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Tag: cilantro

Grilled Slaw Is A Thing

 

 

Spring is here and the grill is out!!!  I was recently at my friends apartment that I spend a good amount of time at.  We BBQ a lot in the warm months of the year and are always trying new things on the grill.  Last weekend we grilled cabbage to make a grilled coleslaw.  It was tremendous!!!   But as most of you know I will through anything on the grill.  Grilled celery anyone?  Don’t knock it till you try it.   I’m sure there a lot’s of people who feel the same way I do about grilling everything and anything.  So I am sure you will have no problem with this warm version of slaw.  We used only red cabbage instead of the usual red and green.  I cut the red cabbage lengthwise, about 1/4 – 1/2 inch slices, with the core to keep the slices intact.  I left the carrots whole, peeled and cut the onion into rings.  When everything was done I did a rough chop of the veggies, giving them a rustic feel.  When grilling just use a small amount of olive oil on the cabbage.  This makes it so you won’t have to use a lot of mayo, which is usually essential in a good slaw.  We used a garlic mayo and minced capers for our dressing.  You could also leave out the capers, squeeze a lime and chop some cilantro with the garlic mayo for a different version.  Even add a little red pepper flakes for some heat.  Or whatever your heart desires.  I find grilling things opens my creative mind to different ways of preparing and eating food.  I hope this inspires you to explore and start grilling in different ways!!!

 

 

Grill Slaw Is A Thing
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
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This is a great way to have a healthier side dish but keeping a bbq staple that everyone loves.
Ingredients
  • 1 Head red cabbage
  • 1 Onion - white, yellow or red
  • 2-3 Large carrots
  • 2-3 Tbsp of Garlic Mayo
  • A Handful of Capers
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Cut cabbage length wise and keep core intact about ¼-1/2 inch thick.
  2. Peel and slice onion into rings.
  3. Wash carrots thoroughly, and dry them.
  4. Lightly coat onions, carrots and cabbage with olive oil, salt and pepper.
  5. Carrots take a little while so start them first.
  6. Grill veggies till desired doneness.
  7. I usually only flip the onions and cabbage once during grilling.
  8. Gives them a nice grilled sear marks.
  9. While veggies are cooking mince the capers.
  10. When done, cut core out of cabbage and trough away.
  11. Then give a rough chop to all veggies.
  12. I still like to cut the carrots in strings but am not so precise with the chopping.
  13. Toss with mayo and capers.
  14. Salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
The grilling time is approximate. It all depends on your grill and how cooked you want the veggies.

Chicken Pozole

Chicken Pozole
Author: 
 
Ingredients
  • 1 Chicken
  • ½ Red bell pepper chopped
  • 1 Onion chopped
  • 2 Carrots, search peeled and roasted
  • 2 Celery stalks, chopped
  • 1 Large can hominy
  • 1 Small tomato chopped or 10 cherry cut in half
  • 6-8 Cups chicken stock(use stock from boiling chicken)
  • 2 Garlic cloves, chopped
  • Cumin
  • Chili powder
  • Chipotle powder
  • 2 Bay leaves
  • Salt and pepper
  • Cilantro, chopped
  • Red onion
  • Lime wedges
Instructions
  1. Boil chicken in water, salt, pepper and bay leaf
  2. When chicken is done remove and let cool, save water
  3. When chicken is cool to touch shred and set meat aside
  4. Use chicken water as stock
  5. Add bay leaf, garlic and spices, salt and pepper to taste
  6. Add carrots, celery, onion, tomato and hominy.
  7. Bring to a simmer
  8. When vegetables soften add chicken
  9. Add red bell pepper
  10. Add more spices to taste.
  11. When chicken is brought to temperature of soup your soup is done.
  12. Garnish with cilantro, red onion and lime wedge.
Notes
Roasting carrots before hand will give it a smokey flavor. You can also sauté the onions and add carrots, celery and tomatoes before adding chicken broth and use butter or olive oil to sauté vegetables

Pozole is total comfort food.  And with it being soup season,  the perfect hearty lunch or dinner.  So grab yourself some comfort and enjoy!

Chicken Pozole

Huevos Rancheros

Breakfast of Champions, pill or giant gut bomb.   It’s hard to decide which is true.   Either way huevos rancheros is one of my guilty pleasures.   It’s been a staple in my life for as long as I can remember.   I love ordering it or making it.  Ordering it at a restaurant is by far the easier way, but as you all know I don’t mind spending the time in a kitchen.   My challenge is making the perfect ranchero sauce.  It has plague me for decades.  I have tried many times to get it right.  Not always with the best results, but that has not stopped me from trying!   And today, I think I have made the best one yet.  So good, I have to share it with you.

