years ago my son and I embarked on a journey together to lose some weight and get healthy. Our plan for change was based off of the South Beach diet. this is one of the recipes that quickly became a favorite in our house, with a few alterations, of course. This soup is quick, easy and packed with flavorful nutrition. I have been feeling a bit under the weather and went to this favorite in hopes of making myself feel better.
What you need:
2 table spoons olive oil
1 brown onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 jalapeno diced... I take the seeds out
3 celery sticks chopped
1 carrot chopped
3 tablespoons Cumin
3 cans chicken stock....
1 large can chopped tomatoes
4 chicken breast - boneless skinless cubed
16 oz fresh salsa you may purchase it in the cold section of your grocery store or make it.
Method
In large dutch oven heat olive oil and add onion, celery, carrot, jalapeno,garlic cook until tender
Add Cumin, and sautee until fragrant.
Add salt and pepper to your liking, then add chicken stock and tomatoes.
Bring to boil and add chicken.
Lower heat and let simmer about 5 minutes; just enough to cook the chicken, then add salsa.
Let the soup come to a bubble; just to heat the salsa through.
WALLAH, its soup!
To serve individual bowls, you may dress it with cheese, a wedge of lime, avocado, and crumbled tortilla chips. This is a delicious soup with just a squeeze of lime and a wedge of avocado if you are counting calories, (that is how I prefer it, my husband likes to load on the cheese). I also hear that Cilantro is a tasty addition, but I can't stand the stuff (Does anyone else think it tastes like soap?).
Want more protein? Add some black beans! My husband is not a fan, so we don't see many in the house, but when it's just me and the kids, we indulge on "forbidden" staples.
This is a very quick dish and easy to prepare when you have guests. This soup also makes great leftovers for lunch the next day, with the added benefit of being heart healthy!
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Swedish Chef Swedish Meatballs with a Twist
Thank you Michael Symon for having the Infamous Swedish Chef as a guest on the Chew!!! As a life-long Muppet lover, I was tickled when I learned that one of my favorite Muppets would be guest hosting with one of my favorite chefs! Watching Michale Symon interact with the Swedish Chef was a real treat, and so was the tasty recipe below, despite a few alterations (mostly a change in the type of meat used).
Here is what you will need:
Approximately 2 lbs Ground Turkey
1 whole Nutmeg
2 tbl. spoon all spice
1/2 cup sour creme
1//4 cup Panko
1/4 sourdough baguette dried, cut into small pieces and soaked in milk
salt and pepper to taste
1 clove garlic minced
1 shallot minced
2 whole eggs
Preheat the oven 400 degrees
In a large bowl mix turkey, 1/2 nutmeg, 1 Tbl spoon allspice, 1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs, garlic, shallot and sourdough bread crumbs soaked in milk, salt, pepper and eggs.
Form the turkey mixture into meat balls and place on foil lined cookie sheet. Put in preheated oven for 20 minutes. The balls should come out browned. Be sure to cook them all the way through.
.
In dutch oven or large skillet combine
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
approx. 1/4 cup flour
1 can chicken broth ( you can add a little water if needed)
1 Tbl spoon allspice and the rest of your freshly grated nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
sour creme
Melt butter, add flour, whisk till smooth.
Add chicken broth and add water as needed.
Add spices and adjust seasonings to taste.
Once the meat balls are done cooking in oven, add to sauce then add sour creme.
There you have it! The Swedish Chef, Michael Symon, and Eileen's tasty Swedish meatballs! This basic recipe can be adjusted with different seasonings to meet your needs and preferences.
My family decided to serve these over noodles. I would recommend rice, if you must, but honestly don't think they need anything, except for maybe a salad and a bottle of wine (if there is any left from what was drank while cooking!)
