The 4:20 Chef

Steak au Poivre

2007-10-02T13:31:00.000-07:00

Steak au Poivre is one of my specialty dishes. Specialty usually means it is not low-calorie, because it is high in flavor. So, when I was preparing to cook this dish for my girlfriend, I confessed to her that I chose a dish with a cream sauce...BUT, since the cream sauce is only drizzled around the steak for presentation, I convinced her she did not have to worry. She could just eat the steak (yeah right). This was a convincing argument at the time; however, she still reminds me of my ridiculuousness. She ate every bite of the steak as well as every last drop of the sauce. Sometimes, you just have to splurge on the calories!

The best part about cooking Steak au Poive (beside eating it) is lighting the brandy on fire. Flambee!

Ingredients

2 Filet Mignons (center cut)
2 TB crushed green peppercorns ( bulk item at specialty store )
3-4 TB butter
2/3 cup cream
1 TB olive oil
2 TB brandy
Chopped parsley to garnish

1 bag fresh spinach
4 cloves minced garlic

Directions

Crush green peppercorns using a large blade knife and a sandwich bag. If you have a spice mortar that is obviously better. You can use fresh ground black pepper, but it is not really the same as green peppercorns. Crush the sea salt too.

Take each filet and generously coat both sides with the crushed pepper and sea salt. Set steaks aside to bring to room temperature.

Cook Spinach
Heat oil for spinach. Add spinach and minced garlic and cook just until wilted. Set aside covered on top of stove to keep warm

Preheat oven to 450.

Melt 2 TB butter and 1 TB olive oil in a large frying pan. Add steaks and cook on med high for 2 minutes. Turn over and cook for another 2 mins. Pull steaks out and put in preheated 450 oven till desired doneness. For rare steaks, usually just 2 minutes, medium rare 2-4 more and well done ...i don't really recommend for filets.

While filets are in the oven, pour 4 TB brandy into the frying pan. Light on fire and let the fire cook down. Flambee.

Add 2/3 cup of cream and stir well. Cook until bubbly.

Put steak in center of plate, pour cream sauce over it until it makes a circle around the steak. Lightly sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Appetizers and Hummus

2007-10-01T16:44:00.000-07:00

Hummus is a dish I started making after meeting a friend of my girlfriend Amanda. Amanda loves to cook, and invites us over all the time for a fabulous meal with lots of wine and good times.

Hummus is something Amanda often serves as the first of several courses. Amanda's hummus is rarely the same as she likes to change the ingredients. It always eases that hunger pain I have when I arrive which is a good thing because we often spread out the night and eat dinner late.

Here is my recipe for Kalmata Olive Hummus.

Ingredients

1/2 bag of dried garbanzo beans
1/4 - 1/3 cup kalmata olives (de-seeded)
4-5 large garlic cloves
1/2 cup tahini butter
Juice from 2 lemons

Cucumber and/or Pita for serving.

Directions

Soak garbanzo beans over night in large pot of water. Soak for at least 12 hours.

In a crock pot, add the garbanzo beans and cover with water. Cook in crock pot until soft, usually about 8 hours. If needed, I refrigerate the cooked beans and keep for few days.

Using a blender, add the beans, garlic and about 1/4 cup of water. Blend up till the mixture begins to be smooth.

Add olives and about 1/3 cup of juice from the olives. Blend until smooth.

I buy Kalmata olives at Costco because I find they keep a long time and I eat them frequently. They can be expensive to buy at the grocery store. If you do that, this whole meal is extremely cheap!

Serve with cucumber or pita bread.

Grandma's Hashbrown Casserole

2007-09-08T15:18:00.000-07:00

My grandmother was an excellent cook, and she always cooked an after-church Sunday dinner for my family. This casserole was often served as a side. All I can say is that it is sinfully delicious. It is so good, my grandfather would count how many times I went back for more.

My mother helped pass this recipe down to me. My mother mostly made it for me as a convenience because this dish freezes well. If freezing (or in a hurry) I take the easy-way-out and use store-bought shredded cheddar cheese and store-bought hash browns. That method is definitely good. However!!!, if you want sinfully delicious....use quality Wisconsin mild cheddar cheese and grate your own white potatoes. Today, is sinful.

Ingredients

3 White potatoes (2 - 2 1/4 lb), peeled, grated
1 bunch (5-6) of green onions thinly sliced
2 cup shredded cheddar cheese. (use quality cheese)
1 pint sour cream (light)

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

If using whole potatoes. Peel the potatoes. Using a Cusinart with the grater blade or cheese grater, grate all the potatoes. Soak immediately in ice cold water to avoid browning. This is very important. Leave potatoes in water. Add 1 TB sea salt to water.

Slice green onions, and grate cheddar cheese if necessary. I use a good Wisconsin Mild cheddar that I grated using my Cuisinart.

Butter a casserole dish well.

In the casserole dish, mix the drained potatoes with the green onions and cheddar cheese.

Once mixed well, stir in the sour cream and mix. Lightly top with black pepper and some thin slices of butter.
Cover with aluminum foil. Bake in oven for one hour.

Cranberry Bran Muffins

2007-09-05T15:46:00.000-07:00

Guest Chef: Girlfriend of The 4:20 Chef

There's almost nothing better in the morning than a cup of coffee and a muffin. It is an especially nice start to the workday making it seem less drab. A muffin can be a relaxing way to wind down the weekend with the Sunday paper. However, a stop at the local coffee shop for these items can leave your wallet empty and your waistline expanding. These muffins are a healthy alternative (low in fat, high in fiber) to the portion-crazy, butter-loaded commercial muffins and are extremely cheap especially if you shop for the ingredients in the bulk bins at your local market. While I live with a chef, I like to make a little something myself every now and then. This is an easy way to contribute to the fabulous foods The 4:20 Chef creates and shares with me.

