Category: Main Course

Appetizers, Main Course

Black Bean and Zucchini Quesadillas

by Wendi6 Comments on Black Bean and Zucchini Quesadillas

I know what you’re thinking, “Here she goes with the black beans again.  I thought she said that she DOESN’T like black beans all that much.  Make up your mind lady.”

What can I say?  This recipe meets all my bonus point criteria.  In addition to black beans it has zucchini, cheese, sour cream, and avocado.  And it’s also crowd friendly since you finish the quesadillas off in the oven, letting you make a bunch at once.

If you need any more reasons to convince you to give these a try, email me.  I’ll have you over the next time these go on the menu.

Black Bean and Zucchini Quesadillas

Adapted from Pam Anderson’s Meatless Meals

BAH Note:  I typically make four quesadillas in a batch and have a bit of filling left over, which I add to a bunch of mixed greens for an easy salad another day.  If you’ve got a few more mouths to feed, make a couple of more quesadillas to use all of the filling.

BAH Tip: I have bad luck with fresh cilantro.  Even though I store it in a glass of water in the fridge, it always goes bad before I use it all.  My solution is to buy the tube of cilantro from the grocery store.  It’s not as good as using fresh but I don’t end up wasting a bunch of fresh herbs.  If you go the tube route, just be mindful of how you’re going to use it.  I wouldn’t recommend it as a finishing herb but in applications where you cook the herb into the dish, I consider a tablespoon or so to be an acceptable alternative.

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 small zucchini, diced
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 can (15.5 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 4 (8 inch) flour tortillas
  • 1 cup grated monterey jack cheese
  • 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped (see BAH Tip above)
  • sour cream
  • 1 avocado, diced (optional)

Set an oven rack to the lowest position and heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Set a cooling rack into a rimmed baking sheet and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan set over medium heat.  Add the zucchini and cook for approximately 5 minutes, or until softened.  Add the cumin and oregano and cook another minute.  Stir in the black beans and cilantro and cook until the filling is just dry.  Transfer the filling to a bowl and wipe the frying pan out with a paper towel.

Return the frying pan to the stove over medium high heat.  Working one at a time, add a tortailla to the pan and cook until the bottom just begins to brown.  Carefully turn the tortilla over and cook for about 30 seconds until the tortilla puffs a bit and begins to brown on the other side.  Transfer the tortilla to the prepared baking sheet and immediately fold it in half.  Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

Once all the tortillas are warmed, open each tortilla and place 1/3 cup of the filling mixture on the bottom half of each tortilla.  Top each with approximately 1/4 cup of grated cheese, fold the tortillas back in half, and press lightly.

Bake in the oven for approximately 10 to 15 minutes or until the tortillas are crisp and the filling is warm.  Serve with sour cream and diced avocado.

{printable recipe}

Main Course, Pasta

Flashback Friday – Notes on a Recipe, Orzo Salad

by WendiLeave a Comment on Flashback Friday – Notes on a Recipe, Orzo Salad

Flashback Friday

The following originally appeared on 5/6/09 at Exit 51.

Notes On A Recipe – Orzo Salad

Today’s recipe comes to you from the pages of Bon Appetit: Fast, Easy, Fresh. I was still grousing about the feta cheese that was sacrificed in the name of their Garlicky Beans with Feta, but I decided to move on to the next dish I had tagged.  I really don’t know that I can ever forgive them for that one.

ttar_orzo_02_h_launch

After making their Orzo with Tomatoes, Feta, and Green Onion, I really wish I had found this back in the days before our South Beach adventure.  Because it’s that good.  It’s also that easy.  And it does not cause any regrets when it comes to its usage of the feta.

So maybe, just maybe, I can pretend like that whole Garlicky Bean thing never happened after all.