After viewing this episode of the chew I was fortunate enough to have a mother-son date (he brought me flowers and everything!) to see Muppets Most Wanted! While we preferred The Muppets, that came out in 2011, this movie continued in true Muppet fashion of hilarity and cameos made by well known actors and actresses. Tinna Fey and Ty Burrell ( I love Modern Family) were amazing, and provided much needed comic relief from the stress that the many recent earthquakes have been providing.
This dish and Muppets Most Wanted is the perfect combination for an evening with the family.
Here is what you will need:
Approximately 2 lbs Ground Turkey
1 whole Nutmeg
2 tbl. spoon all spice
1/2 cup sour creme
1//4 cup Panko
1/4 sourdough baguette dried, cut into small pieces and soaked in milk
salt and pepper to taste
1 clove garlic minced
1 shallot minced
2 whole eggs
Preheat the oven 400 degrees
In a large bowl mix turkey, 1/2 nutmeg, 1 Tbl spoon allspice, 1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs, garlic, shallot and sourdough bread crumbs soaked in milk, salt, pepper and eggs.
Form the turkey mixture into meat balls and place on foil lined cookie sheet. Put in preheated oven for 20 minutes. The balls should come out browned. Be sure to cook them all the way through.
.
In dutch oven or large skillet combine
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
approx. 1/4 cup flour
1 can chicken broth ( you can add a little water if needed)
1 Tbl spoon allspice and the rest of your freshly grated nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
sour creme
Melt butter, add flour, whisk till smooth.
Add chicken broth and add water as needed.
Add spices and adjust seasonings to taste.
Once the meat balls are done cooking in oven, add to sauce then add sour creme.
There you have it! The Swedish Chef, Michael Symon, and Eileen's tasty Swedish meatballs! This basic recipe can be adjusted with different seasonings to meet your needs and preferences.
My family decided to serve these over noodles. I would recommend rice, if you must, but honestly don't think they need anything, except for maybe a salad and a bottle of wine (if there is any left from what was drank while cooking!)
After viewing this episode of the chew I was fortunate enough to have a mother-son date (he brought me flowers and everything!) to see Muppets Most Wanted! While we preferred The Muppets, that came out in 2011, this movie continued in true Muppet fashion of hilarity and cameos made by well known actors and actresses. Tinna Fey and Ty Burrell ( I love Modern Family) were amazing, and provided much needed comic relief from the stress that the many recent earthquakes have been providing.
This dish and Muppets Most Wanted is the perfect combination for an evening with the family.
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Lobster Ravioli with Langostino
I have a friend, Dianne, who I have known for a good 29 years, and she is one of the best gourmet cooks I know. Whenever I have a cooking question or am in need of an idea of how to prepare something I just give her a call.
Tonight I wanted to do something simple, but tasty. I purchased some lobster ravioli at Costco, and had no clue what I was going to do with it. As I strolled through our favorite Warehouse grocer, I went through the contents of my pantry, freezer and refrigerator in my mind. Parmesan cheese, butter, olive oil, scallions, Chardonnay, pine nuts, lemon, fresh thyme, and, OH, I can use the Langostino!
Not sure how to go about making this dish, I give my buddy Dianne a call, who unfortunately lives in Ohio. Why a person would move from this Golden State, that has EVERYTHING except WINTER, is beyond me. Anyway, Di answered her phone. I told her what I was considering and she told me ways of creating a mild flavor that will only enhance my Costco bought raviolis. It was delicious!!!!!!
Put raviolis in a pot of boiling water that had salt and olive oil in it.
When the raviolis were almost done, I added the Langostino to the water.
I drained the ravioli/ langostino and put it in a pasta bowl.
Next, I sprinkled some olive oil over the pasta, and shaved a tablespoon or 2 of butter over it, added
sliced scallions, Parmesan cheese, a small hand full of pine nuts, squeeze of 1/2 lemon and a sprinkling of
Chardonnay, the family LOVED it!
Thank you again Dianne!
