Potato Leek Soup

Remember back when I posted a recipe for Baked Potato Soup?  It was delicious.  And I love the warm feeling potato soup leaves in your stomach.  As I said before, it actually warms your soul.  You can feel it in your heart's center.  

I loved it but I hated it.  I hated it because it had some ridiculous amount of sour cream in it and I couldn't eat it again without feeling guilty.  It is a party soup.  But how will I warm my soul?  

This potato and leek soup has all the warming qualities without the additional fat.  And it is equally as delicious.  I topped mine with some goat cheese, chives and plenty of black pepper (instead of parsley).  We ate this up before our game of broomball tonight, which was played outdoors in 3 degree weather.  And don't worry, my soul stayed plenty warm.  

Namaste.

Potato Leek Soup

from use real butter

2 tbsps (1 oz.) butter or vegetable oil

4 leeks, trimmed of the roots and dark green parts, split, washed, and diced

salt to taste

pepper to taste

2 lbs. yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups water

2 tbsps fresh parsley, minced

Heat the oil or butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the leeks and sauté until they wilt. This takes about 6 minutes or so. Season the leeks with salt and pepper to your liking. Add the potatoes, broth, and water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender. When the potatoes are soft, use an immersion blender or a regular blender to purée the soup. You can leave chunks if you like by blendering only half of the soup. It’s a matter of preference. Stir in the parsley and serve hot.

(Servings: 4-6, Prep time: 20 min., Cook time: 25 min., Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  8/10

Scot (taste):  7/10

Effort:  2/5

Dishwashing Effort:  2/5

Tacos de Barbacoa

I am FREEZING!  I just had to tell you.  It is very cold here/right now and it feels like death.

Actually, the truth is that Mr. MN (Scot) has been whining about 45% more than ME about being cold.  I confronted him about this...his response:  "I know...Boulder is making me lose my thick skin".  His response was much less concise in reality, but that is the general idea.  

I am actually the master of dressing for cold weather.  It is the one situation in life where I truly know what I am doing.  We spent New Year's ice skating on a lake in the mountains and the windchill was like negative three thousand.  And I was very comfortable.  Plus, I don't whine.  I am perfect.  

Also, right now, my dog believes that the only possible place for him to sit is on my lap, under a blanket because he is so cold. If we are talking about babies, this guy can seriously not handle cold.  Anything below 10 is a struggle.  So, here is me, holding the fort and being the sole rock, keeping this family strong as we face these frigid days.  

I think I need to move on.  And I think it is obvious that I love tacos.  And as I have said before, I have a thing for tacos without cheese.  This is delicious beef barbacoa.  The meat is the star so the taco is simply topped with some chopped white onion, fresh cilantro and a generous squeeze of lime juice.  It was definitely my favorite combination of toppings because it was so fresh and flavorful, however, we also had some other options like avocado, salsa, and cheese.  

Tacos de Barbacoa

from Food.People.Want

1/3 cup cider vinegar

3 tablespoons lime juice

3-4 canned chipotle chiles

4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

3 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons table salt or 3 teaspoons Kosher

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 pounds boneless chuck roast, excess fat removed

3/4 cup chicken broth, plus more as needed

3 bay leaves

20 warm corn tortillas

Diced white onion, chopped cilantro and lime wedges for garnish

Preheat the oven to 275°.

Combine the cider vinegar, lime juice, chipotle chiles, garlic cloves, cumin, oregano, clove, black pepper and salt in the bowl of a food processor or blender and puree until completely smooth — about a minute or so. Transfer the spice paste to a bowl and set aside.

Dry the roast all over with paper towels, cut away any excess fat and slice the meat into 4 evenly sized pieces. Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in a very large pot set over high heat until it begins to shimmer. Working in batches if necessary, sear the beef on all sides until deeply browned, about 10 minutes.

Add the chile puree to the pot and stir until the beef is well-coated. Add the chicken stock and bay leaves and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the lid with tin foil and add the lid to create a very tight seal. Place the pot in the oven and braise the meat for 5-6 hours, removing the lid during the last hour or so to allow the simmering liquid to reduce slightly. Allow the beef to cool slightly, spoon off any easily removable fat from the braising liquid and then use two forks to pull/shred the beef into bite size pieces.

