespoon sugar
 * 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
 * 1 teaspoon cumin

 –Egg Rolls–
 * 2 avocados, pitted, and chunked
 * 3 tablespoons sun dried tomatoes
 * 2 tablespoons fresh chopped red onion
 * 2 dashes salt
 * 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
 * 4-6 egg roll wrappers (depending on how much filling your mixture yields)
 * 1 egg, beaten
 * peanut oil, for frying 

1. Begin by making the sauce: add vinegars, honey, tamarind (and other spices–cilantro, turmeric, black pepper, garlic) into a bowl and whisk. Add chopped green onions, sugar, and chopped cashews.  Don't worry about chopping all that finely, it's all going in the food processor anyway :)
2. Microwave for 1 minute, and use a blender, or food processor to puree the mixture. Pour mixture into a serving bowl, stir, and refrigerate (covered) until ready to use.
3. Prepare the avocado egg roll filling: add 2 avocados, onion, tomatoes, cilantro and salt in a bowl. Mix to combine (avocado should still be in fairly large chunks).
4. Layout 1 egg roll sheet like a diamond and fill with 2 tablespoons avocado filling (can use more or less based on your personal preference). 
5. Brush edges with egg yolk.
6. Wrap bottom corner snugly over filling, then sides, then top corner.
7. Prepares around 4-6 egg rolls depending on how much filling your avocados yield and how full you make the egg rolls. 
8. Skillet fry egg rolls in 3 tablespoons peanut oil until golden brown on both sides. Cook to brown corner edges as well. 
9. Transfer to a plate and serve with Asian dipping sauce. Makes 4-6 egg rolls. Enjoy! 

The dipping sauce.  Snapped on my iPhone so I could brag to my mom and sister about it.

roasted rosemary onion potatoes

this is one of my favorite sides, from none other than betty crocker :)  it's both easy and delicious which means it's always at the top of my list :)

4 medium potatoes (1 1/3 lbs) - I use red
1 small onion, finely chopped (1/4 cup)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh or 2 tsp dried rosemary
1 teaspoon chopped fresh or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

1. Heat oven to 450, grease bottom of a jelly roll pan with olive oil
2. Dice potatoes into 1 inch pieces
3. Toss all the ingredients in a bowl
4. Spread in a single layer and bake uncovered 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally

i dropped some rosemary while i was chopping, cleo was unimpressed.  

probably because i usually drop something she's never had before, not something she can find in the yard :)

but i digress.  here they are, ready for the oven!

i forgot to take an after picture, i was too excited to eat them :)  

turkey day (a bit early)!

while my family was in town for the cruise, i took advantage of having them around close to the holidays and we had thanksgiving (we won't be in AZ this year at all for the holidays)- it was fun! :)  it was also my first hosting of thanksgiving all by myself!  of course, i had plenty of kitchen help from mom and cassie :)  here is my menu and planning with links to everything i made -- i pasted in notes as i found them from either the recipes or reviews of the recipes for easy access :)  we liked pretty much everything so i got lucky with the recipes i picked :) nate carved the turkey (i forgot to take a picture before it was carved!).  our turkey's name was 'hurkey.'  hurkey the turkey :)  mom made the pie- it had maple syrup in it and it was really tasty!  i need to get the recipe from her so i can make it next year :)  it even had little pie crust groundhogs on top (in lieu of any more autumn type cookie cutters which we don't own) :) 

• Turkey & Gravy 
• The best way to thaw a frozen turkey is in the refrigerator. A 12-pound turkey takes 2 1/2 to 3 days to thaw. If you run out of time, thaw the bird, wrapped in its original packaging, in cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes. Figure 30 minutes per pound, or 6 hours for a 12-pound bird. 
• It is best to squeeze the oranges as you place them in the cavity Add extra chicken stock to pan as needed 
• Herb & Onion Stuffing 
• Serves 8-10 – probably ½ recipe... 
• Cut the bread into smaller pieces, use 1.5-2 cups more stock than it calls for 
• Double herbs, double egg 
• Noodles (Nate, family recipe) 
• Mashed Potatoes (by Pioneer Woman of course) :) 
• Bread
• From our local bakery 
• Maple Pecan Sweet Potatoes 
• Cranberry Sauce
• Cassie was in charge here and I think she left out some things that weren't to her liking- whatever she did, it turned out great! 
• Citrus Green Beans with Pine Nuts 
• These were good, but I wouldn't make them again with Thanksgiving dinner- the flavors weren't quite right with all of the other yumminess :) 

The day before plan!: 

