So, I haven't posted in a very long time. There is good reason, I got my dream job running a small non-profit and have been busy doing that.
BUT...I started the couch to 5k program legitimately about 5 weeks ago. I started super strong and have a check-in buddy. We signed up to do an awesome 5k at the end of September to give us time to train. I blasted through weeks 1-3 and rocked them hard. Week 4 has proven more difficult. I am starting to realize that you really need to be aware of what you feed yourself when you actually work out. I say this because I don't have the sustained energy needed as my running times are longer. This week, as I finish week 4 and head into the gruesome week 5, I am looking into changing my eating habits. With that in mind, I am now going to eat some peanut butter and a piece of fruit before I leave my office, about 30 min before my workout. We'll see how that goes :)
Also, I started my day with vanilla Greek yogurt, a nectarine, chia seeds and honey...and coffee with cream
I know I shouldn't have the cream, but I don't care and I will not keep that from myself since I drink water the rest of the day. Maybe it's "funny math" but whatever. I am also going to try to incorporate a protein shake every other morning so I can build muscle. I tried doing a barre sculpting class that was awesome, but it was getting in the way of work so I am going to work on my arms after each run...and by arms I mean my sweet guns....
Anyway, I am making turkey, bean and potato tacos tonight...I'll post the recipe if it's yummy...
Also, these muffin are DELICIOUS!!! http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,174,155180-239207,00.html
Monday, July 30, 2012
Green Chile Stew
Ingredients:
1lb chicken or sirloin or pork
1/2 -1 cup green chile diced
1/2 onion (I mince the onion because no one like onion chunks!)
3-4 cloves of chopped garlic (add as much as you want based on garlic preference, 2 cloves minimum)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp celery seed
1-2 Tbsp flour
1 can chicken broth
1tbsp canola or vegetable oil
3 potatoes
salt to taste
Cube the potatoes and meat to bite size pieces
In a large pot:
- saute the onions in oil, add meat when onions are 1/2 cooked, add garlic when meat is 1/2 cooked
- incorporate potatoes
- incorporate chile
- stir in herbs and flour so contents are coated, no extra flour should be milling around in the pot (if there is extra flour add a little bit of broth to absorb into a paste)
- add broth
- fill until contents are covered by water
- simmer until thick 40-60 min
Friday, May 25, 2012
Black Bean and Corn Salad
Sorry it's been so long, but we have been super busy! Between starting a new job and selling the house in a week, I've been a busy busy girl! I wrote this recipe down for a good friend to make with New Mexican food:
Black Bean and Corn Salad
1 big can of corn
1 big can of Busch's black beans
2 jalapenos
1 stalk of green onion
1 clove garlic
1 jicama
1/4 red onion (if you like raw onion)
1/4 cup cilantro
lime juice
olive oil
Get a pan searing hot and add the drained and rinsed corn and black beans to give them a little char, when done, put in a bowl to cool down
Fine dice the green onions, cilantro, jalapeno, and optional red onion
Mince the garlic
Cut the jicama and dice to size similar to beans and corn
Mix all ingredients with 3:2 ration of olive oil:lime juice (usually 5tbsp evoo to 2 tbsp lime juice)
Add some lime zest to make it a little tangier
Enjoy!
Black Bean and Corn Salad
1 big can of corn
1 big can of Busch's black beans
2 jalapenos
1 stalk of green onion
1 clove garlic
1 jicama
1/4 red onion (if you like raw onion)
1/4 cup cilantro
lime juice
olive oil
Get a pan searing hot and add the drained and rinsed corn and black beans to give them a little char, when done, put in a bowl to cool down
Fine dice the green onions, cilantro, jalapeno, and optional red onion
Mince the garlic
Cut the jicama and dice to size similar to beans and corn
Mix all ingredients with 3:2 ration of olive oil:lime juice (usually 5tbsp evoo to 2 tbsp lime juice)
Add some lime zest to make it a little tangier
Enjoy!
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Farm & Table
Matt and I saw a new restaurant in the North Valley last weekend while looking at new houses to buy. It is called Farm & Table, located on 4th St. North of Paseo.
Matt looked it up and became obsessed, so we tried it out yesterday. You do have to make a reservation on opentable because it's a very exciting restaurant to people in the valley. I will give the disclaimer that this place is a little pretentious, but I don't know a farm to table restaurant that isn't. On the scale of "farm to table" pretension, it's pretty low. Ok onto the good stuff!
We got a lovely bottle of carmenere for $26! Bonus. The bread is a homemade focaccia served with olive oil and radishes from their garden. Quite lovely. I ordered the duck, and I have to say it was the best cooked duck I have eaten in Albuquerque! The apple puree and braised red cabbage were a delight! The "asiago" polenta could have been a little better. You will see things like "bacon" and "asigo" on the menu and expect more of that flavor when there is very little. Which is not all bad, considering I don't like how all food cooked with bacon only tastes like bacon. I digress. Wonderful meal and well priced in my opinion!
Matt got the potato leek soup to start and it was very fresh for a creamy potato soup! I cringed when he ordered it because it seemed so hot and thick for the spring/summer season. But once I tasted it I was pleasantly surprised that it was not heavy at all, needed salt, but well executed. Then ordered the green chile cheeseburger because he's a man :) I tried it out and got more flavor from the green-chile cornmeal bun than the actual green chile on the burger, but it melded well together to make a good burger. I was most surprised by the fries. The mix of sweet potato, russet and parsnip was really amazing! I often make homemade baked fries and loved this take. I recommend getting them to try even if they don't come with your meal. All in all a delicious $11 burger.
