White Chicken Chili

White Chicken Chili

(8 servings)

 

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. Canola Oil

½ medium Yellow Onion, chopped

3 cloves Fresh Garlic, minced

2 medium Poblano Peppers, seeded & chopped

1½ cups Russet Potato, diced

2 tsp. Ground Cumin

2 tsp. Dried Oregano

1 tsp. Kosher Salt

½ tsp. Black Pepper

1½ cups Zucchini, diced

1 cup Dry White Wine

4 cups Chicken Broth

2 cups Rotisserie Chicken, diced

1 cup Roasted Tomatillo Salsa (store bought)

½ cup Cashew Butter

1 tbsp. Fresh Lime Juice

Directions:

In a large stock pot (Dutch oven), over medium-high heat, bring oil to temperature and sauté the onions for 2-3 minutes.  Add the garlic and continue until fragrant.  Now add the peppers, potatoes, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper.  Sauté this mixture until vegetables soften (about 5 minutes) stirring occasionally.  Next add the zucchini and wine and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and continue for about 5 minutes.  Add the rest of the ingredients and continue to simmer for 10-15 minutes or until everything is heated through and vegetables are tender.  Serve when ready.

Note:               You could use leftover pork from a meal instead of chicken if you wish.  I’d use bacon fat (if available) when using pork in this recipe.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Two-Tomato Chili

Two-Tomato Chili

(8 servings)

 

Ingredients:

2 lb. Beef Chuck, cubed (1/2-1 inch pieces)

8 oz. Sun-Dried Tomatoes in oil

3 cups Yellow Onions, chopped

1½ cups Red Peppers, chopped

1½ cups Green Peppers, chopped

1 cup Carrots, chopped

6 cloves Fresh Garlic, minced

4 tsp. Ground Cumin

1tsp. Crushed Red Pepper (adjust to taste)

¼ tsp Kosher Salt

¼ tsp. Black Pepper

1 (4 oz.) can Diced Green Chile Peppers

1 (28 oz.) can Crushed Tomatoes

2 cups Water

2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese, garnish

2 medium Green Onions, garnish

Directions:

Drain dried tomatoes and save 2 tbsp. of oil.  Chop the tomatoes and set aside.  In a large Dutch oven, heat oil from tomatoes over medium-heat.  In batches, brown the meat in the oil.  When done, return all the meat to the pot.  Now add the onions, red and green peppers, carrots and garlic.  Lower heat to medium and cook for about 2 minutes stirring occasionally.  Stir in the dried tomatoes, cumin, red pepper, salt and black pepper.  Continue cooking and stirring for another 2 minutes.  Add the diced green chiles and continue another minute.  Now add the crushed tomatoes and water.  Bring mixture to a boil and reduce heat.  Simmer covered for 1¼ hours or until meat is tender.  Remember to stir occasionally.  Serve chili with cheese and green onion garnishes.

Note:               Some people like to serve sour cream with their chili too.  This helps cut the spicy heat if needed as well as add an additional flavor.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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A Good Time for Chili

Winter has been winter here (Minnesota)but not near as bad as last year.  We're thankful for that.  But cold weather gives you the desire for hearty warm food and nothing beats that like "Chili."  It seems to warm your inside like nothing else.

Now some will say that chili is too spicy for them.  But that doesn't need to be the case.  As with any dish you make, you can control the "Heat" level to meet your personal tastes.  I have 2 chili recipes in my cookbook, "More Than Your First Cookbook" and several others under the "Soup" tab on this blog.  All of them plus the 2 new ones offered this week are easily adjusted to make them mild to hotter than the devil.  So don't be intimidated by making chili.

When one hears the word "Chili" they usually think of ground beef, tomatoes and beans in a pot.  That is probably the number one type of chili served in the USA.  But it is far from the only kind of chili out there to make.  There has been a food revolution in the last 20 to 30 years and variety is one of the biggest winners.

This week I'm offering you 2 of those different types or styles of chili.  Tomorrow's recipe for "Two-Tomato Chili" uses cubes of beef and 2 different types of tomato but no beans.  The heat comes from crushed red pepper and you can control the amount or even not use any.

Thursday's recipe of "White Chicken Chili" again uses no beans.  It doesn't use beef or tomatoes either.  It's a easy and quick recipe to put together using rotisserie chicken and tomatillo salsa.  Any heat it has comes from that salsa and Poblano peppers (which are very mild) so you may want to add something if you like it hotter.

Both of these recipes are done on the stove-top but could be done in a slow-cooker too.  You would want to brown the beef chunks in the first one before putting ingredients in the slow-cooker.  Remember the last 2 ingredients are for garnishing when you serve the chili.  For the second recipe just put everything in the slow-cooker and turn it on.

For both of these recipes in a slow-cooker, I would go for about 8 hours on low and 4 hours on high.

