Leftover D-lite (vegetarian, even)

(yes, another copy/paste from Friends of Rutabaga...)

Had some zucchini, yellow squash, and plain ol' spaghetti in the fridge, left from an experimental dish the other day, and was thinking about sautéing up the squash and probably throwing away the pasta (there was so little of it left, just a small handful). But here's what ended up happening:

I heated up the cast-iron skillet and melted some butter in it. Tossed in the squash, along with a pinch of salt, some chopped garlic, and crack (aka MSG). Cooked that for 2-3 minutes, then threw in the pasta. After a couple more minutes, in went a small handful of chopped cilantro. Stir, stir, smell, drool. Then came a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Taste test- oh yeah, how you doin'?
That would have been good enough, yes sir, but did I stop there? No I did not, because then I added a splash of soy sauce. Taste test- ooh, now you're talkin', baby.
And that would have been good enough, yes sir, but did I stop there? Oh no, I did not. That's when I brought out the big guns-



Oil Chili!



A little pricey (I paid 3.25 for a little under 10 oz.) but the stuff is crazy, sick delicious! Well worth it if you can find it. It takes whatever you use it on/in to the next level.

Final result:



(The color's not so great because my home has the worst lighting ever, but the stuff was D-lish! And easily configurable to whatever else you have in the fridge waiting to get used up.)

Cheers, mates!

A Magical Salad

Hello kids, and welcome back to another delicious episode of How's it Taste? Today we're going to make a magical salad, and I'm sorry to say, but no, it's not that kind of magic. At least not when I make it. What you put in it is totally up to you. I won't tell a soul, promise. No, the reason I call it a magical salad is because it reminds me of a couple times when I saw some magician on tv do a really awesome trick and I thought, 'Wow, that was really great, but how the heck did he do it?' and then he proceeded to show the audience exactly how he did it, and then I'd think, 'Man, that was so simple. Why didn't I think of that?' Well, in this case, I did think of it, and I love it so I want to share it with whoever happens across this blog.

In an effort to start eating healthier and maybe even lose some weight in the process, I've been cutting out the potato chips with lunch 5 days a week, and substituting some fresh veggies or salad. Most of the time it was just romaine and tomatoes with some salt and pepper and a light dressing of some sort, but then one day at work I threw together the following:

cucumbers, seeded
tomatoes, seeded
avocado
kosher salt (sea salt is awesome too!)
black pepper (preferably coarse)
cilantro
rice vinegar

Magic! That's how good it was! You should totally try it, you won't be disappointed.

Normally I just throw it all together and go with it, but since I decided to post this here, I actually kept track of the cukes-to-tomatoes-to-avocado ratio, and ended up going with the following-

1 medium cucumber
2 largish roma tomatoes
1 avocado

(It's enough for one decent-size salad. I ate the whole thing in one go, but you could make a side salad for two with it.)

Peel the cucumber, if you like. I do those alternating peels you see on the cucumber rings at salad bars and stuff-





Seed the tomatoes and the cucumber, dice and mix up in a bowl. I think it's better to mix them together now before adding the avocado, so as to avoid mashing the avocado too much.

Dice up the avocado- here's how I like to do it:

In the skin, after you've removed the pit.



You just make a bunch of thin slices one way, then turn it 45 degrees and do it again, then you can scoop them all out with a spoon, lickety-split. I also recommend using a not-very-pointy knife, such as a butter knife or something similar, at least for the first couple of times until you get a feel for it. Using a chef knife, it's pretty easy to stab/cut yourself through the avocado skin.

Add a generous amount of salt and pepper and give a couple quick tosses with your fingers, then add some coarsely chopped cilantro and give a couple more. It's pretty damn good just like this, but you can take it to a whole other level by drizzling some rice vinegar over it too. I like it both ways, so I tend to eat half without, then add the vinegar and finish it.






It's Super good and Super healthy- you control the amount of sodium, and it's fairly low-fat. I'm not sure exactly how much fat is in an avocado, but since it's considered one of the 'good' kinds, I have no problem eating as much of this stuff as I like. Try it out and see what you think. Also, if you're not a cilantro fan, give it a go with basil, or your other favorite herbs. I haven't tried anything else out yet, but I imagine they're just as good!

Until next time- if there is a next time- Bon Appétit!

Curry Love

Many months ago, I bought a bottle of curry powder at Sam's Club. I'd never really used curry before, but I'd been wanting to try it out and see how I liked it. So I promptly proceeded to let that bottle sit in my spice drawer for months, until a week or two ago, when I came across this awesome page of pumpkin recipes via Stumbleupon. One of the links was to a pumpkin curry soup recipe, so I tried it out at home and really, really liked it. Then I ended up making it for the soup of the day at work one day. Except I did what I usually do, and made way, way too much. Like gallons and gallons of it. (I tend to cook either just enough for one or two people, or enough for dozens. There is no in-between.) Not really a problem, I just threw the leftover soup in the freezer for another day. But then the next day I was thinking that I could take some of that leftover soup and mix it with some alfredo sauce, coat some chicken in the curry powder, and make a pumpkin curry chicken alfredo pasta for a daily special. Two birds with one stone- use up some of the soup, and have a new special to run. Sounded good to me! Well, I didn't end up using the soup, but what I came up with was pretty close, and maybe even better than the soup would have been anyway. It's a versatile curry-squash, hummus-like sort of dip, which I did use in the curry-squash-chicken-alfredo pasta, which came out super totally delicious! I don't have a specific recipe (though I'm going to try and come up with one sometime) only vague amounts based on what I remember doing. Here's how it all came about: when I went into the freezer to get out the leftover soup, I noticed that I had some butternut squash that was leftover from some butternut squash soup I had made awhile back. So I grabbed that as well, thinking I could use that up, too. And I also just happened to have some extra tahini and garbanzo beans in the cooler. Now, I know very little about Indian food, but those items seemed like they'd go good in whatever I was going to make, so I grabbed them and headed for the kitchen. Again, absolutely no recipe, but here's a list of ingredients-

Frozen butternut squash cubes
Tahini
Garbanzo beans
Curry powder
Olive oil
Coconut milk
Salt/pepper

Looking good, no? So basically all I did was just throw all that into a food processor and mix away. Sadly, I didn't record any amounts of anything. But look how simple the ingredient list is! Stuff that anyone can get nowadays, so all you have to do is pretend that it's all salt and pepper and just 'add to taste,' right? Ok, possibly an oversimplification, but that's basically what I did. But here are some vague amounts based on my weak old-man's memory, if you're interested.

