Turkey Empanadas

Greasy, fried beef pocket? No, thank you. This twist on traditional empanadas keeps all the taste, but in a healthier way. My friend introduced me to this healthier alternative, and it's become one of my favorite recipes!

This empanada filling is an adaptation of the Cuban Picadillo recipe on SkinnyTaste.com. http://www.skinnytaste.com/2008/03/picadillo-6-ww-pts.html

Ingredients:

1lb ground turkey
2 small/medium white or yellow onions, finely chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 serrano pepper, minced (you can remove the seeds if you don't want the extra heat)
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp capers and 1 tsp extra caper juice (alcaparrado would be the most authentic, and green olives would work too)
Large handful fresh cilantro, minced
1 regular-sized can tomato sauce
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
2, 10-pack frozen empanada shells (Goya makes these)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 egg, beaten

1. Thaw the empanada shells. A paper separates each shell, so they won't stick to each other.

2. Brown the ground turkey in a large pot, breaking up the meat into small bits. Add onions and green pepper. Sauté together until onions are translucent.

3. Add garlic, serrano pepper, capers and caper juice and continue to cook on medium heat.

4. Add tomato sauce and cilantro, stir, and cook for 20 to 25 minutes.

5. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool a bit. I find it easiest to spoon the mixture into a bowl and place it next to your work station. Lightly grease a cookie sheet.

6. Place a rounded tablespoon of filling in a shell and fold over to seal, pressing the edges firmly. If the dough is a bit dry and not sticking to itself, wet the edge of the shell with some water. You may find it easier to hold the shell in your hand and seal it together before placing it on the tray (this is how I do it), or you can place the shell on the pan and fold it over there. Crimp the edges with a fork to seal the empanada.

7. Once your pan is full, brush each empanada with the beaten egg.

8. Bake the empanadas until they're golden brown (about 15 to 20 minutes).

I usually enjoy my empanadas with ketchup, but some queso would be great too. Refrigerate leftovers in a plastic bag or tupperware. Reheat in the toaster or oven!

Adobo Pork Tacos

This adobo sauce is really a mix of chipotle and molé flavors. Starting with a little can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce gives this sauce enough power to a good quart or more of sauce. If you'd like to make it less spicy, maybe only use one or two of the whole peppers in the can. The sauce was so hot when I first tried it that I had to add a whole extra can of tomato purée. I hadn't planned to make a quart of sauce, but now I have extra sauce in my freezer for future taco adventures!

Adding queso fresco and cilantro adds a cooling freshness to the taco. A little squeeze of lime as a finishing touch and you're ready to feast!

Ingredients:

Sauce:

1 small can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

2 large cans of puréed tomato

8-10 cloves of garlic, minced/crushed

1-inch piece of fresh ginger, minced

1 tbsp chili powder

2 tsp smoked paprika

3 tbsp dark cocoa powder (I used a black onyx cocoa powder from savoryspiceshop.com)

1/4 cup brewed coffee (a strong, dark roast would be best)

Meat:

1lb or more of pork. (I used thinly sliced pork shoulder, but was not happy with how it resisted being pulled apart after cooking. The shoulder had been cut against the grain, so pulling it apart was actually impossible. I'd suggest looking for a piece of meat cut with the grain, with a bit of fat to keep the meat tender.)

Other:

Flour tortillas

Fresh cilantro

Queso fresco

Lime

1. In a large pot, mix all sauce ingredients together. Slowly bring to a simmer, stirring often.

2. Add pork and bring back up to a simmer. Let cook at least 45 minutes (or more if using thick pieces of meat). When meat begins to fall apart, remove from sauce. Let meat cool slightly (so you don't burn yourself) and pull apart the meat. If the meat won't pull apart, chop it into small pieces.

3. Strain sauce to remove whole peppers. If you really want to turn up the heat, you can purée the peppers with the sauce in a blender. 

