Chicken and Black Bean Chili

Hi, I'm back. Actually, I've been trying new Internet recipes but I haven't been happy enough to post them (one was a Caribbean red bean recipe to try to recreate the really yummy dish I had at Johnny Longboat- ok, who's the joker who said you didn't have to soak the beans first??? And the other recipe was a creative way to deal with Christmas left overs. Trust me, the turkey enchilada recipe lived up to it's name!).

So here we are with an easy chicken and black bean chili from http://www.allrecipes.com/ . It should actually be called 'chipotle' chili because the recipe calls for chipotle chili and I, may have added more than suggested. Still really good. My only tweaks were to use chicken thighs, not add all the water, and instead of adding green pepper sauce, I added hot Pace Picante Sauce. Ok, I also added a couple of pieces of broken taco shell to the mixture to thicken it in a gluten-free friendly way. After I added my requisite cilantro, all was good with the world. (photo: courtesy of Sherry who posted her version on the website.)

~ Enjoy!

Asian-Flavored Seared Tuna with Green Beans

Ok, here's disclaimer #1 - I know NOTHING about cooking tuna besides the fact that it should be seared on the outside and really pink on the inside. Disclaimer #2 - I'm not a big fan of fish or soy sauce. But did this stop me from trying Epicurious.com's Asian-flavored seared tuna with green beans? Heck no. Since I live in a fishing community, I need to explore and understand this whole fish-thing beyond salmon and lobster - and who knows, maybe come to like it.

This recipe came very highly recommended on the Epicurious website and I liked the fact that it was an all in one, main course and veggie. I have to admit that I tweaked it to my taste (so it relied less on the soy sauce) and really liked the results but my husband was more non-committal. We might try this recipe again once we master the art of searing fish on the BBQ (perhaps heat up a pan and do it that way?) All tips are appreciated. However, for one-inch thick pieces of fish, cooking them 2 minutes per side resulted in the requisite raw-to-pink colored center.

If it's of interest, my tweaks included: grating fresh garlic, ginger and a hint of orange rind into the soy sauce/wasabi marinade. I also added a bit of sesame oil and about 1/2 tsp of brown sugar. I marinated the fish, then removed them and placed them on the grill. As they were cooking, I threw some thawed green beans with almonds into a frying pan - gave it a minute or two to heat and crisp up before then adding the reserved marinade with perhaps, another 1/2 tsp of brown sugar. It was done by the time my husband pulled the fish off the grill four minutes later.

I thought it was a really nice change from steak and pork chops. If you do choose to make this dish, I highly recommend that you read a few of the reviews and as a result, severely cut back on the amount of brown sugar. (No photo was available on Epicurious. This photo is from a similar recipe on http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/sesame-seared-tuna/Detail.aspx)

~ Enjoy!

Pioneer Woman's Braised Short Ribs

Hi there,

I'm back online and cooking after finishing the build and moving into our new home (so that's where I packed the frying pan....).

After hanging up all my clothes, my goal yesterday was to put together a nice Sunday dinner that didn't include take-out. After a quick look on the Pioneer Woman's website, I thought her Braised Short Ribs looked like a great choice for a beautiful autumn day. And it was - with enough grease to make it seem really decadent!

I like her website because she provides pictures of every step - or, if you're impatient like Shannon, zip down to the bottom of the page where she recaps the recipe. However - Shannon - the pictures saved me from throwing away the cooked pancetta (as if I would) because the recipe doesn't tell you to put it back in the pot with the ribs.

I only changed a few things that probably don't make a difference either way: 1) I coated the ribs in Montreal Steak Spice instead of just salt and pepper, 2) I added garlic to the veggie mix, 3) I combined a small can of diced tomatoes with a bullion cube and enough water to measure 2 cups of liquid - instead of using just broth, and 4) I added more red wine (I think this is why Corbet Canyon was invented) to the gravy to add a little more wine flavor and thin out the sauce.

I served it with wasabi mashed potatoes (add wasabi paste to regular mashed potatoes for an extra kick). So if you don't mind the grease - I think you're going to like this recipe. (Photo: Ree Drummond)

~ Enjoy!

Pioneer Woman's Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Sauce

I love this woman - no not in that way... but there's nothing wrong with that... but I gotta say, her blog is amazing! (Who's backing it and how do I get in?) And is it wrong to send people to other people's blogs? Just saying - The Prairie Woman is a lot of fun and I really liked my first recipe from her site. (photo - Ree Drummond)

I tried her Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce when a friend backed out of dinner plans. While Ree made everything from scratch - I used what I had in the fridge: a jar of roasted red peppers, some roasted almonds (yes, I like them cold), goat's cheese, rice noodles and chili flakes (from the pantry). Her rendition is probably better, but this worked in a pinch and tasted really good on a rainy evening.

