Olivia's Caribbean-Style Roast Cabbage with Carrot

This is great over brown rice, or black beans and rice. You can make a LOT of it at once, or chop only half of the cabbage up. Leave the other half of the cabbage head intact and chop it up next week. It will keep.

INGREDIENTS

2 1/4 pounds green cabbage, core removed and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup vertically sliced yellow onion
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups carrots, cut into ribbons
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons habanero hot sauce
1 tablespoon butter

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 450°.

2. Combine cabbage, onion, oil, sugar, black pepper, and salt in a large bowl; toss to coat. (It's OK if the cubes start to separate.)

3. Divide cabbage mixture between 2 foil-lined jelly-roll pans. Bake at 450° for 20 minutes, stirring and rotating pans after 10 minutes.

4. In the same bowl that you used for the cabbage, combine carrots, vinegar, and hot sauce; toss to coat.

5. Remove cabbage from oven, and carefully transfer to the bowl with the carrots. Add butter; toss gently to combine.

6. Heat broiler to high. Return cabbage mixture to pans, spreading evenly. Place each pan under the broiler for 3 minutes (this will be a two-phase operation) or until edges begin to brown and evenly crisp.

Olivia's Sample Meal Prep Plan

Lately I've gotten into a routine for cooking for the week that works well, and cuts down on time over the weekdays when time is at a premium. I thought I would share to show you how a few hours on the weekend of shopping and planning can help you use all the groceries you buy and stop wasting time on answering, "What should we have for dinner?"

We eat varieties of the same types of meal, and then build on the produce that's in season, or the meat or fish that's on sale. I usually plan to make 2-3 "full meals" per week, which to me are meals from scratch, usually using pre-prepped items. I front-load these because I think you get 2 days of uncooked pre-prepped food before it tastes bad, and at least 2 more days after it's cooked of leftovers.

Whenever possible (aka where it doesn't ruin the taste or texture of the food for me) I use frozen, pre-cut items from TJs. Of course, if it is cheaper, you could buy a ton of produce from Costco, chop, and freeze it, or buy frozen from Costco and divide a week's worth into Ziplock bags as soon as you get them home so you don't ruin what's still in the bag as you use it. I also love canned tomatoes in recipes.

My "full meals" include roast chicken, spaghetti and meat sauce, tostadas, shrimp creole, pork chops, that kind of thing.  The other meals we eat per week are either leftovers supplemented with lots of veggies, usually over rice, or take-out, depending on our work schedules. I also always make either stock or beans, sometimes both, in the slow cooker over the weekend. If you get into a good schedule, you can do stock one week, beans the next. Use your freezer wisely!

Here's a rough schedule:

Friday (1 hour):

• Clean out fridge and do one load of laundry; make note of any items you need to buy.
• Roughly take note of what you already have and need to use.
• Plan meals that incorporate the things you have.
• Complete grocery list.

Saturday (2 hours):

• Before 10 am: Grocery shop while it's not crowded so it's faster. 
• At home, immediately put beans in slow cooker and start it. Set aside. These can sit overnight without being removed from the slow cooker.
• Chop the vegetables you need in the next 3 days. Bag them in individual ziplocks (you can wash these out and put veggies back in them as you use what's inside). This works well with onions, garlic, kale, carrots, broccoli, etc. NOT lettuce, spinach, or anything else delicate. All of it will keep for at least 3 days if chopped.
• Unwrap and prep all meat.
• Chops, steaks, and boneless/skinless chicken: either marinate, or salt them down with about a teaspoon of salt each, re-wrap in paper and/or put in ziplock bags. Freeze or refrigerate.
• Chicken with skin, incl. whole chicken: either marinate, or spatchcock whole chicken (cut out the spine with sharp kitchen shears; directions below); salt all over with large-grain kosher salt; place chicken on grate over baking sheet so air can circulate and dry out skin to increase crispiness. Chicken can sit in this "dry brine" for a max of 48 hours. So, you'll eat it Monday if you do this today, or Tuesday if you do this tomorrow.
• Roast meat bones for stock 1 hour. Refrigerate to make stock tomorrow.
• Laundry is a great companion chore because both laundry and cooking have down time.

