Tag Archives: recipe

May 29, 2012 · 4:24 pm

Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps

If you’ll remember a week or so ago, I bought a rotisserie chicken to make some particularly delicious crunchy tacos. As I mentioned then, I only used half of the chicken for that meal. This is what a did with the other half:

I was in the mood to make a lettuce wrap, something I always thought sounded nice but had never actually made. A few months back my housemate purchased a bottle of buffalo sauce that we used for one meal and haven’t touched since. We were short on time this particular evening, so I decided buffalo chicken would be a fun foray into the challenging world of lettuce wraps. Since I wasn’t making the sauce myself, I decided the homemade part of this meal would be the bleu cheese dressing.

First grate or finely chop garlic, onion, celery and carrot

Mix in greek yogurt, lemon juice and bleu cheese crumbles

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I added the carrots and the celery to the dip to mirror the flavors typically served with buffalo wings. I used yogurt here for the dressing because I saw this as a healthier version of the traditional wings and bleu cheese. Once the sauce was finished, I shredded the chicken and warmed it through on the stove with the buffalo sauce.

I heated the rotisserie chicken with the buffalo sauce

I know many people use iceberg lettuce for lettuce wraps, but I hate iceberg lettuce so I used romaine and it worked just fine. As a final flourish, I shredded some carrots and celery for either a side salad or wrap topping, it’s up to you! These made for a pretty meal that was healthy, tasty and took less than 20 minutes to prepare. POP POP.

Served with a salad of shredded carrots and celery

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May 18, 2012 · 12:33 pm

Margarita Thursday!

To honor my mother’s birthday, May 17th, I knew only one thing: our evening meal had to go well with margaritas. Whenever I was home, especially in the last few years, my mother and I would celebrate the most mundane of days by putting the word “Margarita” in front of them. If Monday was particularly boring, we’d turn it into “Margarita Monday,” you see the distinction?

And thanks to my new boyfriend, Pinterest, I found the perfect dinner for this, what we’ll deem “Margarita Thursday”: crunchy tacos made with corn tortillas. I decided to serve this with the regular guacamole as well as a spicy mango salsa I found (also on Pinterest).

I marinated the chicken in spicy chipotle salsa for one hour.

Filled with chicken, black beans, avocado and cheese.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I bought a rotisserie chicken, I know it’s sort of cheating, but Rachel Ray does it so ppbblllttt… I used half of it here for this dish (stay tuned for what happens with the other half). I added a spicy chipotle along with some adobo sauce and some salsa to the chicken.

To cook the tacos, I filled the skillet with olive oil, and carefully assembled them in this order: chicken, black beans, avocado slices, then cheese (easy to make veggie, just leave out the chicken!) Then I carefully pressed them with a spatula so they keep their shape. They cook for 3-4 minutes per side, or until golden brown and crunchy.

The two dips start the same: garlic, onion, cilantro, jalapeño

Avocado and tomatoes go in one, mango in the other.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since these two dips start the same, save yourself some time and chop the garlic, onions, cilantro and jalapeños only once. Then you add mango to one and avocados and tomatoes to the other. The mango salsa gets the juice of one lime and the guacamole gets the juice of one lemon and voila! Two different, yet equally delicious dips for your tacos.

Damn those look gooood!

Margaritas made from scratch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I made a slight variation of your classic margarita:  I mixed 1 cup water with 1/2 cup sugar to which I added the juice of 8 limes and 1 lemon. I skipped the orange liqueur because I didn’t have any, nor did I have the will to purchase any. Instead, I added the juice of one orange, silver tequila, ice and guess what? They were delicious. POP POP.

Cheers to you, Jeanie! This one’s for you.

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May 16, 2012 · 11:36 am

Lentil Soup a la Loren Lieberman

I apologize for my absence; I’ve been in Texas where I ate all sorts of wonderful food (blog to come) but for today I am going to share a wonderful recipe I was given by the lovely Loren Lieberman, beautiful mother of my dear friend Arielle.

During a happy hour date with Arielle, I expressed my desire to make my own soups, to which she replied that her mother made an excellent lentil soup. I was intrigued. You see, I have recently developed an affinity for lentil soup, which I had been buying in cans from the supermarket. Then a few weeks ago, to my horror, I discovered I had been paying $4.50 per can of soup! Never again!

I was ecstatic to try this soup made with lentils, carrots, celery, onion, zucchini, and a jalapeño.

