Summer Salad

Long time no new recipes, sorrrrry.

My lame excuse- I made the big move to Florida from Massachusetts a few months ago and with that hectic move came a few medical issues that needed to be taken care of. All is well now and  I'm back.... living in a darling apartment in south east Florida with a much smaller kitchen (unfortunately with improper lighting for good photos which is a bummer for me), but I promise that every recipe posted may not look as lovely as I'd like, but will be worth making.

I've made some friends in my new surroundings and Marlene is one of them. Picky eater? YES. Native Bostonian? YES. So of course we became fast friends (I think it was day 2 that we bonded) and it's always nice to share a winner dish that a picky eater loves. Reminds me of the old commercial for Life cereal. "She likes it!" Marlene actually said she loved it, so this recipe post is for you Marlene and all the other picky eaters out there.

Ready to hardly cook? This is so easy... and if Marlene likes it, you know you've got something to make your family and friends happy or bring to a barbecue or pot luck.

Roasted Grape Tomato, Orzo, Black Bean and Corn Salad
serves 6

1 pint grape tomatoes
1/2 cup orzo (uncooked)
1 15 oz can corn (use fresh or frozen if you have it)
1 15 oz can black beans rinsed and drained (I use Bush's low sodium)
1 7 oz can diced green chilies (I use the mild)
3 scallions diced 1/4 inch
2 avocados chopped
4 oz goat cheese
2 limes
3/4 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste
canola oil
cilantro- as much as you like, chopped or whole leaves

Pre heat oven to 400 degrees and slice grape tomatoes in half. Toss the maters in a teaspoon or two of canola oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes. Let cool and add to a large mixing bowl.

While the tomatoes are roasting cook orzo according to package directions. Drain and add to tomatoes.

To mixing bowl add corn, black beans, chilies, and scallions. Add cumin, 1/2 tsp salt and however much pepper you like. Taste and see if it fits your flavor palette. Add more seasoning if necessary.

Juice 2 limes and add to chopped avocado. Add both the lime juice and avocados to mixing bowl. Finish with crumbled goat cheese and cilantro, stir and you've got a super salad even Marlene would love.

I like to serve this salad chilled, but it's also good at room temp.

You can custom make this salad to your liking. Double up on the corn if that's your fancy, or omit it completely. Use cannellini beans, Monterey Jack cheese or add some chili powder for a bit more oomph, anything goes here.

Here's to great summer all. I'm looking forward to posting more fresh ideas from Florida soon.

There are a lot of Saucy Mamas out there, and I'm one of them!

I've been blogging now for almost five years. I love the writing and the cooking, love the friends I've made and love the newest opportunity that came my way a few weeks ago. I've been chosen as one of 25 bloggers to compete in the Saucy Mama blogger challenge.  And it's a big one. The winner of the challenge will win $1,000, a Golden Ticket to the World Food Championships and a $1,000 travel stipend. Barhyte foods sent me 6 of their Saucy Mama sauces and asked me get saucy with an original recipe. The package included: 12 oz each of Saucy Mama Orange Habanero Wing Sauce, Jamaican Jerk Wing Sauce, Honey Barbecue Wing Sauce, Hot Wing Sauce, Honey Dijon Dressing and Four Leaf Balsamic.

So the tasting began. Each and every sauce has a quality of it's own. My two favs were the Orange Habanero and Four Leaf Balsamic, but I could have been happy creating with any one of the six. Those who know me have probably guessed by now that I fell in love with the Orange Habanero Wing Sauce. The flavors are complex (as are the other sauces), but this baby won my heart. I love me some heat and citrus and I was on the road to happiness.

My mom used to make the creamiest orzo (pasta) and I decided to add a little zest/oomph to her recipe and update it by adding orange supremes, a little orange zest and a tad of the Habanero Orange Sauce. And what goes better with orzo than shrimp? Well probably nothing... and so my cooking adventure began. I did a few test runs to get the recipe just the way I wanted it, and here's what I came up with.

Zesty Orzo Smothered with Orange Habanero Shrimp
Serves 4

Orzo
2 cups uncooked orzo (I used Barilla)
3 T unsalted butter
1 T canola oil
1/2 cup onion diced
Salt and pepper
3-1/2 cups chicken broth with extra juice from the oranges
1-1/2 T Saucy Mama Orange Habanero Wing Sauce
Zest of 2 navel oranges
2 navel oranges supremed (save the juice to add to broth)

Shrimp
1 pound Gulf shrimp peeled and deveined (I like the 16-21 per pound)
1 medium onion chopped
5 cloves garlic finely chopped
3 T unsalted butter
1 T canola oil
1 tsp Azafran seasoning
1/3 cup Saucy Mama Orange Habanero Wing Sauce
1 bottle Shock Top orange beer
Juice of half lemon and juice of half orange

I'm ready to put this dish together with some pictures. It's really a quick fix and simple, simple, simple.

To make the orzo: Add butter and oil to medium size skillet on medium low heat. Add the chopped onions and cook until softened (3-4 minutes). Don't brown them, just soften. Now add your orzo and toast the pasta in the butter mixture kind of like you're making risotto. Add the Saucy Mama Orange Habanero Sauce and combine. Add a small amount of salt and pepper and take a moment to admire the toasty goodness of the orzo.

Now it's time to add the broth, zest and orange supremes.

Cover pot and cook on a low simmer for 15 minutes. Voila! Creamy orzo is ready.

Set the orzo aside and let's get ready to cook the shrimp. Besides the Saucy Mama Orange Habanero Sauce, there's another secret ingredient to this dish. It's orange beer, and apparently easy to find. One stop at a liquor store and I found what I was looking for.