Sunday (1 hour):

• Season beans in slow cooker, and remove them to store. Divide in thirds, and freeze 2/3 in ziplock bags, while putting 1/3 in the fridge for the week. 
• Start stock, if you're making it. Cook stock for 8 hours, season, bag, and freeze
• Pre-cook meat sauce for spaghetti.
• Make any salad dressings and refrigerate.
• Pre-cook caramelized onions, roasted tomatoes or peppers, or any other similar recipe component. Juice and zest oranges and lemons for recipes. Combine spices if you like certain blends and save in ziplock baggies.  

DIRECTIONS FOR INDIVIDUAL STEPS:

Stock: While you cook, always save carrot peels, celery ends, onion and garlic paper, chicken spine (from spatchcocking), pork and beef bones, etc. Put them in a plastic bag in the freezer so they're ready for stock when you are. I roast the chicken spine and bones in the oven for an hour before I make stock with them.

Spatchcocking: Fun to say, fun to do, and makes the chicken cook faster.

Beans Two Ways

Lately, I have been taking beans and rice to work for lunch. They're filling and I don't really care what I eat for lunch, as long as it's something, so that works out great for me. I use the cheap, bagged dried beans from the grocery store, usually the Goya Pinto or Black beans. I don't pre-soak them. I make them in the slow cooker every week, and they just get more delicious the longer they last. I put half in a tupperware to eat over the week, and divide the other half between 2 plastic freezer bags. I freeze these laying flat, so they can be stacked vertically or horizontally to save room.


Here are my two favorite ways to cook beans.

Meaty Beans

2 Ham hocks or 1 ham hock and smoked turkey necks or wings
One yellow onion, halved
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp red pepper flakes
Dried beans to cover about the bottom third of the slow cooker

Put all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover all ingredients with water until slow cooker is 3/4 full. Cook 8 hours. Season with salt, and your preferred combo of:

cayenne
paprika
garlic powder
onion powder
bacon grease
cumin
turmeric

Vegetarian Mexican Beans

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups dried pinto beans, picked over, rinsed
6 cups water
1 tsp dried oregano, preferably Mexican
2 tsp salt

In medium skillet, heat oil over medium. Add onions and garlic. Cook, stirring continuously, 5 minutes to soften.

Transfer onion mixture to slow cooker. Add beans, water and oregano. Cover and cook until skins are soft, insides are creamy and a few are beginning to crack open, about 4 to 6 hours on high heat, or 6 to 9 hours on low heat. When beans are almost done, stir in salt and cook at least 20 minutes.

Serve straight from the pot (de olla) as a main or side dish. Alternately, gently mash beans in slow cooker until creamy and still soupy.

Quick Shrimp Creole

I've made this dish once a week for several weeks now, and I've reduced my time to about 35 minutes start to finish. It's delicious and comfort-food-like while still being light. It's also super fast, since I use the chopped bell peppers and onions in Trader Joe's freezer section, canned diced tomatoes, and frozen shrimp.

INGREDIENTS

1 stick butter
1 cup chopped bell pepper (or 1/2 the bag of chopped bell pepper and onion from TJ)
1 cup chopped celery (or 1/2 the canister of "Mirepoix", aka chopped celery, onion, and carrot from TJ; it's ok if you get some carrots in there. Won't hurt anything.)
2 cups chopped onions (You already got these from the TJ bags/canisters above)

2 bay leaves
14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce,or to taste
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup water
1 tsp Thai fish sauce
2 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined large shrimp
1/2 cup chopped green onions
Lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped parsley or cilantro
4 cups cooked long-grain white rice

Seasonings: I use a combo of these, and season with about 1 tsp each, then more to taste:
cayenne
paprika
salt
garlic powder
black pepper
onion powder
oregano
thyme
cumin

INSTRUCTIONS

Thaw the shrimp in a bowl of cool water while you get everything else ready. The dark nerve on the ventral side of the shrimp isn't the "vein". You can eat that nerve, so on deveined shrimp you have nothing to remove. I like using the small shrimp without tails, but the medium-large ones are good, too; just take the tails off. Season the shrimp heavily with the spices above after they are thawed and let them sit in the seasoning as you prep the sauce/roux. Don't taste or add any seasonings until after the seasoned shrimp are added and cooked. They change the flavor a LOT.

