Spicy Turkey Lettuce Wraps

I was always a little skeptical of lettuce taking the place of a tortilla. Something as perfect as a taco just shouldn't be messed with. 

What convinced me to try these lettuce wraps? I am always looking for quick and easy, healthy, low carb, low calorie, low fat, gluten free dinner ideas. What I discovered is that these wraps are super delicious and a nice twist to the taco concept with an Asian flair!

To make these pescatarian friendly, substitute the ground turkey for shrimp, they taste awesome!

Spicy Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground turkey

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili pepper flakes

Ground pepper, to taste

2 cups carrots (about 4 medium), shredded

1/2 cup onion, chopped

2 cups mushrooms, chopped
1 cup red bell pepper, sliced thin

½ cup peanuts

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup teriyaki sauce

¼ cup low sodium soy sauce

½ cup (about a handful) cilantro, chopped

1 head leafy lettuce (you could use kale or baby romaine), leaves separated, rinsed and dried

Directions:

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over high heat. Season ground turkey with ground ginger, garlic powder, chili flakes and pepper then add to skillet. Break up the meat with a wooden spoon as it browns. Cook about 5 minutes or until meat is almost cooked through–but still slightly pink. Remove from skillet and place into a bowl; cover loosely with foil to keep meat warm. Set aside.

Using the same large skillet, add shredded carrots, peppers and onions and cook over medium heat until vegetables soften (about 3 minutes). Mix with wooden spoon or spatula to combine ingredients.

Add mushrooms, peanuts and garlic to the skillet and mix to combine ingredients. Cook all vegetables until softened, about 4 minutes.

Add reserved browned turkey to the vegetables. Add teriyaki sauce, soy sauce and cilantro to the meat and vegetable mixture. Combine all ingredients together and cook over medium heat.

Adjust amount of herbs and sauces to taste. Lower heat and simmer, allowing all flavors to meld. Top with cilantro.

While turkey mix is simmering, prepare lettuce leaves. Use a clean dishcloth or paper towels to dry leaves well.

Divide about 1/3 cup of turkey mix among each of the lettuce leaves.

I find it helpful to start eating from the stem side and roll the leafy side up to hold in the juices and filling.

Enjoy!

Shakshuka - [Eggs with Meat and Tomato Sauce]

Shakshuka is a popular dish in North Africa and the Middle East. It is basically eggs cooked in a thick, spicy sauce of tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic and spices. I just like to say it, Shakshuka! [shahk-SHOO-kah]

There are many variations of Shakshuka, and I imagine there is a similar version of this dish in every culture. Here is a very basic recipe which I have adjusted to our tastes and preferences, I hope you enjoy!

Shakshuka [Eggs with Meat and Tomato Sauce]

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 small yellow onion, sliced

1 cup fresh organic spinach

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 can organic diced tomatoes

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

16 oz ground sausage meat (optional)

1 tbsp fresh oregano

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

4 fresh organic, pasture-raised eggs

Goat cheese crumbles for garnish

Chopped cilantro for garnish

Instructions:

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add sliced onions and red bell pepper, sauté for 5 minutes until onions are translucent.

Add sausage to skillet and break and spinach, let sausage cook and spinach wilt

Add in diced tomatoes, herbs and spices; mix to combine.

Gently spread an area and crack an egg in, continue with remaining eggs. To cook quicker, cover the skillet.

Cook until eggs are at desired doneness, about 4 to 6 minutes.

  

Garnish with cilantro, crumbled goat cheese, paprika and freshly cracked black pepper.

Print this recipe!

Prosciutto, Mushroom, Caramelized Onion & Three Cheese Flatbread

There are many great things about living in San Diego California.

Besides the incredible weather, we have an abundance of the best seafood, Mexican food, craft beer, local and sustainable farming, and some of the best restaurants, bars and hospitality across the world. Yes, I might sound like an advertisement for tourism in San Diego, but I am just proud of my home town!

One of my favorite parts of San Diego is the historic Little Italy neighborhood. If you have the opportunity, you must check out the fantastic Little Italy farmers market every Saturday. I encourage you to talk a walk and explore the neighborhood that contains so much of San Diego's historical Italian culture.

If you happen upon a quaint little deli such as Assentis Pasta, or across the street at Mona Lisa's, do yourself a favor and pick up some freshly shaved prosciutto, some pasta and some cheese, you can thank me by inviting me over to help you eat it!

The following recipe is just one example of what you could make with that prosciutto and that cheese, trust me, the results are delicious!

