Chimichurri

The first time I heard the word "chimichurri" was on Bobby Flay's cooking show on Food Network.  That was back when Food Network aired cooking shows.  And the History Channel talked about history.

Get off my lawn moment.  I digress.  

Back to Bobby- he went on and on about this Argentinean sauce, throwing out really beautiful descriptive words, gesticulating wildly in his bad boy celebrity chef persona that's been played to death, then proceeded to slather it on a steak and shovel it into his mouth, groaning and rolling his eyes into the back of his head in ecstacy.  

None of that was necessary.  Because he had me at "chimichurri".  Truly, could there be a more delicious-sounding sauce?  I don't think so.

There are a million recipes out there for this simple sauce/marinade, and I've tried many.  This is an amalgam of my favorites, keeping traits that I liked from some, omitting characteristics that I found fussy/unnecessary/not pleasing.  I love it on fajitas, tacos, burritos, on corn on the cob, over rice or couscous, as a marinade for portobello burgers, or even as a dip for chips.  The possibilities are endless.


Chimichurri

1 cup cilantro 
1/2 cup parsley 
3-4 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

Add ingredients to food processor or blender and blend until all ingredients are incorporated.  Enjoy on everything.

Shiitake Fajitas

I remember hearing somewhere (where was it?) that shiitake mushrooms are medicinal, and as such, should not be consumed on a regular basis.  This could be a problem.

Yes.  I've come a long way since the days when the only way I could stomach mushrooms was to puree them to oblivion.  And beyond.

That's not to say that I'm a full-fledged convert.  I still have my issues.  But I will say this- if you are looking to overcome an aversion to mushrooms, the typical button variety is not the place to start.  And shiitakes are.

Why?  Well, first of all, they actually taste better once they've been dried.  If you've ever purchased a pound of mushrooms with good intentions, only to place them in the refrigerator where for the the next few days you see them and think, "I'm just not ready"- until you finally are, but they've become, well, overready- then you know what I'm talking about.  But most importantly, their flavor is fantastic- not overly earthy, and unlike most fungi, they're wonderfully chewy, and not at all rubbery.

Oh- and they make excellent, excellent fajitas.

The beautiful thing about using this marinade to reconstitute your mushrooms, aside from it saving you the extra step of boiling water, is that while the peppers and onions do soak up the marinade as well, the mushrooms become veritable flavor sponges, bursting with deliciousness at every bite.

Shiitake Fajitas
Inspired by this Fajita Recipe

1 oz sliced dried shiitake mushrooms
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
olive oil, enough to coat pan

Marinade:
8-10 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tsp fresh squeezed lime juice
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
1 tsp ground cumin
1/8- 1/4 tsp ground chipotle powder, depending on your spice tolerance
1 tsp salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp pepper, or to taste

Whisk together all marinade ingredients.  Place peppers and onions into large ziploc bag and add marinade.  Gently squeeze the bag to be sure all of your veggies are nicely coated.  Place in refrigerator for anywhere from 30 min. to 2 hours, but no longer (or mushrooms will get mushy.)
Bring large frying pan to medium heat, then add olive oil and marinated veggies.  Cover and let cook, undisturbed, for 6-8 minutes.  Remove cover and stir.  Continue to cook, stirring only when necessary, until veggies are softened.  Serve with warm corn tortillas and your favorite toppings (guacamole, pico de gallo, etc.)  Mexican Red Rice makes a lovely side.  Enjoy!

Mexican Red Rice

A restaurant nearby makes the most incredible burritos, the star of which is their fabulous red rice. Or perhaps, rather than star, I should call it the best supporting actor.  It's flavors are subtle, allowing the rest of the ingredients to shine.  It doesn't steal the show, but without it, you'd have a sure flop.  Needless to say, I had developed quite an addiction to these burritos, and was sending the hubby out to get them far more often than we could afford.  But as much as I enjoyed the taste, I always had this nagging in the back of my mind that there was chicken broth involved, and the fact that my hunger would return a mere hour after eating indicated something else- msg.  Fortunately for me, my suspicions were confirmed when a cook showed my husband their secret ingredient-chicken powder.  Ignorance is bliss.  I may have been able to quiet that nagging before, but now that I know for certain that it contained both chicken and msg (a major ingredient in chicken powder), I am free of my addiction.  But not free of burrito cravings.  So I've been busy, very busy, working to recreate this perfect backdrop of a rice.  And I think I've finally done it.

The key to creating a rice that is fluffy, not saucy, is to toast it.  This reduces its starchiness, allowing the rice to absorb the flavors.

No chicken or msg necessary.  Just pure, unadulterated deliciousness.

