Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chimichangas.

When I first saw this recipe I was suspicious.  Whenever a recipe says "vegan"  I start to think, "not a chance in he%$"  Why?  It is a whole psycho-social reactionary thing...but, I can handle vegetarian, but mostly I want healthy and tasty.  I keep trying to find ways to use beans and vegetables in  nourishing and delicious ways, and this is it baby.  Now, I will mention, that I did find a way to make it non vegan, and after a few fixes, ended up making it more chimichanga style.  Yum!

Black Beans and Sweet Potato Chimi's
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp oil
1/2 onion
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
handful of spinach
1 clove of garlic
1 roasted, and chopped green chili or 1 4 oz can of green chilies
2 cups of cooked black beans, or 1 can rinsed and drained (I used black beans with jalapenos to up the spice)
2 chopped medium tomatoes (or 1 can of diced tomatoes)
1/2 cup sweet corn
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper
12 flour tortillas (I used Mission's new blue corn and flax...they were good!)

 salsa


optional toppings:
plain greek yogurt, avocado slices, cheese...anything else that makes you happy.

Saute onion until translucent, add garlic and sweet potatoes.  Saute until soft, add spinach, green chilis, black beans, tomatoes and spices.  Simmer together and adjust seasoning to taste. 

Spray bottom of 9x13 pan with  non stick spray, add a 1/2 cup of salsa to the bottom of the pan.  Place filling in the middle of a tortilla, roll and place seam to the side, place on top of salsa.  Continue with the rest of tortilla and fillings and add to pan.  Place dots of butter to the top of the tortilla's add another quarter cup of salsa.  

Cook at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Flip over and add more butter to the top of the tortillas and add a handful of cheese , if you are non vegaing and desire cheese.  ook until brown and crispy, another 5 minutes or so. 

Add other toppings and eat!  Fantastic!!  I really enjoyed it. 

Vegetable Lasagna

I was at a conference a couple weeks ago and they served vegetarian lasagna and I feel in love. I analyzed the vegetables to see what was in it and stored it in my memory. When I got my bountiful basket this week, all the ingredients I needed were in it! Eggplant, squash, red peppers, onion, and garlic...yum! I tried to lower the calorie and fat count a bit...and I did,a little, but it is still really great. You can add in whatever veggies you like...(some people actually like mushrooms...so I hear...) so ciao bella!!

Light(er) but delicious! Vegetable Lasagna

adapted from Pioneer Woman
Ingredients
• 10 ounces, weight Lasagna Noodles
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 whole Medium Onion
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Diced
• 1 whole eggplant chopped
• 4 whole Squash (yellow Or Zucchini), Diced
• 1 can (28 Ounce) marinara sauce
• 1/4 cup Fresh Parsley, Chopped (more To Taste)
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh herbs…like basil, oregano, thyme…mmmm…
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt (more To Taste)
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1/2 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
• 12 ounces cottage cheese
• 2 whole Eggs
• 1/2 cup Grated Parmesan
• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1 pound Thinly Sliced part skim Mozarella Cheese
• Extra Parmesan Cheese, For Sprinkling
Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and lay flat on a sheet of aluminum foil.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook for a minute. Add diced red peppers and saute for another minute or so. Add squash and eggplant and cook for a few minutes. Add salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, and stir.
Pour in marinara. Stir to combine and let simmer for 20 minutes or so. Stir in chopped parsley and herbs.
In a separate bowl, combine cottage cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.
To assemble, spread a little of the vegetable/tomato sauce in a lasagna pan. Layer four cooked noodles in the pan, slightly overlapping them if necessary. Spread 1/3 of the cottage cheese mixture on the noodles. Top the cottage mixture with mozzarella slices. Spoon a little less than 1/3 of the veggie/sauce mixture over the mozzarella.
Repeat the layering two more times, ending with a large helping of vegetable sauce and a sprinkling of Parmesan.
Bake at 350 degrees, covered in foil, for 20 minutes, then remove foil and continue baking for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.