Prosciutto, Mushroom, Caramelized Onion & Three Cheese Flatbread  (printable recipe here)

Ingredients:

2 8-inch thin flatbreads  - (we love Flatout Flatbread)
4 tbsp olive oil (garlic infused if available)
1 small onion, sliced thin
10-15 small mushrooms, sliced thin
6 oz. thin shaved premium prosciutto
3 oz. sliced mozzarella cheese
2 oz. crumbled goat cheese
2 oz. Parmegiano Reggiano, finely shredded
1 cup fresh arugula or spinach

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Slice the onions and mushrooms. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a skillet over medium/high heat, add onions. Cook until lightly browned and caramelized. Add the mushrooms to the same skillet for last 4-5 minutes, turn off heat and set aside.

Important! Before you put any ingredients on it, bake the flatbread by itself on a cookie sheet for 2-4 minutes. Remove from oven.

Drizzle flatbread with garlic flavored olive oil and evenly spread with a brush all over the top. Assemble the prosciutto, caramelized onions, mushrooms, sliced mozzarella, goat cheese, and some of the arugula. Drizzle with more oil.

Bake for about 6-7 minutes.

Remove from oven and serve with shredded parmegiano reggiano, more arugula and a splash of olive oil.

Sweet Potato Chicken Soup

Even though October can be one of the hottest months of the year here in San Diego, there has been a noticeable change in the air signalling Fall is upon us. It's not quite time yet, but I am looking forward to breaking out my sweaters!

October is easily my most favorite month of the year. Not only because it is my birthday month : ), but I also love Halloween and pumpkins and all the delicious warm soups and casseroles that are popular this time of year.

Mark made this soup for me the other night. I was thinking this would also be good if you substituted the roasted sweet potato with roasted pumpkin.... anyone want to try it and let me know how it goes?

Sweet Potato Chicken Soup

printable version

makes about 6 servings

2 cups shredded pre-cooked chicken
1 large sweet potato, diced
4 slices thick-cut smoked bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, roughly chopped
2 cups raw spinach
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 cup chopped carrots
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 25-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
24 ounces low-sodium chicken broth

Preheat oven to 450. Dice the sweet potato into bite sized pieces and put in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and stir to coat. Place in a roasting pan and roast for about 30 minutes stirring about half way through.

Preheat a large dutch oven on medium heat. Add chopped bacon and fry until brown and crispy. While bacon is frying, chop the vegetables and prep chicken. When bacon is done, remove and drain on a paper towel.

Keeping heat on medium, add onions, mushrooms and peppers to bacon grease and saute until soft, about 7 minutes. Add garlic, spinach, paprika and cumin and stir for 60 seconds. Turn heat down to low and add the roasted sweet potatoes, chickpeas, celery, carrots and chicken. Pour in chicken stock and simmer for 30 minutes.

Right before serving, add bacon back into soup. Garnish with parmesan cheese and serve with crusty bread. Season with salt and pepper if needed. 

Sweet Potato & Spicy Black Bean Tacos

I had a craving for sweet potatoes and black beans, but the husband was thinking tacos, (not unusual). So, like a healthy couple should, we compromised. The result was Sweet Potato & Black Bean Tacos, and they were awesome!

The natural sweet flavor of the potatoes and the added spices perfectly complimented the black beans. I strongly recommend that you DON'T skip the chipotle sour cream sauce with these tacos, it just works perfectly.

Inspired by one of our favorite recipes, Sweet Potato Hash, we made some slight alterations. Instead of par boiling the potatoes, we simply roasted everything for about 35 minutes.

I am intentionally not providing measurements or exact ingredients, I think this one is all about personal preference, but I will advise you to make extra, the leftover hash was delicious the next morning with eggs!

Sweet Potato & Spicy Black Bean Tacos (print this recipe)

Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes -diced (1 medium is enough for 2-3 servings)
Green bell pepper - chopped
Onion, yellow - chopped
Garlic - finely chopped
Jalapeno pepper - seeded, finely diced
Cumin
Cinnamon
Allspice
Salt & pepper
Parsley or cilantro

Spicy Black Beans
Black beans
Onion, white or yellow - diced
Cilantro
Lime juice
Cayenne pepper
Cumin
Corriander
Salt & pepper


Chipotle Sour Cream Sauce
Sour cream (about 4 oz)
Chipolte juice from the can (about 1/2 teaspoon)
Cilantro
Lime juice
Salt

Fresh corn tortillas

While you are roasting the potatoes, in a medium bowl, mix together the ingredients for the spicy black beans. In a separate small bowl, combine the chipotle sour cream sauce. Be careful with the chipotle juice, a little goes a long way! Warm your tortillas, and pile it all on to your liking.

Clam, Chard and Bacon Pizza - Just Try It!

Like the title says, don't think about it, just TRY IT. 


