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!

Craig's Salsa

1 can (28 Ounce) Diced Tomatoes With Juice
¼ cups Chopped Onion
1 clove Garlic, Minced
1 whole Jalapeno, Quartered And Sliced Thin
¼ teaspoons Sugar
¼ teaspoons Salt
¼ teaspoons Ground Cumin
½ cups Cilantro
½ whole Lime Juice

Put it all in a food processor and go to town.

I'm not sure if this is exactly how he did it. I've actually adapted it from the Pioneer Woman Cooks here

Banana Bread

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar (or slightly less)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 large, ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup butter, melted

Grease and flour loaf pans. The original recipe called for two 7 x 3 inch loaf pans but Steph prefers four mini loaf pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, whisk together flour, soda, salt and sugar. Mix in the slightly beaten eggs and mashed bananas. Slowly stir in the melted butter just until incorporated. Pour into prepared pans. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center. If you use the mini loaf pans, adjust to about 30 minutes. Just take a peek and if the top is starting to brown and looks cooked, try the toothpick to test for doneness. Let cool in pans for 5 minutes then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

Additional Thoughts:
- Banana size varies drastically. Today I used the largest I have used in the past and the bread was so moist and flavorful. If you have really small bananas, add an extra half.
- What is a ripe banana? Well, I like mine almost all brown with some specs of yellow. Once I used all brown and it smelled a bit like alcohol. I think they were fermenting and on their way to banana liqueur
- Mash bananas well with a potato masher or fork but leave some small chunks. Don’t go all the way to baby food consistency.
- Do NOT over mix this batter. I would not use an electric mixer – just a few circles of the wrist while incorporating the ingredients.
- Do NOT overbake. The moist, banana-y center should be soft and crumbly.
- Let the bread cool completely before storing. The edges and outside will get sticky and icky if you wrap it or put it in a ziploc too soon.

I looked around at many recipes to find one that didn't use shortening. I've made this twice now and both times it has turned out great. I doubled the recipe this morning and had enough for one 8x4 pan and two mini loaf pans. Adapted from here. I made only one change at that was to limit the amount of sugar. Even with 1/4 cup less than the original recipe called for it was still a little too sweet for my taste.

Cannellini Bean Salad

1 can (14 oz) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 T coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1-2 T jarred olive tapenade
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Put lemon juice, sugar and olive oil in a small jar with a lid and shake (or whisk together in a bowl). Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. This is best when it can sit at room temp for 30 minutes so the flavors meld.

Adapted from this recipe. Nice simple refreshing salad. The tapenade gives it a nice salty kick. It's a great side for lunch or you could add another protein for a whole meal. I made this for lunch as a side with smoked salmon and cream cheese on crackers. I'll probably throw the smoked salmon in it tomorrow for lunch to take to work.

Lemon Basil Pesto

(makes 1 cup)

Ingredients:
1 lemon (zest and juice)
1/2 cup basil (packed)
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons pine nuts (toasted)
1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (grated)
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Place everything into a food processor and blend.

I served this with pan seared chicken, broccoli and bow-tie pasta (farfelle). It turned out so delicious! The lemon lightens it up and gives it a nice spring flavor. I'm going to try this with asparagus in the next few weeks when they are in season. I got the pesto recipe here.

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup with Quinoa

2-3 cups cherry tomatoes
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 - 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock or water
1/4 c quinoa, rinsed
1/4 cup basil
Small pinch red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 400. Wash tomatoes and chop in half. Toss in a small bowl with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 15-25 minutes. Set aside. Heat 1 T of olive oil in a dutch oven (or other non-reactive pot). Saute onions until translucent. Add garlic and saute a few seconds until aromatic. Add onions, garlic, tomatoes and 1/2 cup stock or water to blender (or use immersion blender) and blend well. Return to pot, add the rest of the stock or water and bring to a simmer. Add quinoa, basil and red pepper flakes, cover and simmer 10-15 minutes or until quinoa open up. Season with salt and pepper.

I'm not a big fan of pureed soups unless it's as a side with bread or a sandwich. Adding quinoa to this soup gives it a nice texture. It turned out so delicious. I adapted it from here.

Cashew Chicken

1 lb boneless chicken breast, cubed
small red and green bell peppers, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 cup unsalted cashews, toasted or boiled
2 T cooking sherry or wine
1 T white wine vinegar
2 t cornstarch
1/2 cup chicken broth
3 T soy sauce/tamari
1 t rice vinegar
2 T honey
1 T vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves
1 t roasted red chili paste
1 t chili powder
red chili flakes to taste
cooked rice, brown or white

In a medium bowl, toss chicken with 1 t oil, chili powder, 1 T soy sauce, 1 T honey. Marinate in fridge for at least a half hour.

In a small bowl, mix broth, soy sauce, vinegar, 1 T honey, roasted red pepper paste, red pepper flakes and cornstarch. Set aside.