Served with a green salad with my prickly pear vinaigrette....fantastic!

Chicken + Tacos = Happy Men

Yes, I love to make people happy through food...so sue me, or just come eat with me, and be happy.  In the last several days I have had some of the men that make me most happy come visit, so I have had to make them chicken tacos to make them happy too.  I thought I would share...so taco on peeps, taco on...

3-4 cups of shredded chicken (I like a rotisserie chicken)
1/4 tsp each of chili powder, cumin, oregano
1/2 onion, chopped and sauteed
salt and pepper to taste

1 dozen corn tortillas
1 cup grated cheddar cheese                                                                            
1/2 cup lettuce, chopped
1 tomato diced
1/4 cup oil

Add a Tbsp of butter or oil to a frying pan and add onion.  Saute until soft and translucent.  Add shredded chicken to the onions, add spices and stir.  Take of the pan and put on a plate.

Add oil to the frying pan.  turn to med. high heat.  Watch the heat carefully, so that it won't pop.  When hot add the corn tortilla.  Add a couple tablespoons of the chicken to one half of the tortilla.  Flep te other half of the tortilla over the chicken.  when the side face down is crispy, flip the taco over and fry the other side until crispy.  You can probably have several tacos going at the same time.

  Take taco out of the pan and place on a pan, so that it tips and the oil can drip onto a paper towel.  Add the cheese, so that it melts nicely in the taco.

Serve with lettuce, tomato, and hot sauce...  and remember...cold tacos for breakfast are also way awesome!

Sonoran Hot Dogs

Long ago my brother told me about a hot dog place in South Tucson.  Bacon wrapped, with pinto beans, onions, tomatoes, mayo and chili sauce.  Sounded a little suspicious to me, but Corey has a some good taste in food, so I took his word on it, and glad I did!  Sonoran style hot dogs, are all the rage in Tucson now.  You will find them in corner stands all over town, and people debating which is the best. Well, for fun the other night, I gather a group of my friends together and we made our own.  The buns were soft Sonoran style buns, that I find in bakery's in South Tucson.  These are truly a fabulous treat!

Sonoran Style Hot Dogs

•  all-beef hot dogs
•  extra-thin bacon
•  torpedo rolls or bolillos
• 2 chopped avocado or guacamole
• 1/2 chopped onion
• 1/2 onion chopped and caramelized
• 2 chopped tomatoes
• 3 cups drained cooked pinto beans
•  mayonnaise
• mustard
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco or other hot sauce (I make my own by roasting a bunch of chilies and pureeing them together)
• I also like my tomatillo salsa on it (recipe is somewhere on this site)
• 
  
• Wrap a piece of bacon around the hot dog, grill bacon wrapped hot dogs until crisp.  They get black fast!!!
• Put dog in sonoran style roll, add: beans, both types of onion, tomatoes, hot sauce, mayo and mustard.
• 
  
• Devour in blissful happiness!

Killer Jalapeno Meatloaf

I don't have any pictures of this, but you are just going to have to take my word on this, this meatloaf is killer good!!!!  My favorite is the meatloaf topping, and the jalapenos...it is easy and makes the mouth happy!!

Jalapeno, Bacon Meatloaf

Saute in 1 Tbsp oil:

1 chopped onion

1 cup finely chopped green pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp finely chopped Jalapeno peppers (ummm...I actually use 2-3 Tbsp jalapenos...cuz I like to make the mouth have a little spicy dance)

2 pounds lean ground beef

2 large eggs, beaten

1 Tbsp flour

¾ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

4 strips bacon

Sauce

1 cup ketchup

4 Tbsp vinegar

4 Tbsp brown sugar

After sautéing onion, pepper, garlic and peppers mix with beef, eggs, flour, salt and pepper.  Put in baking dish.  Drape bacon diagonally across top.  Pour on half the sauce, the other half  a half an hour before baking is done.  Bake uncovered 1 ½ hours at 350 degrees.  Let stand 10 minutes.