Total bill was about $65 without tip, which isn't too far from what we do at buffalo wild wings and I felt full but not weighed down when I left the restaurant, a bonus with local food.
Will go back for brunch! Yum! And "fingers crossed" to try a new lamb dish.
This is my duck, half eaten, sorry I was pretty hungry and remembered to take a pic when half way done
Matt looked it up and became obsessed, so we tried it out yesterday. You do have to make a reservation on opentable because it's a very exciting restaurant to people in the valley. I will give the disclaimer that this place is a little pretentious, but I don't know a farm to table restaurant that isn't. On the scale of "farm to table" pretension, it's pretty low. Ok onto the good stuff!
We got a lovely bottle of carmenere for $26! Bonus. The bread is a homemade focaccia served with olive oil and radishes from their garden. Quite lovely. I ordered the duck, and I have to say it was the best cooked duck I have eaten in Albuquerque! The apple puree and braised red cabbage were a delight! The "asiago" polenta could have been a little better. You will see things like "bacon" and "asigo" on the menu and expect more of that flavor when there is very little. Which is not all bad, considering I don't like how all food cooked with bacon only tastes like bacon. I digress. Wonderful meal and well priced in my opinion!
Matt got the potato leek soup to start and it was very fresh for a creamy potato soup! I cringed when he ordered it because it seemed so hot and thick for the spring/summer season. But once I tasted it I was pleasantly surprised that it was not heavy at all, needed salt, but well executed. Then ordered the green chile cheeseburger because he's a man :) I tried it out and got more flavor from the green-chile cornmeal bun than the actual green chile on the burger, but it melded well together to make a good burger. I was most surprised by the fries. The mix of sweet potato, russet and parsnip was really amazing! I often make homemade baked fries and loved this take. I recommend getting them to try even if they don't come with your meal. All in all a delicious $11 burger.
Total bill was about $65 without tip, which isn't too far from what we do at buffalo wild wings and I felt full but not weighed down when I left the restaurant, a bonus with local food.
Will go back for brunch! Yum! And "fingers crossed" to try a new lamb dish.
This is my duck, half eaten, sorry I was pretty hungry and remembered to take a pic when half way done
Taste While Cooking! A Cautionary Tale....
While making my creamy cajun chicken pasta thing on Tuesday, I re-learned a simple but valuable lesson to taste your food while cooking!
I over salted, ugh, I know. Horrible!
I typically spice my food with regular spices and not mixes because rarely do I find a mix that isn't 90% salt and 10% spice! But, not being from the South, I have no idea what goes into cajun spices. Sooo, I use slap ya mama mix! Well, forgetting that it does have salt, I added a ton to my sauce and then added garlic and salted my water for the pasta (like necessary). But once complete, it was a bowl of salt lick. Gross. Needless to say, no one was asking for seconds and we had a "round 2" with cheese its later that evening.
I will say, I have made the recipe many times and this is the only time it has sucked ballz. The cream sauce is an amazing way to eat creamy pasta guilt free. I use reduced sodium stock and low fat laughing cow.
I over salted, ugh, I know. Horrible!
I typically spice my food with regular spices and not mixes because rarely do I find a mix that isn't 90% salt and 10% spice! But, not being from the South, I have no idea what goes into cajun spices. Sooo, I use slap ya mama mix! Well, forgetting that it does have salt, I added a ton to my sauce and then added garlic and salted my water for the pasta (like necessary). But once complete, it was a bowl of salt lick. Gross. Needless to say, no one was asking for seconds and we had a "round 2" with cheese its later that evening.
I will say, I have made the recipe many times and this is the only time it has sucked ballz. The cream sauce is an amazing way to eat creamy pasta guilt free. I use reduced sodium stock and low fat laughing cow.
Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
Everyone makes mistakes, including myself (so modest, I know). But I made a HUGE mistake Tuesday night while cooking. I decided to use up the rest of the rotisserie chicken I bought from Costco, by making my famous low fat cream sauce with pasta thing.
While flipping through channels on Saturday, I saw "Hungry Girl" on the Food Network make a low fat cream sauce of some sort using laughing cow cheese and I thought "Hmm, smart." So I looked up the recipe and holy hell there was a lot to it! Skip forward about a month, my friend Carrie makes an awesome creamy cajun salmon dish that I wanted to try out. And, as per usual, I didn't have any milk or cream in the house. But I did have laughing cow cheese and chicken stock and viola! low-fat cream sauce.
Ok, so now on to it. This is the components for the sauce, you can add anything you want to it to alter the taste. Once, I added garlic and fennel to top spicy sausage (yes, it was awesome) and other times I added slap yo mama mix to make a spicy cajun flavor. Tuesday night I decide creamy cajun chicken penne sounded delish and fast. So I started to boil the water and get the sauce ready.
Note: I use a Mauviel copper pan to make my sauce because there are no hot spots, but I'm sure you can use any pan.
In the pan, heat some chicken stock
When it starts to steam, slice and add 4 wedges of laughing cow cheese
*I am fully aware how gross it looks
KEEP WHISKING! Do not let this sit, it will gross you out even more!
