Cooking with SAHD

(Light) Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

2012-01-27T13:45:00.000-08:00

This cheesecake is unbelievably low in fat. It's also really good.

It was my wife's birthday yesterday and she wanted something she could enjoy without guilt so this fit the bill perfectly.

(Light) Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

(from here)

10 Oreo cookies

8 Tbsp fat-free cream cheese (1, 8oz package)

8 oz low fat cream cheese, tub-style

1 cup sugar

2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 cup fat-free cottage cheese

2 tsp vanilla extract

6 large egg whites

3/4 cup mini chocolate chips (divided)

Start by making the crust.

Buzz 10 Oreos in the food processor until uniformly broken down.

Pour into a 9" springform pan sprayed liberally with cooking spray.

Mash down flat with a spatula and stand by.

Add both cream cheeses to the mixing bowl.

I actually did the low fat in the "tub style" and the no fat in the "brick" style. I don't know why they call for this, but when baking, I try to follow the recipe as closely as I can.

Mix until well blended on low speed. I went maybe 3 minutes and scraped out the mixing blade a couple times.

Combine the cup of sugar and 2 tablespoons flour in a small bowl.

Add to the cream cheese.

Mix well over medium speed. I mixed probably 2 minutes.

Clean out the bowl of the food processor and add the cup of cottage.

Buzz until uniform. 60 seconds.

Add the blended cottage cheese and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract to the work bowl.

Again, mix well on medium speed, 1-2 minutes.

Add 6 egg whites.

Mix on medium speed for another 1-2 minutes.

Add 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips.

Mix over low speed until incorporated.

Pour mixture into the springform pan.

Beautiful

Sprinkle the rest of the chocolate chips (1/4 cup) over the top of the batter.

Bake at 325F for 55-60 minutes.

The cake will rise considerably and puff on the edges. I pulled it when the edges were beginning to turn golden brown.

Let rest on the counter until relatively cool.

It'll drop in the center a lot. Don't worry.

Stash in the fridge to chill completely before serving.

My daughter was very excited about momma's birthday cheesecake:

The cheesecake ended up tasting really good. It was tangy and had a surprisingly nice texture.

The chocolate chips added some sweetness and the Oreo crust was a nice touch.

Overall, it was difficult to tell it was so low in fat and was a excellent treat.

Enjoy!

Asian Glazed Chicken Thighs with Sesame Ginger Broccoli

2012-01-27T13:30:00.000-08:00

This is a pretty straightforward, but excellent recipe. Just brown some thighs, add the sauce and reduce it to a glaze.

Sometimes simple is great, and this is great.

Asian Glazed Chicken Thighs with Sesame Ginger Broccoli
(from here)

6-8 chicken thighs, boneless & skinless

cooking spray

1 cup water

1 tbsp Sriracha hot sauce (more or less to taste)

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup soy sauce

4 tsp sugar

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp ginger, grated

2 tbsp chives or scallions, chopped

1 tsp sesame seeds

Broccoli:
3 heads of broccoli, trimmed
1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ginger, minced
1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
salt to taste

First, get your sauce together.

Whisk to combine:
1 cup water

1 tbsp Sriracha hot sauce (more or less to taste)

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup soy sauce

4 tsp sugar

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp ginger, grated

Fire up a big pan over high heat and add some cooking spray.

Toss on your thighs.

Flip when they have some color on them (5 minutes). Mine had a lot of liquid in them so I never got nice browning. No big deal there.

Pour the sauce mixture over the chicken.

Bring to a boil over high heat.

Cover and simmer for 20 minutes over med/low heat.

Remove the cover and turn heat back to high.

Boil the mixture until it reduces to a thick glaze - about 10 minutes.

Really keep an eye on it after 8 minutes so it doesn't burn/over-reduce.

Remove the chicken and pour the glaze over top.

==

For the broccoli, I just steamed it for 3 minutes, then tossed it in a pan.

Sprinkle the ginger and garlic over top and add the sesame oil (a little goes a long way).

Cook to heat everything through, 2-3 minutes over medium heat.

That's it!

==

Garnish with sesame seeds and chopped scallions.

Overall, this ended up really good. The chicken was tender and flavorful and the glaze was equal parts tangy and sweet, spicy and salty. The broccoli was super simple and went great with the chicken to make it a complete meal.

This one's a keeper.

Enjoy!

Santa Fe Chicken

2012-01-24T14:22:00.000-08:00

This is another super-easy slow cooker meal. You don't have to do anything but prep the ingredients and toss them in the pot.

Santa Fe Chicken

(from here)

16 oz chicken breast

14.4 oz can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies (I used a regular can of diced tomatoes and used 2 of my own fresh roasted green chiles)

15 oz can black beans

8 oz frozen corn

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 cups fat free chicken broth

3 scallions, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, mined

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)

salt to taste

This is really easy. Just start throwing in the ingredients as you grab them.

Scallions, black beans, tomatoes, chicken broth, corn

Cilantro, garlic, green chiles, cumin, salt and pepper

Give everything a stir, season the chicken with salt, and throw on top.

Cook in the oven (or use your crock pot) at 300F for 4-6 hours, however long you have.

About 3 hours in, I flipped the chicken.

When you are 30 minutes out from dinner, remove the chicken.

Let cool enough to shred.

Shred!

Return to the pot.

Stir to combine and cook for 30 minutes.

If it's too runny for you, cook over medium/low heat on the stove-top to help the liquid evaporate.

Serve over rice or as a filling in burritos/tacos/whatever.

This was a pretty good meal but I thought it was lacking some specific dimension. Maybe it was the fat. I put a bunch of hot sauce on it and it was better, but overall, it was just slightly flat.

It was still a good meal and my daughter absolutely destroyed it, so that was a win for sure.

Enjoy!

Beef, Potato and Quinoa Soup

2012-01-24T14:20:00.000-08:00

Quinoa. Not many people know about it outside the health food circles, but it's a pretty cool little seed. I won't get into the specifics of what it's all about, but all you really need to know is that it's kind of like couscous. It's got a slightly stronger flavor, but the texture is nice - like tiny little seeds that burst in your mouth. Weird, I know, but surprisingly good and very, very good for you.

I liked it a lot in this soup as it wasn't the star by any means. It added a nice textural dimension to the soup that was quite pleasant but the beef and potato are center stage here.

The soup is also really easy to make and satisfies that cold weather "soup craving" many people get in the winter time.

Beef, Potato and Quinoa Soup

(from here)

Quinoa:
1 cup of dry quinoa
2 cups of beef broth
(This will yield about 4 cups cooked Quinoa. You only need a cup for the soup recipe)

Soup:

2 tsp olive oil

6-7 scallions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 roma tomatoes, diced

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp taco seasoning

1 packet Sazon Goya

1/2 lb beef, cubed (I used chuck)

5 cups water

1 beef bullion cube

1 carrot, peeled and diced

1/4 cup yellow bell pepper, diced

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 cup cooked quinoa

1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro (divided)

1-3 tsp salt (depending on your taste)

1/4 tsp pepper

Wash your quinoa first in a fine mesh strainer.

Put it in a pot.

Add the broth.

Bring to a boil, stirring nearly constantly as the quinoa sinks to the bottom.

Drop the heat to medium and cook until the liquid has been absorbed.

When it's done, grab your cup for the recipe and store the rest for some other dish or eating as is. It's actually not too bad on its own with a little salt added.

For the soup, I'd prep your ingredients ahead of time so that you can add them to the pot with ease.

When you're ready to go, add the olive oil to a soup pot over medium heat.

Toss in the scallions and garlic.

Cook for 2 minutes.

Add the 2 diced roma tomatoes, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp taco seasoning, Sazon Goya, and half of the cilantro.

Stir well and cook another 2-3 minutes or until the tomatoes start to break down.

Looks great.

Add the carrot, 1/4 cup yellow bell pepper and the beef stew meat. In hindsight I should have cut the beef into smaller cubes.