Chicken Satay with peanut butter dipping sauce

Yes, I had a craving for chicken satay...or mostly for the dipping sauce....I like peanut butter okay! :)  So it is a simple recipe, I didn't skewer the chicken however, I just George Forman grilled them.  I accompianed the satay with my brown rice/lentil (and I added barley this time) rice dish and lightly stir fried vegetables.  Makes for a yummy dinner!!  So satay away!!!

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

Ingredients

Marinade:

• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger (I just used powdered)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 20 wooden skewers, soaked in water 30 minutes
• Vegetable oil, for grilling
• Butter lettuce leaves
• Fresh cilantro leaves
• Peanut sauce, recipe follows

Directions

Combine the yogurt, ginger, garlic, and curry powder in a shallow mixing bowl, stir to combine. Place the chicken strips in the yogurt marinade and gently toss until well coated. Cover and let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator for at up to 2 hours.
Thread the chicken pieces onto the soaked skewers working the skewer in and out of the meat, down the middle of the piece, so that it stays in place during grilling. Place a grill pan over medium heat and brush it with oil to prevent the meat from sticking. Grill the chicken satays for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, until nicely seared and cooked through. Serve the satays on a platter lined with lettuce leaves and cilantro; accompanied by a small bowl of peanut sauce on the side.

Peanut Sauce:

• 1 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons red chili paste, such as sambal ( I used chili powder)
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 2 limes, juiced (I used tangelo juice...it was the only citrus I had ;)  )
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts, for garnish  (optional)

Combine the peanut butter, soy sauce, red chili paste, brown sugar, and lime juice in a food processor or blender. Puree to combine. While the motor is running, drizzle in the hot water to thin out the sauce, you may not need all of it. Pour the sauce into a nice serving bowl and garnish with the chopped peanuts. Serve with chicken satay.
Yield: 3 cups

Pork Chili Verde

It has been forever since my last blog.  I did a lot of cooking during the holiday, but didn't get it posted. I might try to catch up eventually...however, I am not baking for a little while, trying to be good for a little bit.  Today, I got my bountiful basket and had tomatillos, and chilis. While talking to a friend it was suggested I try pork chili verde.  So here it is!!  It is delicious and pretty easy!

Pork Chile Verde

Ingredients

• 4 pounds pork butt or shoulder, trimmed of fat and cut into 2-inch cubes*** I didn't cut it up, I just cooked it whole, so that I could shred the meat. 
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Flour for dredging
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3 yellow onions
• 2 green bell peppers, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 Anaheim or Poblano chiles, cut into 1-inch cubes***I did one of each!! :)
• 2-3 jalapenos, seeds removed, and finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds tomatillos, roasted, peeled and chopped
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons coriander seeds, crushed and soaked in a scant amount of water
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 bunch cilantro leaves, cleaned and chopped
• 4 cups chicken stock

Directions

Season the pork meat generously with salt and pepper, lightly flour. Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium high heat and brown pork chunks well in small batches, on all sides. Lift pork out of pan and place in a wide soup pot. Discard fat and place the onions and peppers in the same skillet and sweat over moderate heat, stirring occasionally until limp, about 5 minutes. Add all of the chiles and cook an additional 3-4 minutes, then add the garlic and cook 1-2 minutes more.
Add the Sauteed vegetables, chopped tomatillos, dried herbs and cilantro to the meat, cover with the chicken stock and bring up to a boil and reduce to a slight simmer. Cook for 2-3 hours uncovered or until the pork is fork tender.
Adjust the seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with red rice for a delightful contrast.

