Entree

Creamy Vegan Broccoli Avocado Soup & Five Foodie New Years Resolutions

27.12.2012 36 Comments

Five New Year Food Resolutions to Make

Let’s stop vowing to cut things out of our lives at then beginning of each year, and start promising ourselves we’ll add some great things in.

Can’t we all just agree that those “I’m going to lose weight/stop eating sugar/give up carbs/cut out coffee” resolutions are just going to leave us feeling hungry, guilty and eventually shameful when they go enormously ignored about the second week in January?

Maybe you have a bigger capacity for restraint than I do, or a higher guilt threshold, but I gave up those types of personal promises years ago. Although I do still love a good resolution and tend to make them year round.

How about we agree to ADD things to our lives instead of taking away? There is something about making a decision to add something great to our world that just reminds us what an amazing life we have ahead of us. And adding greatness has a way of pushing out some of those not as great things.

Let’s give it a try.

Here are my favorite food resolutions, all about adding more amazingness, not about taking things away.

1.Start a food tradition: Maybe a once a month Sunday Supper with your family, or a quarterly Food Friends Pot Luck, or even just New Recipe Wednesday where you try a new dish. Food traditions are memories that you’ll be glad you made.

2. Read more food lit. Chefs have written most of the best books I’ve read over the past year. There is something about knowing the back story of food, and those who have created it, that give you a deeper connection to the food world. Plus, food people tend to read food books, it’s an instant conversation starter when you meet a food writer or a chef. My recommendations: Yes Chef, Marcus Samuelson; Blood, Bones & Butter, Gabrielle Hamilton; Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table, Ruth Reichl, Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain.

3. Join a CSA or other Organic Produce Delivery Program. Before my recent move, I got a box of organic produce delivered to my doorstep every Wednesday from Love Delivery. Mostly local, in season and very fresh fruits and vegetables. This also gets you to eat more good stuff, because it’s there. And you hate to waste it. Supporting local farmers and eating healthier, it’s a total win. There are several in most cities and states, consult Google for ones in your area.

4. Try New Foods. This is for the picky eaters. Pick one new food a month and cook it, and eat it. Or, order that one thing on the menu that you would never normally eat. After a year you’ll have 12 foods that you never otherwise would have tried. And I’m going to bet you a batch of cookies that you will be surprised at how much you like at least one of those new foods.

5. Master A Recipe or Technique. Maybe you’ve always wanted to learn to make a soufflé, or homemade pasta. What better resolution to make than the acquisition of culinary knowledge you can someday pass down to future generations? Just go into assuming that the first time may not be a huge success, and by that I mean don’t plan an entire dinner party around skills you haven’t acquired just to end up in tears when your husband has to have pizza delivered. It will probably go fine, and you will probably post the results on Facebook (yay!), but take it slow and know that to master a technique takes a lot of practice, each time you try it you’ll learn something new.

One of my resolutions is to explore vegan cooking more, even though I have no plans to give up meat or dairy. There really isn’t any arguing with the fact that produce is the best thing you can put in your body. The more I focus on the beautiful flavors of fruits and vegetables, without using meat and dairy as a crutch, the better my cooking becomes over all.

Here is a vegan soup, inspired by this Bon Appetite recipe. Without garnishes, it’s about 170 calories a serving.

Here is a How To Roast Red Peppers post by Kitchen Treaty. If you are going to use them right away, you can skip the oil and the jar.

Creamy Vegan Broccoli Avocado Soup

Ingredients

1 tbs olive oil
1 shallot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups low sodium vegetable stock
1 large red potato, peeled and chopped
6 cups chopped broccoli florets
½ to 2 cups water
½ tsp salt
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp black pepper
pinch chili powder
1 tbs fresh lemon juice
1 lage avocado, diced
1 red pepper, roasted, cut into strips

Instructions

In a stock pot or Dutch oven heat the oil. Add the shallots and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir. Add the vegetable stock and potatoes, cooking until the potatoes are almost soft, about 10 minutes. Add the broccoli and cook until the broccoli and potatoes are both tender, about 5-8 minutes. Using an emersion blender, puree until smooth. Add water, if desired, to thin to desired consistency. Add spices and lemon juice.
Garnish with avocados and red peppers prior to serving.

If you want to know how I made the garnishes "float" on top of the soup for the picture, check this out.

Ham And Beer Cheese Sandwiches

26.12.2012 8 Comments

Your Holiday Ham leftovers don’t stand a chance.

Smothered in delicious beer cheese and served on a leftover dinner roll.

And don’t be afraid if your previous beer cheese ventures haven’t gone so well. This one is foolproof, I promise. I’ve cracked the beer cheese code. Mostly for selfish reasons. Regardless of the reason behind the failure, I hate when my recipes don’t work for you. And beer cheese, since the dawn of time, has always been difficult. Except this one. It also takes about 5 minutes, and it will work.

Ham and Beer Cheese Sandwich

1 batch Foolproof Beer Cheese

2 tbs melted butter

8 Kaiser rolls (or leftover dinner rolls)

about 2 lbs ham, sliced

1 cup arugula

2 large tomatoes, sliced (or, sliced cherry tomatoes)

Split buns or rolls, brush with melted butter. Toast lightly under a broiler or in a toaster oven.

Add ham, top with generous amounts of beer cheese sauce, and then with arugula and tomatoes.

Pomegranate And Bourbon Braise Oxtails with Smokey Cheddar Grits & What Sandy Hook Elementary Taught Me

18.12.2012 17 Comments

As a mom, this tragedy has left a deep wound on my soul. I see my own baby in the faces of all of the victims. Not an hour has gone by in the past few days that I haven’t had those lost lives on my mind.