Add everything to the pot, add parsley, bay leaf, salt, pepper

The recipe calls for any kind of stock, so I used veggie both because that’s what I had in the fridge and to introduce a few more vegetarian meals into my diet. The ratio of liquid to lentils is supposed to be 5:1. If you are in possession of a large pot, this is no problem for you. I only have two small pots, so I ended up adding too many lentils, making this soup a little thicker than intended, but it was still delicious!

I let the liquid come to a boil, then added the lentils while I chopped the other veggies. I then added everything and lowered the heat to a simmer, covered and let sit for one hour.

After an hour, I separated this into two pots, added a little more liquid and it turned out beautifully!

The biggest challenge with this soup was that I needed to freeze a portion of it because I was going out of town and I can’t count on my housemate to eat leftovers. I wasn’t sure how it would freeze, but I am currently enjoying a bowl of the de-frosted soup and it’s just as tasty! I believe I got about 8 portions out of this recipe and the total cost was less than $10. POP POP.

 

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May 2, 2012 · 12:53 pm

Gnocchi with Lamb Bolognese

I was feeling rather bored with all the typical dinner choices this week. Everything seemed meh until my man suggested something he loves that I’ve never really given a chance: gnocchi. I consented, albeit rather hesitantly.

Then, as we were walking through the super-est of the markets in our neighborhood, we happened up some ground lamb. YES! Something new. I was elated.

I made the tomato sauce with garlic, onions, basil, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper

I cooked the lamb with garlic and onions. Drain the fat before adding it to the sauce

 

 

 

 

 

 

Never having cooked lamb before, I wasn’t exactly sure how to do it. But it looked like beef so I just did it like beef and guess what? It worked. I kept it a little pink in the pan because I knew it would cook more in the sauce.

Let the sauce and the meat simmer together for 20-30 minutes.

I added the gnocchi just at the very end and then a little romano cheese on top.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This being my first time really eating gnocchi, I didn’t think it best to try my hand at making it, so we bought a package and dropped it in some salty boiling water until it floated to the top, which I’m told indicates it’s finished. It was tasty and potatoey– a very decadent dish.

Served with salad and a nice Chianti... yes I considered fava beans... no my man did not get the joke... did you?

This salad was actually rather intense, it had your basic lettuce, tomato, carrot, onion, cucumber, but I also had some left over avocado, asparagus and feta in the fridge. WINNING.

It was a tasty supper and something we’ll definitely be doing again 🙂

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April 27, 2012 · 11:18 am

Mushroom and Feta Stuffed Chicken

Last week, a discussion was had in my home regarding the lack of vegetarian dinners had by us. I suggested we do a mushroom-based dish, which is a big concession for me because I don’t particularly care for mushrooms, but I thought it might be a nice change. Somehow, after vast discussion, we decided on mushroom-stuffed chicken. Yes, I realize that’s not vegetarian. No, I’m not sorry. Why? Because it was delicious. And it was insanely cheap. We bought one portabella mushroom ($1), a small hunk of feta ($1), thinly sliced chicken cutlets ($3), one potato ($.50). We already had the olives and the asparagus.

Chicken brushed with olive tapenade, filled with feta cheese and mushrooms.

First, I sautéed the mushrooms with garlic, ginger and olive oil. Then after brushing the chicken with the olives and throwing a hunk of feta down, I scooped in as much of the garlic-ginger-mushroom mixture as I could.

Wrap them up carefully, pin with toothpick, roll in breadcrumbs and douse with butter!

I’m sure this would taste fine non-breadcrumbed and buttered, but I’ll never know for sure cause it’s too delicious like this 🙂

It goes into a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, giving me just enough time to get the side dish together!

Potato and Asparagus Hash

We were originally going to have just grilled asparagus, but having once enjoyed a potato and asparagus hash at a restaurant, I thought, “I bet I can do that! It’s just cutting up everything into small pieces.” And I was right. I threw in the potatoes first, let them brown, then threw the garlic in, let it crisp a little, then only did the asparagus for the last five minutes so it stayed nice and crunchy.

I put food on top of other food because it makes me feel fancy.

This was a very pretty dinner we had that was packed, and I mean PACKED, with flavor. It was crispy and gooey and crunchy and yummy. AND it cost less than $3 per serving. I dare say… POP POP.