We are normally very traditional pizza people. We usually like thin, crispy crust, minimal ingredients, meat and veggies, simple. 


I don't know what possessed me to try this recipe. I have only eaten clams a handful of times and never from a can. I have never tried any kind of seafood on pizza and never thought I would. It must have been the bacon.


We were blown away. Nothing like I have ever had before. Absolutely delicious! The crust came out perfectly crispy in the cast iron skillet, and the toppings complimented the crust beautifully.


We followed the instructions exactly, the only change we made was adding a handful of shredded mozzarella cheese and some sliced red onions.

Clam Chard and Bacon Pizza

Adapted from Epicurious 

print version

Ingredients:
All-purpose flour (for dusting)
1 1-pound store-bought pizza dough (Trader Joe's, plain)
1 10-ounce can whole baby clams
2 slices thick-cut bacon (2 ounces), cut into 1"-wide pieces
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons minced shallot
1 1-pound bunch Swiss chard, center stalks removed, leaves torn
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon good-quality extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan


Directions:
Preheat oven to 500°F. 
(this step is optional, but helpful) Fill a large bowl with boiling water. Place a baking sheet over; dust with flour. Place dough on baking sheet; cover loosely with plastic wrap and let sit for 10 minutes to soften. Flip dough; cover and let sit 10 minutes longer.

Meanwhile, drain clams, reserving liquid. Cook bacon in a 12" cast-iron skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 4–5 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper towel–lined plate. Add garlic and shallot to drippings in skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in chard and 1/4 cup reserved clam liquid and cook, stirring, until chard is just wilted, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in butter, vinegar, and as many clams as you'd like. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl.

Wipe out skillet and heat over medium-high heat until very hot. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a 12" round. Sprinkle skillet with cornmeal and transfer dough to skillet. Brush top of dough with oil. Cook, shaking pan occasionally and turning pan to avoid hot spots, until bottom of dough is golden and crispy, 6–8 minutes.

Spread chard mixture over dough. Bake until crust is golden and cooked through, 6–8 minutes. Scatter bacon and cheese over; cook just until cheese is melted, 2–3 minutes longer.

Eggplant and Chicken Puttanesca Stacks

Don't you just love January? It's a great time to "reset" and get back on track or change your life's path. I for one don't make resolutions but I do take the time to evaluate my life, where I am and where I want to go. At this point in my life I am pretty happy with things. I like my job, I am healthy and I am madly in love with my best friend and husband. Life is good!

I found the original recipe for Eggplant and Chicken Puttanesca Stacks on The Daily Green while searching for something new and interesting to do with eggplant. When I am searching for a new recipe, I type in the main ingredient in Google then do an image search. From there I flip through hundreds of images until I find something that looks good, I am a visual person!

If you haven't heard of Puttanesca sauce, it is a tomato based sauce that combines olives and capers and it is delicious. Many people don't like anchovies so feel free to omit them and add a few extra olives instead. You could also omit the chicken and call it vegetarian, although I love the chicken and don't recommend it!

We fell in love with this recipe and have made it at least five times in the last few months. At first glance the recipe might look like a lot of effort for a dinner for two, but when you break it down it's only a few steps and it actually goes pretty quick. Expect about an hour for preparation.

Eggplant & Chicken Puttanesca Stacks 

 click here for printable recipe

Ingredients: for 2-4 Servings

For Eggplant:

1 lg. eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch slices

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup all-purpose flour, or as needed

1 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

For Chicken:

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

All-purpose flour (use remaining flour after breading the eggplant)

1 tablespoon olive oil

For Sauce and Cheese:

1/2 cup white wine

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

3 anchovy fillets packed in oil, chopped (we used 1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste)

1/4 teaspoon dried chile flakes

1/4 cup chicken stock

1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives (about 10 olives), chopped

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes

Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon

3/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, coarsely chopped, divided

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup fresh ricotta cheese, at room temperature

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Slice the eggplant into 1/4" slices, pat dry and sprinkle with black pepper.In three separate shallow bowls or pie plates, put the flour, eggs, and panko crumbs. Dip the eggplant slice in the flour both sides. Next, coat the floured slice with egg, dredge the eggplant slice in the panko. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Working in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan, fry the eggplant slices for about 2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Transfer the eggplant to the lined baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Flip the slices over and continue baking for an additional 10 minutes.

While the eggplant is in the oven, prepare the chicken. Slice the chicken into 1/2" pieces, lightly pound flat with a meat mallet. Season the pieces with salt and pepper then coat each piece in flour and shake off excess. Place chicken pieces in sauté pan with 2 tbsp. of olive oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, sauté the chicken pieces for about 2 minutes on each side, until lightly browned and cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and cover to keep warm.

