Tag Archives: cooking

Craving Cajun

Chicken Creole

My first introduction to a Louisiana staple was at camp. Every summer the Louisiana girls would unpack, pull out a giant can of Tony’s and set it in the center of our cabin’s dining hall table. We ate it on everything – eggs, popcorn, baked potatoes – I truly thought it was the best thing I had ever had and still eat it on everything.

In college, I became obsessed with Zapp’s Spicy Cajun Crawtator chips. They didn’t sell them in Tennessee and so my mom would ship them to me a case at a time. I swear I lived on Zapp’s and Dr. Pepper during my sophomore year.

And I love crawfish. I won’t touch seafood of any kind with a ten foot pole but give me a big batch of mud bugs and I can go to town!

Recipe:

1 lb boneless chicken breast, chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp flour

1/2 green bell pepper, diced

1 celery stalk, diced

1 medium onion, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 cup chicken broth, low-sodium

1 14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 bay leaf

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper

Heat olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, season with salt and pepper and cook until done. Remove chicken and set aside.

Reduce heat to medium-low, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon for about 15 minutes until the roux becomes a dark caramel color.

Add onions, celery and bell peppers and cook for 5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds more. The mixture will be a little thick with the roux sticking to the vegetables.

Turn heat back up to medium-high and add chicken broth to deglaze pan. It is very important to scrape up all the roux from the bottom of the pan. Cook mixture for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently until the broth thickens.

Add tomatoes, chicken and spices to broth mixture and reduce to a simmer for about 20 -30 minutes before serving.

Notes:

Chicken Creole is best served with scoop of rice and some crusty bread to dip in the sauce. If you’d like it with a little more heat just add more cayenne.

If you’d prefer the sauce a bit thinner, add some water or broth.

Fool ya mama

Pork Tenderloin with Cheddar-Jalapeno Grit Cake, Collard Greens & Black-Eyed Peas

I don’t know of any meal involving pork that isn’t good, do you? Emeril swears by the goodness of pork. This meal is so good it will even fool ya mama into thinking you slaved away in the kitchen all day.

This week we are paying tribute to all that is New Orleans and making delicious food celebrating Mardi Gras. Stick with me and by Fat Tuesday, you’ll be gobbling up jambalaya and screaming “ throw me some beads mistah“!

Recipe:

For pork tenderloin:

1 – 1 lb pork tenderloin, trimmed of any visible fat

1 tbsp chili powder

1/2 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp brown sugar

salt and pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

barbecue sauce for finishing

Trim pork tenderloin of any visible fat.

In a small bowl, mix together chili powder, paprika, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Rub mixture onto pork tenderloin and let come to room temperature.

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large pan and sear tenderloin a few minutes on each side until lightly browned. Place in a roasting pan and continue cooking in a 425 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. The meat will register 155-160 degrees when done.

Let meat rest 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Set pan aside with pork drippings and seasonings to use for collard greens.

For Jalapeno-White Cheddar Grit Cake:

4 servings quick cook grits

1/2 cup white cheddar cheese, shredded

2 small jalapeno peppers, diced

splash of hot sauce

Cook grits according to package directions. Then stir in remaining ingredients, when cheese has melted pour grits into an 8×8 pan and put in fridge to chill.

Just before serving, remove grits from fridge, cut into desired shape and heat grit cake in a skillet over high heat.

For Collard Greens:

1 – 12 oz bag frozen collard greens

1 piece bacon

3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 tsp white vinegar

In same pan that pork was seared, cook one slice of bacon over medium-high heat. Remove bacon and gently wipe excess grease out of pan. Pour chicken broth into pan and deglaze, scraping up all the seasoning from the bottom. Add frozen collard greens, bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer.

Let cook for about 15 minutes and then add vinegar and crumbled bacon just before serving.

For Black-Eyed Peas:

You may either use canned peas, rinsed and drained or cook frozen peas cooked according to package directions.