4. Combine meat and sauce and simmer for another 10 minutes.

5. Add meat to tortilla shell and top with crumbled queso fresco, roughly chopped cilantro, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

 6. Store any left over meat or sauce in a sealed plastic bag in your freezer. This sauce will stain an plastic storage containers, so think twice before storing it in anything you want to reuse.

Polish Cucumbers (Ogorki) and Cream Salad

The fact that I'm almost 100% Polish means that I often have cravings for vinegary foods. I love dill pickles, oil and vinegar coleslaw (maybe I'll post that recipe someday), but my favorite cure for the vinegar craving is this cucumber salad. I grew up having this dish quite often. Every Christmas, my mom and I make an extra large bowl of the salad so we can have a midnight snack once the company has left and we're in our pajamas.

The fact that the dish is mostly cucumbers also means that it's pretty much guilt-free. My friends at work know that I can devour a large tupperware of this salad for lunch and not think twice about it.

Ingredients:

-3 large cucumbers peeled and sliced thinly (by hand or by mandolin)

-1 small onion very thinly sliced

-1/2 cup sour cream

-1/3 cup white vinegar

- salt and pepper

1: Slice cucumbers and onion as thinly as you can. A mandolin will give you the best results, but if like me you're terrified of that blade, just use your knife to make thin slices. 

2: Toss cucumbers and onion in A LOT of salt and a bit of pepper. You will get rid of most of the salt later, but right now you need the salt to get the water out of the cucumbers.

3: Let cucumbers sit for 20 minutes, then squeeze the water out of them and set them aside. 

4: In the empty bowl, mix the sour cream and vinegar together. Then mix in the squeezed-out cucumbers.

5: There should be enough residual salt on the cucumbers, but it's best to taste the salad to make sure it's properly seasoned. I usually have to add a bit more pepper at this point.

That's it! Simple and delicious!

Thai Coconut Curry with Chicken

Spicy, salty, a little sweet, and so good! This curry is full of fresh veggies and healthy chicken breast. Using light coconut milk helps cut down on the insane number of calories in most coconut curry dishes. Admittedly it's not as creamy as what you'd get in a restaurant, but all the flavor is there!

Ingredients: (makes about five servings)

-About 4 cups of fresh vegetables like broccoli, tomatoes, bell peppers, carrots, celery, green peas, or green beans chopped in 2- or 3-inch pieces.

-2 large chicken breasts (cubed)

-1 large onion (chopped)

-4 cloves or garlic (minced or mashed)

-2-inch piece of ginger (minced)

-1 can light coconut milk

-1 tbsp sesame oil

-1/4 cup soy sauce

-1 or 2 TBSP of red curry powder or paste (there are hundreds of types of curries good for this recipe. You can find a basic red curry powder or paste in the asian foods aisle of your grocery store. When you're ready to experiment, go to an asian market and find green curry, masaman curry, or yellow curry.)

-Sriracha sauce to taste

-Chopped green onions (optional)

1: Begin by sautéing onions with a bit of salt and a drizzle of sesame oil. Once onions are transluscent, add ginger and garlic and continue to sauté. 

2: Add curry powder or paste and continue to cook until you start to smell the curry browning.

3: Add your fresh vegetables and stir together with onion mixture. Add a bit of salt and allow to sweat for a few minutes.

4: Pour in the can of coconut milk and soy sauce and stir well to combine with all the spices and vegetables. If more liquid is needed, add some chicken broth (or water and bouillon).

5: Bring everything to a low boil and then add the raw chicken. Cover and let simmer until chicken is cooked.

Give the sauce a taste and add some Sriracha if you want a little more spice. Serve with steamed rice (white or brown, or even basmati) and top with a few chopped green onions for a fresh crunch! 

Beer-braised Pork with Onions and Mushrooms

A friend introduced me to this tender, juicy preparation for pork and I've added a few ingredients on different occasions. Aside from the seasonings and the beer, the pork and onions are really the only necessary items. Redskin potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms all make wonderful additions to this.