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April 5, 2012 · 11:11 am

Ginger-Infused Black Bean Soup

I was eager to make a soup last weekend both because I hadn’t done it before and also because I wanted to have soup around for the week. Since we had all the necessary elements for quesadillas in the house, I decided a spicy black bean soup would be a nice accompaniment.

I began by sautéing 3 jalapeños with garlic and onions.

Then I added one can of black beans and some ginger.

Don’t care much for ginger? Leave it out! We had some leftover from another dish and I didn’t want to waste it so I threw it in. It adds a different flavor and additional spice, but it’s definitely not necessary.

Next I added 3 cups of vegetable broth, but you can use whatever kind you like.

Then I let it simmer covered for an hour and half, then uncovered for one hour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can let it simmer covered for the full 2 1/2-3 hours if you prefer a thiner soup. We wanted a thick, hearty black bean soup so we let it reduce down uncovered, but that’s up to you!

Get butter down in a hot skillet, then add cheese and chicken (or veggies).

Let it brown to your preferred level of crunch, then cut into quarters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was a completely ‘leftover’ quesadilla. We had leftover buffalo chicken from a dish earlier in the week and leftover cheese from the Enchilada Casserole. It made for a spicy and delicious quesadilla!

Brush the chips with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and into a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes or until crisp.

We didn’t have any tortilla chips left but we did have a few leftover corn tortillas, so we continued with the frugal theme of this supper and made our own! Super easy.

Served here with a tasty IPA and guacamole of course! (Click for recipe)

The soup turned out spicy and gingery. My housemate dubbed it “ginger-infused black bean soup,” which I was able to enjoy all week long! Mission accomplished.

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March 19, 2012 · 2:18 pm

Got leftovers? Time to get creative!

If you’ll remember, at the end of my post about the chicken enchiladas (once again, New York, you’re welcome), I promised I had a plan for the leftover enchilada filling. If you’re anything like me, the thought of having to throw out food doesn’t exactly appeal to you. If you’re a lot like me, the idea makes you downright nauseous. In any event, that meal left me with half a pack of corn tortillas and a ton of leftover filling. Sure, I could have just made enchiladas again, but where’s the fun in that?

Instead I decided to cook the filling down with some tomato paste and black beans, creating a sort of chicken chili if you will, which I then layered between corn tortillas for a sort of Mexican lasagna. My mom called it enchilada casserole, so I am too. Honestly, and not to toot my own horn, but you could call it a casserole of crap and it wouldn’t change the fact that this dish was delicious and essentially free based on the fact that I would have otherwise had to throw out everything I used.

Click here for the original filling recipe, to which I added a can of tomato paste and a can of black beans. Then I let it simmer for two hours.

I then took one of my super expensive and classy foil dishes and put down a layer of corn tortillas, which I softened in the microwave for 30 seconds. I tore them so they’d fit, it certainly doesn’t need to be perfect.

I started slopping in my chili mix, I did two layers, so half and then half, but whatever makes your heart sing!

After the 1st layer of chili and before the 2nd layer of tortillas, I threw in some fresh onions and peppers for a little crunch!

Once you’ve made your layers, top with whatever type of cheese you like and then into a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.

I like it a little burnt around the edges, but you can always take it out earlier 🙂

Served here with a box of Spanish-style rice and (as always) guacamole -- Click for recipe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The box of rice — not my idea. I’m not sure if you’re aware, but these things called “relationships” they often take compromise, and my man wanted the rice, which I did not care about (I’m more of a double beans, hold the rice, type of gal). But like I said, he wanted the rice, he picked out the box, I followed the directions on the back and you can, too!

Leftovers? What leftovers… What I meant to say was: POP POP.

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March 15, 2012 · 12:11 pm

Jeanie’s Banana Nut Bread

For as long as I can remember, whenever the bananas in the house would start to speckle, my mother would threaten us with something that was really no threat at all. She’d say that if we didn’t eat the bananas, she would be forced to bake banana nut bread. As you can see, I had it pretty tough growing up 🙂

Fast forward to this week. I’m all grown up and have now allowed my own bananas to turn brown in my own apartment, but that voice in my head is thankfully still there. “I guess you’ll just have to bake banana nut bread then,” it said. And since I wasn’t brought up to disobey, I had received my next challenge. I could think of no more fitting a recipe to use as my first foray into the baking world than my mother’s banana nut bread recipe.

And we’re off!

