Lemons for Days

It's winter in New Orleans, y'all, and that means citrus for dayyysssssss!

Lemons, limes, satsumas--oh my! 

Hollygrove Market and Farm and various backyard grower friends have bestowed upon me such a bounty of citrus that I decided to preserve it.....by making preserved lemons!  A staple in Middle Eastern dishes, preserved lemons add a mellow, salty-citrusy brightness to literally any dish.  The recipe is super simple: you need lemons, coarse kosher salt, additional spices, and a mason jar.  I used a variety of lemons; my current favorite is the Meyer lemon, which is sweeter than a regular lemon since they are believed to be half lemon, half mandarin orange.  

Since these lemons are being preserved whole, using organic lemons is best--that way you know that the peel isn't harboring any harmful chemicals.  Either way, be sure to scrub the lemons thoroughly before following through with this recipe.  

Score the lemons lengthwise, leaving the very bottom of the lemon connected.
Loosen the score a bit with your fingers so you can pour salt all up in there.    

The more salt; the more, the better.  Pack it in there real good!  

Pour about a half inch of salt on the bottom of the mason jar, then pack the lemons in.
I used a HUGE jar, because I had so many lemons, but any size jar will do.  

Squish the lemons into the jar as you pack them, and fill to within an inch of the rim with extra lemon juice.  I ran out of lemon juice and instead juiced a satsuma and a grapefruit; as long as the juice is acidic, I don't think it matters much in a pinch.  You can also throw some additional spices in there to brew--common additions are bay leaves, whole black peppercorns, and a cinnamon stick.  

Once the lemons are packed in the jar, let them sit for a while in a cool, dark place.  Mine sat for 14 days, but the longer they sit, the softer the peel becomes and the mellower the flavor.  I turned mine upside down once a day to be sure the brine was evenly incorporated.  

When your lemons are ready, pull one out and slice it as thinly as possible.  A lot of people scoop out the pulp, but I like to add it to my dish, especially if I'm mixing instead of sprinkling and the saltiness can be evenly distributed.  A lot of people also rinse the salt off the peel before slicing, but I would rather use that citrusy salt and just leave out any additional salt my dish requires.  You can add your preserved lemons to risotto, potato salad, sauteed greens, roasted potatoes....they literally brighten the flavor of any dish.  Bon appetit!  

Cuban Pork STRAIGHT FROM HEAVEN

Two bits of back story to make this latin gem complete:

1. I have a group of friends who get together on a regular basis for a potluck dinner in the theme of whatever country the host/hostess chooses.  We've done Granada, Spain, even Afghanistan...and last night was Cuba.  No one brought cigars.  Cue disappointment. 

2. Not too long ago, I was sucked in by Albertson's grocery store's buy-1-get-2-free (yes, you read that right) meat special; I ended up with more meat than I knew what to do with....so last night, I cooked it. I cooked it real good. 

The recipe involved a slow cooker, so automatically, I was all in from the get-go.  

Y'all know I love a good slow cooker recipe

I substituted 7 rib chops for the one bone-in shoulder the original recipe used, which allowed me to cut the cook time almost in half.  I drizzled grapeseed oil in the crock pot, tossed the pork in it, then added 10 whole cloves of peeled garlic (yummm), cumin, kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and some cinnamon.  I squeezed 4 fresh limes into the pot and topped the mixture with about 1/2 a can of frozen orange juice concentrate.

Those weird orange turdlets are the OJ concentrate.  I swear.  

I turned the crock pot on high and let it cook for an hour, then switched it to low and cooked until the meat fell off the bone; about 6 hours.  In the meantime, I painted my house.  

You know, the usual mid-cooking rampage activity.  No big deal.  Whatevs.  

Once the pork was tender, I stuck the whole crock pot in the fridge to cool.  Of course, this felt like it took forever.  

Yea lord, give unto me the strength to NOT EAT ALL OF THIS RIGHT NOW. 

