Toasted Caesar Tortellini with Green Beans and Carrots

Happy Friday, all! This week was a real whirlwind between work and preparing for Norah's birthday. That means it's time for those easy peasy meals that take almost zero effort.

Today, I bring you something I whipped together using some past recipes and stuff I had in the fridge.

Toasted Caesar Tortellini with Green Beans and Carrots

Ingredients
1 pack of tortellini (I used six cheese, but any will do)
1 bag of ready to use green beans
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 onion, sliced
olive oil
bread crumbs
parmigiano reggiano cheese
cooking spray
1/2 cup Caesar dressing (I used light, but creamy would probably be delicious)

Directions
Cook the tortellini to one minute under package directions and drain.

While the water is boiling and the tortellini cooking, add a tablespoon of olive oil to a wok. Once hot, add beans, carrots and onion. Salt and pepper to taste. Saute for about 5 minutes, until beans are crisp, but not soft.

When tortellini are finished, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and toss the vegetables and pasta onto it. Spray a light coating of cooking spray onto the mixture. Take a handful of breadcrumbs and sprinkle on top. Do the same with the cheese. Turn your broiler to high and pop the sheet into the oven. Let cook for about five minutes, or until everything starts to crisp up.

Remove from broiler and return to the wok. Add dressing and stir. Enjoy!

The great thing about this recipe is that it is totally mix and match. Don't like green beans? Try squash or broccoli or spinach. Don't like caesar dressing? Try Italian, or you could even make your own! Use a light dressing for something a little healthier. Really love cheese? Use heaps of it! You can even increase the heat with some red pepper flakes. Totally easy and totally customizable! I hope you love it as much as we did!

Slow Cooker Carne Asada Tacos

Another week, another challenge for the 52 weeks of cooking. This week the challenge was tacos, which is right up my alley. Fajitas are one of my favorites things to make (and eat!) and tacos aren't very different as far as technique goes.

A couple weeks ago I made chicken fajitas in my slow cooker, so I thought I'd try to make the taco meat for this weeks challenge in the slow cooker as well. In the past year, I haven't used my slow cooker much, but I'm beginning to see the appeal. A little prep in the morning, let it cook all day and voila!, you have a tasty meal to come home to after a long day at work.

Enough mooning over my slow cooker, let's get to the recipe!

Slow Cooker Carne Asada Beef Tacos
adapted from the following recipes: Tyler Florence Tacos Carne Asada and Crock-pot Carne Asada Tacos

Ingredients

For the mojo:

4 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno, minced
1 large handful fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 limes, juiced
1 orange, juiced
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil

For the tacos:

3 lb flank steak

flour or corn tortillas

salsa

shredded lettuce

Directions

To make the mojo:

In a mortar and pestle or bowl, mash together  food processor, pulse the garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, salt, and pepper to make a paste. Put the paste in a glass jar or plastic container. (I used a mason jar and it worked really well. Bonus: you could make a bigger batch and store half for later use.)Add the lime juice, orange juice, vinegar, and oil. Shake it up really well to combine.

Taco Meat:

Set your slow cooker to low for 8 hours. Place the meat flat on the bottom and pour the mojo over. Poke holes in the meat with a fork so the sauce can penetrate it while cooking. After 8 hours, remove the meat and shred. Return to the crock-pot and keep on warm until ready to serve.

Heating tortillas:

Set oven to 350. Wrap up to five tortillas in aluminum foil and place in oven for about 15 minutes. Keep wrapped until ready to serve.

Rating
Overall, I'd say this recipe was a win. The meat was very tender from cooking all day and the mojo was just right. I'm not a huge fan of cilantro so I was worried when the sauce called for so much, but it ended up being perfect. If you're looking for a complete meal, serve with black beans and rice. 

Crock-pot Chicken Fajitas

I'm late on posting this, but it's another one to add to my 2013 cooking challenge. The one was entitled, "Guilty Pleasures".

Over the years I have grown to love the elements of tex-mex food. Black beans - yum. Yellow Rice - Mmmmm. Fajitas - anytime, anywhere. Especially at a restaurant because it's so fun to have that sizzling plate delivered to you.

I consider this a guilty pleasure because the method I used to prepare it this week was so sinfully easy. Cue: the slow cooker!



Crock-pot Chicken Fajitas

Ingredients
1 lb chicken breasts
1 onion, cut into chunks
3 peppers, cut into slices, any color will do
1 package of taco seasoning (I wanted fajita seasoning, but the store was all out - they're basically the same anyway, so no big deal)
Guacamole, cheese and salsa for topping

Directions
Place onions and peppers into crock-pot. Put chicken on top. Sprinkle seasoning onto the chicken. Add about an ounce or so of water. Cook for 8-10 hours on low. Before serving, shred chicken.