Tonight I wanted to do something simple, but tasty. I purchased some lobster ravioli at Costco, and had no clue what I was going to do with it. As I strolled through our favorite Warehouse grocer, I went through the contents of my pantry, freezer and refrigerator in my mind. Parmesan cheese, butter, olive oil, scallions, Chardonnay, pine nuts, lemon, fresh thyme, and, OH, I can use the Langostino!
Not sure how to go about making this dish, I give my buddy Dianne a call, who unfortunately lives in Ohio. Why a person would move from this Golden State, that has EVERYTHING except WINTER, is beyond me. Anyway, Di answered her phone. I told her what I was considering and she told me ways of creating a mild flavor that will only enhance my Costco bought raviolis. It was delicious!!!!!!
Put raviolis in a pot of boiling water that had salt and olive oil in it.
When the raviolis were almost done, I added the Langostino to the water.
I drained the ravioli/ langostino and put it in a pasta bowl.
Next, I sprinkled some olive oil over the pasta, and shaved a tablespoon or 2 of butter over it, added
sliced scallions, Parmesan cheese, a small hand full of pine nuts, squeeze of 1/2 lemon and a sprinkling of
Chardonnay, the family LOVED it!
Thank you again Dianne!
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Michael Symon's Chicken Pot Pie!
Thunder, lightening, and pouring rain equal a perfect day for a comforting pot pie! My favorite Iron Chef has the perfect recipe for mini chicken pot pies that can be found on the Chew.com: http://abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/mini-chicken-pot-pies-with-michael-symon
An important lesson I learned from making this is, don't wait until 5:00 pm to read the complete directions. I normally just scan them to see what I'll keep, and what I'll chuck, then go about my day before I'm ready to start dinner. This did not go so well for this adventure.
A good pot pie from scratch takes about 2 hours. (damn crust) I set Bridgett, my resident baker and pastry chef, to work on preparing the crust. It wasn't until it had come together that she stopped the mixer and read aloud "wrap crust in plastic wrap and chill for one hour",with that we looked at each other, trying to think of ways to make the chilling process go faster. Bridgett sealed the dough in a freezer bag and tossed on top of a bag of ice in the freezer. "30 min should be fine." We shrugged off out first road bump and I set to work chopping up veggies and herbs.
This was one of the rare times I didn't chuck the recipe... I actually followed it verbatim, okay except for the part where I added some fresh Tarragon and Curry powder, oh and we made one big pie, instead of small individuals....
I began building the dish, sweating the onions and vegetables, then adding the flour and cream and broth. I was ready to add the chicken when I hit our second road bump: "simmer for 45 min before adding the chicken." It was going to be a long night. So long in fact, that Bridgett heated up some left over clam chowder!
We set the timer and watched Hannibal until it was time to add the last few indigence. When the timer began to chime, Bridgett putted out the now solid dough (do not put it in the freezer) and I added the chicken and adjusted the seasonings. Bridgett rolled out the dough and cut it into disks to strategically cover the top of the pot pie, and we threw the pot in the oven. It would be wise to remember to brush the "crust" with the egg wash before putting the dish in the oven. (third road bump)
Despite a few bumps in the road, this dish was delicious! Michael's chicken Pot pie is a culinary work of art! But that opinion could be a bit bias because I have a little crush on this awesome chef and it would be a dream come true to cook with him IN THE SAME KITCHEN! In fact, if I had my choice, to cook with Michael Symon or have lunch with Bono, I would probably choose to cook with Michael. And if I had the opportunity to cook a meal for Bono with Michael .... well that would be perfect! Hey, a girl can dream!
An important lesson I learned from making this is, don't wait until 5:00 pm to read the complete directions. I normally just scan them to see what I'll keep, and what I'll chuck, then go about my day before I'm ready to start dinner. This did not go so well for this adventure.