Once cool, I shredded the meat with two forks while I made a reduction of the pork juices: I strained out all the solids: 

Yes, that's ALL garlic.

and simmered the pork juice, 2T apple cider vinegar, more garlic (I chopped all those cloves I roasted with the pork in the crock pot), more crushed red pepper, more lime juice, and salt and pepper.  I whisked it occasionally over medium-high heat until it reduced to about 1/4 its original volume.  

I poured the sauce over the shredded pork in a casserole pan and tossed the two together.  

¡y....voila!  

It seemed wayyyyy too simple to be this delicious; but no, it is NOT too good to be true!  It even got a shoutout from the Cuban host himself.  Then momma went and had way too many mojitos and that's where the story ends.  Y'all enjoy.  

So-Good-Yet-So-So-Bad Chocolate-Merlot Torte

The BrewMeister and I recently went hiking at The Narrows of the Harpeth (if you live in Nashville and like hiking/ kayaking, I recommend this place!) We were famished afterwards, so we trekked to The Cottage Cafe in Bellevue, a tiny cafe/bakery nestled between an antique store and a home furnishings consignment shop. I was initially drawn to this place because of its sense of humor: anyone who knows me will know that I appreciate insanely corny puns and clever witticisms over all else. This place's bakery was called "Crumb de la Crumb," so I had to try it.

This is where Fate comes in.

On the day we visited (which was my 2nd time that week, but I digress), we wanted to try a certain type of cake. We ordered, then were devastated when they were out of that flavor. Did we want to try another one? "We have a delightful Chocolate-Bailey's cake and--this isn't on the menu yet--we have a fresh Chocolate Merlot cake, too."

Chocolate and merlot? Chocolate and merlot! Two of my favorite things!

It was heavenly. So I decided to make one. I found this recipe and intended to follow it word-for-word, but that is not what happens when I decide to bake.

You will need:
Electric or hand mixer
Sieve or flour sifter
9" Springform pan
Rectangular pie pan or larger circular pan that your springform pan can fit INTO while baking

9.7 oz bittersweet chocolate
1/2 c sugar
8 Tbsp merlot (remember to save some for the cook!)
8 oz (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled
5 large eggs
1 Tbsp AP flour

For the chocolate, I used a mixture of 70%, 85% and 90% cocoa. 

These brands were purchased from Wal-Mart (Lindt) and Aldi (Moser Roth). No need to go all boutique-expensive for this recipe. The Aldi chocolate was so yummy by itself, I highly recommend it for snacking at $1.99 for 4 oz. Cha-ching.

The first step I took was to melt and cool my butter, since that would take a bit of time. While the butter cooled, I chopped the chocolate. Keep in mind, the smaller pieces you have, the less time it will take to melt and the sooner it will become smooth. I usually like to keep my nibbling chocolate in the freezer, but for easy chopping you'll want it at room temp. Put the chopped chocolate into a bowl.

Then butter the spring form pan, pre-heat the oven to 350* and measure out your merlot:

This part was strange for me: measuring wine in tablespoons? Usually I measure wine in what I like to call "serving sizes" of "glasses" or "bottles."

For the merlot, I used a hoity-toity bottle, purchased at my local wino-ry for 3/$10. As you can see in the photo, this wine has been previously opened. Again and again.

*A note on the wine you choose: don't just buy a wine because it's cheap. Buy a wine that you know you like (you're only using 8 Tbsp, after all, so you'll have plenty left over). When you cook or bake with wine you should ALWAYS use something that you would actually drink. Be sure to do some quality control sipping of your wine while you bake.*

Combine the merlot and sugar in a saucepan over high heat, stir constantly until it boils, then pour the heated mixture over your chopped chocolate and stir until it's smooth and scrumptious. Add 1/2 the melted butter, stir, then the other 1/2.

Sneak a sample here, before you add the raw eggs! 