Approx. 1 1/2-2 c. garbanzos
1/3-1/2 c. tahini
1-1/2 c. butternut squash
Squirt of olive oil (2-ish Tbs.)
1 can/2-ish cups coconut milk
Dash of salt and pepper
Curry powder to taste. I wasn't even trying to pay attention when I added that stuff, so I have no idea how much I used, but it was a lot.

The olive oil might not be necessary at all, I just added it because it felt like I was making hummus, and you always add olive oil to hummus. (Except that this was at work, so it was 80/20 soybean/olive oil. I hate that cheap stuff. I'd never use it at home.)

So that's the basic Curry Love 'recipe.' It's super, super tasty on it's own. And versatile too, because you can eat it straight (I sure did!) or with pita bread or crackers; you can add it to alfredo sauce (which I also did) and make some alfredo-curry chicken pasta. It has a slightly sweet taste to it, due to the butternut squash and coconut milk, so I'm sure it would go well in muffins or quickbreads. I have no doubt it would make an interesting pie. Sweet or savory, it's delicious either way. Try mixing it up and adding cloves, cardamom, nutmeg, fenugreek, turmeric, or whatever else strikes your fancy. Maybe try different types of curry powders. The stuff I used just said 'curry powder' and was the common yellow kind you see everywhere. Also, I used Tones brand, which I think is a pretty decent, though maybe not great, line of spices. I know I was really happy with this stuff, but I imagine I'd really be loving it if I'd used, say, Penzey's, or had taken whole spices and ground them myself.

At some point (when I get around to it) maybe in a day or two, I'll add the alfredo recipe in here that I used. It's pretty simple and easy to make, and is way better than most stuff you'd get out of a jar- though I'm not exactly an alfredo connoisseur, so I don't know how it compares to other recipes out there, but I think it's pretty decent.


Until next time- if there is a next time- Bon Appétit!

Tom Kha Kai (aka Thai Chicken Soup)

Haven't posted here in a long, long time... and it might be awhile before I do again; if I come up with anything new, I'll post it here, but there's only a handful of stuff I like to make, and so I just keep making those same few things over and over. This is one of those things, and I think you'll like it.

(and if you somehow wandered over here from Friends of Rutabaga... yes, this is a copy/paste)

Anyone who knows me, or has ever been cooked for by me, knows that, man, I really love Thai food (anything with an Asian feel to it, really.) And while not my absolute favorite Thai dish, I still love me a giant bowl of Tom Kha Kai.

Being that this is a soup, there's any number of ways to do it. Here's my way:


(Those chunks of chicken-nugget-looking things are the galanga)

What we have here is the following:

Galanga
Lemongrass
Garlic
Thai bird chilis
Kaffir lime leaves
Scallions (white parts)
Ginger
Sea salt
Black pepper
Brown sugar
Fish sauce

Specific amounts, you say? Recipe? Why, I have no idea what you're talking about; I just eyeball the amounts. If it looks right, it is right. And if it's not right, I'll know it when I taste it, and adjust accordingly (I'm generally, though not always, of the opinion that recipes are for cookbook authors and culinary scaredy-cats).
So, cook this down in a little bit of oil, just until soft, you don't want to brown it. Next, add some coconut milk and chicken stock (I used the low sodium kind for this) and let simmer for about 10-15 minutes. (For the total volume of soup, I used approx. 32 oz. each of coconut milk and chicken stock, and added a little less than half each for this part.)



Afterwards, strain out all of the liquid into another container, dump the veggies, and return the liquid to the pot. Add the rest of the coconut milk and chicken stock, taste and add more salt, pepper, brown sugar, fish sauce accordingly, then add the diced (raw) chicken.

(Pro tip: chicken, beef, etc., is so much easier to slice and dice when it's partially frozen!)

I think I used about 1 1/2 lbs. or so for this batch. Chop up some mushrooms of your choice- I used fresh oyster mushrooms, but most anything will do- and add those to the pot. Add in some bamboo shoots- I was lucky enough to have some fresh, thinly sliced and slivered ones on hand, and used about a pound. I'm sure water chestnuts would be delicious, but I didn't have any this time (except for that one small can down in the basement, but I didn't feel like bothering with it). Also, at this point I added a couple tablespoons of crack (aka MSG) because I really like the stuff. Apparently, though, some people have issues with it. I'm glad I'm not one of those people. Let simmer until the chicken is cooked all the way through, and then dish it up, adding copious amounts of cilantro and Thai basil as a garnish-



Although, I think copious means something different for me than it does for other people- I practically have a salad on top of mine.



This is the first time I've used Thai basil with this soup; before, I'd always just gone with cilantro (mainly because when I used to make this for myself before, I didn't have easy access to the Thai basil). I highly recommend it. This particular batch was Out. Standing. Fairly easy to make, and make consistently good. Pad Thai, for me, is always hit or miss- sometimes great, usually just ok. But every time I make this, it always ranges from Very Good, to I Want To Marry Whoever Made This. Substitutions generally work well, too. Where I used Thai bird chilis, if you can't get those, you could definitely go with crushed red pepper. I don't know of any fresh substitutes for Galanga, Lime leaves, and Lemongrass, but the dried versions are relatively easy to come by via mail-order, or even at a lot of co-ops and grocery stores nowadays, and are usually reasonably priced. Not as good as fresh, obviously, but better than nothing. When I can afford it, which is almost never, I prefer sesame or peanut oil for cooking the veggies at the beginning (coconut oil would also be excellent) but in this case I just went with canola.