I served mine sans tortilla since I'm trying to watch my calories. (More room for guacamole that way!)

Mother Sauces - Tomato

This week the challenge for 52 weeks of cooking is entitled "Mother Sauces". For those of you not familiar with the five French mother sauces, this article on about.com sums it up nicely. They're called mother sauces because once you know how to make them, you can make some slight changes for an endless amount of sauces. For example, once you learn hollandaise, you can make béarnaise, dijon, foyot, choron, maltaise or mousseline sauces. See? It's all about building a foundation to work upon.

Before I get to the recipe, I have a confession to make. I had no idea what mother sauces were before I did this challenge. When I saw the title I thought, "Oh, sauces your mom was really good at!" So I made a tomato sauce (which we call gravy). Lucky for me, tomato sauce will qualify. Since I have until Sunday to complete the challenge, I might try to conquer another one of these mother sauces. There's no crime is doing the challenge twice, is there?

 

Tomato Mother Sauce

Ingredients
2 large cans tomato puree
1 12 oz can tomato paste
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomato (I like petite diced, no salt added)
2 carrots, diced
1 onion, diced
salt
pepper
oregano
basil
garlic powder

Directions
Pour puree and diced tomatoes into a large pot and turn heat to low. While that heats through, saute the onion and in a pan with about a tablespoon of oil. Once onions are translucent remove from heat and add 2/3 (the remainder can be used in meatballs) to the sauce. Repeat the process with the carrots, only add all of them to the puree. Scoop the tomato paste out of the can and into the pan you just sauteed the onions in and put over low heat. Add some water to the can to get the last bits out and pour this over the puree. Add abut two teaspoons of each spice listed above and stir the paste until it all comes together and thickens up. Once it has the consistency of a very thick sauce, add it to the puree that's simmering in the other pot. Stir so that it all combines. Let simmer for at least an hour, but it's best when it simmers all day and really has a chance to get thick.

Take Out Fake Out: Pei Wei Kung Pao Chicken

Another week has gone by, and that means another challenge for 52 weeks of cooking has been completed. This week the challenge was "Spicy". I couldn't pass up this chance to try a take-out fake out of one of my favorite dishes at Pei Wei: Kung Pao Chicken.

 

After some searching, I couldn't really find a recipe online so I used the picture from Pei Wei's website, the ingredient description from the menu and my memories of what it tasted like.

Ingredients
1 lb chicken, cut into one inch pieces
3 carrots, sliced into thing circles
8 oz (about a handful) of sugar snap peas
1 cup unsalted peanuts

For the sauce:
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tsp rice wine vinegar
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp chili paste
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp corn starch
2 tbsp chicken broth

Directions
Add about 2 tbsp of cooking oil to a wok and let it get screaming hot. Once the oil is sizzling, add the diced chicken and cook through (takes about 7-8 minutes). If the pan is looking dry, add a splash of chicken broth. Once cooked, remove the chicken from the pan with a slotted spoon and add the carrots and peas. What I love so much about Pei Wei's dish is that the veggies aren't cooked to death. So in order to achieve this, only leave them in the pan for about 2 minutes.

While they are cooking, whisk together the broth, soy sauce, vinegar, oil, chili paste and sugar. Add the chicken back to the pan. Once the pan is heated through, pour in the sauce and let it cook down while you mix together the corn starch and chicken broth. (This creates that shiny glaze look that you always get when ordering Asian dishes out.) Add the corn starch mixture and peanuts to the pan and give it a stir. Once the sauce thickens up, it's ready to serve!

And since this is is a takeout fake out, here is the comparison photo:

So how did I do?

Crock-Pot Chicken and Dumplings

Thank goodness for easy recipes like this for weeknights! I found this one on Ashley's blog, The Mommy Games. It's so simple, I'm not even going to repost it, so click on the link and thank me for such an easy peasy meal later!

Black Bean Burgers, Redux

I've made black bean burgers before, and while they've tasted good, they've never been great. Imagine my delight when I saw that this week's challenge for 52 Weeks of Cooking was legumes.

First, I had to check if a black bean qualified as a legume. A quick hop over to wikipedia informed me that, yes, the beans qualified. Since I've made them before, I started with the old recipe and then doctored it up.

Changes

1. This time I used one can of corn and one can of black beans.
2. I added half of a red pepper to the pulsed mixture.
3. No jalapeno because the grocery story was sold out.
4. Instead of fresh herbs I had to settle for dried because, again, the grocery store was fresh out.
5. I used a whole wheat sandwich thin instead of a traditional hamburger bun.
6. Served with salsa this time instead of traditional burger toppings. My husband quite liked his with hot sauce.