Ingredients

1 cup dried cranberries or dried fruit of your choice
2 cup bran flour
1 cup flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup molasses
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Crisco (or alternative)

Directions

I bought bulk bran and dried cranberry from my specialty grocery store which made these very cheap.

Mix all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Lightly grease the muffin tins with crisco. Fill each muffin almost full with the mix. You can use any muffin tins you like, but I am partial to mini muffins.

Bake in oven on 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Post Game Egg-in-Hole Deluxe

2007-09-02T10:55:00.000-07:00

Opening day for college football. Gametime 6:00 pm. Pre-game 3:30 pm at Crown and Anchor for a pitchers of Dos Equis and a jalepeno cheeseburger and fries. One more beer for kicks, I grap a Red Stripe, we stumble to the game. College football has a lot of tradition, and so do the fans. My halftime break for more beer at the Texas Exes Alumi Center along with 3rd Quarter Corny Dogs are two of my many traditions. Are you noticing a theme? The Horns finish off Arkansas State for a lackluster 21-13 victory. Hop on the bicycle for a short ride back home. Just enough exercise to work up another appetite!

So I had the ingredients for an omelet, but that is way too much work for my state of mind. Instead, Egg in Hole...wait, let's make it a Deluxe!

Ingredients

1 slice of bread
1 egg
1 slice of ham
1 slick of mozzarella cheese (or other cheese)
Salt and Pepper
Butter

Directions

Cut a round hole in a slice of bread. I use a small glass. Melt a dash or butter in a small frying pan. Lay the slice of bread down in the frying pan on top of the butter and cook on medium heat.

Add the egg, carefully aligning the hole in the bread. Let cook until toasted on one side.

Carefully turn the bread and cook the other side until toasted, appx 2-3 minutes

A traditional egg-n-hole is ready at this point. To make it a Deluxe, use a spatula and lift up the bread and egg. Lay a slice of ham on the frying pan. Next, add slice of cheese on top of the ham. Lay the egg-n-hole back down on the ham and cheese and cook until the cheese melted.

**If I turn it over it looks like the following picture; however, this is not necessary.

Serve with the hole on top and the ham/cheese on the bottom.

Panama City Turkey

2007-08-28T16:47:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving in Gulf Shores, Al. was an annual event for my family. I recall wading the bay, catching blue crabs by the jetty, going to the arcade, and sand crabbing at night. My family rented the same beach-side cabin every year. I specifically remember enjoying Thanksgiving so much that every year I would smell the air as I was leaving remembering all the great times. One of the most vivid moments was Thanksgiving, 1996. I had just graduated from college and my sister was in her last year of law school. My dad was giving grace as he always did before a meal. During grace, my father broke down upset. When he regained his compusure, he told us all that this would probably be the last Thanksgiving as we all knew it. Indeed it was, but I will never forget that moment! ... nor the many Thanksgivings I enjoyed in in Gulf Shores, AL.

While it was not my family tradition, some people in that area enjoy fish for Thanksgiving. They bake a large snapper (usually 6Lbs or more) like a turkey and serve it with oyster dressing. That is known as Panama City Turkey.

Ingredients

1 3 lb whole red snapper
3 med onions, sliced
2 lemons, sliced
8 bay leaves
6-7 ripe, red tomatoes (or 1 large can of stewed tomatoes)
3-4 TB butter
Sea Salt
Black Pepper

Directions:

Clean the fish. I request that the butcher gut, clean the gills and trim the fins for me. In addition, I wash the whole fish very well. I find the freshest fish by looking for one with the least cloudy eyes.

Slice the onion and lemon.

Sprinkle the cavity with salt and pepper. Add about 1/4 of the sliced onions, lemons to the cavity leaving the rest for the sauce. Sprinkle sea salt on top of the skin. Add about 4 bay leaves to the cavity. Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate.

Boil water to peel tomatoes. Place tomatoes in boiling water until the skin breaks. Pull the tomatoes out of the water and cool. Peel the skin. Quarter and de-seed the tomatoes.

Melt 3-4 TB of butter gently in a saucepan. When melted, add the sliced onions, chopped celery and bay leaves. Sweat the vegetables for about 20 minutes in the butter. When sweating vegetables, I use medium heat cooking until the vegetables are translucent but not brown. This helps preserve the sugar.

Add tomatoes and cook another 10 minutes. Add 4-5 lemon slices and continue simmering on low for a few more minutes. The butter should turn a nice color from the tomotoes.

Lay remaining lemon wedges on fish. Cover well with aluminum foil and cook on 375 in oven for 30-45 minutes.

Remove fish from the oven. Fish baked with the head and tail is usually very moist and much more flavorful than a filet. The meat peels right off the bone if done correctly.

Hatch Chile Corn Bread

2007-08-26T17:51:00.000-07:00

Hatch, New Mexico is the headquarters of the chile pepper, one of my favorite peppers. Plant breeders and botanists from around the world are constantly researching the Chile and creating new breeds to satisfy the ever changing tastes of consumers. Around August in Austin, TX, our grocery stores always heavily promote the famous Hatch Chile Pepper.

I modify the traditional Texas Jalepeno Cornbread to use Hatch Chilis in celebration of the Hatch Chile season. Most traditional Jalepeno Cornbread recipes call for a can or cream corn which yields a sweeter cornbread. The can contains ingredients I would prefer not to include. Instead, for a fresher cornbread, I use the creamy corn juices grated right off the cob, along with a handful of kernels cut from the cob.

Ingredients

1 cup yellow corn meal
2 hatch chilis, deseeded and chopped
3 green onions, chopped
2 corn on the cobs.
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
4 TB butter, melted gently

Directions

Prehat oven to 400 degrees. Green a 12 inch iron skillet with crisco or butter. Heat the iron skillet in the oven.

Mix 1 cup of cornmeal with 1 cup of buttermilk and let it sit for at least 30 minutes. Chop the green onions and hatch chilis.