I've never tried this recipe in a slow cooker, but I feel that it would probably be a great recipe for morning prep and evening enjoyment. I'd suggest browning the meat, then adding the onions and other ingredients and letting everything cook on low for the day.

The recipe here takes around two hours. Honestly, the longer you let the pork braise in the beer, the more tender it will be. I usually use lean pork loin for this, but if you have a nice bone-in chop or another cut with a bit more fat, that would work great as well!

I apologize for the lack of good photos in this recipe. I was rather eager to eat, and I forgot to take a picture of the final product! This image is from the second-day left overs. I added carrots at the last minute to soak up more of the delicious juices!

Ingredients: (makes three servings)

-Three pork loins (or other cuts of pork) with the fat left on them
-One very large yellow or white onion (cut in large half-circles)
-One pint mini portabello mushrooms (halved)
-five cloves of garlic (minced or mashed)

-Two 12-oz bottles of a dopplebock beer (I prefer Spaten Optimator, but have also used ShinerBock and even good medium-bodied malty brown ales)
-One TBSP Worcestershire sauce or Kitchen Bouquet (you could also you 3 TBSP soy sauce)
-Two beef bouillon cubes
-2 TSP italian seasoning


1: Rinse and at dry pork loins. Heat a large non-stick or ceramic pot on the stove and brown the pork on both sides. You do not need to add any butter or oil to the pan, as the fat on the pork will keep the meat from sticking.

2: With the pork still in the pot, add the onions, mushrooms, and garlic. Add a bit of salt to get the sauté started. Let them sauté for a few minutes, stirring a few times but not lifting the pork off the bottom of the pot.

3: After you get a little steam going from the mushrooms and onions, add the beer and Worcestershire sauce. Add enough water to allow everything to have a bit of swimming room. As the mushrooms cook they will release a good amount of water, so you'll be sure to have enough juice in the final dish. Add some pepper and the italian seasoning at this point.

4: Now is when you get to sit back and forget about the food for a while. Let everything simmer for at least an hour, if not two. Dish out

Dish out the pork and veggies and serve with crusty bread to soak up the juices! Open up a nice cold beer and enjoy!

Asian Pan-seared Tofu with Soba Noodles

What is that magic ingredient that makes Asian food so amazing? I'll tell you what it is...SESAME OIL. Honestly, difference in the world.  I use it to make pan-fried noodles, stir fries, fried rice, and egg rolls. Here's a great way to turn plain tofu (which is so tasteless that it usually makes me want to die) into a salty, sweet, tangy, and spicy topping for healthy soba noodles!

Ingredients:

1 package Firm Tofu

Soba noodles

3 tbsp toasted sesame oil
The juice of one juicy lime
1/2 cup soy sauce (I use low-sodium, but you could use regular or gluten free)
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp coriander
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (adjust for desired spice level)
3 cloves of crushed garlic
2 inch piece of minced ginger

flax seeds (optional)
mixed baby greens (optional)


- Drain tofu and pat dry. Then slice in 1/2 - 3/4 inch slices.

-Prepare marinade by combining sesame oil, soy sauce, lime juice, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, garlic, and ginger.

-Place tofu in a bowl. Coat tofu with marinade and let sit for at least 20 minutes. (honestly, I marinate things until I'm too bored with whatever else I'm doing to wait any longer!)

 -Bring a large pot of water to a boil and drop in three portions of soba noodles. Boil for about 8 minutes.

-Drain pasta and set aside. You could easily use a different kind of asian noodle with this dish. I really love the curly egg noodles and this tofu would be great on top of pan-fried egg noodles...

-Once you're done cooking the pasta, you can use the same large pot to sear the tofu! (Hurray for fewer dishes!)

-Sear the tofu on medium high heat for about five minutes on each side. Make sure you get a little caramelization going on with the marinade on the tofu!