Orzo with Tomatoes, Feta, and Green Onion

Bon Appetit: Fast, Easy, Fresh

This dish would be great for a potluck or a light summer meal.  Although, you may want to scale it down if you’re not feeding a crowd. A pound of orzo is still a lot of pasta.  If you do make the entire pound, be sure you use a bowl big enough so that you can mix and stir without shooting orzo all over your kitchen.  It took me a few tries to get it right.  Feel free to tweak the vinaigrette recipe to your liking.  I like mine more tangy so I used less olive oil than called for, and added more lemon juice and honey.

  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 1 pound orzo
  • 2 cups grape tomatoes
  • 7 ounces feta cheese, cubed
  • 1 cup fresh basil, chopped
  • 1 cup green onion, chopped

Whisk vinegar, lemon juice, and honey in a small bowl.  Gradually whisk in oil.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Boil broth in a large saucepan.  Stir in orzo, reduce heat to medium, and boil until just tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally.  Drain.  Transfer orzo to large, wide bowl, tossing frequently to cool.

Mix tomatoes, basil, green onion into cooled orzo.  Add vinaigrette; toss to coat.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve at room temperature.

Main Course

Crock Pot Beef Pot Pie Filling (AKA Stew)

by Wendi10 Comments on Crock Pot Beef Pot Pie Filling (AKA Stew)
I actually ate this for years and no offense, but we can do better.

I would like to thank the Universe for conspiring against me with regards to Crock Pot Beef Pot Pie.  It kept me from finding boxed pie crust in ANY OF THE FOUR STORES I went to looking for it.

I cursed you pretty hard at the time, Universe.  I could not fathom why you would be so cruel.  Store after store, I walked in full of assurance that there must be a box of pie crust in the refrigerator or freezer case .  And store after store, I walked out empty handed.  In my mind, I finally gave you a big WTF middle finger and decided that crust or no, I would look no further.

And yes, in the time that I spent trudging from Giant to Safeway to The Fresh Market to Superfresh, I could have made my own damn crust.  Or I could have watched the entire first season of Ink Master.  Either one would have been slightly less painful than hauling myself around the Beltway in search of that which the Universe had taken out of my reach.

Normally, when thwarted from procuring an ingredient so essential to a recipe, I get all cranky about not being able to color within the lines of the recipe and move along to something else.  But this time, I got a little rebellious.  Well, maybe rebellious is a bit strong.  It’s not as though I ran away, abandoning my responsibilities and common sense…I just left the crust off of my pot pie.

That’s me…living on the edge y’all.

Crock Pot Beef Pot Pie Filling (AKA Stew)

Adapted from Slow Cooker Revolution

BAH Note: If you’d like to serve this as pot pie, divide the filling between two 9 inch pie plates, cover each with one boxed pie crust (trimming and crimping the edges and cutting four vent holes into each) and bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes.  ATK says the filling can be refrigerated for 2 days, or frozen for a month, before assembling the pot pie.  You will want to reheat the filling on the stove and add additional broth to get your desired consistency.

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 10 ounces mushrooms, halved or quartered
  • 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 can chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup red wine
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
  • 1 cup frozen peas

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat.  Add the onions, mushrooms, carrots, tomato paste and cook until for 8 to 10 minutes the vegetables soften and begin to brown.  Sprinkle the flour onto the vegetable mixture and cook for 1 minute before whisking in the broth and wine.  Scrape any bits off the bottom of the pan and transfer the vegetable mixture to the crock pot.

While the vegetables cook, season the beef with salt and pepper.

Once the vegetables have been transferred to the crock pot, add the soy sauce and beef.  Cook for 5 to 7 hours on high or 9 to 11 hours on low until the beef is tender.  Allow the filling to settle for a few minutes and then skim any fat from the top.  Add the peas, cover, and let them warm through before serving.

{printable recipe}

Chicken, Main Course

Honey Dijon Chicken

by Wendi10 Comments on Honey Dijon Chicken

Despite having a shelf full of cookbooks and an internet overflowing with recipes, I get into food ruts.  Does that ever happen to you?  Do you ever feel uninspired or overwhelmed when deciding what’s for dinner?  Day in and day out, the responsibility to keep mealtime fresh and interesting…it’s enough to make me want to hang up my apron and have cereal for dinner.