• Prepare brine, brine turkey for 24 hours in advance 
• Shock green beans and chill
• Buy bread
• Take cranberries out of freezer (it's hard to find fresh cranberries in October!) :)
• Chop everything for the stuffing

The results:

 our groundhog pumpkin pie....                                      sweet potatoes (extra marshmallows!)

sonoma salad

so i've been seriously slacking in the kitchen ever since getting pregnant.  big time.  the whole first trimester and a good part of the second, i didn't want to eat anything and the narcolepsy also didn't help!  but i am slowly getting back on the wagon :)  this is a recipe i've been meaning to post for quite a while -- i had a salad (from the airport of all places) and loved it, so i recreated it at home!  the dressing is... tangy.. but you can easily adjust by adding more honey :)  according to mom & cassie (who had the dressing on a completely different salad), it tastes like chinese hot mustard :)  but in this particular combination, the mandarin oranges and gorgonzola work pretty well with that mustard taste :)

Salad:
Baby spinach
Mandarin oranges (drained)
Gorgonzola Cheese, crumbled
Cucumber, diced
Tomatoes, diced
Diced ham or turkey (not pictured above)

Dressing:
1/4 cup (ish) dijon mustard
2 tbl (ish) honey
White wine vingear

Whisk the dijon and honey together until smoothly combined -- I kind of guesstimate and make the dressing to taste.  Add the white wine vinegar until the dressing is thin enough to pour, mixing as you go.

Combine all ingredients and enjoy!

(delicious) Roast Chicken!

This was a new one for me- and I had NO idea how easy it was!  I think the idea of the prep scared me, but it wasn't bad at all.  And I realized that I rarely cook a dinner that just cooks away in the oven, giving me time to prepare everything else :)  I also made a few equipment substitutions... no twine?  Cut a strip from a rag!  No roasting pan?  Put an (all metal) cooling rack on top of a 9x13 casserole dish! :)  No meat thermometer?  Hope you get lucky (and err on the long side of the cooking times)! :)  It is of course, another great recipe from Cooking Light :)

Ingredients

1 (4-pound) whole roasting chicken
2 teaspoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 shallots, peeled and halved
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 lemon, quartered

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Discard giblets and neck from chicken. Starting at neck cavity, loosen skin from breasts and drumsticks by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat.
3. Combine butter and next 7 ingredients (through garlic) in a small bowl. Rub mixture under loosened skin, over flesh; rub over top of skin. Tie ends of legs together with twine (or... cut a strip off a rag ;). Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck under chicken. Place chicken, breast side up, on a rack; place rack in roasting pan. Place shallots, thyme sprigs, and lemon in cavity of chicken.
4. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 450° (do not remove chicken); bake at 450° for 15 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in meaty part of leg registers 165°. Remove chicken from pan; let stand 10 minutes. Discard skin. Carve chicken.

a tasty day: from brunch to burgers!

we had a lovely lazy sunday today.  but i did try two new recipes and both were hits!  for brunch, sarah was over and we had these tasty little frittatas.  i always thought a frittata had to involve bread, but turns out it's true definition is this:

A frittata is a type of italian omelette, either simple or enriched with additional ingredients, such as meats, cheeses, vegetables and even pasta. It may be compared to a crust-less quiche or, in America, "scrambled eggs."

this particular recipe has you bake them in a muffin tin so you get great little individual size breakfasts :)  definitely making them the next time we have company!  and i'm excited to play around with the fillings.


for dinner, i wasn't sure what to make so nate suggested we try to recreate our favorite arizona hamburger from four peaks brewery, the jalapeño popper burger.  we loved them!  recipes for both are below :)


Mini Ham & Cheese Frittatas

Ingredients

• 1  cup  finely chopped onion
• 1 1/3  cup  chopped ham (about 4 ounces)
• 2/3  cup  (about 3 ounces) shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
• 4  tablespoons  chopped fresh chives
• 1/4  teaspoon  dried thyme
• 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper
• 7  large egg whites
• 3  large eggs
• 
  
• Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add ham; sauté 3 minutes. Remove from heat; cool 5 minutes. Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Add ham mixture, stirring with a whisk.
3. Spoon 1/4 cup mixture into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until set.

Nate & Bri's Jalapeño Popper Burgers

Ingredients

4 Hamburger Buns

Butter

Garlic Powder

Ground beef

Worcestershire

Cream Cheese

Jalapeño, thinly sliced

Alexia frozen onion rings (next time, I want to try Pioneer Woman's recipe for onion straws here- yum!) 