-Toss soba noodles in a little soy sauce and place noodles on top of some fresh baby greens.

-Place tofu on top of noodles and sprinkle with flax seeds. The seeds add a nice nutty texture that compliments the great flavor of the sesame oil!

This dish is so healthy that you'll feel great about eating it all up! Enjoy!

Dill and Leek Tortilla

Last weekend I bought a bunch of dill from the supermarket. Even after gorging myself on cucumber salads through the week, I still have way too much dill left over. So I got to thinking about how else to use the dill... the thought processes went something like this: dill - sour cream - potato chips - bacon - eggs - breakfast - breakfast for dinner - quiche - tortilla!

I'm pretty familiar with quiches. My mom makes a good quiche and always fills it with a combination or broccoli, asparagus, ham, and/or mushrooms. The egg base for a tortilla, a frittata, and a quiche are really the same. Tortillas get the added benefit of potatoes, which compensate for their lack of a crust.

While a traditional frittata or tortilla is cooked in an oven-safe frying pan, I wanted to cook mine in a springform pan. I love using springform pans because they make serving deep-dish foods very easy. 

The problem with springform pans, however, is that they don't always seal! As I poured the egg base into the pan, I saw a big puddle leak out from under the pan! I guess I'll just have to do some kitchenwares shopping next weekend..."shucks!"

So here's the tortilla I ended up making:

Ingredients:

2 medium-sized yukon gold potatoes (any waxy potato will work)

1 large leek

4 cloves garlic

handful of fresh dill

6 eggs

1 cup half and half

8 oz goats cheese

salt and pepper to taste

4 oz bacon (optional)

9-10 inch springform or pie pan (greased with olive oil or shortening)

-Heat oven to 350* F. 

POTATO AND LEEK PREP

-Slice the leek in 1/4inch-wide rounds. Rinsing them and breaking them apart under running water.

-In a large pot, sauté the leeks with a little olive oil and salt. Once the leeks are translucent, add the garlic and continue sautéing for a few minutes. 

-Wash the potatoes and slice them in thin rounds. Then chop the rounds into matchsticks.

-Add the potatoes to the sautéing leeks and continue cooking on medium-low for about ten minutes. This step is just to start the cooking process for the potatoes. Make sure you salt and pepper the potato and leek mixture. Seasoning as you go helps build flavor in several layers.

EGG BASE PREP

-In a large bowl, beat the goats cheese with a quarter-cup of the half and half. You can use a hand-held electric mixer or you can wisk this by hand if you want to give your wrists a workout. 

-Once the cheese is smooth, add the rest of the half and half, the eggs, and a handful of finely chopped dill. Mix this all together to add a little air to the mixture.

PUTTING IT TOGETHER

-Mix the potato and leek mixture with the egg mixture and pour into the prepared pan.

-If you want to add a little meaty goodness to this dish, you can crisp up some bacon in a pan and sprinkle it on top of the tortilla mixture.

-Finally, chop up a little more dill and sprinkle it over everything. 

-Bake the tortilla for 40 to 50 minutes. You'll know it's done when it starts to brown on top and doesn't jiggle when you move the dish. It's a good idea to place a cookie sheet under the dish so that if any egg mixture spills over the sides of the dish, you won't have an entire oven to clean!

You'll find that this tortilla is perfect for breakfast (with a little hot sauce, perhaps?), lunch, or dinner (with a green salad tossed in a light vinaigrette)!

I'll be eating this tortilla all through the week. There's no chance of these leftovers going to waste!

Easy Chicken Bake with Pesto Rice and Quinoa

Midway through the week, once the leftovers of the weekend cooking adventures have been eaten, I find that it's time to cook again. Unfortunately, stopping at the grocery store after work puts me in the middle of traffic, so I arrive home and realize I don't have anything planned for dinner. Uh oh...