Give it a stir and add 5 cups water and the beef bouillon cube.

Bring to a boil, then drop the heat to a simmer and cook for 1.5 hours.

Simmer

When your time is up, add the potatoes and quinoa.

Stir to combine and cook for another 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through and soft.

Serve with some fresh cilantro.

I found this soup very reminiscent of a standard potato heavy vegetable beef soup. Very homey and surprisingly rich tasting. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The quinoa added a nice texture element and made the soup stand out in my mind.

My daughter loved the potatoes and beef, but I don't think she ate a whole spoonful of the quinoa. Oh well.

Enjoy!

Swedish Meatballs

2012-01-20T20:03:00.000-08:00

If you don't have an Ikea in your town, I feel bad for you. Not only do they have great household trimmings, but you can have lunch there too! For a couple bucks, you can get some "genuine" Swedish meatballs with (admittedly) awesome lingonberry sauce.

While I didn't make lingonberry sauce for these, I feel the spirt of the meatballs is still in tact.

This is a much lightened up version that tasted really good. I couldn't tell it was turkey and I didn't miss any added fat.

Swedish Meatballs

(from here)

Meatballs:

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 tsp olive oil

1.25 lb 93% lean ground turkey (You can use ground beef instead)

1 egg

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1/2 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Sauce:

2 cups reduced sodium beef stock

2 oz light cream cheese

Toss the onion, garlic, celery and parsley into a food processor.

Buzz until minced. Maybe 5-10 pulses. Scrape down the sides as needed.

Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a pan and cook the onion mixture for 5-7 minutes over medium heat.

Remove from the heat and let cool slightly before adding to the meat.

When your onions have cooled a little bit, combine them with the turkey, 1 egg, 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, 1/2 tsp allspice, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.

Stir well to combine.

Roll into 1/8 cup balls (take 1/4 cup and split in half - mine were ~33 grams each).

I made 22. Yes, I weighed each one.

You can stash these in the fridge if you make these early.

When you're ready to eat, pour 2 cups of beef broth into your pan. Bring to a boil.

Slip your meatballs into the broth and drop to med/low.

Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove the meatballs from the broth with a slotted spoon.

You'll have some bits leftover in the broth. You can leave it in there if you want, but I strained it out.

Just pour over a fine mesh strainer.

Return the filtered broth to the pan and add the cream cheese. Turn the heat to med/high and whisk to incorporate the cream cheese.

Keep it cooking, stirring/whisking nearly constantly until smooth.

Serve over egg noodles or as appetizers with toothpicks.

Overall, these meatballs were awesome. The dish was surprisingly rich and comforting. The allspice gives the dish a warm feeling and the noodles add a nice texture element.

The meatballs were moist and delicious. If you told me were they beef, I'd have believed you.

Enjoy!

Slow Cooked Sweet Barbacoa Pork

2012-01-20T10:00:00.000-08:00

OK! An easy one today!

This is another slow-cooker meal that turned out incredibly well, considering it's a "skinny" meal.

Let's get on it.

Slow Cooked Sweet Barbacoa Pork

(from here)

For the Marinade:

2.5 lbs pork loin roast, all fat trimmed (I used a trimmed up pork shoulder)

1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

12 oz Coke zero

1/4 cup brown sugar (unpacked)

Step 2:

8 oz Coke zero

6 oz can sliced green chilies (I used 2 roasted & peeled, fresh green chiles because I love them)

8 oz tomato sauce

1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce (to taste - these things are hot)

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

1/3 cup brown sugar (unpacked)

Black Beans:

(inspired by this)

15 oz can black bean, do not drain

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon coriander

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon salt (more to taste)

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 bay leaf

1 tsp red wine vinegar

==

Begin by getting your pork broken down.

Trim up any weirdness you want to get rid of and get it into chunks for the marinade.

Toss it into a bag with the spices and sugar.

Add the Coke and shake to combine.

Stash in the fridge overnight (or 8 hours)

==

Pour everything into a pot and cook in at 300F for 3-4 hours.

It'll look nasty, but it's deliciously juicy.

Remove the pork and discard the cooking liquid and all the fatty bits.

Shred the pork and set aside for a second.

Clean your pot and pour in 8 oz of Coke zero and 1/3 cup brown sugar (unpacked).

I used one chipotle chile. These things can sneak up on you with the heat, but the flavor is unparalleled.

Add the rest of the ingredients:

6 oz can sliced green chilies (I used 2 roasted & peeled, fresh green chiles)

8 oz tomato sauce

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Give the sauce a stir and add the pork back in.

Give everything a stir and stick back in the oven at 300F for 1-2 hours.

When you're 20 minutes out from dinner, I'd pull the pot and stick it on the stove over low heat to help some of the liquid evaporate.

You can start your rice and beans now.

YOM.

==

The beans were super simple.

Just add everything to a small sauce pan.

15 oz can black bean, do not drain

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon coriander

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon salt (more to taste)

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 bay leaf

1 tsp red wine vinegar

Bring to a boil and let simmer for 15 minutes or so until it thickens up.

Be sure to stir every-so-often to prevent burning.

Delicious

Serve with rice and the beans.

I sprinkled cilantro over everything and used a nice squirt of lime juice over the top. Some hot sauce is nice too.

I could have eaten all of this.

The pork was outstanding! Sweet, slightly spicy and succulent. The lime added a brightness that complimented everything well.

If you like pulled pork, try this on. It was fantastic.

Enjoy!

Ricotta Gnocchi with Sausage and Fennel Ragout

2012-01-20T09:25:00.000-08:00

This meal is a little involved.

I got the idea from a friend who said it was the best thing he ever ate (at Wolfgang Puck's restaurant in Las Vegas). While I'm hardly claiming to have made it that those standards, I did my best (with a Mario Batali recipe) and it did turn out very tasty.

Getting the gnocchi right was the most difficult part and the instructions were not very good in the recipe and I used part-skim ricotta to save some calories so I think the quality suffered slightly.

Overall, this was a really good "special occasion" dish. I did make it on a Tuesday, so you can too!

Ricotta Gnocchi with Sausage and Fennel Ragout

(from here)

Ragout:

1 pound Italian sausage, removed from casing and crumbled

1 tablespoon fennel seeds, toasted and ground

1teaspoon to1 tablespoon red chile flakes (to taste)

1 red onion, finely chopped

1 bulb fennel, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely diced

1 rib celery, finely diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups basic tomato sauce, recipe follows (you can use regular canned/jarred sauce here to save a bunch of time)

Salt and pepper to taste

Ricotta gnocchi, recipe follows

Pecorino Romano, grated

Basic Tomato Sauce:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 red onion, chopped in 1/4 inch dice

4 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves, or 1 tablespoon dried

1/2 medium carrot, finely shredded

2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes

Salt, to taste

Ricotta Gnocchi:

1 1/2 pounds fresh goat-milk ricotta (I used part-skim)

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, or as needed

2 large eggs, beaten

1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

I started by draining my ricotta.

Put it in a fine mesh strainer and put it over a bowl.

Cover with plastic wrap and stash in the fridge for 8 hours or overnight.

==

Meanwhile, make your tomato sauce (if you are doing so - again, no harm here in using store-bought sauce).

Pour the 1/4 cup olive oil in a big pot and get it over medium heat.

Add your onions and garlic.

Cook for 5 minutes.

Add your carrots and thyme.

Cook for another 5 minutes.

Throw in the tomatoes and simmer for 30 minutes.

Simmering

I wanted to make this batch smooth, so use your immersion blender to get it smooth. Yeah, I don't have an immersion blender, I used the food processor in 3 batches.

You can leave it chunky by all means. This was just my preference for this dish, today.

Remove from the heat, reserve 2 cups and save the rest for use with your favorite pastas. It's an awesome, simple sauce.

==

Toast your fennel seeds.

I ran out of fennel seeds (gasp!) so I subbed some star anise. It worked out fine.

Get a pan over med/high heat and toast the dry spices until you can smell them and they JUST start to turn brown.