Take the first corn on the cob and grate it using a cheese grater. This makes a soupy corn mixture. Collect it and set aside. Take the second corn on the cob and cut the kernels off.

Mix baking powder, baking soda, flour, eggs, and melted butter with the cornmeal mixture. Add chopped pepper and green onions. Stir well.

Pour into the hot iron skillet. Spread evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes on 400. Test with a toothpick to see if the center is done. If the toothpick removes cleanly, the cornbread is done!

The Lobster and the Artichoke

2007-08-19T12:10:00.001-07:00

The Lobster and the Artichoke are two heavenly foods. This is a meal that anyone can make. Seriously speaking, lobster is so easy to cook, I find eating it is much harder. The Lobster and Artichoke are both on top when it comes to their category of food, seafood and vegetable. Given some thought, I find they share a lot of qualities. For instance, a lobster and artichoke both take a lot of work to eat; they both are spiny and can hurt you; they both are eaten with butter; and they both are delicacies!

So when you go buy your live lobster at the grocery store, be prepared to talk to whomever is next in line. For me, it never fails to initiate a conversation with someone else waiting.

Ingredients

2 live lobsters ( 1.5 lb is a good size )
Sea Salt

1 stick of butter.

1 artichoke
1 lemon

Directions

Make artichoke

Cut the stem from the artichoke , I try to make a clean cut right at the bottom. I try not to cut too much off because the heart is also at the bottom.

Boil a pot with about 1 inch of water. Add 1 TB sea salt. Squeeze a lemon wedge in the water, and throw the wedge in too. Add the artichoke and cover. Steam/Simmer for 20 minutes.

Make the lobster

Boil a pot of water large enough to hold a single lobster. This requires a deep and wide pot. Add sea salt to water.

Take a single live lobster and add it to the water claws down. Make sure it is completely covered with water. The tail should curl as you put it in. As soon as the water starts boiling again (appx 3-4 minutes), start the timer. I could it about 7 minutes for 1.5 lb lobster.

Make melted butter

Gently melt the butter on the lowest heat possible. Do not let the butter brown.

Rollin' Spring Rolls

2007-08-12T16:06:00.000-07:00

Spring Rolls are one of my favorite dishes to cook for friends or family. Not only can I let my friends participate, Spring Rolls are light, healthy, most importantly... tasty.

The most memorable Mother's Day since I left home was a few years ago when my parents visited Austin. Since my parents live in Mississippi, I do not always visit home for Mother's Day. That year, I decided to some something special for my Mother. I surprised her with a memorable meal including Wasabi Pea Crusted Wahoo and Spring Rolls.

Recently, I made some Japanese Meatballs with Shrimp and Shitake Spring Rolls.

Spring Rolls are easy. It takes some work, but the hardest part is also the most fun. I rarely use the same ingredients. I personalize the spring rolls to my craving or change them to suit the accompanying dish. Fish is the perfect compliment, but this time I chose to cook some Japanese Meatballs.

Ingredients

Spring Roll Wrappers
Rice Sticks
Red Bell Pepper, thinly sliced
Fresh Basil, chopped
Baby Bok Choy, thinly slicked (white part only)
Shitake Mushrooms (apprx 4 med caps)
Small Cucumber (deseeded, peeled, slicked thinly)
12 med shrimp (shelled, deveined)

Directions

Prepare Vegetables

The first step to preparing spring rolls is to prepare all the vegetable ingredients. I take my time and use care during this step. The quality of my slicing or chopping dramatically affects the quality of the spring rolls. So keep in mind the following when slicing the vegetables.

Clean and wash the vegetables very well
Thinly slice the vegetables in appx 1 inch long pieces

I usually reserve all the pieces that did not slice well for a salad. This is not a dish for odd shaped or chunks of vegetables.

Prepare Shrimp

Peel and de-vein the shrimp. Sometimes, I buy already de-veined shrimp, but it is not hard to do this myself. To de-vein a shrimp, first peel and wash it. Next, I take a small sharp knife and cut into the top of the shrimp lengthwise. Using the knife, open up the flesh and the vein is usually visible. Under running water, pull the vein out using the knife.

Boil some salted water. I do use any spices except salt. When the water reaches a full rolling boil, boil the shrimp about 7 minutes. They usually turn from translucent to pink. Do not over cook.

Put the shrimp in a bowl and allow to chill in the refrigerator. Once cooled, slice the shrimp in half, lengthwise.

Prepare Rice Sticks

Boil a large pot of water, and place one layer of rice sticks into the boiling water. Turn off the water and let sit for 3-5 minutes until soft. Drain the noodles. To avoid sticky noodles, I somtimes allow them sit in some warm water for a minute or two. Cool and set aside.

Roll Spring Rolls

Once all the ingredients are prepared, it is time to roll. This is a great time for break. Have a glass of wine or a cold beer. Whatever is your preference. A lot of work went into this meal so far, and the best part is yet to come!

To roll the spring rolls, heat about 1/2 inch of water up in a large frying pan. Heat the water to a warm temperature (not too hot to touch). Take out the spring roll wrapper when it begins to soften (not when it is completely soft).

Carefully place the wrapper spread out on a cutting board. It should continue to absorb water and soften more. Do not tear the wrapper.

On the side closest to me,

Lay 3 shrimp on the wrapper
Top with a little of each vegetable
Add a small handful of rice sticks

Be careful not to over-stuff. This takes a little practice.

Roll the spring roll, by turning in the ends and then rolling away. Once I get a good handle on the roll, I apply pressure and roll slowly to make a good shape. Cut in half with a moistened knife for a good presentation.

ahh Quesadillas

2007-08-10T00:13:00.000-07:00

I was feeling hungry, so I visited the fridge looking....nothing..checked out the cabinets... still no luck. Walking back to the couch, trying to convince myself I was not hungry. No I'm not hungry. I remembered I had tortillas in the cupboard. This realization set off a chain of thoughts alike a row of tumbling dominos. Next thing I knew, I was quietly cooking up some Steak and Avocado Quesadillas. Yeah it is 11:30 pm, but my only meal all day was a Godfather pizza at the Alamo Draft House while watching the Simpson's movie; I have leftover steak, and some avocado that is green. Let the fun begin!

