Portobello Burger

This healthy and delicious vegetarian meal is satisfying...don't let the portobellos scare any of you meat-lovers away!  My hubby loves a good burger, he was savoring every bite. I made homemade hamburger buns which made them even tastier. 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic, minced 

6 T olive oil 

1/2 t dried thyme 

2 T balsamic vinegar 

salt and pepper to taste 

4 large portobello mushroom caps 

4 whole wheat hamburger buns 

1/4 cup low-fat mayonaisse 

1 T capers, drained

tomato, spinach and avocado to top

Directions:

In medium bowl, mix garlic, olive oil, thyme, vinegar, salt & pepper.

Remove stems from mushrooms and place caps bottom side up in a shallow baking dish. Brush the caps with half of the sauce. Broil caps under the broiler for 5 minutes.

Turn the caps, brush with remaining sauce. Broil 4 minutes.

Toast hamburger buns lightly.

In small bowl mix capers and mayonaisse together. Spread mayo mixture on the buns, top with mushroom caps, tomato, spinach and avocado.

Ancho Chile Mushroom Enchiladas

If you have access to ancho chiles (we find ours at the local Mexican market), you have to have to have to try this dish. I got my inspiration from the ancho chile enchiladas at Z Tejas, one of my favorite restaurants. They are so delicious and pretty easy to make. You can make the sauce ahead of time too, and freeze any extra for future uses. I make these enchiladas about once a week (and don't get sick of them), they make for excellent leftovers. Anth takes the leftovers to school the following days (where his fellow classmates drool over them).

serves about 5 or 6
Ingredients:

• 2 cups water
• 2 dried ancho chiles
• 4 large garlic cloves, peeled

• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1-2 T. mole sauce (optional)
  
• 4 teaspoons fresh lime juice

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 12 ounces fresh wild mushrooms (such as oyster and/or stemmed and sliced shiitake and portobello)
• 5 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (you could also use queso fresco)
  
• 6 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 medium tomatoes, seeded, chopped
• 1 small avocado, pitted, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

• 8-12 6-inch-diameter corn tortillas

Preparation:

Bring 2 cups water to boil in small saucepan. Remove saucepan from heat, add chilies and soak 30 minutes. Drain chilies, reserving 6 tablespoons soaking liquid. Cut stems off chilies. Cut chilies open. Scrape out seeds and discard. Combine chilies, 6 tablespoons reserved soaking liquid and garlic in blender and puree until smooth.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine whipping cream, sour cream, & chili puree in heavy large skillet. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer 3 minutes. Whisk in lime juice and mole sauce (optional). Season with salt. (Sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)

Melt butter in another heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and mushrooms and sauté until onion is translucent and mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes. Add cheese, cilantro, tomatoes and 3 tablespoons of the cream sauce. Simmer until just heated through, about 4 minutes. Stir in avocado. Season filling with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

Dip tortillas individually into warm sauce & transfer to baking dish. Spoon generous 1/3 cup filling down center of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas, enclosing filling completely. Arrange seam side down in baking dish. Cover enchiladas with foil.

Bake enchiladas until heated through, about 10 minutes. Transfer to plates. Spoon some sauce atop each. Serve, passing any remaining sauce separately.

Notes: The corn tortillas crumble really easily. Since we eat them with a fork anyway and don't really care about presentation, it's not a problem. But, if you are worried about presentation, it might help to fry the tortillas briefly in some hot oil before dipping them in the sauce and filling them. It should help keep them from crumbling. I have tried microwaving them for 30 seconds, and although it helps they still seem to crumble. Another solution would be to use flour tortillas. They rarely crumble and taste heavenly too.

Lemon and Basil Marinated Cod

Anything marinated in these things has to be good right?! In Portugal, they eat Cod like it's nobody's business. They call it Bacalhau. After spending a year and a half there, I learned that there are literally thousands of ways to prepare it and it is a main staple of their healthy Mediterranean diet. Cod has a meatiness to it that most fish don't, which makes it an ideal fish for a winter meal. When Grant tasted this dish, he was surprised it was cod and said, "I would have told you not to buy cod, but I'm impressed." Another upside to buying cod is it is usually caught in the wild, therefore it is not farmed and does not have any added hormones or coloring, and if you get it at a reputable store, it usually hasn't been frozen. It's delicious.

