I had some leftover homemade barbecue sauce in my freezer, and thought, 'why not use it to make barbecue chicken?' While the sauce takes a bit of extra work, it's totally worth it, and freezes really well.
First, make the sauce. This will make a large amount of sauce, so marinate your meat in some of it and freeze the rest for later use. Start by sweating 8 ounces of diced onion and 1 ounce of chopped garlic in 1 ounce of oil until tender. Sweating is a process that means you're keeping it at low heat so that nothing browns but the flavor is still extracted from the foods you're sweating. Once everything's nice and tender, add 6 ounces red wine, an ounce of brown sugar, 2 ounces agave nectar, 8 ounces beef stock, 10 ounces ketchup, 1 ounce dry mustard, a spoonful of apricot preserves, and salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste, and simmer for half an hour.
Then, baste or marinate your chicken according to what you typically do; each person does it a little differently, so I won't interfere with that. Finally, stick it on a hot grill and grill, turning once, until the chicken is cooked through.
I served this with instant mashed potatoes and broccoli. I really don't like to use instant anything, but I only had one potato left, Will doesn't like rice with his barbecue, and we had this packet that my mother in-law brought over while I was sick, so we dealt with it.
Will loves this barbecue sauce, and I like that I know everything that's in it and can get an amazing recipe out of it in the process.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Friday, September 7, 2012
Carrot Casserole: Will Figured Out How To Make It Tastier
This traditional Finnish dish has been a staple food for Will and me for a year; whenever I buy too many carrots and we have a lot of leftover rice, I make this simple and tasty dish.
First, mix together a cup of cooked rice, four cups of grated carrots, a Tablespoon of brown sugar, a Tablespoon of salt, two cups of milk, and two eggs. Pour this into a greased casserole dish, sprinkle a third of a cup of breadcrumbs on top, and place a divided Tablespoon of butter on top of the breadcrumbs. Bake this in a 375 degree oven for forty-five minutes. Serve piping hot.
Will and I love to make this; it's easy to assemble and doesn't take much effort to make. Tonight, Will decided it needed something as we were eating. To be honest, it is a Finnish recipe, which means it can be rather bland, so he was right that it needed something. He added some cinnamon, and it gave the needed pop that was missing. From now on, I will definitely add cinnamon to the recipe.
First, mix together a cup of cooked rice, four cups of grated carrots, a Tablespoon of brown sugar, a Tablespoon of salt, two cups of milk, and two eggs. Pour this into a greased casserole dish, sprinkle a third of a cup of breadcrumbs on top, and place a divided Tablespoon of butter on top of the breadcrumbs. Bake this in a 375 degree oven for forty-five minutes. Serve piping hot.
Will and I love to make this; it's easy to assemble and doesn't take much effort to make. Tonight, Will decided it needed something as we were eating. To be honest, it is a Finnish recipe, which means it can be rather bland, so he was right that it needed something. He added some cinnamon, and it gave the needed pop that was missing. From now on, I will definitely add cinnamon to the recipe.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Taco Salad: Experimented With Some Success
We haven't had taco salad in a couple months, so I decided to make it. This time, I added a few extra bits to try and make it a bit more special. Parts of it worked, while I would change a few things the next time I make this. I know most people will tell you that taco salad is the worst thing to order on the menu at a Mexican restaurant, but just bear with me and you'll see that in this case, homemade is the better route in this case.
First of all, ditch the chalupa (this is the fried tortilla bowl most taco salads come in; it's deep fried, which means excess fat that will kill a diet in its tracks if you're not careful). Your waistline will thank you. Second, most restaurants use iceberg lettuce in their taco salads. Not only is it very low in fiber, the only nutritional value that you can derive from it is water, so you're much better off going with a dark, leafy green like Romaine lettuce. Finally, use a lot of vegetables. Tomatoes are pretty standard, as are avocados, and some members of my family will even use canned peas.
One of the two biggest changes I made in comparison to last time was I added canned jalapeno slices to my ground beef this time. It added a nice zing to the meat; the problem was it was too spicy for my liking, which is a rarity. The other big change was we made our own refried beans, which is to say, we pureed some canned pinto beans and fried them in grapeseed oil with spices and cheese. There were a couple smaller changes, like the fact that I added cotija cheese to the cheese mix and used low fat Greek yogurt as a topping on the salad itself to help cut the heat.
Will and I both agreed that the beans were great, but the beef needed fewer jalapenos. Now I know for future reference and am glad I took the risk and tried something new.