 The 5 eggs go in another bowl and get beaten/ whipped for 7-8 minutes until they've tripled in volume. Make sure you do this for the full amount of time, so your eggs will be stiff and the torte will be fluffy and splendid.

Add 1/2 the eggs to the chocolate, fold in, then add the other 1/2. Make sure not to over-stir because you want the eggs to retain their fluffiness. 

Sift or sieve the flour into the mixture, fold in, then pour into your prepared pan.

             
 

You are well on your way to savoring heaven on earth!!

Your springform pan will go into a water bath, so find a baking dish or casserole dish that is large enough to hold your springform pan and fill the bottom dish halfway with hot water. The purpose of a water bath is to make sure that the whole cake cooks through evenly, instead of the sides and bottom (that are in contact with the hot sides and bottom of the pan) overcooking while the center is undercooked. 

*If you realize at this point in the recipe that you don't have a pan this big because the springform is bigger than you thought it would be, DON'T PANIC-- your dessert will still be delicious. I know, because this is what I accidentally did. I just filled the casserole dish with water and put it in the oven with the torte, which is not the same thing, but that's why your stab at this recipe will hands-down be better than mine. Let me know when you make it, I'll head over.* 

Bake for 30-35 minutes. Your kitchen will smell DELICIOUS, even if your dog has gas. The torte nicely masks ugly smells. 

Once a toothpick inserted in the center comes out un-chocolatey, the torte is done. Let it cool to room temperature IN the water bath, then transfer upside onto a plate and transfer again upright to a flat plate or cake stand. 

Don't be afraid to try this one! Chocolate can be intimidating, but don't let that scare you. This recipe is very easy and oh-so-rewarding. Bake it for a party or don't tell anyone you made it and eat the whole thing while you Netflix 30 Rock. 

Cheers! 

Okra okra okra okra rockin' everywhurrr

As many of you know, I volunteer at Hollygrove Market and Farm every Sunday afternoon.  In exchange for my 4-hour volunteer shift (that I've been doing weekly for 9 months now, wowza!), they reward me with a box chock full o' fresh, local, often organic, seasonal fruits and veggies.  Recently, the box has been overflowing with delightfully crunchy okra!  Mah fehvorite! (<--said in the Irish hen's voice from Chicken Run, obviously)

Tis the season...

I wanted something different from the tried-and-true fried okra, so I tried a recipe that HMF included in their weekly newsletter--a recipe for African-style okra and tomatoes.  The prep was pretty quick and the cooking was slow, so I didn't take many pictures of the process....I know, I know, I'm the worst.  

I started by trimming the ends of the okra and steeping them in white wine vinegar, stirring frequently, for about 20 minutes while I prepped everything else.  Apparently, cooks in the South swear that soaking okra in vinegar "lowers okra's slime quotient," but I can't say I noticed any less slime in this recipe.  

While de-sliming the okra, I sautéed onions in grapeseed oil, then added shiitake mushrooms (even though the recipe called for button mushrooms, I got shiitakes in the Box!).  After a few minutes, I added diced tomatoes, garlic powder, black pepper, turmeric, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, approximately a dash of each, and a handful of potatoes cut into large bite-size pieces.  I stirred well and then simmered uncovered for about 15 minutes.  

I added okra and some extra water last, then simmered covered for 45 minutes.  Since I have zero sense of forethought and chose my skillet before realizing I don't have a lid that fits it, I just used a cookie sheet and Rosie the Riveter-ed the shit outta this thing.  

Gorgeous pot o' color! So healthytimes yes!

Caution: while simmering, your entire house will begin to smell like the most delicious Afro-Carribean spice rack ever.  Embrace it.  Also embrace the fact that the turmeric in this recipe will temporarily stain any light colored surface it comes in contact with, including countertops, cutting boards, Tupperware, and these white-girl fingertips.  