I hope you enjoy these change of pace chilies and "Happy Cooking " until next week.  Please be sure to share my blog with family and friends too.  Thanks in advance.

Chorizo-Filled Dates in Bacon

Chorizo-Filled Dates in Bacon

(24 servings)

 

Ingredients:

2-3 oz. Spanish Chorizo Sausage, casing removed

24 Medjool Dates, pitted

12 slices Thin Smoked Bacon, halved crosswise

Directions:

Slice sausage in thirds crosswise (about length of date).  Halve each piece lengthwise and then cut each half into 4 pieces lengthwise to make 24 pieces of sausage.  Tuck a piece into each date and pinch closed.  Wrap a strip of bacon around each date and secure with a toothpick.  Using a large skillet over medium-high heat, sauté the wrapped dates seam side down.  Turn them as needed until bacon is browned on all sides (about 10 minutes).  Remove to a paper towel lined dish to drain.  Do in batches if needed.  Place on a serving dish and serve hot.

Note:               You could use another type of sausage if

                        your tastes prefer.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Maple Pecans

Maple Pecans

(4 cups)

 

Ingredients:
 

4 cups Whole Pecans

½ cup Pure Maple Syrup

2 tbsp. Unsalted Butter, melted

½ tsp. Kosher Salt

½ tsp. Cayenne Pepper

¼ tsp. Black Pepper

1 large Fresh Egg White, room temperature

Directions:

Spread pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and place in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes to toast.  Toast until they are fragrant.  Let cool before continuing.  Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.  In a large mixing bowl, toss the cooled pecans, maple syrup, butter, salt and both peppers until well combined.  In a medium bowl whisk the egg white until frothy.  Add the egg white to the pecan mixture and toss well.  Spread pecan mixture out on the baking sheets in a single layer not touching each other.  Place in a 250 degree pre-heated oven for about 40 minutes or until they are golden brown.  Immediately loosen pecans from the paper using a spatula and let completely cool before serving.

Note:               This mixture can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container for about a week.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Super Bowl Party 2015

Well the teams have been decided and Seattle will play New England in the "Super Bowl" on February 1st.  They're not the teams I was hoping for but it should make for a great game.

I'll be rooting for Seattle as their quarterback played for the university of Wisconsin and my wife is a Wisconsin born girl.  Besides I've "Never" been a New England fan.

But enough about the game.  It's second-hand to the "Super Bowl" partying.  We as fans or just watchers of the game have no control over it's outcome.  The "Party" is a totally different animal.  You do control it's fate and success.

I've written over the years in this food blog on planning and being prepared for all angles of throwing the best "Super Bowl Party" in your circle of family and friends.  Go back and look at them before you put your game plan together.  Pick what works best for your location, useable equipment, theme and taste.  Remember to have a good variety of foods and beverages to meet the needs of all guests.

This week I'm giving you a couple of recipes that probably are not in your current playbook.  Just remember that every game plan needs a trick play or two and these might just work for you.  Tomorrow is an easy finger food to make and eat.  Try the "Maple Pecans" recipe to have something you're able to just set around in gathering areas of the party.

Thursday's recipe is for "Chorizo-Filled Dates in Bacon" and here is a hot finger food for the party.  If you are not into Chorizo sausage, then you might try using hot or sweet Italian or Andouille sausage.

I think you'll be surprised by how many guests like these two dishes.  You've got a little time to try them out before the big game too.  Sometimes you just have to have faith in your game plan and stick with it.  So give these a try and let me know if they weren't a big hit for you.

Remember to as you do your planning.  There are quite a few recipes in the different recipe tabs of tis blog that have been big at past Super Bowl Parties.  "Happy Cooking" until next week.

Basic Burrito

Basic Burrito

(6 servings)

 

Ingredients:

1¼ to 1½ lb. Meat, your choice (see note)

1 medium White Onion, diced

3 cloves Fresh Garlic, minced

Spices (see note)

¼ cup Tomato Paste

2 cups Stock or Water

6 (10-12 inch) Flour Tortillas

1 (15 oz.) can Black Beans, drained, rinsed and heated in a little liquid (optional)

1 ½ cups Cooked Rice, your choice of type (optional)

3 cups Shredded Cheese, your choice of type

Burrito Gravy (optional)

Condiments of shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, shredded cheese, sour cream, guacamole or any others you care to use.

Directions:

In a large skillet, brown off ground beef or cook other meat until done.  Be sure to add onions and garlic during cooking process.  When done, drain any excess grease before adding spices and tomato paste.  Mix well and cook until tomato paste has browned slightly.  Add stock or water and simmer until most of liquid has evaporated but mixture is still moist.  Stir the mixture occasionally as you simmer.