For the sauce, pour the wine into the pan to deglaze, scraping the bits from the bottom. Add the garlic, anchovies, and chile flakes and sauté for 30 seconds. Stir in the stock, olives, tomatoes, lemon juice, and 1/2 cup of the parsley, and add the chicken back into the pan. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer while the eggplant finishes baking. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.

In a small bowl, mix the Riccota cheese, the remaining 1/4 cup parsley, the lemon zest, salt, and ground black pepper.

When the eggplant is done, start building your stacks! Start with one slice of eggplant, top with a spoonful of the cheese mixture, add a piece of chicken, a little more cheese, then a heaping spoon of the Puttenesco sauce, then another piece of eggplant. If desired, spoon some remaining sauce and cheese on top of each stack and serve.

Enjoy!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Since ALL of our friends and family are avid readers and followers of "I Don't Cook, But My Boyfriend Does!", we are often sent recipes to try in hopes that they will make it to the blog.Well, here is a good example of that.

It's weird, of all the soups we have posted over the years, Chicken Tortilla Soup has somehow never graced our recipe index before now. I can not explain it, we love SOUP, we love CHICKEN and we love SPICY soups, and this my friends is all that, and more. It's AMAZING!!

Thank you Bill for sending us this delicious and VERY SIMPLE recipe, a definite keeper!

Chicken Tortilla Soup (serves at least 8)
print version


4 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
8 cups chicken broth (= 2 of those cartons)
8 corn tortillas, sliced into pieces
1 med. onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c. chopped cilantro
2- 14 1/2 oz. cans diced tomatoes w/ jalapenos
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 1/2 Tbsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
3 bay leaves


In a large stock pot: (we used a 6 qt. dutch oven)
- 6 Tbsp. oil over high heat
- add tortilla pieces, fry until crispy and set aside on paper towel to absorb oil
- add onion, cilantro, & garlic- saute
- add tomatoes and all juices from the cans- bring to a boil
- add broth, cumin, chili powder, & bay leaves- bring back to a boil
- reduce heat to simmer *see note below
- add chicken breasts (raw, even frozen is fine) & cayenne pepper
- simmer (approx. 15 min. if frozen breasts)
- remove bay leaves
- take out breasts, check for "done-ness", shred, and put back into pot.

Top with:
-avocado
-fresh cilantro
-sour cream
-shredded cheese
-tortilla chip pieces

You will have plenty for left-overs! Great to make in advance and let it sit on the stove, or easy to reheat.

It's a very flexible recipe, i.e., you can use more or less tortillas or chicken etc...  Adjust spiciness with more or less cayenne.

* Note: We roasted 2 jalapenos and 1 serrano pepper for about 15 minutes, removed most seeds, chopped and added just before adding the chicken, it added a nice roasted flavor!

If you like this recipe, you might also like this recipe for Shrimp Fra Diavolo that Bill also shared with us!

Favorite Soups and Stews to Warm You Up!

As you can see from my lack of posts lately, I have been in a blogging funk.

It's certainly not because we have not been cooking some great stuff, we have made some fabulous meals lately,  I just haven't felt like writing.

Since we write this blog as a team, my partner in crime is stepping up and giving me that extra "shove" that I need. By that, I mean Mark has come up with a 'blog menu' of dishes that he will prepare with the specific intention of posting. The list includes some exciting and exotic dishes featuring some unusual spices and ingredients, I am sure you will be intrigued too!


In the meantime, here are a few of our most popular soups and stews to help inspire and keep you warm during these cool and rainy days.

Butternut Squash & Red Pepper Soup

White Bean Chicken Chili

 Mushroom Barley Soup

Egyptian Split Pea Soup

Albondigas

Check back soon, new and exciting dishes are on the way! I'm getting inspired just thinking about it!

Recipes for the Holiday Weekend

It's been 3 weeks since I have had a real camera. You probably noticed the drab and dull photo in my Fathers Day post, that was taken with my husbands cell phone, which actually came out better than the one with my iphone camera...... but that is another story.

Since I just can't take a good picture right now, we thought this would be a great time to recap some of our favorite Summer recipes that you might consider making for the upcoming holiday weekend.........

Brisk Tea Cocktail

 Orange Pasta Asparagus Salad 

Potato Salad

Colorful Tomato Salad

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

Pinto Beans That Rock!

Turkey Burgers

Grilled Sweet Potatoes

A new camera is being carefully researched and I can't wait to start photographing again. Until then, wishing you and yours a wonderful Fourth of July weekend brimming with good eats and lots of fun!