After 45 minutes, I removed the okra, cut them into chunks, then added them back in and stirred and DEVOURED.  I enjoyed this recipe all week long for lunch and dinner, over rice and by itself, and the spices just got more aromatic as the week went on.  This makes a great, hearty stew for summertime, without being so heavy that you just want to lay down and die.  So go getchu some! 

"I just made the most delightful batch of gray cupcakes!"

Alternate title: 

"Brain food-- gray matter"

It was after dinner. I knew I wanted to bake something sweet and I knew there was no chocolate in the house, so I opted for a vanilla cupcake recipe, which is not my usual go-to. If you ever want to bake me anything, know that I respond quite well to chocolate. 

I started with this Martha Stewart recipe for vanilla cupcakes. Because our apartment has been infested by mold/mildew and I found today that many of my cupcake tins were mildewed, I quartered this recipe so I could use the 1 pan that wasn't ruined, which happened to be a 6-cupcake pan. Also, if there were 24 cupcakes in the house, I'd eat them all due to despair and frustration from the aforementioned mildew problem. By this point I've only eaten 2 cupcakes, half a tub of hummus, and have only sat in front of the TV drooling for, like, 3 hours. So I'm ok.

But, I digress.

In addition to *approximately* quartering the recipe (which included some odd measurements, like 0.375 cups...) I substituted brown sugar for white (again, using what I had in the cabinet). There may be some conversion tables to do this correctly, but I just kept the amounts the same. That, in conjunction with what I did next, is probably what made them gray.

Next, I raided the fridge. The Brew Meister had made some peach jam little while back, so I polished that off into the batter. He also took a business trip to Boise last week and thoughtfully brought home a small jar of huckleberry jam for us, so a spoonful went into the batter, too. That's probably the color culprit. In the photos, the cupcakes don't appear very gray, but trust me: they are. In fact, if I didn't have a mouthful of sweet teeth and a sugar craving the size of Russia, I might not even eat them (Disclaimer: that's probably not true.)

Because I added extra wet ingredients (2 flavors of jam), and didn't amp up the dry ingredients in return, and because my measurements may have been slightly significantly off, the cupcakes were a little gummy. The Brew Meister suggested "icing" them with some more of the huckleberry jam, which was a great suggestion.

The whole process of deciding to make cupcakes, finding a recipe, gathering ingredients, doing my math, and making the actual batter seemed to be an out-of-body experience. Clearly, whatever part of my brain that responds to sugar was leading the way here. Since that was the case, I didn't remember to get pictures of the assembly process. So, I took a picture of my sink after the fact:

Here's a funny side effect of this blog: because I know that at least one person is reading this (thanks, Mom!) I also subconsciously act as if people are watching me in my kitchen, so I tend to clean up really well and really quickly. Trust me, (and ask the Brew Meister), this is not something I do after every meal.

Thanks for reading, and I hope your cupcakes turn out better! Maybe adding only 1 flavor of jam, or not any jam, but making a nice icing, or just not baking them and eating the batter straight out of the bowl will result in better eats. I will not say if there was any leftover batter that didn't make it into the cupcake pan with this batch (wink).

Asian Meat-wads!

I haven't blogged much lately, but I have been cooking-- for the past 2 weeks I've been volunteering at our local Whole Foods. It has a cooking school that offers cooking classes throughout the year, including weeklong kids camps during the summer. If you've got a kid age 7-15, I recommend this as a summer activity! Each day is a different global theme, so this year we had American, Indian, Italian, French and Latin American Day (drooooool). Anyway, all that to say, if I don't encounter another child with a knife for the next 12 months, I'll be happy. Just kidding, they're a joy. With knives. 

So, today's experiment was a mind-concoction, like so many of my dishes are. I decided to make some Asian meatballs, and I must say they turned out deliciously! I forgot to take pictures during the process, but here's the finished product: 

WARNING: as a mind-concoction, there are no actual measurements, so experimenter beware.