And just a few notes on the cooking:

1. When I cooked the first batch on medium, one side burned before it could cook through. I would suggest cooking at a lower temp for longer.
2. Don't try to flip them before they've cooked pretty thoroughly or they will fall apart.

Wayne's World EXTREME CLOSE-UP!

Georgia on my Mind: Pecan Crusted Chicken with Spicy Peach Sauce

Today brings another entry for my 50 week challenge. Last week was Korean, and this week the theme was "Inspired by Music". I had a bit of a tough time with this one at first. All week I was stuck on making ice cream inspired by Taylor Swift but I knew I could do better. Then Michael Buble came on my Spotify mix and a light bulb came on over my head: Georgia on my Mind.

Yes, I know that Buble did not originally sing this, but that's the song that inspired the dish, so I'm sticking with it.

Anyway, here is my recipe for Pecan Crusted Chicken and Spicy Peach Sauce.

Ingredients
1 egg
1 cup flour
1 cup crushed pecans
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
Handful of parm cheese
1.5 lb hand trimmed chicken breast
vegetable oil
1 can peaches, drained
1 teaspoon each - cinnamon, red pepper flakes, onion powder, garlic powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter

Directions
Lay three shallow dishes on your counter. Combine panko, pecans and cheese in one. Crack the egg in another, and add the flour to the third. It should look like this:

Dredge each cutlet in the flour, then the egg, then coat in bread crumb mixture.  Lay it on a plate and repeat with the remaining cutlets.

Heat oil over medium until a little bit of water sizzles in the pan. Fry the cutlets two at a time so you don't crowd your pan about 3-4 minutes per side, depending on thickness.

When the chicken is done cooking, remove to a plate with a paper towel. Drain excess fat from the pan.

Puree the peaches, spices and brown sugar in a food processer until smooth. Add the mixture to the hot pan and let it heat through. Once heated, add the butter and stir to melt it.

To serve, either top the chicken with the sauce, or spoon onto the side.

Fried Chicken for I Heart Cooking Clubs

Another week has gone by, and that means I cooked up another Bittman recipe for I Heart Cooking Clubs. This weeks theme was "Spice Caravan". I know we can take alot of liberty with the theme, but I really wanted to try something A.) I don't make that often and B.)that stays true to the theme. I think I succeeded with this Fried Chicken recipe.

Now, I can't really tell you the last time I had fried chicken. Actually, I guess that's one of the benefits of having a food blog. I can look back and tell you exactly the last time I had fried chicken. It was in February when I made Chicken Etouffee. Since "fried" is not normally on my roster, I decided to only make two fried chicken legs and then bake the rest in the over using the same spice combination. Both came out delicious - except the fried version took MUCH less time to cook, and I forgot about the baked version. YIKES! No worries, though. I caught it before it burned and it tasted great!

Fried Chicken Made Easy
courtesy How to Cook Everything, Completely Revised 10th Anniversary Edition: 2,000 Simple Recipes for Great Food by Mark Bittman
Submitted to I Heart Cooking Clubs: Caravan of Spice


Ingredients

Enter, the spices!



1 whole chicken, 3 to 4 pounds, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 8 pieces, or any combination of parts
2 legs of chicken, cleaned and patted dry
Neutral oil,like grapeseed or corn, olive oil, or a combination of lard and butter, as needed
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon pinch of salt
1 tablespoon teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon - I used the chili spiced recipe below
Lemon Lime wedges (optional)

Directions

1. Dry the chicken well with paper towels. Heat at least 1/2 inch of the fat over medium-high heat in a large, deep skillet, broad saucepan, or similar vessel with a lid. While it is heating, mix together the flour and seasonings in a plastic bag. Toss the chicken in the bag, 2 or 3 pieces at a time, until they are well coated with flour. Put them on a rack as you finish. (Or wait until the oil is hot, then toss the chicken with the flour one piece at a time and add the pieces directly to the fat one at a time.)

2. When the fat reaches 350°F, raise the heat to high and slowly but steadily add the chicken pieces, skin side down. When they have all been added (or, if you're working in batches, one batch), cover the skillet, reduce the heat to medium-high, and set a timer for 7 minutes. After 7 minutes, uncover the skillet, turn the chicken, and continue to cook, uncovered, for 7 minutes.

3. Turn the chicken skin side down again and cook for about 5 minutes more, turning as necessary to ensure that both sides are golden brown. As the chicken pieces finish cooking (to check for doneness, remove one piece and cut into it close to the bone; the juices should run clear), remove them from the skillet and drain them on paper bags or towels. Serve hot, warm (keep warm in a low oven if you like), or at room temperature, with lemon wedges if desired.