Assembly:

Warm tortillas before starting to assemble the burritos.  Take a tortilla and place about ¾ cup of a combination of the meat, rice, beans and cheese (see note) just off center and spread out in a line to about 2 inches from the edge of tortilla.  Take the side of the tortilla that mixture sits on and fold over mixture.  Next bring in both ends and start to roll tortilla over towards far end to complete the package.  Wrap the finished burrito in foil and place in a pre-heated 200 degree oven on a rimmed baking sheet to keep warm while you make the rest of the burritos.  When done, serve with the condiments of choice and/or burrito gravy.  Enjoy.

Note:               You can use any kind of meat for your burrito.  Ground beef, cubed or sliced beef, chicken or pork are most common.  All meats need to be fully cooked before using as a filling for your burrito.

Note:               For spices you can use taco seasoning packets or make your own.  The “Burrito Gravy” recipe on my blog gives you one to try.  If you use it, try about 3 tbsp. for this recipe above.

Note:               This is a basic recipe for a burrito so use your imagination and make your own signature burrito to serve family and friends.

Note:               If you only use one ingredient to fill burrito, there won’t be enough using this amount to make 6 burritos.  Adjust accordingly if needed.  You could also use vegetables of choice here too

 

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Burrito Gravy

Burrito Gravy

(about a quart)

 

Ingredients:

5 tsp. Chili Powder

1 tsp. Ground Cumin

1 tsp. Onion Powder

1 tsp. Mexican Oregano, crushed

½ tsp. Garlic Powder

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. Chipotle Powder

¼ tsp. Black Pepper

4 tbsp. Unsalted Butter

4 tbsp. All-Purpose Flour

2 cups Beef Stock (unsalted)

1 (15 oz.) can Tomato Sauce

1 tsp. Sugar

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine the first 8 ingredients and set aside.  In a large sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Next add the flour and combine using a whisk and cook for about 2 minutes.  Slowly add the beef stock while continuing to whisk.  Once combined well add the tomato sauce and continue to whisk.  Now add the sugar and the spice blend you made earlier and continue to whisk until mixture thickens to the consistency of tomato sauce.  If it gets too thick thin with a little water.

Note:               Some people will use canned beef gravy instead of the beef broth.  If you do that here, omit the butter and flour.  You may need more water to get the consistency you want too. 

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Part 11 Mexican (Burritos) Cuisine

Sorry this week's posts are running late.  My assistant and I have both been under the weather (sick) this past week.  There are 3 posts coming that includes this one.  The other 2 will be recipes.  Thank you for your patience.

"Burritos" are extremely popular in the USA and Northern Mexico.  I didn't say all of Mexico because it is only the northern part that grows wheat to make the "Flour Tortilla."  The burrito is also not very old.  Maybe 200 years or less.

The true origins of the burrito are not known.  It is believed that someone in northern Mexico and/or Native Americans in the southwest USA started them.  The flour tortilla as we know today evolved out of Northern Mexico.

The burrito began as essentially a sandwich or what you would have called a sandwich in that day.  It had meat, beans or vegetables in them.  Not a combination of these ingredients as they were very simple.  The flour tortilla was folded around the filling and sealed using a little water.  Thus you could carry these anywhere and eat them when you were hungry or for a meal time.

Today's burritos have the flour tortilla and being wrapped up so the filling stays in it in common with the original ones.  From there it has been influenced by many different things.  The burritos you eat today can have everything but the kitchen sink in them.

Burritos come many different ways now.  You can order them in a sit-down restaurant today and they will come with different toppings over them.  It is common to see them on the plate with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes and shredded cheese on top.  Possibly even sour cream or guacamole on top of that.  Salsa is usually served on the side.

"Wet" or "Smothered" burritos are common too.  They have what is called a "Gravy" on top of them.  Maybe these will be topped with shredded cheese as well.  This gravy is spicy and there are many different recipes for it.  Most have beef gravy or broth mixed with tomato sauce and spices.  It varies by region and preference.  One of  this week's recipes is for a "Burrito Gravy" and it is worth trying.

In the USA, we have chain restaurants that specialize in "Wrapped Burritos" with many choices of ingredients for the filling.  Burritos today come with choice of meat (beef, pork, chicken, etc.), choice of beans and several types of rice, salsas, sour cream, guacamole and shredded cheeses.  And they're not limited to that.  It almost comes down to if you can think of something you want in them, you can get it.

I like all the different types of burritos available.  I hope if you haven't tried a burrito before, you will.  If you have tried one kind and not another, expand your experience and look for other types.  you might be surprised by which one ends up being your favorite go to "Burrito."

Until next week, "Happy Cooking" and get out there and find that great burrito.