Directions

1. Get some willing to grill the burgers that's good at it and will get them perfectly medium (in this case, Nate) :) send them on their way :)
2. Cook onion rings according to package - throw in a few extra for on the side :)  we used 2 per burger.
3. Melt butter, brush on to hamburger buns, sprinkle with a little garlic powder.  Broil until golden brown.
4. Assemble cooked burger on bun, top with cream cheese, fresh jalapeno slices, and hot onion rings- smush it down so it all melds together into one delicious burger.
5. Enjoy :)  preferably with a good beer!

Spicy Fish and Spicy Coleslaw!

i've been doing some searching for some throw together type dinners- sometimes i get too ambitious and then we eat dinner at 9:30 pm (aka chili con carne) - oops!  last night's attempt at easy and tasty was just okay, but tonight's was a winner!  we had jerk spiced fish with spicy coleslaw and sweet potato fries (after multiple attempts, i've given in and buy the frozen alexia ones).  the coleslaw was super spicy and definitely my favorite part.  here's the recipe:

Ingredients

• 3 cups cabbage-and-carrot coleslaw mix
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 tablespoons canola mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons really finely chopped habanero (extra hot!) or serrano (somewhat hot!) pepper
• Cooking spray/Olive Oil
• 4 (6-ounce) catfish fillets (or any whitefish... i used cod)
• 4 teaspoons Jamaican jerk seasoning (i actually used a jerk marinade that we love- thanks laura and drew!) :) but either way!

Directions

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl; toss well to coat.

2. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray, add a little olive oil. Sprinkle fish evenly with jerk seasoning. Add fish to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from heat; serve fish with slaw.

I didn't snag my own picture but it should look a little something like this :)

Chicken Vindaloo

so i checked out a jamie oliver cookbook from the library.  if you're not familiar with him, he's been working to emphasize how easy it is to cook healthy and delicious meals from scratch- nate's also been reading michael pollan's books on food- essentially reminding us how important it is to eat and make food that looks like food.  so, more than ever i am trying to make food from scratch :)  i decided to give jamie oliver's vindaloo recipe a shot, down to the from scratch curry paste -- it was delicious!  and super super spicy - but you can easily tailor it to your level of spice (both in the paste and the final recipe).  i couldn't find the fresh red chillies he calls for so i substituted serranos instead.  we had it with garlic naan and jasmine rice.

Vindaloo paste

2 cloves of garlic / a thumb-sized piece of fresh root ginger / 4 dried red chillies / 1 tablespoon turmeric / ½ teaspoon sea salt / 3 tablespoons groundnut oil / 2 tablespoons tomato purée / 2 fresh red chillies / a small bunch of fresh coriander
Spices for toasting: 1 teaspoon black peppercorns / 4 cloves / 2 teaspoons coriander seeds / 2 teaspoons fennel seeds / 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds


First peel the garlic and ginger • Put a frying pan on a medium to high heat and add the spices for toasting to the dry pan • Lightly toast them for a few minutes until golden brown and smelling delicious, then remove the pan from the heat • Add the toasted spices to a pestle and mortar and grind until fine, or put them into a food processor and whiz to a powder • Either way, when you’ve ground them whiz the toasted spices in a food processor with the rest of the ingredients until you have a smooth paste.

Here it all is in the food processor ready to go:

 and after blending- doesn't look that appetizing i suppose, but it's tasty, i promise!!

Vindaloo

2 medium onions
4 gloves of garlic
2 red chilies (or to taste)
thumb size piece of ginger root
small bunch of fresh cilantro
4 ripe tomatoes
peanut or vegetable oil
a pat of butter
4 chicken breasts, diced
1/2 cup vindaloo paste such as Pataks (or above recipe)
sea salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon honey
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

To Prepare:
Peel halve and finely slice onion (i minced mine), peed and slice garlic, finely slice chilie, peel and finely slice ginger (i grated mine). Pick cilantro leaves and finely chop stalks. Cut the tomatoes into quarters.


To Cook:
Get a large casserole type pan on a medium high heat, add a couple of lugs of oil and the butter. Add the onions, garlic, chilie, ginger and cilantro stalks and cook for 10 minutes until softened. Add the chicken and curry paste. Stir well and coat all pieces of chicken. Season with Salt and Pepper. Add the tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, honey and about 1 1/2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and turn the heat down and simmer for 45 minutes with the lid on. Stir regularly and add more water if necessary.

and the finished product!  with a little dollop of yogurt and fresh cilantro.

nate's (new) favorite chili- con carne!

so we had a thawed out chuck roast last week that i need to do something with, and even though it didn't sound like a good idea for a weekday but hey, why not?  i started at 6 pm on a wednesday and we finally ate dinner at 10 pm - oops!  so word to the wise, plan for dinner about 4 hours after you start this business, but according to nate, it's worth it :)  it's a cooking light recipe (of course!) but i made a few modifications.  the original is here.  we had it with jalapeno corn bread, recipe here.