It almost makes me envious of the folks who have a certain number of recipes in their arsenal that they constantly cycle through.  How much easier would my meal planning be if every Wednesday was meatloaf?  Or if spaghetti was on our plate once a week without fail?

I guess the grass is always greener elsewhere.  Have only a few options to choose from and risk getting burnt out on them. Have seemingly limitless options vis a vis The Google and burn yourself out searching before you even get in the kitchen.

Where’s the middle ground?  I don’t know.  I’m still searching for it.  If you happen to run across it, would you point me in the general direction?  All I can offer you in exchange is Honey Dijon Chicken.  But believe me, that’s a fair trade.

Honey Dijon Chicken

Adapted from Our Life In The Kitchen

BAH Note: If you want your sauce a little thicker, use my buerre maine trick.  Combine 1 tablespoon flour and 1 tablespoon softened butter in a small bowl until you have a smooth paste.  Use a whisk to stir the buerre maine into the hot sauce and cook until the sauce thickens a bit.  I mix the honey and mustard together in a measuring cup so that any that I don’t add to the sauce can be put in jar and refrigerated for later use.

  • 6 to 8 bone in chicken thighs, depending on the size of your pan
  • 2 shallots
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 can chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup dijon mustard
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup half and half (optional)

Melt the butter in a large frying pan or dutch oven over medium high heat.  When the foaming subsides, place the chicken skin side up in the pan.  Cook until the chicken gets well browned.

While the chicken is browning, slice the shallots and combine the honey and mustard in a measuring cup.

Once the underside of the chicken is browned, carefully turn the chicken over so it is skin side down in the pan.  Add the shallots and cook until the skin begins to brown.  Add the chicken broth and simmer approximately 25 to 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Transfer the chicken to a plate and cover with foil.  Skim the fat from the juices in the pan and cook over medium heat until the sauce is reduced by about half.  Reduce the heat and whisk half of the the honey mustard mixture into the sauce.  Taste the sauce, if you want a stronger flavor, add more of the honey mustard.  Season to taste with kosher salt and stir in either half and half or a buerre maine mixture, if using.

Return the chicken to the pan and coat the chicken with sauce before serving.

{printable recipe}

Chicken, Main Course

Spicy Orange Chicken

by Wendi15 Comments on Spicy Orange Chicken
by the time i grabbed my camera, this is all that was left of spicy orange chicken.

With all of the crazy in my world right now, I feel a pronounced need to look for some balance.  And strength.  And focus.  And flexibility.  So I’ve decided to give yoga a try.

The idea of me stepping into the yoga studio is laughable.  I am not the least bit athletic and I’m clumsy as all hell.  I also have a constant stream of consciousness chatter going on in my head.  So the notion of working week after week to get to a place of inner quiet while simultaneously moving through poses without falling flat on my arse is a lofty goal.  I expect the namaste to kick my butt for a while.  And that’s ok.  Because with practice I will learn to focus and breathe and move.

What I didn’t expect was to find myself quietly weepy at the end of each session.  After moving my body through Mountain, Warrior, Tree, Bridge, and all the other poses whose names escape me, my emotional defenses are down.  And as I lay on my mat, focusing on my breathing, the tears just appear.  I don’t fight them.  They roll down the side of my face and into my hair, or fall onto my mat.  In that moment, I relinquish control to The Universe.

And as yoga helps me to find balance, strength, focus, and flexibility in the physical world, I’ve got a hunch that it will also help me to find those same things emotionally.  It may take me thousands of sun salutations and downward dogs to get there, but each one will take me one step closer.

Wish me luck.  I’m definitely going to need it.

Spicy Orange Chicken

Adapted from GE Advantium Cookbook

BAH Note:  To make this in a regular oven, bake at 375 degrees.  Check for doneness after about 20 minutes.