Ginger Shrimp Stir Fry..... and Awards

 

Here is a quick and easy stir fry dish that we made healthy by serving on a bed of chopped cabbage instead of rice, delicious!

Keep reading to see the special award that Kelly from Eat Yourself Skinny sent to me and to see who I am giving the award to!

Shrimp Ginger Stir Fry  

Makes 2 servings

Printable recipe


Ingredients:

1 tablespoons cornstarch

¼ cup orange juice

3 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp honey

1 tsp walnut oil

1/2 lb uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

½ cup julienned carrots

½ cup julienned yellow pepper

½ cup sliced mushrooms

½ cup fresh pea pods

¼ cup thinly sliced green onions

1 ½ cups thinly chopped cabbage (or rice if you prefer)

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and orange juice until smooth. Stir in the soy sauce, vinegar, honey and set aside.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok. Add the shrimp and stir fry for about 30 seconds. Add ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes, cook 1-2 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Remove shrimp from pan and keep warm.

In the same pan, add the sliced carrots, mushrooms and yellow bell pepper and stir fry for 1 minute. Add the broth mixture and bring to a boil, stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Add the pea pods, onions and shrimp mixture; heat through. Serve immediately over a bed of thinly chopped cabbage, enjoy!

The Award

Kelly at Eat Yourself Skinny was very kind to bestow an award to me! You must check out her blog, she features healthy and delicious recipes without all the guilt and calories, and she is a fabulous and entertaining writer! 

And the rules are that I get to share 7 things about me that you probably didn't already know, and then I am supposed to send this to 15 other bloggers who have versatile, creative and awesome blogs....... here you go!

1. Nine times out of ten I will choose a piece of cheese over a piece of chocolate.
2. I hate shopping of any kind and will avoid it until the last possible minute.
3. I am excited to become an Aunt to my brothers first child this year!
4. One of my goals is to visit every National Park in the US, with 388 parks, I have a lot of parks to visit, 384 to be exact.
5. I haven't seen a movie in the theater since 2004.
6. My hair has been every color of the rainbow at some point in my life, sometimes at once.
7. It's the cat that decides where WE sleep on the bed at night.

These are just some of the bloggers that I would like to pass the Versatile Blogger Award to, they have all earned it with their creative blogs and well written content!

Letiza @ Cooking For Friends
The Souper @ Prep 2 Eat
Sarah @ Pearl and Pine
Jeanne @ Simple Math Bakery
Amanda @ Two Girls On The Go
Jessica @ Cajunlicious
Steph @ Steph's Bite by Bite
Lisa @ The Suburban Gourmet
The Saturday Evening Pot
Joy @ Joy's Misadventures
Mikaela @ Baguette Taste,  Wonder Bread Budget
Little Corner of Mine
Daksha @ Vegetarian Recipes World
Jess @ Hungry Harps
Nuts About Food

Now, I just want to say that I know these award posts are time consuming to respond to and when they start going around some people get multiple awards and it can get a little ridiculous, so if you want to respond and pass it around, go for it, but please don't feel obligated, we understand!

Mushroom Barley Soup

Many of you are probably already familiar with the Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen. Mark has been a fan of it's recipes for years, in fact, it may be the reason he fell in love with cooking in the first place, (thank you Mollie!).

You just gotta love mushrooms. With over 38,000 varieties in the world, they are low in fat, sodium and cholesterol and they provide many other nutrients our bodies need. And if you are trying to get more fiber in your diet, barley is an excellent source.

This recipe is so simple yet very hearty and filling and perfect to warm you up on a cool day. We like to make a big heaping pot full on the weekends and eat it all week. Sometimes we vary it up and add carrots and leeks, a nice touch!

Moosewood Mushroom and Barley Soup

Ingredients:

1/2 cup pearl barley, raw

6 1/2 cups stock or water (try making your own veggie stock!)

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons tamari soy sauce

4 tablespoons dry sherry

3 tablespoons butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup onion, chopped

1 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced (we used both portebella and cremini)

Fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

Cook barley in 1 1/2 cup of the stock or water until tender (cook it right in the soup kettle).

Add remaining stock or water, tamari and sherry.

Sauté onions and garlic in butter. When they soften, add mushrooms and 1/2 tsp salt.

When all is tender add to barley, being sure to include the liquid the vegetables expressed while cooking.

Give it a generous grinding of black pepper and simmer 20 minutes, covered, over the lowest possible heat.

Note: This soup is best served with a nice crusty loaf of bread for dipping!