2 lb ground pork (next time I might substitute 1/2-1 lb of ground beef, just for a textural variety)

chopped leaves of 2 small bok choy (you can stir fry the stems later!)

1 very large clove garlic 

1/4 onion, diced

~1/2 tsp? fish sauce

~1 Tbsp? soy sauce (I used Worcestershire because it's all I had)

~1/4 tsp each of: allspice, turmeric, cinnamon, curry powder and cayenne

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl, form into golf-ball sized wads, then dredge in bread crumbs so the outsides will become deliciously crispy. Then bake at 400* for 20 minutes, according to Alton Brown (as I was making these, a meatball episode of Good Eats just happened to come on. COINCIDENCE?!) He suggested cooking them in a mini-muffin tin so the juices can drain down, but I did it on a baking rack and lowered the temp to 325*. You can use a meat thermometer or just cut into a wad to see if it's done. I served them by themselves right into my mouth, but you could put them on top of rice noodles, as a side to stir fry, let 'em soak up some pho or curry broth. Almost anything can be done with the adaptable meatwad! 

Grilled Chicken and Cherry Salsa

Well, y'all, it's officially summertime in New Orleans.  When it's 101 degrees outside and at least 80% humidity, I like foods that are fresh, crisp, and can retain their cool flavors in the face of positively inhumane heat.

Yesterday, I turned to a recipe I found on Pinterest (withhold judgment till you've actually tried it!)  This is my first time cooking from Pinterest, and I was actually really pleased.  This recipe uses fresh berries and herbs to make a slightly spicy but refreshing salsa, and as the website touts, it's ready in 20 minutes!

I mixed roughly chopped cherries, fresh blueberries, minced red onion, lemon juice, fresh basil, fresh mint, minced jalapeno, balsamic vinegar, honey, and a dash of salt in a small bowl and let it marinate while I grilled the chicken.

Summery colors! 

 I brushed both sides of the chicken breasts with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper, then grilled for a couple of minutes per side in a skillet on the stovetop.

The only thing that could have made this better  would be cooking on an actual grill!  

 The whole meal came together so quickly, and the flavors were really nice together.  Plus I had leftovers to bring to work today!  And I've got a fresh mango back home that I'm going to add to the rest of the salsa to give it even more flavor.  Bon appetit :)

Balsamic Beets & Kale, Oh My!!

Everybody!  I'm back!  It's been awhile, and I've got SO many recipes to share with you, so let's get started.

Literally as I type this, I am eating this delicious and ridonkulously easy recipe for balsamic beet and kale salad.  You can find the original recipe here.

As usual, almost all of my ingredients are from the Hollygrove Market & Farm.  As many of you know I volunteer there every Sunday afternoon; it's a refreshing change of pace from the office life, I get to interact with approximately a million different people every time, and I get a great deal on fresh, local produce, grass-fed meats (namely pork, chicken, beef, and lamb), and locally produced goodies like jams, honey, and even fresh-roasted coffee.  WIN.

For this recipe, I peeled and sliced a handful of beets, shredded a whole bunch (literally, an entire bunch, approximately one pound) of kale, and finely minced a shallot.  In a separate bowl, I whisked together equal parts olive oil and some balsamic vinegar my mom gave me (for some reason I think she made it...?  Mom, do you make wineegar?!); the recipe calls for Dijon mustard, but I substituted what I had: creole mustard and honey.  I added salt and pepper to taste, then drizzled the dressing over the shredded/minced veggies in a large bowl.

Then I ate it.

I love this salad for its versatility; I've eaten it alone, added it to salads for pizzazz, stuffed it in quesadillas, eaten it over rice, eaten more of it alone, topped eggs with it, put it in an omelet, etc.  It's got a surprisingly complex mix of tart, sweet, spicy, crunchy, and delicious.  It would make a great side dish for a last-minute spring or summer potluck!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna cut this short so I can go eat some more....

A Taste of Summer: Exquisite Key Lime Pie!