  • 4 to 5 (5 ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I use Perdue Perfect Portions)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • zest and juice (approximately 1/4 cup) from 1 large orange
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar

Combine salt, paprika, allspice, and ginger and coat the chicken breasts completely.  Place the spice coated chicken in an oblong baking dish and set aside.

In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the orange juice, zest, and brown sugar.  Pour the liquid over the chicken.  Place the baking dish on the metal tray.

Press SpeedCook, and scroll to My Recipes, New Recipe.  Set the time for 20 minutes at the following settings: U=7, L=7, M=3.  Check the chicken after 15 minutes and add a bit more orange juice or some chicken broth if the liquid has reduced too much.  Check for doneness after 20 minutes and continue to cook for 5 minute increments, at the same settings, if needed.

Baste the chicken with the liquid before serving.

{printable recipe}

Main Course, Side Dishes, South Beach Diet

Flashback Friday – Notes On A Recipe Bon Appetit Shrimp and Garlicky Beans with Feta

by Wendi2 Comments on Flashback Friday – Notes On A Recipe Bon Appetit Shrimp and Garlicky Beans with Feta

Flashback Friday

The following originally appeared on 4/20/09 at Exit 51.

Notes On A Recipe – Bon Appetit Shrimp and Garlicky Beans with Feta

Every dog may have its day, but there’s no telling how long that day may be in coming.  If that dog happens to be named Bon Appetit’s Garlicky Beans with Feta and Mint, it is my sincere hope that I never see that day in my lifetime.  Since going all South Beach in the kitchen, I have tried to overcome my dislike of garbanzo beans.  There’s something about their texture that just does not work for me.  They’re not gritty on the tongue but they’re not smooth either.  Maybe because they are unlike any other food I enjoy eating, I can’t get past my consistency prejudice. And calling them chickpeas isn’t fooling me.

BA Shrimp

The most outrageous thing about my hate/hate relationship with garbanzo beans is that I like hummus.  Crazy right?  I should clarify that position.  Plain hummus elicits my anti-garbanzo stance.  But add a good helping of roasted red peppers to the recipe (to mask the chickpea) and I will gladly double dip my veggies all the livelong day.

When I read the Garlicky Beans with Feta and Mint recipe in that new cookbook of mine, I thought maybe I had found a way to move past the hate.  It might have two cans of chickpeas, but it’s also got an entire cup of feta cheese.  On a daily basis, I cannot find enough ways to love feta.  Especially a nice chunk of French Feta soaking in sharp brine.  For real, if there is a heaven,  I hope they stock the French Feta from Wegmans.

I decided to make the fetafied beans the base for Bon Appetit’s Shrimp with Shallot Tarragon Sauce.  That recipe actually calls for it to be served on a bed of wilted spinach.  But I was trying to stack the deck so that maybe, just maybe, the entire meal wouldn’t be a bust if I couldn’t embrace the beans.

In theory, it was a good idea.  In reality, not so much.  Aside from the fact that even French Feta doesn’t have enough superpowers to make chickpeas taste like anything other than chickpeas, the mint in the beans really did not work with the flavors of the shrimp.

Let us also consider the implications of having one cup of feta cheese, a quarter of a stick of butter, and cream in a single meal.  Rich?  That would be an understatement.  Instead of being silky and luscious, it was heavy.  I thought about subbing out the butter for a butter blend product instead, to try and keep the dish as South Beach friendly as possible, but ended up going with the real deal although I did use half in half instead of heavy cream.  And still, it was too much.

Maybe the wilted spinach works to balance the richness of the sauce and my substitution doomed the dish from the get go?  Who knows?  I do know that I won’t be trying this combo again.  The shrimp I will give another chance to win me over.  Add the spinach, take out the butter and cream all together, and I think I’ve got a good weeknight dinner option.  As long as that dog named Garlicky Beans with Feta and Mint doesn’t come barking around,I think we’ll be just fine.