Chili-Spiced Fried Chicken

Even more punch: Use neutral or peanut oil. Sprinkle the flour with 2 tablespoons each chili powder and ground cumin, 2 teaspoons ground coriander, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne (optional), and some salt and pepper; omit the cinnamon. Serve with lime wedges.





Like this recipe? Check out last week's Mark Bittman recipe here.

Takeout Fake-out: Conchiglie Balsamico

I don't really miss much about our old central New Jersey apartment, but what I do miss is how close we lived to Princeton. In downtown Princeton there is a restaurant called Teresa Caffe. This restaurant serves quite possibly my favorite meal that I have ever ordered out - Conchiglie Balsamico, which is "shell shaped pasta, raised right chicken, asparagus in a balsamic cream sauce" according to the menu. That brief listing of ingredients does not even begin to describe how truly tasty this meal is. It sometimes makes me wish we never moved! (That, and ice cream from the Bent Spoon, of course!)

Since we can't really make a spontaneous hour and fifteen minute trip up there, I thought this would be a great meal to try for my "takeout fakeout" series. I think my version turned out okay, but it was nowhere near as good as the original. We still have some friends in the area, so maybe we will have to make a trip up there soon!

Conchiglie Balsamico
inspired by a dish at Teresa Caffe

Ingredients
1 lb asparagus, cut into bite size pieces, bitter ends discarded
1 lb chicken, cubed
2 tbsp olive oil
2 c pasta (some sort of shell shaped pasta would work best)
1/2 c light cream
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
red pepper flakes

Directions
Take the cream out of the refrigerator so it will be at room temperature when you need to use it.

Set up a pot of water for the pasta. While you are waiting for it to boil, cut up the asparagus and chicken. Coat a large skillet (large enough to fit all of the ingredients) with olive oil and cook the chicken. Drain the pan and pat the chicken with a paper towel to get rid of the excess oil.

When pasta has about three minutes left to cook, place a steamer bucket over the top with the asparagus in it. Make your pasta water do double duty! Combine the asparagus and chicken in the already heated pan. After draining the pasta, add it to the chicken asparagus mixture.

Pour in the cream and vinegar. Stir so the sauce mixes and coats all of the ingredients. If desired, add a few shakes of red pepper flakes for a little zing.



Chef's Notes
This makes about 6 servings, but does not really reheat well. The second night that we had it, the pasta absorbed most of the cream. I would suggest either making just enough for one serving, or setting aside the "leftover" portions and adding the cream/vinegar the night you are going to eat it.

Pasta Tossed with Broccoli and Diced Tomatoes

Today is the first time I've cooked during the week after work in a loooooong time. It's been tax season for the last few months, and now it is finally over! YAY!

So naturally, being a little out of practice, I didn't take anything out to make. I didn't even think about what could be prepared before my commute home. This meant it was time for a pantry meal. My usual go to ingredients for a 'make it quick' meal are pasta and tomato sauce. I can whip up a decent sauce in a few minutes as long as I have an onion and green pepper in the fridge. Unfortunately, there was no onion.....or pepper. Needless to say, I had to figure out something else.

Staring in my pantry, it finally came to me.

Pasta Tossed with Broccoli and Diced Tomatoes
Kitchen Canister original

Ingredients

1 can of petite diced tomatoes, drained
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 clove of garlic, diced
1 lb pasta - I used Rienzi brand, Cantanisella Lunga
1 leaf fresh basil, torn into small pieces
1 broccoli crown, cut into bite sized pieces

Directions

Boil pasta according to directions on box. While the pasta water is boiling, heat the oil in a large skillet. Place the broccoli pieces in a steamer basket that will fit over the pasta pot. Once heated, saute the garlic for two minutes. Add the tomatoes and basil to the mixture and turn it up to medium heat, stirring constantly so the tomatoes reduce.

When there is 4 minutes left on the pasta, set the steamer basket over the hot water so the broccoli cooks. Once the pasta is finished, add the broccoli into the tomato mixture, and drain the pasta. Add the pasta to the skillet and stir to combine. Once heated through, serve topped with Parmesan cheese.

Takeout Fake-out: Philly Cheesesteak

In light of some recent events that have hit a little close to home, my husband and I have decided to start saving more aggressively than we have been in the recent months. Ever since we purchased our home, it's been the wild west as far as spending goes. I'm surprised the people at Home Depot don't know us by our first names yet! One place that we could easily save is eating out. The problem is, I love trying new restaurants, so this will be a pretty big challenge for us.

