spicy winter vegetable stew with turmeric basil quinoa

yesterday was the gloomiest day that Austin has seen since I've moved here, except for maybe today which is shaping up to be just as cold, wet and gray. Unfortunately, all the cold weather is turning my waist line into a waist round. This is a great warm, comforting winter dinner, it's flavorful and extremely filling, and the greatest part is that one large serving of quinoa and stew is only about 350 calories.  So let's get to it!
I always make just one serving of quinoa and about 4-6 servings of veggies so that I can freeze the stew and heat it up later in the month :)

For 2 Servings of Quinoa:
1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water, vegetable stock or chicken stock (low sodium)
a dash of turmeric
a dash of salt and pepper

For approx 4 servings of Stew:
between 1/2 lb-3/4 lb of butternut squash, medium diced (that's half of a smallish medium squash)
1 zuchinni, medium diced
2 large carrots or 3 small carrots, medium diced
1-2 large handful's of spinach leaves
1 14 oz box of diced tomatoes (I use the box not the can just because I've heard that the acid in the tomatoes reacts with the aluminum can and I try to avoid putting that weird acid aluminum erosion into my body)
1-2 cups of water as needed
1/2 yellow onion, medium diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 t olive oil (the only fat added to the dish..not too shabby!)
for the spices my measurements are approximate as I adjust them to taste as the stew cooks, you may like more or less spice than I do.
1 T cumin
1 T sweet hungarian paprika
1 T salt
1/2 T cayenne pepps
2 t chili powder
2 t ground coriander
1 t ground ginger
1 t turmeric
a few grinds of cracked black pepps
a few leaves of fresh herbs for mixing in and garnishing, you can use any cool toned sweet-ish herbs that you like, so this would include, cilantro, flat or curley parsley, mint, basil (i use basil and mint, cilantro and I are NOT amigos unless it's in the form of ground coriander)

Get 'Er Done:
bring the quinoa, tumeric and liquid to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook covered about 15 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed and the little spiral germ has come out from the grain and it's soft and fluffy.

Add the teaspoon of olive oil to a medium sauce pot over medium heat, add the onion and garlic and saute until soft, about 5 mins.

Add in the dry spices (not the salt or fresh herbs though). You should be hit with a really spicy, warm aroma and the onions and garlic will turn a nice orange yellow hue. (they should actually be more red than the picture but we all know what my camera can do to colors and whatnot)

Let the spices and onions marry together for a few minutes and then add in the diced squash and carrots and stir to get them coated in the spices.

Add the salt, tomatoes and enough water to cover the vegetables and an inch above them.  It seems like a lot of liquid but it will cook out and the veggies will draw some of it in.

(Your quinoa is probably finished by now, turn off the heat, stir in some chiffonades of basil and let it sit until we're ready)

Bring the stew to a boil, covered on high heat, reduce to medium and let cook for about 20 minutes or until the vegetables are ALMOST to the consistency you want them (I like mine soft but with a bite, not mushy)

Once you're at the point where a piece of squash can be cut with a fork, add in the zucchini, stir and cook uncovered (so that some liquid can cook out) for about 15 minutes or until the veggies are at the right consistency.

Add in 2 handfuls of spinach and mix--the heat will wilt it within 1 minute. 

Taste the stew and adjust the seasonings and spices as necessary. 

Now, this is my trick for the quinoa that looks really pretty but also gives me the illusion that I'm eating way more quinoa than I am (think waist line, not waist round).

Form the quinoa around the edge of your bowl, leaving a big whole in the center of the bowl.

Scoop 1.5-2 cups of the stew into the center well. Garnish with the fresh basil and mint (or whatever herbs you used)

Another alternative to freezing any leftovers you might have is putting the stew into a blender or food processor until it's more of a ragu type mixture and adding some more tomatoes or tomato sauce and roasted garlic and using it as a pasta sauce or a hearty ragu to serve along side lamb or beef or to serve over grilled polenta rounds. 

Happy Healthy Eating!!!

sirloin and bean chili with corn bread and smoked cheddar

Upon returning to a normally drought and heat stricken central Texas I was hit in the face by 50 degree wind gusts. CHILI TIME!!!  

even though everyone knows that i'm always ecstatic about what i call "chili weather", i've never actually made chili before. and recipe schmecipe. so this evening was a great american staple adventure.

staple like quintessential dish, not like i went on an adventure for office supplies. (although, i do love supplies so if you know of any nifty useless supply websites, get at me)

There was a lot that went into this chili, not in the actual cooking but in terms of getting to the chili action. the grocery store trip was exhausting. I stood in front of the $12 sea salts for 10 minutes until I realized I do not have $12 to spend on salt (for the record: i went with slice and bake cookies, instead of a posh sea salt confection) Then, because I wanted to use really good cheese to garnish my chili, I stood in front of the "british isles/cheddar" section smelling every single cheese at least three times over.

