FoodAskew » pepper

Mashed Cauliflower

Trish — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 19:00:48 +0000

Submitted by The Gully & Nicole~
Serves 4
Per Serving: 81 calories, 2 g protein, 5 g carbohydrates, 6 g fat, 2 g saturated fats, 82 mg sodium, 4 mg cholesterol, 3 g fiber

4 c. cauliflower florets		3 tbs. light “fake” butter
¼ c. skim milk		pinch salt
pinch freshly ground black pepper

1. Steam or microwave the cauliflower until soft.
2. Puree in a food processor, adding the milk & butter to taste.
3. Season with salt & pepper.

Chef’s Note: The original recipe was from the South Beach diet and called for 1 oz. I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! spray & 1 oz. Land ‘O Lakes Gourmet Fat-Free Half & Half. We tweaked it to what we had & our tastes.

McMurphy’s Kickass Homefries

Trish — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 19:00:26 +0000

Submitted by RandallPMcMurphy
Serves 2

2 russet or yukon gold potatoes		½ green bell pepper
½ onion		2 strips bacon, roughly chopped
butter		salt & pepper

1. Make sure your potatoes are washed & diced. Leave the skin on.
2. Put the potatoes in a pot of water, approximately 3 qts, with 1 tbsp of kosher salt on the stove. Turn hear on high & bring to a boil until potatoes are fork tender.
3. Dice the onion & bell pepper. In a cast iron skillet, render the bacon with the onions & peppers on medium heat.
4. Strain potatoes & throw into the cast iron skillet with the peppers & onions & a pat of butter.
5. Really mash down with the weight of another skillet, & set on medium-medium low heat until you finish cooling the rest of your breakfast, about 5-10 minutes. The bottom should form a nice crust on it.
6. Salt & pepper to taste. Add a dash of hot sauce if you like.

‘Wish I was in Oaxaca’ Chicken

Trish — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 19:00:54 +0000

Submitted by RandallPMcMurphy
Serves 4

4 chicken breasts, skin on		2 tbsp chili powder, divided
1 bottle beer (Tecate)		2 jalapeno peppers, sliced with seeds
1 white onion, sliced		3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 chipotle peppers in adobo, chopped		7 oz. chipotle sauce (1 can)
29 oz. Hunts Fire Roasted tomatoes (2 cans)		3 c. chicken stock
1 pinch Mexican oregano		3 tbsp grape seed oil (or vegetable oil)
corn tortillas		cilantro
Maggi seasoning		salt & pepper

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Season the chicken breasts with salt & pepper, & a sprinkle of chili powder. In a dutch oven or large, oven safe pot, heat oil on Medium High & brown chicken. Approximately 3 minutes each side. Remove chicken & set aside.
2. With pot still on medium high, throw onion, garlic & jalapeno in & cook for approximately 5 minutes.
3. Deglaze with 6oz of beer, scraping up all the brown bits from the pan, & drink the rest.
4. Combine the rest of the ingredients & the rest of the Chili Powder, with the onions, peppers & garlic & place the chicken in. Pour in chicken stock to just cover the chicken, if necessary, & bring to a simmer. Tear up 2-3 corn tortillas & toss into pot.
5. Cover, & place pot in oven for 2.5 hours or until chicken is fork tender.
6. Remove chicken from the pot & set aside. Use an immersion blender, or carefully pour braising liquid into a blender & blend until smooth. Taste. Season with Maggi seasoning & pepper to taste.
7. Plate chicken in a shallow bowl, ladle over a spoonful of sauce, & garnish with cilantro to taste. Serve with corn tortillas.

Chef’s Note: I make the chili powder from scratch using Alton Brown’s Recipe. Maggi seasoning is like Mexican soy sauce. It’s awesome.

Easy Slow Cooker Mac & Cheese

Trish — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 19:00:09 +0000

Submitted by Nicole~
Serves 2

32 oz. Velveeta cheese		2 c. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 can evaporated milk		32 oz. macaroni noodles
salt & pepper to taste

Place large pot of water on to boil. While waiting for water to boil, cut up the Velveeta into chunks & place chunks & evaporated milk in the crock pot (I start out with pot on high). When water is ready, put noodles in for 10 minutes, strain & dump ½ of the noodles into the cheesy goodness with a little salt & pepper, stir. Add 1 cups of shredded cheese, stir. Add in remaining noodles & additional salt & pepper, stir. Add salt & pepper to your taste & stir again if needed. Top of with remaining cup of cheese & you’re done! Leave on high for 1 to 2 hours, then move to low or warm until you serve.

Enchilada Casserole

Trish — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 19:00:32 +0000

Submitted by Nicole~
Serves 2

1.5-2 lb. ground beef		1 taco seasoning packet
1 tbsp oregano		1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
2 cans corn		1 can Enchilada sauce
12-15 flour tortillas		4 c. cheese
salt & pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Brown meat with seasonings, adding corn & enchilada sauce until done.
2. Place layer of tortillas on bottom of 9″x11″ dish, add layer of meat mixture, top with cheese. Repeat until out of tortillas & meat mixture leaving off top layer of cheese.
3. Bake 25-30 minutes.
4. Remove adding final layer of cheese & bake 5 minutes.

Chef’s Note: This dish is great for pre-making or giving to neighbors when in need.