Enter, this new feature, Takeout Fakeout. I'm going to try and do one recipe a week where I mimic something I see on a menu or that we've eaten at a restaurant. My main goal is to try and do it cheaper. So here is my first attempt, a Philly Cheesesteak (minus the cheese because we want to stay healthy, too).

Take Out Fakeout - Philly Cheesesteak
Kitchen Canister Original

Ingredients

1 lb of sirloin steak
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
fresh ground pepper
1 green pepper
1 onion


Directions

Slice the sirloin steak into very thing slices, so thin you can almost see through them, discarding any large pieces of fat you come across. Once all the meat is slices thinly, put it in a large Ziploc bag and add the Worcestershire and soy sauces, and pepper. Add about a half cup of water and toss around the mixture once the bag is sealed. Let marinate for a half hour.

While the meat is marinading, roughly chop the green pepper and onion into bite size pieces. Coat a pan with oil and, once hot, add the onions and peppers. Let cook until the onions are translucent and the green peppers soft. Put on low and coat another pan with a small amount of oil. Add the steak and cook for about 7-8 minutes, or until cooked through. Drain the steak and mix it into the pan with the onions and pepper. Raise the heat back to medium and cook for 3 minutes so the flavors combine.

Serve on a roll with desired toppings. (I prefer tomatoes, ketchup and pickles.)

Chef's Note:


photo credit: wallyg via flickr
This is a picture of a steak from Pat's King of Steaks in South Philadelphia. When visiting the area, tourists usually opt for Pat's or its rival across the street, Geno's. The debate between which establishment makes a better steak can get very heated. People in this area are very passionate about this. One thing everyone can agree on is one thing: It is all about the roll. If you're not using Amoroso, you might as well use an old shoe!




And now here is a picture of my version of Philly's claim to fame, besides Rocky and the Liberty Bell of course.


This tasted really great, and while it wasn't quite as big as the sandwich you'd get at Geno's or Pat's, it was still very filling. The only difference between my sandwich and the pro's version, was the way the steak was chopped. To do it right, you need a flat grill surface and two metal spatulas. If you get the technique down, you end up with slivers of steak that melt in your mouth. Since I have non-stick pans and plastic spatulas, I didn't quite get the same consistency. It still turned out great, though.

Price Comparison

Kitchen Canister
Amoroso Rolls - $3.99 for 8 = $0.50
Sirloin Steak - $9.01 for 1 lb, which made 4 sandwiches = $2.25
Green Pepper - $1.00 for 4 sandwiches - $0.25
Onion - $1.00 for 4 sandwiches - $0.25
Total Cost: $3.25

Pat's Steak Sandwich - $7.50

Total Savings: $4.25

Want to see more fakeouts? Click here.

If you'd like to read more about the Geno's/Pat's rivalry - see this Destination Eats blog post.

Fakeout - DIY Hamburger Helper

Ground Beef. Now, that's a tricky item. There are really two things I do with ground beef: meatballs and hamburgers. In the interest of this blog, and in branching out, I thought that tonight I'd try something a little different.

When I was a kid, my mom used to make Hamburger Helper all the time. Of course, as all mothers do, she put her own little twist on it. I posted her recipe around this time last year, and thought tonight was a great night to revisit it.

DIY Hamburger Helper
Kitchen Canister Original

Ingredients

1/2 of a large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 lb ground beef (93% lean)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon soy sauce
a dash of paprika, red pepper flakes and rosemary
1 can of cannellini beans
1 roma tomato, diced
2 cups egg noodles
1 packet of powdered brown gravy mix

Directions

Heat some oil in a large frying pan and add the onions and garlic. Saute for about 5 minutes, until onions are fragrant and start to become translucent. Add salt and pepper to taste, and stir. Meanwhile, boil the water to cook the egg noodles.

Add the beef to the frying pan and saute. After mixing the onions, garlic and beef together, add the Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and spices and mix. Once beef is browned, add the cannellini beans and heat through for about 5 minutes.

Once you add the beans, the water for the noodles should be ready. Add the noodles and cook for about 6 minutes. They're going to cook a little bit with the beef mixture, so don't cook them all the way.

While the noodles are cooking, add the tomato and stir the mixture. Turn it down to low heat.



Once the noodles are done, strain them, but reserve a little less than a cup of the boiling water. Add the water and noodles to the beef, and mix in the gravy packet. Turn the heat to medium-high and let the mixture come to a boil. Once it boils, put the heat on low and let it heat through.

Servings: 4


Chef's Notes
To modify this recipe, I added beans, and reduced the amount of noodles to make it a little healthier and more filling. This worked out great. I've been exercising a lot lately, so I find that I'm much hungrier at night than I normally am.