First of all, ditch the chalupa (this is the fried tortilla bowl most taco salads come in; it's deep fried, which means excess fat that will kill a diet in its tracks if you're not careful). Your waistline will thank you. Second, most restaurants use iceberg lettuce in their taco salads. Not only is it very low in fiber, the only nutritional value that you can derive from it is water, so you're much better off going with a dark, leafy green like Romaine lettuce. Finally, use a lot of vegetables. Tomatoes are pretty standard, as are avocados, and some members of my family will even use canned peas.
One of the two biggest changes I made in comparison to last time was I added canned jalapeno slices to my ground beef this time. It added a nice zing to the meat; the problem was it was too spicy for my liking, which is a rarity. The other big change was we made our own refried beans, which is to say, we pureed some canned pinto beans and fried them in grapeseed oil with spices and cheese. There were a couple smaller changes, like the fact that I added cotija cheese to the cheese mix and used low fat Greek yogurt as a topping on the salad itself to help cut the heat.
Will and I both agreed that the beans were great, but the beef needed fewer jalapenos. Now I know for future reference and am glad I took the risk and tried something new.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Tomatillo Chicken: Pure Deliciousness
I must admit that I've never worked with tomatillos before, but after this experience, I will definitely work with them again.
First, start your broiler. Put your chicken breasts into a broiler or roasting pan. Once your broiler is good and hot, stick your chicken breasts in the oven about four inches from the broiler. Meanwhile, cook a chopped onion in oil until it's tender. Add six husked and chopped tomatillos and six chopped pickled jalapeno slices. By this time, you should need to turn over your chicken. Add a clove of minced garlic to the pan with your onions and stir. Add some cumin, salt, and pepper, and turn the heat to low. Meanwhile, slice some provolone cheese to put on the chicken breasts once they are cooked through. Once that happens, put the provolone slices on the breasts and cook until melted. To serve, put your tomatillo mixture over some piping hot cooked rice, and serve the chicken breast next to or on top of that. Serve with vegetables of your choice.
This was a pretty simple recipe that turned out fabulous. Will was afraid of it being too spicy for his liking, but he wound up loving it.
First, start your broiler. Put your chicken breasts into a broiler or roasting pan. Once your broiler is good and hot, stick your chicken breasts in the oven about four inches from the broiler. Meanwhile, cook a chopped onion in oil until it's tender. Add six husked and chopped tomatillos and six chopped pickled jalapeno slices. By this time, you should need to turn over your chicken. Add a clove of minced garlic to the pan with your onions and stir. Add some cumin, salt, and pepper, and turn the heat to low. Meanwhile, slice some provolone cheese to put on the chicken breasts once they are cooked through. Once that happens, put the provolone slices on the breasts and cook until melted. To serve, put your tomatillo mixture over some piping hot cooked rice, and serve the chicken breast next to or on top of that. Serve with vegetables of your choice.
This was a pretty simple recipe that turned out fabulous. Will was afraid of it being too spicy for his liking, but he wound up loving it.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Garbanzo Curry With Minted Rice: Really Good and Pretty Easy
I've made the minted rice before, but I've never made the garbanzo curry that usually goes with it. Now I know this is an amazing vegan meal if you don't serve it with the cucumber salad I used as a side.
First, prepare the salad. Cut up your cucumbers, add your tomatoes and jalapeno, and mix in yogurt and salt and pepper to taste. Stick this in the refrigerator while you cook the curry and rice.
You're going to want to start on the rice because that will take the longest. First, toast a cinnamon stick, cumin seeds, and cloves in oil or clarified butter until aromatic. Then add one cup of rice and toast it without burning it. The toasting for the spices and rice lends a richer flavor to the spices and adds a unique texture to the rice. Then add some fresh chopped mint and one and three quarter cups water. Bring this to a boil and then lower the heat and let it simmer. Meanwhile, cook one chopped onion in oil or clarified butter with a cinnamon stick until the onion is tender. Add a small amount of garlic, ginger, and curry powder. I toast and grind my own. The next time I make korma, I will have to grind some more and will gladly share the recipe. Cook this mixture a minute longer and add your drained can of garbanzo beans, tomato sauce, and a cup of water. Let this simmer to thicken. By the time it thickens, your rice should be ready. Fluff it and serve everything.
I've made the cucumber salad before, and it's always a hit. The rice was much better using fresh mint rather than dried, and the curry was awesome. This recipe is a definite keeper.
First, prepare the salad. Cut up your cucumbers, add your tomatoes and jalapeno, and mix in yogurt and salt and pepper to taste. Stick this in the refrigerator while you cook the curry and rice.