For the Marinade:
4 cod fillets
A handful of fresh basil leaves (about 8), minced
the juice from 2 lemons
Leaves from one stem of rosemary, minced
1 Tablespoon fresh ginger,
1 handful of fresh chives, minced
1/3 cup soy sauce
Kosher salt
fresh cracked pepper

Stir all ingredients together (or use a food processor or Magic Bullet) and put the cod fillets in the marinade and let sit for 30 minutes in the fridge.

While they are marinating, Saute in large skillet
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 leeks (white part only), minced
3 shallots, minced
1 yellow onion, minced
8 cloves of garlic minced
kosher salt
fresh cracked pepper

Until onions are transluscent. Add cod to pan. Turn the heat up and brown the fillets, then turn down the heat and let them simmer until cooked through. (up to 20 minutes, it will vary depending on the thickness of your fillets)

Spoon the Cod and the Sauce over Mashed Potatoes or Mashed Cauliflower (what we used) or Rice. Pour parmesan cheese over top and a dollop of sour cream. Garnish with a parsley sprig or whatever you have on hand. A half of a lemon would be nice to drizzle on top.

So healthy and so good, you'll think you're in the Mediterranean.

Ginger bread and "cement" frosting

This recipe can be made for cookies or cut into larger pieces to make a gingerbread house(s). The dough is easy to work with and doesn't crumble.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
  
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ginger
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon cloves
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, heat sugar, molasses, ginger, allspice, cinnamon, and cloves to boiling, stirring occasionally.

2. Remove from heat; stir in soda (it will foam up).

3. Stir in margarine till melted.

4. With a fork, stir in egg, then flour.

5. On a floured surface, knead dough till mixed. Divide dough in half, wrap half with plastic wrap; set aside.

6. Roll half the dough, with a rolling pin, slightly thinner than 1/4 inch.

7. Cut with cutters.

8. Bake at 325F on a cookie sheet for 12 minutes; cool on a wire rack.

9. Makes about 3 dozen 3" gingerbread people.

10. NOTE: To make houses, cut out your house design (the 2 sides of the roof, 2 sides, a front and a back of the house) on paper, and then place the paper shapes on the dough and cut the dough shapes out with a knife.

Cement Frosting Recipe

3 egg whites
1 (16 oz.) bag powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

Beat all ingredients with electric beater for 4 minutes.

Delicious Angel Hair Pasta

Ingredients:

1/2 pound angel hair pasta
1/4 c. olive oil
3 cloves minced garlic
8 oz. mushrooms
3/4 c. Parmesan cheese
2-3 fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced
fresh basil leaves, cut into pieces
salt & pepper

Boil pasta according to package instructions. Drain pasta and place in serving bowl. While pasta is boiling, saute garlic in olive oil on medium heat until lightly browned. Add mushrooms and cook for about 4 minutes. Pour over warm pasta and toss. Salt and pepper to taste. Toss. Add half of the Parmesan cheese. Toss again. Let noodles cool slightly. Right before serving, add diced tomatoes and basil and rest of Parmesan cheese. Lightly toss and serve. This makes a great light dinner!

Toasted Pistachio and Manchego Cheese Salad with Chile Lime Vinaigrette

Grant and I were in Scottsdale, Arizona where we ate at True Food (if you are ever in the area, you NEED to eat here). We ordered this salad for an appetizer and it was amazing. I wanted to try and recreate it at home. Luckily the best parts of the salad were no brainers. Toasted pistachios and Manchego cheese. The combination of the two is heavenly. You will want to keep the other ingredients of the salad to a minimum so as to bring out the great flavor of the star ingredients. Start with some shelled pistachios. So good, you will want to snack while you go!

To toast them, add two teaspoons butter to a saute pan and 1 cup of shelled pistachios and cook until the pistachios start to turn a darker color and look toasted. Dry them on a paper towel and sprinkle with just a little kosher salt. ( I use kosher because it has a great salt flavor, but rarely can you "oversalt" whereas with cracked rock salt, it because overwhelming fast.)