The next time I make this, the only thing I would do differently is use a can of diced tomatoes, or increase the fresh tomato to two. There wasn't enough tomato taste for me and I think it would be a nice compliment to the beans.

If you're looking to make this recipe even healthier, I think ground turkey would taste great, too.

Overall, I think it tasted very similar to hamburger helper. That little white glove guy can keep his prepackaged dinner, because I would definitely make this again!


sorry buddy!

Chicken Chili Verde

If you've been following me over the course of this blog, you already know I have a soft spot for anything tex-mex. When I came across this recipe on TPOX's blog, Proceed With Caution, I knew I had to try it. I'd never made anything with tomatillo's before, but this looked pretty simple. I wrote down all the ingredients and headed to my local grocery store to search them out. Lucky for me, I snagged the last 10 tomatillos the store had. Unlucky for me, when I got them home and unhusked them, one was moldy. Ew! Needless to say, I threw that one out and used the remaining nine. It still came out great, though.

Chicken Chili Verde
courtesy TPOX at Proceed with Caution

Ingredients
5 cloves garlic, peeled
2 jalapenos, stem removed (and seeded if necessary to reduce the heat)
10 tomatillos, husks removed and rinsed
1/2 of a large white onion, quartered
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, rinsed (Grocery store was all out)
4 tablespoons vegetable olive oil
5-6 small 4 large boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1" cubes

Directions
1. Place garlic, jalapenos, tomatillos, and onion in a large stock pot with just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil (see step 3) over medium heat, and cook, uncovered, for about 25 minutes.

2. Add contents of the pot to a blender along with 1/2 cup water and cilantro. Puree until smooth, being careful to allow steam to escape while blending or you will end up with a newly decorated kitchen in a wonderful shade of green!

3. When tomatillo mixture reaches a boil, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Brown chicken until no longer pink, then drain skillet. Add pureed tomatillo mixture to skillet, then add salt, to taste. With the lid cracked, simmer over medium low heat for 30 minutes. Serve with mexican rice and tortillas, garnished with lime for juicing.



Servings:6

Chef's Notes
Even though my recipe was minus one tomatillo, it was still delicious. For the jalapenos, I seeded one and left the seeds in the other. I didn't think it was that spicy, though, so next time I think I will leave all of the seeds in. I served it with black beans and mexican yellow rice. We also used whole wheat tortillas for dipping in the sauce.

Chicken Pomodoro

As I was browsing through my google reader the other day, I came across this chicken recipe from Rachel at Rachel vs. The Kitchen. I wanted to make something similar to bruschetta chicken that I see on menus when we go out, and this looked like a perfect recipe. The only change I made was to add an extra 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Mine turned out a little creamier than Rachel's, but it was still delicious. I think next time I'll use a little less cream, or a larger can of tomatoes. I used whole wheat spaghetti for my pasta, so I had to throw it in a little earlier than the 4 minutes Rachel suggests.

Please mosey on over to Rachel's post to read the full recipe details.

Chicken Etouffee

Last week was Mardi Gras. Since we couldn't actually go to NOLA, I decided to cook up a tribute to the region. What better way to do this than to get a recipe from Emeril himself? BAM!

Chicken Etouffee
adapted from Emeril Lagasse of Food Network

Ingredients
1 (4-pound) chicken, 2 large chicken breasts cut into 8 pieces strips
Salt
Cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable olive oil
8 5 tablespoons unsalted butter - I used Smart Balance 50/50 Butter Blend
3/4 cup flour
1 cup finely diced yellow onion
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped bell pepper
2 bay leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bottle dark lager or amber beer - I used Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale
1 quart cold chicken stock
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/4 cup hot sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 cup chopped parsley - The grocery store was all out, so I omitted

Directions
Season the chicken pieces with salt and cayenne pepper.

Heat the oil in a large dutch oven over medium high heat and sear chicken pieces on both sides until golden brown. Remove to a platter and reserve.

Add butter to pan and when melted, add flour, and stir to combine well. Continue to cook roux, stirring constantly, until chocolate brown, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Immediately add onion, celery, bell pepper, and bay leaves and cook until soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 2 minutes, then add the beer and stir well to loosen any brown bits from pan bottom. Add the stock, brown sugar, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce and stir to combine well. Bring to a boil, return chicken pieces to the pot, and simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until chicken is very tender.

Remove chicken pieces to a platter and when cool enough to handle, remove chicken meat from the bones. Return chicken meat to etouffee and continue to cook another 30 minutes, until sauce is thickened and flavorful and chicken is beginning to fall apart. Add chopped parsley and stir well to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary, and serve immediately over rice or other starch of choice.