In a large sauce pan, over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions, peppers, and celery to the pan. Saute the vegetables until they are wilted, about 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the bay leaves, tomatoes, and garlic. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer; continue to cook for 15 minutes.

In a small bowl whisk the flour and water together and add the mixture to the tomatoes. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the fish sauce, Worcestershire and hot sauce and continue to cook for 5 minutes longer. Add the seasoned shrimp. Leave it on low heat for 5 minutes and then turn the heat off. The shrimp are delicate and will cook fast.

Stir in the green onions and parsley or cilantro, and squeeze lemon juice over it.

Serve with white rice.

Nadia's Mango Chicken Stir-Fry

INGREDIENTS

1-2 lbs boneles, skinless chicken breast
¼ cup pineapple juice or orange juice
3 Tbsp soy sauce
¼ tsp ground ginger or 1 Tbsp fresh ginger (minced)
1 clove garlic (minced)
1 red bell pepper (cut into strips)
1 green bell pepper (cut into strips)
2 mangoes (cut into chunks) (I like to use frozen mango)
¼ cup slivered almonds (toasted)
3 green onions (chopped)
Black pepper to taste
1 Tbsp Olive or grapeseed oil
Cooked brown rice to serve

INSTRUCTIONS

In a large wok or skillet, heat oil and sauté chicken over medium heat until cooked through,
about 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, stir together juice, soy sauce, ginger and garlic.

Add sauce and red and green bell peppers to the skillet. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes until
peppers are crisp-tender.

Add mangoes and almonds to the skillet and cook until hot. Season with black pepper and green
onions.

Serve over steamed brown rice.

Nadia's Easy Vegetarian Chow Mein

Easy Chow Mein, courtesy of Nadia.

INGREDIENTS

¼ cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 cloves garlic (minced)
2 tsp fresh ginger (minced) or ½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp sesame seed oil

Soba or Udon noodles
2-3 Tbsp grapeseed oil

1 cup celery (thinly sliced on a bias)
½ medium onion (sliced thin) or 4-5 green onions
½ head (2-3 cups) of green (purple, savoy or napa will work too) cabbage (shredded)
2 carrots (shredded or thinly sliced)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cook noodles according to the package. Rinse in cold water and set aside.

2. In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, sesame oil and red pepper
together and set aside.

3. Heat oil in a Wok and sauté vegetables for 2-3 minutes.

4. Add noodles and sauce over vegetables.

5. Cook for 2-3 minutes.

Nadia's Baked Chicken Pesto

Nadia Moya-Krahl has given me several easy and delicious recipes over the years! Here's a favorite.

INGREDIENTS

4 chicken breast
½ cup pesto
2 tomatoes (sliced)
1 cup mozzarella cheese (shredded)
Salt & Pepper (to taste)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish and place chicken breasts in the dish. Sprinkle with salt and
pepper.

3. Smear 2 tablespoons of pesto on each breast.

4. Place 1-2 tomato slices on each breast.

5. Top each breast with ¼ cup of shredded cheese.

6. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Couscous Salad with Tomatoes and Mint

Another hot-weather favorite from Cole and Mandy.


INGREDIENTS

3 cups (about 1 1/2 pints) cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
2 kirby cucumbers, seeded, and diced
1 lemon, juiced
3 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 cups instant couscous (a 10-ounce box)
2 cups water
2 wide strips lemon zest
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Pinch cayenne
1/2 cup torn mint leaves, stems saved
1/2 cup roughly chopped flat leaf parsley, stems saved
3 scallions (white and green), chopped
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts, optional

INSTRUCTIONS

Toss the tomatoes, cucumbers, and lemon juice in a bowl with 2 teaspoons of the salt. Set aside.