Add flavor at this time
After about 5-10 minutes, the cheese will melt and it will look like this
and this! (I use a silicon spatula to occasionally scrape the side of the pan)
Cube your chicken
Toss everything in a large mixing bowl
Viola! I recommend adding some kind of veggie, but I didn't have any at home
While flipping through channels on Saturday, I saw "Hungry Girl" on the Food Network make a low fat cream sauce of some sort using laughing cow cheese and I thought "Hmm, smart." So I looked up the recipe and holy hell there was a lot to it! Skip forward about a month, my friend Carrie makes an awesome creamy cajun salmon dish that I wanted to try out. And, as per usual, I didn't have any milk or cream in the house. But I did have laughing cow cheese and chicken stock and viola! low-fat cream sauce.
Ok, so now on to it. This is the components for the sauce, you can add anything you want to it to alter the taste. Once, I added garlic and fennel to top spicy sausage (yes, it was awesome) and other times I added slap yo mama mix to make a spicy cajun flavor. Tuesday night I decide creamy cajun chicken penne sounded delish and fast. So I started to boil the water and get the sauce ready.
Note: I use a Mauviel copper pan to make my sauce because there are no hot spots, but I'm sure you can use any pan.
In the pan, heat some chicken stock
When it starts to steam, slice and add 4 wedges of laughing cow cheese
KEEP WHISKING! Do not let this sit, it will gross you out even more!
Add flavor at this time
After about 5-10 minutes, the cheese will melt and it will look like this
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Pictures to Come!
I was telling someone about this blog the other day and she asked why I didn't have any pictures and I didn't have a good excuse other than I like to get right to the eating part! So, I will scour to find pics me or hubbie have taken over time :)
Tonight I am going to make a new chipotle grilled chicken with grilled zucchini. Update, recipe and PICTURES to come!
Tonight I am going to make a new chipotle grilled chicken with grilled zucchini. Update, recipe and PICTURES to come!
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Trying to do the "healthy" thing
I made dinner Monday night in efforts to get us back on track and mixed with the excitement of a thousand children that Spring food is in season! Yay!
I made steamed artichokes with chile crusted salmon and little papitas and everything turned out really well. Which is kind of a feat because all three components have very different cooking times and prep! So here is the process:
Fill 1" of a pot with water and put on med/high heat
Clean potatoes and artichokes (be careful of the artichokes, they have thorns)
Stab the potatoes a few times and wrap in a clean kitchen towel, place in microwave for 4 mintues
Set the oven to bake 375
Take your kitchen shears (yes, you should have a pair of scissors for ONLY FOOD) and cut the tops of the artichoke leaves
Using a paring knife, chop off the top of the artichoke flower and the stem leaving 1" or so
Take the potatoes out of the microwave (if you are using ginormous potatoes like I did, microwave for 3 more minutes)
Now, if you are fancy and have a steamer rack or something of the sort you will put this over the water and the artichokes in it. If you are raised in a "utilitarian" (translation: cheap) house like I was you now take a few minutes to "make-shift" a steamer. My set up includes a colander and hand mixer mixing parts.
Set the artichokes in the pot and cover, steam for 30 minutes-ish.
Now that your potatoes are cool enough to handle; dice into 1/2" cubes and toss with olive oil, salt and cracked pepper and lay out on a cookie sheet and pop in the oven. Toss them around in 15 minutes to get the browning on all parts.
Heat a pan over med/high heat
Coat the salmon flesh with whatever rub you want, I used "arizona rub" blends chili lime and rattlesnake and a light garlic powder dusting. I really like the Arizona rubs because they don't have salt in them, yay.
Spray Pam on the pan and place the salmons flesh down on skillet, let sit for about 4 minutes then flip and cook for another few minutes, Reduce the heat to low then finish with the lid on to make sure the fish is cooked throughout.
Now that all the cooking is essentially done, you can make your dips!
I melt two tablespoons (or more if you want more) of butter on the stove, bring the butter to a boil and keep boiling until the butter isn't white anymore now you have clarified butter,squeeze in some lemon juice and that is good to go.
I personally prefer a yogurt mix to the typical mayonnaise blend.
Yogurt mix
In a bowl, mix plain fat free yogurt, dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. It's important to use fresh ground salt and pepper because the stuff from the shaker will look weird. Just mix and enjoy...the best part is it's essentially fat free!
I hope you like it, it was a nice end to the day on the patio :)
I made steamed artichokes with chile crusted salmon and little papitas and everything turned out really well. Which is kind of a feat because all three components have very different cooking times and prep! So here is the process:
Fill 1" of a pot with water and put on med/high heat
Clean potatoes and artichokes (be careful of the artichokes, they have thorns)
Stab the potatoes a few times and wrap in a clean kitchen towel, place in microwave for 4 mintues
Set the oven to bake 375
Take your kitchen shears (yes, you should have a pair of scissors for ONLY FOOD) and cut the tops of the artichoke leaves
Using a paring knife, chop off the top of the artichoke flower and the stem leaving 1" or so
Take the potatoes out of the microwave (if you are using ginormous potatoes like I did, microwave for 3 more minutes)
Now, if you are fancy and have a steamer rack or something of the sort you will put this over the water and the artichokes in it. If you are raised in a "utilitarian" (translation: cheap) house like I was you now take a few minutes to "make-shift" a steamer. My set up includes a colander and hand mixer mixing parts.
Set the artichokes in the pot and cover, steam for 30 minutes-ish.
Now that your potatoes are cool enough to handle; dice into 1/2" cubes and toss with olive oil, salt and cracked pepper and lay out on a cookie sheet and pop in the oven. Toss them around in 15 minutes to get the browning on all parts.
Heat a pan over med/high heat
Coat the salmon flesh with whatever rub you want, I used "arizona rub" blends chili lime and rattlesnake and a light garlic powder dusting. I really like the Arizona rubs because they don't have salt in them, yay.