Chef's Notes
This was very delicious, but not as spicy as I thought it was going to be. The next time I make it, I will probably increase the amount of cayenne that I coat the chicken in for an extra spice factor. Since the chicken I used didn't have any bones in it, I didn't cook it for nearly as long as the recipe above suggests. I basically skipped the middle step of boiling for 1 hour and 15 minutes and only cooked it for 30 minutes. The sauce still thickened up, even thought I didn't let it boil for as long as suggested. I served it over jasmine rice.

Sesame Chicken with Lo Mein and Green Beans

What's this? An actual recipe? Contrary to popular belief, I have been cooking - I've just had zero time to actually post the recipes. Last week, I cooked up a bunch of recipes from the Menu Magazine I received in the mail from our local grocery store, Wegmans. I feel like I am a walking advertisement for this store lately, but they truly have some excellent recipes. I promise after this week, I'll go back to a more eclectic mix of sources.

Sesame Chicken with Lo Mein and Green Beans
courtesy Wegmans Menu Magazine

Ingredients
1 pkg Food You Feel Good About Cleaned & Cut 12 oz green beans, rinsed and cut
1 pkg (16 oz) Asian Classics Lo Mein Noodles thawed per pkg directions
1 lb Wegmans Seasoned Chicken Breast Strips for Stir-Fry chicken breast strips - cut into chopstick friendly sized pieces
3 Tbsp Wegmans Vegetable olive Oil, divided
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 pkg (12 oz) Asian Slaw
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup Wegmans Garlic Sauce - Since Wegmans is a store native to the northeast, this sauce was sort of like a garlicky stir fry sauce. I'm sure you can find a good substitute in your local grocery store
1 Tbsp JFC White Roasted Sesame Seeds

Directions
Blanch green beans in large pot of boiling salted water 3-4 min. (I just blanched mine in my spaghetti pot that has a built in strainer. I think this was much easier than removing them with the spoon) Remove beans with slotted spoon; drain and set aside. Add noodles to blanching water; blanch 2 min. Drain and set aside.(Oops - Looks like I skipped this step. I'll read the recipe more carefully next time!)

Drizzle 2 Tbsp oil around sides of stir-fry pan; tilt pan to distribute evenly. Heat oil in pan on HIGH until oil faintly smokes. (If oil smokes too much, pan is too hot.) Stir fry chicken 4-5 min; remove from pan and set aside.

Drizzle remaining Tbsp oil around sides of pan; tilt pan to distribute evenly. Heat oil in pan on HIGH until oil faintly smokes. Add garlic, Asian slaw, and green beans. Stir and toss, 2-3 min. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add chicken, noodles, and garlic sauce to stir-fry pan. Stir briefly to heat through, 2-3 min. Garnish with sesame seeds.

Servings: 4



Chef's Notes
Like I've mentioned before, this recipe can definitely be made without all the store brand products suggested. In fact, the store was out of most of the listed items, so I had to substitute some. I used regular chicken and cut it myself, as well as beans that needed to be cut and cleaned. I didn't really mind this, because I sometimes find slicing and dicing sort of therapeutic. Anyway, the recipe was pretty good, but also a little indulgent. At 540 calories a serving, it wasn't very filling. My husband and I both found ourselves going back for seconds. Overall, it was pretty easy to prepare. Had I used the pre-cut chicken and beans, I think it would have only taken about 20 minutes start to finish. With the added prep, it took me about 30 minutes.

Turkey Chili

In prep for the big game this weekend, here's a great tasting chili recipe made with turkey. The recipe I'm posting below calls for either Wegmans brand or name brand items specifically, but I think it would taste the same if you used other products.

**BLOGGER DISCLOSURE** I didn't get anything for free from Wegmans however I did get a coupon in the mail for $2 off the ground turkey and $1 off the chicken stock used in this recipe. It should be noted that this coupon was delivered to everyone in the area, so no special treatment here!***

Turkey Chili
courtesy Menu Magazine

Ingredients



2 Tbsp Wegmans Pure Olive Oil
2 lbs Food You Feel Good About 94% Lean Ground Turkey
12 6 cloves Food You Feel Good About Peeled Garlic, minced
2 (about 1 lb) red peppers, 1/4-inch dice
2 pkgs (8 oz each) Food You Feel Good About Cleaned & Cut Diced Green Peppers 2 green peppers, diced
2 pkgs (8 oz each) Food You Feel Good About Cleaned & Cut Chopped Onions
2 Tbsp McCormick Gourmet Collection Mexican-Style Chili Powder
Salt to taste
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp Wegmans Soy Sauce
6 Food You Feel Good About Fresh Bay Leaves (or 2 dried)
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp ground cumin
2 cans (14.5 oz each) Wegmans Diced Tomatoes
1 carton (32 oz) Food You Feel Good About Chicken Culinary Stock
2 cans (15.5 oz each) Food You Feel Good About Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained

Directions

Heat oil in large stockpot on MEDIUM-HIGH until oil faintly smokes. Add ground turkey. Crumble and sear until lightly browned, about 5 min.