Garlicky Beans with Feta and Mint

Bon Appetit: Fast, Easy, Fresh

  • 2 15 oz to 16 oz cans garbanzo beans, rinsed, drained
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Combined first 4 ingredients in 11×7×2 inch glass baking dish.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to blend.  Bake until heated through and beans begin to crisp on top, about 15 minutes.  Mix in cheese and mint.

Shrimp with Shallot Tarragon Sauce on Wilted Spinach

Bon Appetit: Fast, Easy, Fresh

  • 10 uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
  • 3 tablespoons oilve oil, divided
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
  • 5 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon, divided
  • 2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger, divided
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped shallots (about 2 large)
  • 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
  • 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
  • 1 6oz package fresh baby spinach

Toss shrimp, parsley, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 3 teaspoons tarragon, and 1 teaspoon ginger in medium bowl.  Sprinkle mixture with salt and pepper.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add shallots; saute 5 minutes.  Add shrimp mixture; saute until shrimp are almost cooked through, about 3 minutes.  Add butter and cream; bring just to simmer.  Add remaining 1 teaspoon ginger.  Season with salt and pepper.  Set shrimp aside.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in another large nonstick skillet over high heat.  Add spinach and remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice; sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Toss until just wilted; about 30 seconds.  Mound spinach in center of plates; surround with shrip and sauce. Sprinkle shrimp with remaining 2 teaspoons tarragon.

Main Course

Honey Sriracha Beef Skewers

by Wendi10 Comments on Honey Sriracha Beef Skewers
honey + sriracha + beef + skewers

By now, you’re probably on to me and my word puzzles.  No, I did not stop myself from diving headlong into honey sriracha beef skewers long enough to take a picture.  If it’s a picture you want, hop on over to Inspired Taste, since that’s where I found this recipe.

What I can tell you is that in order to make honey sriracha beef skewers, I had to stare down one of my nemesis….the grill.  We have a gas grill.  It sits on the backporch, securely locked up against anyone foolish enough to consider trying to steal it.  Although that’s probably a bit more protection than we really need since the porch is a good twelve feet off the ground and the steps down are a little tricky.  So if someone were determined enough to haul that thing down the back steps, then maybe they’re entitled to the grill and however much gas is left in the tank.

Anyway, my point is that we have a grill.  But we never use it.  Between the yellowjackets that build their nests in the cover and the other critters that I am convinced hibernate under the hood, I have talked myself into believing that it’s a danger zone.  I have other excuses too, my favorite one is that the starter button doesn’t work (no really, it doesn’t and I have to light the thing with a flaming bamboo skewer).  When the truth is simply that I don’t feel comfortable at the grill.  Not that it’s “a man’s place” or anything, it’s just that I don’t have much experience with the grill.

But honey sriracha beef skewers enticed me to (carefully) kick away the yellowjacket nests and open the lid.  Surprisingly, I found no evidence of hibernating critters inside.  After a few unsuccessful attempts at lighting the damn thing (seriously, bamboo skewers and wind don’t mix) the flames were going, the grates were heating, and I was on my way to discovering that the grill isn’t such a scary place after all and that sweet and spicy beef skewers make for a lovely supper.

Honey Sriracha Beef Skewers

Adapted from Inspired Taste

  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon sriracha sauce
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 to 1 1/2 pounds sirloin beef steak, cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 1/3 cup lime juice
  • zest of one lime
  • 3 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 vietnamese red chili pepper, seeded and diced
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon sour cream

Combine the first 8 ingredients in a bowl.  Taste for seasoning and more honey, sriracha, and salt to taste.  Add the beef cubes and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

While the beef marinates, soak five or six wooden bamboo skewers in water and set aside.

Place the remaining ingredients in a food processor and pulse to combine.  Taste for seasoning and add more lime juice, honey, and salt to taste.  The dressing should be limey with a hint of heat from the chili but a little bit of creamy smoothness from the sour cream.  Set the dressing aside.