Gorgonzola Stuffed Chicken With Walnuts

While searching for a new chicken recipe, we stumbled upon this fantastic recipe from Amy at Meat N Veggies. There are thousands of recipes out there for stuffed chicken, but we were looking for one that called for Gorgonzola cheese, mushrooms and walnuts, there are a few less of those. Perseverance paid off and this dish turned out exactly how we wanted, amazing!

We pretty much followed Amy’s recipe, but we threw in some asparagus and we found some left over bacon bits that we mixed in just before the cheese. We also sprinkled some breadcrumbs along with the walnuts before placing in the oven.

Ingredients:
4 to 6 chicken breasts
1 tablespoon olive oil (or bacon fat)
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, chopped
1 cup yellow onion, chopped (about 1/2 of a medium onion)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup of fresh basil, chopped
1 egg white
1/4 cup walnuts chopped finely in a food processor


Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a skillet over medium heat, melt the fat or heat oil until shimmering. Add the mushrooms and onion; cook until the mushrooms release their juices and begin to brown.

Push the mushrooms and onions to the edge of the pan, clearing the center. Place the garlic in the center of the pan and drizzle a bit of oil on top; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir the garlic, mushrooms and onions together. Add the 1/2 cup chopped walnuts and basil then mix well. Turn off the heat, add the cheese, and stir until the mixture is well combined.

While the mixture is cooling, with your knife parallel to the counter, slice each breast in half so it opens up like a book. Be careful not to cut all the way through the chicken breast, you need that seam.

With the breast opened like a butterfly, place a 1/4 cup or so of mixture onto one half of the chicken breast, then fold the empty half on top. Place the stuffed breasts into a 9×12 baking dish (I prefer glass). Once all the breasts are stuffed, brush them with egg whites and sprinkle the walnuts on top.

Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the juices run clear.

Spinach, Mushroom & Bacon Frittata

Spinach, Mushroom and Bacon Frittata

They were on sale, so I bought a dozen eggs, and unknowingly, so did Mark. We barely go through half a dozen eggs a month, and now we had 24 that needed to be eaten fairly soon. I know, there a lot worse situations in life, but besides deviled eggs or egg salad sandwiches, I was at a loss for what to do with all these eggs.

I always thought I liked quiche until I recently bought a slice at the local farmers market. Maybe that fact alone had a lot to do with it, it looked good, but it was horrible. It was really soft and custardy, almost runny, and cold. Not good.

So I set out on an internet quest to find a new egg recipe. I wanted something firm, moist, but not runny inside, and I wanted to use mushrooms, cheese and lots of herbs.

Of course I ended up combining many recipes to get the desired texture, consistency and flavor, but I finally came up with something more like a frittata than anything else. And the fact that bacon ended up an ingredient was just a bonus!

Ingredients:

4 eggs

2 egg whites

4 strips of thick sliced bacon

½ cup sliced mushrooms

½ bag fresh spinach, chopped

2 green onions chopped

1 1/2 cups Monterrey Jack cheese, grated

1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

1/4 cup fresh chopped basil

1 tbsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp cayenne powder

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch pie pan with cooking spray.

In a large nonstick skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic and mushrooms. Sauté 5 or 6 minutes, until onions start to soften and the mushrooms and bacon are browned.
 
Add spinach and fresh herbs and a pinch of salt. Reduce heat to medium and cook until most of the moisture is evaporated, stirring occasionally.


Meanwhile, combine eggs and egg whites in a large bowl. Add cheese, salt, pepper, and cayenne, mix well. Add spinach mushroom mixture and stir quickly to blend. Quickly pour into the pie pan.
 
Bake about 35 minutes. Remove from oven. Let cool 6-8 minutes before serving. Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Cioppino (Seafood Stew)

Classic Seafood Cioppino

Mark wanted to make me something special for my birthday this weekend,  so I chose Cioppino. A hearty Italian seafood tomato based soup, Cioppino can include a variety of ingredients. We chose lobster, shrimp, scallops and clams.

If you prefer, you can also add crab meat, mussels, squid, any kind of fish such as halibut, sea bass or salmon,  the possibilities are endless. To keep it authentic, keep the shellfish in the shells. The traditional fish stew is said to have been derived by the Italian fishermen in San Francisco in the 1800's. The name comes from ciuppin, a word meaning "to chop" or "chopped" which described the process of making the stew by chopping up various leftovers of the days catch.