Taste and adjust as necessary for seasonings. Serve spooned onto warm corn tortillas topped with diced white onion, chopped cilantro and lime wedges for garnish.

(Servings: 20 tacos, Prep time: 30 min., Cook time: 6 hrs., Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  9/10

Scot (taste):  8/10

Effort:  4/5

Dishwashing Effort:  3/5

Goat Cheese and Chorizo Rolls

We brought this appetizer to some friends' house recently.  It is a phyllo dough roll filled with goat cheese, chorizo and chives with a chimichurri rojo dipping sauce.  I love this appetizer for lots of reasons.  First, these were delicious with very few ingredients.  Second, everything can be prepped in advance and just baked up right before they are served.  Third, yeah, probably the goat cheese did it for me.  

The recipe calls for a dry cured Spanish chorizo.  Something you would find at the deli or by the salami.  I couldn't find it so I just bought fresh Mexican chorizo and cooked it up and chopped it into tiny pieces.  I was careful to drain all the fat and make sure it wasn't too oily.  I thought it tasted great.  

I was kind of rushed when I made these because I had to make them in the morning.  Frozen phyllo dough needs to be defrosted in the fridge for at least 8 hours and then sit out for 2 hours before you can use it.  If you rush it, you will regret it.  It ended up working well for me, but I didn't use enough butter to seal all the rolls so some of them kind of exploded when I baked them.  But they still tasted delicious.  Lastly, the dipping sauce was great (Scot and I agreed that we liked them better with the sauce) but they had plenty of flavor without it too.  

Goat Cheese and Chorizo Rolls

by Food.People.Want

8 ounces fresh goat cheese

1 cup chopped dry chorizo

1 1/2 tablespoons minced chives

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Nine 12-by-16-inch sheets of thawed phyllo dough

Melted butter, for brushing

Chimichurri rojo dipping sauce (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 400° and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. In a bowl, combine the goat cheese, chorizo and chives. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Lay a sheet of phyllo on a clean, dry work surface and brush it with melted butter. Top with two more sheets, lightly buttering each as you go. Cut the layered phyllo into six long rectangles. Place one tablespoon of the goat cheese filling at the base of each rectangle and roll up the phyllo, folding in the sides as you go. Repeat twice more to make 18 rolls total.

Place the rolls on the prepared baking sheets and brush the rolls with butter; bake for 10 minutes, or until golden. Serve hot with chimichurri rojo for dipping.

(Servings: 18 rolls, Prep time: 20 min., Cook time: 15 min., Difficulty: Intermediate)

Chimichurri Rojo

1/2 cup sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons hot paprika

2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon toasted and ground cumin seeds

1 bay leaf broken in half

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to incorporate.

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  8/10

Scot (taste):  8/10

Effort:  3/5

Dishwashing Effort:  2/5

Salmon Tacos with Beet-Citrus Salsa

I haven't been posting a lot lately.  You know why?  Because we had SO much food to eat.  Since I made all these huge meals like lasagna, enchiladas, and the African stew...we have been eating leftovers for every meal.  Kind of nice actually.  But also...I can't eat another ounce of cheese for the rest of my life.  I am all cheesed out.  

I am just talking like regular cheese like mozzarella and cheddar.  I can still do goat cheese.  

And feta...that ain't even cheese.

That is what is so great about these tacos.  So fresh!  These tacos start with a sweet, flaked salmon topped with arugula, a beet and citrus salad (mine is kind of a slaw) and crumbled feta cheese.  I think it would also be great with some goat cheese instead of feta.  But I think that about everything.  :)  Actually, I think the creaminess would be great.    

If you want to know more about the nutritional information with this dish, check out Cara's breakdown.  She also crisps up her corn tortillas in the oven.  I just grilled mine in a little light oil to loosen them up.  She also includes directions to roast the beets.  I found some shredded at the salad bar at Whole Foods.  And it was already 8 pm.  And I still needed to check out, put away groceries and make dinner.  So, I figured I would try out the raw shredded beets.  Which, are delicious.  I do think it takes away some of the moisture from the tacos, but we still enjoyed them.  