Chili con Carne

8  poblano chiles

3  lb boneless chuck roast cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 1/2  teaspoons  salt

1/2  teaspoon  black pepper

3  tablespoons  all-purpose flour

2  tablespoons  olive oil, divided

3  cups  chopped onion

4  garlic cloves, minced

2 cans diced tomatoes, 1 drained, 1 not - I bought the ones with jalapeno chiles

1 cup beef broth

1  tablespoon dried oregano

1  tablespoon ground cumin

1  chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce (I used 5-6 -- depends on how hot you want it!)

3  tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

6  tablespoons reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat broiler.

2. Place poblanos on a foil-lined baking sheet; broil 8 minutes or until charred, turning after 6 minutes. Place poblanos in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 15 minutes. Peel and cut chiles into 1-inch pieces.

3. Sprinkle beef with salt and black pepper; dredge in flour. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add half of beef to pan; sauté for 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove from pan. Repeat procedure with remaining oil and beef.

4. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion to pan; cook 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. 

5. Return beef to pan. Stir in tomato, beef broth, oregano, and cumin; bring to a simmer. Cover and cook 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Stir in poblanos; simmer for 45 minutes or until beef is tender, stirring occasionally. 

6. Rinse, seed, and chop chipotle (I didn't rinse or seed it and I used 5-6 chipotles). Stir in chipotle(s) and cilantro. Sprinkle with cheese.

vegetarian night!

so we're trying something new this year, we're eating at least one meal a week vegetarian.  for a couple of reasons, (1) i keep reading how hard processing meat is on the environment and i feel guilty (2) in general it's healthier (3) in general it's less expensive and (4) we get to try some new things we hadn't before :)

this week we made falafel - a friend of ours gave us the mix and we've had it forever so we finally decided to try it.  we loved it!  if you've never had it, falafel is ground up chick pea with some yummy spices, then fried into patties (okay, so it doesn't quite fall into the healthy category but who's counting?) :)

here's nate frying them up

 

while he was doing that, i made tzatziki (super yummy cucumber/yogurt sauce) i used a recipe i found here.  i should have seeded the cucumbers and drained them a little longer because mine was a bit thinner than it should be, but it was tasty just the same!  i also chopped up a bunch of veggies (what would vegetarian night be without veggies?!)

and then the falafel was all ready to go

 

and then we wrapped it up in a flatbread! i used these (toufayan whole wheat flatbread), i love them.

i think we're going to try stuffed shells next time :)

it's not freezing!

well the weather is finally back to normal around here :)  i'm on the porch listening to a thunderstorm and enjoying the breeze :)

exciting things lately?  john, nina, laura, and fletcher are all coming to visit next week!  we're really excited to have them :)  we have big plans for the beach, and eating tacos at taco palenque (if you're local, you MUST go there), drinking copious amounts of orange juice, and plenty of visiting :)  also exciting, we're getting a screen door!  it should really create a nice breeze through the house so we can really take advantage of the weather :)

cleo's been quite the medical case lately - she's had infections and skin issues and eye infections and whatnot.  but she seems to be on the road to recovery :)  the bad part is, she seems to have figured out when we hide medicine in cheese or meat and has been eating around the pills and them spitting them out!  probably because that just results in more cheese :)  she's also been boycotting her meals when we add medicine to them.  little brat!

we tried a delicious indian recipe from pioneer woman's website (http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/06/chicken-tikka-masala-by-pastor-ryan/) it was SO GOOD!  i used two habanero peppers instead of the serranos the recipe calls for and it was ridiculous spicy!  but still really delicious :)  i highly recommend it :)  i usually cheat and buy a premixed jar sauce and add some hot curry paste but this was better :)

off to play some super mario with nate :)

now that it's cold enough for soup...

i was looking for a healthier version of our family's potato soup (which is DELICIOUS by the way, i'll post that recipe soon) and i think i found it!  this baked potato soup (from cooking light, where else?) was delicious and fed an army:

• 4  baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds)
• 2/3  cup  all-purpose flour (about 3 ounces)
• 6  cups  2% reduced-fat milk
• 1  cup  (4 ounces) reduced-fat shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 1  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1  cup  reduced-fat sour cream
• 3/4  cup  chopped green onions, divided
• 6  bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
• Cracked black pepper (optional)

directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Pierce potatoes with a fork; bake at 400° for 1 hour or until tender. Cool. Peel potatoes; coarsely mash.
3. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Place flour in a large Dutch oven; gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 8 minutes). Add mashed potatoes, 3/4 cup cheese, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, stirring until cheese melts. Remove from heat.
4. Stir in sour cream and 1/2 cup onions. Cook over low heat 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated (do not boil). Ladle 1 1/2 cups soup into each of 8 bowls. Sprinkle each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons onions, and about 1 tablespoon bacon. Garnish with cracked pepper, if desired.