Ingredients:

6 large garlic cloves, minced

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 bay leaves

1 tsp dried oregano, crumbled

1 tsp dried hot red pepper flakes

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

1 green bell pepper, diced

3 tbsp tomato paste

1 1/2 cups dry red wine

1 (32-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes, drained, reserving juice, and chopped

1 cup bottled clam juice

1 cup chicken broth

1 lb Dungeness crab, whole

12 small (2-inch) hard-shelled clams (1 1/2 pound) such as littlenecks, scrubbed

½ lb skinless red snapper or halibut fillets, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

1 lb large shrimp (16 to 20), tails and bottom segment of shells left intact and deveined

1/2 lb sea scallops, tough muscle removed from side of each if necessary

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil

Directions:

Cook garlic, onions, bay leaf, oregano, and red pepper flakes with salt and pepper in oil in an 8-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring, until onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in bell pepper and tomato paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add wine and boil until reduced by about half, 5 to 6 minutes. Add tomatoes with their juice, clam juice, and broth and simmer, covered, 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

While stew is simmering, hack crab pieces through shell into 2- to 3-inch pieces with a large heavy knife. Add crab pieces, lobster and clams to stew and simmer, covered, until clams just open, 5 to 10 minutes, checking every minute after 5 minutes and transferring opened clams to a bowl with tongs or a slotted spoon. (Discard any unopened clams after 10 minutes.) Lightly season fish fillets, shrimp, and scallops with salt and add to stew, then simmer, covered, until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Discard bay leaf, then return clams to pot and gently stir in parsley and basil.

Serve Cioppino hot in large soup bowls with fresh sourdough bread.

Note: You might want to cover your clothing with a large napkin or bib, this can get messy!

Albondigas Soup

Comfort food for any culture!

One of most favorite soups in the world is Albondigas Soup. In case you don’t know what that is, it is a traditional Mexican soup with a broth base, seasonal vegetables and spicy meatballs. In any culture, it is the perfect comfort food after a long, cold day.

I wish I had a wise Mexican grandmother to teach me how to make the traditional authentic Albondigas, (or sopa de albondigas) but I don’t. So, with the help of 6 cookbooks and the internet, I think I came up with a sufficient version. Of course I will undoubtedly tweak this recipe, add a little of this or maybe some of that, until it is perfect. In the meantime, here is how I made my first Albondigas soup.

For the Meatballs:

1 ½ pounds ground beef

½ cup finely diced onion

¼  cup finely diced celery

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 eggs

½ cup uncooked rice

2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs

1 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped

1 tsp dried oregano

salt, ground black pepper

For the Soup:

8 cups chicken stock (I use low sodium)

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 potatoes cut into bite sized pieces

½ cup thinly sliced carrots

½ cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped fresh Roma tomatoes

5-6 whole cloves of garlic

1 tsp red chili flakes

1 bunch cilantro

1 lime
Fresh corn tortillas

How to prepare

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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine beef, onion, ¼ cup celery, garlic, cumin, eggs, rice, parsley, oregano, and bread crumbs, and salt and pepper. Mix well. Form into 30 small meatballs. Place on baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Set aside.

Place the cut potatoes in a pot of boiling water and cook until just tender, but not too soft. Drain and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large stock pot. Add carrots, remaining ½ cup celery, and garlic.

Sauté for about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, chili flakes, and the potatoes.

Add the chicken stock and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add meatballs and continue to simmer on low heat until ready to serve.

Serve hot and garnish with cilantro and lime and corn tortillas.

Fish Tacos - San Diego Style

My husband and I are both native to San Diego. I am the daughter of a builder. He is the son of a fisherman. These facts combined, we know how to build an awesome fish taco!

San Diego Fish Tacos – Serves 6

Ingredients for Marinade - (10 ounces tilapia fillets)

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

1/8 cup chopped cilantro

1 tbsp adobo pepper sauce

2 tbsp lime juice (I like to add some zest as well)

2 tbsp honey

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Salt and ground black pepper

For the marinade, whisk together in a medium bowl the olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, adobo sauce, honey, garlic, cumin, chili powder, cilantro, salt and black pepper until blended. Place the tilapia in a shallow dish, and pour the marinade over the fish. Cover and refrigerate 4 to 8 hours.

Dressing Ingredients:

4 oz light sour cream

3 tbsp mayonnaise

3 tbsp adobo sauce

2 tbsp fresh lime juice

1 tbsp honey

1/8 cup cilantro, finely chopped

1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped

1/8 teaspoon cumin

1/8 teaspoon chili powder

Salt and pepper to taste

To make the dressing, combine the sour cream, mayonnaise and adobo sauce in a bowl. Stir in the lime juice, honey, cumin, chili powder, cilantro and garlic. Add salt, and pepper in desired amounts. Cover, and refrigerate until needed.

Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat and lightly oil grate. Set grate 4 inches from the heat. Remove fish from marinade, discard excess marinade. Grill fish pieces until easily flaked with a fork, turning once, about 8-9 minutes.