Finally, it's not a recipe, but here are the approximate amounts I used for the ingredients listed:

Galanga- 1 medium finger/knob
Lemongrass- 1 stalk
Garlic- 2-4 Tablespoons
Thai bird chilis- 5-6
Kaffir lime leaves- 8 leaves, or so. (would've used more, but the rest had gone bad)
Scallions (white parts) - 1 bunch
Ginger- 1 medium finger
Sea salt- 1 T
Black pepper- 1 teaspoon
Brown sugar- 2 T
Fish sauce- 2-4 T
Coconut milk- 32 oz
Low-sodium chicken stock- 32 oz
Diced chicken- 1 1/2 lbs.
Oyster mushrooms- 8 oz.
Bamboo shoots- 1 lb.
MSG- 2 T
Cilantro, chopped- 1/2 C
Thai Basil, chopped- 1/2 C


¡Buen provecho!

Cranberry-Lime Muffins (AKA Lemon-Blueberry Muffins, part II)

As you can guess from the title, this is not really a new recipe. But I think it's an important update, worthy of a brand new post. Since coming up with the lemon-blueberry recipe, I've been making them pretty constantly and have made a couple slight refinements. I've also learned a couple things about muffin-making; the main one being that the Cranberry-Lime muffins that I'm going to write about are by far the best muffins I've ever had. Even better than the original Lemon-Blueberry muffins that up till that point were the best muffins I've ever had. On average, I make these twice a week, every week.
Cranberry-lime muffins for breakfast every day! My family is so jealous. I don't share anymore; they're too good. Of course, they could just ask me for the recipe and I'd happily share it with them, but I think they're leaning toward holding me hostage and locking me in the kitchen to make them their cran-lime muffins every day instead. Seriously, you should see the look on Nathaniel's face when he knows I'm making these.

Ok, the recipe is mostly the same as the original, but after making these muffins a few dozen times, I've made a couple small tweaks and slightly streamlined my process for making them. Also, I learned something very useful that I never knew before, but always wondered about. Suppose your batter mix is too wet and you need to add more flour to it (or you just want to add more to increase the amount)? If it's only a tiny bit, then no problem, but if you're adding say, 1/4 cup, then obviously you'd want to increase the amount of baking powder as well, right? But by how much? Well, I was listening to The Splendid Table and they had the author of the new book Bakewise on. She said that the ratio of powder to flour is 1 tsp to one cup. More than that and you're asking for trouble. So 1/4 cup of flour, obviously, equates to 1/4 tsp of baking powder. I never knew that before. Very handy to know. She also said (and I'm grossly paraphrasing here since I can't remember exactly how it went) that how light and fluffy your muffins will be depends on how much air you whip into the butter. The baking powder doesn't react with an acid in the mix to form a gas and raise the muffins; basically it releases the air that's been whipped into the butter/sugar mix to raise the muffins. So you want to whip the butter/sugar mix very well before adding the egg because once you add that egg, the air intake basically stops right there.
Also very handy to know. Ok, on with the show...


Cranberry-Lime Muffins

1 3/4 c flour
1/2 c sugar
1/2 stick unsalted butter (softened)
1 large egg
1/2 c whole milk yogurt
1/2 c mayo
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
pinch of kosher salt
juice from 1 1/2 limes
cranberries

Here's my routine for putting it all together (and if you check out the original recipe for L-B muffins, you'll see that this one is basically backwards from that one, which is good. I'm learning, I'm learning...)

Start by chopping the cranberries. I still don't have an exact amount, but generally use about 2/3 of a 12 oz bag. Also, if you're using just a knife and cutting board: they're much easier to chop when frozen. When they're thawed and you cut them, they tend to 'pop' and fly off the cutting board and table. They stay in place much better when frozen. (If you have some sort of kitchen-gadget chopper or are using a food processor, thawed is probably better. But I like the simplicity of just a knife and board, myself.)

Next, mix the mayo, yogurt, and lime juice in a bowl and set aside. (When you first open the yogurt, if you're using one of those large-size containers be sure and mix it well first, as the cream tends to sit on the top of the yogurt- don't want to use it all up on the first batch and then be left with a bunch of low-fat yogurt for the next round. That just wouldn't do at all.)

In another bowl, beat the sugar and butter thoroughly (remember, lots of air). I went out and bought a small electric hand mixer just for this purpose. Half a stick of butter and half a cup of sugar is not very much, and even doubling the recipe it wasn't enough to be able to mix very well in my brother's Kitchenaid stand mixer. And my arm was wearing out doing it by hand. I also recommend using a small bowl with steep sides, or even a small saucepan. Makes the mixing much easier, since the butter/sugar doesn't have much room to move around. Once it's as light and fluffy as you'd like it to be, mix in the egg, and then mix thoroughly with the yogurt/mayo/lime.

In another bowl, mix together thoroughly the flour, baking powder and salt. Next you're going to add in the butter/sugar/mayo/yogurt/lime goodness and the cranberries too (being careful not to overmix) but before you do that, I want to point out that the volume may vary due to the amount of juice in the limes. So you may want to hold back on adding it all at once so as not to end up with an overly wet batter. I definitely wouldn't cut back on the lime juice to just one lime. Just try 1 1/2 to start with on your first time, and tweak it from there. (I suppose if I was really devoted I'd just measure out the lime juice so I'd know exactly how much to add every time and wouldn't have to worry about it. Someday. Maybe.) Also, when I make these, I add about 1/2 the liquid and then 1/2 the cranberries, then more liquid, then more cranberries, so it all gets mixed in at the same time without getting overmixed.

(Oh, something else I learned in the process of making these is that if you forget to add the egg to the sugar/butter mix, your muffins will be totally fine- I almost couldn't tell the difference- but mixing the sugar/butter into the mayo/yogurt mix is much more difficult and does not look good at all. The butter doesn't want to emulsify and the whole thing looks like curdled milk. But don't worry, you'll likely not notice a difference in the way the final product tastes. Still, better just to not forget the egg in the first place.)








That's all there is to it. Bake on 350 until a knife comes out clean. Makes 6 large crazy-delicious muffins.

The four types of coffee drinkers

Well, it's food-related... sort of. Anyway, this was a paper I wrote for an English class about 11 years ago. Not the best stuff I've written (that was lost to a corrupt floppy disk shortly after school ended for me), but not bad either. Anyway, I keep losing this and finding it again, so I want to put it up on the internet somewhere so it won't get lost permanently like my other, better stuff. And this blog seems as good a place as any.


The Four Types Of Coffee Drinkers



There's an old saying that reads "I like my coffee like I like my women: strong and black," and that pretty much holds true for me. Sort of. I won't get into the part about the women, but the coffee part of it is pretty much accurate.