there is a lot that I wanted for this chili. A lot that couldn't happen, sadly. I wanted to use dried rather than canned beans, but since I didn't know I would be making chili until an hour before dinner, I couldn't use dried beans. Also, I originally intended to make a turkey white bean chili, but there was no ground turkey at the store and so I took that as a friendly nudge in the direction of big meat, ground sirloin, to be precise. 

once the glorious grocery store madness ended, it was chili improv time:

1/2 T butter, 1/2 T olive oil

1-3 lbs ground sirloin 

1 12 oz can crushed tomatoes

1 12 oz can fire roasted tomatoes with green chiles

1-3 cups chicken stock

1 can black beans, no salt added; drained and rinsed

1 can kidney beans, no salt added; drained and rinsed

1/2 white or yellow onion, diced

2 large cloves of garlic, minced

1 jalapeno, diced

approx 1 T cumin (or to taste)

approx 1/2 T chile powder (or to taste)

approx 1 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)

1 T dried oregano

approx 2 T salt (or to taste)

avocado slices for garnish

sharp yellow cheddar and/or smoked cheddar for garnish (and for melty cheesey gooodness)

a slice of cornbread or a pepperjack corn muffin if you are me and you are lucky enough to come across that in the store!!!!!! ( i wanted to make my own cornbread, i really did, but as i mentioned earlier, grocery stores are distracting and exciting for me and i don't always meet all my goals)

How It Alllll Goessss Down:

1. melt the olive oil and butter together in a heavy soup pot. Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeno. Saute until translucent but not brown.

2. Add the spices and stir to combine. and to make great aromas happen

3. Add the sirloin and cook over medium heat until fully brown.

4. Pour in both cans of tomatoes, crushing and mixing with a wooden spoon. Add enough chicken stock to just cover the meat and loosen up the chili, but not enough to make it brothy. Bring to a simmer and let simmer for at least 20 minutes (45 minutes or an hour will only make it taste better).

 5. After simmering for as long as your impatient taste buds can handle, add the beans, stir and taste. Adjust the seasonings and spices as necessary!

Put a slice of cornbread or a corn bread muffin into a bowl. Ladle the chili on top, garnish with both shredded (or oddly minced if you don't have a grater like me) smoked cheddar and sharp aged yellow cheddar, avocado slices and sliced scallions. 

This is what it looked like after I mushed around all the garnishes and the corn muffin :) it was a deliciously sweet, corny, meaty, spicy, smokey, cheesy bucket of YUM. except it was a bowl, i WISH it had been a bucket.

it's officially been 2 days since i've made this chili and i wanted to add that i've eaten it for breakfast yesterday and today. it's delicious, plentiful and only gets better as it sits :) 

low and slow lamb

with the holidays coming up I thought I'd provide an easy to prep and cook "holiday roast" type thang. 

What You Need:

a leg of lamb, bone in. I used a 3 lb leg since I am not having a holiday dinner today and did not need to feed anyone other than my hungry neighbors. Depending on how much your family/friends eat, 3.5 lbs is enough for about 5 people. (give or take)

a large bunch of rosemary sprigs (10-20)

a large bunch of thyme sprigs (10-20)

1 bay leaf

half a bottle of white wine 

1 cup of water

1 cup of low sodium chicken stock

1 garlic head with the root chopped off so all the bulbs are exposed

olive oil

lots of kosher or sea salt

ground black pepper

What You Do:

Heat the oven to 300 degrees. 

Heat a large pot over medium high heat.

Rub olive oil on the lamb, cover with lots of salt and some pepper

Using tongs, place the lamb in the hot pot. You should hear a VERY loud sizzle. 

Let sear on ALL sides about 7 minutes until a beautiful golden brown crust covers the lamb.

Remove the lamb to a plate or clean cutting board.

Turn the heat down to medium-low and pour the water, stock and white wine into the pot. Using a wooden spoon scrape up all the lovely brown goodness bits on the bottom of the pan.

Put the fresh herb sprigs and the garlic head into the pot.

Place the lamb back into the pot, cover with an oven safe lid or tinfoil and place into the oven. 

Cook until the lamb registers at 150 on a meat thermometer. (The carry over cooking will bring it to safe temp once it's out of the oven) Baste it ever 30 minutes with the liquid in the pot, checking the internal temperature every 30 minutes after the first hour. Should take about 4 hours for a 7 lb leg of lamb, 2 hours for the lamb that I did. 

Once finished, remove from the pot, cover with foil and let rest so that the juices distribute back into the meat. 

While the meat rests, strain the braising liquid into a small sauce pan, bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and allow the liquid to reduce to a thick sauce. 

Alternatively, make a gravy. Make a roux by combining 1 T of butter and 1 T flour in the sauce pot over medium heat and then straining the braising liquid into the pot and whisking until thick. Adjust the seasonings and pour over the roast or serve on the side.

mac and cheese proscuitto cup cakes....

sorry that I don't have a better picture. I hate cupcakes. I hate the cupcake trend that is sweeping the nation.
However, if that cupcake is a savory mac and cheese pig concoction...LEGO.