Ingredients

1 tortilla
Some sliced or cubed pieces of steak or chicken
Handful of cheddar cheese
A little avocado (if available)
sour cream (if available)

Directions

Heat the tortilla on med heat in a frying pan. For extra taste, melt a little butter first. Add the meat, cheese, avocado to one side of the tortilla.

Turn the empty half of the tortilla over stuffing. Toast on one side for about 1-2 minutes letting the cheese melt Flip to folded tortilla over, and toast until lightly brown on both sides.

Cut from the center, four triangle slices. If you have some sour cream, top it off with a spooful.

Summary

Don't forget the quesadilla! I never eat all the tortillas in the bag anyway. I'm ready for bed now

Searching for Perfect Macaroni and Cheese

2007-08-08T20:17:00.000-07:00

Growing up, my parents constantly included Kraft Macaroni and Cheese as part of dinner. My sister always begged my dad to make it rather than my mom. She always claimed "Dad's is better, Dad's is better". I remember thinking "How different can the two be?", Now, I know that my dad actually added the butter where my mother chose to secretly leave it out.

In college, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese was a staple meal. For 79 cents, and a piece of ham from my sandwich meat, I could eat a full meal. Hard to beat that. When it got boring, throw in a few peas, tuna, or perhaps some hot sauce. Oh, the good ole days.

Now, I still eat Kraft Macaroni and Cheese every now and then, but honestly, the packaged food flavor appeals less and less. Thus, my search began.

After many failed attempts, and I mean failed, I believe I am close to my perfect macaroni cheese. Macaroni and cheese is definitely a personal dish. For me, I like the Macaroni and Cheese at a place called Hoovers, another place called Bone Daddy's. I also like Morrison's and even Stouffers.

Homemade macaroni and cheese has a tendency to venture into Foo Foo Land. (More on that another day). My favorite memory is a version by a friend who cooked some up the day the Texas Longhorns won the National Championship. It had breadcrumbs on top and used cheeses like swiss and cream cheese. Put it this way, if I still remember the macaroni and cheese after that game, it must have been spectacular!

During my trials, I tried different cheeses, Oaxaca, Chihuahua, Cheddar, American, Swiss, Guyere, Mozzarella, Colby, Monterrey Jack etc. I also tried a variety of recipes from cookbooks, some of which I really liked. One thing to keep in mind, I prefer to avoid using heavy cream unless I feel the dish requires it. Thus, my perfect macaroni and cheese does not allow for that. I can not have that much guilt when I eat it.

Ingredients

1 bag of large elbow macaroni
1 link of kraft garlic cheese tube
1 cup of shredded mild cheddar cheese
2 TB butter
Milk (appx 2 cups) 2% or 1 % milkfat
Sea Salt
Pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Make Noodles

Boil a large pot of water. Add 2 TB sea salt. Again, this is a technique to provide a more appealing salty component than adding salt directly. Cook the noodles, but leave on the very al dente side. I usually take them out just on the early side of eat-able. Drain them and shake the noodles really well. Shake again if necessary so they do not stick together in one l

Make cheese sauce.

Melt the kraft cheese tube on low in a saucepan. Mix 1/2 cup milk with the cheese as it melts.

In another small pan, melt 2 TB butter slowly in a pan. When melted, add 1-2 TB flour to the butter. The butter and flour should mix well together foaming. Constantly stir and cook on medium heat until it just about turns brown. The browner you cook the butter/flour mixture, the more richer the sauce.

By now, the cheese and milk should be melted. Pour in the butter mixture and stir really well.
Add cheddar cheese and simmer on low until completely melted.

Make Casserole
In a buttered casserole dish, mix the macaroni and slowly stir in the cheese sauce. At this point, I usually have a thick and very cheese consistency.

Put casserole dish in oven for at least 20 minutes total.

During that 20 minutes, I adjust the macaroni to my taste. Usually immediately, I add about 1/3 cup milk. I stir up the macaroni very well and put back in oven. I add more milk about every 7-8 minutes during the 20 minutes that it cooks, stirring every time. This process enables a nice and smooth and bubbly sauce without forming hard unpleasant noodles on the top. My goal is a thick bubbly, and cheese sauce. Creamy goodness without the cream. Adjust little by little until you reach your liking.

Take the macaroni and cheese out of the oven. Turn your oven's broiler on. Add black pepper to the top of the casserole. If you are one of those people who like bread crumbs, now would be a good time. Another personal touch is a touch of shredded cheese on top. Regardless, broil for about 2-3 minutes until the top just begins to brown.

Summary

11:30 pm and the entire casserole has been reduced to about 1 spoonful, not to mention the grilled chicken breast and turnip greens.

Starvin' Marvin' Pork Loin

2007-08-07T19:08:00.001-07:00

Starvin' Marvin is how I describe myself when I come home from work hungry. I also use other rhyming phrases in other situations such as "Are you ready Freddy?", "Let's go Joe", "What's the plan, Stan?". Today, I was Starvin Marvin! Marvin ate a Mustard Maple Glazed Pork Loin with Mac and Cheese and Steamed Broccoli.

If your mom fed you Pork Loin a lot while growing up, I can explain why. We all know the feeling of coming home at 6pm or later with nothing to eat. One way to solve that is to have food in the refrigerator that you can prepare quickly. Wait! I am not talking Stouffers here. For me, a pork loin is often that food I buy on Sunday to cook on Wednesday. Pork loin is the perfect meat for last minute meals because it really takes on the flavor of that whatever I throw together in my famished panic. Next, cooking a pork loin allows me to sit back, watch some TV, drink a beer to appease my stomach, and wait on my meal ... rather than cook my meal. My mom, on the other-hand, was honorably taking care of my sister and I.