Put the couscous into a large bowl. Bring the water, lemon zest, 3 tablespoons of the oil, the remaining salt, cayenne, and herb stems to a boil over high heat. Pour the liquid over the couscous, stir to separate any clumps. Cover with a lid, plate, or plastic wrap, set aside for 5 minutes. Remove the zest and herb stems and fluff with a fork.

Add the tomato mixture, scallions, mint, parsley, and pine nuts. Drizzle the remaining oil over the salad, toss and serve.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/couscous-salad-with-tomatoes-and-mint-recipe.print.html?oc=linkback

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/couscous-salad-with-tomatoes-and-mint-recipe.print.html?oc=linkback

Middle Eastern Rice with Black Beans and Chickpeas

Cole and Mandy like this simple rice dish with Middle-Eastern flavors when it's hot outside in an Arizona summer.

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup uncooked basmati rice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 quart chicken stock
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
2 (15 ounce) cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 bunch chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
1 bunch chopped fresh parsley (optional)
1/4 cup pine nuts (optional)
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in garlic, and cook 1 minute. Stir in rice, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and cayenne pepper. Cook and stir 5 minutes, then pour in chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes.
Place the turkey in a skillet over medium heat, and cook until evenly brown.
Gently mix cooked turkey, garbanzo beans, black beans, cilantro, parsley, and pine nuts into the cooked rice. Season with salt and pepper.

Cole's Favorite Chicken Piccata

Cole, Mandy, Givonna and I shared this Chicken Piccata for Valentine's Day Dinner this year! It's much faster if you have someone chop things for you while you pound and bread the chicken.

Video here:




Chicken Piccata Recipe

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 pounds Thin Cut Chicken Breast
(or use 4 6ounce whole chicken breast and pound thin with a meat mallet)
¼ cup Lemon Juice
½ cup White Wine
1 cup Chicken Stock
6 Thin Half Moon Slices of Lemon
3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
5 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, divided
2 Tbsp Capers
3 Tbsp Fresh Chopped Parsley
All Purpose Flour, for dredging
1 Medium Shallot, chopped
2 Cloves Garlic, chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1) On medium high Heat, preheat the olive oil in a large deep nonstick skillet,

2) Season the flour with salt and pepper. Dredge 2 tbsp of butter in the seasoned flour and set aside.

3) Dredge the chicken breast into the flour shaking off any excess flour and set aside.

4) When the oil is hot add 1 Tbsp of butter, when the butter is melted add the chicken and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until the chicken is cooked through. (You might need to do this in batches) Remove the chicken from the pan and add the shallot in with the pan juices. Cook the shallot until soft and translucent about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

5) Add the wine and let it cook for 2 minutes, just until all the alcohol cooks out and the wine reduces by half. Add the chicken stock and 2 Tbsp of butter and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the liquids reduce by half about 5 to 6 minutes. Add the chicken back in with the liquids and add the capers, 2 Tbsp of the dredged butter and the lemon juice. Cook for 2 minutes or until the sauce thickens, add the parsley and lemon slices and cook for 30 seconds. Serve this amazing chicken piccata with a side of angel hair to soak up all those delicious juices.

Pomegranate Garlic and Herb Roasted Chicken

This is a new favorite in our house! It needs to marinate for 24 hours, so this is a good one to make ahead on Sunday for Tuesday's dinner. Watch the video here, because the girl is hilarious.

• ½ cup loosely-packed fresh mint

• ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

• 2 tbsp fresh sage, chopped

• ½ tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped

• 2 tbsp fresh thyme

• Juice and zest from 1 lemon

• Juice from 1 orange

• 1 to 2 scallions, chopped

• 8 large garlic cloves, finely minced

• ½ to 1 tbsp crushed red pepper

• 3 to 4oz Pomegranate Molasses per chicken (if using two small, 6 oz for one large bird)

• 3 to 4 tbsp neutral tasting oil (such as canola, vegetable, or grapeseed)

• *Brown sugar or honey, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix all ingredients (except chicken and brown sugar or honey) together in a medium to large bowl, thoroughly.