Get them off the heat and into a grinder quickly.

I don't have a pic of the ground spices. Whoops. It's brown. Save it for later.

==

When your ricotta has drained you'll see the whey in the bottom of the bowl.

Add the 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

2 large eggs, beaten

1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

to the bowl.

I forgot the eggs.

Ensure that it is fully combined and add a bit of flour to make it less sticky.

This part was kind of a pain as the original recipe calls for "flour as needed". I probably added 1/4 cup extra. Just get it to a point where it'll hold together if you make it into a ball.

Vague, I know, sorry.

Toss this mixture in the fridge to firm up while you start the ragout.

==

Begin the ragout by removing the casing from the sausages.

Toss into a pan over med/high heat.

Prep your veggies.

(If you need help with fennel this video is short and informative)

When your sausage has browned, remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon and reserve the fat.

I poured off most of it, but you need some for the vegetables.

Season with some salt and pepper, red chile flakes (to taste) and HALF of the ground fennel seeds.

Let these cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes. You can let them go for longer if you want, just lower the heat a bit.

While my veggies were cooking, I started the gnocchi.

These are a little large than the typical gnocchi as they are quenelles.

Take two tablespoons and "cut" a heaping spoon full over and over until you get a neat football shape.

It won't be perfect.

As badly as you want it to be, they will never be perfect.

Drop into a pot of salted, boiling water.

They will cook for about 7 minutes and float to the top.

This is also tricky because you have to go in shifts and cut those quenelles really fast to make them finish at the same time.

If they over-cook, they'll be mushy. I over-cooked a few, don't worry.

Set aside when they are finished. I used lightly floured parchment.

Now, to finish the ragout.

Add the sausage back into the pan with the veggies.

Add 2 cups of your sauce and the rest of the ground fennel.

Stir to combine.

Heat the mixture until it comes up to temp. Check for salt.

Ok, this part was also kind of a pain. We want to cover the gnocchi in the sauce, but they are delicate and the sauce is really chunky.

I just pushed them over to one side and coated them in the liquid. It worked out ok.

Serve a heaping portion of the ragout topped with the heated through gnocchi on top.

Overall, this dish was worth the effort.

The vegetables were fresh tasting and just cooked and the sauce was sweet and delicious. The gnocchi added a great creamy element to the dish and complimented everything very well.

I loved the texture of the ragout and ate it up. While the meal was a little bit of a pain to make, it wasn't that bad for the great results.

Enjoy!

Skinless Chicken Thighs with Shallots in Red Wine Vinegar (Poulet Au Vinaigre)

2012-01-18T09:23:00.000-08:00

I was a little unsure about this meal. First, it's French, and you know how particular French food can be. Second, the sauce is based on vinegar. Will my daughter like it? Will it be a waste of time?

Turns out the sauce was fantastic!

I didn't make enough chicken though. We blew through it pretty quickly so in retrospect, I should have doubled what I made. Oh well, lesson learned.

I also threw together some simple mashed potatoes to serve with the chicken.

Skinless Chicken Thighs with Shallots in Red Wine Vinegar (Poulet Au Vinaigre)

(from here)

3-6 lean chicken thighs, skin removed

salt and fresh pepper

1 tsp butter

1 large shallot, diced (3/4 cup)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup fat free chicken broth
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp tomato paste

2 tbsp light sour cream

1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley (for garnish)

Simple Mashed Potatoes (un-pictured)

1 lb potatoes, peeled, cubed and boiled 'til mushy

1 tablespoon butter

2 teaspoons sour cream

1 tablespoon parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

a splash or two of chicken broth

salt & pepper

(just mash everything together)

Begin by searing your chicken.

Melt the butter and get it hot. Place the chicken in the pan and don't touch it for about 5 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper.

Again, I'd make 6 next time for us.

Turn the heat down to medium and flip the chicken. If the pan was hot enough when you seared them, it shouldn't be too difficult to get them unstuck.

Cook until they are browned uniformly, 3 minutes or so.

Remove from the pan and set aside for now.

Add the garlic and shallots to the pan and cook for 60 seconds.

Deglaze with the 1/2 cup of wine. Get scraping on the bottom of the pan. Get those bits up.

Add the 1/2 cup red wine vinegar, 1 cup fat free chicken broth, 1 tbsp honey and 1 tbsp tomato paste and whisk to combine.

Throw the chicken back in the sauce.

Cover and cook for 20 minutes on medium/low heat.

You'll see the sauce has reduced a bit.

Remove the chicken (again) and add the 2 tablespoons of sour cream.

Whisk to combine and check to see if the sauce is too thick.

I added 2 cubes of my delicious homemade chicken broth to loosen it up a bit.

Bam. That's what we're looking for.

Add the chicken back into the pan and coat with sauce. Cook until the chicken is warmed back up.

I served it over the mashed potatoes with some parsley as a garnish.

While, as I said, this was about half the food I wanted to eat, it was very tasty. The sauce was a little tart, but mellow and sweet and rich tasting (even though this is pretty low cal). The tomato was a nice sort of base flavor with the garlic and shallots and wine coming through really nicely.

The sauce went really well with the potatoes and the chicken ended up being very tender.

Give this recipe a try if you want to tackle a pretty approachable French recipe!

Enjoy!

Chicken Divan, Lightened Up

2012-01-15T09:09:00.000-08:00

This is traditionally a much heavier dish that has been lightened up considerably by Gina at skinnytaste.com. While my only problem with her recipes is a total lack of salt, this is easily rectified and ends up making this recipe taste great.

This is also one of those dishes that would benefit from making the individual components throughout the day, then combining everything for the casserole at dinner time.

Chicken Divan, Lightened Up

(from here)

1 lb broccoli (2 large heads) chopped

24 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts (or 18 oz cooked)

1 tbsp butter

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 shallot, minced

4 tbsp flour

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup milk

2 oz white wine

6 oz shredded reduced-fat swiss (divided)

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
salt and fresh ground pepper

cooking spray

==

Put a pot of water on the boil and get it going. Add a tablespoon of salt to season the water.

We're going to blanch the broccoli for 3 minutes then shock it in cold water to stop the cooking process.

In the meantime, get your broccoli cut up. I left it pretty big for the cooking and cut it up smaller for the casserole later.

When your water is at a strong boil, toss in your broccoli.

Cook for 3 minutes.

It should stay a nice, bright green.

Shock in a bowl of ice water.

Remove it from the water after 60 seconds so it doesn't get too waterlogged.

Chop the broccoli into small, bite-sized pieces and set aside for now. You can do this way ahead of time if you want.

==

Weigh out your chicken. I had breasts and tenders to make the weight.

Cook the chicken any way you want. I prefer a thin layer of grapeseed oil in a skillet.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper as they cook.

Pull the chicken when it's "just cooked" or even slightly under-done.

Since we're going to be baking the casserole, it's ok if it's a little under. If we cook it all the way now, it'll be dry and mealy in the casserole and that's no good.

Set the chicken aside for now. Don't slice it yet. You can stash this in the fridge too, for service later.

Since I cooked my chicken at dinner time, I had a nice pan with stuck on deliciousness to work with.

Toss in the butter and olive oil and get the heat to medium.

Throw in the garlic and shallots and sauté for 60 seconds, scraping up the bits where you can.

Sprinkle over the 4 tablespoons of flour and stir well to combine.

Cook until the flour darkens slightly. Just to a flaxen, gold color.

Don't worry if stuff starts sticking. Just turn the heat below medium.

Add the cup of milk, cup of chicken broth (mine was homemade this time!) and 2 oz of white wine.

Boost the heat to medium/high and stir well to combine. You might want to use a whisk.

Heat until you begin to see bubbles forming in the sauce and it has thickened considerably. It's not going to be super-thick like batter, but it'll be much thicker than milk.

Remove from the heat and add 3 oz (half) of the swiss cheese. I used slices and diced it up for easy melting.

Whisk to combine.

Season with salt and pepper. I used a bit of each.