When it all boils down, there are really only four types of coffee drinkers: the strong-and-black, the cream-only, the sugar-only, and the cream-and-sugar type.

Let's start with the first one: strong-and-black. This is a type of person who is confident and bold; sensitive, yet manly. He projects an image that says "I drink coffee that's so good I don't need to add any of your "flavor enhancing" preservatives. To do so would only announce to everyone that either I'm a wimp who can't handle real coffee, or that I'm drinking really bad coffee that needs to be doctored up in order to be drinkable. This type of person is well-respected by others.

Then there's the cream-only type. This is a person who's really not sure of himself. He doesn't want to look like a wimp in front of his friends by adding sugar as well, but he's not confident enough to take the bold approach and go the strong-and-black route, so he compromises and takes a middle-of-the-road stance, trying to maintain a shallow image of respectability with other coffee drinkers.

The sugar-only type of coffee drinker has no credibility at all, in my opinion. They're mentally unstable. Nobody in his right mind would drink coffee like that, so insanity is the obvious explanation. If you do a background check on a person who's given to the sugar-only way of drinking coffee, you'll find that most of them have been committed to a mental institution at least once in the recent past.

Lastly, we have the cream-and-sugar type. This is the worst kind of all. These people have delicate tastebuds that can't be offended at all by the slightest hint of flavor. This type of person is usually over-sensitive and can't deal with raw truth. Everything must be sugar-coated and smoothed over to be acceptable to him. He tends to be immature and regressive in personality.

There you have it- the four basic types of coffee drinkers. Now if you'll excuse me, I believe my herbal tea is done brewing

Tacos de Pollo (Dun Dun Dunnn!!)

I had to add that cheesy fake sound effect in the title in order to give a tiny little sense of urgency to this post. If I could have found a way to add in some floodlights and a dark stage awaiting a mega rockstar with thousands of screaming fans, I would have done that too, because the title Tacos de Pollo just doesn't quite communicate the awesomeness of what lies ahead. But I thought that "Holy-hell-these-are-so-amazing-that-I-will-totally-kick-Bobby-Flay's-butt-in-a-showdown-and-also-blow-away-the-judges-on-Iron-Chef-with-them" was a little bit much. Even if it is more accurate. So prepare yourselves...

...for a Taste Sensation.


And also for lots of me gushing and ooh-ing and ahh-ing about these tacos. About how awesome they are. About how they're in my top 3 of all-time best things I've ever eaten. About how if I ever found myself on Death Row, these are what I'd request for my last meal. But hey, don't just take my word for it- check out some actual comments they've recieved from real people who've tried them:

"...the best tacos I've ever had."

- my mom


"They're phenomenal."

-Ryan, who works at Sweeney's


"Wow, do you do breakfast, as well?"

- Some hot chick who came in to Sweeney's for lunch on Sunday, when I usually do these for the Daily Special.



"        "

-Beth, my boss.


Ok, granted you could argue that my Mom is biased. You'd be wrong in this case, but you could still argue it.
And I think it's quite fitting that Ryan actually used the word "phenomenal," since I was originally planning on using that word myself, but thought it might be a little too much. But, hey, since he used it...
And lastly, I know Beth never actually got back to me about whether she liked them or not, but I'm pretty sure that's because they left her speechless. Yes, they're that good.

(Oh, and that comment by the hot chick? I totally made that one up. But that's the only one, I swear!)

Ok, enough jibber-jabber. Let's get cooking!


First, a rundown of Everything You Will Need. (And I'd like to emphasize the word "need". For the full experience, nothing here should be considered optional.) It's a big list, but don't be intimidated- it goes together easily and will be more than worth the effort. This recipe can be broken down into 3 basic parts- the chicken taco mix, the taco sauce, and the toppings.


Chicken Tacos

Boneless chicken breasts
Jalapeño peppers
Fresh, minced garlic
Kosher or Sea salt
Fresh cilantro
Vegetable/olive oil
Fresh lime juice

---

Soft corn tortillas


Taco Sauce

Regular mayo
Chili powder
Garlic powder
Canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
Guajillo peppers
Apple cider vinegar
Fresh, minced garlic
Fresh lime juice
Vegetable/olive oil
Cumin


Toppings

Tomatoes
Avocados
Black beans
Fresh limes
Colby jack, or cheddar cheese


Now, let's break it down a little more. First, the mix. I don't have specific amounts for any of this, but it's no big deal. For the mix at least, you can get a pretty good idea just by looking. I'll detail that a little more later, but first...
Take 1 or 2 chicken breasts and dice them up. They don't have to be minced (although that would be fine, too) but you do want a small dice. (Quick kitchen tip here: raw chicken is much, much easier to slice and dice when it's partially frozen.) Add in some finely chopped, seeded jalapeño, some minced garlic, and fresh, chopped cilantro. Sprinkle on some kosher salt, give it a squirt of vegetable or olive oil and a squeeze of lime juice, and mix thoroughly.
When I make these at home for myself, I tend to use 1 large-ish chicken breast, (8 oz. or so) 2-3 jalapenos, and 5-6 cloves of garlic. It's actually pretty difficult to use too much jalapeno, cilantro, and garlic. You want a good, even mix of green and white. If you're seeing mostly green, then you may have used too much cilantro/jalapeno, but it's not likely that'll happen. Also, with the garlic, your nose can give you a good idea of whether or not you have enough. Don't skimp, though. You want to add lots of flavor. Also, keep in mind that the heat of cooking will mellow the flavor of all of the above, so even if you do go kind of overboard, it's not like using too much salt- your tacos will still be fine. With the salt however, all you really need is just a pinch. Maybe a heavy pinch, but play it safe if you're not sure, as you can always add more later. As for the lime juice, maybe 1 wedge per breast? I find that 1/2 a lime can handle a couple pounds of mix, but it also kind of depends on how long the mix will be sitting before you cook it. Mostly you're using it to marinate the chicken, but it also contributes some flavor. I find that about 1 hour before cooking is good. If you think your mix may be sitting much longer than that, say 4 hours or more, you may want to use less, or even none at all. On the other hand, if you're going to be cooking it immediately, feel free to get a little more liberal with it. And as for the vegetable/olive oil, it's mostly just to lube the mix, make it less sticky and easier to mix in the bowl, and also possibly saving you from having to oil the pan when you cook it.
Before I move on to the Taco Sauce, I just want to comment on the use of the corn tortilla for this dish. Do not, do not,
DO NOT say what I think you're about to say. Don't even think it. As I mentioned before, nothing in this recipe should be considered optional. Nothing. Especially the corn tortillas. I don't care if you're allergic to them; this dish will cure that real quick.* So don't go substituting any stinking flour tortillas in their place. That is the quickest and easiest way to absolutely kill this meal. It's the equivalent of putting ketchup on a steak-

"¡No lo hagas!"