Notes:

This meal can really be done in under an hour – just follow the steps below:

1. If using frozen black-eyed peas put them on to cook.

2. Season pork tenderloin and set aside to come to room temperature.

3. Cook grits, stir additional ingredients, pour in 8X8 pan and place in fridge to chill.

4. Fry bacon in skillet and put collard greens on to cook.

5. Pop tenderloin in the oven to cook for 15-20 minutes.

6. When tenderloin is finished cooking and resting, cut and heat the grit cakes.

Before plating, drizzle a little of your favorite barbecue sauce on the plate for the pork tenderloin to sit on. My favorite is Stubb’s from Austin, Texas – it’s super thick and tangy!

Laissez le bon temps rouler!

Quickie Quiche

Potato Crusted Southwestern Quiche

I was in junior high the first time I had Quiche, My friend and I had her mother drop us off at this little tea room for lunch. We thought we were so grown-up and sophisticated sitting there sipping on tea and looking over the menu.

So the waitress came over and asked if we were ready to order and my friend proclaimed, in a very ladylike voice, “I’ll have the quickie of the day”. The kind waitress said of course, “the Quiche is excellent today”. Still trying to be very grown-up and sophisticated, we finished our lunch and I never forgot how to pronounce Quiche!

Recipe:

2 1/2 cups shredded potatoes, Simply Potatoes hash browns

4 oz can diced green chilis, drained

1 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded

1 cup lean ham, diced

3/4 cup milk

3 eggs

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp salt

pepper to taste

oil spray

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Spray a 9 inch pie plate with oil spray. Spread out potatoes over the bottom of the pie plate, mashing down lightly and spray top of potatoes generously with oil spray. Bake for 30 minutes until the edges start to brown.

Remove potato crust from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Reduce oven to 350 degrees. In the meantime, combine ham, cheese and green chilis.

In a small bowl whisk together eggs, milk, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Spoon ham mixture on the potato crust and then pour egg mixture over the top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until knife comes out clean from the center of the Quiche. Let sit a few minutes before serving.

Notes:

This is a great dish for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Just pair it with fresh fruit for breakfast or a salad for lunch or dinner.

I used skim milk and usually use skim whenever possible when a recipe calls for milk.

Simple sides

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Easy Asparagus

So yesterday I revealed my updated and healthier version of a favorite hole in the wall dish, lemon-caper chicken. As promised, here are the two easiest side dishes ever. Even the most celebrated cook would think you took hours mashing these potatoes!

Recipe:

1 1/2 to 2 lbs yukon gold potatoes, washed and partially peeled

roasted garlic

1/2 cup milk, heated

To roast garlic:

Peel away paper skins from a whole head of garlic. Cut off the pointed top, place on a sheet of foil (root side down), drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil making sure oil covers the exposed cloves. Close foil to make a loose pouch and place on cookie sheet in a 375 degree oven. Bake for about 45 minutes, until garlic is tender and cloves easily squeeze out.

For potatoes:

Place whole potatoes in large pot and fill with cold water, just enough to cover the potatoes. Bring water and potatoes to boil and let cook for 35-40 minutes. The potatoes will become tender and break apart when they are done. Drain the water, reserving a little of the cooking liquid.

Mash potatoes with a potato masher or fork, add warm milk, 3 -4 roasted garlic cloves, salt and pepper to taste. Continue mashing until desired consistency. If you like a creamier mashed potato add a little more milk. To keep warm place over a low heat and stir frequently so potatoes don’t stick to the pan.

For asparagus:

1 lb asparagus

olive oil

salt and pepper

lemon zest

Wash and trim asparagus spears and let dry on a paper towel. Place prepped asparagus of a cookie sheet sprayed lightly with olive oil.

Spray asparagus with olive oil spray or drizzle a little olive oil over asparagus, toss the asparagus to make they are coated evenly. Season with salt and pepper then top with fresh lemon zest to taste.