I "shredded" my swiss cheese slices by cutting them into thin slices (julienne).

==

Ok, preheat the oven to 350 and let's start building the casserole.

Place the chopped broccoli into a 9x13 dish.

Give it a shake of salt and pepper.

Pour over half the sauce.

Give it a little stir to combine.

Slice up your chicken and add it over the top. Again, it's ok if it's slightly under-cooked (though the picture makes it look more pink than it was).

Season with a little salt and pepper.

Pour the remaining sauce over top and add the rest of the swiss cheese.

Add the 1/4 cup each of parmesan cheese and bread crumbs.

Spray with cooking oil and bake for 30 minutes at 350F.

Remove when bubbling and golden brown.

This casserole turned out really good. My daughter loved it and the sauce/cheese combination worked out really well together. If you didn't tell me that it was a lightened up version, I wouldn't have known. It was creamy, crunchy and savory. The wine and shallots added a decidedly French element to it that was very pleasant. Overall, it was a nice casserole that everyone ate up.

Enjoy!

Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili

2012-01-15T08:23:00.000-08:00

This is a really easy, "throw-it-in-a-pot-and-forget-about-it" meal that turns out quite tasty. With no added fat, this is also a pretty healthy option for dinner.

You can make this in the crock pot, or like me, I never use mine and always use the oven. I just don't trust my crock pot for some reason. Maybe I'll get over it someday, but not today.

Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili

(from here)

1 onion, chopped

1 16-oz can black beans

1 16-oz can kidney beans

1 8-oz can tomato sauce

10 oz package frozen corn kernels

2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes
3 green chiles, roasted & cleaned (or 1 large can (~7oz) diced green chiles)

1 packet taco seasoning

1 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp salt (more to taste)
1/4 tsp pepper (more to taste)

1.5 lbs (3-4) boneless skinless chicken breasts

To Serve (optional):

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Sour cream
Mexican cheese
Raw diced onions
Rice
Hot sauce

All of the ingredients are going to be added to a cold pot and stuck in the oven at 300F for this version.

Couldn't be easier.

Onions

Kidney and black beans (un-rinsed)

Garlic

Corn & tomato sauce

2 cans of diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon each cumin & chili powder and 1 packet taco seasoning

Green chiles (fresh roasted or canned)

Stir and add salt and pepper

Chicken on top (season with s&p)

Cover and cook for 5 hours at 300F.

I submerged the chicken after the 3 hour mark.

When you're 30 minutes out from dinner, pull the pot from the oven and extract the chicken.

Place the pot over low heat and shred the chicken.

It should shred very easily and make way more than it looks like it should.

Add the chicken back into the pot and let cook for 20 more minutes or so.

Serve when everything is uniformly flavored.

Check for salt one more time.

Serve with your normal chili fixin's.

Overall, this chili ended up surprisingly good. It had the standard "chili" flavor and the addition of the beans made for a filling and substantial meal.

Adding a touch of sour cream and hot sauce was a nice addition and even some raw onion would have lent a nice texture/flavor boost. Go nuts.

Enjoy!

Coconut Chicken Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

2012-01-13T10:17:00.000-08:00

This is just a nice a light salad for a week night or maybe even lunch. It comes together pretty easily and all the flavors really work well together. You can bake the chicken to lighten it up even more but I prefer a quick pan-fry.

I marinated my chicken in coconut milk, ginger and soy and it ended up really moist and juicy.

Coconut Chicken Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

(from here)

Marinade (4 hours to overnight):

1 can coconut milk

4 scallions, chopped

1 inch of ginger, chopped

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 lime, juiced

Chicken:

8 (about 16 oz) chicken tenderloins

1/3 cup egg substitute or egg whites

2 tbsp crushed cornflake crumbs

1/4 cup panko crumbs

6 tbsp shredded coconut

pinch salt

Salad:

6 cups mixed baby greens

3/4 cup shredded carrots

1 large tomato, sliced

1 small cucumber, sliced

Vinaigrette:

1 tbsp oil

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp white vinegar

2 tsp dijon mustard

I started my chicken marinating in the morning. Just chop up the scallions and ginger in big chunks as we're going to discard them later.

Squeeze out the air and stash in the fridge for a few hours (or overnight).

When you're ready to eat, get your breading station together.

I used egg whites from Trader Joe's as an experiment. You can just use regular eggs if you want.

Put 1/3 cup in a dish:

Now, your coating.

2 tablespoons crushed cornflakes. I just crushed 2 large handfuls of cornflakes to get this amount.

You can use regular breadcrumbs if you want.

Add 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs.

...and 6 tablespoons shredded coconut.

Add a pinch of salt.

Mix well to combine.

Drain your marinade from the chicken.

Discard the scallions and ginger.

Your station is ready.

I debated rinsing the chicken, but it worked out fine just dunking them in the egg whites.

Place in the coating.

Flip and toss to coat well.

Place the chicken into a non-stick pan over medium/high heat with a thin layer of oil.

Continue for the rest of the tenders if you can fit them. If not, work in batches.

Cook for about 5 minutes or until they have browned nicely on the bottom.

Flip and continue to cook until they are firm and done. Use a thermometer if you are unsure (160-165F).

Cut the chicken into chunks .

The vinaigrette comes together really quickly.

Combine 1 tbsp oil, 1 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp white vinegar and 2 tsp dijon mustard and whisk to combine.

Done!

Serve the salad with shredded carrots, tomatos and cucumbers.

Overall, the chicken/honey mustard vinaigrette combo was awesome. The sweetness of the chicken with the crunchy exterior was a nice marriage to the tart vinaigrette.

Like I said, this is a pretty light meal, so if you're starving, make a double batch.

Enjoy!

Filipino Adobo Chicken

2012-01-12T08:02:00.000-08:00

I've had a bunch of different versions of adobo over the years. I've heard it said that "there are 5000 islands in the Philippines and as many versions of adobo." I believe it. I found this recipe and think that it's a reasonably legitimate version of a good adobo. Either way, it's a good plate of food and easy to make.

Filipino Adobo Chicken

(adapted from here and here)

3-4 boneless & skinless chicken thighs
1 small head of garlic, minced (8-12 cloves)
1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 bay leaves

1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 cup of long grain rice, prepared (to serve with)

Begin the night before by getting the chicken in the marinade.

This is the hardest part of the meal.

Marinate for a few hours or overnight.

I ended up letting it go for more than 24 hours because my meal schedule got pushed back. I don't think that it made a real difference either way but you can see the effect the vinegar has on the meat.

When you are an hour away from dinner, pour the contents of the bag into a medium sized pot.

Add enough chicken broth to almost cover the chicken. I ended up using a cup.

Cook covered, over medium heat for 45 minutes or until the chicken is falling apart.

Remove the chicken from the liquid in as few chunks as you can manage.

Remember to remove the bay leaves.

Go ahead and start your rice.

Put the liquid over high heat and allow it to reduce by half. It'll take 10 minutes or so.

To finish the chicken, get a cast iron skillet over high heat.

Add a thin layer of oil when it gets up to temp.

Lay on the chicken and sear them quickly. Make sure the pan is super-hot.

Flip when they get some color on them, I didn't go more than 2 minutes on each side. Just keep an eye on them.

Your sauce should be done by now and the rice should be finishing up.

Serve the sauce over the chicken and rice.

Use the sauce sparingly because since it has reduced, it's pretty strong.

This version of adobo ended up tasting really good. Tangy, salty and undeniably Asian. I kind of just mixed everything together and dug in. The texture of the chicken after frying was great. It caramelized the sauce a bit giving it a nice dark flavor that was a great compliment to the dish.

If you have a hankering for adobo, give this one a try!

Enjoy!

Peruvian Chicken and Aji Verde with Latin Chickpeas and Sweet Plantains

2012-01-11T10:00:00.000-08:00

I love making food from other cultures. I usually try to do the more traditional preparation, but sometimes I don't. This is one of those times. This whole meal is definitely "South American inspired" versus an authentic recipe.