it makes 8 servings (serving size: about 1 1/2 cups soup, 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons onions, and about 1 tablespoon bacon).  and 1 serving is 329 calories and 11 g of fat - not bad for a very filling soup!)  we had it with salad and rosemary bread.  yum yum!

i didn't take a picture of ours, here's cooking light's, and their link.

hummus! round one

so i eat a lot of hummus. lots. like a costco sized tub :) it's that sabra hummus! if you've never tried it, head to the grocery store immediately and buy some. and some pita chips. then cancel dinner and sit on your couch and enjoy the yumminess :)

as a result of my hummus addiction, i've been trying to make my own. i've yet to come up with a chickpea version that tastes as good as sabra, but this spicy black bean hummus is in it's own league. it's delicious with pita chips or multigrain tostitos. and you can control the spice with how much jalapeno you use. i used a whole one the first time and WHOA! that stuff was hot. nate ate it like candy of course, but it was a bit too hot for me. about half seems to be perfect :) enjoy! and if you have a great hummus recipe, please share! i'm still tweaking the chickpea one. i'll post it once i'm satisfied :)

Spicy Black Bean Hummus

• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon tahini (roasted sesame seed paste)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 small jalapeño pepper, chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
• Dash of crushed red pepper
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Dash of ground red pepper

Place garlic in a food processor; process until finely chopped. Add lemon juice, tahini, cumin, salt, black beans, jalapeño pepper, and crushed red pepper; process until smooth. Spoon bean mixture into a medium bowl, and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with ground red pepper.

(not pictured as hummus isn't all that photogenic) :)

salmon with maple-lemon glaze

no picture, but we had this for dinner and really liked it :) it's super easy, takes about 15 minutes!

Salmon with Maple-Lemon Glaze

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 4 (6-ounce) skinless salmon fillets
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat broiler.

2. Combine first 4 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add fish to bag; seal. Refrigerate 10 minutes, turning bag once.

3. Remove fish from bag, reserving marinade. Place marinade in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH 1 minute.

4. Heat a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle fish evenly with salt and pepper. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add fish to pan; cook 3 minutes. Turn fish over. Brush marinade evenly over fish. Broil 3 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.

fork lickin' chicken!

i bought the biggest bag of chicken you've EVER seen from costco, and as a result, we've been eating a lot of chicken! i tried out several new recipes and these are the two we've really enjoyed so far. they're both from cooking light although i added a little more butter to the first one so it's not quite as light ;)

Chicken Piccata with Capers
Nate and Sarah actually had this in Venice last week and it was so good I wanted to try it at home. It was really close! This was our definite favorite of the two recipes.

I only made 2 chicken breasts but we still used all the sauce (poured it over top the chicken and a pile of angel hair), so keep that in mind!

Ingredients

* 4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
* 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 ounce)
* 1-2 tablespoons butter (I added a tablespoon of butter to the sauce at the end)
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1/2 cup white wine
* 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
* 2 tablespoons capers
* 2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 4 cups hot cooked spaghetti (about 8 ounces uncooked)
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Place each breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Place flour in a shallow dish, and dredge chicken in flour.

Heat 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm. Add white wine, 1/4 cup lemon juice, capers, and garlic to pan; scrape pan to loosen browned bits. Cook for 2 minutes or until slightly thick. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. (Whisk in another tablespoon of butter) Serve chicken over pasta. Top with sauce; sprinkle with parsley.

Here's my satisfied customer :)


Cilantro Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa
Of course, this one has cilantro so it was an immediate favorite of mine :) The recipe only called for the cilantro in the marinade, but I also put it in the salsa for the top of the chicken. Also, we had it with saffron rice, but turns out I don't really like saffron rice! Next time I will try it with black beans and rice.

Ingredients

Chicken:
* 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
* 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
* 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
* 4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* Cooking spray

Salsa:
* 1 cup chopped plum tomato (about 2)
* 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
* 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1 avocado, peeled and finely chopped

Directions

1. To prepare chicken, combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; toss and let stand 3 minutes. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done.

2. To prepare salsa, combine tomato and next 4 ingredients (through pepper) in a medium bowl. Add avocado (and cilantro!); stir gently to combine. Serve salsa over chicken.