A good pot pie from scratch takes about 2 hours. (damn crust) I set Bridgett, my resident baker and pastry chef, to work on preparing the crust. It wasn't until it had come together that she stopped the mixer and read aloud "wrap crust in plastic wrap and chill for one hour",with that we looked at each other, trying to think of ways to make the chilling process go faster. Bridgett sealed the dough in a freezer bag and tossed on top of a bag of ice in the freezer. "30 min should be fine." We shrugged off out first road bump and I set to work chopping up veggies and herbs.
This was one of the rare times I didn't chuck the recipe... I actually followed it verbatim, okay except for the part where I added some fresh Tarragon and Curry powder, oh and we made one big pie, instead of small individuals....
I began building the dish, sweating the onions and vegetables, then adding the flour and cream and broth. I was ready to add the chicken when I hit our second road bump: "simmer for 45 min before adding the chicken." It was going to be a long night. So long in fact, that Bridgett heated up some left over clam chowder!
We set the timer and watched Hannibal until it was time to add the last few indigence. When the timer began to chime, Bridgett putted out the now solid dough (do not put it in the freezer) and I added the chicken and adjusted the seasonings. Bridgett rolled out the dough and cut it into disks to strategically cover the top of the pot pie, and we threw the pot in the oven. It would be wise to remember to brush the "crust" with the egg wash before putting the dish in the oven. (third road bump)
Despite a few bumps in the road, this dish was delicious! Michael's chicken Pot pie is a culinary work of art! But that opinion could be a bit bias because I have a little crush on this awesome chef and it would be a dream come true to cook with him IN THE SAME KITCHEN! In fact, if I had my choice, to cook with Michael Symon or have lunch with Bono, I would probably choose to cook with Michael. And if I had the opportunity to cook a meal for Bono with Michael .... well that would be perfect! Hey, a girl can dream!
Friday, February 28, 2014
Beer Battered Fish Tacos
Fish tacos are a dish that I usually let Tio's or Senior Baja prepare for me. However with the "Storm of the Century"flooding our streets today in southern California, I have opted for staying in PJ's, watch Breaking Bad and cooking at home.
I generally avoid frying my food, but I love that fluffy smooth beer batter, and had to give it a shot. My take on this staple food involves en-robing my lovely Cod, in the following beer batter that I have highlighted with the warm aromatic spices of Cumin, and chili. All during the last episode of Breaking Bad that I watched before I made dinner, I composed the symphony of spices in my head.
Managing to tear myself away before diving into the series finale, I marched to the kitchen and took the fish out of my frig. Much to my surprise, I discovered that the fish was still stiff with frost. Because it was well past time to cook dinner, I cut the frozen fish into chunks anyway. and set to work covering the pieces with batter and setting it to fry. It all cooked pretty fast, I was on the last 2 pieces when I realized my symphony of spices never made it to the orchestra pit! It was good anyway. I used a southwest chopped salad that I picked up at Trader Joe's; the flavor of the dressing provided the perfect balance to the flavors of the fish and beer batter. Bridgett and my husband were happy so I felt dinner was a success!
Beer Batter
1 cup flour
2 Tablespoons Corn Starch
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 egg
1 cup beer
1 Tablespoon cumin
2 Tablespoon fresh Dill
1 teaspoon chili powder
Mix dry ingredients in bowl, in a smaller bowl beat egg and add beer. Make a well in the dry ingredients then pour the beer/egg mixture in center and mix well a few lumps are ok.
Once I cooked all the fish chunks I filled warmed corn tortillas with Southwest Chopped salad before adding a few small chunks of cod, then finally garnishing with a squeeze of lime.
This meal was quick and easy, and now that I have finished writing this I can go watch the very last episode of Breaking Bad, before the return of both Grimm and Hannibal!
I LOVE STORMY WEATHER!
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Clam Cowder
Hello, my name is Eileen. I am a wife and mother of two. My daughter has insisted that I begin keeping track of my culinary creations. I enjoy cooking and eating. I am somewhat of a foodie. My favorite program as of late is ABC's The Chew, however this results in my ending up in the Zumba room of the gym at least 5 times a week.