I adapted this recipe from a picture I saw on chow.com but I used my mac and cheese recipe that you can find on this blog. Follow the recipe for the cheese sauce but do not add any buffalo sauce and skip the whole chicken, onion, garlic filling part.

Buy some proscuitto. And all the stuff for the mac and cheese.
preheat the oven to 375
rim a muffin pan with 2 slices of proscuitto per muffin cup. (no oil necessary thanks to the ever lovely bacon grease) pop it into the oven for about 10 minutes.
take the muffin tin out and fill the proscuitto lined muffin cups with spoon fulls of the mac and cheese topped with some panko and some extra shreds of cheddar.
back into the oven until the tops are golden and bubbly and the proscuitto cups are nice and crispy.
use a spoon to remove and let your taste buds experience a whole new world, a magical place that they never knew.

winner winner chicken dinner

I'm unsure as to why the chicken looks like a turtle in this picture. It is not a turtle. It is a chicken thigh. If you want to cook turtle you should reference epic meal time, because I, unfortunately, don't know anything about cooking turtles. 

So my dinner was braised rosemary thyme chicken sauteed kale and a panko roasted heirloom tomato. 

I found really delicious smelling tomatoes and herbs at the store, so I had to buy them. When you have ingredients this beautiful, you really don't need much else to make delicious food.

What You'll Need (yields 2 servings):

for the chicken:

2 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, bone in, skin on ensures a juicy, moist end product. 

6 whole fresh sage leaves

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, minced

3 sprigs of fresh thyme or lemon thyme, minced

4 sage leaves, minced

2 garlic cloves, smashed

1-3 T olive oil and/or butter

1/4 c-1 c no sodium chicken stock depending on the size of your chicken thighs

salt, pepper

for the kale bell pepper saute:

1 bunch of kale, chopped into bite size pieces

1 red, yellow, or orange bell pepper

1 garlic clove, smashed

1 T olive oil

crushed red pepper

salt

1/8 c chicken stock

for the panko roasted tomato:

at least 1 medium-large tomato, I used 3

1 cup of panko bread crumbs

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 T fresh basil, chopped

2 T parmesan cheese, grated 

1 T olive oil

salt and pepper

So, let us charge onward to the turtle chicken. 

Mince up the sage, rosemary and thyme. 

smash 2 garlic cloves with the back of your knife or the bottom of wine bottle or olive oil bottle.

Take out the chicken thighs and lightly rub oil or melted butter on them, not a lot, just enough so that the seasonings will stick. now, SALT AND PEPPER them. seasoning the meat before you cook it is crucial.  do not be afraid of salt. use about 4 pinches this size per chicken thigh. 

I know, it seems like a lot of salt. Let me tell you a secret. The reason that food tastes so delicious in restaurants is because these people are good buddies with salt. (and butter, but that's a tale for another day). Sorry to burst your bubble, but it was time for you to hear the terrible, salty truth. 

Once you've salt and peppered the chicken, lift up the skin on each and put 3 whole sage leaves under the skin (helloooo flavortown) then pat on the minced herbs to coat all sides of the thighs. 

Heat a wide pan with at least 1" sides over medium-high heat. Once hot, add olive oil, or a mixture of oil and butter and the 2 smashed garlic cloves. As soon as you can smell the garlic, use tongs to place the chicken thighs, skin side down into the pan. You should hear a really loud sizzle. Sizzle=brown and crispy skin=good time for your taste buds. Let the chicken brown, skin side down for 5-7 minutes, you want it to be really golden brown before flipping to brown the bottom side. 

Once the chicken is browned on both sides, pour in enough chicken broth to come up 1/3 of the way on the chicken thighs. The pan is going to make a loud noise, don't be scared, it's supposed to happen.

 Bring the heat to a lower temperature so that the stock is simmering (small bubbles hitting the surface, not a boil though) and cover for approx 10-20 minutes. Until your meat thermometer reads 165 degrees.

You can buy a digital meat thermometer at most grocery stores for around $10. It's worth it. 

So once your chicken registers at 165 degrees you are finished!!

So, let's back track. While the chicken is braising in the pan, you can make the kale and tomatoes.

For the tomatoes:

preheat the oven to 375

halve the tomato/es and drizzle with some olive oil, and some salt.

in a bowl combine the cup of panko bread crumbs, minced garlic, chopped basil, salt, pepper, parmesan.

pack the bread crumb mixture onto the tomato halves and pop in the oven until the tomatoes are softened and the topping is golden brown, about 12-15 minutes.

for the kale:

heat a medium size pot over medium heat and add 1 T of olive oil or butter, or both. Add in the smashed garlic clove.

add in the kale and bell pepper, stir to coat in the olive oil. cover with a lid and let steam for about 8-10 minutes until the kale is soft and the garlic has infused. season with salt and crushed red pepper, to taste. 

garnish with basil sage oil!! or don't if you just want to eat it and you are tired of cooking. Voila! Winner Winner Chicken Dinnaa