Corn muffins

Recipe here.

I made these muffins to go with chili I made for Christmas supper. I didn't adapt the recipe in any way. ok, I might have added a bit more sugar which is unlike me, I usually scale back the amount of sugar and salt the recipes ask for but today I was in the mood for sweeter muffins. These were perfect, and I think they would be just as good with less sugar.

Chipotle Chili

1 medium yellow onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4-5 Tbsp chili powder (this makes the chili fairly mild, so up the chili powder if you want it to be spicier)
2 Tbsp paprika
1/2 Tbsp cumin (be careful not to add too much, it can dominate the flavor)
2 Tbsp dried oregano flakes
.5 lbs ground beef
1 15 ounces of diced tomatoes in puree (I used about half a can)
1 15 ounce can of white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 minced chipotle chili peppers in adobo sauce. *ONE PEPPER, NOT ONE CAN!*

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large pot on medium
2. Saute onions until translucent
3. Add the chili powder, paprika, cumin, and oregano and stir until mixed thoroughly.
4. Add the beef and cook until browned.
5. Add 1/2 a beer and simmer all the liquid off.
6. Add the beans and tomatoes.
7. Add the chipotle chili peppers.
8. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover pot and let simmer for 1 hour.
9. Adjust flavor with salt or tobasco if necessary.

Serves 2.

Yum. That's about all I can say. This is our 2011 Christmas dinner. We were planning on going out for Chinese food but were not feeling like leaving the house. The recipe was adapted from here. This goes especially well with these corn muffins.

Greens and Beans

2 cups stock (veggie or chicken)
1 14 oz can cannellini beans (or any white bean) - do not strain
3-4 cloves garlic - thinly sliced
2-3 shallots (or 1 small onion) - minced
1 bunch Greens (kale, spinach, chard, whatever you like) - washed and torn into pieces
1/4-1/3 cup white wine (optional)
1 lemon (optional)
parmesan cheese (optional - but is it really?)
olive oil
red pepper flakes
salt and pepper

Serves 2

Heat olive oil in a soup pot over med. Saute shallots (or onions) until translucent. Add garlic and saute until fragrant. Add a little white wine and cook down. Add greens and toss with red pepper flakes. Saute until greens are wilted. Add beans (with juice) and stock. Bring to a simmer and season with s&p and red pepper flakes to taste. Add a squeeze or two of lemon. Serve with bread. You won't be sorry.

Dave and I went to Buffalo for Thanksgiving and were lucky to have Dave's cousin, Lou, join us at his parent's house. Going to Buffalo is always about food, there is so much delicious food there! Our last night we went out for Italian at Michael's and Lou ordered Beans and Greens. I'd never heard of it before but it seems like a pretty common Italian dish. This is the soup version and it's the easiest soup I've made yet. Where have you been all my life? I forgot the lemon when I made this and it was just fine but I imagine it would only make the soup better.

Amazing quinoa

1/2 quinoa - rinsed
3/4 cup water
1/2 white wine
2 shallots - finely chopped
1 clove garlic - minced
1 T chopped fresh herbs (sage, rosemary, thyme)
Lemon zest
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil

Heat olive oil in a saute pan. Saute shallots until translucent. Add garlic and saute until fragrant. Add fresh herbs and saute a few seconds more. Add quinoa and saute until it starts popping or smells nutty. Add wine and cook it off (cook until wine is almost evaporated). Add lemon zest, salt and pepper and water. Bring to a boil, cover, lower heat and simmer until done - about 15-20 minutes.

So I've made quinoa a few times. It's a nice light side that's quick and it is also good in a salad. I've also tried to dress it up in the past but I hit the jack pot tonight. I was making roast chicken and used leftover fresh herbs from that. This quinoa is truly amazing!

Roasted Tomato Soup with Ground Beef, Sausage, and Basil

Roasted Tomato Soup with Ground Beef, Sausage, and Basil
(Makes 3-4 servings)

1 large onion, chopped in pieces 1/2 inch or less
1 T minced garlic
4 tsp. olive oil, divided
2 cups beef stock
1-2 cups water
1 14 oz can diced roasted tomatoes
1 T tomato paste
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. ground fennel
2 links hot turkey Italian sausage
1/2 lb. ground beef
1 can navy beans (drained and rinsed)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (at least!)
Parmesan reggiano cheese (opt - but is it really?)

Heat 2 tsp. olive oil in a dutch oven or large soup pot, add onions and saute about 5 minutes, then add garlic and saute until fragrant.

Add ground beef and turkey sausage (removed from casings) and brown, using the back of a turner to break into small pieces.

Add stock, tomatoes with juice, oregano, fennel, rinsed navy beans and about a cup of water. Cover and simmer on low for 30 minutes to an hour. Add water to thin if necessary as it cooks.

Right before serving, stir in fresh basil and simmer a few minutes more.

Ladle into bowls and grate a little Parmesan over the top.

For the record, I don't like black licorice. The flavor is very off-putting to me. So I've avoided fennel since it's described as having a licorice flavor. I do, however, LOVE sausage and have recently discovered that one of the ingredients in Italian sausage is fennel and I've enjoyed crunching down on a whole fennel seed when I come across one. So I was willing to give this recipe a go. I bought some fennel seeds, ground them up in my spice grinder and wow! I actually liked the smell. And the flavor was spot on! This soup is a really nice, full flavored soup. Enjoy!