Once you have all of that prepped up and ready to go, I've found that 4 ounces of mix is just about the optimum amount for one serving. Or, depending on your appetite, maybe only 1/2 serving. Or maybe two. In any case, it will give you just enough for 3 tacos, which will fill an average person up.

Now the Taco Sauce.

There's kind of a lot of prep involved in this, due to the use of the guajillo salsa, (in effect, you're making two taco sauces) but it's really not as bad as it sounds. (And even if it was, it's worth it.) So let's start with the guajillo salsa first. Guajillos are becoming more and more mainstream. If you live in or near a large city, you should be able to find them at either your local grocery store, or a Co-op/Natural Foods store. And if not, they can be easily obtained online. Penzey's is a well-known outlet that carries them (although they're a little pricey there). I'm pretty sure Spice Barn and Gourmet Sleuth offer them too, (links to both are over on the right) at a reasonable price. It's worth the extra effort, it really is. The guajillo salsa is the one I blogged about earlier. There's a tag for it if you want to read that post, but I'll recap it here. This isn't meant to be a specific recipe, but more of a general formula-

1 dozen guajillo peppers, stemmed and roughly chopped (keep the seeds!)
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 c fresh, minced garlic
1/4 c olive oil
1/4 c apple cider vinegar

Add the peppers to a pot on the stove and cover with about an inch of water. Bring to a boil and then let simmer for about 15 minutes or so. You want the water level to go down by about a third, to boost the flavor of the liquid, as you'll be adding some of it to the salsa. Remove from the heat and let cool. Drain the liquid, but don't discard it. Add the peppers to your blender and add about half the reserved cooking water. Add the salt, crushed red pepper, garlic, oil, and 2-3 T of the vinegar. Blend it all up nice and smooth and give it a taste. You shouldn't need to add more oil at this point, but tweak the rest according to taste. I usually find I need to add the entire 1/4 c of vinegar and a little more of the cooking liquid, (it's for flavor as well as adjusting the consistency. I usually go for thick-ketchup-like) as well as more salt and crushed red pepper. None of the flavors should be overpowering any of the others. You want a good dose of the guajillo coming through up front, and an even blend of salt and vinegar right behind that, followed by the garlic and crushed red pepper. (I hate to sound all food-critic-like, but that's just what comes to mind when I taste this.)
Ok, that was probably the most difficult part of this whole project, and that wasn't even that bad. So just set that salsa aside, and let's get started on the rest of the taco sauce!
The only real "recipe" part I have for this is the Chipotle Mayo. I use it as the base for the rest. Chipotle Mayo in and of itself is very, very good. I never used to like chipotle flavored anything until I tried this. It goes very well on turkey burgers/sandwiches, as well as pretty much any other kind of burger or sandwich. To make Chipotle Mayo, simply take one can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (they're usually 7-7 1/2 ounces) and mix it with 4 cups of mayo. You'll want to either do this in a food processor or chop the peppers first either by hand or in a blender. If you blend all of this together in a blender, the mayo tends to separate, leaving you with an oily mess. (At least, that's been my experience. Not good.) So now you have Chipotle Mayo. And before we go any further, I realize that it may sound a little odd, using mayo in any form, on tacos. Banish that thought from your mind right now. Seriously. Do whatever it takes to make yourself believe that it's not really mayonaise, but taco sauce, that you're putting on your tacos. Have someone else make it for you and then lie to you if you must, but do not not use chipotle mayo. I tried it once using lowfat yogurt, and added some mashed up avocados to add a little fat, as well as flair, and the results were no good. No good at all. So hazme caso and just use the (chipotle) mayo.

Ok, just a recap on the ingredients, since the list at the beginning was for all the individual ingredients, including what was needed for the guajillo salsa.

-in no particular order-

Chipotle mayo
Guajillo salsa
Fresh lime juice
Chili powder
Fresh, minced garlic
Cumin
Cilantro, chopped

The m.o. here is the same as always- start with the chipotle mayo as your base and add the rest according to taste. You may be thinking, "How will I know if I got it 'right'? Why can't you just make a stinkin' recipe for it? How hard could it be?" (That's what I'd be thinking, anyway.) But when I first made this, I had no recipe. I just threw a bunch of stuff in a bowl and stirred it all up, and a masterpiece was born. I never use a recipe when I make this. I like the idea of it being slightly different each time. But there's also a little bit of wiggle room in there too- even if yours tastes noticeably from mine, it'll still be great. In fact, I submit that any reasonable combination of the above ingredients will yield fantastic results. So just take a cup or so of chipotle mayo, toss in a tablespoon or two each of fresh minced garlic and chili powder, a few tablespoons each of guajillo salsa and cumin, (preferably toasted- just heat in a skillet over medium until nice and fragrant) a couple hefty pinches of finely chopped cilantro, and a couple squeezes of fresh lime juice. Maybe even a little bit of black pepper, even though it's not on the list. Blend it all up nice and well with a wire whip or other such utensil, and taste for doneness. Add more of whatever you think it might need, according to taste. You'll also want to let it sit for about an hour before using, to let the flavors really meld. And because this uses fresh garlic and lime juice, you also don't want to make up too much at one time. Partly because of the limited shelf life, but also because the garlic really sharpens up after a day or so. Some people like that, but if you're not one of those people, this is something to keep in mind. I briefly considered using garlic powder for large batches, but came up with a better idea instead. What I do at home is to just make up a large batch of chipotle mayo, which will keep just fine for quite awhile, and then just draw from that and add the rest to make the taco sauce as needed.