Playing blocks with my daughter brought me to tears at how lucky I was to get to share such a tiny moment, when so many moms weren’t able to do that. My two year old asking for a kiss, playing in the sand with her dad, asking about the Christmas presents wrapped up for her under the tree, all made me feel like the luckiest mom in the world: my baby is safe, healthy, happy, alive!

In the midst of such horror, I have learned so much from those amazing souls, I wanted to share with you what I’ve learned over the past few days:

Wear your fancy dress on an ordinary day. Six-year-oldCharlotte Bacon was very excited about her new Christmas dress and boots, and kept asking to wear them. On Friday, the day she died, her mother gave in, letting her wear her special dress and boots to school. In honor of Charlotte, use your fancy plates, and those expensive candles you don’t want to burn, put on your shoes that you think are too pretty to wear, because everyday that you are alive and with the ones you love is a special occasion.
Carry your crayons with you. That’s what Emilie, age 6, always did, says her father, Robbie Parker. She drew the world as she saw it: beautiful. In the midst of such a horrific tragedy we need to remember the good in the world, take out our crayons and draw the world as a child sees it. Take time to appreciate the beauty around us, take photos with your phone, stop to enjoy the little things, see beauty in small things, let yourself be wowed by it.
Loving people means putting them first in every way. No one will ever embody this more than Victoria Soto. She is the teacher who hid her students in closets, staying in the open to make sure, beyond all doubt, that the shooter wouldn’t hurt her kids. She gave her life in exchange for the safety of her students, and my guess is that she would do it again without hesitation. I hope and pray that any of the teachers whom my daughter will have in her life are like Victoria, and someday may I be half as selfless as she was.
Say I love you, a lot. In words, in actions, in notes, in everyway you can. After the tragic loss of Jessica, her parents came home to find a note she had left in a journal they hadn’t seen before, it just said, “I love you so much, mama.” I grew up hearing the story of the day my Dad died, and the fact that it was one of the few mornings my moms forgot to say “I love you,” before they headed their spate ways. I heard versions of this same story so many more times from the families of 9-11 victims, and the morning Jaycee Dugard was kidnaped, was a morning her mom was running late and forgot tell her daughter she loved her. We all have those crazy mornings, when we know there is a traffic jam in our future, when our kids flush our make-up down the toilet or spill juice on the couch, those mornings when we say thoughtless things like, “you are driving me crazy!” What happened in Sandy Hook reminds me to hold tight to patience, always say, “I love you,” before leaving my family. I can control so little in this world but I can have control over this tiny thing: I can always tell my daughter, “I love you,” before we part ways. I hope that even when I am 80-years-old, on my way home from dinner at my daughter house, I will think of little Jessica and never forget to say, “I love you.”
Slow Down, Add Memories. Take a day off work, blow off an appointment, just slow down. Even if it would be a financial strain for you to take a half-day off work twice a month, or even just a long lunch, to have a one-on-one date with one of your kids, you will not regret it. No one gets to the end of their life and thinks, “I should have spent less time with my kids.” Think of it as life insurance, giving your kids a few more memories that they wouldn’t otherwise have once one of you is no longer here.

Because of what happened Friday, I needed to take a long day, stay at home and cook Sunday Supper that took hours. For me, this is healing. The active time on this dish is small, but the long cooking time ensures that you will need to be home, hanging out with your family. And there is something about putting slow food on the table to makes me feel like I am loving my family in a special way.

Pomegranate And Bourbon Braise Oxtails with Smokey Cheddar Grits

Ingredients

2 lbs oxtails, (4-6)
salt & pepper
3 tbs flour (use masa for gluten free)
3 tbs olive oil
1 cup pomegranate juice
¼ cup bourbon
3 cups beef broth
1 carrot, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 white onion, chopped
2 cups whole milk
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup corn grits
½ cup cream
½ cup whole milk
1 cup smoked cheddar
¼ tsp smoked paprika
salt and pepper

Yield: 4 servings

Instructions

Sprinkle oxtails on all sides with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with flour, rubbing to coat. In a large pot or Dutch oven heat the olive oil until hot but not smoking.
Sear the oxtails on all sides until browned, about 3 minutes per side.
Add the pomegranate juice, bourbon, broth, carrots, celery and onions, reduce heat to maintain a gently simmer. Place lid at an angle to vent. Cook until very tender, about 3 ½ hours, turning oxtails about every 30 minutes.
To make the grits, add the milk and broth to a large pot, bring to a gently simmer, slowly whisk in the grits. Allow to simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk and cream.
About ¼ a cup at a time, slowly add the cheddar, whisking until melted between each addition. Add the smoked paprika, salt and pepper to taste.
Serve oxtails over grits.

Chilean Salmon with Avocado Cream Sauce

05.12.2012 28 Comments

I’ve always wanted to go to Chile. Since I started traveling, I’ve had a deep love for Spanish speaking countries, I want to visit them all. Although, other than language, they seem to have little in common. Other than maybe a shared love of food and family.

I spent some time in Spain, missing my flight home for an extra day in Madrid.

I took my husband with my to Costa Rica, and I didn’t want to leave. I just kept begging to head further south, even telling him I’d allow as much Van Halen signing as he wanted once we hit Panama (PAAAAAna-ma-ah!). But he wanted his own bed and some clean clothes. Weirdo.

And Chile has been there, long and lean, just sitting there on my list. I want to go and visit this place, so gorgeous, and with it’s incredible food.

I was invited to a dinner party event put on by Foods From Chile a few weeks ago. It wasn’t a flight south along the Pacific, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be part of an event that took place in five cities across the US. The food was amazing. Salmon, Avocado Soup, Endive Salad, and Blueberry Crisp, cooked up by the lovely Chef Cheryl.

Maybe I’m not going to get on a plane and head south just yet, but I can eat some Chilean salmon, with some Chilean avocado cream sauce, and of course, the Chilean wine. And dream about the day I actually get my passport stamped in Santiago.