Next, you get yourself some Manchego cheese. A little pricey but WELL worth it.

Throw in an heirloom tomato and an avocado.

For the actual greens, I used a mix of spinach and romaine, you can use field greens which I would've used if I had some. I also like to throw in some fresh herbs with the greens. It seems to add freshness to the salad and isn't as overpowering as you might think. Fresh herbs are my secret ingredient to making a great salad. Here, I have flat leaf parsley, but I have added cilantro also. It just depends on the other ingredients you're using. Just about a handful of the leaves and mix them in well with the rest of the greens.

Mix them all together and pour Chile Lime Vinaigrette over them. The dressing is easy.
1/2 jalepeno seeded (and minced if you're making the dressing by hand)
juice of two limes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
Combine ingredients in a food processor (or magic bullet) or by hand until mixed well.

This salad is very light and delicious in flavor. It's perfect as an appetizer or accompaniment to a heavier meal. I threw in some edible flowers for presentation. It's good enough to eat!

Sweet Potato Pie- Thanksgiving Style

I made this pie last year for Thanksgiving, and I figured, might as well make it a tradition. Warning: If you make this pie for family or friends, you will become known as the pie lady (or gentleman), even if this is the only pie you've ever made.
Luscious Ingredients:
For the crust:
Preheat oven 400 degrees
1 small box vanilla wafers (or half Ritz, half wafers-very yummy)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1 stick melted butter

In a food processor, finely chop vanilla wafers, add sugar, and pecans. Mix until resembles a coarse texture, but is smooth. Then, add melted butter. Mix until well incoporated. Press into a deep-dish pie pan and bake for 12 minutes.
For Filling:
1 1/2 cups egg nog
2 cups mashed sweet potatoes (NOT yams, sweet potatoes will be light tannish in color)
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ginger
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 egg whites
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups sweetened whipped cream
fresh mint sprigs (for garnish)
In a saucepan, combine eggnog, sweet potatoes, brown sugar, egg yolks, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and ginger together. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove pan from heat and add whisk in gelatin until particles dissolve. Add vanilla. Cover filling in refrigerator until cool. Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites until soft peaks form gradually adding 1/4 cup granulated sugar and continue to beat until peaks are stiff. Fold in egg white mixture into cooled sweet potato filling. Spread filling evenly over the crust and refrigerate 1 hour. Put whipped cream on top and garnish with mint leaves. This recipe is adapted from one of Emeril's. It was a BIG hit at our Thanksgiving, people were even requesting it for Christmas.

Rosemary Chicken with Brussel Sprouts and Chestnuts

This chicken is delicious. It goes well with the Brussels Sprout and Chestnut dish that I made as a side. Of course you don't have to make the same side dish but it's good together.

The first thing you do is marinate the chicken.
Marinade:
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
2 tablespoons agave nectar (or honey)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

Mix all ingredients together ( I used a magic bullet). Reserve 1 tablespoon of marinade to put on chicken when it's done cooking. Put chicken (I used boneless skinless free range chicken thighs about 1 and 2/3 lb) in a ziplock bag and pour marinade in and coat chicken. Put in fridge for 1 hour (up to 24 hours). You will also need half of an orange or lemon to add to the chicken when it's done cooking.

For the side dish you will need:
2 cups roasted chestnuts
2 lbs boiled brussel sprouts, halved
1 stick of butter
1 cup of thinly sliced shallots
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
kosher salt
fresh cracked pepper

While the chicken is marinating, roast the chestnuts. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Cut an "x" into the flat part of the chestnut shell (with a very sharp paring knife). Now, the recipe calls for 2 cups, but you might want to make more since they are so fun to eat and are so good. They have a sweet meat inside and you can eat them right out of their shell with a little salt.

Next, spread the chestnuts out on a baking sheet and cook for about 15 minutes.

When you get them out of the oven, pour them into an old towel and squeeze the towel so that you hear the shells crackling. This will make them easier to peel. Let them sit about 10 minutes or until they are cool enough to handle. Peel the shell off and sprinkle them with salt. They should look like this. Cut them in half if they are whole.