My love of food can be traced back to my Dad's Sunday culinary escapades. Some of his more memorable dishes included Egg-Foo-Yong, Dolmas, Chicken Cacciatore, and his wilted lettuce salad. Nothing was normal with this WWII Vet, and the kitchen was almost always left looking like a war zone.
When I am in the kitchen I try to create what is in my mind's mouth and put it on a plate to feed myself and my family. My main goal is to create something that is healthy, but tasty, and using all whole, fresh ingredients. I sometimes use recipes as loose guidelines, but once the stove is on, and the spices are flying, the magic happens and all planning vanishes. Anything can happen once I'm in the zone.
I hope that you can join in your own kitchen to create something tasting that will not only nourish the body, but, the heart and soul of you and your loved ones.
The first recipe I would like to share is my own take on several Clam Chowder recipes that I picked off of the internet. Please feel free to change measurements and adjust spices to your likening.
20 oz whole baby clams
1 minced onion
6 celery stalks, diced
3 cups potatoes, cubed
2 carrots, diced
1 cube butter (next time I would use 1 cup)
1 cup flour
1 quart half and half
1 cup non-fat milk
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 Table Spoons Worcester sauce
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
to taste: fresh dill, parsley, thyme, oregano
Directions:
Chop up all veggies and put in a large skillet, drain clam juice into skillet, then add water to cover the veggies. Cook over medium heat until tender.
Meanwhile in a large heavy sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth, then add garlic. Whisk in half and half and stir constantly until smooth. Stir in vegetables with clam juice. Add the milk, stir until it starts to thicken, if it is too thick, add more water or milk. Add, thyme, oregano, chili flakes, bay leaf, and cayenne, and mix well. Add Worcester sauce and red wine vinegar. Salt and back pepper to taste. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Add the clams and the fresh dill and parsley, cook on low heat for about 5 minuets. Do not over cook clams.
Enjoy with sourdough bread.
My love of food can be traced back to my Dad's Sunday culinary escapades. Some of his more memorable dishes included Egg-Foo-Yong, Dolmas, Chicken Cacciatore, and his wilted lettuce salad. Nothing was normal with this WWII Vet, and the kitchen was almost always left looking like a war zone.
When I am in the kitchen I try to create what is in my mind's mouth and put it on a plate to feed myself and my family. My main goal is to create something that is healthy, but tasty, and using all whole, fresh ingredients. I sometimes use recipes as loose guidelines, but once the stove is on, and the spices are flying, the magic happens and all planning vanishes. Anything can happen once I'm in the zone.
I hope that you can join in your own kitchen to create something tasting that will not only nourish the body, but, the heart and soul of you and your loved ones.
The first recipe I would like to share is my own take on several Clam Chowder recipes that I picked off of the internet. Please feel free to change measurements and adjust spices to your likening.
20 oz whole baby clams
1 minced onion
6 celery stalks, diced
3 cups potatoes, cubed
2 carrots, diced
1 cube butter (next time I would use 1 cup)
1 cup flour
1 quart half and half
1 cup non-fat milk
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 Table Spoons Worcester sauce
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
to taste: fresh dill, parsley, thyme, oregano
Directions:
Chop up all veggies and put in a large skillet, drain clam juice into skillet, then add water to cover the veggies. Cook over medium heat until tender.
Meanwhile in a large heavy sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth, then add garlic. Whisk in half and half and stir constantly until smooth. Stir in vegetables with clam juice. Add the milk, stir until it starts to thicken, if it is too thick, add more water or milk. Add, thyme, oregano, chili flakes, bay leaf, and cayenne, and mix well. Add Worcester sauce and red wine vinegar. Salt and back pepper to taste. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Add the clams and the fresh dill and parsley, cook on low heat for about 5 minuets. Do not over cook clams.
Enjoy with sourdough bread.
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