Chilean Salmon with Avocado Cream Sauce

Ingredients

For The Salmon

4, 3oz salmon fillets
1 lemon
1 to 2 tsp salt
1 to 2 tsp pepper
3 tbs olive oil

For The Avocado Cream Sauce

1 large avocado (about 2/3 cup)
2 tbs lemon juice
1 tbs chopped shallots
1/3 cup coconut water
pinch cayenne
pinch chili powder
pinch smoked paprika
¼ tsp cumin
2 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs chopped chives

Instructions

Place salmon fillets on a plate, squeeze lemon juice over salmon and allow to sit for five to ten minutes. Sprinkle filets with salt and pepper just prior to cooking.
In a good quality heavy sauce pan, heat the olive oil over high heat until hot but not smoking, swirling the olive oil to evenly distribute.
Add the salmon and allow to cook until golden brown before carefully flipping, about 4 minutes. Cook on the other side until cooked through.
In a food processor add the sauce ingredients and puree until smooth.
Add salmon to plates, top with sauce.

Chipotle Stout and Chorizo Chili Topped with Pork Rinds

04.12.2012 30 Comments

I’m so glad I can share this recipe with you. I’ve been working like a crazy person to develop and test recipes that I fall in love with but I can’t share them with you because I need to save them for the cookbook.

And, of course, I’m putting a tremendous amount of pressure on myself to make each recipe a home run.

Because once you buy the book, and actually pay for the recipes, I want them all to be amazing. This, my friend, is a huge amount of pressure on me and the limits of my culinary creativity.

But then I get these crazy ideas, like putting crushed Chicharrones on top of chili and I can’t even wait to share it. I have to post it as soon as possible, even pushing back a more "seasonally appropriate" post because I want to show you this.

And Chorizo, with its spice and fatty goodness, is perfect in chili. In fact, I pretty much raided the "C" section of my local Mexican food market (there isn’t a "C" section, by the way, but there should be) to bring you a dish with chipotle, chorizo, chicharrones, cilantro, cheddar and cumin.

And then I ate three bowls before I could even share it with anyone.

If I was planning on tailgating anytime soon, I would make this in huge vats.

And if you are a "beans in your chili" kind of guy, go ahead and throw some in, I won’t mind.

Or add some sour cream, if that’s your thing.

Chipotle Stout and Chorizo Chili Topped with Pork Rinds

Print Recipe

Ingredients

2 tbs olive oil
½ white onion chopped (about 1 cup)
1 red bell pepper chopped, stem and seeds removed
6 oz chorizo raw, removed from casing
1 lb ground beef chuck 80/20 lean to fat
4 cloves garlic minced
1 cup Chipotle Stout
14 oz stewed diced tomatoes canned is fine
1 chipotle pepper in adobo from can, minced plus more if desired
1 tsp adobo sauce
½ tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cumin
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce

Toppings:

1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
½ cup cilantro chopped
2 cups Chicharrones pork rinds, lightly crushed
Makes 4-6 servings

Instructions

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook until onion softens but isn’t browned, about 5 minutes.
Add the chorizo and beef, cook until meat starts to brown. Add the garlic and stir.
Add the beer, diced tomatoes, one chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, smoked paprika, pepper, cumin and Worcestershire sauce. Allow to simmer for about 30 minutes, until thickened. Add additional chipotle peppers as desired to raise heat level.
Pour into bowls, top with cilantro, cheddar and Chicharrones.

Beer Pizza Dough

29.11.2012 68 Comments

Before we continue with my Beer Pizza Dough post, you have to forgive me for the overly moody dough photos.

I was trying franticly to get them taken before I lost all of the light (damn daylight saving).

But it could be worse, see:

That pizza dough looks like it should be listening to Radiohead and popping Xanax like Pez.

Anyway, that’s what happens when you try to cram way too much into one day, things tend to get away from you.

Back to the pizza dough.

I’ve been making pizza dough for years, and have yet to publicly put my name on a pizza dough recipe. This one is the best so far. I love crust, it’s the best part. If you make your way to my great little city, the best crusts can be found at Folliero’s, Mozza, Casa Bianca, and Milo & Olive.

I have also learned that if you come early in the day, when there is no rush, most pizza places will sell you some of their dough. Which is great to have on hand.

I also learned a few things in my quest to make kickass pizza at home:

The secrets of freezing pizza dough from The Kitchn

How essential it is to own and operate a pizza stone and a pizza peel (completely worth the money)

Milk, beer, and oil give the dough a depth and complexity that water doesn’t touch.

Bread flour is essential to getting a chewy crust.

Use good ingredients, grate your own cheese, add uncooked toppings (prosciutto, arugula, fresh tomatoes, herbs) after the pizza comes out of the oven to create depth and balance.

Beer Pizza Dough

Print Recipe

Servings 1 lbs dough

Ingredients

3 cups bread flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup wheat beer
1 packet 2 1/4 teaspoons dry active yeast
3 tablespoon whole milk
1 tablespoon olive oil plus additional for bowl

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the bread flour, salt and sugar, stir until well combined. In a microwave safe bowl, add the beer. Heat until 110 degrees. Add the yeast and wait 5 minutes or until the yeast foams.
Add the beer to the flour and stir until incorporated. Add the milk and 1 tablespoon oil, stir with the dough hook until it forms a sticky ball.
On a lightly floured surface, knead until smooth and no longer sticky.
Coat a large bowl with oil. Add the dough, cover and refrigerate for 12 hours or until doubles in size.
Punch down the dough and reform into a tight ball. Cover and refrigerate for another 8 to 12 hours and up to 3 days.
To bake, place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 425 for at least a half an hour prior to baking pizza.
Roll out the pizza dough to about the size of your pizza stone. Sprinkle a pizza peel with corn meal. Transfer the dough to the pizza peel. Top with your desired toppings, lots of them.
Open the oven and carefully transfer the pizza to the pizza stone. Bake for 8-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Oven Steamed Salmon with Blueberry Balsamic Reduction

26.11.2012 29 Comments

Every once in a while this happens. I made a recipe I love, and then it sort of slips away and never gets posted. This is one of those recipes. I can’t even remember why it didn’t get posted, maybe because I don’t really like the photos (sorry my ego got in the way of sharing a great dish with you .)