Still, it ended up being really tasty, so I don't mind.

The overall meal preperation ended up being kind of involved, so this isn't a super-quick meal to throw together, but the aji verde sauce is just blended together, the chickpeas just simmer on the stove as the chicken bakes and the plantains cook pretty fast.

I managed to make it in about an hour (excluding marinating time).

Peruvian Chicken and Aji Verde with Latin Chickpeas and Sweet Plantains

(adapted from here and here and here)

Peruvian Chicken Marinade:

1 lb chicken breasts

1.5 oz tequila

1/4 cup white vinegar

1 lime, juice of

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp salt

Aji Verde Sauce:

4 jalapeños, seeded

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

3 tbsp olive oil

3 clove garlic

1 tbsp white vinegar

pinch cumin

salt and pepper

2 tbsp sour cream

Latin Chickpeas:

5 oz breakfast sausage (or 1/2 a chorizo sausage if you have one)

2 teaspoons of cumin (or taco seasoning, which I keep in a spice bottle)
1 small onion (or half a large one)

1 packet Sazon Goya w/ Culantro & Annatto
pinch of salt
1 tomato, diced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

15.5-oz can Garbanzo Beans
1 cup of chicken broth

Sweet Plantains:
2 ripe black plantains
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Begin the night before by combining the marinade ingredients along with the chicken in a ziplock bag.

Squeeze out the air and stash it in the fridge.

==

About an hour before you want to eat, start the chickpeas.

I found a much more involved recipe that calls for chorizo. I had some leftover breakfast sausage so I decided to use it in the chickpeas instead. Turned out great.

Just toss it in a saucepan.

Season the sausage with the cumin or taco seasoning.

Once the sausage has rendered some fat, add the onion and Sazon Goya. Also add a pinch of salt.

Add the tomato and garlic after the onion has softened (about 5 minutes).

Add the chickpeas.

Add the cup of chicken broth and bring to a boil, then drop to a simmer and cook for about an hour.

==

Now, make the aji sauce.

Slice up 4 jalapeños and seed them with a teaspoon.

Add the jalapeños, 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, 3 tbsp olive oil, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 tbsp white vinegar, pinch cumin, salt and pepper and 2 tbsp sour cream to a blender or food processor.

Process until smooth. Scrape down the sides as you go. It's going to be impossible to get it perfectly smooth in a food processor but it still works fine.

Toss the sauce in the fridge until service.

==

When you're about 20 minutes out, start prepping the chicken.

Drain the marinade from the chicken and prep for baking.

I baked the chicken but will pan fry it next time. I never manage to get the chicken cooked properly in the oven. It's a flaw of mine, so please, if you bake better than I do, go ahead with it.

I baked at 400F for about 20 minutes.

==

While your chicken bakes, start the plantains.

If you've never dealt with plantains, the green ones are not ripe (but delicious) and the yellow ones are ripe. The blacker the better for sweet plantains, btw. The one on the left was not ripe enough.

The peel is really thick, so you need to slice the ends off and slice down the length of the plantain to peel.

Slice on the bias, about 1/2 inch pieces.

Melt the butter in a non-stick pan over medium heat.

Add the plantains in a single layer.

Cook for about 5-7 minutes or until the bottoms are golden brown.

Flip and sprinkle the 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon brown sugar over the top.

Cook until the sugar caramelizes, 3-5 minutes more.

==

Everything should be finishing up at this point.

Make sure your chicken is cooked (160F).

Your chickpeas should be reduced to a thicker consistency. Check for salt, but the reduction process will impart a lot of salt on its own. Just give it a taste. I like it a little salty and thought it worked well with the whole dish.

Serve everything together with the aji sauce over top.

This is one of those dishes that each part is good, but together, everything is amazing. I added considerably more sauce throughout the meal and really thought it was fantastic.

The chickpeas were salty and savory and the chicken and sauce were more tangy and matched really well. The sweetness of the plantains added a great aspect that really complimented the rest of the flavors of the dish.

Overall, this ended up being a really tasty meal with flavors I don't have very often.

Enjoy!

Lentil and Chicken Soup

2012-01-11T09:26:00.000-08:00

Found this easy, delicious recipe on skinnytaste.com (again, that woman has a ton of great recipes). It takes about 45 minutes to cook, so it's pretty quick as well as healthy and tasty.

Lentil and Chicken Soup

(from here)

1 lb dried lentils

2 chicken breasts on the bone

2 chicken bullion cubes

2 packets Sazon Goya

1 small onion

4 scallions

4 cloves garlic

1 tomato

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

8 cups water
2 teaspoons salt (to taste)

Toss the chicken and lentils into the 8 cups of water and chicken bullion cubes.

Cover and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile add 1 small onion, 4 scallions, 4 cloves garlic, 1 tomato and 1/4 cup chopped cilantro (not in the picture but I added it after, oops!).

Buzz until it all is finely chopped.

Once your liquid comes to a boil, back the heat down to a simmer and cook the chicken until it is no longer pink, about 15 minutes.

Pull the chicken and let it cool until you can shred it.

Add the Sazon Goya packets and stir to combine.

Add the chicken, and vegetable mixture back into the soup.

Stir to combine.

I found that the lentils cooked quicker than the veggies. It took me 15 minutes until the vegetables were tender.

Check for salt. I added 2 teaspoons at the end. This may vary for you. Just taste as you go.

(By the way, don't add the salt in the beginning as it tends to make the lentils take forever to cook.)

I served with saltines and some hot sauce. You could spoon in some sour cream too with good results, I think.

This soup ended up being really tasty. There was a lot of flavor packed in there and I found the salty, acidic cilantro/coriander flavors a nice pairing with the earthy lentils and savory chicken.

Enjoy!

Broccoli Stuffed Chicken Breasts With Potato Galettes

2012-01-04T23:33:00.000-08:00

In my quest to experiment with recipes I came across this fairly classic preparation of broccoli stuffed chicken breasts. I had all the ingredients on hand, so I didn't have to go to the store. I had some extra potatoes left over too, so I decided to make some simple potato galettes to go with the meal.

Broccoli Stuffed Chicken Breasts With Potato Galettes

(from here)

3 chicken breasts

2 tablespoons lemon juice (divided)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

8 oz broccoli

1/2 cup cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons bread crumbs

1/2 cup white wine (divided)
cooking spray
2 tablespoons corn starch
1/4 cup of water

2-3 small potatoes (or 1 large)
1/4-1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons of oil (for frying)
salt and pepper to taste

I used frozen broccoli.

Chop it up pretty finely. We're going to stuff chicken breasts after all. You don't want huge chunks.

Add the 1/2 cup of cheese (I had a cheddar/jack mix leftover), 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and the salt and pepper.

Stir well to combine.

Make sure your chicken breasts are defrosted enough to handle.

Slice a pocket in the fattest side of the breast:

Stuff the breast with the broccoli mixture.

I found I could really jam the broccoli in there. Don't be bashful.

Repeat with the rest of the breasts and arrange in a small baking dish of some sort.

Sprinkle the breasts with 2 tablespoons of bread crumbs and add the other tablespoon of lemon juice and 1/4 cup of the white wine to the dish.

Bake at 400F for 20-25 minutes or until internal temp of the chicken hits 160F.

==

Meanwhile, you can get the galettes together.

Just grate your potato(s).

Add 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of bread crumbs.

This will vary a bit. We're just looking to get the mixture to come together.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Stir to combine.

Dish out 1/2 cup portions.

Flatten them out and fry over medium/high heat.

Flip when the bottoms become golden brown.

==

While those are going, start the sauce.

Combine the 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and 1/4 cup of water in a small saucepan over low heat.

Your chicken should be done by now.

Pull the chicken and let them rest for a few minutes while you finish the sauce.

Scrape the pan juices into the sauce pan, add the other 1/4 cup of wine and stir to combine. (I missed pictures of this part, but it's easy)

Just stir over medium heat and the sauce will thicken considerably.