Fairly Simple Fish

Trish — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:00:13 +0000

Submitted by Ruth
Serves 2

2 large fish fillets, bream or snapper		3 tbsp sweet soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine		2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger, or grated fresh		large bunch coriander
1 lime, sliced thin		1 lemon, sliced thin
salt		pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Combine soy, rice wine, brown sugar & ginger in a small bowl & mix to combine.
3. Add fish to bowl & allow to marinate for about an hour.
4. Lay out a large length of aluminum foil on the bench (you can use two sheets of the same length to make is stronger).
5. Rip apart the coriander & lay into the center of the foil. Layer the lime & fresh lemon slices over the top of the coriander. Lay the marinated fish into the center of the coriander/lemon/lime bed. Sprinkle with salt & pepper.
6. Layer another sheet of foil over the top of the fish & fold in all sides of the foil tightly to make a fully air tight parcel.
7. Place on a cookie sheet & bake in the oven for 15 minutes. When you open the foil the fish should have changed color & be firm to the touch.
8. Serve with steamed rice & stir fried vegetables.

Roasted Bone Marrow

Trish — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:00:27 +0000

Submitted by RandallPMcMurphy
Serves 2

a few veal or beef marrow bones		parsley
shallots		lemon
extra virgin olive oil		coarse sea salt
pepper		bread

1. Soak bones overnight in salt water (1 tbsp salt to 1 qt water) in the fridge to get out the impurities & blood & such.
2. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
3. Put the marrow standing up in a roasting pan or other oven-safe vessel.
4. Roast for about 15 minutes.
5. In the meantime, make a nice salad with sliced shallots, some parsley, lemon juice, and oil to taste. Toast some bread.
6. Serve with a spoonful of sea salt that the diner can sprinkle on themselves.

Basic Tomato Sauce

Trish — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 19:00:03 +0000

Submitted by Ruth
Serves 2

5 truss tomatoes, skinned, diced, & crushed		2 tbsp tomato paste
large handful of oregano		large handful marjoram
small handful parsley		small handful basil
small package pine nuts		½ c. button mushrooms, diced
1 medium onion, quartered		salt
pepper		1 c. vegetable stock or broth

1. Slit the skins on the tomatoes & put them in boiling water for a minute to get the skins off. Once skinned, put them in the blender to crush them. Add tomato paste to thicken it. Set aside.
2. In a food processor, pulse the onion, herbs, & pine nuts until neatly smooth.
3. In a nonstick pan, cook the mushrooms & onion/herb mixture with a bit of vegetable stock until translucent, then add the tomatoes. Cook for about 1 hour on a very low simmer until reduced by about ¼.

Chef’s Note: When serving I add a chicken breast with all fat removed, thinly sliced & dry grilled, & some heart healthy bacon dry grilled.

The Califunky Hot Brown

Trish — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:49:07 +0000

Submitted by randilicious
Serves 2

5 tbsp canola oil		3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1½ c. milk		6 tbsp Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
3 tbsp sharp cheddar cheese, shredded		1 egg, beaten
½ tbsp pepper		½ tbsp oregano
1 tsp paprika		1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1 c. mushrooms, sliced		8 stalks asparagus
1 tomato, thinly sliced		4 slices of bread, toasted
1 avocado		leftover turkey slices and/or ¼ lb. pork roast thinly sliced

1. To prepare sauce, in a large skillet combine 3 tbsp canola oil & flour little by little & mix to create a roux. Stir in flour to absorb the oil. Slowly whisk in the milk, & add Parmesan cheese & cheddar cheese. Stir in the egg to thicken the sauce, but do not allow to boil. Season with pepper, paprika, & Old Bay seasoning & remove from heat.
2. In a separate skillet, heat 2 tbsp canola oil. Saute mushrooms in the oil until soft.
3. In the same skillet, saute the asparagus.
4. Preheat the oven broiler. For each serving, put 2 slices of toast on a broiler-safe dish. Cover toast with layer of slices of turkey/pork roast & mushrooms. Smother each serving with sauce.
5. Place dish in broiler until the top of the sauce in speckled brown & bubbly. Remove from broiler, add tomatoes, & cross cross 4 stalks of asparagus (per serving) over top, & serve.
6. For each serving, slice up half an avocado & add as garnish.

Chef’s Note: The Kentucky Hot Brown retains a special place in my heart, as I was born in Kentucky. Of course, I had to add in more of a California flavor (and a dash of my Maryland side too) to make it healthier.

Chicken & Vegetables Over Pasta

Trish — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 19:00:44 +0000

Submitted by M. Bernadette Fawver
Serves 4

4 chicken breasts, cubed		1 c. sliced mushrooms
2 tbsp butter		14-16 oz. cubed tomatoes (1 can)
2 tbsp olive oil		2/3 c. dry white wine
1 large onion, finely chopped		4-6 tbsp heavy cream
2 garlic cloves, crushed		2 tsp Italian seasoning
2 bell peppers (red, yellow, or green) cut into 1½” cubes		salt & pepper
pasta to serve

Season the chicken with salt & pepper to taste. Heat oil and butter in a skillet; fry the chicken until browned all over. Remove the chicken from the skillet. Add the onion & garlic to the skillet & cook gently until just beginning to soften. Add the bell peppers to the skillet with the mushrooms & continue to cook for a few minutes longer, stirring occasionally. Add the Italian seasoning. Add the tomatoes & plenty of seasoning to the skillet & then transfer the vegetable mixture to an oven safe casserole.

Place the chicken on the bed of vegetables. Add the wine to the skillet & bring to a boil. Pour the wine over the chicken & cover the casserole. Cook in a preheated oven at 350°F. for 50 minutes. When ready to serve, add cream & serve over pasta.