But I DO remember really loving it. Not just because it had a ton of flavor, and was really delicious, but because it’s low calories, naturally dairy and gluten-free AND it is packed with an insane amount of antioxidants, heart healthy foods, and that good stuff we need to shove into our bodies after the collective gluttony we all gleefully participated in over the past few days.

It’s like detox, but really, really delicious.

To be honest, the only reason I remember that it was buried in the recesses of my Dropbox, is an email I got from a PR person at the Blueberry Councill about a recipe contest. And although I have been drawn to a recipe contest or two in my day, I really don’t have the time for that right now. SO, it seemed to be fate that I had one. A really fabulous, healthy and delicious blueberry recipe all ready to go. So thank you, Blueberry Council, for the fabulous berries and the timely reminder.

Oven Steamed Salmon with Blueberry Balsamic Reduction

Ingredients

For the Salmon:

4, 3 oz Salmon Filets, skinless
2-3 cups low sodium vegetable broth

For the Sauce:

1 medium shallot, minced (about 1 tbs)
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup fresh blueberries
¾ cup balsamic vinegar
½ tsp black pepper

For the Salad:

1 ½ cups cooked quinoa
1 cup chopped arugula
½ cup shelled Edamame beans
½ cup dry roasted almond slivers
½ tsp sea salt

(Makes 4 servings)

Instructions

Place a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet , place the salmon fillets on the rack. Pour the vegetable broth in the bottom of the baking sheet, making sure that the broth does not submerge the wire rack. You want at least 1/2 inch between the liquid and the top of the wire rack.
Cover the baking sheet with aluminum foil, making sure to tent the foil over the salmon so that the foil does not touch the fish at all. Secure tightly, in order to trap the steam inside the foil.
Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the salmon flakes easily with a fork.
In a pan over medium high heat, add the oil and allow to get hot but not smoking. Add the shallots and sauté until opaque. Add the blueberries and balsamic, reducing heat to maintain a low simmer. Cook until reduce until about half, and thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the black pepper.
Combine all of the salad ingredients in a bowl and toss to combine. Divide the salad among four plates. Top the salad with a salmon fillet and top each salmon fillet with the blueberry balsamic reduction.

Five Thanksgiving Leftovers Recipes

21.11.2012 14 Comments

It’s the day before Thanksgiving and I am already thinking about the leftovers.

I will not be participating in Black Friday. Unless it takes place in my refrigerator, I will be staying far, far away from any post-thanksgiving debauchery. Besides, I plan to make most of my Christmas gifts, but more on that later.

Here are my favorite uses for Thanksgiving leftovers:

1. Empanadas. A simple dough (or even store bough pie dough) can transform your leftover food into adorable and portable mini savory pies. Also handy to take along on those epic shopping ventures, for those of you who participate in that sort of thing.

My favorite combos: Turkey & Mashed Potatoes, Green Bean Casserole, Candied Yam, Stuffing & Cranberry

More directions on making Thanksgiving Leftover Empanadas Here.

2. Turkey Galette. Use a standard dough, or a store bought pie crust. Roll it out, add your leftovers, fold the edges in and bake at 400 until the dough is cooked, about 35 minutes. Top with some fresh greens and you are good to go.

3. Salad. Seriously, we all need some detox right about now.

Cook 1 cup quinoa (use these directions to cook the quinoa, the package directions make it soggy)

Add 2 cups chopped kale

1/2 cup chopped cooked turkey

2 tbs dried cranberries

2 tbs chopped black olives

1 chopped yam, cooked

3 tbs balsamic & 1 tbs honey, mixed together

Toss everything in a bowl. Makes about 4 servings.

4. Turkey Grilled Cheese.

Not a lot to explain here. Just load some bread up with turkey, lots of cheese and pan fry until gooey, melty and amazing.

5. Turkey Sliders

Split open on of those left over rolls (or maybe the biscuits from breakfast) load it up with left overs and you just made yourself a cute little sandwich.

Or toss some leftover turkey in some BBQ sauce, fill a dinner roll and it’s like a brand new food.

Potato Artichoke Bisque & Support for Sandy Victims

08.11.2012 15 Comments

As we leave the most divisive election in modern history, we need to remember that we are still a Nation. One Nation, Under God, Indivisible by politics, that comes together to help others.

(Photo, AP: Frank Franklin)

Red state or blue, that is what we are. We are also a Nation that loves to help, feels an obligation to lend a hand, lift up others when we have the opportunity. We are a Nation in which everyone of us have had the "do you give your spare change to the homeless" debate, because regardless of the answer we all have felt the a conflict in walking away without handing something over to someone in need.

We are a society of people who have even felt selfish in giving because it makes us feel good. Because we want to help others.

(Photo: AP Spencer Platt)

We are not a nation that spends our precious moments on this earth angry because of which of the good-hearted, great men was chosen to lead this amazing Nation. At least that is what I need to believe. I see so much good in you, America.

I see that huge heart that breaks when you see others in need. And no matter where your bed is tonight, remember those who are without one.

This post is dedicated to all of the victims of hurricane Sandy, from Jamaica, to Cuba, to Haiti, to New Jersey to New York.

To all of the more than 110 lives that were lost in the USA, and the 71 lost in the Caribbean.

