Nick's Stacked Red Chile, Spinach, and Cheese Enchilada (Photo Only)

May 4, 2011

Two (Things to Know) for Tuesday

Cinnamon churro flavored ice cream makes a root beet float that's not (too) bad.

Raisins can take the edge off of a chocolate craving (I'm a just-give-in-to-the-food-you-are-craving kinda girl, but sometimes it's just not possible or practical).

Happy Pi Day!

Ready to go in the oven, March 14, 2011

My Signature Salad Dressing

Lemon-Garlic Salad Dressing

(No emulsifier, so shake or stir well before each serving. Does help if you mix it in order, tho.)


I do this in the food processor.

• 4 cloves, Garlic

Mince
 

• 1/3 C. Lemon Juice
• 1/4 tsp dried Basil
• 1/2 tsp dried Parsley

Fresh basil and parsley would be lovely, I'm sure.

• pinch or two of Sea Salt

(really, my smallest measuring spoon, 1/8 tsp, would be too much).

Mix/Pulse

• 2/3 C. Olive Oil

Mix/Pulse

Use to dress lettuce salads, pasta salads, rice salads, etc.

Refrigerate leftovers/planned-overs, but plan to bring dressing room temperature before serving (so your olive oil won't be solid). 

I've made Lemon-Garlic Salad Dressing for years, just by sight, but this is what I wrote in my notebook when I made it 4-29-2011

"Here, I thought you might like this."

One word: Vile.

Buddy kinda liked it, though.

Admittedly, the more you eat, the better it tastes. I know this because it's weirdly addicting.

But still...

My New Favorite Chocolate Bar

 Everything is better with chile.

 Even chocolate. 

Especially chocolate. 

Why is the chocolate gone? I ate it all!

 

 

 Spicy in the sense that the chile adds a depth of flavor and heat to the chocolate, that it would otherwise lack. 

This may be the best chile chocolate I've had. 

Well balanced. 

Very satisfying. 

Good stuff or, depending on my mood, wonderful stuff. 

 Individually wrapped purse size bars within the box. Very handy. 

 I am not a paid shill. 

I do this for free. 

Fake Lo Mein

Well, not really even that. But, combining chicken, bell peppers, onions, broccoli, spaghetti noodles, and teriyaki sauce, reminded me of Americanized "lo mein" recipes that I have seen. So, in my mind, this dinner was fake lo mein. Even though, of course, that's a misleading title and it's not (which is usually one of my pet peeves).


First make the teriyaki sauce, and start the noodles.


*******

Teriyaki Sauce

Adapted from Teriyaki Sauce recipes Karen Joy & Ma'am I Am posted on a homeschooling forum, years ago.

• 1/2 C Soy Sauce
• 1/2 C Brown Sugar
• 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder, or 1 clove Garlic, minced.
• 1 tsp grated Ginger
• 1 tsp Dark Sesame Oil
• 1 1/2 TBSP Rice Vinegar

Stir.

*******

• 16 oz Spaghetti Noodles
• 1 TBSP Dark Sesame Oil

Toss the boiled and drained noodles with the sesame oil.

• 3 TBSP Canola, or any mild flavored, Oil
• 1 Onion (mine was huge, but I love onion), chunked
• 2 Orange Bell Peppers, chunked
• Broccoli Florets, about 1 1/2 LBS (I stir-fried mine, another option is to add them to the pasta near the end of cooking time and boil the broccoli along with the pasta). 
• 1 1/4 C. Water
• 16 oz, approximately, raw Chicken Breast, chopped
• 1 TBSP Red Pepper Flakes (I don't remember when I added the chile flakes, just do it when it feels right).

Preheat a large stainless steel pan on med-high, 2 minutes.

Add 1 TBSP oil. Stir-fry the onion and bell pepper.

But, If you walk away and forget about the pan, as I did, reduce heat before you
add the oil and the veggies.

Here's a confession:

Stir fry.

I don't stir fry in an authentic, traditional sense.

Mine is more of sit, stir, sit fry. Referring to the food, not me. Ha!

I don't have a wok, either. 

Remove onion and bell pepper to a large stainless steel mixing/serving bowl.

Immediately add 1 TBSP oil to the pan. Add the broccoli. After you've stirred the broccoli
a few times, add 1/4 C. of the water (careful of the steam). Stir. Once the water evaporates, add another 1/4 C. Stir. Evaporate. Add another 1/4 C. Stir. Evaporate. If necessary, repeat...I needed a total of 1 1/4 C. water.

Once the broccoli is done, move it to the bowl. As it sits in the bowl, it may continue to cook, or steam, so don't overcook it.

Add 1 TBSP oil to the pan. Add chicken to the pan. Once the chicken is mostly cooked, add Teriyaki sauce to chicken in pan. Cook a couple of minutes.