Spray Pam on the pan and place the salmons flesh down on skillet, let sit for about 4 minutes then flip and cook for another few minutes, Reduce the heat to low then finish with the lid on to make sure the fish is cooked throughout.
Now that all the cooking is essentially done, you can make your dips!
I melt two tablespoons (or more if you want more) of butter on the stove, bring the butter to a boil and keep boiling until the butter isn't white anymore now you have clarified butter,squeeze in some lemon juice and that is good to go.
I personally prefer a yogurt mix to the typical mayonnaise blend.
Yogurt mix
In a bowl, mix plain fat free yogurt, dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. It's important to use fresh ground salt and pepper because the stuff from the shaker will look weird. Just mix and enjoy...the best part is it's essentially fat free!
I hope you like it, it was a nice end to the day on the patio :)
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Iranian New Year!
Traditional nooruz dinner is Baghali Shivid Polow, a rice dish with dill and lima beans served with white fish and mast khiar. But I like to feed the people! So I usually make ghormeh zabsi, but this year I did both! Yep believe it! Granted I didn't work that day so it was really nbd. The weather just turned so we ate outside on a long table with astromania flowers from trader joes in little jam jars with some sheer orange ribbon and twine with battery tealights in frosted votives. With the table set we shall discuss the food:
Ghormeh Zabsi
1 lb chopped frozen spinach (frozen but broken apart)
1 can of black eyed peas - do not use frozen, they taste weird!
1 lb sirloin cut into 1/2" cubes
1 onion diced
Couple handfulls of zabsi mix
Couple dried lemons
Lemon Juice
1 can of chicken broth
In a large pot saute the onions and add beef, once beef is browned - add zabsi mix and black eyed peas
add one can of chicken broth and then fill with water and add that, a couple tablespoons of lemon juice (add extra water so all the beef and stuff is covered with liquid), pop in the dried lemons and cover to simmer for a couple hours.
Serve over basmati rice
Baghali Shivid Polow
2 cups basmati rice
Couple handfuls of Dill
10 oz or 1 bag frozen lima beans - thawed
Some kind of white fish - I like mahi mahi
Mast khiar - recipe below
Boil salted water
add 2 cups rice, boil 1/2 done, strain the rice return to the pot and mix in dill and lima beans, cover with 2 paper towels folded and lid, steam until done (I have no idea on the timing but I wait until the towels are wet around the edges).
Mast Khiar
1 qt Low fat or non fat plain yougurt
1 cucmber
dried mint, lemon juice, and salt to taste
Peel and grate cucumber and drain of juice, mix into yogurt with mint, lemon juice and salt to your liking.
Enjoy!
Ghormeh Zabsi
1 lb chopped frozen spinach (frozen but broken apart)
1 can of black eyed peas - do not use frozen, they taste weird!
1 lb sirloin cut into 1/2" cubes
1 onion diced
Couple handfulls of zabsi mix
Couple dried lemons
Lemon Juice
1 can of chicken broth
In a large pot saute the onions and add beef, once beef is browned - add zabsi mix and black eyed peas
add one can of chicken broth and then fill with water and add that, a couple tablespoons of lemon juice (add extra water so all the beef and stuff is covered with liquid), pop in the dried lemons and cover to simmer for a couple hours.
Serve over basmati rice
Baghali Shivid Polow
2 cups basmati rice
Couple handfuls of Dill
10 oz or 1 bag frozen lima beans - thawed
Some kind of white fish - I like mahi mahi
Mast khiar - recipe below
Boil salted water
add 2 cups rice, boil 1/2 done, strain the rice return to the pot and mix in dill and lima beans, cover with 2 paper towels folded and lid, steam until done (I have no idea on the timing but I wait until the towels are wet around the edges).
Mast Khiar
1 qt Low fat or non fat plain yougurt
1 cucmber
dried mint, lemon juice, and salt to taste
Peel and grate cucumber and drain of juice, mix into yogurt with mint, lemon juice and salt to your liking.
Enjoy!
Haven't Written, Cooked or Worked-out
So, pretty much I have not cooked, worked out or done any real me-thing in like forever. It started with a trip to CA and ended with prepping our house for sale. In the meantime, I have eaten a lot!
Oh I did cook once, I made Iranian New Year Dinner, I will post recipes and story in another post.
La Provence: So awesome, I went twice in two days! First for dinner where I had the escargot (delish) and the lamb, also awesome but I was stupid full by the end of dinner. While reading the menu I noticed a beef bourguignon cooking class the next night! So I reserved 2 spots and grabbed my foodie friend where we had amaze-balls food! Deviled eggs and asparagus with a vinaigrette, beef bourguignon and a heavenly dark chocolate mousse...devine! All paired with wine and for $40! I definitely recommend!
Dim Sum @ AmerAsia: I have said before and will say again, that I love this place! So good and the owners are awesome.
Prime: Sandwich joint for froufrou sandwiches by Vernon's steakhouse. I had the tuna, it was good but I won't make a final decision until I try once more.
Zacatecas: The "new hot taco place" in Nob Hill, it's good but not as good as el paisa, granted it's more froufrou so you can go for a night out but I am a flavor girl :) The margs are very strong and good. I say try it and be the judge :)
Il Vicino Canteen: Re-modeled from the original brewery where you grabbed a pint while filling a growler. We tried the salsa and chips and the "brewers board" mainly a meat and cheese board which is delightful and paired well with the beer.