For the more than 55 billion dollars of damage the storm did.

This post is so little, in the face of that. But like you, America, I want to help. And if I could, I would make every person affected by the storm a big bowl of soup, and listen to their story and hope that I did someone some good.

Click on the picture to give to Red Cross to assist in their efforts to help:

This post was part of a blog event put on my Creative Culinary.

Other ways to give:

Potato Artichoke Bisque

Ingredients

2 tbs butter
1 leek, chopped (white and very light green parts only)
1 shallot, minced
1/4 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs white wine
4 cups broth (either chicken or vegetable)
4 cups red potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 cups artichoke hearts, divided
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 cup cream

Instructions

In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the leeks and shallots, sautee until soft and slightly caramelized, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and stir. Add the wine, scraping to deglaze the pot.
Add the broth, potatoes, and only 1 cup of the artichoke hearts. Cover and allow to simmer (adjust heat if necessary) until potatoes are fork tender, about 20-30 minutes. Remove from heat. Using an immersion blender, belnd until smooth.
Add pepper chili powder and cream, stir until combined. Salt to taste.
Chop remaining artichoke hearts.
Pour into 4 bowls, garnish with chopped artichoke hearts.

(Yields 4 servings)

Pad Thai Soup

22.10.2012 61 Comments

Love veggie meals? Try my Vegan Mushroom Quinoa Beer Chili! or Beer Battered Avocado Tacos!

Living in LA during "fall" makes you feel like a bit of crazy person.

I’ll pull on my tall boots and a chunky sweaters that I am rightfully entitled to wear in late October, later realizing that the weather will creep up into the 80’s by mid day. And I’m the crazy lady at Starbucks ordering a pumpkin latte, wearing vintage Frye boots, jeans and a thick wool sweater while I could be wearing a jersey knit sundress like the normal, non-crazy, girl behind me in line.

And still, I persist. I even go home and make soup. Sweating the entire time I eat it. In my sweater, with the air conditioner running.

I spent three years as a vegetarian. The best thing I ever did when it comes to cooking, it opened up a world of produce to me and reminded me of all the foods I would often overlook just because they didn’t contain meat. To this day there are still things I prefer in a vegetarian or vegan form.

When it comes to thai cooking, fish and oyster sauce are frequently called for. Here is an article about how to make those, DIY style in your own kitchen using non-meat products.

There is also a company that sell vegetarian fish sauce, vegetarian oyster sauce, and Golden Mountain Season Sauce is a great alternative when those are called for.

And for Gluten Free, I hear this Kikkomon GF Soy Sauce is great.

Pad Thai Soup

Ingredients

3 tbs oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg (omit for vegan)
3 oz extra firm tofu, diced (or cubed chicken)
4 cups broth (veggie or chicken)
4 oz rice noodles (also called pad thai noodles)
3 tbs soy sauce
1/4 tsp sriracha
1 tbs fish sauce (For vegan, use adaptation listed in above post)
1/4 cup roasted peanuts, crushed
1/4 cup green onions
1 tsp crushed red peppers

Instructions

In a large pot or dutch oven, heat the oil. Add the garlic and stir. Add the egg and cook until softly scrabbled. Add the tofu (or chicken), cook until lightly fried about 3 minutes.
Add the broth, then add the noodles, soy, sriracha, fish sauce, and peanuts. Cook until noodles have softened, about 5 minutes.
Serve topped with peanuts, green onions and red chili flakes.

Chipotle Stout Sloppy Joe’s Sliders

16.10.2012 27 Comments

I spent a few days up in Napa last month. While I was hanging out at Bear Republic those guys were nice enough to show me around and even let me jump behind the bar. While I was behind the bar, most likely annoyingly in his way, the bar manager asked me what my favorite style of beer was. To be honest, I didn’t have an answer. I wanted to try his special release stuff, those beer that never make it into bottles. And the Peter Brown Tribute that I had heard about but hadn’t been able to taste yet, but I still am not sure if I could pick one all-time favorite.

It depends on what I’m eating.

I do tend to favor lower alcohol beers, because I live in LA and we like to drive here.

I like a dry hopped IPA.

Or a circusy White.

And I will always stand in line for a spicy beer.

But, if I had to choose only one style of beer to cook with, that would be easy. Stouts are by far my favorite beer to cook with. They work well with beef and fabulously with chocolate. Spicy stouts are always intriguing, and although the go-to recipes for those seems to be a meat product, I also want to figure out a really great chili chocolate cake recipe made with a spiced stout.

Lucky for us, more and more breweries are making beer with spices so check out your local beer store and ask around. Here are some of my favorites:

Stone Smoked Porter W/ Chipotle Peppers

Mikkeller Texas Ranger

Bootlegger Black Phoneix Chipotle Coffee Stout

I really encourage you to find a great beer for a brewery close to home. Stop in some day and see what they suggest. Maybe there is even a brewery close to you that won at last weeks Great American Beer Festival. Take look, make some notes on what you want to try, but don’t forget to drink what you love, because you love it, regardless of how many or how few prizes it has under it’s belt.

Chipotle Stout Sloppy Joe’s Sliders

Print Recipe

Ingredients

1 tbs oil
1 lb 80%/20% premium ground beef
1/2 white onion chopped
3 cloves of garlic
1 1/4 cup Chipotle Stout or Porter
1 small chipotle pepper from can in adobo sauce
1 tsp adobo sauce from can
4 oz tomato paste
1 tbs mollasas
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp salt
14-16 slider buns warmed

Instructions

In a pan over medium high heat, add the oil and ground beef, cook until browned, stirring and breaking up meat. Using a slotted spoon, remove meat from pan.
In pan with residual oils, cook the onions until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir.
Add the beer, stir to combine.
Remove a small chipotle pepper from the can. Using a sharp knife and fork, chop very well until nearly reduced to a paste like substance. Add chipotle to the pan along with tomato paste, adobo sauce, molasses, cumin, paprika, salt, Worcestershire sauce and mustard. Allow to cook until well combined and slightly thickened.
Add meat to the sauce pan, stir until well combined.
Fill slider buns with meat, serve warm.