In here we have 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/14 tsp baking powder, 3/4 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp cinnamon, 3/4 tsp salt, a pinch of nutmeg and cloves.

In this bowl we have 1/4 cup buttermilk, 1 1/2 cups bananas (I used 3 bananas) and 1 tsp vanilla.

And in this big bowl, we have 1/2 cup butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup white sugar. Mix all this together, then add 3 room temperature eggs one at a time.

Once smooth, add half of the banana mixture and half the dry ingredients, mix-eems in, and then repeat.

Once everything is mixed smoothly, fold in the nuts. I'm from Texas, so yeah, these are pecans.

Into a loaf pan and then into a 350 degree oven for an hour to seventy minutes (just keep an eye on it after an hour).

Take it out when it has reached your personal level of done. As for me (and my Momma!) we likes it crunchy 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now I don’t know that it was just like hers…  you see, there’s an extra special ingredient that it seems only mothers know how to use properly, but someday I’ll get that one too. As for now, I know she’s looking down saying, “Now that looks like some pretty damn good banana nut bread!” 🙂 And it was. Thanks, Mom.

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March 13, 2012 · 12:30 pm

A Taste of Home

This is the longest I’ve spent away from Austin at one time in more than two years, which means one thing: I’ve spent far too long away from good Tex-Mex. In a swift move to quench this thirst, I decided I would make chicken enchiladas with a queso sauce, two things I’ve never done before. I’ve made Texas style queso, Velveeta-and-Rotel-style, but that was a little too heavy for a topping on this dish, so I attempted to make a lighter cheese sauce to top off my enchiladas, which began like this:

You can make this with any type of meat or no meat at all!

You can do this is a regular pot if you have one big enough.

First, I threw two boneless, skinless chicken breasts into a skillet with butter and oil for about six minutes on each side (finish off in a 350 degree oven if necessary). Then, I sautéed chopped green and red peppers, onions, jalapeños, corn and garlic for about 10 minutes before added a can of crushed tomatoes and a can of chipotle peppers. Bring this up to a boil, then let it simmer on low for 20 minutes to give the flavor time to develop.

Not too full or they'll break!

It's a lot of food, but they keep well!

This next part can be a little tricky and a lot frustrating. To make it easier on yourself, take the corn tortillas, put them in a wet paper towel and microwave them for 30 seconds. This will help them from breaking in two while you roll up your enchiladas. After you’ve carefully rolled all of your enchiladas, sprinkle some shredded cheese over the top. Then into a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Takes about 15 minutes.

Mmm.. Cheesy Goodness.

With the enchiladas baking away, it was time to make the sauce.  First, I sautéed onions and peppers before adding milk and butter. Then I slowly added cheese until it thickened. Once thick, add tomatoes and season to taste. Then pour generously over the top of the enchiladas.

Click here for the bean and guacamole recipes.

I served them with refried black beans and we enjoyed them with a cerveza. I don’t even have to click my heels together to know that there’s no place like home.

As for the rest of the enchilada filling? Tupperware that noise up and stay tuned, cause I’ve got a plan for the leftovers 🙂

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March 1, 2012 · 2:50 pm

Fancy Food on the Cheap

For dinner last night, I continued with the Mediterranean theme for the sake of both my tastebuds and my pocketbook. Our market has chicken breasts two to a package and I used one for the skewers on Sunday so that left me with a second one, which I cut in half long-wise to make two portions, which I then stuffed with spinach and feta cheese. Serving this with the leftover chopped salad, also from Sunday, I’d say it’s one of the least expensive dinners I’ve made (and one of the fanciest)!

This entire process took less than an hour (including cooking time) and it’s a lovely and frugal way to serve yourself or guests!

I started by sautéing the spinach in olive oil, garlic and ginger until its wilted.

Then, after cutting the chicken and spreading a bit of olive paste on it, I mixed the spinach with the feta cheese and loaded up the breasts.

Then I wrapped-eems up and pinned them with a toothpick, rolled them in breadcrumbs and poured over 1/2 cup of butter. Then into the oven at 350 for 30 minutes!

Once it's brown and crispy (and the juices run clear!) just add some salad and enjoy!

Stuffing chicken is something I thought was super hard and is, in fact, super easy. What’s more is you can stuff chicken with anything! You want spicy? Stuff with beans and jalapeños. You want fresh? Stuff with veggies and some citrus. Such a versatile recipe, make your own version and let me know what you come up with!

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