Serve with the sauce over everything.

Overall, this turned out to be a nice little meal. The lemon flavor really came through and the broccoli and cheese was a great addition to the chicken and the crunch of the potato was a great side.

Enjoy!

Indian Spiced Ground Turkey with Potatoes and Peas

2012-01-04T10:18:00.000-08:00

This is another healthy meal for the new year. I got it from skinnytaste.com but I added some more spices and used a little more salt than she uses and it turned out really good.

It comes together pretty fast and uses few dishes, so it's a great weeknight meal that kids and adults will enjoy.

Indian Spiced Ground Turkey with Potatoes and Peas

(from here)

15.5oz can diced tomatoes, drained

5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

1.5 lbs 93% lean ground turkey

4 medium scallions, chopped

1 cup peas (fresh or frozen)

1 potato, peeled and cut into chunks

8 oz can tomato sauce

3/4 cup water

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/4 tsp coriander

1 bay leaf

Begin by tossing the turkey into a hot skillet and season with a pinch of salt and the cumin.

Let that brown while you prep the tomato/cilantro puree.

Add the can of tomatoes, 5 cloves of garlic and 1/4 cup of cilantro to a food processor.

Pulse for about a minute, scraping down the sides while you go to make it consistent.

Once your turkey has browned, add the can of tomato sauce, the cup of peas, the potato, scallions, 3/4 cup of water and the tomato/cilantro puree.

Season with the 1/2 teaspoon each of garam masala and salt and add the 1/4 tsp coriander and bay leaf.

Stir everything well to combine.

Cover and simmer over med/low heat for 20-25 minutes or until the potatoes have softened.

I gave it a stir every-so-often.

Most of my liquid was gone when the potatoes were done.

Remove the bay leaf and serve with jasmine rice with maybe a squeeze of lime.

This meal turned out pretty good. It wasn't the most exciting thing I've every made, but it did the trick. The garam masala worked really well with the turkey and the peas were a nice little blast of sweetness in the dish. The perfume of the jasmine rice was a great compliment and I found that a little lime brightened up the whole dish considerably, too.

Enjoy!

Just had a baby boy!

2011-12-30T22:22:00.001-08:00

Please welcome my son into the world.

Corned Beef For The Holidays

2011-12-24T17:48:00.000-08:00

Our holiday tradition pretty much consists of one thing: Corned Beef.

My wife's late Grandmother used to make Reubens on christmas eve and being that I love Reubens so very much, it was easy to adopt this tradition from our first holiday together to this one.

My wife totally upped the ante by making Corned Beef Hash from the leftovers on our first christmas morning together and we have been doing that every time since.

I usually cook the corned beef. I usually just follow the normal way of preparing corned beef which is basically boiling it until it's done. Not very exciting. Not terrible either, but I couldn't help but think that there had to be a better way.

There are two things that I considered.

1. I buy the corned beef from the store:

So, maybe I should get a brisket and corn my own beef (which I've yet to do - maybe next year).

2. Perhaps the cooking process itself can be improved.

Regarding #1, I didn't have the gumption or time to bother with corning my own beef as we're expecting BabyFantastic2 any day now, so I decided to look into #2. Cooking method.

Turns out people have good luck braising corned beef in a foil bag according to teh internets.

I hate making foil cooking bags because they always leak.

Then it hit me.

I can use my leftover turkey bag from thanksgiving (I brined the turkey in one of the two bags in the box).

It worked beyond well.

While I didn't take many pictures, I felt that I should share this technique for any corned beef lovers out there.

Corned Beef For The Holidays

Corned beef brisket
Turkey cooking bag (I used one of these)
~1 cup of water
~1 cup of beef broth

==

This is really simple so I'm not going to over complicate it.

1. Get your brisket and your bag.

2. Put the brisket in the bag.

3. Arrange the brisket fat side up so that it's kind of in the corner of the bag.

4. Fill the package that the beef came out of with the cup of water to get all that flava out and pour it in with the corned beef.

5. Add enough beef broth to come up halfway when the brisket is laying flat. (just eyeball this)

6. Seal the bag well. I used a cable tie after the crappy tie that came in the box failed mid-cooking. Get a cable tie on it in the beginning.

7. Trim off the excess bag. Place in a 9x13 baking dish.

It should look like this:

Cook for 6-8 hours at 225F.

The bag will probably let some fluid loose out of the bag opening. If you have it in the dish properly, it'll just leak into it, no problem

You may have to remove the top rack in your oven as the bag will inflate hugely. Don't puncture it.

==

After it's finished, I scrape the fat off the top. Some people keep it, I don't.

Slice it thin for sandwiches.

So, so beautiful

This corned beef was the best I've ever made, if not some of the best tasting corned beef I've ever had.

The flavor was intensified so much more than if you just boiled it. Cooking in the bag was almost like pressure cooking it - trapping all the goodness inside.

I tasted a complexity in the meat I've never tasted before and it was absolutely fantastic. It was tender and actually juicy. I normally find the beef semi-dry but this time it was moist and perfect.

I implore you to try this next time you cook a corned beef brisket.

==

I made Reubens with Claussen sauerkraut and Ken's Steak House Thousand Island Dressing . I made my own dressing the other day with a Rachael and it was good but the Ken's was really great, so I went with it this time.

And of course, christmas morning was time for Hash.

Delicious.

Enjoy!

Chicken and White Bean Enchiladas with Creamy Green Chile Sauce

2011-12-21T18:25:00.000-08:00

Even though I've done chicken enchiladas before (green chile - to boot), I found this recipe on skinnytaste.com and wanted to give it a shot. She only calls for 8oz of chicken and a can of navy beans to fill out the enchiladas. And her sauce is different than mine. And hers is a lot healthier than mine.

Good thing they were fantastic.

Chicken and White Bean Enchiladas with Creamy Green Chile Sauce

(from here)

Chicken and White Bean Filling:

1 tsp olive oil
8-10 oz (uncooked) chicken breast (or 8 oz cooked, shredded chicken)

salt and pepper
1/2 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

15.5 oz can Navy beans (or Cannellini beans)

1/3 cup water

1 chicken bullion cube

1 tsp cumin
4.5 oz chopped green chiles (or 1 large fresh green chile)

Green Chile Enchilada Sauce:

1 tsp butter

1/2 onion, diced
pinch of salt

2 tbsp flour

1 cup fat free chicken broth

4.5 oz can chopped green chile (or 1 large fresh green chile)

1/2 cup light sour cream

3/4 cup reduced fat Mexican cheese

8 medium low carb tortillas

chopped fresh cilantro or scallions (to garnish)

If you don't have any cooked chicken on hand, just toss some breast meat into a hot pan with a thin layer of oil.

Salt and pepper.

Flip and cook til just done.

Even slightly under-done would be fine since we're going to be cooking it a lot more in a second.

Remove from the pan and let cool until you can shred it.

Add the onion to the same pan and add a pinch of salt.

Cook for 3-5 minutes or until the onions soften.

Add the garlic, beans, cumin, bullion cube and water.

Throw in the green chiles.

I didn't roast them first because I was in a rush. Turned out fine.

Cover and cook for 15 minutes on low heat.

==

Meanwhile, start the sauce and preheat the oven to 375F.

Add the butter and onions to a non-stick pan over medium heat.

Cook for 3-5 minutes.

Add the flour and stir to combine.

Cook for a minute.

Slowly add the chicken broth and stir constantly.

Keep stirring and the sauce will thicken as it comes up to a simmer.

Let it go for 5 minutes or until it's thickened considerably.

Add the green chiles in.

Stir to combine and let cook for another 5 minutes on low heat.

==

Meanwhile, add the shredded chicken to the beans.

Stir to combine and cook for 2 minutes.

Remove from the heat and let cool.

When your sauce is done, remove from the heat and add in the 1/2 cup of sour cream.

Stir to combine and set aside.

==

Grab a 9x13 pan and spread 1/4 cup of the sauce to the bottom to prevent sticking.