That's it for now! Tonight we are getting into bathing suit season with steamed artichokes and salmon :)
Oh I did cook once, I made Iranian New Year Dinner, I will post recipes and story in another post.
La Provence: So awesome, I went twice in two days! First for dinner where I had the escargot (delish) and the lamb, also awesome but I was stupid full by the end of dinner. While reading the menu I noticed a beef bourguignon cooking class the next night! So I reserved 2 spots and grabbed my foodie friend where we had amaze-balls food! Deviled eggs and asparagus with a vinaigrette, beef bourguignon and a heavenly dark chocolate mousse...devine! All paired with wine and for $40! I definitely recommend!
Dim Sum @ AmerAsia: I have said before and will say again, that I love this place! So good and the owners are awesome.
Prime: Sandwich joint for froufrou sandwiches by Vernon's steakhouse. I had the tuna, it was good but I won't make a final decision until I try once more.
Zacatecas: The "new hot taco place" in Nob Hill, it's good but not as good as el paisa, granted it's more froufrou so you can go for a night out but I am a flavor girl :) The margs are very strong and good. I say try it and be the judge :)
Il Vicino Canteen: Re-modeled from the original brewery where you grabbed a pint while filling a growler. We tried the salsa and chips and the "brewers board" mainly a meat and cheese board which is delightful and paired well with the beer.
That's it for now! Tonight we are getting into bathing suit season with steamed artichokes and salmon :)
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
First Whack at Mexican Food and Frozen Custard!
The last week has been a whirlwind, I finally got back to the old house to get clothing (so I am no longer limited to my wide selection of yoga pants) and to start getting it ready to sell. We are meeting with a few realtors to get the best listing/buying agent set up.
So, on to the food.
I had a small overnight trip to Roswell, I resisted going to the museum, because I have been once and hubs has never been so we will go together. I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express, which my friend from Roswell says is "like the nicest hotel there" but I personally love Holiday Inn Express hotels! I love them because I have stayed in "luxury" hotels, Dreams, Westin, etc and have never felt the comfort that I do at H.I. I checked in and got...gasp...the FREE wireless password with my room key! Plus, I had a cold and the tea in the room was caffeinated so I called to the front desk and with a short elevator ride and walk I had my selection of about 10 different herbal teas. It seems silly to qualify that as a best hotel trait, but it was paired with: free real breakfast, extra amenities in the room like make up remover, q-tips and shoe polish!
Back to the "edible" portion of the trip, I met my same dear friend at Classics, formerly known as caliches at least that is how I think it was spelled. Also, Sen. Bingaman's favorite rural NM delight. If you are in Southern NM, find one and enjoy!
Mexican Taste Testing....
Upon return from Roswell, I planned to fulfill my lenten season promise to eat fish and make fish tacos! Well, since I already blew the day and was tired and sick we got pizza. But I made tacos on Saturday! They were amaze balls. So flavorful and light but enough food. Which is how I feel Mexican food is. So onto the recipe:
I combined an epicourious and cooking light recipe then made it my own...I Terah-fied it. Haha, ok back to it
Fish Tacos!
What do you do when you get home at 4:30, realize you didn't defrost meat and rush hour is outside your front door? Use the leftover rotisserie chicken from last night to make tortilla soup! *adapted from simply recipes tortilla soup recipe
On our recent trip to Cabo last Christmas, I picked this seasoning up at the airport. It's a mild chile with lime, it's delicious on almost everything. See picture below:
So, on to the food.
I had a small overnight trip to Roswell, I resisted going to the museum, because I have been once and hubs has never been so we will go together. I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express, which my friend from Roswell says is "like the nicest hotel there" but I personally love Holiday Inn Express hotels! I love them because I have stayed in "luxury" hotels, Dreams, Westin, etc and have never felt the comfort that I do at H.I. I checked in and got...gasp...the FREE wireless password with my room key! Plus, I had a cold and the tea in the room was caffeinated so I called to the front desk and with a short elevator ride and walk I had my selection of about 10 different herbal teas. It seems silly to qualify that as a best hotel trait, but it was paired with: free real breakfast, extra amenities in the room like make up remover, q-tips and shoe polish!
Back to the "edible" portion of the trip, I met my same dear friend at Classics, formerly known as caliches at least that is how I think it was spelled. Also, Sen. Bingaman's favorite rural NM delight. If you are in Southern NM, find one and enjoy!
Mexican Taste Testing....
Upon return from Roswell, I planned to fulfill my lenten season promise to eat fish and make fish tacos! Well, since I already blew the day and was tired and sick we got pizza. But I made tacos on Saturday! They were amaze balls. So flavorful and light but enough food. Which is how I feel Mexican food is. So onto the recipe:
I combined an epicourious and cooking light recipe then made it my own...I Terah-fied it. Haha, ok back to it
Fish Tacos!
- fish - I used tilapis but you can use any firm white fish
- marinade tilapia filets in 1/4 cup evoo, 1/4 cup chopped cilatro, 1/4 cup chopped jalapeno, 1.5 tsp oregano, 1.5 tsp chile, 1tsp cumin, 1 tsp tajin (see pic below)
- mix, coat, and marinade 20 min
- cook in non skillet, no oil, 4 min first side, 2 min second side
- slaw - 4 cups thinly sliced red cabbage (I like the color), 3 stalks of green onion sliced, 1/2 cup chopped cilantro. Toss with 2 Tbsp lime juice, 1 Tbsp evoo, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp tajin
- creama - 1/2 cup light sour cream mixed with cayenne, tajin, lime juice and salt to taste
- tortillas - cook 4 tortillas at a time, microwave for 45 sec in a damp towel (double tortillas to avoid tacos falling apart)
- serve with sliced avocado...yum!