Gluten Free Corn Bread

Gluten Free Corn Bread

(1 loaf)

 

Ingredients:

½ cup Cornmeal

½ cup Sugar

6 tbsp. Rice Flour

1½ tbsp. Tapioca Flour

1 tbsp. Cornstarch

¼ tsp. Xanthan Gum

2 tsp. Baking Powder

½ tsp. Salt

½ cup Milk (your choice)

4 tbsp. Unsalted Butter, melted

½ tsp. Vanilla

1 large Fresh Egg

Directions:

Grease a 5x9 loaf pan with canola oil or butter and dust with a little rice flour and set aside.  In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients until well mixed.  In a second mixing bowl, combine the liquid ingredient.  Once they are well combined slowly add to the dry ingredients mixing as you go.  Scrape batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 28 to 33 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.  Let cool in pan a few minutes before removing to a wire rack.  Slice and serve warm or let cool completely and bag or wrap for later.

Note:               This corn bread goes great with your favorite GF chili.  Also works well as a breakfast dish.  Serve slices warm with butter, maple syrup and/or honey.  Makes for something other than GF pancakes, etc.

Note:               You can make muffins with this recipe.  Fill regular muffin pan ¾ full and bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 375 degrees.

Note:               Remember to be aware of possible cross-contamination when making Gluten Free recipes.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Gluten Free Continued

"Celiac Disease" has NO CURE at this time but research continues to try and find one.  Celiac attacks and destroys your small intestine.  It does this through gluten contained in the foods you eat.

Gluten is found in wheat, barley and rye.  Oats can also cause problems.  Once diagnosed with celiac, a person must not have oats until the intestine has healed.  Then you must be sure they are gluten free oats.  It sounds easy to just cut these foods out of your diet.  But it is not.

The usual foods produced by these ingredients are breads, pasta and baked goods.  But to your surprise, gluten is in many processed foods too.  I will get into this more in the weeks ahead.

Let's go back to the small intestine first.  Celiac damages the "Villi or tiny folds" in your small intestine.  This causes a problem for the body to absorb the nutrients from all the foods you consume.  So it can cause malnutrition, anemia, lack of calcium, neurological problems and even cancer of some types.

So it is a serious matter and needs to be dealt with a full commitment.  Even the tiniest amount of gluten can cause problems.

So who and  how do you get celiac disease?  The who is anyone but it seems Caucasians (especially of European descent) are the biggest group.  The how is still a big question.  You may be born with it but it may not activate until later in life.  It can start anytime after gluten has been introduced to one's diet.  What activates it isn't really known yet.  But researchers believe it is inherited.  There is a gene that can be passed along that makes one more likely to have celiac.

In future weeks we will cover more areas.  They will include "Label Reading" and "Cross-Contamination" to name two.  Of course, we will talk recipes and the dos and don'ts in using substitute ingredients.

I will be adding websites, support groups and other items as we go.  To give you a good start, please check out this website for information, www.celiaccentral.org and please spread my food blog link to anyone you know that may be touched by the celiac disease in some way.

This week there will be just one recipe and it is for "Gluten Free Corn Bread" and this will give you an idea of some of the different ingredients you will be using in these recipes.  "Happy Cooking" until next week.

Starting Gluten Free Series

My Blog Assistant

Over the holidays my blog assistant (granddaughter) was confirmed to have "Celiac Disease" and has to become "Gluten Free" for the rest of her life.  At 2 years and 8 months of age, she is (in my opinion) luckier than many who don't find this out until later in life.  Those that are diagnosed in their teens or later to have Celiac or be "Gluten Sensitive" have a much harder time adjusting their eating habits.

She is also lucky that it is 2015.  Gluten Free food has come a long way from what was available 20, 15, 10 and even 5 years ago.  Now how can I say she is lucky?

Well I've always been an optimist.  But she won't remember what foods with gluten tasted like as she gets older.  Her gluten free lifestyle will be all she knows.  Plus there has been a tremendous increase in awareness, information, diets and quality of recipes over the years.  Also, all of this is only going to continue to improve the lifestyle of gluten free people.

Those individuals that have to go gluten free later in life now have to give up foods that have been a common part of their diet.  They have come to enjoy the tastes of these gluten foods.  The gluten free foods aren't there (in my opinion).  But they are improving all the time.

So because "Gluten Free" has touched my life and I am considered a "Foodie" my blog will now start to address this area.  Starting with this week, my food blog will deal with GF problems and offer GF recipes every 4 weeks.

I will try to offer resources for websites, support groups, GF cookbooks and other recipes that I feel will help those with this problem and for those who support them.

Your help is needed too if you have knowledge in this area.  Please send me items that you think can help everyone dealing with a GF life.  I thank you in advance for your input.

I will continue tomorrow addressing some concerns and offer some resources for you to use or even pass on to individuals in your circle needing GF help.  Thursday I have a recipe for "Gluten Free Corn Bread" that I think is very tasty.

Thank you and "Happy Cooking" until next week.