I fried the tortillas in vegetable oil, and instead of refried beans between the eggs and tortilla, I combined whole black beans and rice.  If you don’t have whole beans and rice cooked, then use canned refried beans.  The sauce was canned tomatoes and a mix of spices.  Pretty simple.  After years of making it harder then it needs to be, I just went with my gut.  Sorry for the lack of direction, on the sauce, but don’t let that scare you.  Sometimes throwing caution to the wind can give great results.

 

Huevos Rancheros

Huevos Rancheros

 

Huevos Rancharos and Sauce
Author: 
Recipe type: Breakfast
 
This is a quick and easy sauce. When I made it, as usual I didn't measure. This is a recipe that depends on how you want it to taste. I put about a quarter to half a teaspoon of each spice into the tomatoes. But you may want to alter some of them. I did add less of the chipotle chile then the others as it is very strong.
Ingredients
  • 2 Eggs
  • 2 Tortillas
  • Refried beans (or combo rice and whole beans)
  • 1 Can of chopped tomatoes
  • Chili powder
  • Cumin
  • Crushed chipotle chile peppers
  • Minced garlic
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Queso fresco
  • Cilantro for garnish
Instructions
  1. Crumble cheese, set aside
  2. Chop cilantro, set aside
  3. Simmer beans in small sauce pan
  4. Keep an eye on beans, so they don't burn
  5. For Ranchero Sauce
  6. Put tomatoes in small sauce pan
  7. Combine all spices, garlic, salt and pepper into a small sauce pan with tomatoes
  8. Simmer on medium heat for about 10 minutes or till the flavors marry.
  9. Fry eggs over easy
  10. Fry tortillas in oil till crispy
  11. Pat excess oil of with paper towel
  12. Place fried tortilla on plate
  13. Then a spoonful of beans on fried tortilla
  14. Place egg on top of beans
  15. Drizzle sauce over eggs
  16. Garnish with cilantro and cheese

 

Pesto, Pesto, Pesto!

Arugula pesto

 

This year Jason decided to get our local CSA so we could have farm fresh food. We have been getting our fresh veggies, capsule dairy and meat since early summer, and we have been loving it! So have our friends. We’ve been having what I call CSA BBQ’s and CSA dinner parties. One thing about getting all this fresh food is, it really is a lot. So you have to be very creative and eat a lot! Having friends willing to help is a blessing. One thing we’ve been getting is greens. Lots and lots of greens. We eat them for breakfast with fried or poached eggs on top, lunch and dinner. But one of my favorite things we have been doing is taking our arugula, cilantro and parsley and making pesto out of them. Not only do we use all of these tasty greens, we get to enjoy them at our leisure. You can use them as spreads, in pasta, as pizza sauce or add to soups, even rub on a chicken and roast it! The pesto will keep in the fridge for about two weeks or you can  freeze it, which is great way to to make sure it doesn’t go to waste.

 

 

Arugula and Cilantro/Parsley Pesto
Author: 
Prep time: 
Total time: 
Serves: ½ cup
 
Ingredients
  • 2 cups arugula tightly packed
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 tablespoons pine nuts
  • ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • ½ lemon squeezed and separated
  • Pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Roast pine nuts
  2. Drizzle a small amount of oil on bottom of blender
  3. Add arugula, Parmesan, pine nuts, half of lemon juice, salt and pepper
  4. Start blending and slowly add oil
  5. Blend till you get a good consistency
  6. Taste and add more salt, pepper and rest of the lemon juice if needed.
Notes
I love garlic that's why I added so much. But if that is too much use one clove.
For cilantro parsley pesto you just need to switch out a few ingredients
1 cup packed cilantro leaves
1 cup packed parsley
2 tablespoons almonds(some say blanched almonds but I don't think it's necessary)
And continue as normal.

Fall Camping

 

Our first fall camping trip got off to a slow start, cure we accidentally boarded the wrong train! But luckily it was a happy accident. By the time we made it to Tuxedo and Harrimon Park the slight rain that was plaguing us all morning had stopped. We bought our final supplies and headed to the trail, visit this arriving just in time to collect firewood, make camp and start dinner before sunset. Steak, baked potatoes and cilantro pesto corn were the evening meal and a lovely moon to gaze at. Later with the fire and moon in full force we just sat back and took it all in, before heading of to sleep.