What do you do when you get home at 4:30, realize you didn't defrost meat and rush hour is outside your front door? Use the leftover rotisserie chicken from last night to make tortilla soup! *adapted from simply recipes tortilla soup recipe
- Bake fresh tortillas for about 10-15 min at 200 to dry out...hot oil and water don't mix!
- Shred leftover chicken *I learned from experience, take the chicken out of the fridge for about 10-15 minutes so it doesn't freeze your hands!
- Cut 6 tortillas in half then in 1/4 inch strips
- Use a small saucepan with about 1/2 inch of high burn temp oil and fry the strips, drying on paper towels over a plate
- pour 1 tsp or so of tortilla oil into pot, saute 1/2 chopped onion until clear, add 2 chopped green chile pods (I use sandia hot), 2 minced garlic cloves
- add one 14 oz can of tomato sauce *we don't like tomato chunks, if you do use diced tomatoes
- add one can of chicken stock and one refill of the can with water
- add 1.5 cups of shredded chicken
- add 2Tbsp lime juice, salt, pepper, tajin, chopped cilantro to taste
- simmer until desired consistency
- to serve: put a pile of strips in the bottom of a bowl, add soup, garnish with cilantro, tortilla strips and cubed avocado (sour cream if you want)
On our recent trip to Cabo last Christmas, I picked this seasoning up at the airport. It's a mild chile with lime, it's delicious on almost everything. See picture below:
Mardi Gras in the Mountains!
The February 18th weekend was filled with fun and good/bad cuisine!
UNM v. UNLV awesome basketball game! The PIT was rockin and the 'Bos served UNLV
- not so good? the chicken nachos supreme, the chicken was flavored (yick) and the pickled jalapenos were neither pickly or hot, all around fail. The PIT needs to fire Canteen, they make gross food!
Then we grabbed a quick sub from Dion's and headed up to Red River for Mardi Gras in the Mountains
- Timbers Steaks, pretty decent. The potato skins were the highlight of the meal, the steak was a little tough. But the potato skins were the bomb
- Timber Steaks Bar, maybe the best bar like ever. Good selection of micro brews for the hubs and maybe the most shocking scotch menu for me
That is right aged single malt scotch for less than $10! These would normally cost anywhere between $14 - $40+ in Abq or Santa Fe!
It was just what I needed to get me back from my scotch hiatus. If imaginable, I out-scotched myself during my UK trip in 2009. There was a lot of scotch.
We also hung out at The Motherboard which is a hoot, loved it!
On our way home, Matt noticed....Shock!....Double Shock!...Sopapilla Factory is open on Sunday!!! Whaaa?!
The Sopapilla Factory is located in Pojoaque, in the grocery store/true value parking lot. It is the best red chile in New Mexico hands down, don't come at me with some El Pinto or the Shed BS. I don't want to hear it, I know chile and S.F. is where it's at. Think Tomasitas when it was good. I get the tapaqueno, a flat iron steak which is always cooked perfectly with a cheese enchilada, beans and a corn cake garnish...smothered with red chile. Hubs gets the carne adovada burrito smothered in red. What can I say, we love red chile. If you are ever in Santa Fe, or anywhere North of Albuquerque, it's worth the drive. And try the queso, I love it.
UNM v. UNLV awesome basketball game! The PIT was rockin and the 'Bos served UNLV
- not so good? the chicken nachos supreme, the chicken was flavored (yick) and the pickled jalapenos were neither pickly or hot, all around fail. The PIT needs to fire Canteen, they make gross food!
Then we grabbed a quick sub from Dion's and headed up to Red River for Mardi Gras in the Mountains
- Timbers Steaks, pretty decent. The potato skins were the highlight of the meal, the steak was a little tough. But the potato skins were the bomb
- Timber Steaks Bar, maybe the best bar like ever. Good selection of micro brews for the hubs and maybe the most shocking scotch menu for me
It was just what I needed to get me back from my scotch hiatus. If imaginable, I out-scotched myself during my UK trip in 2009. There was a lot of scotch.
We also hung out at The Motherboard which is a hoot, loved it!
On our way home, Matt noticed....Shock!....Double Shock!...Sopapilla Factory is open on Sunday!!! Whaaa?!
The Sopapilla Factory is located in Pojoaque, in the grocery store/true value parking lot. It is the best red chile in New Mexico hands down, don't come at me with some El Pinto or the Shed BS. I don't want to hear it, I know chile and S.F. is where it's at. Think Tomasitas when it was good. I get the tapaqueno, a flat iron steak which is always cooked perfectly with a cheese enchilada, beans and a corn cake garnish...smothered with red chile. Hubs gets the carne adovada burrito smothered in red. What can I say, we love red chile. If you are ever in Santa Fe, or anywhere North of Albuquerque, it's worth the drive. And try the queso, I love it.
Two weeks of cooking...and not working out
So now that I have Vday bonanza out of the way, I will give cooking and exercise updates and a promise to be a better blogger.
Exercise: none to report, but I did "take it up" for lent, then I got sick. But now I am better so that starts tomorrow. Other things "taken up for lent?" not eating meat on Fridays (I failed this Friday with a carne adovada breakfast burrito, ham sandwich and pep pizza...oops)
Now to my fave, food!
What do you do with a pound of ground beef? Split it up!
