Oh, hello Cilantro!

Hands down, one of my favorite ingredients to use is cilantro, which is actually the Mexican word for the coriander plant.

This is the actual plant

I absolutely love the fresh, citrus taste it adds to any dish.  If I see it on the ingredient list on a menu item, I am more inclined to try it, because for me, cilantro makes everything better.

This is what we're all familiar with, commonly confused with parsley.
Just take a whiff and you'll be able to tell them apart!

I've also discovered that eating it can do some pretty awesome things for your body as well.  My dad, however, absolutely hates cilantro.  He says it tastes like soap.  I used to think he was just exaggerating, but in doing my research, it turns out that some people don't have the genetics to taste the herby, citrusy goodness and instead, taste soap.  I'm sure glad I didn't inherit that gene!

I also discovered an entire website devoted to boycotting cilantro. Members can post personal anecdotes about their "first time," submit Haiku's detesting the herb, and browse research (use your crap detectors people).

So, if you're taste buds are on the side of love for this lemony herb, give this recipe of mine a try.  It's a nice pasta salad that I think tastes great hot or cold. I figured it would be a good offering for the warm summer months that seem to be fast approaching.

Ingredients

Penne pasta, cooked according to box, and drained
1 can of red beans, rinsed and drained
Crumbled feta cheese
Red onion, sliced into thin ribbons

Dressing:
Extra-virgin olive oil
Lime juice
Cilantro
Salt & pepper

I pretty much eye ball the ingredients because you really can't mess it up!

Mix your dressing first and refrigerate it so that the flavors have time to blend.  I recommend squeezing the lime juice in your container first and then whisking the olive oil in with a fork as you pour so they incorporate nicely.  Then add your salt and pepper to taste.  Go easy on the olive oil and taste as you go so that you don't dilute the lime juice too much.

After you've prepped the remainder of your ingredients you can mix them together with your dressing*.  Voila!  You have a nice fresh, summer salad.

*If you want to eat this hot, don't refrigerate your dressing.  If you want to eat it cold, then rinse your pasta in cold water after it's cooked so it doesn't melt the cheese and warm your dressing.

So, I'm curious....Do you LOVE cilantro? Or, do you taste soap?

Do you have any fast and easy recipes you love to make in the summertime?

Peace, Love, & Yummy Stuff

Oh, hello....oh no!

I don't really have a guest du jor for this post because I ended up using things I already had on hand. I also don't feel like any one ingredient is highlighted here.  I had purchased a package of Italian sausage (meaning it's pre-seasoned) over the weekend and wasn't sure what I was going to make with it.  So today, I visited my trusty Pinterest to look for inspiration.  I had pinned this recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen a while back and have really wanted to try it.  Since this recipe calls for unseasoned beef and follows more of an Indian flavor profile, I figured this wasn't really going to work with the Italian sausage I had purchased.  Then I began to think about what I already had in my kitchen to see if I could make this work.  The following is what I came up with.

1 package of Italian sausage (without the casing if possible, otherwise remove and crumble)

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 can of garbanzo beans

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 white onion, diced

2 cups of spinach, roughly chopped

1 1/2 cup water

Onion powder

Garlic powder

Cumin

Paprika

• Drain your garbanzo beans and rinse until you no longer see bubbles forming.  
• Heat the olive oil, in a deep skillet.  Add the sausage, break it up, and let it cook for a 3 minutes.
• Mix your seasonings with your water.  (I just sprinkled a little of each, mixed, then tasted and adjusted to taste.  Remember, it's easier to add more, than to take away when you've added too much).
• Toss in the beans and cook for another 7 minutes or so.
• Add your onions, garlic, and spinach and saute for a 3-5 minutes.
• Add your seasoned water and simmer on low until the liquid is almost evaporated. (I placed a lid over it so the liquid could evaporate a little more rapidly and be done near the time my rice was to be done).

This is before I added the water.

I served this over rice, but I think any starch will do. It was a home run and Biz loved it!

This was one of the few times where I truly improvised and I have to say I'm pretty proud of myself.  However, it wasn't smooth sailing.  I want to share with any amateur cooks out there my experience with this experiment because great things can come from our mistakes and/or when we're forced to think quick on are feet. 

Kalyn's recipe calls for you to reserve the liquid from the garbanzo beans and add chicken broth.  I did not have chicken broth, but noticed I had an open carton of vegetable broth in the refrigerator.  

I checked the expiration date, still good. 

I opened it up and smelled it, still good.  

I proceeded to pour it into my measuring cup that contained my bean juice, and then a big clump of coagulated vegetable broth plopped out! I stood there for a second, throughly annoyed that my attempt to be creative was backfiring.  Then I thought, what about dissolving some chicken bouillon in some water and voila! 