Recently, my grandma had a birthday. Judging by the dessert she gravitates to almost every time we go to Applebee's for dinner, I decided to make a homemade (from scratch) key lime pie to celebrate at our family get together. I had this gorgeous picture in my mind of a lime green pie in a black crust, so I opted for a chocolate Graham cracker crust.

The recipe I followed was from one of my favorite cookbooks, Cook's Illustrated Cookbook from America's Test Kitchen. It tests different proportions of ingredients, etc. and gives you the absolute best version of the recipe (my favorite carrot cake recipe is also from this book-- not too oily, dry, crumbly, or gooey. Perfect!)

Unless you live in southern Florida and I'm jealous of you, key limes are not readily available. This book suggests the use of Persian limes (the kind you find in any and every grocery store), which saves you from juicing 20+ tiny key limes (you're welcome!)

First, zest limes and get the juice from 5 of them. I misread the instructions and zested the 5 limes, too, so a) the pie was extra lime-y and b) I was so sick of zesting. You'd probably only need to zest 2 or 3, unless you're an overachiever.

I might make this my background photo. My favorite color is lime zest. 

One of these things is not like the others...

I think the zested limes look just like tennis balls. They are also delightfully fuzzy.

Any recipe for a custardy pie like this one will require egg yolks. I like to use the 3 bowl method that I learned from volunteering at cooking school. Basically, you want to crack your eggs over one bowl, and have a separate bowl for yolks and one for whites.

This method is more important if you're using the whites (to make a meringue or something fluffy), because they're the ones that will really flop if they get any protein (yolk) in them. Using this method, if the egg that you just cracked gets some yolk in the white, all the other egg whites you have aren't compromised and you don't have to start over. It's sort of a mini insurance policy. On your eggs. Trying to think of a funny pun.

One of the things that makes me cringe the most is when a recipe asks you to separate eggs, then only uses the yolks or the whites. Whichever 1/2 you have to use (yolks or white), you can scramble the other half. No waste! (If you do it the other way, you're LITERALLY throwing half the money you spent on eggs down the trash chute. If you're spending $6/dozen on organic eggs from free-range, self-aware, happy-go-lucky chickens that poop rainbows, that could add up.)

While the custard was thickening, I made the crust. The best way to finely crumble your Graham crackers is to put them in a Ziploc bag (if you're reusing one, make sure it's fully dry and has no holes), then roll it over with a rolling pin.

 I opted for a glass in a bowl. We're high-tech in my kitchen. Try to keep up.

If I were to do anything differently, I would not add extra sugar to the pie crust, just because I was using pre-sweetened chocolate Graham crackers. The crust turned out extra crumbly, and I'm wondering if that's why. 

I used the same glass to press the Graham cracker dust into the pie pan after adding melted butter. Make sure it's pressed down well, then use a spoon to press it into the edges. You can lick the spoon. And/or the bottom of the glass.  You'd have to have surveillance footage of my kitchen to prove whether or not I did that last one... 

The pie crust needs to bake a few minutes, and the custard filling recipe should tell you whether the crust should be warm or cooled completely before the custard is added. In the case of this recipe, the crust should be warm. In a moment of poor judgment and hyper-impatience, I poured the custard into the fresh-from-the-oven pie crust, so that's another possibility for why the crust was crumbly.

Cooking and baking is truly 99.9% following directions. You see how well I do that.

Regrettably, I didn't get a photo of the beautiful finished product-- apparently the love of key lime pie is genetic in this family because this was snarfed up in a flash.

You can also just buy a crust. That would save you some time and energy, but I just really REALLY like making things from scratch as a way to show my peeps how much I care. Stay tuned to see if I still say the same after this weekend's Easter dinner... :)

Message me if you'd like this recipe in full! Or, do yourself a favor and buy this great cookbook . I promise I'm not getting paid for advertising. 

Now featuring... The Brewmeister's Beef Stew!