Next, make the Brussels sprouts by boiling 4 cups of salted water and add 2 lbs of halved Brussels sprouts to the water. Cook for 10 minutes (this is vital to the sweet flavor you want them to have). After they have cooked for 10 minutes, strain them and rinse thoroughly with cold water to stop them from continuing to cook. They will still be bright green.

Then, after the chicken has marinated an hour, take the chicken out of the fridge. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the chicken on a baking sheet and cook for 10 minutes, then flip over and cook another 10-15 minutes. This will vary on the thickness of meat you have. Just make sure it IS NOT pink in the middle. After they have cooked, remove them from the baking sheet and place them onto some foil. Squeeze half of an orange (or lemon) onto the meat and close the foil and let sit for 5-10 minutes.

While the chicken is resting, make the shallot butter for the Brussels Sprout dish. Melt 1 stick of butter in a sauce pan and add 1 cup of thinly sliced shallots. Cook over medium heat until the shallots are limp and the butter turns a little brown. Then, add 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, fresh cracked pepper and kosher salt.

Combine Brussels sprouts and chestnuts into a large bowl and pour butter mixture over it and mix to coat. You can even add Parmesan cheese if you want.

After the side dish is complete, spoon whatever portion you want onto the middle of the plate. Take the chicken out of the foil and place it on the side dish so that it is draping down. Add a fresh rosemary twig and there you have it!

Thanksgiving

The meal (more on that later):

More importantly the desserts...

Chocolate Mousse Pie
12 oz. chocolate graham crackers, crushed
1/2 cup butter, melted
4 eggs, separated (whites and yolks separated)
2 eggs (not separated)
1 tsp. vanilla
16 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 cups whipping cream
10 T. powdered sugar
chocolate curls to garnish

Combine crackers and melted butter. Press on bottom and sides of greased springform pan. Chill. Melt chocolate chips in microwave or double broiler.Add whole eggs and mix well. Add yolks and mix well. Add vanilla. In separate bowl beat 2 cups cream until soft peaks form. Add 6 T. of powdered sugar and beat until stiff. In another bowl beat egg whites until stiff. Fold whipped cream and whites into chocolate mixture until well blended. Pour into crust. Put in freezer overnight. Whip remaining cream and 4 T. powdered sugar until stiff to make whipped cream.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Crust:	1 tsp. vanilla
1 -1/2 cups graham crumbs	1 cup canned pumpkin
5 Tbsp. butter melted	3 eggs
1 Tbsp. sugar	1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Filling:	1/4 tsp. nutmeg
3 - 8oz. pkgs. cream cheese softened	1/4 tsp. allspice
1 cup sugar	Whipped Cream

Mix crust ingredients together, just till coated and crumbly. Press onto the
bottom and 2/3 up the sides of an 8" springform pan. Bake for 5 minutes at
350. Set aside. Combine cheese, sugar and vanilla in large bowl, mix until
smooth with an electric mixer. add pumpkin eggs,and spices, beat till smooth
and creamy. Pour into the crust. Bake for 60-70 minutes or till the top turns a
bit darker. Remove from oven and allow to come to room temperature, then
refrigerate. After it has thoroughly chilled, remove the pan sides and cut.
Serve with whipped cream.

Oven BBQ Chicken

Despite these pictures being slightly on the unappetizing side of things, this chicken is yummy.

2/3 c. catsup
2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 1/2 tbsp. packed brown sugar
3/4 tsp. dry mustard
Add some honey if you like it sweet

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken in baking dish.

Combine sauce ingredients and spoon over chicken. Bake just until chicken is no longer pink inside. Serves 4.

Caramel brownies

Couldn't even get a picture before we devoured half the pan, they're that good!

I'm sure this recipe is familiar to most, but it's extra special for me because my mom used to make these all the time.

They are heavenly.

2/3 cup evaporated milk
14 oz package caramels (unwrapped)
1 German Chocolate Cake mix
1/2 cup butter (melted)
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1 cup chocolate chips (NOT optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9"x13" pan. Combine butter, 1/3 cup of evaporated milk, and cake mix in bowl. Stir and add nuts. Press half in pan. Bake for 6-8 minutes. Meanwhile, combine 1/3 cup of evaporated milk and caramels and melt in microwave. Remove pan from oven when done baking and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Pour caramel mixture over chocolate, then crubmel remaining mixture over caramel. Bake 15-20 minutes.