When you are ready to cook, thread the beef onto the skewers.  Heat a grill pan over medium high heat or light a gas grill to medium high.  Place the skewers on the grill or grill pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes before carefully turning them over with tongs and cooking an additional 3 to 4 minutes.

Transfer the cooked skewers to a sheet pan and cover with foil to rest for approximately 5 minutes.

Serve the skewers on a bed of mixed greens drizzled with the dressing.

{printable recipe}

Main Course

Daube de Boeuf

by Wendi8 Comments on Daube de Boeuf
not daube de beouf...just in case you were wondering

What is daube de boeuf?  That’s just a fancy name for beefy, stewy pot roast.  A fancy French name for beefy, stewy pot roast. So what’s fancy French pot roast got to do with the picture above?  I took that photo at the chateau where The Mistah and I stayed while we were in France.  I can’t believe it’s been over two years since we were there.

Sadly, our hosts at the chateau didn’t serve us daube de boeuf.  And we didn’t try it at any of the restaurants or bistros where we dined.  To be honest, I didn’t make the acquaintance of daube de boeuf until last year.  But it makes me think of the days we spent exploring Normandy….narrow, winding roads lined with bocage, traffic circles, ancient churches, and stately chateaus.  It reminds me of cold September mornings and the heat of the afternoon sun.  It sounds like hymns sung in French for the noon mass at Mont St Michele and feels like the water of the tidal flats lapping against my calves.  And in my imaginary life, where we have a vacation home in Normandy, it’s exactly the kind of meal that I would fix for an informal weekend supper with friends.

At this imaginary dinner, we would eat and drink and be tres heureux (that’s very happy).  Our table would overflow with laughter, so much so that it would spill out into the courtyard and be picked up on the evening breeze, destined to be scattered among the stars.

I may not have a French chateau.  But that doesn’t mean I can’t make that imaginary dinner a reality.

Daube de Boeuf

Adapted from Elizabeth Bard, Lunch in Paris

  • 4 pounds rump or chuck roast
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 6 shallots, whole
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • 16 ounces whole tomatoes
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 4 carrots, halved
  • 8 ounces mushrooms

Heat your oven to 325 degrees, pat your roast dry with paper towels, and sprinkle it with kosher salt and black pepper.  Meanwhile, heat the oil in a dutch oven large enough to hold the roast over medium high heat.  Once the pot is hot, add the beef and brown it on both sides.  If you had to cut your roast into several large pieces to get it to fit in the pot, work in batches and brown the meat on all sides.

Remove the meat once it is well browned.  Add the shallots and chopped carrot and cook for approximately 10 minutes before returning the meat back to the pot.

Add the tomatoes and their juice, the wine, and broth to the pot.  Bring to a simmer, cover, and transfer to the oven for 90 minutes.  After 90 minutes, turn the meat over and cook for an additional 90 minutes.  At this point, add the mushrooms and the halves carrots and continue to cook another 30 to 40 minutes or until the meat is fork tender and the vegetables are cooked.

{printable recipe}

Main Course

Braised Lentils

by Wendi8 Comments on Braised Lentils
can't find french green lentils at the grocery store...look no further than amazon.com

The Mistah and I have been swimming in an ocean of paperwork and bureaucratic red tape.  Forms.  Inspections.  Interviews.  It’s enough to leave me drained and uninspired at the end of the day.  Which means that my tolerance for fussy dinners is at an all time low.  Right now I want uncomplicated.  I want comfort.

There are a lot of dishes I could choose that meet that criteria.  But from a perspective of economy…of effort, of money, and of return on investment…braised lentils are my clear winner. Brown the bacon, chop and saute the veg, add lentils and liquid, and walk away for an hour.

Now, during that hour I may be trying to untangle some of the red tape or get to the bottom of the seemingly endless stack of forms.  But when the timer goes off, I can forget about all of that and sink into a bowl of beautifully braised lentils.  It’s like my lifejacket in the ocean of paperwork.