Fill each tortilla with 1/3 cup of filling and roll up.

Add to the baking dish.

Repeat with the rest of the tortillas.

I had exactly enough filling.

Cover with the sauce.

I liked the ends not completely covered. It gave a nice texture to the finished enchiladas.

Cover with the 3/4 cup of cheese.

Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.

Remove foil and let cool for a few minutes.

Serve with some cilantro and maybe some hot sauce.

I thought these enchiladas were really outstanding. The meat had great flavor and the sauce was creamy and satisfying. The beans not only added some nice flavor, but the texture was a great addition.

I can't believe that these are healthier than my normal method. I guess it just goes to show that you don't always need the extra butter (sorry, Paula D).

Enjoy!

Beef Sirloin and Jasmine Rice Stir-Fry

2011-12-21T17:57:00.000-08:00

I was in the mood for Asian and wanted to try this really simple rice dish. The original recipe calls for ground beef, but I thought some leftover cheap top sirloin would be better in it, so I went that direction with this version.

The seasoning in this dish is good but very simple. You can jazz this up with curry, or hoisin, or Sriracha to give it another dimension if you are so inclined.

Beef Sirloin and Jasmine Rice Stir-Fry

(adapted from skinnytaste.com here)

1 lb top sirloin

1/2 onion, chopped

6 green onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 carrots thinly sliced

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp fish sauce
1 cup jasmine rice
2 cups of water (or chicken broth)

2 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

Start by slicing up your beef. I had half of a big slab sitting in the freezer, so I wanted to eat it.

Slicing beef always works better when slightly frozen.

Slice the beef pretty thin and try to slice it across the grain.

Hold in the fridge until service. In the interest of keeping things healthier, I'm not marinating the beef at all.

Prep your carrots and red pepper.

Chop your onion, scallions and garlic.

==

When you're ready to eat, fire up your wok and toss in the beef. No fat needed.

Though, give it a nice pinch of salt and pepper.

Cook until basically cooked through. It'll cook for a lot longer in a minute.

Drain and set aside for a few minutes.

Toss in the onions, garlic, scallions, 2 tablespoons soy sauce and teaspoon of fish sauce.

Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add in the carrots and red bell pepper.

Cook for 2 more minutes., stirring constantly.

Add the rice stir to combine.

Cook for 1 minute.

Add 2 cups of water.

Add the beef back in.

Drop heat to low and stir to combine.

Cover and cook for 20 minutes on low.

Add the cilantro in at the end. Make sure the rice is cooked through, adjust salt and serve.

Like I said, this dish was very simple. It had a nice flavor from the soy and fish sauce and the beef tasted nice and beefy. Not the most exciting dish I've ever made, but still fed us all just fine.

If I make this again, I'll definitely change up the seasoning a bit.

Enjoy!

Skinny Sloppy Joes

2011-12-19T17:42:00.000-08:00

To continue my experiment with skinnytaste.com recipes, I have decided to make some sloppy joes. This is a pretty straightforward recipe that doesn't take much time to prep or cook. I decided to make fries with it because they're good.

Skinny Sloppy Joes

(from here)

1.25 lbs ground turkey (or lean ground beef)

1 tbsp steak seasoning or seasoned salt

1 carrot, minced

1 medium onion, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup red bell pepper, minced

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 can (15oz) tomato sauce

2 tbsp tomato paste

Begin by prepping the carrot, onion, garlic and red bell pepper.

If you have a food processor, pulse them 20-30 times to get them really finely chopped. If not, just mince them as small as you can/want.

Put a pan over high heat and add the turkey and seasoning. No extra oil needed.

Cook until no longer pink and add the veggies. Cook for 2-3 minutes.

Drop the heat to medium.

Add 1 tablespoon each of red wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce.

Stir to combine and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the can of tomato sauce and 2 tablespoons of tomato paste.

Stir to combine.

Drop the heat to maintain light bubbling.

Let simmer for 10 minutes or so.

I let mine go until it thickened up a quite a bit. Maybe 20 minutes at the most. (I was waiting on fries in the oven).

Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

I served 1/3 cup on each bun.

These were good little sandwiches. The mixture tasted surprisingly fresh. Much better than the heavy, saucy, canned variety. The red wine vinegar added some brightness to the meat and I found it very satisfying even though there was virtually no fat in the mix.

Enjoy!

Striped Pangasius With Thai Coconut Curry

2011-12-17T09:21:00.000-08:00

I've been buying this striped pangasius from Trader Joe's because it's really cheap ($4.99/lb) and tastes pretty good. And by "good" I really just mean "mild", as in tastes like tilapia.

I'm not knocking it and my daughter really likes it, so for the price and for what you get, I think it's a great deal.

I used this fish for sandwiches a little while ago but I wanted to make a healthier fish dish. This recipe is from Skinnytaste.com (again) and while it calls to broil the fish, I can never get the fish done the way I like it in the broiler. It always ends up mushy or overdone.

I pan seared the fish for this dish and even though it used a little more oil than it could have, I used grape seed oil, which is a bit better for you than other oils, so I feel ok with it.

The curry in this dish is simply a term for the sauce in general. It does have some curry powder and red curry paste (which you should be able to find in the store (I would not recommend trying to make it from scratch)) but the flavors are really balanced out by the coconut milk. I'm talking to you, Mom and Dad.

Striped Pangasius With Thai Coconut Curry

(from here)

1 tsp sesame oil, divided

1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 red bell pepper, finely chopped

1/2 cup scallions, finely sliced

1 tsp curry powder

2 tsp red curry paste

1/2 tsp ground cumin

4 tsp soy sauce

1 tbsp brown sugar

2 tsp Asian fish sauce

1 (14-ounce) can light coconut milk

2 tbs chopped fresh cilantro

1-2 lbs Striped Pangasius fillets (or any other white fish - tilapia, cod, catfish, etc.)

Salt & pepper

1 lime (for serving)

Jasmine Rice (cooked per package instructions)

Begin by prepping your veggies and thawing your fish (if it's frozen).

Mince about 1 tablespoon each of ginger and garlic. Mince it pretty finely.

Chop the bell pepper as finely as you can and slice up the scallions finely.

Add 1/2 teaspoon of the sesame oil to a non-stick pan over medium heat and add the ginger and garlic.

Cook for 1 minute.

Add the peppers and scallions and cook for another minute.

Add the 1 tsp curry powder, 2 tsp red curry paste and 1/2 tsp ground cumin and cook for another minute, stirring constantly.

Add the 4 tsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp brown sugar and 2 tsp fish sauce and stir to combine.

Shake well and pour in the whole can of coconut milk.

Stir well to combine and drop the temp to med/low.

You want the mixture to get to the point where it's bubbling in the center, but not overtly boiling. Give it a stir every 5 minutes or so while you deal with the rice and fish.

This sauce should cook for about 20 minutes and will darken in color substantially. Just keep an eye on it.

If you're serving this with rice, you should start that now.

My fish over-defrosted a bit, hence the edges cooking, but no biggie.

Dry the fish as best as you can with paper towels as we're going to try to sear it in a cast iron skillet. If it's wet, it'll never sear.

Season both sides with a little salt and pepper. I like a lot of salt on mine as this fish is really mild.

Fire up a cast iron skillet on the highest heat you have (or another stainless/aluminium pan - DON'T use non-stick at high temperatures by the way).

Let it get up to temp and add a thin layer of oil to cover the bottom. Use an oil that can take high temperatures as we're going for a sear here.

Once the oil starts to shimmer and move, it's hot enough to sear.

Lay the fish in the pan carefully and don't touch it.

Drizzle a few drops of sesame oil onto the face of the fish while it sears.

You'll see the edges of the fish start to cook first. We're kind of aiming at 70/30% before the flip. 70% of the fish will be cooked through on this side before turning it over.

It'll take maybe 5-7 minutes but this depends on the fish, your burner, the oil, etc. Just poke at the under-side of the fish after 5 minutes and once it starts to release from the pan, it's ready. The Maillard Reaction will allow for the browning and subsequent release of the fish from the pan, but it won't work until it's browned.