Mexican Red Rice
Yield: About 3 cups 

2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup long grain rice
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped (optional)
1 stalk celery, chopped (optional)
1 jalapeno, seeded and deveined (optional- I like the extra spice and added health benefits)
3-5 cloves garlic, minced 
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp coarse ground pepper
1 tsp salt

In a large frying pan over medium heat, heat olive oil.  Add rice and heat until golden, stirring often so it doesn't burn.  Don't skip this part!  Add veggies and sautee until softened, then add rest of ingredients.  Bring to a boil and cover, then reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes without stirring.  Fluff with a fork and serve.

Potato Skin Bruschetta

There is an Italian restaurant nearby that serves up some pretty awesome bruschetta.  A few things I've noticed about it:

• The tomatoes are peeled and of good quality (not mealy or freakishly red like those at Taco Bell- seriously, what's up with that?)
• They're not skimpy with the fresha pepper.
• They are skimpy with the fresh basil, and even if you ask for more they still won't bring much.  

With these notes in mind, I set out to create some bruschetta, but having no decent bread in the house (or even at our little town store) I decided to give it a bit of a twist.  Potato Skin Bruschetta.  And it was awesome.

When my Grandma was still around (and what I wouldn't give to have her back again) we shared a little secret.  After family meals were over she would take whatever potato skins were left on the plates and roast them up with a little garlic and a whole lot of butter.  There was often hardly any potato left on the skins.  Potatoless skins, you might call them.  They were awesome, too.  But you want a little potato left on these.  1/4" border will help them to keep their shape.  On to the recipe.

Potato Skin Bruschetta
Yield: 1 serving 

For the Bruschetta:
4 Roma Tomatoes
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed (I used 2)
4-6 basil leaves, julienned (you can guess how much I used)
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/4 tsp salt

Other ingredients:
1 Russet Potato
2 tbsp Pinenuts
Garlic oil/ butter/ earth balance (your choice- I used garlic oil)

Preheat oven to 400F and bring a large pot of water to boil.  Pierce potato several times with a fork and roast for about an hour.  Meanwhile, remove stems from tomatoes and use a paring knife to cut an X across their bottoms.  Place in boiling water for 1 minute, then remove.  When they are cool enough to handle their skins should be easy to peel off.  Scoop out their seeds and membranes using a small spoon or your fingers, and chop.  Add to a bowl and mix with rest of bruschetta ingredients.  Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.  Briefly toast your pine nuts in a small frying pan with no oil, medium heat just until fragrant and set aside.  When potato is finished, remove from oven and let cool on wire rack for about 10 minutes, until cool enough to handle.  Increase oven temperature to 475.  Scoop out flesh from potato, leaving 1/4" border intact, reserve flesh for later use.  Brush both inside and outside with butter or oil of choice.  Place flesh side down and roast for 6 minutes, then turn over and roast another 6 minutes until edges are golden.  Top with chilled bruschetta and pine nuts and serve immediately.  

Fasolakia: Greek Stewed String Beans

Man, oh man, do I have a recipe for you!  But- I can't take credit for it.  It comes courtesy of Susan Tweeton's blog, "Please, DON'T Pass the Salt!"  I've been a fan of Susan's ever since I discovered her site.  It's full of low and no sodium recipes that could fool even the biggest of salt addicts (me.)  I'm pretty particular about green beans- I tend to like them best roasted or sauteed, but this recipe seemed to call out to me, and I'm so glad it did.  Best of all- my kids love it!  They're no stranger to vegetables and enjoy a pretty good variety, but up until today they were of the opinion that green beans are to be tossed, not eaten.  So thank you, Sue, for this awesome recipe.  My arm workout (mopping this merciless tile floor) will have to wait.

The only changes I made were to use tomato paste instead of sauce (I never seem to have any sauce on hand.)  Tomato paste is more concentrated than sauce is, so I halved the amount and added more vegetable stock to thin it out. (4 oz. tomato paste, 1 1/2 cups broth.)  I also added one chopped jalapeno (along with the onions while they were sauteeing) because it was dying a slow and painful death in the crisper.  I ate this plain, but I'm sure that it would be even better with crispy bread or over rice or noodles.  Sue also recommends sprinkling a little feta over it. The recipe below is the original, and here is the link to the original post.

Fasolakia
 (Greek Stewed String Beans)
By Susan Tweeton of "Please, DON'T Pass the Salt!"

A flavorsome combination of green beans stewed in a tasty tomato sauce. Simple, healthful, and delicious. A wonderful holiday alternative to the usual cream soup based green bean casseroles.

2 pounds string beans, fresh or frozen
2 onions, chopped
2 – 4 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup olive oil (I use about 1/4 cup now)
1 - 8 ounce can (no salt added) tomato sauce
¼ - ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
1-2 teaspoons mint (or a combination of dried mint, oregano, & dill)
2 potatoes, peeled and cut in 1-2 inch chunks (any kind of potato will work)
2 carrots, sliced
1 cup water or low sodium broth (I used low sodium chicken broth)
2 teaspoons salt (I omitted)
Pepper to taste

In Dutch oven, sauté onion lightly in olive oil. Add tomato sauce, string beans, and remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer over medium heat for about 60 minutes or until all vegetables are tender. Check after 30 minutes; add more water or broth if necessary. Serve hot or room temperature.