Braised Lentils

Adapted from Elizabeth Bard, Lunch in Paris

BAH Note: I mostly eat lentils with salad greens but I like Elizabeth’s suggestion of topping them with a dollop of sour cream and serving it with a pan fried or broiled salmon fillet.

  • 1 cup french green lentils
  • 1 carrot, roughly chopped
  • 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
  • 2 1/2  to 3 cups chicken broth
  • 1/4 pound bacon, cut into lardons

Cook the bacon lardons in a dutch oven set over medium heat until well browned.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked bacon to a small bowl and set aside.

Add the carrot and onions to the bacon drippings in the dutch oven and cook for approximately 10 minutes until the vegetables start to become tender and the onion is translucent.  Add the lentils to the dutch oven and stir them to completely coat them in bacon drippings.  Add the broth, stir to combine, then partially cover the dutch oven and let the lentils cook on low heat until the lentils are tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, approximately one hour.

Add the bacon to the lentils and taste for seasoning.  Add salt and pepper to taste and finish with a light drizzle of olive oil.

{printable recipe}

Chicken, Main Course, South Beach Diet

Flashback Fridy – Holy Mole

by WendiLeave a Comment on Flashback Fridy – Holy Mole

Flashback Friday

The following originally appeared on 4/15/09 at Exit 51.

Holy Mole

Forgive me, for I have sinned.  I have been unfaithful…to my Chicken Mole.  I’m sure that as indiscretions go, this one is pretty minor.  But I can’t help myself.  Even though I already have a perfectly fine South Beach recipe for Chicken Mole, when I spotted Oxana Chicken Mole listed in the Bon Appetit cookbook, temptation led me astray.

Holy Mole

I felt bad as I gathered the ingredients.  I knew that what I was doing was wrong.  But it was exciting.  As I cut and measured and prepped, I wondered if Oxana and I were always meant to be together.  I wondered what the future held for us.  I heated the pan over a medium flame and wondered if South Beach would try to get me back.  The chicken went into the pan and I wondered if it was too late to turn back.  The air filled with the scent of cinnamon, cumin, and chili and I knew I could not stop, even if I wanted to.  Tomatoes and chocolate joined the party and as the sauce deepened to a dark, ruddy red, my anticipation grew.

Simmer, bubble, stir.  At last, it was time.  Nervously, I filled my bowl and inhaled Oxana’s deep, spicy aroma.  That first taste lingered on my tongue, robust; then an explosion of heat, as my spoon went back for more.   By the time it was done, I knew I could not let Oxana slip away, never to be tasted again.

I’m not sure how long it will be till we’re  together, but until we are I will ask for forgiveness.  And then I’ll go and do it all again.

Oxana Chicken Mole

Bon Appetit Fast, Easy, Fresh

The recipe below is as it appears in the book.  Instead of cooking the chicken breasts whole, I cut them into cubes and cooked them until they were done before removing them from the pan.  I don’t know about you, but in my kitchen, chicken takes more than about 2 minutes per side to cook.  Adjust the spices as you like.  I found that with the exception of the chili powder, I used more than stated.  That includes the chocolate.  Please note that unsweetened chocolate is not the same as cocoa powder.  Look for a bar of unsweetened (baking) chocolate.  This recipe doubles very easily.

  • 2 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
  • 3 1/2 teaspoons chili powder, divided
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 14 oz to 16 oz can stewed tomatoes
  • 1/4 ounce unsweetened chocolate

Sprinkle chicken with 1 teaspoon chili powder, salt, and pepper.  Heat oil in heavy medium skillet, over medium high heat.  Add chicken and saute until brown, about 2 minutes per side.  Transfer chicken to plate.  Add remaining 2 1/2 teaspoons chili powder, cumin, and cinnamon to skillet; stir 15 seconds.  Mix in tomatoes with juice and chocolate; simmer until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.  Return chicken to skillet; simmer until just cooked through and sauce thickens slightly, about 4 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.