Thankfully, with a few items from the freezer and pantry, I can make up a very healthy, one dish meal. If, like me, you forget to take your chicken out of the freezer to thaw during the day, you can boil the chicken for 10 to 15 minutes before continuing with this recipe.

Here's what you'll need for 3 to 4 portions of this chicken and rice baked dish:

4 chicken tenderloins 

1/4 cup basil pesto

1 to 1 1/2 cups any mixture of rice (white, brown, jasmine, or basmati) and quinoa (white, or red)

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup frozen green beans (I prefer the slender, whole, french style green beans)

2 cloves crushed garlic

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup sliced almonds (optional)

-Preheat oven to 400* F. Grease the sides and bottom of a small casserole dish with olive oil.

-Mix broth, garlic, and pesto together in the dish.

-Add rice mixture and almonds to the broth mixture. 

-Top with frozen green beans.

-Coat chicken tenderloins in a little extra pesto and place them on top of the green beans. (the chicken might sink a bit into the liquid, but that's okay.)

-Cover dish with tin foil.

-Bake for twenty minutes covered, then uncover and continue to bake until the rice has absorbed all the broth.

This dish can be modified in so many ways. Instead of basil pesto, you could flavor the chicken and rice with an olive tapenade or chimichurri sauce. you could also cook the rice in a plain chicken broth and flavor the chicken with a spicy and sweet barbecue rub.

Mushroom Mutter

Here's a North Indian mushroom and green pea curry sure to warm you on cold winter days. You can serve this with some cardamom-scented basmati rice or fresh naan.

Because this dish has a few steps, I've listed the ingredients in the order that you'll need them.

Ingredients:

2 medium yellow onions
4+ cloves of garlic
Fresh ginger - about a 2 inch piece
1 TBSP butter - the real stuff, not margarine

Spices (no set proportions...just go with your gut. I usually use about twice as much garam masala and curry powder as coriander and cumin)
Garam Masala
Curry Powder
Coriander Cumin
1 Serrano chili pepper (optional)

1 large can (about 14 oz) crushed tomatoes (you could used diced fresh tomatoes as well)
A large handful of fresh cilantro, chopped finely

Two pints of baby portobello mushrooms (halved or quartered into 1 inch pieces)
1-2 cups of frozen green peas

1 cup cashews (optional)
1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)

 - Dice the onions and sauté them on medium heat with the butter and a little salt. Once onions are translucent, add the diced (or crushed) garlic and ginger. Let cook on medium/low for a few minutes.

-Add spices to onion mixture, stir constantly for two to three minutes. (Adding the spices at this stage allows them to really cook and develop a nutty flavor.)

-Pour in crushed tomatoes and add chopped cilantro. Bring to a simmer and cook for five minutes. -Using either a handheld immersion blender or a stand-up full-size blender, purée the tomato onion mixture until smooth.

-Add mushrooms, peas, and cashews to purée and bring up to low simmer. Cook for twenty to thirty minutes, stirring occasionally. NOTE: As mushrooms cook, they will release a bit of water, so don't worry if the mixture seems too think when you first add the mushrooms and peas. You can add a bit of vegetable or chicken stock later if it's still too thick.

-Before serving, add a bit of heavy cream to give the dish a decadent mouth-feel. Salt to taste. Garnish with a leaf of cilantro.

 Enjoy!

The Starting Line

Cooking has always been a passion of mine. Whether I'm creating dishes for myself, for my family, for a holiday meal, or for a snazzy dinner party, I am all about exploring new flavors! In this blog I hope to share with you some of my daily adventures in the world of food. When I'm not baking, or working from a family recipe, I do not measure my ingredients. I add items by feel. In the recipes I post on this blog, I will estimate conventional measurements to give you an idea of how much of something to use. I see cooking as the best part of a meal. I snack as I cook, taste as I go, and adjust the dish constantly. There is no science to my kind of cooking. I hope you enjoy these "recipes" and have a blast experimenting in the kitchen!