You're going to want to start on the rice because that will take the longest. First, toast a cinnamon stick, cumin seeds, and cloves in oil or clarified butter until aromatic. Then add one cup of rice and toast it without burning it. The toasting for the spices and rice lends a richer flavor to the spices and adds a unique texture to the rice. Then add some fresh chopped mint and one and three quarter cups water. Bring this to a boil and then lower the heat and let it simmer. Meanwhile, cook one chopped onion in oil or clarified butter with a cinnamon stick until the onion is tender. Add a small amount of garlic, ginger, and curry powder. I toast and grind my own. The next time I make korma, I will have to grind some more and will gladly share the recipe. Cook this mixture a minute longer and add your drained can of garbanzo beans, tomato sauce, and a cup of water. Let this simmer to thicken. By the time it thickens, your rice should be ready. Fluff it and serve everything.
I've made the cucumber salad before, and it's always a hit. The rice was much better using fresh mint rather than dried, and the curry was awesome. This recipe is a definite keeper.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Fish Tacos: Tasty and Fun
Normally I don't eat fish because I live in a landlocked state, but tilapia was one sale and is a sustainable fish, so I went for it. Sadly it was preseasoned, so I can't take credit for the wonderful flavors that enveloped this dish.
First, take your fish out of the packaging and season it. Again, the fish I used was preseasoned because it was the only frozen sustainable fish I could find that wasn't breaded and deep fried. It had lime zest, cilantro, and salt, so it was seasoned pretty simply, which works well with tacos. Anyway, you then take the filets and cook them any way you like. I pan cooked them without any oil because that's just the way I prefer it. If you want to bread and bake them, that would work, and grilling would make some amazingly flavored fish. While your fish is cooking, cut up some lettuce and tomatoes. If you want to do Baja style fish tacos, use cabbage instead of lettuce; the reason I did is because cabbage is out of season right now, which means I'd have to go with cabbage from Chile or New Zealand, and that's just not eco friendly. Finally, warm up your tortillas. Once the fish flakes when pierced with a fork, it's ready.
Will loved it and now has leftovers for when he goes to work on Tuesday. I enjoyed it and will be playing further with this recipe.
First, take your fish out of the packaging and season it. Again, the fish I used was preseasoned because it was the only frozen sustainable fish I could find that wasn't breaded and deep fried. It had lime zest, cilantro, and salt, so it was seasoned pretty simply, which works well with tacos. Anyway, you then take the filets and cook them any way you like. I pan cooked them without any oil because that's just the way I prefer it. If you want to bread and bake them, that would work, and grilling would make some amazingly flavored fish. While your fish is cooking, cut up some lettuce and tomatoes. If you want to do Baja style fish tacos, use cabbage instead of lettuce; the reason I did is because cabbage is out of season right now, which means I'd have to go with cabbage from Chile or New Zealand, and that's just not eco friendly. Finally, warm up your tortillas. Once the fish flakes when pierced with a fork, it's ready.
Will loved it and now has leftovers for when he goes to work on Tuesday. I enjoyed it and will be playing further with this recipe.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Okra in Yogurt Sauce: Tasty and Quick
Last night I needed to make something vegetarian since my meat hasn't finished defrosting yet. I haven't yet made my vegetable stock, so I didn't want to make carrot casserole until after I did that. Thus, I had two Indian dishes I could have made. I showed Will the two dishes I had planned and he picked this one. I was pleasantly surprised on the flavor, and will definitely be growing okra next year just to make this dish again.
Heat some grapeseed oil or, if you're feeling more authentic, clarified butter. You can either get this premade at a well-stocked grocery store or make it yourself by melting butter and skimming off all the cloudy materials to make a clear substance. In doing so you raise the smoke point because you have pure fat instead of the milk solids and water that is in whole butter. Add one thinly sliced onion and two or three diced green chilies. Cook this until the onions are golden and add two teaspoons of shredded coconut, stirring constantly. Then add sliced fresh or frozen okra and cook until golden brown. Finally, add a Tablespoon of plain yogurt and two quartered tomatoes; cook until everything's warmed through. Serve it over rice.
I undercooked the rice slightly, but the okra turned out fantastic. Will and I agreed this is something worth making again. Also, just for a note, this does not reheat well so don't make extra with the intent of reheating it.
Heat some grapeseed oil or, if you're feeling more authentic, clarified butter. You can either get this premade at a well-stocked grocery store or make it yourself by melting butter and skimming off all the cloudy materials to make a clear substance. In doing so you raise the smoke point because you have pure fat instead of the milk solids and water that is in whole butter. Add one thinly sliced onion and two or three diced green chilies. Cook this until the onions are golden and add two teaspoons of shredded coconut, stirring constantly. Then add sliced fresh or frozen okra and cook until golden brown. Finally, add a Tablespoon of plain yogurt and two quartered tomatoes; cook until everything's warmed through. Serve it over rice.
I undercooked the rice slightly, but the okra turned out fantastic. Will and I agreed this is something worth making again. Also, just for a note, this does not reheat well so don't make extra with the intent of reheating it.
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