Time for the toppings...

Here's a recap-

Colby jack, or Cheddar cheese
Tomatoes
Avocados
Black beans
Fresh limes
Fresh cilantro

Personally, I think Colby-jack works much better than Cheddar for this. It seems to have a cleaner, less greasy taste to it, but I've used both, and both will fit the bill. As for the black beans, canned or dried, doesn't really matter. If you use canned, though, I recommend the less-is-more approach. Try to avoid the kind with lime juice/peppers/spices/tequila/etc. and go with just black beans, water and salt. There'll be plenty of flavor from the chicken and taco sauce to go around.
For the limes, you won't actually need more than one- just a wedge or two to squeeze some juice on the finished product. Avocados- when I first started making these, I would use thinly sliced avocado, then I switched to diced. Now I'm considering using mashed, with a little salt, lime juice, crushed red pepper, and a lot of black pepper mixed in. Sort of a guacamole, but I guess not technically one. I've been using that a lot lately on sandwiches anyway, and it just seems like it might be easier to work with on these than diced. Well, maybe not as easy to apply, but it might sit better in the shell, and not fall out so easily when I overload it, which I always do, no matter how many times I tell myself I won't do it anymore.

Alright, so you've got your mix, taco sauce, and toppings all ready to go. Let's get started. There's a couple different ways you could go about this. The ideal way would be to get yourself a huge flat-top grill like you find in commercial kitchens, so you can easily do everything at once in one spot. But those are very large and extremely heavy, and cost several thousand dollars, and don't run on electricity, so they probably aren't very practical for most people. So scratch that idea. You could try cooking the chicken, tortillas, and black beans all at the same time on your regular kitchen stove, timing it so that they're all hot and ready at the same time and all you do is throw it together. But I find that to be too much of a juggling act. So here's what I do. Throw some black beans in a covered, (and vented!) microwave-safe container and pop them in the reactor for a couple minutes. They'll be hot, but not too hot. They might need another 30 seconds or so later on, when everything else is done. Grab two non-stick pans (I prefer cast iron) one for the chicken mix, and one for the tortillas. Set one of them over about medium-high heat, and the other one over medium-low. The med-low one is for the tortillas. After a couple minutes, when the medium-high pan is nice and hot, drop in the chicken mix and start it cooking. After it's been thoroughly seared, turn the heat down to about medium and continue cooking until it's mostly done, (about 80-90%) then turn down to the lowest heat setting. Now you start on the tortillas. Make sure you've got a thin, flexible, metal spatula. The thinner the better. I picked one up at Target for about $5 that's basically just a heavy-duty piece of tin foil with a handle. It works great! It's sturdy, but flexible. (In fact, it was designed for delicate foods, like crepes and eggs.) Give the pan a light shot of pan spray, and then grab your first tortilla and run it under some cool tap water for a few seconds. Just long enough to give it a thorough soaking, soften it up a little. Shake off the excess water, and set it lightly in the pan. Lightly. You do not want to press it down with the spatula. Keep a close eye on it, and when it looks dry (no longer shiny) and a little puffy, that's the time to flip it. Immediately sprinkle on a thin layer of your cheese, and wait. When the cheese is soft and melt-y, it's ready!
A couple quick notes before we move on to the next step- you may have to experiment with different heat settings, as well as different tortilla brands, to find the combination that works for you. As far as heat goes, I've found med-low to be the optimum for my home kitchen, but at work, where we have totally different, commercial equipment, it's medium. And as for tortillas, I've noticed a big difference in quality with different brands. Some tend to fall apart way easier than others. I've thrown away many tortillas that just fell to pieces in the pan. It tends to happen when you go to flip it for the first time. (Which is why a thin metal spatula is key.) If you find you're having issues, here's a couple things I've found that help- using medium-high heat, drop the tortilla on the pan for just a couple of seconds before sliding the spatula quickly underneath it. You don't want to flip it yet. The idea here is just to sear it quickly, and then briefly lift it off the pan before it can stick. Then wait until it looks dry and a little puffy before flipping it. Another thing I've tried that can help, is to leave the tortilla on for a little bit longer before flipping it. The top part will start to peel and flake, but the bottom will toughen up, making it hold together better. You want to do this over medium-low. That's not my preferred solution, though, if I'm having problems, because I do want the tortilla shell to break apart easily- but in my mouth, not when I'm cooking it! If you try all of the above and still are having problems, don't give up! Experience helps, and your efforts will be greatly rewarded. If all else fails, just stop by Sweeney's in Saint Paul, and I'll be happy to make some for you!
Ok, next. Assuming you're doing these one at a time, you could just wait until you have all three shells with their melted cheese ready and then build them from there, but I have a really hard time doing that. As soon as one is ready, I make it and devour it before the next one starts. Sometimes I'll get the shell going while I'm eating the first one, but rarely can I hold myself back until all three are ready. Whatever you decide, here's the build process:

This exact order is very important. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I've worked on these endlessly since day one, getting everything absolutely perfect, and this is it right here. (Ok, maybe not really, but just try it once this way before striking off on your own. It'll make my day.)

Lay down a thin layer of chicken first. I like to try and make everything in a line, since you're just going to be folding the shell in half anyway, in the traditional store-bought hardshell shape, to eat it. Just kind of makes them a tiny bit less messy. Next come the black beans, in a line on top of the chicken. (Make sure they've been drained, at least a little.) On top of that go the diced tomatoes. Next is the diced avocado. Then comes a line of taco sauce. On top of that goes a hefty pinch of fresh chopped cilantro. And then top it off with a squeeze of lime juice. Mmmmmmm.......










They taste best with a beer, but if that's not an option, Fresca works nicely too...







*****





This will be my last post until I-don't-know-when (right when I'm getting ready to buy a good digital camera, too! No more waiting until the roll of film is all used up to get just a couple specific photos). Mainly because I've run out of recipes and ideas. Unlike a lot of food bloggers, I don't actively try and come up with new things, (with the exception of the muffins, maybe) and a lot of the things I have come up with have been basically accidental. I play around a lot with food or recipes, and every once in awhile I'll hit on something I really like, as was the case with these tacos. But it doesn't happen very often. I hope to be back with more good stuff to share, but who knows when? Since it could be awhile, I wanted to finish with a really good item. If you make nothing else I've posted about, make these tacos. And you really should make the muffins for dessert or breakfast, too; they're really good. Especially if you sub full-fat (8 grams per cup) yogurt for the sour cream. Ohhh yeah.
Anyway, thanks for reading; thanks for commenting. And maybe consider subscribing to the RSS feed and check back once a month or so to see if there's anything new going on here.