Place chicken in a large ziploc bag or container, pour marinade over chicken and refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 350. Place chicken on a baking rack over a foil lined baking sheet. Tuck the wing tips under the breast meat to prevent burns. Pat excess surface moisture, add a final sprinkle of kosher salt and black pepper. Place in oven on the lower-middle rack, for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, reduce your reserved marinade in a saucepan over high heat until it comes to a boil. Reduce to a low-simmer for 10 minutes or until it reduces by about half. Add brown sugar or honey to the mixture to balance the tartness of the pomegranate. This amount will be up to you. Taste as you go, adjust seasoning.

Take the chicken out of the oven after 30 minutes, and baste it with the pomegranate glaze.

Place back in oven and finish cooking until done. White meat should register 160-165 degrees on an instant read thermometer, and the dark meat should register 170-175.

Allow chicken to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving. 

Elise's Roasted Chicken Thighs with Lemon and Capers

This recipe comes from Epicurious, and Elise says it is delicious!

Chicken thighs are an inexpensive and delicious alternative to chicken breasts. This one-pan dinner is perfect for a weeknight because it's so simple to put together and cleanup is a breeze.

INGREDIENTS

2 (15-ounce) cans white beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons capers with brine
8 teaspoons Dijon mustard
8 skin-on bone-in chicken thighs (about 2 pounds)
1 large lemon, thinly sliced, seeds removed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh parsley

PREPARATION

Position rack in upper third of oven and preheat to 425°F. Toss beans and capers in a 13x9 baking dish and spread out evenly on bottom of pan. Spread 1 tsp. mustard on skin of each chicken thigh and nestle, skin side up, into beans and capers. Arrange lemon slices under and around chicken and add enough water (about 1/3 cup) to come up sides of chicken by 1/2". Drizzle chicken with oil and season whole dish with salt and pepper.

Roast chicken, stirring and shaking dish halfway through, until skin is browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken registers 165°F, about 35 minutes. If chicken skin starts to burn, move pan to a lower rack to finish cooking.

Transfer chicken, beans, lemon slices, and capers to a serving platter. Spoon some of the pan sauce around chicken and sprinkle with parsley.

Shrimp with Garlic and Chile Butter

This is a recipe adapted from Food and Wine, which is delicious and even fast after you've made it a few times. It even tastes good with bagged frozen shrimp. We serve it over angel hair pasta or fettucine, the fresher the better. Reserve some of the pasta water in order to make the sauce stretch a little further.

One yummy alternative to just plain cherry tomatoes is roasting them before incorporating them on a cookie sheet until they are blistered and a little charred.

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup olive oil
1 or 2 pounds shrimp, shelled and deveined (how hungry are you?)
Salt & Pepper
4-6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 dried chile de árbol, stemmed and chopped (these are really hot; we've found using a whole dried chile is too spicy, but this is a matter of opinion)
1 cup clam juice
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (OR canned diced tomatoes)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons snipped chives

In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Add the shrimp to the skillet and cook over moderately high heat until lightly browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

In the same skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the garlic and chopped chiles and cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened, about 1 minute. Add the clam juice and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat until the broth has reduced by one-fourth. Whisk in the butter a few cubes at a time until incorporated. Add the tomatoes and shrimp and simmer until the shrimp are just cooked through, about 2 minutes longer. Stir in the lemon juice, cilantro and chives and serve.

Easy Beef Stew that Cole Recommends

Cole contributes an easy beef stew from Chow.com:

Ingredients:
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
1 (3-pound) boneless chuck roast
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium yellow onion, large dice
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine
4 cups (1 quart) low-sodium beef broth
2 bay leaves
4 fresh thyme sprigs
3 medium carrots
3 medium celery stalks
4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 cup frozen peas

Many stew recipes call for cooking the meat and vegetables at the same time, leaving the latter overcooked and mushy. Instead, first braise the meat with onions in red wine and beef broth until a rich sauce develops. Then, after about an hour, add carrots, celery, and potatoes. By the time the vegetables are cooked, the beef will be tender, then just stir in some peas for a little freshness and color. Spoon the stew over egg noodles or celery root purée, or just pass around plenty of crusty bread to scoop up all the rich sauce.