Simple Cheese Lasagna and Amazing Chocolate Cream Cheese Mint bars

Yes, I have been gone for awhile...well, I actually haven't been anywhere, but I haven't been here blogging...does that make sense?  :)  I have made some things, but they failed...but this came out fantastically!  The chocolate cream cheese bars are truly amazing!!!  Enjoy and well, thanks for caring ;)

Simple cheese lasagna

15 ounces ricotta or cottage cheese

1 ¼ cups parmesan cheese grated

1/2 cup minced fresh basil

1 large egg, lightly beaten

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

6 cups tomato sauce

12 no-boil lasagna noodles (8 ounce package)

1 pound whole-milk mozzarella, shredded (4 cups)

Adjust an over rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees.  Mix the ricotta, 1 cup of the Parmesan, the basil, egg, salt, and pepper until well combined.

Spread ¼ cup of the tomato sauce over the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch baking dish.  Place 3 of the noodles on top of the sauce and drop 3 Tbsp of the ricotta mixture down the center of each noodle, then spread it to an even thickness.  Sprinkle evenly with 1 cup of the mozzarella.  Spoon 1 ½ cups of the sauce evenly over the cheese.  Repeat this layering two more times.

For the final layer, place the 3 remaining noodles on top.  Spread the remaining 1 ¼ cups sauce over the noodles.  Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella and then the remaining ¼ cup Parmesan.  Spray a large sheet of foil lightly with vegetable oil spray and cover the lasagna.  Bake for 15 minutes.

Remove the foil and continue to bake until the cheese is browned and the sauce is bubbling about 25 minutes longer.  Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Mint bars

Crust:
20 chocolate wafer cookies
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine salt

Filling:
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
2 large eggs, room temperature

Glaze:
4 ounces semisweet chocolate
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 teaspoon light or dark corn syrup
2 tablespoons sour cream, room temperature
1/2 cup  Andes Mints chips

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8-inch square baking dish with foil.

For the crust: Process the chocolate wafers in a food processor with the butter, sugar, and salt until fine. Evenly press the crust into the prepared dish covering the bottom completely. Bake until the crust sets, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the filling: Put the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl; heat at 75 percent power until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir, and continue to microwave until completely melted, up to 2 minutes more. (Alternatively put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with an inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water and stir occasionally until melted and smooth.)

Blend the cream cheese, sugar and sour cream together in the food processor until smooth. Scrape down the sides, as needed. Add the eggs and pulse until just incorporated. With the food processor running, pour the chocolate into the wet ingredients and mix until smooth.

Pour the filling evenly over the crust. Bake until filling puffs slightly around the edges, but is still a bit wobbly in the center, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on a rack.

For the Glaze: Put the chocolate, butter and corn syrup, brown sugar in microwave safe bowl. Heat glaze in the microwave at 75 percent power until melted, about 2 minutes. Stir the ingredients together until smooth; add the sour cream. Spread glaze evenly over the warm cake and scatter the mint chips over top. Cool completely, then refrigerate overnight.

Cut into small bars or squares. Serve chilled or room temperature.

Store cookies covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients  1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour 1/3  cup Baking Cocoa ½  teaspoon baking soda 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/2 1 sticks) butter or margarine, softened 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/3  cup packed brown sugar 1/2  teaspoon vanilla extract 1   large eggs irections PREHEAT oven to 350° F. COMBINE flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Drop by well-rounded teaspoon onto ungreased baking sheets. BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until centers are set. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Machaca...fun to say, fun to eat

I picked up my bountiful basket, and received my Mexican Pack, which again included everything I needed for tomatillo salsa, and it had big, beautiful poblano peppers.  So, I started looking up recipes with poblanos and came across this machaca recipe, which is beef that is used in street tacos, tamales, etc.  It look fab. and I went for it.  I also made a poblano and cilantro rice dish and a pot of beans, (pureeing some for refried beans)  Over all, I think it came out well.  I think the meat should have been cooked lower and slower to be more tender.  I am not great at meats, so I will learn.  So, happy eats to you.