In a large skillet or wok, heat 1 T oil over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and work in batches if necessary. Add more oil if needed and cook the vegetables until crisp-tender. Add chicken back in and whisk in sauce. Cook until sauce thickens.

Serve over rice.

This is my take on take-out cashew chicken. I've adapted it from a few recipes. Its pretty good. What can I say? It's cashew chicken! Yum! Add more red pepper flakes or even cayanne if you want more heat.

Red pepper, tomato and chicken pilaf

1 2/3 cups brown rice
1/2 onion, chopped
1 14.5 oz can stewed tomatoes
1 14.5 oz can chicken broth
1 7 oz jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
1 T olive oil
1 t paprika
1/2 t dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 lb chicken breast, cut into 1" pieces
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup green beans, washed and chopped

Preheat oven to 375.
In a dutch oven, combine all ingredients except the green beans. Stir, cover and bake for 40 minutes to an hour.
Stir in green beans and bake uncovered for 10 or 20 minutes more, until all broth is absorbed. Remove bay leaf and serve.

I adapted this recipe from The New American Plate Cookbook. I used regular brown rice instead of quick cooking, so I had to up the time a little. I threw in a few sun dried tomatoes, too. I used crushed tomatoes and the consistency was a little blah. I think it would have been better with diced (with the liquid). Otherwise, a hearty, really easy to make meal. Serve with salad and/or bread.

Crock pot verde chicken

.5-1 lb chicken (breasts or thighs)
4-8 tomatillos
2-3 jalapenos
1 small-med onion - chopped
2-3 cloves garlic - minced
cumin
cayanne
1/4-1/2 cup water or stock

Roast tomatillos and jalapenos.
Put in paper bag to steam.
Remove skins.
Blend tomatillos, jalapenos and onion in food processor.

Put all ingredients into crockpot and cook on low for 4 hours or high for 8.
Shred chicken when there is about an hour left and return to crockpot.

Serve over rice or in tacos or burritos.

OK, so I haven't actually made this yet but I plan to as soon as I can eat nightshades again. I don't usually post recipes that I don't like or haven't made but in this case... what could possibly go wrong?

Kale Chips

1 bunch kale, removed from stem and torn into bite size pieces
2 T olive oil
1 T apple cider vinegar
salt

Preheat oven to 375 F. In a med-large bowl, whisk oil and vinegar together. Toss kale in dressing until coated. Sprinkle with salt and toss again. Place kale on a baking sheet in a single layer.
Bake for 10-15 minutes until crispy.
Don't overcook or it will taste bitter.




What a crazy good potato chip alternative. These are actually pretty good! I'm currently on a no-nightshades diet (no potatoes) and these hit the spot for a salty snack.

Crockpot Coconut Beef Stew

.5-1 lbs stew meat
1 small yellow onion, cut in chunks
1 can coconut milk
1 juice from one lime
2-3 cloves chopped garlic
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cumin
1 1/2 T chili paste (or 1-2 tsp red chili flakes)
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated

Add everything to the crockpot, toss to coat and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4.
Stir and serve over rice.

I found this recipe at A Year of Slow Cooking. I omitted the chili and used honey instead of sugar because of the restricted diet I'm on. I garnished it with fresh cilantro which was nice. Next time I'll add the chili (diet is almost over) but will probably keep the honey. This is even better as left overs reheated the next day. In the photo I served it with braised kale with vinegar which I DON'T recommend. The flavors do not mix well. I think a nice salad or another steamed veggie would be great with this.

Mushroom Gravy

3 cups vegetable broth
2 tbsp. arrowroot flour
1/4 cup brown rice flour, finely ground
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 or 3 cups crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 tsp dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
healthy amount of freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup white wine
3 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup plain soy milk (or other non dairy milk) – use milk?

Heat broth, whisk in flour and arrowroot powder. Add soy sauce to liquids. Reserve.
Heat the olive oil in a fry pan or dutch oven and sauté the onions and garlic for three minutes. Add the mushrooms and thyme, salt, and pepper, and cook for another five minutes, stirring as needed. Add white wine and bring to a boil for a few more minutes. Add stock mixture (including flour, arrowroot, and braggs), bring to a boil again, and then simmer on low or medium for another fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally. Whisk in nutritional yeast and soy milk, and whisk for about a minute. Serve.

I found this here as I was searching for a vegetarian gravy option for thanksgiving dinner. It was also to be my back up in case my attempt at turkey gravy failed. I'm glad I had this pre-made because not only did my turkey gravy fail but this was DELICIOUS! My sister requested it for Christmas dinner and it makes the best leftover turkey noodle casserole I'm convinced it's the white wine and I'll probably start putting white wine in everything.