Place in a 425 degree oven and bake for 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Notes:

The leftover roasted garlic is great spread on warm bread or rolls in place of butter. You can even use it in a pasta dish.

This is my favorite way to eat asparagus, I took note from the Barefoot Contessa on this one. Roasting vegetables makes them so flavorful and really easy to prepare.

Here’s a trick for trimming the asparagus, hold a each end and gently bend the asparagus spear, it will naturally break off its stem.

Hole in the wall

Lemon-Caper Chicken

I love to stumble across hole in the wall restaurants, that’s usually where you find the best food. I have two very favorites, one is a roadside joint outside of Austin, Texas that serves the best burgers on homemade sourdough rolls. The second is The Red Bar in Grayton Beach, Florida. For those of you who vacation here, your probably thinking that this is no hole in the wall because in the summer the wait is 2 hours or more for a table.

But The Red Bar does a hole in wall right. A simple 5 item menu presented on a chalkboard, only cash is accepted and you feel like you’re in a psychedelic den from the 60′s. My favorite dish is the panned chicken, of course that means fried and covered with a buttery sauce – here’s my take with out the psychadelic den.

Recipe:

1 lb chicken breast, thinly sliced or pounded to about 1/4″ thick

1 tsp olive oil

salt and pepper

flour for dredging

1 1/2 cups + 1/4 cup chicken broth, low-sodium

1 tbsp cornstarch

3 tbsp capers, drained

1 tbsp butter

juice of 1 lemon

In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper, then dredge lightly in flour. Place chicken in hot oil, cooking for 5 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove chicken and set aside.

Add 1 and 1/2 cups chicken broth to pan to deglaze, stirring up all the bits from the bottom. Let reduce for about 5 minutes. In the meantime, mix cornstarch and 1/4 chicken broth in a small bowl. Add to reduced chicken stock and stir until sauce is thickened.

Add juice of one lemon, capers and stir of butter. Add chicken back to pan and let simmer in sauce for about 10 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

If you prefer the sauce to be thinner, just add a little more chicken broth.

Notes:

I usually serve this dish with roasted garlic mashed potatoes and oven-roasted asparagus but the chicken is also good over a whole grain pasta.

Stay tuned tomorrow and I fill you in on how to make the mashed potatoes and asparagus.

Roll with it lasagna

Chicken Lasagna Rollups with Creamy Marinara

One of my dearest friends frequently asks for recipe advice and I gladly pass along recipes I have collected over the years. She has been my friend since high school and I still remember the day we met. We sat outside school waiting for our rides when we discovered that our mothers were from the same small town and that we shared the same love of casseroles made famous by that little town and its great cooks.

When you think about it good recipes and good friends are a lot a like, no matter how much time passes you can always rely on both!

Recipe:

8 lasagna noodles, cooked according to package directions

1 bag spinach

1 rotisserie chicken

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

2 tsp olive oil, divided

1/4 cup onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, whole

1/4 cup chicken broth, low-sodium

1 tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1/8 tsp oregano, dried

1/8 tsp basil, dried

salt and pepper

1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese, low-fat

1 egg

1 tbsp basil pesto

1/4 parmesan cheese, shredded

1/4 cup half and half

Heat 1 tsp of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat and saute spinach until wilted. Season spinach with salt and pepper while cooking. Place cooked spinach in a bowl and set aside.

In the same saute pan, heat another teaspoon of olive oil, add onions and whole garlic cloves cooking until tender. Break up garlic cloves as they cook.

Cook 8 lasagna noodles according to package directions. Let sit in water until you are ready to use.

Once onions and garlic have become tender, add chicken broth, deglaze the pan stirring up the bits from the bottom. Let liquid reduce for about 2 minutes then add crushed tomatoes, sugar and spices. Turn heat to medium-low and let simmer while you are preparing the rollups.

Take the white meat off of the rotisserie chicken, shred and set aside.