Flip the fish carefully, drop the heat to medium and cook on the other side for 2-3 minutes. If you're unsure use a thermometer (140-145F) or break the fish apart. It should flake easily and not be mushy.

Your sauce should be nearly done by now.

Notice how it has darkened.

Add in some fresh cilantro at the last minute and stir to combine.

Serve the fish over rice and spoon the sauce over top. Serve with lime wedges.

Overall this dish ended up being outstanding. It tasted very much like it came from a restaurant. The typical American "curry" flavors were there but were complimented and subdued by the sweetness of the coconut milk and the fragrant Jasmine rice.

The veggies were nice and tender and the crispy fish was a great texture for the dish. Adding a squeeze of lime elevated it to a new level as well. I'm sure you could add some Sriracha to the dish, but I thought it was great as-is.

If you're in the mood for an Asian fish dish, definitely give this a try. It's light and delicious.

Enjoy!

Chicken Parmigiana Burgers and Steak Fries

2011-12-16T08:34:00.000-08:00

We're going to start taking a healthier direction with dinner. My wife has been looking for some recipes that appeal to her and found some good stuff over at Skinnytaste.com.

I admit that I was inspired by them more than other sites as of late, so I decided to try some new recipes this week based on her ideas.

This one is adapted pretty heavily in that she just calls for chicken burgers from the store. I made my own. I think they turned out pretty good. I also made steak fries, which I baked to be a bit more healthy.

Chicken Parmigiana Burgers and Steak Fries

(adapted from Skinnytaste.com, here)

Chicken Burgers

1 boneless, skinless chicken thigh (about 8 oz)

1 small boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 8 oz)

1 small onion, diced small

pinch of salt and pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/4 teaspoon rosemary
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons seasoned breadcrumbs

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Marinara sauce (can/jar is perfect here)

Buns

Home Fries

2 potatoes, cut into wedges

2 tablespoons canola oil

1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon basil

First things first. Fire up the oven to 400F and prep the potatoes.

Just toss the potatoes, oil and spices in a ziplock bag and shake to coat. Then, pour out everything onto a sheet pan and arrange them. A silpat works really well for this, but parchment would work well too. These tend to stick to foil.

Bake for 30 minutes to begin with. This is going to vary from oven to oven and depends on how you cut your fries, etc. The basic goal here is to cook them until crispy. It'll take at least 45 minutes but we'll flip them at 30 and continue until golden brown.

Next, toss your onions into a pan over medium/low heat with a dash of oil and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Cook for 5 minutes and add the garlic.

Cook for another 2-3 minutes and kill the heat.

Make your burgers next.

I used one chicken thigh and a small breast.

This works best if they are slightly frozen.

Chop up the chicken pretty finely and add to the food processor bowl and pulse 10-12 times, scraping down the bowl when needed.

Add the onion/garlic mixture, 1/2 teaspoon oregano, 1/2 teaspoon basil, 1/4 teaspoon rosemary, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.

Pulse 10-15 more times until you get a reasonably uniform texture.

This will be up to you when you want to stop processing. I went a little chunky with mine, but it will work fine being more of a paste. Better to over-process than under for this.

Transfer to a bowl and add the breadcrumbs.

Stir well to combine.

When your'e ready to cook, get a non-stick skillet over med/high heat and add a thin layer of oil to the pan.

Portion out the chicken mixture into roughly 4 oz patties and add to the pan.

Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until nicely browned then flip.

Cook for about 3 minutes and add 1/4 of the mozzarella cheese to each burger.

Pour in a small amount of water to the pan and immediately cover with a lid to steam the cheese.

Let it steam for 2 minutes, max.

The burgers should be done by now, but if you're not sure, stick a thermometer in the thickest one and make sure it's 165F.

Your fries should be done by now, so take them out and let them cool a little before eating.

Put the burger on a bun (I toasted mine) and top with marinara sauce (I heated it in the microwave for 30 seconds) and serve.

This burger ended up really good. My wife couldn't believe how moist the chicken was.

It tasted exactly like chicken parmigiana (on a bun) and actually came together pretty fast, considering I made most of it from scratch.

I'd make these chicken patties again just to have on their own. You'd never know there was no added fat to the patties.

Enjoy!

Quick Macaroni and Cheese (Lunch) for Kids

2011-12-11T09:47:00.001-08:00

My daughter has had a craving for "Macwani-cheese" lately and of course, since it involves pasta, it's a pain to fill a pot, boil the water, cook the pasta, then (depending if it's homemade or boxed) you have to prepare the cheese sauce and serve.

I figured that there must be a faster way.

I read an article that mentioned that one can cook a small amount of pasta straight in the pan and save time, so I decided to give it a try for this quick mac-n-cheese.

Quick Macaroni and Cheese (Lunch) for Kids

1/2 cup uncooked elbow macaroni

1 cup water

pinch of salt

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 cup milk

1-2 slices American cheese (to taste)

pinch of pepper

Begin by adding the 1/2 cup pasta and 1 cup water to a small pan. Sprinkle on a pinch of salt.

Fire up to the heat to high and bring to a boil.

Once the water reaches a boil, set your timer for about 8 minutes.

As the pasta absorbs the water, it will reduce quickly.

When you are nearly out of water (and the 8 minutes is almost up - this may vary from kitchen to kitchen) cut the heat to low.

Make sure to taste the pasta to make sure it's al denté. Add a little more water if it's not.

Add the tablespoon of butter, 1/4 cup of milk and the slice of cheese.

You can use 2 slices if you want it SUPER cheesy.

Stir to combine.

Cook over low heat for maybe 2 minutes until everything is thoroughly combined.

Kill the heat and you'll see the sauce tighten up a lot.

Sprinkle with a pinch of pepper.

Serve to a delighted child.

(I ate the leftovers. It was dynamite. I'll probably make mac-n-cheese this way in the future.)

Enjoy!

(Chewy) Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-12-09T13:57:00.001-08:00

My wife really wanted to try the Chewy recipe from Alton Brown since I recently made the Thin recipe and have subsequently ate them all.

These cookies were pretty different in that there is bread flour for extra chewy gluten and they cook up much thicker than the Thin ones.

(Chewy) Chocolate Chip Cookies

(from Alton Brown here)

Please use a scale for accuracy, but if you don't have one, the volume measurements are listed

8 oz unsalted butter (2 sticks)

12 oz bread flour (2 1/4 cup)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 oz granulated sugar (1/4 cup)

8 oz light brown sugar (1 1/4 cups)

1 whole egg

1 egg yolk

1 oz whole milk (2 tablespoons)

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

12 oz semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups or 1 bag)

Begin by melting the butter in the microwave. I went 45 seconds.

Next -

Combine your 12 oz bread flour (2 1/4 cup), 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1 teaspoon baking soda.

Sift them together onto a paper plate or (like me) aluminium foil.

We'll use this flexible base to get the flour in the mixer easier.

Add the melted butter, 2 oz granulated sugar (1/4 cup), and 8 oz light brown sugar (1 1/4 cups) to your mixing bowl.

Begin mixing at medium speed.

Combine the 1 whole egg, 1 egg yolk, 1 oz whole milk (2 tablespoons) and 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract in a bowl.

Whisk to combine.

Slowly add the egg mixture to the sugar/butter.

Mix for 30 seconds.

Slowly add the flour.

You may need to stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

When the flour is completely integrated, add the chocolate chips.

Combine by hand.

Chill in the freezer for 30 minutes before portioning or the cookies will run flat.

When you're ready to cook, preheat the oven to 375F.

Scoop out 1.5 oz portions onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Overall, I liked the Thin cookies better, but these were really good.

Soft and chewy in the center with that golden crunch on the edges.

Enjoy!

p.s. They freeze really well too. I rolled them out into 1.5 oz balls and froze them on a cookie sheet. Then I just tossed them into a ziplock bag in the freezer for quick cookies.