Spoonula in to the bowl and toss with your noodles and veggies. 


Serves four, or more, as a one dish dinner.

Leftovers will taste good eaten cold, as a Teriyaki flavored pasta salad, at lunch.

Made and served 4-28-2011

Looking Back: Breakfast for Dinner, April 27, 2011

Huevos Rancheros, made with leftover/planned-over Green Chile Stew, short stack style.

Served with lightly sauteed spinach and tomato wedges.

Tortilla Soup

Tortilla Soup is a "leftover" soup, whose original purpose was to prevent stale corn tortillas from going to waste. The Mexican version of an Italian Bread Soup.

Therefore, other than it being a poultry based soup (meat and broth), I change up the ingredients (although sometimes only slightly), each time I make it. Largely based on what I have on hand. This recipe is just one example. For instance, It's a good after Thanksgiving soup, with turkey.

This style of soup is not just made of leftovers, it makes great leftovers. So when I make it, I like to make A LOT at once.

Q:  What do tortilla soup and fajitas have in common?

A:  I always think I can put large quantities of them together quickly, and I never can.

I'm posting the instructions first, because this is a simple concept, a simple recipe, and a simple to make soup, but that might get lost in the chatter that goes with the ingredients.

 Instructions:

 Combine carrots, onions, celery, and potato in a 16 qt stockpot with
8 C. water.

Bring to a boil over high heat. Add tomatoes (with juice), oregano, salt, garlic, and any chile.

Check veggies for doneness (amount of doneness is up to you). When done, add broth.

Bring back to a boil.

Add corn.

Warm, briefly, then add chicken & black olives.

Reduce heat to very low, until ready to cool & put away leftovers.

 

Ingredients:

8 large Carrots, sliced into half moons.

2 large or extra large  Onions, diced.

1 Celery Heart (or bunch), sliced, including any leaves.

1 Potato, chopped (this is a rustic, homestyle soup, so peeling the potato is optional).

8 C. Water

2 cans* Diced Tomatoes (do NOT drain them)

*2 cans are okay, but I usually prefer a less tomato-y tortilla soup, and no, I didn't write the size of the cans in my notes, so I have no idea what size they were (except I know they weren't institutional sized cans). 

1/4 C Mexican Oregano

1 tsp Salt

Garlic, 1 head (nearly 40 cloves from this one, but some were very small), minced. I'd say not more
than 20 cloves if they're loose, and 10 may be better.If using powdered, just use a TBSP. It won't be the same, but...

Very Garlicky!! If you don't LOVE garlic, use less (4 cloves, total) or none, much as that pains me.

8 oz roasted & peeled New Mexican Green Chile*, previously frozen, chopped

Leftover prepared Green Chile and Red Chile*, very small amounts of both

*Chile can be served on the side, if preferred.

You can add as much or as little chile/heat to this soup as you desire. When I don't have

chile (sacrilege), to add, I use red pepper flakes!

Chicken Broth (I used 3, 1-qt jars* and 2 (approx 36 oz each) Ziplocs* of broth, all
frozen.

*I won't freeze homemade broth in jars again, clever idea but doesn't meet my needs. The broth in the jars has to be at least partially defrosted, but the broth in the Ziplocs can be used frozen, by slicing open the bags with scissor,s and putting the blocks in the soup.

2 C Corn, frozen

Chicken breast, cooked and chopped, reserved from one roasted chicken

1 can, California *Whole Black Olives, drained (I sliced them two at a time on an egg slicer, not my favorite type of olive, but I like them in some applications, sometimes).

*Whole vs. sliced = Just slightly better taste and texture, and I could usually get a better price on whole.

Tortilla Strips (I fry them*, can do this ahead of time)

*I use a method similar to how I prepare tortillas for enchiladas, but I fry a stack of strips at once, don't usually flip them, and fry them for longer. Can deep fry the strips, too. Salt the hot just fried strips (well, if desired).

Cheese, shredded. I had Sharp Cheddar, that's what I used. Monterey Jack is also good.

Lemon or Lime Wedges


Additional Ingredient Notes:

Avocado is good, as a last minute addition, preferably to individual bowls. 

I like Cilantro in Tortilla Soup, but I didn't have any this particular day.

This version has a small amount of flour in it, in the prepared green, but Tortilla Soup can easily be, and when I make it, usually is, gluten-free.

Zucchini (or any summer squash) is another vegetable that goes well in Tortilla Soup.

You may need less water and broth if you don't live in a high desert climate.

 

To Serve:

Ladle the soup into bowls. Top each with a generous amount of tortilla strips. Top the strips with cheese and serve with the lemon or lime wedges. 

Served with a lettuce salad, because I'm boring like that :)

Soup made and served  May 11, 2011.