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musings from a health supportive culinary artist

Tamale Time! December 9, 2012

Filed under: how to make it — chezdesblog @ 12:18 pm
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tamalesIt’s tamale time! Set aside a day for them and you will be rewarded for weeks to come. It’s not hard to make tamales (really, it’s not!) ~ it’s just time consuming. Add some music, friends and/or family to the mix and that problem is quickly solved.

In my recipe for Green Chili Chicken Tamales, shredded chicken, Serrano chilis, tomatillos and fresh cilantro stew together to make a delicious filling. The masa, or dough, is seasoned with paprika, cumin, chili powder and garlic. A combination of chicken broth and vegetable oil moistens and binds the dough. That’s right, I skip the lard, and honestly ~ no one suffers.

I serve my tamales with a Chipotle Crema, which is a fancy name for taking plain Greek yogurt and mixing it with adobo chili sauce,  salt and chopped green onions for color and flavor.

Tamales freeze well, so make the whole batch (about 40) and share them with neighbors or keep them in your freezer for delicious meals in the winter months to come. Enjoy!

 

Pizza Pie December 2, 2012

Filed under: how to make it — chezdesblog @ 7:38 pm
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Photo: Johnny Autry; Styling: Leigh Ann Ross

 

This isn’t pizza pie like you get at the pizzeria. This is literally a vegetarian pizza topping as filling in a pie. Oh my.

This Pizza Pie is hearty and satisfying. It really was a hit at our house and was delicious for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

You can take the filling and make it yours. This version includes chard, mushrooms and roasted red peppers. You could substitute some of your other favorite vegetables and add chopped ham, bacon or sausage if you like.

What are you waiting for?

 

Roasted Red Pepper and Pumpkin Soup November 25, 2012

Filed under: how to make it — chezdesblog @ 12:15 pm
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I do this all the time. I find a recipe that looks tempting and then I make it my own by changing ingredients, the cooking instructions, or both. My latest success in this category ~ Roasted Pepper and Pumpkin Soup.

When it comes to ingredients, I like to use items already in my pantry before going out and acquiring something new, especially if it’s novel, because I hate waste and like the challenge of using everything to the last drop. I am sure this recipe is delicious with pumpkin, but I made it with butternut squash simply because I had chopped fresh butternut squash in my refrigerator.

Half the time, I think recipe writers incorporate extra (often complicated) steps because it makes their recipe somehow different or new. I just want healthy and delicious. In the original recipe for this soup, the squash, red peppers and sweet potato are oven-roasted in advance. I get that oven-roasting adds flavor, but it also adds a lot of time. Instead, I purchased roasted red peppers, saving time, preserving flavor, and yep – making it my own. Once I did that, I changed the cooking instructions to mirror the standard method for soup-making with ingredients like squash and potatoes. It turned out great!

That said, I kept the seasonings in tact. Chinese Five-Spice Powder is a common blend of spices that I happen to keep around. It’s a great seasoning for soups (and roasted chicken!). If you don’t have Chinese Five-Spice in your pantry, and prefer to use spices on hand, you can make your own blend. Enjoy!

 

Lentil Sausage Soup November 18, 2012

Filed under: how to make it — chezdesblog @ 11:36 am
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I’m always in the market for a good hearty soup! This delicious Lentil Sausage Soup is great for a weeknight as lentils cook relatively quickly. I served it up with a green salad and some equally hearty Irish Soda Bread.  ~yum~ Like most soups, it freezes well.

When making soup, it’s important to cool it quickly in order to refrigerate it. If hot soup goes into the refrigerator, you risk raising the temperature in the fridge, possibly compromising everything in it. If warm soup lingers in the “temperature danger zone” (40 – 140 degrees Fahrenheit) for too long, you risk an unwelcome science experiment.

I use a prep sink to make an ice bath for my soup. I fill it with ice and some cold water, as high as the soup is in the pot. If you don’t have a small sink, you can use a giant bowl. I take the pot off the stove and put it directly into the ice bath. Alternatively, you can cool soup quickly by pouring it into a bowl and then setting it into an ice bath. You can also distribute it into smaller, shallow containers for quick cooling.

 

Special Turkey Day Edition! November 16, 2012

Filed under: how to make it — chezdesblog @ 6:45 pm
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It’s Friday and I imagine most of us are shopping or planning to shop for Thanksgiving next week. I thought I’d share some of my turkey day favorites from the GYYB archives.

As you know, I always brine and grill my turkey. It’s delicious and it keeps the oven free all day for everything else!

The thing I love most about Thanksgiving is the side dishes (and time with family and the bubbly). Some recommendations for different and delicious side dishes include Warm Corn Salad, Kale and Apple Salad with Spiced Pecans, Wheat Berry Waldorf Salad, Brussels Sprouts with Walnuts and Dried Cranberries, Spiced Pumpkin Dinner Rolls, Thyme-Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Rosemary Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Shallots.