The next day we awoke to a beautiful misty fog rolling over the hills and exposing Lake Skenonto in all its fall foliage beauty. The birds sang hello while we made coffee and breakfast. The sky cleared up and it was a glorious fall day to be in the woods. So naturally we pulled out the ukuleles and serenaded the animals with our songs. After some more quiet time it was time to head back to the city. So we packed up, said goodbye to our animal friends and headed for the train and Chinese food. This may have been our first fall camping trip but it won’t be our last.

 

Hot Salsa? Yes Please

Salsa

 

Our newest hot sauce is more of a salsa but not quite.  We added tomatoes so you can really sink your chips into it.

Also we don’t put this one threw a sieve but if you want a smoother sauce than you can.  With a heat most hot sauce lovers can handle this one will disappear fast!

 

 

Hot Suff
Author: 
Recipe type: Condiment
Prep time: 
Total time: 
 
Ingredients
  • 2 packages of grape tomatoes
  • 1 chipotle chile
  • 3 mulatto chili's
  • 1¾ habanero chili(deseeded and destemmed)
  • 4-5 garlic cloves
  • Small handful of cilantro
  • ½ cup vinegar
  • * Splash of chili water
  • Salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Soak your peppers in hot water for 30 minutes
  2. Either in a bowl weighed down so chili's are submerged or in a ziplock bag
  3. When chili's are done pull off stems and discard
  4. Also discard any seed and veins that come with stems
  5. Combine all ingredients into a blender and blend till smooth
  6. Serve immediately.
Notes
If your worried about it being too hot, generic add some lime juice and or decrease the amount of Habanero peppers.

* Chili water is the water you soaked the chili's in.

Good for What Ails You

What Ails You Chicken Soup
Author: 
Recipe type: Soup
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4-6
 
Ingredients
  • 1 chicken
  • 1 bouquets garnis
  • 3-4 quarts of water (enough to submerge a chicken)
  • 1 onion
  • 2 ribs of celery
  • 3 carrots
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic, diagnosis peeled and chopped
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Take out bag of innards from chicken
  2. Rinse the chicken and take any extra feathers off
  3. Place in pot with water
  4. Add salt, information pills pepper, garlic and bouquets garnis
  5. Bring to boil, then lower heat to medium
  6. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes
  7. Meanwhile peel and cut carrots into ¼" slices, set aside
  8. Chop celery and onion, set aside
  9. When chicken is done remove and let stand and cool
  10. While chicken is cooling off put veggies in the broth
  11. Bring to boil then simmer for 10-15 minutes
  12. When chicken is ready to handle, peel the skin, chop it up and set aside
  13. Strip chicken of all meat, tear into desired size pieces, set aside.
  14. Add chicken and skin when veggies are done.
  15. Bring soup back to a slow simmer and serve.
Notes
You can add rice, noodles, or barley, just make sure you cook these before adding them. I like to cook them just under the desired time so they finish in the soup. Bouquets Garnis is Oregano, Thyme and Savory wrapped up in Bay Leaves tied with kitchen string. I use this in all my stocks and soups. It is a great time saver and adds the perfect amount of flavor. You can make these yourself or get them at http://www.oliviersandco.com/ or at one of their stores.

Image01052013152900 chickensoupstuff

Chicken broth and chicken soup are said to be good for what ails you.  So with the Flu being particularly bad this year, and Jason being struck down by it, I decided to make chicken soup.  Years ago I got a tip from a mother from Catalan Spain.  She said to boil a chicken with one or two cloves of garlic.   Strip the chicken of it’s meat and put back in the pot.  Then serve.  She also pointed out that the skin must be in there also.  It supposedly has healing properties.   Being one who does not argue with mothers, especially when they come from my ancestral homeland,  I nodded my head and said yes ma’am.  Of course I asked if I should add anything else?  Salt and pepper, nothing else was her short but firm answer.  Keep it simple, it’s what the body needs.  Well, if you know me, then you know I can’t help but tinker with a recipe.   I have added a few things, like bouquets garnis, onions, celery, carrots  etc.  I’ve also been known to throw in some ginger, barley, rice, cilantro and even alphabet noodles.   Now I understand the reasoning for keeping it simple, it makes sense, and I have made it that way and it is very good.  What I find when I am asked to make chicken soup  is that everyone has something special they like in it.  This last time was the alphabet noodles.  Whether you like it simple or complex, there is one thing that does seem to cure or at least make being sick bearable, that’s homemade chicken soup.  I feel the most important healing thing about making this soup isn’t just fresh ingredients, but the care that comes with it.  Maybe that’s what the healing properties are.

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