Creamy Butternut Soup With Pomegranate and Goat Cheese

15.10.2012 34 Comments

I’m so excited to share this with you. It is my favorite soup right now, and one of my favorite recipes so far this year.

It’s interesting to see which posts get tons and tons of traffic and which ones get ignored, because really, you never know. My highest trafficked post isn’t even in my top twenty favorites.

My most popular post, Inside Out Caramel Apples, makes me cringe a bit. Although it has been pinned about 200,000 times and shared on Facebook and Twitter thousands more, I don’t really love it. It was posted about a year ago, and there seems to be mixed results with success. As a blogger, that’s hard. I want everyone to have a home run every time they make the recipe, and that one seems to be hit or miss. I hate that. And I hate that I have no idea why it fails for some people, and works for others.

And sometimes, the recipes that I love and can’t wait to share, get ignored. You just never know what is going to be a runaway pinterest hit, and what is going to get nothing more than a passing glance.

But this soup, I LOVE this soup, and I hope you do too.

Seriously, I’m going to make it again this week.

Creamy Butternut Soup With Pomegranate and Goat Cheese

Ingredients

1 head garlic
1 tbs olive oil
1 large (or two small) butternut squash
2 shallot, minced
3 tbs olive oil
2 cup chicken broth
2 cup water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
pinch cayenne
1/2 cup cream
1 cup pomegranate seeds
3 oz crumbled goat cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425.
Cut the tip of the head of garlic, exposing the tops of the cloves. Place on a small sheet of aluminum foil, drizzle with 1 tbs olive oil. Fold foil around garlic to form a tight package.
Cut the butternut squash in half. Scoop out the seeds. Place on a baking sheet. Place garlic package on the baking sheet as well.
Roast at 425 for 25 minutes, remove the garlic and allow to cool. Continue to roast the butternut squash for an additional 20 to 30 minutes (45 to 55 minutes total) or until flesh is soft and easy to scoop out.
Scoop out flesh (should be about 5 cups) and puree in a food processor until smooth.
In a large pot or dutch oven, add the shallots and olive oil over medium heat. Caramelize the shallots over medium heat, stirring occasional, for about 10 minutes, or until a dark golden brown. Don’t cook over high heat or the shallots will burn.
Add the chicken broth, water, butternut puree, salt, pepper and cayenne. Squeeze the soft garlic head until the cloves push out (should be soft and mushy) add cloves to the soup. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and to maintain a simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
Remove from heat, add cream and stir.
Scoop into bowls, garnish with pomegranate and goat cheese.

Makes 6 servings.

Stove Top Beer And Bacon Mac And Cheese

09.10.2012 52 Comments

I’m not a beer snob. To be honest, the term has always rubbed against the grain.

I’m a beer fan, a beer lover, a girl fascinated by beer, but I’m not a snob.

I spent years on the fringes of the music industry in LA, and the beer snobs I meet now echo those same phrases I heard then. And so do my responses.

If you loved The Killers when we saw them play free shows at The Spaceland, you should still love them when they win Grammys.

Good music, is good music. Regardless of how many, or how few, other people like it.

If you loved Rogue Dead Guy Ale when no one carried it, you should still love it when it has mass distribution.

Good beer, is good beer. Regardless of how many, or how few, other people like it.

At a beer event a few months ago I asked the rep from North Coast Brewing why he hadn’t brought any Scrimshaw, "The Beer Snobs would eat me alive if I poured that!" And then whispered to me that it was what he drank more than anything else.

Stop doing that.

Good beer is good beer. Don’t be afraid to drink what you like, even if everyone else likes it too.

In celebration of good beer, I give you my favorite one pot, quick and easy, make this for Thanksgiving, you will never make it from a box again, Mac & Cheese. Hope you still love it even when everyone else does too.

Stove Top Beer And Bacon Mac And Cheese

Print Recipe

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

2 cups elbow macaroni
4 strips of bacon cut in half
1/2 cup sour cream
1 egg
2/3 cup beer pale ale, blonde, bock, and Hef work well, an IPA will give you a very strong beer flavor
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese fresh grated, pre-shreaded has additives that prevents it from melting properly
2 tbs butter
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
pinch cayenne pepper
salt to taste

Instructions

In a large pot of boiling water, add the noodles and cook until just before done. Don't over-cook the noodles or this will end up mushy.
Drain the pasta, return the pot to the stove and cook the bacon until crispy, remove from pot and allow to cool.
Drain off bacon grease and return drained noodles to the pot.
In a separate bowl, add the beer, egg and sour cream, beat until well combined.
Add the butter and the beer mixture to the noodles and return to medium heat. Stir until the butter has melted.
About 1/4 a cup at a time, add the cheese. Stir until cheese has melted before adding more.
Add the spices and chopped bacon, stir.

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Kale Caesar with Goat Gouda, Avocados and Homemade Croutons

03.10.2012 12 Comments

A few weeks ago I was invited to the opening of Messhall in Los Angeles to partake in an amazing media dinner. I was stuffed with steak tartare tacos, lobster mac n cheese, incredibly memorably cheese grits, the best pork chop of my life and a kale caesar salad I can’t stop thinking about. I was fortunate enough to accompany the incredibly dashing Greg Henry of Sippity Sup, sit with a small group of food writers, publicists, bloggers and magazine editors on the patio of the iconic space that once housed The Brown Derby. a Los Angeles landmark turned into the hip new Mess Hall with a summer camp chic vibe and a menu that is both familiar and vibrantly new.