Greetings all! As we near the close (hopefully) of the dreary winter weather, here comes a classic cold weather go-to meal for me. And I might mention that this will be a bit of a cameo for the "brewmeister", who will remain anonymous at this point ; )

Anyway, one of my favorite winter meals is a rich, flavorful beef stew. Not only is this perfectly tasty, but also a very low maintenance meal, granted you are able to plan ahead about 6-8 hours. So, first step here is chopping a bunch of veggies up into bit size pieces (the more irregular the better). For this version I went with a sweet potato from our local farmer's market (I wish I took a picture of this bad boy, must have been 4 pounds or so), 4 carrots, 1 white onion, and 4 stalks of celery. Your finished product for this step will look something like this.

Now you can put this aside and focus on the star of the show-- BEEF!! What I like to do here is coat the beef in a flour/salt/pepper mixture. And just as an FYI, nearly all grocery stores will have some stew ready meat already chopped up for you. I used about a pound and a half for this recipe. So once you have the beef evenly coated with your flour and spice mixture, throw some oil in a pan and crank up the heat. Once your oil is ready, throw your meat in there and get all sides nice and brown. This step is key to locking in the tender goodness of your meat. So once your meat is good and brown, toss it in your Crockpot. Don't forget to scrape in every last morsel of flavor from your pan here.


So now we are ready to toss everything (veggies, beef, liquids, and spices) into the pot and let the flavors meld like a well orchestrated symphony. For flavor, let's invite the following friends to the party:

So we have some beef broth (I used two cups here), a couple bay leaves, about a tablespoon of paprika, 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, and my favorite, 3 cloves of minced garlic. These are really more about personal preference, so listen to your heart. And I can't forget, living up to my nickname, I also topped off the pot with some home brews. These happened to be of the gingered ale variety : ) 

Quick recap: veggies, beef, liquids, and spices are all in the Crockpot. At this point, our work is nearly over. Just set your Crockpot to the setting of your liking; low and 8 hours was my choice since it was a weekend and it was too cold to go golfing. In the meantime, read a book, have a few more beers. or catch some good TV; whatever tickles your fancy. After a few hours, check on your stew, and make sure everyone is getting along nicely in the sauna!

This meal goes really well with some yummy cornbread, or bread of any kind. Well, that is all for now, folks! Hopefully it's not too late to put this recipe into action. If it is, there's always next winter, or you could move to a more northerly latitude. 

I will gracefully stand aside now because as we all know, the women run the show...

Sweet, spicy, savory burritos...and a lot of cheese.

Guys, I'm back!  Yes, another post starting with an apology for the hiatus: travel, houseguests, Mardi Gras, and the flu are all in my past now, so I can start making food again.


This week's recipe: Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos!  Vegetarian (for those of you to whom that is important), surprisingly filling, and far tastier than anything this healthy usually is, these things also freeze well and can be reheated on those nights when you get home entirely too late and just wish you had some Mexican food....i.e. I wish I had made these pre-Mardi Gras.

This recipe comes courtesy of my farmer's market, who also supplied me with the onions and the sweet potatoes.  Thanks, Hollygrove.

I started by peeling and cubing 3 small sweet potatoes (or 2 large ones, whatever you've got on hand), cubing an onion, cubing a red bell pepper, and dicing 2 jalapeños, then combining all those little cubes in a large bowl with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, a generous shake of both cumin and chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste.

I spread the spiced cubes on a baking sheet and roasted them at 425˚, stirring once halfway through.

While the veggies were roasting, I chopped 1/4 cup of packed cilantro, drained and rinsed a can of black beans, and added them to the empty bowl with a hefty dose of lime juice.  I then added the roasted veggies back to the bowl, gave it a good stir, and ended up with this fabulous fiesta of color.

¡Olé!

I spooned a spoonful* into the middle of some pretty large tortillas, sprinkled on some Mexican blend cheese (better for melting than other blends), and rolled it up like the true burritoista that I am.  