Also, I loved the orange in the beet citrus salad.  I might even like two whole oranges in it.  I am crazy though.  Do whatever you like.  And like I say every time I cook fish in the oven, I'd rather pan fry it.  But, it is easier and healthier using the broiler method, so I am not hatin'.  

Salmon Tacos with Beet-Citrus Salsa

slightly adapted from Cara’s Cravings

1 recipe Beet-Citrus Salsa (see below)

8 oz of salmon

2 tsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp each cumin and chili powder

6 6" corn tortillas

2 cups arugula

crumbled feta cheese

Preheat the broiler. Mix together the brown sugar, chili powder and cumin. Place the salmon, skin side down, on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Rub the spice mixture onto the fish, then season with salt and pepper. Broil for 10-15 minutes, until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Flake the fish away from the skin (the skin will stick to the foil to be disposed of.) Divide the arugula, fish, and salsa among the taco shells, and sprinkle with feta before serving.

(Servings: 2, Prep time: 15 min., Cook time: 15 min., Difficulty: Easy)

Beet-Citrus Salsa

1 cup of shredded raw beet

1 small orange, segmented

2 tsp freshly grated ginger

1 small shallot, minced

1 small jalapeno pepper, minced

2 tbsp minced cilantro

juice of 1 lime

salt, to taste

Cut a small slice from the orange so that it can sit on a flat surface. With a paring knife, go around the orange, cutting away the skin and white flesh. Then, slice in between the "skins" of each segment to remove clean orange segments. Cut each segment into three pieces.

Combine the shredded beets and orange segments (and juice leftover) with remaining ingredients; adjust salt to taste.

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  8/10

Scot (taste):  7/10

Effort:  2/5

Dishwashing Effort:  2/5

African Chicken Peanut Stew

I've been blogging here for almost a year.  A lot has changed since I began last January.  

First, I learned how to spell "vinaigrette".  Who knew?

Second, I stopped shopping at large supermarkets.  My life has improved by about 350% bc of that decision.  

Third, our grocery budget increased by that much too.  Jk.  We don't actually budget.  That is a good idea, tho.  NY Res!

Fourth, I discovered food blogging.  And Pioneer Woman.  And how much of a creep I am when I talk about her.

Fifth, I have tried well over 250 new recipes.  And found some real gems.  

Sixth, I love food way too much.

And my gift for you for the new year?  I have just now updated my recipe index.  I know, I am too kind.  It had been lacking any updating because I was having problems with the editor and didn't have time to figure it out.  Now all the recipes are there and organized.  

Anyways, who watches Top Chef?  I love it.  I love the Top Chef All-Stars even more.  All my favorites are there.  Scot and I especially love Carla.  She is hilarious and the sweetest competitor ever.  She recently won a elimination challenge by making an African Stew mildly similar to this one.  It was vegetarian and I just couldn't believe that a soup could beat out all the other dishes that seemed much more fancy schmancy (I love fancy schmancy).

Well, I found the recipe for her version.  Possibly the most complicated stew ever.  Even just the final layering of all the components to plate is ridiculous.  Although, I would love to someday try out a real deal Top Chef recipe...today is not the day.  

This version of an African Peanut Stew is much easier and much, much quicker.  Still not quick.  Takes over 2 hours to make.  But, it is delicious!  The main flavors are the peanuts, peanut butter, sweet potatoes, ginger, and coriander/cilantro.  I knew Scot would love this.  Those flavors are some of his favorites.  And he was raving.  I also loved the combination of the sweet flavors with coriander and the kick of spice from the cayenne.  The smell of it stewing brought me back to my trip to Mali.  

African Chicken Peanut Stew

from Simply Recipes

2-3 pounds chicken legs, thighs and/or wings

3 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 large yellow or white onion, sliced

A 3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced

6-8 garlic cloves, chopped roughly

2-3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

1 15-ounce can of crushed tomatoes

1 quart chicken stock

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup roasted peanuts

1 Tbsp ground coriander

1 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste

Salt and black pepper

1/4 to 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro

Heat the vegetable oil in a large soup pot set over medium-high heat. Salt the chicken pieces well, pat them dry and brown them in the oil. Don't crowd the pot, so do this in batches. Set the chicken pieces aside as they brown.