In a large bowl combine ricotta cheese, egg, basil pesto and cheese. Then add spinach, season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Pull two noodles from the water and place on paper towels to absorb excess water. Then put a spoonful of ricotta on noodle and spread the length of the noodle. Top with the shredded chicken and loosely rollup.

Spray a baking dish lightly with oil spray and spread a few spoonfuls of the marinara sauce in the bottom of the dish. Place rollups in baking dish.

Season the marinara with salt and pepper if needed. Then add 1/4 cup of half and half , stirring together well. Top rollups with marinara and place in a 350 degree oven baking for 30-40 minutes.

Notes:

I love using rotisserie chicken in all types of recipes such chicken salad, quesadillas, casseroles and soups. It saves a ton of time and they taste really good.

This dish may seem like a lot of steps but it really on take about 20 minutes to prepare and then 30 minutes or so to bake. I think it’s easier than assembling a lasagna.

After midnight sliders

Blue Cheese Sliders with Hot Jalapeno Sauce

Mama always says that “nothing good ever happens after midnight” , so growing up I had to be home way before midnight. Anyone that’s from the south, knows one thing good does happen after midnight - Krystal. Sure they’re great for breakfast, lunch or dinner but after midnight those little square burgers really hit the spot.

Once I was in college, the after midnight rule was out the window and yes, I would be in line at the Krystal with hundreds of other souls, standing there with their mouths watering, waiting to get their hands on a sackful of little square burgers!

Recipe:

1 lb lean ground beef

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper

8 tsp reduced fat blue cheese crumbles

lettuce

Place ground beef in a mixing bowl, season with Worcestershire, salt and pepper, mix together well and form 8 slider patties.

Cook in a large pan over medium-high heat, about 4 minutes each side, when done let sliders rest and top with 1 tsp blue cheese on each patty.

Place sliders on bun with lettuce, top with caramelized onions and hot jalapeno sauce.

For caramelized onions:

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 sweet onion, sliced

Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a small saute pan on low heat, add onions and let cook slowly while you are cooking the sliders. Onions usually take 15-20 minutes to caramelize.

For hot jalapeno sauce:

1 tbsp Hellman’s mayo

2 tbsp stone ground mustard

1/2 tbsp hot jalapeno pepper jelly

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Chill before serving.

Notes:

Can’t find slider buns? Just use a large square dinner roll. I like to use Sara Lee classic dinner rolls.

More Chocolate, More Salt Water

Triple Chocolate Chewies

“The cure for anything is salt water – sweat, tears or the sea”

-Isak Dinesen

This is one of my mom’s favorite quotes, she uses it often and I always think of her when I run across it but I like to think that chocolate should be included as a cure-all. Having a bad day, PMS, happy, sad – chocolate covers all the bases. Even the smell or a little nibble can perk you right up.

I have never understood people who don’t like chocolate. To me that sounds just crazy but I am a self-admitting choc-a-holic, always have been, always will be and after all Valentine’s Day is the one holiday that promotes eating chocolate.

Enjoy!

Recipe:

4 egg whites

3 cups powdered sugar

5 tbsp cocoa powder, unsweetened

3 oz good quality dark chocolate, unsweetened and melted

1 tsp espresso powder

1/2 tsp salt, kosher

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a bowl, combine powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt and espresso powder and set aside.

Beat egg white to soft peaks with a mixer on medium-high, about 2 minutes.

Add a third of the sugar mixture to egg whites, mixing on medium speed, about 30 seconds until just incorporated. Repeat two more times.

In a small bowl, melt dark chocolate in microwave. Let cool for a minute then slowly add to the batter, mixing on medium speed until just combined.

Gently fold in chocolate chips. At this point, the batter is very light almost like a mousse.

Drop spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 16-18 minutes.

Let cool on cookie sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Notes:

These are a flourless chocolate cookie that I first discovered at Whole Foods. It probably took 5 attempts before I figured out a recipe that was close to the chewies at Whole Foods. I added espresso powder and dark chocolate for a richer cookie.