Curry Chicken

Allow about 1 hour start to finish

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch strips
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 potatoes, cut into chunks
1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
8 oz stewed diced tomatoes (Italian style works)
8 oz tomato sauce
5-6 tablespoons sugar-of course you don't have to add this much but I love me some sweet food!
Rice (cooked)

Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Heat oil, curry powder, and paprika in a large skillet over medium-low heat for two minutes, until fragrant (but don't let it burn). Turn the heat up to medium and stir in onions and garlic and cook ten minutes more or until onions are very clear. Add chicken, tossing lightly to coat with curry oil and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and is cooked through. Add potatoes (you can keep the skin on), then add coconut milk, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and sugar into the pan, and stir to combine. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 30-40 minutes or until sauce thickens. The sauce thickens upon standing, but is great served hot too. Serve with rice and garnish with cilantro, if desired.

I love to cook, it makes my hubby very happy!

Wassail

If for nothing else, you've got to make this divine hot drink to fill the air with simmering fragrance of Christmas.

4 cups apple cider or juice
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 t. ground cloves
1/4 t. allspice
1/4 t. cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Makes about 6 cups. ENJOY!

Hole in the Wall

I remember being in my grandma's kitchen in the evening. I wanted a snack and she made me a Hole in the Wall, and then another, and then another. Ever since I have been old enough to make them myself, they have been a "go-to" dish. My husband is so glad he has been introduced to this delicacy, and most people haven't had one unless their own grandmothers have made them for them, which is a shame. I have taken it upon myself to educate and enlighten my friends and family to this great tradition. With minimal effort, this dish always tends to hit the spot.

For Starters:

Good bread, eggs, butter and salt. (who doesn't have these laying around?)

So, you butter the bread on both sides...

Then, heat a frying pan on medium heat and while the pan is heating up, cut a hole out of the middle of the bread with whatever you feel like, I use a spoon. At this point, my grandma would let us eat the holes, but you can save them and toast them in the pan.

Put the bread in a heated pan and let it toast for a few seconds, then crack an egg into the center of the bread. Let it cook for a couple more seconds. I like to stab the yolk in the center, but to each his own.

This is the secret trick for my Hole in the Walls. Before the egg has completely cooked on the underside, flip the bread up just a little so that the egg gets on the bread underneath and spreads out a little, but not too much. Make sure it doesn't ooze past the crust of the bread. You want to keep the whole egg under the bread. Once it looks sufficiently toasted underneath, give it a flip!

Push down on the bread with the spatula, this will ensure that it gets all nice and toasty. While it is toasting up, be sure to salt, salt, and salt it up. This is what makes it especially midnight snackable.

And there it is ladies and gentleman

Yummy til the (regretfully) last bite!

The best Caramel Apples

Directions:
Unwrap 1 bag of Kraft Caramels, put in saucepan with 2 T. water and melt on med-low heat, stirring constantly. Meanwhile heat up milk chocolate in the microwave (I used about 1/2 cup milk choc. chips). Dip apples in caramel (use a spoon if you need to) and then dip in milk chocolate. Sprinkle cinnamon/sugar mixture over entire apple. Place on buttered wax paper and refrigerate 1 hour. Take apples out at least 15 minutes prior to eating (to let them sort of thaw).

Fajitas

One of Anth's all time favorite dinners are these fajitas. Delicious-and super easy too!

Things you'll need:

1 red pepper (cut in slices)
1 yellow onion (cut in slices)
1-2 T. olive oil
chicken (either fresh or the frozen strips from Costco)
juice from 2 limes
avocado
cilantro
sour cream
cheese
flour tortillas (we use the kind you cook yourself, they're so much better)

Directions:
In large skillet, heat olive oil. Add red pepper & onion and cook until slightly browned. Set aside in a bowl. Using same skillet, cook chicken. When chicken is just about cooked all the way through, add the onion and peppers with the chicken and squeeze lime juice into skillet. Cook until all is heated through. Heat tortillas in fry pan and melt cheese onto one side. Add chicken mixture to center of tortilla and top with items of your choice (we can't live without sour cream, cilantro and avocado).