I made burrito mix and chile
Burrito mix
Make Chicken Fried Steak!
I used the Pioneer Woman's recipe since I am not Southern and thought I needed something special for this meal but really didn't.
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/02/chicken-fried-steak/
I recommend at least doubling the spices and adding more salt to the gravy. But hubbie says it's a do again!
What else can you do with ANOTHER pound of beef?! (we have a lot from the fresh qtr cow we bought)
Make tacos!!
Exercise: none to report, but I did "take it up" for lent, then I got sick. But now I am better so that starts tomorrow. Other things "taken up for lent?" not eating meat on Fridays (I failed this Friday with a carne adovada breakfast burrito, ham sandwich and pep pizza...oops)
Now to my fave, food!
What do you do with a pound of ground beef? Split it up!
I made burrito mix and chile
Burrito mix
- saute 1/2 onion diced, add a couple of chopped garlic cloves
- add beef
- while the meat is browning, add cumin, salt, pepper, a pinch of oregano, paprika
- load into a tortilla and add cheese or whatever else you want, yum!
- in a pot, saute 1/2 diced onion, add a couple chopped garlic cloves
- add beef
- while the meat is browning, add cumin, salt, pepper, a pinch of oregano, paprika, a pinch of chipotle (1/4tsp) and cayenne
- sound familiar? haha
- add a can of drained Bush's pinto beans (yep, week night shortcut!)
- simmer for about 20 minutes and let cool for a bit so you don't burn your tongue!
Make Chicken Fried Steak!
I used the Pioneer Woman's recipe since I am not Southern and thought I needed something special for this meal but really didn't.
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/02/chicken-fried-steak/
I recommend at least doubling the spices and adding more salt to the gravy. But hubbie says it's a do again!
What else can you do with ANOTHER pound of beef?! (we have a lot from the fresh qtr cow we bought)
Make tacos!!
- clean and microwave a couple potatoes in the microwave for 4 minutes or till soft, let cool and dice
- saute 1/2 onion diced, add a couple of chopped garlic cloves
- add beef
- add potatoes
- add cumin, salt, pepper, a pinch of oregano, paprika and cayenne
- spray taco shells with pam
- load mix into shells in a deep baking dish so they stay upright, add cheese
- spray one more time with pam
- bake 375 for about 15 minutes or till the cheese melts
- serve with your favorite fixings
Valentine's Day Bonanza!
So in 2003, I got a fondue pot for Christmas. I then decided to use it for the first ever Valentine's day bonanza on V-day 2004. My friend Sarah, and her bff/roomate/guy I quasi-dated Gray, and I were the only attendees. I didn't really grasp the concept of a fondue pot so we ended up eating over the stove. It was a blast and so a tradition had been created.
Every year, I celebrated my favorite non-holiday with friends, their boyfriends, girlfriends, coworkers, anyone who had a good attitude!
The menu has definitely matured since the first menu of melted Hershey bars and shrimp cocktail with red bull and vodka. But the staple has been made, cheese fondue, chocolate fondue, wine & beer and taboo!
This year's menu:
- typical cheese fondue (I get the cup o' fondue from trader joes because past years we have had a block of cheese - to this I say, know you're weakness and use that shortcut :)
Every year, I celebrated my favorite non-holiday with friends, their boyfriends, girlfriends, coworkers, anyone who had a good attitude!
The menu has definitely matured since the first menu of melted Hershey bars and shrimp cocktail with red bull and vodka. But the staple has been made, cheese fondue, chocolate fondue, wine & beer and taboo!
This year's menu:
- typical cheese fondue (I get the cup o' fondue from trader joes because past years we have had a block of cheese - to this I say, know you're weakness and use that shortcut :)
- dippers: granny smith apples, sourdough bread, pretzels
- dippers: pretzels, large marshmallows, strawberries, cubed pound cake
- 80% cocoa chocolate chips, cream, mexican cinnamon, mexican vanilla, cayenne, chipotle
- heat the cream in a double burner and add chocolate to melt, add spices to taste, I add a ton of cayenne because I like it HOT!
- Steak - I picked a london broil because it pan cooks well
- heat up a cast iron skillet, cook for 4-5 min each side, let rest, slice diagonally
- Red Chile Maple Sauce - this is my recipe so you can change it if you like, which I suggest to make every recipe your own, but I digress
- seed red chile pods, soak in warm water, puree in blender
- in a saucepan: heat bacon fat, add a little flour to make a rue, pour in real maple syrup and reduce
- add red chile puree and reduce more, add cayenne or chipotle to taste if you want
- tadig bellini - I call it this because they are the shape and size of a bellini and I have no other description
- boil basmati rice till 1/2 cooked, drain
- mix rice, 1/2 cup melted butter, saffron, yogurt, 1 egg salt and pepper together
- spoon into a mini muffin pan, use something to smash down
- bake at 375 for like 20 minutes or until hard
- spoon ghormeh zabzi on top of each tadig (I will post a recipe to make this soon. meaning: once I make it again and remember how I do it :)
- thinly slice a baguette
- I buy the prosciutto double packs at costco and use one, I also buy the mozzi double pack and use one, one pound of roma tomatoes seeded and cut into thirds and fresh basil
- cut the prosciutto in half lengthwise, layer tomato, basil and mozzi and wrap with prosciutto
- bake each on a baguette slice at 400 for like 10 min or till the mozzi is melted
- do not go to a lobo basketball game before the party, you will be rushed and get into an argument with your husband :)
- do not prepare 3 things that need to be individually plated right before serving AND make two fondues that need to be made right before serving, you will still be in your yoga pants when people show up :)
- no matter what, have a glass (or bottle) of wine, eat and play the games and HAVE FUN!!!