Sauté the onions in the oil for 3-4 minutes, stirring often and scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté another 1-2 minutes, then add the sweet potatoes and stir well to combine.

Add the chicken, chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, peanut butter, peanuts, coriander and cayenne and stir well to combine. Bring to a simmer and taste for salt, adding more if needed. Cover the pot and simmer gently for 90 minutes (check after an hour), or until the chicken meat easily falls off the bone and the sweet potatoes are tender.

Remove the chicken pieces and set them in a bowl to cool, until cool enough to touch. Remove and discard the skin if you want, or chop it and put it back into the pot. Shred the meat off the bones and put the meat back in the pot.

Adjust the seasonings for salt and cayenne, then add as much black pepper as you think you can stand—the stew should be peppery. Stir in the cilantro and serve by itself, or with simple steamed rice.

(Servings: 6-8, Prep time: 30 min., Cook time: 2 hrs., Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  8/10

Scot (taste):  10/10

Effort:  3/5

Dishwashing Effort:  3/5

2010 Recipe Round-up

Well here we are.  The end of 2010.  The beginning of 2011.  2011 is a year that I never thought would come.  It is the year so frequently used to answer the question, "oh...so when are you going to graduate?"  Over the past (almost) five years, the year 2011 sounded no different than 2111.  Ya know, like it didn't exist?

Apparently, it does exist!  And it is now!  And gradumacating sounds just has hard now as it did back then.  But we can do it!

After endless hours of discussion on the best way to present my recipe round up, I decided to be 100% selfish.  Here are my favorites of 2010 (old to new).  :)

Eggplant and Fried Green Tomato Parmesan - This was a recipe I kind of put together from several different sources.  Highlights include the tomato butter sauce, the corn meal breading, and the method used to extract the water out of the eggplant before frying.   

Meatballs in Sauce with Creamy Polenta - Totally amazing.  Although it is hard to choose, these have to be my favorite meatballs.

Chicken Piccata - My favorite way of cooking a chicken breast.  I love citrus and briney miscellany. Apparently I wanted a lot of asparagus that night too!  I need to remember to make this more often!

Pot Stickers - Oh baby, oh baby.  One of my very favorite things of 2010.  If I ever get around to rating all my old recipes, this is for sure a 10/10.

Korean Tacos - Definitely not easy to just throw together.  But this is another 10/10 for me.  I just can't imagine something better.  And although my number one goal in LA was to try the real deal Korean Tacos, we never got around to it.  Guess I will just have to make these again!

Kimchi Bokkeumbapa - I made all Korean, all week in April.  Best week of my life.  No but seriously, I loved it all but this Kimchi Fried Rice was so easy to make that I was blown away by how good it was.  It is very breakfasty with some Korean flare.

Zucchini Noodles with Shrimp and Goat Cheese - One of Cara's many genius ideas.  If you are trying to find some healthy recipes to start the New Year off right, check out Cara's blog.  This one was amazing. I could eat it forever and always.  In fact, my sister says she makes it on a very regular basis.

Salmon Burgers with Cilantro Mayo - A delicious and healthy burger (subtract the mayo).  It was burger mania up in here this summer.  This was one of our favorites for sure!

Grilled Fish Tacos - I have made and tried millions of grilled fish tacos recipes.  Lie.  That is a lie.  But I seriously make them so often and I have posted many that I have tried on the ol' blog here.  These are my favorite.  I wish I could BE this fish taco.

Mushroom Crostini with Goat Cheese - I love these for lots of reasons.  First, goat cheese.  Second, it is a nice change from the more typical crostini toppings.  Third, "everyone is raving about the crostini".

Red Onion Marmalade - This stuff changed my life.  I put it on pizza.  I put it on burgers.  I eat it straight up.

Potato and Cheese Pierogies - I tend to really love things that take a ridiculous amount of time to make.

Lemony Shrimp Scampi Pasta - This pasta is SO good to me.  Just looking at it now makes me want to make it immediately.  It is light and fresh.  Screams for some crusty bread.