Carne Machaca Recipe

Marinade:

• 2 Tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• Juice of two limes
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• Tablespoon of chipotle chili in adobo minced (substitute chili powder)
• Teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

Machaca:

• 3 pounds of chuck or skirt steak (although any affordable, tougher cut would work as well)
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 poblano pepper, diced (substitute a green pepper)
• 1 Jalapeno, diced
• 1 can of diced tomatoes (with or without chilies)
• Tablespoon dried oregano
• Tablespoon ground cumin seed                                                                                       
• Teaspoon of hot pepper sauce such as Tabasco (you know I used chipotle tabasco!)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Oil for frying

Process:

1. Mix all the ingredients for the marinade in a large freezer bag.
2. Cut the meat into 1/4 lb. pieces and place in the bag. Refrigerate over night.
3. In a large stock pot, fry the pieces of meat enough to get a brown color on the outside. This step will deepen the flavor of the final product.
4. Once the beef has some coloring, add the onion, peppers, oregano, and cumin. Cook until the onions are soft.
5. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan for all the brown bits as these too will add flavor.
6. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2 hours. Add water or beef broth if needed. The meat should be to the point of falling apart.
7. Remove the pot from the heat and remove the meat pieces. Shred with a pair of folks and return to the liquid.
8. Reduce liquid until the meat is almost dry.

Read more at Suite101: Carne Machaca Recipe: Beef Filling Used in Every Mexican Dish From Tacos to Tamales http://www.suite101.com/content/carne-machaca-a20300#ixzz0ztNUih9B

Venturing into the Unknown World of Eggplant Parmesan

I have never bought or cooked with an eggplant. I am not even sure if I have ever eaten one. I am sure I have, it has just not left an impression upon my mind. So I got one from my bountiful basket and decided to make eggplant parmesan. I bribed Anne into coming over and eating it if she would help me staple my syllabi, which I somehow managed to not to have stapled when I turned them in for copies. She gave the eggplant parmesan rave reviews, and I gave her stapling 2 thumbs up! I made my marinara, adding fresh basil, rosemary and oregano and boiling some fresh tomatoes and peeling them and adding them to canned whole tomatoes and fire roasted diced tomatoes and pureed them all together with the fresh herbs and sauteed onion, garlic, celery, carrots, mushrooms, peppers. I used big slices of mozzarella and plenty of freshly grated parmesan. So FUN!!! Bon Appetite!!

Eggplant Parmesan: Parmigiana di Melanzane

Ingredients

• 2 pounds (about 2 medium-sized) eggplant
• Salt
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs, seasoned with 1/4 chopped fresh basil leaves and 1/4 cup parmesan
• 2 cups marinara sauce
• 1 pound ball fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Wash and towel dry the eggplant. Slice the eggplant horizontally about 1/4-inch thick. Place the slices in a large colander, sprinkle with salt and set aside to rest about 30 minutes. Drain and rinse the eggplant and dry on towels.
In a saute pan, heat the extra-virgin olive oil until just smoking. Press the drained eggplant pieces into the seasoned bread crumb mixture and saute until light golden brown on both sides. Repeat with all of the pieces. On a cookie sheet lay out the 4 largest pieces of eggplant. Place 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce over each piece and place a thin slice of mozzarella on top of each. Sprinkle with Parmigiano and top each with the next smallest piece of eggplant, then sauce then mozzarella. Repeat the layering process until all the ingredients have been used, finishing again with the Parmigiano. Place the pan in the oven and bake until the top of each little stack is golden brown and bubbly, about 15 minutes.

Sara’s Marinara Sauce

3 Tbsp olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

½ onion chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

½ bell pepper chopped

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes

¼  minced fresh basil (but I often do more…depends on my mood)

½ tsp oregano and thyme

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp sugar

Dash of chili peppers

Cook the oil, onion, bell pepper and garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until fragrant but not browned, about 2 minutes.  Puree tomatoes in a blender. I add the basil in and pulse them a few times in blender.   Add tomatoes to saucepan with garlic.  Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, 15-20 minutes.

Stir in the sugar and spices.  Season with salt to taste.