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Couch to 5K day ONE!
Well, good news, I go out there. It wasn't easy, I can't find my earbuds and had some other difficulties but I made it out. A 30 minute training, 3 days a week for 8 or 9 weeks in the program. I'm using the ease into 5k app which plays your iTunes playlists and chimes in when you should walk or run.
I did the whole thing, not well, but I did it. Tomorrow I will take the dog for an hour long walk and explore the new neighborhood. Then I will be better equipped for the next training Thursday.
I did the whole thing, not well, but I did it. Tomorrow I will take the dog for an hour long walk and explore the new neighborhood. Then I will be better equipped for the next training Thursday.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Still Moving!
We are day three of moving in and I almost have the kitchen all set! I was able to cook today, bademjan. It's a persian stew served over rice. So, here's the process:
I browned beef cubes with onion, salt and pepper
- After the meat is brown, combine in a pot with 1 can chicken broth and 1 can tomato sauce, 1/4 cup of lemon juice, cinnamon
- Put a sauce pot 1/2 full with water with a little salt (simmer)
- Start sauteing (sp?) sliced, peeled eggplant
- Once the water starts to boil, pour in 2 cups of basmati rice
- Cut the cooked eggplant slices into bite size pieces and pour into pot mix, reduce temp to low
- Drain the rice when 1/2 cooked
- Return the pot to the burner on low, add some olive oil then add the drained rice, cover with 2 paper towels and lid
- Once the towel is wet around the edge, the rice is done
- Serve the stew over the rice and enjoy!
Hope you like it, it's maybe one of my favorite dishes and pretty healthy!
I browned beef cubes with onion, salt and pepper
- After the meat is brown, combine in a pot with 1 can chicken broth and 1 can tomato sauce, 1/4 cup of lemon juice, cinnamon
- Put a sauce pot 1/2 full with water with a little salt (simmer)
- Start sauteing (sp?) sliced, peeled eggplant
- Once the water starts to boil, pour in 2 cups of basmati rice
- Cut the cooked eggplant slices into bite size pieces and pour into pot mix, reduce temp to low
- Drain the rice when 1/2 cooked
- Return the pot to the burner on low, add some olive oil then add the drained rice, cover with 2 paper towels and lid
- Once the towel is wet around the edge, the rice is done
- Serve the stew over the rice and enjoy!
Hope you like it, it's maybe one of my favorite dishes and pretty healthy!
Friday, February 3, 2012
Moving Day! Good bye to my favorite appliance, my oven (sad face)
Today is moving day, which is probably why I have not worked out yet but that is beside the point. The move is bittersweet for me. My husband bought our house before I met him and I came and made it our home. I know that home is where the heart is but I will definitely miss my stove! LOL I'll miss a lot more but the stove for sure.
There comes a time for every appliance to die. The oven component of our stove crapped out about a year ago and we replaced it with a stainless steel Frigidaire smart convection stove. It has five burners, including two rapid boil, one simmer, one regular and my favorite - a long burner with a griddle attachment. The perfect burner for making gravy from a roasting pan or doing anything in large quanitites. The smart convect oven cooks perfect potatoes in like half the time and I just love the whole thing! We are moving to a separate stove-top and a double oven, one door is broken but that will be fixed next week. It should expand my cooking options by a bazillion!
In the mean time, we made beef and broccoli stir fry with brown rice. It was delicious but I always feel like some flavor component is missing in every stir fry we make. Probably msg, lol. Here is a link to the recipe we used: http://www.epicurious.com/
And by we, I mean my husband, because as many who know me know and you will soon find out I cannot follow a recipe to save my life. My relationship with recipes will be explained in a different post.
There comes a time for every appliance to die. The oven component of our stove crapped out about a year ago and we replaced it with a stainless steel Frigidaire smart convection stove. It has five burners, including two rapid boil, one simmer, one regular and my favorite - a long burner with a griddle attachment. The perfect burner for making gravy from a roasting pan or doing anything in large quanitites. The smart convect oven cooks perfect potatoes in like half the time and I just love the whole thing! We are moving to a separate stove-top and a double oven, one door is broken but that will be fixed next week. It should expand my cooking options by a bazillion!
In the mean time, we made beef and broccoli stir fry with brown rice. It was delicious but I always feel like some flavor component is missing in every stir fry we make. Probably msg, lol. Here is a link to the recipe we used: http://www.epicurious.com/
And by we, I mean my husband, because as many who know me know and you will soon find out I cannot follow a recipe to save my life. My relationship with recipes will be explained in a different post.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
No workouts yet, but yummy food!
Although I haven't been able to build up the guts to workout I have enjoyed some of Albuquerque's best food! Well, kind of. I had a pastrami and provolone sub from Dion's yesterday, always delicious. You know, in a business class I learned that the owners of Dion's came to Albuquerque and only sold pizza to make money while waiting for their Greek cuisine cooking equipment! It's amazing how life happens while waiting for your plans to pan out.
Cheers! Happy eating! And soon working out! Lol probably not :)
Cheers! Happy eating! And soon working out! Lol probably not :)
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Day One
So I have thought about doing a food blog for a long time. I don't cook with recipes, I love food and I have some how gained a ton of weight (sideways look).
Here it is, I will blog my recipes favorite food and exercise! Yay!
Here it is, I will blog my recipes favorite food and exercise! Yay!
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