Coconut Chicken Salad - This has to be one of the more popular recipes I have posted.  And it is my favorite salad of all time.  It was originally created by Jam's restaurant in Omaha, NE and I have recreated it for us at home.

Oxtail Soup - My favorite soup of the year.  The oxtail creates such a beautifully delicious broth.  With the fresh squeezed lemon juice, it is absolutely perfect.  Thank you oxen, for your amazing and useful tails.

Italian Drip Beef Sandwich - I love a good sandwich and this spicy drip beef was the best thing that ever happen to me.

Braised Short Ribs over Creamy Goat Cheese Polenta - As long as we are on the topic of beef, this is the most excellent special occasion dinner.  We celebrated Christmas over this meal.

I left out any sweets, baked goods or desserts.  Might get a round up of those at a later, less dangerous time in our lives.  Happy New Year!!!

PW’s Simple, Perfect Enchiladas

I got Pioneer Woman's cookbook for Christmas.  I read the whole thing on our trip back home for the holidays.  I even read the recipes.  Turns out, I have pretty much already made everything in the cookbook.  Turns out, I am not that disappointed because I still thoroughly enjoyed reading it.  

It also turns out that when I was trying to find something new to try, I just could not make a decision.  That cookbook is a death sentence to anyone on a diet.  Dangerous.  

I finally decided  by process of elimination to try her enchilada recipe.  The rest of the recipes I have left to try are going to have to wait until I become a marathon runner.  

Anyways, this is a family recipe for Pioneer Woman.  I thought it looked interesting because of the addition of olives and green chilies.  And also the fresh green onions and cilantro sounded like a great idea.  Plus, I am a firm believer that the only way to make enchiladas is to fry the tortillas first, and PW agrees!

I have to say, these were a pain in the A to make.  So messy.  I am a freak about washing my hands in the kitchen.  And I had to control my OCD between rolling every enchilada in order to keep myself from running my hands under water. Yikes.  

I have to say, these were pretty good considering they used a canned red sauce and all the other ingredients are really easy to find.  I don't recall ever making enchiladas with a red sauce before and these were definitely delicious.  I guess I am not jumping out of my pants about them, but I would surely make them again.  

Sorry, I am no salesman.  :|  

I feel like I can brag about my dog bc he doesn't have my genes.  

Here are some of the other enchilada recipes that I have tried:

Summer Squash Enchiladas - a nice summer, vegetarian version

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas - love these

PW’s Simple, Perfect Enchiladas

by Pioneer Woman

For the sauce:

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 can (28 ounce) enchilada or red sauce

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

For the meat:

1-1/2 pound ground beef

1 whole medium onion, finely diced

2 cans (4 ounce) diced green chilies

1/2 teaspoons salt

For the tortillas:

10 whole (to 14) corn tortillas

1/2 cups canola oil

To assemble:

3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cups chopped black olives

1 cup chopped green onions

1/2 cups chopped cilantro

Prepare the sauce: In a large saucepan over medium heat, add oil and flour and whisk together to make a paste, cooking for one minute. Pour in the red sauce, chicken broth, cilantro, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30-45 minutes.

Prepare the meat: Brown the meat with onions in a skillet. Drain off fat. Stir in 2 cans diced green chilies and seasoned salt. Set aside.

Prepare the tortillas: Heat canola oil in a small skillet over medium heat. One by one, using tongs, fry tortillas in oil until soft, not crisp – about 30 seconds per side. Remove to a paper—towel lined plate. Repeat until all tortillas have been fried.

Assemble the enchiladas: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour 1/2 cup red sauce in bottom of baking pan. Spread to even out. Dip each tortilla into red sauce, then remove to work surface. Spoon meat, a little grated cheese, a little black olives, and green onions in the center of tortilla. Roll up and place, seam down, in baking pan. Repeat until pan is filled. Pour extra red sauce over enchiladas. Top with remaining cheddar cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle cilantro over enchiladas before serving.

(Servings: 6-8, Prep Time: 2 hours, Cook time: 30 min., Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Taste (Shanon):  6/10

Taste (Scot):  7/10

Effort;  4/5

Dishwashing Effort:  5/5