The first key to cooking any pork loin is a meat thermometer. 150 degrees is the 4:20 Chef's perfect temperature. The meat thermometer for pork usually says about 180 which is incorrect, in my opinion. This is the difference between medium rare and well done.

Another key to cooking pork, is letting it sit for 20 minutes after removing it from the oven. Do not forget it will continue to cook and the temperature usually rises about 5-10 degress. See the reason for letting the pork sit rather than cutting it immediately is as follows. Cutting the pork too early allows the juices to escape as steam. If I wait, the juices cool a bit and condense to water; thus, the pork is much more juicy.

Ingredients

1 pork loin
1/4 - 1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup dijon mustard
2 TB rosemary dried
1 tsp dried oregano
6 TB maple syrup
1 tsp sea salt

Directions

Marinate the pork in the soy sauce for about 20 minutes while you preheat the oven to 375.

Mix together the dried herbs, mustard, maple syrup, and sea salt. Drain the pork from the marinade and put in a roasting pan. In the pan, coat the pork well with the sauce reserving a little for later.

Roasting pork can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour and half, uncovered. I pull the pork out at 140-150 degrees. Before it reaches this temperature, I usually pull it out and top with the rest of the sauce I reserved.

Summary

Not overpowering, very good. There is none left and my girlfriend said she wasn't going to have any....yeah right!

Rosedale Veggie Chili

2007-07-29T09:44:00.001-07:00

One day I was eating Nachos with Veggie Chili at the Shady Grove. I decided I enjoyed the Shady Grove chili so much I ordered a cup of the chili. After that memorable day, I remember vividly, I knew my own Veggie Chili was severely lacking in flavor and texture. I also knew I could make it better!

Making Veggie Chili is very personal. The most important thing to keep in mind is texture. I could make Veggie Chili with only black beans, but adding garbanzos or a kidney beans to the mix makes a huge difference to the end result. The reason is because each type of bean has a very different texture. Hence, we often see 5 bean chili or 12 bean chili.

Texture and color are also important when considering vegetables. Adding some grilled corn not only adds a yellow color, but corn also gives a nice little crunch. Adding squash or zucchini, peppers or carrots all have color and texture unique from each other. Consider every vegetable you enjoy eating and try to find a diverse set of texture, and hopefully color.

Making Veggie Chili has several advantages. First, it is very healthy. Can you say Fiber? Don't forget about all the vitamins and extra protein. Next, it is a great way to get rid of any produce that is waning. Finally, you can eat it in so many ways, it is hard to get sick of it. Remember the Frito Pie?

The following list of ingredients represent my last batch of Veggie Chili. However, it is different every time I cook it. Read it over and get the basic feel for the process and required ingredients.

Ingredients:

Dried Beans

1/3 cup black beans

1/3 cup garbanzo

1/3 cup red beans

1/3 cup kidney beans

1/3 cup pinto beans

Vegetables

2 Corn on the Cob (with husks)
1 Small Squash, sliced
1 Green Pepper, cubed
1 Red Pepper, cubed
2 Small Carrots, thinly sliced
2 Stalks Celery, chopped
1 Onion, chopped
3 Green Onions, chopped

Other

4-5 Cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 Large Can crushed tomatoes (anything will do, I use Rotel)
Chili Powder
Cumin
Brown Rice Syrup (Brown Sugar is a good substitute)
Cayenne Pepper
Hot Sauce
1-2 Cans Vegetable Broth
Beer
Cornstarch.

Directions

Make the Bean Mixture.

First, soak the beans over night and most of the next day. I like a good long soak. Be sure to drain and refill the water as much as possible. This helps reduce the natural gas released into the air after you eat it. (don't ask me why, but I believe it is true). Do NOT use canned beans.

Next, put the beans in a crock pot. Add 1 bay leaf, 1 can vegetable broth, 2 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp cumin, and 2 cloves of garlic. At this point, I add water or more vegetable broth to make sure the beans are covered completely with liquid. During the whole crock pot process, I ensure liquid covers the beans. I gently stir the beans once or twice during the 8-10 hours required to cook the beans in the crock pot.

Once the beans are tender, I taste them. Typically, the chili powder gives provides for a slightly bitter flavor at this point. That is ok.

I transfer the beans to a large pot big enough to hold the chili and vegetables. If you are having issues with time, you can let the beans cool in the fridge and store the beans up to two days before proceeding. Remember I have added no meat or dairy product so the beans keep a long time.

Add the tomatoes and the rest of the minced garlic. Heat up the beans to medium heat and simmer covered. Stir occasionally to keep from burning.

At this point, I adjust the flavor to my taste. First, I add 1 tsp chili powder and 1 tsp cumim and stir well. Then, I follow the basic rules.

If the chili does not taste at all like chili, I add another tsp of chili powder. Be careful however, too much is hard to correct.

If the chili tastes bitter, add brown rice syrup or brown sugar. The sweetness helps counteract the bitter. Be careful not to add too much though because chili is not supposed to be sweet.

If the chili is not hot enough, I add cayenne pepper to heat it up. Pick your own way of heating things up. Chopped jalelpenos, habenero etc.

Simmer for a few minutes and taste again until I feel the bean mixture tastes good. Repeat if necessary.

Time to adjust the viscosity or consistency of the sauce.

This is a great time to add beer. In fact, I always do. Budweiser goes great. Add a little beer (appx 1/4-1/3 can), Don't forget to drink the rest! Try to make the consistency a little on the thin side.

Then, take 1 tsp cornstarch and put it in small glass. Add a little water to the cornstarch. Shake it up using your hand or saran wrap to cover the glass. This helps avoid clumps.
Pour the dissolved cornstarch into the chili. Heat the chili up to a boil and as soon as it hits a boil, the cornstarch should take effect and your chili should be perfect! Reduce heat.