Chow, baby ; )


jb

Lemon-Blueberry Muffins

"If you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself."
That's my philosophy. But so is, "Why do something today, when you can put it off until tomorrow." Along with, "Tomorrow never comes." Kind of an odd mix, I know. But after countless attempts at finding a decent muffin recipe, I finally decided that tomorrow does come after all, and that tomorrow would be the day that I would at least attempt to come up with a muffin recipe that I really like and will want to make again, and can recommend to other people. That was two days ago, and I actually followed through, so last night I tried my hand at making Lemon-Blueberry Muffins.
I like to bake, but I'm not a baker; meaning, I really can't come up with recipes of my own for baked stuff since I tend to just throw stuff together based on how it looks and tastes, and you really can't add things like baking powder according to taste. But I gave it a shot, and I think I hit a near bullseye. I say "near" bullseye, because the recipe that follows isn't quite perfect, but it's damn close. Still needs some slight tweaking, but even as is, especially when they first come out of the oven, they are excellent. Best muffins I've had in a very long time. I can't believe this was my first attempt.

Based on past experience with muffin recipes, most standard recipes I've used or seen call for 1 T baking powder to 2-3 c of flour, and a cup of some sort of dairy, so that's the template I used. Here's what I came up with:

Lemon-Blueberry Muffins

1 1/2 c flour
1/2 c sugar
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1 large egg
1/2 c sour cream (For the love of Henry, not low-fat)
1/2 c mayo (See above)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of kosher salt
zest from 2 lemons
juice from 1 lemon
blueberries
vanilla (optional)


mix together thoroughly flour, salt, and baking powder

In separate bowl, cream sugar and butter, then add egg and zest and beat some more. (Add vanilla if you're using it.)

In yet another bowl, mix sour cream and mayo with lemon juice, let sit for 5-10 minutes. Add to butter/egg/zest mix, then add to flour. Be careful not to over mix.

Add in blueberries. Bake on 350 until a toothpick comes out clean.


Notes:

Notice I didn't say how much vanilla or blueberries to use. As for the vanilla, it's because I forgot to use it, so I really don't know. I'm not even sure if it would go well in these muffins or not, but I like vanilla in almost everything, so I plan to try it again and find out.
I'd say 1/2-1 teaspoon.
As for the blueberries, I used about 1/2 pint. I just add them in until it looks like a good amount.

This recipe also ends up with kind of an odd amount of muffins. I used one of those large muffin pans and got a scant 6. So realistically, you'd end up with 5 large or ?? regular size. I just didn't want an empty spot in my muffin tin so I filled them all, even though I couldn't fill them all.

As for the tweaking I mentioned earlier, I'm going to try cutting the mayo and sour down to 6 T (1/4 c + 2 T) and see how that works. And maybe not grease the muffin tin with butter this time. But, as I also mentioned earlier, even just like this, these muffins are the best I've had in a long time. I'm sure you'll love them too. (If you try them out, please post a comment with your thoughts and any suggestions/tweaks.) Enjoy!



(P.S. Sorry I don't have any photos to post- still waiting for my digital camera- but they look like, well, blueberry muffins.)


(Tonight I'm getting ready to try Cranberry-Lime! : )


*Update*

I've tried, and can highly recommend, making these as Raspberry-Lime muffins! The recipe is the same with a couple slight changes- 86 the lime zest, and use the juice of 1 1/2 limes.
I suppose you could use the juice of two limes. But the way I've been doing it, with excellent results, is 1 1/2.
Also, I've tried it with the lime zest, and I think it's far better without.

"Talkin' Dirty To Me" Crêpes

I tried and tried to think of a catchy and/or funny name for these crepes because they are sooooooo good and I wanted something appropriate for the title in order to get peoples' attention and have them at least read the post so they'll hopefully try the recipe. I'm not sure I've succeeded with the catchiness, but at least it's accurate. Remember that shampoo/conditioner commercial (I can't remember the brand) where the where the woman is in the shower washing her hair, but sounds like she's, well, doing something else? I had auditory visions of that in my head as I was eating these things.
I think you will too.
(Oh, and if you think crepes are difficult to do, or require a lot of prep, think again. The hardest part about these is refraining from eating most of the white chocolate mousse before the crepes are ready. I've only been marginally successful.)

A lot of foodies like to toss around the term "food porn"; my photos don't live up to that label, but since I've got the recipe, who cares? And trust me, once you get your lips around these things you'll feel like you're in the video.


The script is as follows:


Crêpes

1 1/4 c flour
pinch of salt
1/4 c sugar (superfine, if you have it)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/4 c milk
2 T melted butter

-------------

White chocolate mousse

3 T water
3/4 tsp unflavored gelatin
8 oz. white chocolate
1/2 c heavy cream, plus 1 c


Place 3/4 t gelatin in 3 T water- let stand 5 min. to soften

Place 8 oz. chopped white chocolate in medium mixing bowl

In small saucepan, bring 1/2 c heavy cream to boil, stirring constantly

Remove from heat, add gelatin. Stir for 30 seconds to dissolve, immediately pour over chocolate and whisk until smooth. Refrigerate chocolate mix until cold and thick enough to fall from spoon in a heavy ribbon.

Beat 1 c cold heavy cream until it holds a firm shape, then fold into chocolate mixture.

-------------

Strawberry Sauce (or raspberry, or dark cherry, or a 3-way combo, if that's your thing)

This one I don't have a recipe for. I usually start off with about 1 c chopped fruit, 1 T sugar, and fresh lime juice, adding more of each to taste. Cook down in a small pan until it's to your desired consistency. Most recipes I've seen call for lemon juice, but I'm a huge fan of limes, and use them in place of lemons for almost everything that calls for lemons.