*about 1/4 cup

I swear, I could work at Moe's or Chipotle now, because I am now a Master Roller since this recipe produced SO MANY BURRITOS.  Hence the freezing. And the eating for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  And the pawning off on friends.

Once rolled and back on the baking sheet, this little village of bean blankies (shoutout to my Tom Haverford fans!) cooked for another 15 minutes at 375˚.

The next time I make these, I'll probably add a little ground beef or pork because I'm a reckless and insatiable carnivore.  I'll probably also cube the sweet potatoes a little smaller, because even though they roasted up beautifully tender, my drunk self prefers small chunks in my late-night Mexican food endeavors.

Final note: I win at life with this important purchase.

ONE POUND o' cheese.  Lawd. 

Moroccan Olive Chicken with Cous Cous, recipe courtesy of my brain

So sorry for the lag time, comrades. Family was in town, I baked a cake, and time escaped me. But now, the next post:

In a brief and infrequent moment of foresight, I put some frozen chicken breasts in the fridge to thaw while I was at work today. That way, when I got home in a semi-tizzy after 8 hours in that hell-on-earth known as retail, I would at least have the ingredients ready to create the master plan I had just started thinking up on the way home. The alternative is hacking the chicken breasts apart with a not-sharp-enough knife, and we all know where that leads…

My master plan goes a little something like this, while I’m stopping-and-going on I-40:

“Dinner, dinner, dinner… I know, chicken!…baked! To keep the moisture in, it needs a jacket of…. Citrus? I don’t have any… [brain blast!] OLIVES! With…rice.”

So, I put the mostly defrosted chicken into a glass pan that I had a top for. I lightly salted and peppered the chicken boobies, then covered with 4 tablespoons of sliced green olives. When you do this at home, I would rinse the olives a bit, the brine tended to make some bites of this meal a little too salty. I also chopped some red, yellow and orange sweet peppers for color, then put the top on the dish and baked at 350* for about 20 minutes. Mine took longer than expected because the meat was thicker in some places than others. In retrospect, I would butterfly the chicken or cut them in half lengthwise (hot dog style—anybody else remember that from elementary school?)

Getting ready to bake! Kalamata olives or capers would probably work well here, too, if you wanted to experiment with a Greek, lemon-olive-rosemary dish.

While the chicken was cooking, I pureed about 2 cups of cilantro leaves (be sure to rinse them) with olive oil and some pine nuts. Pine nuts are crazy expensive, but I (randomly) had some lying around my pantry, so I used them. If you don’t have any and don’t want to buy any, walnuts work just as well. So, I blended those ingredients to make a sort of cilantro pesto.

Making the cilantro pesto

Rinsing my cilantro. Disregard the blueberries, which I was eating while rinsing. On a side note, a blueberry with a cilantro leaf wrapped around it is a surprisingly refreshing snack. 

It was then that I realized I forgot to put on the rice, which we all know takes longer than you would think it does.

Quick thinking: cous cous! If you haven’t tried it, cous cous is da bomb diggity (can’t believe I just said that, wow, hello 1994). It’s a grain, a Moroccan staple, and literally cooks in 5 minutes. You just boil your water, add a bit of salt and some olive oil or butter, then add cous cous, remove from heat, cover, let sit for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork. While fluffing, I added some sun dried tomatoes, which made it really beautiful and even more colorful. And healthier, I suppose, if you’re going for that.

Time to plate! So, I put down some cous cous, then some pesto, then the chicken, spooned the olives, juices, and peppers on top, then a bit more pesto. I wanted this to be Food Network ready because the BrewMeister is such a Food Network junkie. I failed to mention, while I was making this he was—I kid you not—TAKING OUR FRONT DOOR OFF ITS HINGES and CUTTING RIGID PLASTIC WITH MY GOOD KITCHEN KNIVES. ShakeMyHead.

Men, I will never understand you, please explain yourselves. Thank you.