Although all the food was memorable (how can I forget corn on the cob with smoked tomato butter?), there was something about that salad that I couldn’t stop thinking about. The simplicity and perfectly balanced flavors, how the kale was such an improvement over Romaine, how had I never thought of this?

Even weeks later, when a waiter at a different Los Angeles restaurant attempted to talk me into ordering the kale salad at his place, I had to mention to him the perfection of Mess Hall salad.

So here is my version, a Kale Caesar with Goat Gouda, Avocados and Homemade Croutons. But if you’re in Los Angeles, stop by Messhall for the real thing.

Kale Caesar with Goat Gouda, Avocados and Homemade Croutons

Ingredients

1 egg
3 tbs lemon juice
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp anchovy paste
1/2 cup parmesan
1/2 tsp black pepper
3/4 cup canola oil
2 cups dry crusty bread, cut into cubes
2 tbs butter
1 head of kale, chopped into thin ribbon
1 large beefsteak tomato, chopped
1 large avocado, chopped
salt and pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated goat gouda

Instructions

In a food processor, add the egg, lemon juice, garlic, Worcestershire, red pepper, mustard, anchovy, black pepper and parmesan. Allow to process until frothy. Add the oil to a microwave safe bowl, microwave for 1 minute or until very hot and steamy. While the food processor is running, very, very slowly add the oil and continue to process until dressing has emulsified, about 3 minutes. Place the dressing in a container with a lid and refrigerator until chilled, about 1 hour (can be made up to 3 days ahead of time).
If the bread you are using for croutons is fresh, place on a baking sheet and dry out in a 250 oven for 10 minutes.
In a skillet over medium high heat, melt the butter. Add the prepared bread cubes and cook, tossing occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes.
In a bowl, add the kale, tomato and avocado. Add the dressing and toss to coat, salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with goat gouda and croutons.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

(I was provided with a delicious free dinner & cocktails from Messhall,

however I was not monetarily compensated for this review.

All ideas and opinions are my own.)

Beer Braised Chicken and Hefeweizen Cornmeal Dumpling Soup

02.10.2012 6 Comments

Although most of you are starting to pull out those wool sweaters you neatly packed away a few months ago, here in Los Angeles we are in the throws of a record heat wave that drug us into 108 degree heat yesterday. While most of the sane people of LA stayed indoors and avoided the oven, I spent the morning interviewing ex-cons turn foodies, and then came home and made soup.

Like i’ve mentioned before, my inherent rebellion pushes me to buck tradition and even reason. I drink stouts in the summer, eat ice cream in the winter and make soup in triple digit heat.

Beer Braised Chicken and Hefeweizen Cornmeal Dumpling Soup

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For The Soup

4 tbs butter
4 boneless skinless chicken thigh fillets cup into bite sized peices
3 cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup white onions chopped
1/2 cup celery chopped
1/2 cup carrots chopped
1 cup sweet white corn kernels fresh is best, frozen is acceptable, canned is disgusting
2 cups Hefeweizen Beer
2 cups chicken broth
2 tbs flour
1/4 cup cream

For The Dumplings

1/2 cup Masa Harina corn flour used to make corn tortillas
1/2 cup fine ground corn meal
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
2 tbs butter cut into small cubes
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup Hefeweizen beer

Instructions

In a large pot with a lid, like a dutch oven or enamel cast iron pot, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook until seared on all sides, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, onions, celery, carrots and corn, stir. Add the beer and broth, stir. Allow to simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the pot and whisk until combined. Remove from heat and slowly add the cream while stiring. Return to medium/low heat.
In a large bowl, add the masa, cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt and rosemary, stir to combine. Add the butter and rub into the flour with your fingers until completely combined.
Add the milk and hefeweizen and stir until combined. You don't want the dough too thin or it will fall apart during cooking, you want a biscuit like consistency.
Drop mounds of dough, about 3 tbs in size, equally spaced on top of the pot until all dough has been used. Cover the pot and cook on low heat until the tops of the dumplings are dry, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Beer Braised Chicken Tacos with Beer Corn Tortillas

13.09.2012 24 Comments

When it seems like your entire life revolves around a food blog, small things make you really excited.

Like making homemade tortillas with beer and realizing how much better they are than any other tortilla you’ve ever had.

Or getting a shout out from The Cooking Channel as if they knew just how to fuel your obsession with them.

Or realizing that because Foster Farms is willing to fly you into Napa a few days early for the National Cook-Off Finals, you get to visit the following breweries: Laguanitas, Russian River, and Bear Republic.

And then your Aunt tells you that your Grandma and Guy Fieri’s Grandma where roommates in college, which sounds like a Mad Lib, but turns out to be true.

Small wins that make me so excited, you’d think I won a Beer Cooking Oscar. This is what keeps us playing the Man Behind the Curtain on these little blogs we are so dedicated to. Bloggers are easily excitable, which maybe why we spend so much time on the other side of these computer. Sometimes our excitement isn’t fit for public consumption.

Back to these tortillas. Homemade tortillas are a completely different animal from those cardboard disks they sell in supermarkets. Soft, slightly sweet, and they only take 5 minutes to make. To use a beer analogy fit for an SAT exam:

Coors Light is to Pliny as Store Bought Tortillas are to Homemade Tortillas

I’m not kidding, that much different. If you don’t believe me, and really, why should you, I’m just the overly excited girl behind the screen, try it and report back. I really think you’ll be amazed.

For this recipe, I used Lagunaitas IPA. And like I’ve mentioned before, IPA’s give you a huge punch of beer flavor. If you want a milder beer flavor, grab a traditional Pale Ale, a Blonde or a Wheat Beer.