Add garlic, peppers, and onions to browned ground turkey. Stir in chili powder, salt, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, bay leaves, cloves, and cumin.



Add tomatoes and stock. Bring to simmer; add beans. Continue to simmer, uncovered, on MEDIUM-LOW about 45 min, stirring occasionally. Discard bay leaves. Ladle chili into warmed bowls; serve.



Chef's Notes

I've never had chili with cloves in it and I think the next time I make it, I won't add them. After I ate the chili, all I could taste all day was cloves, which isn't exactly pleasant. I also added my secret ingredient to the chili:



unsweetened dark chocolate. I think it adds more texture and depth to the broth.The chili was also not very spicy. Next time I might add a jalapeno, or additional chili powder to kick it up a notch.

Crockpot Beef Tenderloin

I was feeling lazy last week, so instead of actually cooking up a stew like I planned, I threw the beef tenderloin I bought into my slow cooker. I really love my slow cooker. You just throw it all in, and out comes a delicious meal with meat so tender that it just falls apart. YUM!

Crockpot Beef Tenderloin
Kitchen Canister Original

Ingredients

3 lb beef tenderloin
1 cup beef broth
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
about 1 tablespoon of McCormick steak rub
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
1 bunch asparagus, broken into 1 inch pieces
1 cup baby carrots

Directions

Rinse beef and place in crockpot. Sprinkle spices over beef, and rub with McCormick spice mix. Pour beef broth and vinegar over mixture. Add vegetables. Cook for 8 hours on low.

Servings: 5






Chef's Notes:

Since this is an original, I don't really have many notes. When the beef was done, I pulled it out and put it aside, fishing out the vegetables with a slotted spoon. I made a gravy out of the broth remaining in the crockpot by emptying it into a small pot and adding 1 tablespoon of corn starch. Cook the gravy on high until it boils, then let stand for a few minutes. To complete the dish, I served with a baked potato.

Broccoli Soup

I think my new favorite food network chefs might be the Neelys. It seems like every time I turn on the TV, Down Home With the Neelys is on. I love the way the two of them work so well together in the kitchen. Granted, I'm sure majority of their moves are choreographed, but it's still nice to see them moving about seamlessly through their recipes.

I grabbed this Broccoli Soup recipe off of their food network page, and while I love broccoli, there was two things I was weary of:

1.) I've never had a pureed broccoli soup before.
2.) I'm not really a fan of creamy soups to begin with.

The figured I could tweak it a little to get through some of my fears. The amount of cream they called for was perfect, but my soup ended up more green than the picture on food network's website and I even ended up using less broccoli than the recipe called for. While we were chopping it up, my husband noticed that one of the crowns we purchased was a little mushy. I didn't want to chance it screwing up a brand new recipe, so we threw it out.

Broccoli Soup
courtesy of Down Home with the Neelys

Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 1/2 pounds fresh broccoli
1 large onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes (for extra zing!)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (sub out vegetable broth if you're a vegetarian)
1/2 cup cream
Homemade Croutons, visit link above for recipe (I didn't make my own croutons, instead I used ::gasp!!:: store-bought.)


Directions
Melt 4 tablespoons butter in heavy medium pot over medium-high heat. Add broccoli, onion, carrot, salt and pepper and saute until onion is translucent, about 6 minutes. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, until the flour reaches a blonde color. Add stock and bring to boil.



Simmer uncovered until broccoli is tender, about 15 minutes. Pour in cream. With an immersion blender, puree the soup. Add salt and pepper, to taste, and then replace the lid back on the pot. Serve hot with Homemade Croutons.

Servings: 4 generous bowls



Chef's Notes:
Like I said above, I had to toss one of my florets, but the soup still turned out pretty hearty. I always get nervous that a soup without any meat in it won't be that filling. I served it with a small side salad and some croutons on top and it kept me full all night. I still haven't gotten around to picking up an immersion blender for myself, so I pureed the veggies in my blender by transferring them with a ladle and large measuring cup. ***NOTE: be very careful when blending hot liquids in your blender - the steam can burn!***

Another great thing about this recipe is that it would probably taste just as good if you used vegetable broth, so you can easily adapt it for the vegetarian in your family (as long as they eat dairy products, of course!).