If you are hosting family, make chili, soup, quick breads or Mini Fritattas to have around. They freeze well, make great snacks, or can feed a crowd. There are lots of recipes from which to choose. I also like to make a batch of Birchermusli (Swiss-style oats) for breakfast.

Once the main event is over, use your leftover turkey to make Chunky Turkey-Barley Soup or this great Turkey and Wild Rice Salad. But most of all, be thankful for the bounty our Earth provides and be well!

 

Chili Time! November 11, 2012

Filed under: how to make it — chezdesblog @ 11:58 am
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This week started out as summer and took a major turn towards Fall. In celebration – I made this Red Chili. I surfaced an old favorite recipe and made it my own by blending ground pork and beef, adding spices and a little heat. It’s delicious!

There are lots of chili options to consider on the GYYB Recipe Index – Green Chili Stew, Three Bean Chili, White Bean Chili and Dried Cherry Chili (from Emily!). Chili is a great thing to make to feed a crew. It’s nice to have around for lunches when family is home for the holidays and it freezes well. Get cooking!

 

Fall = Butternut Squash! November 4, 2012

Filed under: how to make it — chezdesblog @ 1:15 pm
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Before I start this post ~ first thing’s first ~ a big shout out to everyone on the East Coast recovering from Sandy. Our hearts and thoughts are with you…

This week I bought my first butternut squash of the season. I love it – it’s so versatile. It’s great roasted on its own, tossed with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. I also love it in soup, like in this Butternut Apple Bisque or this Moroccan Chicken and Butternut Squash Soup. It also works really well as a vegetarian main dish or as a hearty side dish in Bulgur Pilaf with Roasted Squash and Mint or in this week’s recipe ~ Butternut Barley Pilaf. Barley gets tossed with roasted red onions and butternut squash. Add some fresh chopped parsley, toasted walnuts and then toss in a bit of walnut oil, and wow – it’s delicious.

Barley is a good whole grain to keep in your pantry. It’s a great addition to soup. It can substitute for rice in salads and it makes a nice hot breakfast mixed with some maple syrup, raisins and sliced banana. Make extra!

 

Rosemary Orange Zucchini Bread October 28, 2012

Filed under: how to make it — chezdesblog @ 5:35 pm
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This Rosemary Orange Zucchini Bread is our latest fix. Using this recipe, I made 4 mini loaves and froze them. Over the course of a few weeks, we enjoyed it with guests for breakfast, with lunch on a Sunday, and for snacks just because it’s that good. Zucchini bread is typically moist and dense, which I love. What I really love about this recipe is the addition of orange zest, fresh orange juice and chopped fresh rosemary. These simple additions to a traditional recipe make these mini loaves outstanding. I think they’d make a great gift for neighbors, hostesses and of course, you. Enjoy!

 

Mushroom Barley Soup October 21, 2012

Filed under: how to make it — chezdesblog @ 10:40 am
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When I was working full time at a gourmet market, I made soup every day. It was, in fact, the best part of my day. I. Love. Soup. I like it for lunch, dinner and snacks. Sometimes, if it’s hot out (which does not stop me from making soup), I’ll drink soup cold out of a mug even if it was intended to be eaten hot out of a bowl.

I sought out a recipe for Mushroom Barley Soup because I was craving it. When I found this recipe, I was highly skeptical of the process but figured I’d try it anyway. Typically when you make soup, you start by sauteing vegetables, most often onion, carrot and celery. Then you add some seasonings to the vegetables for a few minutes, and let them release their flavors, before adding other ingredients and some sort of broth. Not here. In this recipe, you put it ALL IN THE SOUP POT, bring it to a boil, and then let it simmer for 30 minutes. Yep – that’s it. Whole grains, beef broth, vegetables – this is definitely weeknight comfort soup. And it’s really tasty (yes – even cold). So tasty, in fact, I just bought more mushrooms. Goes great with Maple Corn Bread!

 

Thai Beef Cabbage Cups October 14, 2012

Filed under: how to make it — chezdesblog @ 5:32 pm
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Photo by John Autry for Cooking Light

It’s very  that if you enjoyed the Dan Dan Noodles, you’ll like this too. Thai Beef Cabbage Cupsare a delicious and satisfying meal. Ground beef gets some serious flavor from sesame oil, fresh ginger, garlic and fish sauce.

For my paleo friends, this is right up your alley, as cabbage leaves substitute for tortillas.

Of course, if you prefer, you could always put this filling in tortillas and top it will Zesty Coleslaw. Uh oh…that sounds pretty good. Perhaps next time!

 

 
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