Not exactly.  

I opened my pantry and zilch.  I stood there staring at what I did have and decided to pull a few things I thought would taste good.  I came up with the combination you saw listed above and it all worked out!

I welcome any of you to share some of your mishaps that turned into miracles.  Let's inspire and learn from each other!

Peace, Love, & Yummy Stuff

Oh, hello Comfort!

I decided to devote this post to comfort food.  Most people instantly think of Southern food as synonymous with comfort, but I feel like comfort food can be classified as anything that makes you feel good.  Sometimes when you're down in the dumps, the right kind of dish can make you feel as though everything is going to be okay.  For me, comfort lies in family and my sense of home.  When I eat certain dishes, they take me back to my childhood and the great memories I have built with my family. I only hope I am able to provide a similar experience for my children once my husband and I begin our family.

Tagxedo created with a blog post from gilttaste.com

The one dish on the top of my comfort food list makes me feel warm, cozy, safe, and loved; my mom's menudo, not to be confused with Menudo.  It is a traditional Mexican soup, also known to some as great hangover food.  Making this dish is a time consuming process, which is why my mom only makes it a few times a year, mostly for Christmas and New Year's.  Traditionally, menudo is  made with hominy and beef stomach, pigs feet are an optional addition and are considered to be the best part.

The preparation alone is so labor intensive because the stomach requires a lot of attention before you can even begin the long cooking process.  The stomach must be trimmed of fat, rinsed very well, then boiled for several hours.  Sometimes my mom will do a slow cook over night with the heat low, or she'll clean it in the evening to start cooking in the morning so we can eat it for the rest of the day.  The basic seasonings are chili pepper or paste and salt, but there are many variations and everyone adds something different. I can't share my mom's recipe, or I'd have to kill you.  Haha, just kidding! (No really, I would). There are also regions of Mexico that don't include the chili pepper/paste so the broth remains clear.  After it is prepared you can add extras like onion, cilantro, radish, salsa, and lemon juice to enhance the flavor.  I myself can't really stomach the stomach (hehe), but the flavor it adds to the broth cannot be replaced by anything else.  I'm not usually one to eat seconds and definitely not thirds.  I'm the one who eats the slowest and is the last to leave the table.  However, when I get the call for menudo, I just can't seem to get enough!  I have to admit, when it comes to menudo, I am a bit of a snob.  My mom's is the best and I'm usually not adventurous enough to order it off a menu at a restaurant when I see it listed, because it will inevitably be compared to my mom's and won't measure up.  I myself have not attempted to make this dish on my own, but once my family starts to grow, I will definitely add it to my recipe book so that I can carry on the comfort.

How many of you have tried menudo? What types of comfort food are on your list?  Why do they make the cut? 

Do Share!

Peace, Love, & Yummy Stuff

Oh, hello Bell Pepper!

Lately I have been craving more veggies and so today I decided to share with you one of my favorite salads.  It combines a variety of my most favorite foods: beans, cheese, and bell peppers!  I started to do some research and was surprised to learn that bell peppers come in more colors than just green, red, orange, and yellow.  They can be black, brown, or purple too!  Which kind of makes sense since they're a part of the "nightshade family" that includes potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplant.

Red bell peppers are my personal favorite because they're sweet and taste good raw and cooked. Below is my recipe for what I call a Fiesta Salad, it's colorful, spicy, and tasty!  I didn't include many pictures because it's not very complicated.

Red Bell Peppers

Fiesta Salad
Ingredients
Your choice of greens
Black beans, drained
Red bell pepper, diced
Shredded cheese (I prefer the "Mexican" blend)
Tortilla strips
Brianna's Chipotle Cheddar dressing (this is important!) 

Directions
Add as much of each ingredient as your heart desires and dig in!! But of course, be mindful of how much dressing you add...that's where the healthy can easily slip into unhealthy if you're not careful!

These are the tortilla strips I use - found at your neighborhood Savemart

This is the most awesomest dressing and is what gives the salad a little kick! I had trouble finding it at Savemart even though they carry the brand, but WinCo seems to always have it on hand.

This is before the strips and dressing. I'm sharing this pick because I knew once I put it in my lunch bag it wasn't going to look as pretty.  I wait to add those two final ingredients if I'm not going to eat it until later.  Who wants a soggy salad?

Sometimes our best stuff comes out of desperation.  This was born out of stuff I had on hand.  I would love to hear some of your salad creations!

Do Share!

Peace, Love, & Yummy Stuff 

P.S.  I know the cheese in the picture is not the "Mexican" blend I love, but I was out, so I shredded some pepper jack.  I can never have enough spice :)  But after I did so, I wish I had used feta.  I think the tangy flavor of feta would have complimented the dressing nicely.