Beer Braised Chicken Tacos with Beer Corn Tortillas

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the Tortillas

2 cup Masa
½ tsp salt
1 1/4 cup room temperature beer
2 Tbs melted butter or olive oil

For the Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken thigh fillets
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tbs olive oil
1 cup beer

Recommended Garnishes

1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 avocado chopped

Instructions

Chop Chicken thighs into small, bite sized pieces. In a bowl, place all spices and mix well. Add the chicken pieces and toss to coat.
Heat olive oil in a dutch oven. Add the pieces and sear quickly. Reduce heat, add beer, cover and cook until cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes.
In a large bowl, add the Masa and the salt, stir to combine.
Add the beer and butter, stir to combine. If the dough is too dry to hold together, add additional beer or water. If it is too wet, add more Masa.
Form into balls a bit larger than golf balls.
Prepare a tortillas press by wrapping in plastic wrap or covering with parchment paper (you can place tortilla ball between two sheets of parchment and use a rolling pin). Place one ball in the center.
Press, rotate and press again until thin.
Heat a griddle (or cast iron skillet) to a medium high heat (about 350 for electric griddles).
Cook until slightly brown on the bottom (about 30 seconds to a minute) flip and cook on the other side. Don’t overcook.
Fill tortillas with chicken, garnish and serve.

Mac And Beer Cheese Soup

11.09.2012 35 Comments

I have a confession to make. Before starting this blog, I tried to make beer cheese soup and failed. I was baffled, at first, but figured out that a combination of my lack of patience (manifesting itself in my cheese dumping rather than slow adding) and a furious boil, resulted in a sloppy mess.

Second confession of the day (just call yourself a priest, and I’ll say a few Hail Mary’s on my way out) is that even though I love this recipe, I think I may love the photos more. Because right after I took them I was reminded via ping of my first post and how on their best day, those photos are hideously below average. I’ve worked really hard to bring my photography up to an acceptable standard and these photos reminded me of how my work is paying off.

Third confession, I won a state-wide Cook-Off on Friday. Ok, not really a confession, but I’m excited, so I thought I would share.

Fourth confession, I still have a crush on Luke Perry. And Val Kilmer’s character in Real Genius. Looks like I went one confession too far.

Mac And Beer Cheese Soup

Note: Cheese sauce separates easily if the mixture is brought to a boil, or if pre shredded cheese is used. If the mixture does separates, try to puree the cheese sauce with a hand blender before you add the noodles.

Print Recipe

Ingredients

3 tbs olive oil
1 onion chopped
1 fresh jalapeno stemmed, seeded and chopped
3 cloves garlic chopped
4 tbs butter
1/4 cup flour
1 tbs corn starch
12 ounces Hefeweizen
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 cups cheddar cheese thinly grated, don't use pre shredded
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni noodles

Instructions

In a large pot heat the olive oil. Add the onions and jalapenos, cook until softened, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
Add the butter stir until melted.
Sprinkle the flour and corn starch on top of the melted butter and whisk until combined.
Add the beer, broth and cream bring to a low simmer.
1/4 a cup at at time, add the cheese and stir until completely melted before adding more (do not boil or cheese will separate). Repeat until all the cheese is incorporated into the soup.
Add the salt, pepper, smoked paprika and stir to combine.
Add the macaroni noodles and cook until noodles are al dente.
Add additional beer or broth to thin to desired consistency.

Chili Beer Chicken Wings

04.09.2012 39 Comments

Last Friday I was able to visit the Los Angeles CBS studios. They even let me do a cooking segment. Originally slotted for 4 to 5 minutes, the loved me so much, they let me run to 6 1/2 minutes. Aren’t they great?

A few questions threw me off, "Were you in a sorority?" and "What IS craft beer?"

The first, I’m ok with dismissing, but the second left me to wonder. If you have to define Craft Beer in one sentence to someone who knows nothing about beer beyond the college Greek System drinking games, how would you do that? It seems like everyone has different definitions, some focusing on the size of the brewery, or the quality of the ingredients or the breweries funding source or even if the company is publicly trader. But what about the beer? What makes if truly craft? You could write entire books trying to answer that one question.

What is "craft beer"?

If you have a quick, one sentence answer for me, I’d love to hear it.

But in the meantime, I’m going to introduce you to a beer that was perfect for my sort of sweet, fairly spicy, beer infused chicken wings that are sort of perfect for the beginning of football season.

Dogfish Head, Festina Peche is brewed with peaches (not an extract) that feeds the yeast so the peach flavors are pervasive. Not a beer for everyone, it tends to be a bit polarizing, but an excellent example of a well done Berliner Weisse fermented with peaches. It is also an excellent beer for this recipe.

Chili Beer Chicken Wings

Print Recipe

Ingredients

2 1/2 lbs chicken wings and drumsticks
1/3 cup cornstarch
2/3 cup beer
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbs honey
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp red chili flake
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs rice wine vinegar

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425.
Rinse the chicken wings in cold water and dry well.
Sprinkle chicken on all sides with cornstarch and rub to coat.
In a separate bowl, add the beer, soy, honey, chili powder, garlic powder, red chili flake, salt, and vinegar, stirring well to combine. Add the chicken, toss to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for ten to twenty minutes.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Remove the chicken from marinade and arrange wings on the baking sheet and bake at 425 for ten minutes.
While the chicken is baking, add the remaining marinade to a pot over medium high heat, stiring frequently, reduce until thickened and syrupy, about 8-10 minutes.
Once the marinade has reduced, remove the chicken from the oven and brush with the thickened marinade, turn them over, brush with marinade on the other side.
Return to the oven and allow to cook for an additional ten minutes, basting again.
Allow chicken to bake until cooked through, an additional 10-15 minutes.
(Note: the total cooking time for the chicken will be approximately 25-35 minutes, requiring basting every ten minutes)