Assemble tacos with warmed 6” corn tortillas, a layer of red cabbage, desired amount of fish, cilantro, avocado slices, crumbled queso fresco cheese, a spoonful of dressing, and a splash of your favorite hot sauce or salsa. Squeeze a wedge of lime all over it, devour, and repeat.

That is how we do it in San Diego. How do you do it?

Chicken Tortilla Pie

I couldn’t help myself, I am so ashamed.  It’s almost 10 PM and I just finished off the chicken tortilla pie that we made 2 nights ago. It was almost just as good cold.

We made this a few weeks ago, with different ingredients, good, but nothing great. This time we considered our notes from before, added chicken, no rice, and added the roasted Poblano Chili. Now we have something to blog about.

Chicken Tortilla Pie - Makes 4 servings
Click here to print

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked, chopped, chicken

1 roasted Poblano chili, chopped

1 or 2 Serrano chilies, depending on your spice tolerance

1 15 oz can black beans

1 6 oz can yellow corn

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

8 oz cream cheese and/or goat cheese

2 tbsp chopped garlic

10-20 sliced black olives

1 cup spicy salsa of your choice 

3 or 4 8” flour tortillas

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

Salt and ground black pepper

Suggested garnishes: tomatoes, avocados, cilantro, sour cream or queso fresco

Directions:

Roast the Poblano pepper at 400 degrees for at least 20 minutes, or until tender. Leave the oven on.

In a large skillet, sauté onion in olive oil over medium-low heat until tender and translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for about 3-4 minutes.

Lower heat and stir in cooked chicken, black beans, corn, poblano chilies, olives, spices and salt and pepper.

Slowly stir in cheese and add the salsa and mix well. Reduce heat to medium-low. Let simmer for at least 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it reaches the desired heat and consistency.

Lightly grease a 9 or 10-inch deep-sided round casserole dish or pie pan. (oven should already be at 400 degrees.)

Place one of the tortillas on the bottom of the pan or dish, then spread 1/3 of the mixture evenly over it, then lay another tortilla on top and repeat with a layer of mixture.

You can add more cheese in between layers, or other garnishes, there are no rules, put what you like on it! We used 3 tortillas.

Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake for about 20 minutes or until top cheese is melted, and tortilla is just getting crispy on the outside. Let rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing into 4 quarters. Serve with desired toppings and garnishes.

Stuffed Poblano Peppers

When it comes to finding inspiration for dinner, I just open up Foodbuzz. It doesn't take long to find countless tempting recipes with amazing pictures all begging to be made and tasted. The hard part is deciding which ONE to make today!

When I ran across this recipe for Stuffed Poblano Peppers from A Couple Cooks, I knew it was meant to be. I love their blog, it's well written, easy to read, and great pictures! I have made several recipes inspired by them, we seem to like a lot of the same ingredients.

This recipe is easy to adjust to your preference. The way they made it is a wonderful vegetarian dish, but I had some ground pork that I didn't know what to do with, so I threw it in, a good idea! I also took note of Sonja's comment and decided to use goat cheese instead of the Mexican blend, another good idea!

Stuffed Poblano Peppers Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 poblano peppers
1 cup uncooked brown rice (or any cooked grain)
1 cup of cooked ground pork (optional)
1 cup salsa
1 15 oz. can of black beans
1 cup frozen or canned corn kernels
8 oz cheese (shredded blend, goat cheese, or ??)
3 green onions (optional)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
Chopped cilantro for serving (optional)
Cayenne to taste
Salt and freshly ground pepper


Combine 1 cup uncooked rice with 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, then simmer according to package instructions. (Or, prepare the rice or grain ahead of time.)
While the rice cooks, prepare the peppers: slice them in half and remove the seeds and ribs. Make sure to wear gloves!  
Place the peppers in a baking dish skin side up. Broil about 5-6 minutes, then flip the peppers and broil 5-7 minutes more.
Chop the 3 green onions (if using), and drain and rinse the black beans.
In a large microwave safe bowl, combine: beans, onions, salsa, corn, a bit of the cheese, cumin, chili powder, a couple dashes of cayenne, if you like it spicy!
Season with salt and pepper to taste. When the rice is finished, combine with the filling.

Note: Remember that quantities and ingredients are all to taste, so feel free to adjust as needed!

Heat the filling a few minutes in the microwave (or on the stove) until warm, depending on the heat of the rice.
Place the pepper halves skin side down in a baking dish, and spoon the filing into each half. Top with shredded cheese and broil until the cheese is melted, for about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
If desired, garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with sour cream.

Alternative oven method: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Follow steps above to prepare the peppers and filling. Then bake until the peppers are tender and browned, around 25 to 30 minutes.