Goal #11: Try 75 new recipes (10/75)

Yum ya ya ya YUM!!

Made these little morsels tonight. I added some shredded chicken. I also made a dipping sauce out of Ranch dressing and added a little adobo sauce from the chipotle chilies I used the other night. The dressing was way better than the Pace salsa we had.

 

Baked Southwestern Egg Rolls

Found on Annie's Eats Blog
Ingredients:
2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles, drained
4 green onions, chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
1 package egg roll wrappers (about 24 total)
Directions:
In a large bowl, combine everything but the egg roll wrappers.  Mix well to blend.  Lay an egg roll wrapper out on a work surface so that one of the corners is pointing toward you and place ¼ cup of the filling in the center.  Fold the tip closest to you up over the filling, roll a bit, then take the points pointing outward and fold them in toward the center.  Continue rolling into an egg roll shape until a small part of the remaining point is still free.  Dip a finger in water or beaten egg and lightly brush on the edges of the free corner.  Finish rolling and press to seal closed.  Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.
Preheat the oven to 425˚ F.  Lightly oil a baking sheet with cooking spray.  Place the sealed egg rolls on the baking sheet seam side down and spray the tops of the egg rolls with cooking spray.  Bake for about 15 minutes, or until lightly brown, turning halfway through baking.  Serve warm with salsa.

Goal #11: Try 75 new recipes (9/75)

I love potstickers but I've only ever made the Edamame Dumplings. I looked through several different recipes for Pork Potstickers including one by Alton Brown. It had ketchup and mustard in it though. Sounded weird. I ended up making these potstickers. What I did differently was I used 2 1/4 cups of cabbage/carrot coleslaw mix and store bought wonton wrappers. I was a little worried that the pork wouldn't get cooked well enough so I fried them on both sides before adding the water.

The dipping sauce was the finishing touch on these dumplings. They tasted like ones from a Chinese restaurant. I used the extra that we didn't eat for dinner and filled the wrappers and froze them (prior to cooking). Another website said to just thaw in the refrigerator before frying.

Goal #78: Eat at 5 local restaurants we haven't tried yet (5/5)

Last weekend our dear friends Rob and Kandyce offered to watch Ryan so we could have a date night. We were going to eat at Stonewood Grille (they have an awesome chicken salad that has giant fried wontons layered with greens, cabbage, chicken, etc.) but their only reservations were at 5:15 and 7:45.

We wanted to catch a 7:50 movie so we decided to eat at Tribeca Tavern. I wasn't sure of the type of food they served but Rob said it was good. Rob knows good food.

They had bar type food for appetizers, pizza, salads, sandwiches and burgers. They are apparently known for their gourmet style burgers. The restaurant was very nice. All of the food had good presentation. Jimmy had the Cobb Burger which was pretty much a cobb salad on top of a burger. He thoroughly enjoyed it. He had the homemade potato chips as a side. I LOVE homemade potato chips dipped in ranch. However, these were a little too thin and over fried. I still helped finish them off though.

I enjoyed the Sesame Seared Tuna salad that had Napa cabbage, wasabi peas, sprouts, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes and a ginger-soy vinaigrette over spring greens. Delish! This was spicy but it had the good burn that keeps you wanting more. 

And for dessert....I wanted to go to Rita's but we were running out of time so we decided to have dessert there. Jimmy wanted me to decide between the Turtle Cheesecake and the Fudge Brownie Sundae. I couldn't decide so I resorted to my 1st grade self and did "Eeeny, Meeeny, Miney, Mo".

Turtle Cheesecake!!!

Awesome!

There was a raspberry puree garnishing the plate and a little whip cream dollop. Absolute heaven!

Goal #10. Make 4 meals for new mommies (2/4)

One last thing. I'll make short and sweet. My friend had her baby last Friday and I had the pleasure of preparing a meal for her family tonight. Even if this was not one of my goals I still would've made it. I love cooking for other people. Her baby is wonderful and beautiful!

Goal #11: Try 75 new recipes (8/75)

Tonight was our meatless Tuesday. I usually do Monday's but what does it matter? One day is meatless...Jimmy saw the hamburger buns in the pantry last night and asked if we were having sloppy joes. I told him no but wouldn't tell him what we were having. I didn't want any comments or funny faces. If I just make it, he'll eat it.

I found this recipe on http://www.meatlessmonday.com/. Jimmy usually isn't super thrilled about not having meat but like I said, if I just make it, he'll eat. 

When we sat down and he took a bite and said "What kind of meat is in this?" I told him they were Black Bean Burgers when they were baking. I told him there wasn't any meat. "Oh, Wow!" was his reaction.