Make Vegetable Mixture

Add a little olive oil to the frying pan and heat to medium heat. The goal is to sweat the vegetables until they are tender, flavorful but still retain texture. ]

Add carrots, saute for 2-4 minutes. These are okay to be soft.
Add onions, celery, saute for 2 minutes
Add peppers, saute for 2 minutes
Add chopped green onions, saute for 2 minutes
Add squash, saute for 1 minute

I cover the vegetables as I saute to help steam them a little. Be careful not to overcook your vegetables. My rule of thumb is that if the peppers and squash do not still have a crunch, I overcooked the vegetables.

Make the Corn

The easiest way is to roast the corn in the oven on 350 with the husks for about 45 minutes. They are ready when you can press the husk and feel the kernels give in to the pressure. Pull the husks off, and using a sharp knife, cut the kernels off the cob.

Combine Beans and Veggies

Add the vegetables and keep simmering for another 10 minutes or so. Add the corn to the chili. I do this last because I want to retain the crunch of the corn.

Summary

This is a staple meal for me. I make it almost every other week. It takes time and patience but I always eat it all.

Fried Egg on a Bed of Saltines

2007-07-29T09:13:00.001-07:00

11:30 P.M and I return from a night eating sushi with friends at Silhouette in downtown Austin, TX, . After eating, we topped the night off at the Gingerman with a pint. Luckily, my girlfriend was the designated driver, because I consumed plenty of cold, unfiltered saki during my meal.

When I arrive home, I'm starving. The sushi just did not fill me up, and I was ready for something good. We all know that feeling after several drinks. Unfortunately, I had nothing in the refrigerator or cupboard. It was Friday, and I do my grocery shopping on Sundays. Time to get creative.

Ingredients

1 Egg
5-6 Saltine crackers, crushed
Shredded Cheddar Cheese (if available)
Tabasco (if desired)

Directions

Toss on a little butter to a frying pan.
Fry an egg
Crush some saltines and make a little bed on your plate.
Lay the fried egg over the saltines.
Top with cheese and tabasco.

Summary

Considering the circumstances, excellent!

Kombucha Tea and Immortal Health

2007-07-23T14:20:00.000-07:00

I love Kombucha Tea, but my very first sip of Kombucha Tea was memorable and frankly disgusting. A piece of slime hung from my lip as I tried to drink the first sip. My girlfriend starts laughing and oohing at me as I blush in embarrassment. I soon recovered and managed to finish the bottle of GT's Raw Organic Kombucha that I bought at Central Market, a local specialty grocery store. After drinking it, I did feel a little of a stomach ache comparable to mild indigestion. I no longer experience this feeling.

For some reason, this experience did not deter me, but only fascinated the scientist in me. I must admit, I am mildly obsessed with Kombucha.

This is how I currently make my own Kombucha Tea. The best published directions I found is the Wiki-How.

I started by buying a starter SCOBY from Organic Kombucha. SCOBY is an acryonym that stands for Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeasts. Yummmmm. This is a one time purchase because the process is self-sustaining.

Next, I bought a large glass container (at least 1 gallon) to make the tea. Last, I bought the basic ingredients, raw sugar and black tea.

I boiled about 1 1/2 gallons of water to a rolling boil. Next, I turned the heat off and added 2 family size tea bags and steeped the tea for 10 minutes. In general, I followed the directions for the tea. I also added 1 1/2 cup of sugar. I would recommend 1 cup per gallon of water. You can adjust this later for taste. Make sure the sugar is completely dissolved.

Next, I covered the glass jar of tea with a paper towel and a rubber band. Do not cover with metal! It needs to be able to breath. I let the tea cool over night. You can kill the SCOBY if you add it while the tea is still warm.

The next day, I dropped the SCOBY in the tea and added a little of the liquid that came with it.
Covered again with the paper towel, and let the tea sit on my kitchen counter (out of direct sunlight) for 7 days.

During the seven days, another SCOBY formed on the top. This is called the baby.

After the seven days, I remove the baby and keep it in a small glass jar with enough tea to keep it covered. This is important so the baby does not mold or dry out. I also keep the original SCOBY in that same jar. Today, I have about 5 SCOBY's living in the jar in my refrigerator. (I found a cleaned leftover jar from the White Plains Bulgarian Yogurt is a nice size).

Finally, I transferred the tea to a large plastic jug (an empty Arizona Tea jug) and put it in my fridge. Supposedly, the more full the jug the more fizz I get. I am still learning how to generate more fizz.

When I drink the tea, I always add a little bit of flavor. I find the tea alone is not the best tasting. I like Vita Water or Fruit Juice. I put about 1/4 juice and 3/4 tea in my glass. I also brush my teeth after drinking it because my girlfriend says my breath is stinky like vinegar.

I now drink an 8oz glass of my Kombucha every day. I have not experienced the "healing crisis" that I've heard can happen, but I do feel the tea helps my digestive system.

My next try I plan to use green tea. Here are a few other observations or tidbits of information

I made some good tea using two SCOBYs. I plan to use three to find out what difference it makes if any
I find the more expensive teas turn out better tasting. Cheap Luzianne works fine especially with a little juice.
I do not have trouble with contamination although most directions imply that it is very easy to contaminate your tea.
More than 7 days, the tea is not so good.

More to come. Happy Kombucha Making.

Vegetarian Greek Tacos

2007-07-22T11:55:00.000-07:00

Not exactly a taco, but it is a tortilla filled with goodies.

This recipe made my girlfriend super happy! It takes all of 2 minutes to make.