Cole's Pozole

Cole says: The only thing that I really did that was different from this recipe was boil my own corn. Pozole is way better when you take the time to prepare your own corn instead of the store bought hominy. To do this take a pound of dried corn kernels if you can find them at your grocery store (or you can dry your own corn from scratch but that takes some real time) and you soak the dried corn over night in cold water in the refrigerator. On the cooking day you boil the corn for 1 hour or as long as desired adding powdered lime to the water. The corn kernels are supposed to flower but mine just expanded to really bloated corn kernels. At any rate they were soft and delicious and a fantastic addition. Caution: this recipe is very spicy, especially the first day, so subtract a few chiles from your sauce if you would like a slightly milder version. I like to add in sour cream and tortillas to dampen the heat myself but I know not everyone shares my enthusiasm from consuming fire.

* 1 large head garlic
* 12 cups water
* 4 cups chicken broth
* 4 pounds country-style pork ribs
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican), crumbled
* 2 ounces dried New Mexico red chiles
* 1 1/2 cups boiling-hot water
* 1/4 large white onion
* 3 teaspoons salt
* two 30-ounce cans white hominy (preferably Bush's Best)
* 8 corn tortillas
* about 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil


Accompaniments:

* diced avocado
* thinly sliced iceberg or romaine lettuce
* chopped white onion
* diced radishes
* lime wedges
* dried oregano
* dried hot red pepper flakes

Peel garlic cloves and reserve 2 for chile sauce. Slice remaining garlic. In a 7- to 8-quart heavy kettle bring water and broth just to a boil with sliced garlic and pork. Skim surface and add oregano. Gently simmer pork, uncovered, until tender, about 1 1/2 hours.

While pork is simmering, wearing protective gloves, discard stems from chiles and in a bowl combine chiles with boiling-hot water. Soak chiles, turning them occasionally, 30 minutes. Cut onion into large pieces and in a blender purée with chiles and soaking liquid, reserved garlic, and 2 teaspoons salt until smooth.

Transfer pork with tongs to a cutting board and reserve broth mixture. Shred pork, using 2 forks, and discard bones. Rinse and drain hominy. Return pork to broth mixture and add chile sauce, hominy, and remaining teaspoon salt. Simmer pozole 30 minutes and, if necessary, season with salt. Pozole may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered.

While pozole is simmering, stack tortillas and halve. Cut halves crosswise into thin strips. In a 9- to 10-inch skillet heat 1/2 inch oil until hot but not smoking and fry tortilla strips in 3 or 4 batches, stirring occasionally, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer tortilla strips with a slotted spoon as fried to brown paper or paper towels to drain. Transfer tortilla strips to a bowl. Tortilla strips may be made 1 day ahead and kept, covered, at room temperature.

Serve pozole with tortilla strips and bowls of accompaniments.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pork-and-Hominy-Stew-with-Red-Chiles-Pozole-Rojo-101285#ixzz1B9CtLr7O

Winter Warm-up Soup

If you put the wafers in the bowl with the soup and then a dash of sour cream its amazing. Oh, and save the olive oil that you roast the garlic in - you can use it in your other cooking and its very flavorful. The nice thing about this soup is that it stores well and you can pair it with a salad for lunch and its perfect. I recommend dressing it up with more spices - basil, rosemary, etc... Cole even likes a little red pepper.

Roasted-Tomato Soup with Parmesan Wafers
4 pounds tomatoes, halved lengthwise
6 garlic cloves, left unpeeled
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cups chicken stock or reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream

Accompaniment: parmesan wafers

Garnish: oregano sprigs

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
Arrange tomatoes, cut side up, in 1 layer in a large 4-sided sheet pan and add garlic to pan. Drizzle tomatoes with oil and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Roast tomatoes and garlic 1 hour, then cool in pan. Peel garlic cloves.
Cook onion, oregano, and sugar in butter in a 6-to 8-quart heavy pot over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.
Add tomatoes, garlic, and stock and simmer, covered, 20 minutes.
Purée soup in batches in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids), then force through a sieve into cleaned pot, discarding solids. Stir in cream and salt and pepper to taste and simmer 2 minutes.
Divide soup among 8 bowls and float 1 wafer in center of each.