I thought these were really good. I topped them with a slice of tomato and some spinach leaves instead of lettuce. I didn't miss the meat. The chipotle mayo was pretty spicy though! Jimmy liked them enough to eat two.

I tossed together a little corn salad to go on the side.

2 cups thawed frozen corn

2 green onions, sliced

1/2 tomato, chopped

1/4th red pepper, chopped

1 tbs. lime juice

salt & pepper to taste

garlic powder

Bean Burgers with Chipotle Spread

Black beans are seasoned smokey with cumin, garlic and chili sauce, while a chipotle lime spread brings the heat with a citrus tang. These burgers can be cooked in the oven or on the grill, so you can enjoy them no matter what the weather. This recipe comes to us from Tony of Real Men Eat Green.
Serves 4
For the chipotle spread:

• ½ cup nonfat mayonnaise
• or
• ½ cup dairy free mayonnaise alternative
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 2-3 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce*
• 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from chipotle peppers

For the bean burgers:

• a little oil or cooking spray, to prepare the baking sheet
• 1 14 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
• ½ red bell pepper
• ½ onion, cut into wedges
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1-2 teaspoons chili sauce or hot sauce*
• ¾ cup bread crumbs
• 4 whole wheat buns, toasted

*sold in cans and jars at Mexican markets or the Mexican food section of most grocery stores.

To make the chipotle spread:
In a food processor, combine the mayonnaise, lime juice, chipotle chilies and adobo sauce. Pulse until smooth and well blended.
To make the bean burgers:

If baking the bean burgers: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with a light coating of oil or cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, mash the beans with a fork until they form a thick paste, but retain some lumps for texture. Add the bell pepper, onion and garlic to a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Stir the veggie mixture into the mashed beans. Stir the egg, chili powder, cumin, salt and chili sauce together in a small bowl. Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix in the bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide the mixture into four patties. Place the bean patties on a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes on each side.
or
Place the patties on foil and grill over medium heat for about 8 minutes on each side.
Spread a thin layer of the chipotle mayonnaise over the toasted buns. Place a bean burger and your favorite burger veggies on one toasted bun. Close with the other bun and enjoy.

Goal #53: Cook 3 things from every cookbook I own (10 & 11/?Haven't counted yet)

The flu overtook our home this week but thankfully managed to miss Ryan. I was just waiting for him to have a fever but he's still ok. I was still able to make dinner and here are a few of the new ones I tried.

From the Super Suppers Cookbook:

Santa Fe Chicken
Makes 6 Servings
Super Suppers Cookbook
Meredith Books
Copyright 2006 by Judy Byrd

Nonstick cooking spray
6 medium boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (2 1/4 lbs total)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 medium red onion, cut into 1/4" slices
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 7-ounce can whole green chile peppers, drained and cut into strips (I used chopped)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

2. Lightly brush each chicken breast half with some of the oil. sprinkle with chili powder, salt and black pepper. Arrange chicken on the baking sheet. Bake, uncovered, about 20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.

3. Meanwhile, preheat the remaining oil in a large skillet. Saute the bell peppers and onion in hot oil about 3 minutes or until vegetables are just tender. Remove skillet from heat. Pour lemon juice over vegetables, toss to coat.

4. Top each chicken breast with chile peppers, vegetable mixture, and cheese.

5. Bake, uncovered, about 5 minutes or until cheese melts.

Plan Ahead: Prepare through step two up to 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Preheat oven. Continue according to step three.

Freeze Ahead: Prepare through step four. cover with plastic wrap and foil. Freeze up to 2 months. Defrost completely in refrigerator. Preheat oven. Remove plastic wrap and foil and continue according to step five.



From Everyday Italian Cookbook by Giada De Laurentiis
Clarkson Potter/Publishers
Copyright 2005 by Giada De Laurentiis

Orecchiette with Spicy Sausage and Broccoli Rabe
Serves 4 (I'd say closer to 6!)

Salt
2 bunches of broccoli rabe, stalks trimmed and quartered crosswise
12 ounces dried orecchiette pasta or other small shaped pasta such as farfalle or penne (I used miniature wagon wheels that I had on hand)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound spicy pork sausage, casings removed (I used mild pork sausage in bulk so I didn't have to deal with the casings and I could control the heat)
3 garlic cloves, minced
pinch of dried crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Brink a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli rabe and cook until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Strain the broccoli rabe, reserving all the cooking liquid. Set the broccoli aside. Cook the pasta in the same pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil over a medium flame. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until the sausage is brown and juices form, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the broccoli rabe and toss to coat. Add the pasta and enough reserved cooking liquid, 1/4 cup at a time, to moisten. Stir the Parmesan cheese, salt to taste and pepper into the pasta mixture. Transfer to pasta bowls and serve.