Ingredients

1 low carb whole wheat tortilla (or the tortilla of your choice)
Fresh washed spinach
Crumbled Feta
Bulgarian Yogurt (White Wings)
Kalmata Olives, pitted (Costco)

Instructions
Lay a tortilla down on a plate.
Add a heaping spoonful of crumbled feta cheese.
Grap a handful of spinach.
Take about 3-4 olives and tear them in half and toss on top.
Top off with 1 heaping spoonful of yogurt. Enjoy!

Summary

Easy, healthy, economical. A good substitute for a boring sandwich.

Late-night Snack French Toast

2007-07-21T00:21:00.000-07:00

It was about 12:30 am and out came the bread and eggs. The midnight hour can be a very creative hour sometimes. Typically, I am working with leftover or random ingredients. Whatever I cook has to be made quickly, without too much noise, and most importantly, "hit the spot!" This recipe is not really French toast per se. Instead, it kind of resembles an old Boy Scout favorite "Egg in a Hole"...with a little something extra. Nevertheless, it is quite scrumptious.

Ingredients

1 piece of whole wheat bread
A little egg from the egg white carton (or 1 egg stirred)
cinnamon
powdered sugar (from a shaker)
maple syrup
butter

Directions

Add a little butter in the pan. Heat up, but try not to let it turn brown.

Cut a big slit in the bread, and open up the slit so the egg will fall between.

Place the bread on the hot butter. Pour egg all over the top of the bread, just enough to cover it and go through the hole.

Fry on med-high until the egg is done on that side. It is perfect if the bread is just starting to brown.
Flip and cook on the other side until the egg is done.

Top with cinnamon, sugar, and syrup.

Summary

As someone who does not always eat breakfast, this late night munchie came guilt free!

Split Pea and Cheddar Toast

2007-07-20T15:52:00.000-07:00

Anyway I look at it, Split Pea Soup is comfort food. My mom made this soup growing up. My sister hated it because it was green and she refused to eat vegetables, period! I loved it because it was unique and different. Then, after I grew up and left home, Split Pea Soup became a staple meal my mom cooked for me whenever I returned. I will never ever reproduce her soup; however, I do know one secret. She uses Honey Baked Ham from Memphis, TN. ssshhh.

I use a good recipe that employs a crock pot and smoked ham. If you can find some good ham near you, use it! Since my mom always served this with cheddar cheese toast, that is the way I prefer. I also add tabasco and eat it with a big glass of milk.

If that is not your style, try Premium saltines. I throw them in and let them get a little soggy. Then I eat them right off the top, add more, repeat and rinse. You get the picture.

Ingredients

Split Pea Soup

2 small white onions chopped (about 1 cup chopped with my chopper)
3 peeled and chopped carrots (about 1 cup chopped using my chopper)
1/2 bag dried split pea (or 8oz or 1 cup dried split pea)
2 bay leaves
2 cloves garlic (quartered or barely chopped)
1 can vegetable broth
1 cup water (sub another can of vegetable broth if desired)
1 - 1 1/2 cup cubed center cut smoked ham (package bought at grocery (about 1/2) make sure to trim fat
1 large pinch (or 1 tsp) dried basil
Tabasco Sauce

Cheese Toast

Slices of wheat or white bread
Cheddar cheese, slivered or shredded

Directions

Combine above ingredients (except for ham and 1 garlic clove) in small crock pot.

Turn the crock pot on. My crock pot is small and simple. It does not have a high, medium, low setting. From experience, I assume mine is "low".

Add about a 6-8 cubes of ham just for flavor, leaving most of it for later.

Cook until peas are tender, probably around 8 hrs. They should have emulsified from the slow cooker

Mince garlic and add the ham and garlic. Cook for at least another 30 minutes.

This is a good recipe to put on around midnight and take off when you wake up. Then, add the ham and garlic whenever you are ready to eat. Just cook the ham so it is heat through.

To make the cheese toast, just broil the toast with cheese on top until the bread starts to brown around the edges.

Serve hot with toast. Add tabasco to taste.

Summary

This time I cooked it too long. No worries, I adjusted the cooking time in the recipe above. My ham came out over cooked. I actually cooked mine around 14 hrs. The soup was still good though, nothing went to waste!

According too "The World's Healthiest Foods", split peas are just dried peas. The pea naturally splits when it dries. I found this interesting. While reading about split peas, I discovered how healthy split peas are for me. For some odd reason, I do not think they are referring to the soup my mom made for me growing up.

Tackling the Whole Trout

2007-07-20T07:37:00.001-07:00

I recently traveled to Vienna, Austria where I ate a whole pan-fried Perch at the Naschmarkt. Growing up in Mississippi, I regularly ate whole deep fried catfish. Until I moved to Texas, this was the only way I ever ate whole fish. We would go to a family-style restaurant called Malone's. I always ordered all-you-can-eat whole catfish and hush puppies. Mmmm, my mouth waters just thinking about it.

Anyway, why would I want to cook a whole fish? The same reason you cook a whole chicken. When the flesh is cooked on the bone, it tastes juicier and more flavorful. The little bit of meat right next to the bone can be the juiciest bite of the whole meal.

In the past, I was intimidated by cooking a whole fish. Finally, after that meal in Vienna, I decided to tackle it. I picked up some whole Rainbow Trout at Costco for a really good price. I accompanied the Trout with some mashed potatoes and steamed green beans for a home-cook feel that brought back memories of both Vienna and Tupelo.

Ingredients

Pan Fried Rainbow Trout

4 whole rainbow trout
1/2 cup corn meal
1/2 cup flour
1-2 large pinches of cayenne pepper
2 TB olive oil

Mashed Potatoes

4 medium red potatoes, peeled and cubed in large cubes
Sea Salt
1/3 cup Sour Cream (Lite)
Butter 1 TB
Milk (1/4 - 1/3 cup)
Black Pepper

Steamed Green Beans

Fresh green beans
Butter 1 TB

I have many ways to make mashed potatoes, but this is the recipe I used today.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the potatoes. Put a good bit of sea salt in the potatoes, appx 1-2 TB. This is a special technique I employ when making potatoes. The salt flavor is milder and blends in more smoothly when the potatoes are boiled in salt water.