Oh, hello Avocado!

Inspired by the green-ness of March I decided to highlight the awesomeness of avocados.   It's one of my favorite super fruits! Although it didn't used to be.  Before I tried them I imagined they tasted very "earthy" but was pleasantly surprised at how creamy they are and oh so versatile. They can be used in both sweet and savory dishes. They not only have healthy fats, they provide tons of nutrients, and help boost your body's absorption of nutrients! It's a great alternative mayo: spread it on sandwiches, use it in egg salads, deviled eggs, chicken salad, get creative with it.

Today I share with all of you one of my favorite recipes courtesy of Two Peas and their Pod. It's a delicious bowl of green creamy goodness. Again it satisfies my addiction to pasta masked with a healthy overtone of our guest du jour today. This recipe made me fall even more in love with avocados.

Guest Du Jour

The link for the website is for the full recipe. I went ahead and cut it in half this time.  You can visit their site for the full "how-to."  Below are just some of my pictures from the process.

As your pasta is boiling in its generously salted water, shred your cheese.   Don't forget to shred a little extra for yourself to enjoy as your cooking.

Get your green goodies together and blend - for this particular mixture I feel a blender is better than a food processor.  I learned that this time around.  And when your taking out the meat of the avocado, be sure to watch out for the little belly button (the part where it was once attached to the tree).  That sucker pops out very easily and could get lost in your mixture.  I always remove it before I begin scooping.

After you've blended your avocado and other green veggies mix it in with your drained, cooked pasta.

Next make your ooey gooey cheesy sauce.  I love this part, because it means I'm so close to eating!

Lastly, mix all the goodness together and...

ENJOY!

This normally looks much more green, but with the use of the food processor over the blender, I ended up with chunky bits, rather than a cream.  It still tasted excellent!  Are there any special green foods you like to eat? Or, other tasty uses for avocados up your sleeve?  

Do Share!

Peace, Love, & Yummy Stuff

Oh, hello Bloggers!

Today I decided to put a list together of my favorite food blogs.  Of course I want you all to remain my faithful followers (look into my eyes...ha ha ha), but I think getting to know what's out there helps you build your own cooking style and relationship with food.  It can also be helpful for bloggers to continually do research and see what they can do to make their blogs better by looking at those similar to their own.

A good place to start for anyone who wants to build a collection of food blogs to follow is Pinterest.  This virtual bulletin board provides free access to a variety of sites (and not just those of the cooking persuasion) that you can preview very easily.  By clicking on a few recipes that seem interesting, you may be led to a food blog that becomes your go-to when you want to try something new or be inspired to make something of your own.  That's pretty much how I discovered the lovely ladies below.

Budget Bytes - details cost of both the whole recipe and serving, includes step by step process in pictures

• She has educational tabs that include "pricing and portions" and "how to stock your kitchen" - essential know-hows if you want to adhere to a food budget
• Each recipe has a convenient link to access it as a pdf file
• She has plenty of labels that help you find just what you're looking for
• She shares my love for Sriracha!

Kalyn's Kitchen - lots of healthy meals, includes step by step process in pictures

• Her focus is on healthy, low-glycemic recipes - inspired by south beach diet, but healthy nonetheless
• She includes cooking tips, info on vegetable gardening, and products she loves
• Great for lots of vegetarian options
• Includes a variety of search options to find her recipes: by picture, by ingredient, by recipe category, and by cooking method

Lauren's Latest - lots of great desserts and fun ideas.

• This site infuses a lot of personal anecdotes and family updates since she's currently expecting their second child.  Her voice comes through clearly and it feels as though you're interacting with a friend.  I also believe this personal touch, although not necessary to maintain loyalty, does help to keep her followers coming back. 
• She includes tons of her own creations, but also blogs about food she tries when out traveling.
• Personally I think this is the most visually attractive of the sites.  The font and background have a retro vibe and she includes a lot of great pictures to reel you in.
• Her recipes can be searched via category or ingredient.

I hope you take the time to visit one or all of these sites.  They help keep me moving through my own culinary excursion and remain inspired to create exciting new recipes to share with all of you.  Are there any sites you visit regularly? If so, why?

Do share!

Lastly, here is a screen shot of one of my Pinterest boards I titled "Veggie Delights."  I've tried most of the recipes featured.  I absolutely LOVE the roasted garlic veggie tostada (the inspiration for my sweet potato enchilada casserole), the avocado mac & cheese (drool worthy), and the avocado egg salad wrap (the jalepeno/cilantro wraps from Fresh & Easy are the perfect edible compartment to house all that creamy healthy goodness).