Cauliflower Lentil Sloppy Joes with Coconut Slaw

When I saw The Food In My Beard's Cauliflower Taco post I knew I wanted in on that action.  Cauliflower as meat?  Love it.  I decided I would make cauliflower sloppy joes- weeks ago.  But these kids are a handful!  It seems I never have time to cook anymore, and when I do it needs to be something quick and tried and true.  As I continued to put this recipe off day after day, it grew- suddenly it wasn't just cauliflower sloppy joes, it was cauliflower lentil sloppy joes.  Carrots decided to hop into the mix, and celery the next day.  Then, when I finally found time to make this I had a mad craving for some coconut slaw.  And you should always, always listen to your gut.

Let's take a moment to go over what this dish has going for it.  First off- it's chock-full of nutrients.  It's got veggies galore- cauliflower, celery, bell pepper, carrots, cabbage, onions, garlic- and lentils, too.  It's slightly spicy, and because it's roasted the cauliflower imparts a wonderful caramelized nuttiness.  The warmth of this combined with the cool tanginess of the coconut slaw= a cornucopia of flavors that will make every one of your taste buds happy.

Cauliflower Lentil Sloppy Joes with Coconut SlawServes 4-6 (depending on how sloppy you're feeling)
Tip:  Prepare slaw before the Joes so it has time for the flavors to be fully absorbed


Coconut Slaw
1/8 cup full fat coconut milk
1/4 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 package coleslaw mix


Whisk first 4 ingredients well, removing any lumps.  Stir in slaw and refrigerate.

Cauliflower Lentil Sloppy Joes
1 head cauliflower cut to small florets
about 4 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 tbsp taco seasoning
2 tbsp montreal steak seasoning
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 cloves garlic,minced
6 oz tomato paste
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tbsp soy sauce
2 cups lentils (red or green,) cooked 

Chop the cauliflower into pea sized pieces.  Toss in a roasting dish with 2 tbsp olive oil and roast for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown.  Add remaining oil to large pot and sautee bell pepper, onion, carrot and celery until onion is translucent.  Add rest of ingredients listed except for lentils.  Combine well, then gently fold in roasted cauliflower crumbles and lentils.  Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  Place on toasted buns and top with Coconut Slaw (above.)

Round Table Gourmet Veg Copy Cat Recipe

There's been a lot of pizza making going on in the Wilson household this year.  For the first 6 months they were all soft and Digiorno-y- and that's about the biggest insult I can think of for a homemade pizza. I was being stubborn.  I'd heard that in order to make a good pizza crust you must use a pizza stone- I just didn't want to believe it.  And it's not that I didn't have one- I did.  But it was something new to me, and I don't do "new" well.  Finally, I broke down and pulled it out.  I must have researched how to use that thing for an hour straight, I was so scared!  But just like most things in life, this turned out to be much easier than expected, and I was able to create the pizza crust of my dreams.  Now it was time to face my next challenge: a pizza that can hold a candle to the Round Table Gourmet Veggie.

The secret to the Gourmet Veg lies in Round Table's creamy garlic sauce.   I tried making this with store bought garlic alfredo sauce, but that was a huge letdown  (probably because store bought sauce never tastes good anyways.)  I tried making it with ranch dressing, as some people on the internet had suggested, but that was a flop as well.  But this?  This- is magic.

I did without the zucchini and mushrooms, because this is how I always order it.  I may have made peace with mushrooms and be on speaking terms with zucchini, but I still don't necessarily want them on my pizza.  But of course, if it tickles your fancy, pile them on. 
I used Jay's Pizza Crust recipe, which is amazing, but yields an extra large pizza.  My stone is medium-sized so I cut the dough in half and stored the rest in the freezer or fridge.  But you can use any dough you feel comfortable with. 



Round Table Gourmet Veggie Copy Cat Recipe


Creamy Garlic Sauce:
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
3/4 cup milk, warmed in microwave until lightly bubbling
3 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp italian or pizza seasoning
pinch salt
pinch pepper
pinch nutmeg

In a small saucepan over medium heat melt the butter. Use a baby whisk to whisk in the flour and stir for about 2 minutes.  Add milk and bring to a boil. Add garlic, italian seasoning, salt, pepper and nutmeg, then reduce heat to low and cook, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes more.

 Toppings:
1/2 cup chopped baby spinach
1/4 cup shredded fontina
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/4 cup chopped marinated artichoke hearts
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup shredded cheddar
1/4 cup ground parmesan

Assembly:
Spread sauce evenly over entire pizza.  Add spinach, then top with fontina.  Add rest of  veggies, then top with mozzarella, cheddar, and lastly, parmesan.