Black Bean, Corn, Tomato and Quinoa Salad

1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water
2 ears of corn (leave husks on)
1 cup black beans (rinsed and drained)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 green bell pepper (finely diced)
1 small onion (finely diced)
1/4 cup cilantro (chopped)
1-2 T olive oil
1-2 T white wine vinegar
1/2 lime
1 whole garlic clove
chili powder
cayenne pepper powder
salt and pepper

Salad:

Preheat oven to 350. Rinse corn with the husks on. Place directly on middle rack in the oven and cook for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool, husk and cut kernels from the cob into a medium bowl.

While the corn is cooking, rinse and drain the quinoa in cold water a few times. Bring 1 cup of water to boil and add the quinoa. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until done.

Add to the corn the cooked quinoa, black benas, cherry tomatoes, green bell pepper, onion and cilantro.


Dressing:

In a small bowl use a garlic press to mash the garlic, or mince it. Add the olive oil, vinegar, lime salt and pepper, chili powder and cayanne pepper (a little goes a long way). Wisk together. I usually use a jar with a lid and then just shake it. Adjust spices for taste.

Add the dressing to the salad and stir to combine.

This is best when made ahead and chilled for an hour or so. It is also great the next day as leftovers. The dressing has a great flavor and the key to this dish is using fresh corn (although it won’t stop me from using frozen in the winter). I served this last night with cold leftover chicken and it was delicious! This is a new hit! Shout out to Kevin at Closet Cooking for this one I've been using his site more and more. I'm gonna have to say it's one of my favorites!

Black Beluga Lentil Soup

1 cup black beluga lentils, picked over and rinsed
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 cup water
2 cups of a big leafy green (chard, kale, etc), rinsed well, deveined, finely chopped
spices and vinegar to taste

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan, add the lentils, and cook for about 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy soup pot over medium heat, then add the onion and salt and saute until tender, a couple minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, lentils, and water and continue cooking for a few more minutes, letting the soup come back up to a simmer. Stir in the chopped greens, and wait another minute. Taste and adjust the seasoning if need be. Ladle into bowls, and serve. I topped it with fresh chopped tomatoes.

Serves 3 to 4.

This recipe comes from 101 cookbooks here. That recipe calls for a saffron infused yogurt which I really want to try but didn't have saffron on hand. Next time I'll try it and update this post. This recipe is sort of a base soup recipe. It needs to have spice added to it to jazz it up. I added paprika, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper and my favorite: smoked salt. I also added a dash or two of vinegar. This is great with bread or a small sandwich.

Black Bean Cakes with Sweet Corn Vinaigrette over greens

Black Bean Cakes:

1 cup cooked black beans, rinsed and drained
1 eggs, beaten lightly
3-4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 small jalepeno, minced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

Put black beans into a large bowl.

In a medium frying pan, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Cook scallions for 2 minutes, add garlic, jalepeno, and cumin; cook for 30 seconds until fragrent; remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl.

Pour the hot mixture over the black beans. Mash the beans with a potato masher. The beans should be a mixture of completely mashed beans with a couple whole and some half whole beans. Stir in the egg.

Slowly add bread crumbs until the gooeyness of the beans and eggs mixture dries up. Don't add too much. Leave the mix somewhat sticky.

Heat the oil in a skillet. Scoop out about 1/4 cup of the mixture and place it into the skillet. You can fry 2-3 of these at a time without much of a problem. Let cook on the one side until the bottom is showing some signs of browning and the patty holds together. Flip carefully and cook the other side until it is similarly done.

Set aside in a warm oven while you finish the rest of the cakes and prepare the sauce.


Sweet Corn Vinaigrette:
1/2 cup sweet corn
2 T white wine vinegar
1/4 (approx) olive oil
pinch red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

In a food processor, blend the corn until smoothish. Add vinegar, salt and pepper and red pepper flakes. Blend a few seconds more, scraping the sides down. While the food processor is blending, slowly add olive oil until the vinaigrette is emulsified and a nice texture.

Serve black bean cakes over fresh salad greens and top with vinaigrette.

Serves 2-3.

The sweet corn vinaigrette is perfect with black bean cakes. This is a nice, light supper that is satisfying but not to filling.

Cucumber and Tomato Salad

1 cup cherry tomatoes
1/2 cucumber
1 onion slice
2 t Vinegar
4 T Olive Oil
1 pinch Fresh or dried parsley
Salt and Pepper

In a bowl whisk together olive oil, vineagar, parsley, salt and pepper.

Chop the tomatoes in half. Peel the cucumber, slice in half and remove the seeds. Chop. Dice the onion.

Mix together and serve.

Serves 2.
























Thank you, Warren, for the delicious Olive Oil! It made this salad. So the key here is good olive oil. In this case, I used Columena. I didn't have a lemon nor did I add any sugar and I found that I didn't need it. If you have a standard olive oil, I'd suggest adding a little more zing to this salad. It's a refreshing salad for a hot day.