Peace, Love, & Yummy Stuff 

Because That's How I Casse-roll! Sweet Potato Enchilada Casserole with Cilantro-Lime Crema

I am a lover of starches and carbohydrates, and that isn't always a good thing.  I'm also slightly allergic to potatoes. Luckily I was introduced to its very distant cousin, lpomoea batatas, more commonly known as the sweet potato!

The Guest Dujor

It's a wonderful tuberous root also known as a yam, camote, kumara, batata, and a few others.  They range in color from a light yellow to orange and there's also a purple variety more commonly grown in Asia.  The variety I choose to use is the orange one with the darker skin.  Their orange color makes them an alternative to eating carrots for beta-carotene and that essential Vitamin A.  Not only are all rich with a variety of vitamins, but they also have antioxidants, anti-inflammatory properties, and blood-sugar regulating nutrients.

I was inspired to create this dish from a tostada recipe I found on Pinterest that is a winner in my house.  I figured I could use the sweet potato, along with another favorite, black beans, as a hearty filling to another classic dish....enchiladas!

Rather then spending time rolling each individual tortilla with the scrumptious goodness I decided to turn it into a casserole.  I know it may seem like a lot of stuff, but this is an easy recipe and it will only get easier each time you make it.  I do, however, apologize in advanced that not everything is measured, but the stuff I eyeball is not easy to mess up, so you'll be okay.

Sweet Potato Enchilada Casserole

Ingredients

1 1/2 small sweet potatoes (as uniform as you can find)

1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 red bell pepper

1/4 purple onion, sliced 

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Crumbled Feta

Cilantro

10 corn tortillas

Enchilada Sauce:
1/4 c canola oil

Flour

Chili powder

Cumin

Garlic powder

Salt
Water
Tomato sauce

Crema:

1 c plain Greek yogurt

1/8 c crumbled feta

1 jalapeño

LIme zest

Juice of 1 lime

Garlic

Salt

Pepper

Cumin

Directions:

Set your oven to 400 degrees, then wash all your veggies and drain and rinse your black beans.

Peel your sweet potatoes and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices.  You want to try and find the most uniform sweet potatoes so that all your slices are relatively close in size, which is ideal for roasting.

Dice your red pepper and slice your onion, then toss in a bowl with your potatoes.  Coat your veggies with olive oil and salt/pepper/cumin to taste.  Spread them on a foil or parchment lined baking sheet and roast in the oven for 30 minutes.  Don't worry if some of them blacken, they won't be detectable.

While those are roasting you can start your crema.  I love using Greek yogurt as an alternative to mayo or sour cream. In a blender or food processor, mix the yogurt, feta, lime zest, lime juice, garlic (I always have a jar of minced garlic in the fridge because I use it in almost everything!), and jalapeño (roughly chopped and deveined). 

            

I like to leave a little bit of the vein for some heat

Season it to your liking with salt, pepper, and cumin. Then put in a small container and 
refrigerate until you're ready to use.

Cumin is a spice that's always been a part of my childhood
but is something I have just grown to love.

Once your veggies are done, mix them in with your drained black beans and garlic.  Season a bit more at this time if needed and set aside. 

You can choose to buy your enchilada sauce (and you'll get no judgment from me), but I've grown up on homemade, so I chose to make my own.  First you heat up the canola oil.  Then add the flour and whisk until it forms a paste and let it brown a bit.  Next, whisk in your chili powder and garlic powder and let it brown some more.  

Slowly add water until it reaches the consistency you want, ideally kind of runny, but not too thin.  It may look a bit clumpy and separated at first, just be sure to whisk like crazy and the water will eventually incorporate.  Add in your tomato sauce, salt, and cumin, along with anything else you might want to include to taste. Keep whisking!

Once your sauce is ready, lower the heat and warm your tortillas.  I sandwiched them between two wet paper towels and heated them for 30 seconds in the microwave.  That was long enough to make them soft and heated through.

Then begin to layer your casserole by spreading some of your sauce on the bottom of your 9x9 dish. Follow with a layer of tortillas. I cut some in half and layer so that there is no space in between for the filling to fall through.  Spread the filling and sprinkle with feta and cilantro, followed with sauce and repeat.  Top it off with sauce, cheese, and cilantro.  Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. 

Serve with as much crema as you like!

This happened to be another hit with Biz, and he's usually pretty honest with me if he doesn't like something.  I don't want to make anything he has to force down, so I'd rather know and not waste my time.  In this case it was a winner.  This size gave us nine servings.  I must admit I ran out of sauce, but the crema helped with the lack of moisture and they tasted great!  I still have quite a bit of crema left, but I figured we could use that on some chicken tacos later in the week.  

I'd love to hear if you give this a try and anything you might have done differently.