The Action:

Put flour, salt, and sugar in a bowl, making a well in the center. Pour the egg and some of the milk into the well. Whisk the liquid, gradually incorporating the flour to make a smooth paste. Whisk in the butter, then the remaining milk until smooth.

Add a few drops of oil to a hot frying pan or skillet (cast iron works well) - just enough to coat lightly. Pour a little batter into the pan, tilting until the base is coated with a light layer. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until the underside begins to turn golden. Flip and cook for 30-45 seconds, or until golden.




This is how I made them the first time, because that's how they had been made the first time I tried them (except the fruit sauce was on the side). But I've since found out that they taste just as good, if not better, and are much easier to make if you don't try and fill them with the cream filling...




Mmmmmmm.....


Some notes and thoughts-
I like sweet stuff, but not too sweet, so I usually cut the sugar in the batter down to 3 T, to help offset the sweetness of the white chocolate mousse. Also, even though the recipe calls for beating 1 c heavy cream, I usually do 1 1/2 cups; partly to cut down the sweetness of that too, but also because I usually buy the heavy cream by the pint, so I'd just end up with a half cup of cream left over, with nothing to use it for until I buy more for the next batch of crepes. In any case, I like the taste and texture of the extra half cup in the mix. It's a nice balance of creamy sweetness- not overly creamy or overly sweet. Also, with the white chocolate, you want to use something of halfway decent quality, not those artificially flavored baking chips. I used Baker's and it came out great.


You owe it to yourself to try these crepes. Even if you're on a diet of some sort- take a day off. Just make sure you've got the willpower to get back on it, because these things will fight hard against you.

After you've made these a few dozen times, you may want to experiment with different flavors of mousse- today I tried it with some Andes mints chunks instead of white chocolate, and sprinkled on top some of the fresh mint I've got growing. I think maybe it was a little too mint-heavy, and I really missed the fruit sauce, but I think maybe I'll try adding just a little of the Andes candy in with the white chocolate next time, or maybe just sprinkling some of the fresh mint on top. I also have plans to try it with a little dark chocolate.

P.S. I got the recipe, with permission, from Paula, who doesn't have a website or I'd link to it. I'm not sure if she's the originator of the recipe, but I'm going to assume she is.

Basil-Tomato Soup

Ok, first of all, I finally, finally got around to changing the "about me" section to something that I think sums this blog up better. And it's shorter too, which I think is usually better. I tried many times before to come up with something I liked, but never could. Until now.
Yay, me.

I'm actually a lot more excited about the photos in today's post than I am the soup. Don't get me wrong, I love the soup, and it's very good indeed, but lately it seems that every photo I take, no matter what it's of, has been just plain crappy. Most of the time they need heavy Photoshop treatment just to look somewhat presentable. But these photos of the basil and oregano came out beautiful! No editing required! (Other than to resize.) All of the basil and oregano used in today's soup came from my little container garden out on the front porch. I also planted about 4 dozen tomato plants this summer (slightly too much), so there's a few of my very first tomato, too. The photo quality on those isn't so great, but I put most of the blame on the ISO 400 film I used.

Ok, since the recipe is pretty short and sweet, let's do that first, then the lovely basil/oregano photos.

Supplies:

Canned tomatoes (crushed, filleted, diced, shaken, or stirred. Whatever floats your boat.)
Half and half
Unsalted butter
Fresh oregano
Fresh basil
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Crushed red pepper
A lemon
Fish sauce

Now what I normally do is just throw it all in a pot and keep adding stuff according to taste (like most recipes tell you to do with salt/pepper, right? ). Well, except for the lemon- you're only going to need that for the zest. But tonight I actually came up with sort of a recipe for this one. As always, think of it more as just a list of ingredients to play around with, than an actual recipe to follow. But it goes like this:


1 28 oz can tomatoes (I like taking diced tomatoes, and partially whipping them up in the food processor. Some people like their basil-tomato soup chunky, others like it smooth. I'm in the middle.)
3/4 stick unsalted butter
Half and half (I don't have an amount on this one- not only did I forget to measure, but I didn't even have any half and half, so I used heavy cream and 2% milk. But it really doesn't matter, since you just add until you reach your desired lightness of color. Oh, and unless you really don't like dairy or whatever, I'd really recommend not skipping this part. Milk or cream isn't something I use in regular tomato soup [i.e. canned], but it works quite nicely in this.)
2 1/2 cups (pre-chop) fresh oregano
2-4 cups (pre-chop) fresh basil
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Crushed red pepper
Fish sauce
Zest of 1 lemon

Add the tomatoes, butter, and half and half to the pot, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste. (I used about a teaspoon each), a few dashes of the fish sauce (I never measure that stuff), and all that wonderful oregano. It seems like a lot, I know, but I really did use that much for this. It might have even been closer to three cups. Fresh oregano is a beautiful thing. Dried will work for this soup too, if that's all you have, but whatever you do, don't used dried basil- it's just not the same. While that's simmering away, chop up the basil and zest that lemon. I tend to go very heavy on the basil, myself, which is why I call this Basil-Tomato soup, instead of the other way around, like most people. Add the basil about two minutes before you pull the soup from the stove, and the lemon zest just after. I have to say, the crushed red pepper and lemon zest were not originally my idea- I read about a marinara recipe on somebody else's food blog awhile back, (at least, I think it was a marinara recipe- I can't remember), and that's what she did. So I tried it with this soup, and have been making it this way ever since. If I could remember who's food blog it was, I'd surely name it here, but I can't. I'd probably remember if I heard the name, so if that person happens to be reading this, let me know and I'll give you proper credit.

On to the photos!





























and my first tomato...









The final product...








I don't know exactly how much basil I used for that garnish, but I really do use that much- it wasn't just for the photo- and was it ever tasty! : )


P.S. I wish I had the photos I took of the oregano when it first sprouted- you wouldn't believe how small those things are! (I took several pics, but for the life of me, can't find them anywhere.) Makes it challenging to water them, as the water tends to flatten the tiny sprouts- even using a spray bottle on fine mist. Normally I'd have watered them from the bottom, but I planted them in a self-watering pot that was about 7 inches deep, and I found it easier just to top-water them. The seeds themselves are so tiny you almost need a magnifying glass to see them. As I remember, they're about the size of the period at the end of this sentence.