Nuts!

Twas the night of Halloween. Goodies galore but I craved protein, but in snack form. Maybe a bit spicy. Bar nuts to the rescue!



Really, I have been craving, desiring, devouring protein like it's going outta style. Nuts are an easy, healthy way to get a quick protein pick me up. Once you try these Bar nuts, you'll be hooked.


Bar Nuts-From food Network
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups (18-ounces) assorted unsalted nuts, including peeled peanuts, cashews, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans and whole unpeeled almonds
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Toss the nuts in a large bowl to combine and spread them out on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven until light golden brown, about 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine the rosemary, cayenne, sugar, salt and melted butter.
Thoroughly toss the toasted nuts in the spiced butter and serve warm.

And we have a winner...

I'll admit I'm a true fan of The Food Network Star television show. It's the only reality TV I can stand, or, at least admit to. I was more than pleased when my favorite from the start won the prize, Aarti. She's got a nice Indian fusion thing going on.

I grew up eating Indian food, though only in restaurants, never at home. I've been cooking Indian food for my own family for a while now. I even took a cooking class solely based on dal! Though she's only had one show under her belt, I've already made two of Aarti's recipes. I highly recommend them both. My kids even ate them, though I left out the Serrano chiles. Anything that my kids will eat is a winner in my book.

Bombay Sloppy Joes
Recipe courtesy Aarti Sequeira 2010
Prep Time: 35 min
Cook Time: 1 hr 0 min
4 to 6 servings

Ingredients
Sauce:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 serrano chile, seeded and finely minced (save the other half for the turkey)
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup water

Turkey:
3 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
Small handful shelled pistachios, about 1/4 cup
Small handful raisins, about 1/4 cup
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 large white onion, finely diced
1 red bell pepper, seeds and membrane removed, finely diced
1/2 serrano chile, seeds intact (don't chop it up unless you like things spicy!)
Kosher salt
1 pound ground turkey
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/4 cup half-and-half
Small handful chopped fresh cilantro (soft stems included)
4 to 6 hamburger buns

Directions
Begin by making the sauce: Warm the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, until it shimmers. Add the ginger, garlic and serrano pepper. Saute until the ginger and garlic brown a little. Add the garam masala and paprika and saute for 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato sauce and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until thickened, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile for the turkey, in large skillet, warm 2 tablespoons of oil. When shimmering, add the pistachios and raisins. Cook until the raisins swell up and the pistachios toast slightly. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Return the pan to medium heat, add 1 to 2 more tablespoons of oil, and warm until shimmering. Add the cumin seeds and allow them to sizzle for about 10 seconds, or until some of the sizzling subsides. Stir in the onions and bell pepper; saute until softened and starting to brown. Add the serrano pepper. Saute for another couple of minutes, seasoning with a little salt. Stir in the turkey, breaking up the big lumps. Cook until opaque, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, your sauce should be ready. Pour the sauce into the skillet with the turkey. Stir and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the mixture has thickened slightly, about 10 minutes.
Once the turkey is cooked and the sauce has thickened a little, remove the serrano pepper (unless you want to eat it whole, like my Dad does!). Add the honey, half-and-half, pistachios and raisins. Stir through and taste for seasoning. Before serving, garnish with fresh cilantro.
Toast the buns, fill with the turkey mixture and serve. Eat (with your hands!) and enjoy!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aarti-sequeira/sloppy-bombay-joes-recipe/index.html

Chinese Beef With scallions

Just getting back into the cooking thing. I hope to have many more new recipes in the next few weeks. I lost my cooking Mojo for a while, but it seems to be creeping back in. Nothing like the last 2 weeks of summer vacation to get one moving!

Last night I was really craving Chinese food. Portland is rather lacking in this area. Good, greasy take out Chinese food doesn't exist here. Portland excels at many types of food, but Chinese ain't one of them.

I found the below recipe easy and straightforward, though a bit on the greasy side. I say "greasy" in an affectionate way, if you know what I mean. It was what I was in the mood for, but if you want light and healthy, this is not the dish for you.



1/4 cups plus 6 Tbsp soy sauce, divided
2 Tbsp dry sherry
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp minced garlic
2 1/2 Tbsp sugar, divided
2lbs boneless sirloin, cut into 1/4 inch strips
4 cups shredded scallions and yellow onions

Combine 1/4 sup soy sauce, dry sherry, cornstarch, garlic, and 1 Tbsp sugar in a ziplock bag. Add beef and toss to coat. Marinate in fridge for 1 hour.

Combine remaining 6 Tbsp soy sauce and 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar and set aside.
Heat 1 cup oil in wok and sir fry beef in batches for 2 minutes per batch. Remove from wok and drain. Pour off oil.

Heat remaining 3 Tbsp oil until very hot. Add scallions and onions and stir fry 2 minutes. Add in reserved soy/sugar mixture and add back in beef. bring to a boil and cook until liquid is reduced to a syrupy glaze. Serve with steamed rice.

Super "P"

Back in college, when my husband and I were first dating, we would splurge from time to time on eating at a nice restaurant. Both of us were freakishly poor, but our first date was a movie called Big Night (about a restaurant), so food was kind of what brought us together. We often felt like we were pretending to be adults; too young for nice food or something.

