Sunday, June 1, 2008

Mini Meatloaves for 2



Mini Meatloaves for 2
Serves 2

1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 pound ground sirloin
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/8 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 large egg, lightly beaten
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400°.
Combine ketchup and mustard, stirring well with a whisk. Reserve 2 tablespoons ketchup mixture. Combine remaining ketchup mixture, beef, and next 6 ingredients (beef through egg) in a large bowl, stirring to combine.
Divide beef mixture into 2 equal portions. Shape each portion into a 4 x 2 1/2-inch loaf; place loaves on a jelly roll pan coated with cooking spray.
Spread about 2 teaspoons reserved ketchup mixture evenly over each loaf. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes or until done. 



Enjoy!

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Cinco de Mayo - Chicken Tortilla Soup!



It's Cinco de Mayo!! And to celebrate, I made this wonderfully delicious chicken tortilla soup. You MUST try it. SOOO GOOD!

Chicken Tortilla Soup
Serves 4

2 T Olive Oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 jalapeno chili, diced
2 T minced garlic
4 cups chicken broth
1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Bay leaf
1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 cup cooked chicken breast, diced
Cilantro to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

After heating the oil in a large stock pot, add the onions, jalapenos, and garlic. Saute until onions become soft and translucent.

Add the broth, tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, oregano, Worcestershire, and bay leaf to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer, and allow to simmer for 1 hour.

Add the remaining ingredients. Simmer for another 15 minutes. Then serve!

Enjoy!!

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Huevos Rancheros



Huevos Rancheros
Serves 1

2 corn tortillas
1/2 cup vegetarian refried beans
1 T chopped green chillies (from a can)
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 egg, cooked sunnyside up
1/4 cup salsa
Handful of chopped cilantro, garnish
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray corn tortillas with the cooking spray and place on a baking sheet. Place tortillas in oven and allow to crisp. Takes about 10 minutes. Flip them over once while crisping.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the refried beans and green chilies. Heat in the microwave for one minute.

Once the tortillas have been crisped up, layer half of the refried beans on one tortilla, sprinkle half the cheese on top and half of the salsa. Then add the next tortilla on top of this layer, and repeat the process.

Top the tortillas with the egg and cilantro to garnish.

Enjoy!

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Veggie Fried Rice



Veggie Fried Rice
Serves 2-3


I snagged this recipe off of a lovely blog known as Live to Eat. It was just too good to pass up. I only altered it a little.

2 cups leftover cooked rice
1/4 cup green onions, sliced
1/4 cup bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
2 eggs, scrambled
2 T soy sauce
1 T vegetable oil

Spice Paste:
1 shallot
2 cloves garlic
2-3 dried red chilies
1 T water

In a small grinder or using mortal & pestle, grind the spice paste ingredients into a smooth paste.

Heat oil in a wok; add the green onions and bell pepper to the wok and saute for 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Reduce heat to medium. Add spice paste to wok, and fry until all liquid has evaporated. Add rice, and coat with paste. Add soy sauce. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Re-add the onions and bell pepper. Add the scrambled egg. Mix well and enjoy!

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Cioppino



I spent my formative years growing up in a suburb north of San Francisco. It was a wonderful place to grow up. There was sunshine (when the fog didn't come in), there were liberals abound, and there was lots of good food.

The fresh seafood, of course, was abundant. I remember one time, I was probably 9 years old, my family and some friends, went to Fisherman's Wharf for dinner. It was a famous seafood restaurant (and the name of it escapes me) whose specialty was Cioppino. I had never heard of Cioppino before and was actually alarmed by the sight of so much seafood in a soup. Now, almost 25 years later, I am posting my own recipe for this wonderful fish stew.

Cioppino is essentially a tomato based fish stew. It can be made with all sorts of seafood - fish, clams, mussels, crab scallops and squid. The recipe that I post here is an easy, but tasty, version of Cioppino. I hope you enjoy it!

Cioppino
Serves 4

1 fennel bulb, stalks discarded and bulb cut lengthwise into six wedges
1 medium onion, quartered
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp. hot pepper flakes
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes in juice
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup red wine
8 oz. clam juice
1 pound skinless white fish fillet (I used tilapia) cut into 2-inch chunks
1 pound cultivated mussels or 1/2 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined

Pulse fennel, onion, and garlic in a food processor until coarsely chopped.

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then stir in chopped vegetables, bay leaves, thyme, red-pepper flakes, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Cook, covered, over medium heat until vegetables begin to soften, about 4 minutes.

Add crushed tomatoes, water, wine, and clam juice and boil, covered, 20 minutes. Stir in seafood and cook, uncovered, until fish is just cooked through and if using mussels, they must open wide. Discard bay leaves.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Epicurious.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Mama G's Chicken Dore



Mama G's Chicken Dore
Serves 4

2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
4 chicken breasts, beaten thinly with a mallet

In a medium sized bowl, mix together the eggs and the parmesan and set aside. In a separate bowl, mix the the flour with salt and pepper and set aside.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet. Dredge each chicken breast first in flour, then in egg mixture, and add to the heated oil. Fry chicken about 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Remove chicken breast to paper towel in order to drain excess oil.

Serve warm and enjoy!

Cheesy Risotto


*Not the prettiest picture, but really very good!

Cheesy Risotto
Serves 4

2 T Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 large clove garlic, finely minced
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 cup arboria rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
3-4 cups chicken stock
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 T chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 cup tiny frozen peas
Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and garlic and onion and saute, stirring constantly, 2-3 minutes. Add rice and season with salt and pepper. Cook another minute or so, then add wine and let it completely absorb, about 30 seconds. Add about 1 cup chicken stock and stir. Reduce heat a bit to medium. Stir often and continue adding a half cup of liquid each time liquid becomes completely absorbed. Cook 22 minutes, using as much stock as is necessary to result in creamy-consistency rice.

When rice is cooked to desired consistency, remove from heat and stir in cheese, parsley and peas, and stir to combine and heat peas.

Enjoy!