I found the espresso powder at Williams-Sonoma. It’s a great addition to any chocolate recipe, adding a richer taste to the chocolate.

Son of a Grits

Grits & Greens with Bacon

Somewhere in the South a brilliant lady came up with the term ‘Girls raised in the South – GRITS. Grits are raised with a little bit of a heavier burden carrying on the traditions of their southern roots. One of the most important is being a good southern mama. I never quite fully understood the role of a good southern mama until my son was born and boy do I have some big shoes to fill!

My son is 11 months old and exploring new foods everyday. He is very independent, insistent on feeding himself at every meal. This week we have tried scrambled eggs, grown up oatmeal and of course, grits. I was nervous as I lifted the big spoonful of grits to his mouth but he ate them and then smiled wanting more. I breathed a sigh of relief and thought to myself – son of a grits!

Recipe:

Grits, quick cooking – follow directions for 6 servings

3 slices bacon

2 cups spinach, rough chopped – about 2 large handfuls

1/2 cup low-fat or 2% cheddar cheese

2 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated

1/4 tsp garlic powder

cayenne pepper to taste

salt and pepper to taste

4 eggs

Cook grits according to package directions for 6 servings.

Cook 3 slices of bacon in a large pan, let drain on a paper towel and then wipe excess fat out of pan leaving just a light coating.

Heat pan to medium heat, toss in spinach, season with salt and pepper and cook for about a minute. Add grits to spinach, then stir in cheeses, garlic powder, cayenne and re-season with salt and pepper if needed. Let cheeses melt, then stir in crumbled bacon. Turn to a low heat to keep warm.

Fry four eggs to desired doneness. I like mine to be slightly runny. Grits should have a creamy consistency – add a little milk if they have gotten a little sticky.

Serve a fried egg on top of grits and top off with a dash of hot sauce.

Notes:

This is really quick and easy breakfast, lunch or dinner. If you have leftover grits just reheat and add a little milk to get back the creamy consistency.

I prefer Frank’s Red Hot sauce. I add it to a lot of my recipes.

Sugar and Strawberries

Strawberry Bread

Sugar is not my friend and oh how I love cakes, cookies and pies but they do not love me back. Anyone that know’s me well knows that when crisis strikes, I can solve anything with a cookie in hand. I’ve had a terrible sweet tooth all of my life. I remember being 5 years old, scaling the cabinets in our kitchen looking for chocolate. Not having much luck finding a Hershey bar, I ran across baker’s chocolate and yes, I ate it.

Shopping while starving at Costco a few weeks ago, I wound up with 6 pound bag of frozen strawberries. While my intent was smoothies for months, my sweet tooth got the better of me and I had visions of a giant strawberry cake with cream cheese icing, which was always my birthday cake of choice. I came up with a delicious strawberry bread that will beat out a cake craving any day.

Recipe:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, pureed

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1/3 cup applesauce, no sugar added

1/4 cup canola oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

If using frozen strawberries, let defrost before processing in blender.

In a large mixing bowl combine flours, cinnamon, salt, baking soda and baking powder.

In another bowl combine strawberry puree, sugar, applesauce, oil, egg, vanilla and lemon zest.

Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and fold together. Do not overstir.

Pour into a loaf pan sprayed with oil or cooking spray and bake for 50-55 minutes. A knife will come out clean in the center of the bread when it is done.

Let cake cool for 30 minutes before drizzling the glaze over the bread.

For Glaze:

3 tbsp powdered sugar

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Whisk together until smooth. Let bread cool for 3o minutes and then drizzle on the bread.

Notes:

One kitchen tool I love and use all the time is my rocket blender. I got this Bella Cucina rocket blender at Macy’s for around $30. It is great for making salad dressing, smoothies and sauces. It comes with three different blending cups, two blade choices and several lids.