Our favorite, and by far the most romantic, place to go was Caffe Bella Napoli. It was simple, honest Italian food in a way we'd never had it before. The sauces were light, more truly Italian. Americans, I hear like to drown their pasta in sauce. I have been guilty of this myself. There are two dishes that stand out to me the most, 14 years later: Insalata Al Funghi Fritti (warm mushroom salad) and a pasta we called super P. They didn't. They had some equally authentic Italian name for it, but I'm a woman of straight words. Super P stuck.

The basic premise of this dish is to fit as many P items in a possible. I've gotten it up to 8 in a fit of exuberance.

Super P Pasta
1lb Pasta of choice (I used corkscrew most recently)
6 ounces Pancetta, diced
1 small bag fingerling Potatoes
Real Parmesan for grating on top
1 cup Peas

Boil pasta as package indicates.
Boil fingerling potatoes until fork tender. Depending on the potatoes, you might have to peel them first.
When potatoes are cooked, slice in half and set aside.
Saute pancetta until translucent. Remove from hot pan, reserving pancetta drippings in pan. Add sliced potatoes and sautee until slight browned on expose slice.
Add peas.
Add reserved pancetta back into skillet. Pour entire mixture over drained pasta.
Top with Parmesan.

Easy Empanadas

Maybe I'm not showing my foodie cred, but I'd only ever had empanadas once before making them. Before moving from Los Angeles, I went to an event at the screen actors guild. Can't really remember how I had the connections to get in, but I DO remember the lovely empanadas. I think I at 16. Perfect little packets of goodness.



My husband recently brought home a copy of Cook's illustrated, a food magazine I do not subscribe to. To be honest, I'm not sure that I had ever read it. I guess I prefer the food porn of Bon Appetit and the now defunct Gourmet. There was a fantastic recipe in there for Empanadas that looked so easy I had to try it. I truly recommend it. The recipe was super easy, made a huge batch (great for freezing) and the kids loved them. Win win.

I cannot reprint the recipe, as their online site requires credit card registration, which I'm just not willing to give. The recipe is located in the May issue of Cook's Illustrated.

Hellzapoppin

If the name doesn't grab you, I don't know what will.



I'm not sure the derivation of the name, but I do know the author of the dish, Peg Braken. She wrote a famous cookbook in the 1960's called I Hate To Cook. "The book came about when she and some other working-women friends "pooled their ignorance" and came up with a core of recipes strong on ease of preparation", (wikipedia). I hear it was long on humor and short on cooking know-how, but the recipe for Hellzapoppin Cheese rice is a sure fire winner.

I encountered it first at a potluck for my book group. Wary of any casserole type dish, I took a small slice to be gracious. Let's just say I went back for more. That' would be the polite way to put it. I meant to ask for the recipe, but was lucky enough to find it online. Now I share it with you.

Hellzapoppin Cheese Rice
4 cups cooked rice
4 eggs
2 tablespoons minced onion
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce2 teaspoons salt
1 pound grated sharp Cheddar
small pinch each of thyme and marjoram
1 package chopped frozen spinach1 cup milk
4 tablespoons melted butter

"This is copied verbatim from Bracken's book. She is referring to the woman, Sugar Belle, who gave her the recipe. She beats the eggs till they're light. Then she adds the milk and all the seasonings. Finally, she folds in the cheese, spinach and rice and pours the whole works into a greased casserole. After she pours the melted butter over it, she sets it in a 375 degree oven to bake for thirty-five minutes and she takes off her apron."
http://www.slashfood.com/2007/10/30/peg-brackens-hellzapoppin-cheese-rice/

Cucumber Margaritas

Truth be told, I didn't make these. I had my husband do it.


He's the true mixologist in the house. I have very little interest in making drinks, but I do have a strong interest in drinking a fabulous cocktail. The man also has quite a collection of drinking glasses. In the past I've had to actually disallow people from purchasing glasses for my husband as gifts because we have so many! A whole sideboard full. Some in the basement, perhaps. Truly, he has a glass for any occasion. He didn't pull out the fancy stemware for the Cucumber Margaritas. He didn't need to. It was love at first sip.

http://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/view?recipeID=24

Summer Margarita
Makes four 6-ounce margaritas
Recipe from Season 5 Mexico - One Plate at a Time
Ingredients
1/2 of an 8-ounce (6-inch-long) cucumber, peeled and cut into thin slices
3/4 cup good-quality blanco tequila (we use Milagro blanco for this margarita at our restaurant)1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup simple syrup Cucumber slices for garnish

Directions
In a blender, combine the cucumber, tequila, lime and simple syrup. Blend until the mixture is as smooth as you can get it. In a cocktail shaker, combine half of the mixture with 8 to 10 ice cubes, cover and shake for a full 15 seconds. Strain through the shaker's top into 2 martini glasses. You can also blend the ice cubes in.
Garnish with cucumber slices (I usually cut a slit in each slice and impale one on the side of each glass). Repeat the shaking with the remaining margarita mix.