Peel and cube the potatoes. Place the potatoes in cold water to sit. This helps keep the potatoes from turning brown while you wait.

Wash and trim the ends of the green beans and wrap in foil. Get the steamer ready.

Boil the potatoes for 20-25 minutes. I strain the potatoes when I can break a piece in half without any force.

Drain the potatoes and mash with a hand masher. Add sour cream, butter, milk. You want to add just enough milk to give it a creamy texture, but not so much it becomes milky. I usually add the milk last. Sprinkle black pepper.

Move the potatoes to a oven-proof dish and put in the oven on 200 just to keep warm while you finish the meal. The nice thing about mashed potatoes is that you can make them first and keep them warm without losing any quality.

Put the beans in the steamer. Using my steamer, I steamed the beans for 15-18 minutes.

Mix the flour, corn meal, cayenne pepper together.

In a skillet large enough to hold at least one fish, heat olive oil. I put just enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. For each round of fish, I make sure I have oil.

Coat both sides of the fish with the flour/corn meal mixture.

Fry on griddle with olive oil over med-high heat 5 min.
Turn over and fry another 5 minutes.

The fish is done when it flakes thru. Try not to overcook, and remember the fish will cook a little after you remove it.

Serve the fish hot off the griddle with mashed potatoes, green beans. Keeping to the home cook feel, this is a serve yourself meal.

Summary

This meal turned out fantastic.

Salmon and the Pacific Northwest

2007-07-15T17:41:00.001-07:00

I recently learned that grilling on a cedar plank was developed by the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest. Since my trip to the Olympic Mountains in 1995, I fell in love with the Pacific Northwest. My last trip to the Pacific Northwest featured a week in Vancouver where I did not hesitate the sample the fresh fish and wonderful sushi. I remember taking a ferry across the bay to Granville Island where I ate the best fresh salmon ever!

Sometimes we get inundated by salmon since Atlantic salmon is often sold at very reasonable prices in our grocery stores. However, today, I splurged and bought some Sockeye Salmon that comes from the Pacific Northwest. It is an excellent salmon. Keeping with the Pacific Northwest theme, I cooked it on a cedar plank with some wild rice. Wild rice, also commonly cooked by the Native Americans, added a healthy carbohydrate without too much work. Finally, in honor of the Asian settlers who came to the Pacific Northwest, I grilled bok choy as a green vegetable.

Ingredients

Cedar Plank Salmon with Mustard Glaze

2 filets of salmon ( 1 8oz filet per person)
Dijon Mustard
Brown Sugar
Sea Salt (optional)

Brown and Wild Rice

1 cup brown rice
1/2 cup bulk wild rice

Grilled Bok Choy

1 head bok choy
2 TB olive oil
2 TB balsamic vinegar
4 Garlic cloves (minced)

Directions

Soak the cedar plank in salted water for 2 hrs minimum. Hold the plank down with a glass.

Heat up charcoal grill.

Meanwhile, start some brown rice in the steamer according the steamer's directions. I use 1 cup of brown rice and 1 1/4 cup of water for 50 minutes.

Take the head of bok choy and carefully separate all the pieces. Trim the ends near the heart if necessary. Wash very well, one piece at a time, to make sure the leaves and stalks are clean from any dirt or sand.

Start the wild rice in a pot. Used 1 part wild rice (3/4 cup), 3 parts water. Bring to a boil and simmer covered about 50 minutes (till tender)

Mince the garlic and mix with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar, set aside.

Grab a beer and sit back and watch the grill get hot. I like to take a pair of tongs and move the hot coals around to create an even fire.

When the grill is close to ready, prepare the fish.

On the cedar plank, create a small bed of sea salt for each filet. If you do not have sea salt, do not substitute regular salt. Just leave out this step instead. The sea salt helps keep the fish moist. It is a tip I learned from a chef down in Rockport, TX.

Lay each filet, skin side down, on top of each sea salt bed.

Sprinkle black pepper and a little bit of sea salt on top of the filets.

Spread Dijon mustard on the top and sides of each filet. Make sure to spread evenly.

Sprinkle brown sugar on top of the filets evenly around the fish.

Kill the charcoal fire to a medium heat. Basically, close the grill, which should be at high heat by now. Wait until the flame settles.

Go back inside and mix the oil and balsamic vinegar with the bok choy as you would a salad dressing. This allows for a short 10-15 minute marinade.

Mix the cooked wild rice and brown rice together and cover to keep warm.

Put the salmon on the grill (over heat on plank) for 15 minutes....about 10 minutes per inch thickness. Make sure the grill is closed.

Sit back with a cold one and enjoy the smell of the cedar and charcoal as the fish cooks.

Once the fish is flaky and just about done, pull the fish off because it will continue to cook for a few more minutes on the plank. Do not over cook.

Lay the bok choy on the grill over the coals.

Cook the bok choy for about 2-3 minutes turning once per stalk. Begin pulling the stalks off one by one as they become slightly black on one side.

Serve one filet of salmon, a scoop of wild rice and 2-3 pieces of bok choy.

Summary

This meal was excellent, serveable and healthy. The key is good salmon filets.

I learned that I probably needed to soak my plank longer than two hours to get a real smoky flavor. It depends on one's taste and the recipe. The longer the soak, the more smoke generated. Also, the mustard glaze is very tasty combined with the cedar smoke; however, make to spread it evenly otherwise you might get a bite or two that is overwhelming.

The wild rice was suprisingly easy to cook. I read to use 1 part wild rice and 4 parts water, but I would use 3 parts water next time.

The bok choy was great because it cooks so quickly. It is basically cooked right after the salmon as you are bringing everything in. I was afraid I might have used to much garlic, but it turned out to be perfect.

This one was definitely a keeper.