Praline Yams

2 2lb8oz cans yams
2/3 c orange juice
1 tsp grated orange rind
5 tsp brandy
2 tsp salt
pepper to taste
1 tsp ground ginger
4 tsp butter
1/3 c light brown sugar
3 egg yolks

Topping:
2/3 c brown sugar
1 stick butter, melted
1 c chopped pecans
1 tsp ground cinnamon

In a mixing bowl beat the yams, then beat in the rest of the casserole mixture. Butter a 12 in baking dish and pour the casserole mixture in. Mix all the topping ingredients and put on top of the casserole mixture evenly. Bake at 350 for 45 min, let stand 10 min before serving.

Moroccan Salmon with Charmoula Sauce

You can use the spice mixture which is posted below in this recipe.

for the Salmon:
6 (6-ounce each), boneless skinless salmon fillets
1/2 teaspoon, ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon, salt
1/3 cup, Moroccan spices (*recipe in another post)
3 tablespoons, olive oil

for the Charmoula Sauce:
1/4 cup, olive oil
1/4 cup, finely chopped shallots
1 tablespoon, minced garlic
1 1/2 pounds, plum tomatoes (about 9) - seeded and finely diced
3/4 cup, chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons, fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon, Moroccan spices (*recipe below)
1 teaspoon, salt
3/4 teaspoon, ground black pepper

cilantro sprigs (for garnish)



To prepare the Salmon: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle the salmon with black pepper and salt. Place the 1/3 cup of Moroccan Spices on a plate. Dredge the salmon in the spices to generously coat the top and bottom (do not coat the sides of the salmon).

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil on a large griddle over medium-high heat. Cook the salmon fillets just until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Using a metal spatula, transfer the salmon fillets to a heavy large rimmed baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven just until the fillets are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Take care not to overcook the salmon - it should just barely flake

To prepare the Charmoula Sauce: Heat the 1/4 cup of olive oil in a heavy large skillet over medium high heat. Add the shallots and garlic and sauté until tender - about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, cilantro, lemon juice, the 1 teaspoon of Moroccan Spices, salt and pepper. Sauté just until the tomatoes release their juices - they should still hold their shape - about 1 minute.

To serve: Place the salmon fillets on warm plates and spoon the sauce over. Garnish with cilantro sprigs and serve.

Pumpkin Soup

A St. Clair Family Thanksgiving favorite.

4 tbsp butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium leek, white part only, chopped
1 pound canned pumpkin puree
4 cups chicken broth
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 bay leaf
1 cup half and half

In a medium soup pot, melt butter or margarine. Saute onion and leet, stirring occasionally, until soft. Stir in pumpkin, chicken broth, salt, spices, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the bay leaf. Puree the mixture in batches in a blender for a smoother texture, or in food processor fitted with metal blade.

At this point, you may refrigerate it for up to 2 days or freeze.

Return to soup pot. Add half-and-half and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Adjust seasonings.

Nadia's Red Lentils

Nadia is my friend from UCI rowing. She gave me this yummy recipe:

Here is a recipe I created and used to make all the time when I was in London. It warmed me up and reminded me of home when it got cold!

Mexican-style Red Lentils

1 small yellow onion (diced)
1 green bell pepper (diced)
1 red bell pepper (diced)
1-2 garlic cloves (minced)
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Bay leaf
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flake
1-1/2 cup red lentils
3 Tbsp fresh cilantro (optional)

1. In a large pot, sautee everything (except the lentils and the cilantro) in olive oil until the veggies are soft... about 8-10 mins.
2. Add lentils and cover with water (just so all the lentils are covered).
3. Cook for 30-35 mins on med-high heat until lentils are tender.
4. Stir in the fresh cilantro at the end.

It is good as a soup or with corn chips or crusty bread!