All I did was follow her directions, but blended the jarred roasted red pepper with the almond in a food processer (no need for extra salt), added chili flakes to the onions and garlic, and goats cheese (with wine and milk) instead of cream. I'm still wheat free so I used rice noodles.

Taaa dah - and it only took 15-20 minutes until dinner was served.

~ Enjoy!

Guy Fieri's Coconut Rice and Peas

Whole Foods got me hooked. I tried some coconut rice at their lunch counter and there was no turning back. Lots of comfort-food love.

The question was, could I make it at home? No problem. I searched the Food Network and thought the Guy Fieri Coconut Rice and Peas presentation had a great twist - lots of different tastes (coconut, garlic and chili) that blended really well - and oh ya, it has cilantro - my favorite. It was easy to make and complimented the swordfish I marinated with the recipe I picked up from Rachael Ray's mixed Greek grill (see below) - I couldn't go wrong. My only suggestions is that I upped the coconut milk vs chicken stock ratio (and added a bit of left over coconut milk at the end for an extra punch) and added grated lime rind and juice - just a preference. I find it perks up the taste.

~ Enjoy!

Rachael Ray's Greek Mixed Grill Kebabs and Pine Nut-Orzo Salad

YUMMO! DELISH, whatever you want to call it - Rachael Ray's Greek Mixed Grill Kebabs with Orzo/Pine Nut salad was so good and easy. Perfect for guests (or family) in the summer. Just be prepared to watch your leftovers leave in doggy bags.

Not much to change in this recipe - with the exception of cutting down on the amount of onion used in the salad (unless you're a big fan) and adding minced garlic to the meat marinade and the salad dressing. I'm personally trying to stay away from wheat (this month's fad) so I substituted basmati rice for the orzo and it turned out fine. I also served the salad cold so I followed the directions to the letter with the exception that I added the tomato and cucumber just before I served it. I'd also suggest you allow the meat to marinate longer than a few minutes before you grill up the kebabs - there's a lot of flavor in this recipe. (photo credit: Tina Rupp)

~ Enjoy!

Savana Cafe (Ottawa) Pad Thai

She surfs - she SCORES! I found this recipe thanks to a web post I found on : http://ottawafoodies.com/forum/861 .

I love this 'global' version of Pad Thai that I enjoyed when I lived in Ottawa. It's defined as global or international - not traditional, because it includes ketchup instead of tamarind sauce (oh, I'm a peasant - I know, but who has tamarind in the pantry?)

I'm not sure if I was introduced to the dish at Sante Restaurant (where the photo is from, thanks to http://mydinnertable.typepad.com/home/bistro/ ), or at the Savana Cafe , where this recipe is purported to originate. It's a toss up because both are similar. Anyway - this version, which I make at home, is much better than anything I've tried on the South Shore of MA, where Asian food means some variation of oil and sugar - bleck! (And why are there bacon bits in the egg rolls????)

Anyway, on to the recipe card! This may be modified, but I think it's very close to what they serve. I will transcribe the scanned version and add my own tweaks. This is a great, "I need comfort food" dish and is non-gluten friendly.

~ Enjoy!

Thai Spicy Noodles - Savana Cafe

Serves 4

Ingredients:

3/4 cup diced raw chicken (I add more - bite sized pieces)

8 shrimp peeled and deviened (I add more, and use cooked shrimp which I add at the end)

1 square tofu - diced and deep fried (I omit this part - I prefer more shrimp or chicken)

4 eggs,

1 pkg rice noodles - soaked in boiling water for 5 minutes and drained. (I like the broader variety)

3/4 to 1 cup ketchup (you can always add more later if the sauce isn't to your liking)

4 small handfuls of beansprouts

1/2 cup minced green onions

3 - 4 tbsps of roasted peanuts (you can toast them like pine nuts)

4 tbsp Meme (what is that?) or soy sauce (I use vinegar to cut the sweetness of the ketchup)

2 tbsp fish sauce - VERY IMPORTANT - it ain't Pad Thai without the fish sauce. (I use more - but not until I've done the taste test and I'm tweaking)

- Lime juice and rind, and chili flakes to taste (I like my noodles more spicy so I use Asian chili/garlic sauce)

- Chopped cilantro to taste - (more is better in my opinion)

(I also include ginger and garlic to taste - real is better, but dried works as well)

Directions:

Drain noodles. Heat oil in wok. Fry chicken and shrimp (unless you used the cooked version, then add at the end) until firm. Move the meat to the side and fry the eggs in the same wok - stir to scramble. Reduce heat. I mix the ketchup, vinegar, fish sauce, lime juice/rind, chili flakes and/or chili/garlic sauce together to form the base sauce. Add noodles and sauce to the wok.

Increase heat and stir until the noodles have absorbed the sauce. (This is where you may want to add more sauce - or parts of it, if your noodles have absorbed everything). Add bean sprouts, onions, (more lime juice/rind?), cilantro and peanuts. Toss and serve immediately.