 In large pot add butter, oil, garlic and onions. Cook on medium to low until onions and garlic are translucent, but not brown, about 3-4 minutes. Add beer, Saucy Mama Orange Habanero Sauce, Azafran, lemon and orange juice. Increase heat a bit and add shrimp.

Cover and cook on a low boil 5-6 minutes until shrimp become pink. Remove shrimp from cooking liquid and set aside to cool a bit.

Once shrimp are removed, increase stove heat slightly and reduce the beer, habanero orange sauce mixture to intensify the flavors. Do this with the cover off. This takes about 10-15 minutes. While you're reducing the liquid, I give you permission to taste the shrimp, just one or two though. Aren't they delish? And that's without the decadent sauce. A few more minutes and you're ready to eat.

While my sauce was concentrating, I put together an avocado, orange, scallion, and Fresno chili salsa to go with this flavorful meal. It's certainly not a necessity, but I always like some veggies with my meal.

And now for the reader giveaway. Saucy Mama would like you to try their sauces and has offered a give-away to my readers. Simply leave a comment here on the blog or on my facebook page by the Saucy Mama post and you could be chosen to receive 3 Saucy Mama wing sauces. That's a saucy way to begin the summer season, don't you think?

Evie's Cornbread Tamale Pie

One of my new internet cooking buddies cooks for seven on a daily basis. I cook for one- that would be me and sometimes a few good friends who enjoy my cooking. So when Evie posted her recipe for Cornbread Tamale Pie for 4, I jumped at the opportunity to give one of her recipes a whirl. I didn't follow Evie's recipe to the letter, but I kept pretty close, and wow is this a delight to the senses and tastebuds. Pleasantly spicy, meaty and cheesy inside with a simple, cool (slightly sweet) cornbread topping. What more do you need for success at the dinner table? Maybe a side salad with a cool ranch dressing. Yes, I'd recommend a salad. Here's what you'll need to put my version of Evie's lovely little pie together:

Chicken and Cornbread Tamale Pie
Inspired by Evie DB
Serves 4

1 pound ground chicken
2 jalapeno peppers diced
1 fresno chili diced
1 T cilantro chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 T olive oil (canola oil will work fine too)
salt and pepper to taste
2 packs Goya Sazon seasoning
1-1/2 tsp Old El Paso Hot & Spicy Taco Seasoning Mix
1 cup corn
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix (8.5 oz)
1 cup Colby cheese shredded
Cooking spray

In large skillet on medium heat add your oil and saute onions, peppers, cilantro and garlic. Add a small amount of salt and pepper if you like (I always do). Cook about 5-8 minutes until onion is transparent and peppers are cooked. Evie cooks her veggies on high, but I've burned way too many a good meal on my over ambitious stovetop.

 
Remove onion mixture from pan and set aside. To the same pan, add your ground chicken and cook until all the pink has disappeared. I usually don't have much fat accumulation from ground chicken, but if you do- please drain. Now add your Sazon and taco seasoning and incorporate with the chicken. Add the onion mixture back to the pan with the chicken and toss in your corn. Remove from heat and set aside.

Doesn't that just look good enough to eat already? Hold on, we're almost done. Pre heat oven to 400 degrees and prepare a small baking dish with cooking spray (I used my 7 inch round souffle dish and it worked like a charm). Prepare the Jiffy corn bread mixture according to package directions. Now we're ready for assembly

Into your prepared pan, place 1/2 of your cooked chicken. Top with the Colby cheese. Now add the rest of the chicken/veg mix.

Pour the cornbread mixture on top.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, let cool a bit and then dig in.

Garnish with sour cream, salsa, guac, or anything your little heart desires. Thanks Evie, next time you have the ladies to lunch I'll be waiting for another one of your recipes for 4.    

Cinco de Mayo Burgers

There is nothing authentic about my Mexican cheese burger but it sure is a simple recipe and would be great for a crowd if you decide to celebrate Cinco de Mayo and do some grilling. I started with the guacamole. I bought one ripe avocado and a package of Holy Guacamole.

I diced the avocodo into bite sized pieces and squeezed a lime over it. I just love the combo of lime and avocado. Then I added the packaged guac, a sliced scallion and chopped cilantro leaves.

I put this into the fridge for a bit and went on to my hamburger. I only made one hamburger tonight because I was testing this recipe. So I formed a 1/4 pound hamburger and didn't fuss with it much. I sprinkled kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper and Mrs Dash's Southwest Chipotle Seasoning on both sides.

While I was enjoying the aroma of the meat cooking on my indoor grill (3-4 minutes per side) I coated 1 side of each of 2 tortillas with sriracha sauce. If you don't have sriracha, use Pete's or Frank's. They'll work fine I'm sure.

 

I then added a slice of processed cheese to each corn tortilla. When I do this again, I'll go for a good Colby or Cheddar or something even more exotic, but the processed cheese was very doable.

Okay, so the burger is done and now needs to be nestled into the cheese covered tortillas. Let's put this together.

Heat a skillet over medium heat and add a tsp of butter (it really adds some good flavor) and a few tsps of canola oil in a sauce pan. Cook tortillas for a few minutes on both sides until cheese is melted and you can't wait to dig in.

And then top with the guac, and any other condiments you desire. I would have liked some olives and tomatoes, sour cream and maybe a spoonfool of refried beans. I know Dan Clark would probably add some crushed bacon, I would have too. But it's Friday night and shopping day is tomorrow.

It's a little messy so I cut mine in half but did end up eating it with my hands- guac sliding down my arms and beef juice as well. Messy or not it's a great little burger I know you'll love.

Crispy Chicken

Lynn Socko, one of my internet cooking buddies has been an incredible inspiration to me. The two of us have been sharing ideas and cooking techniques for the last few months and it's been a blast. Here's a simple recipe of hers that is perfect for a weeknight meal or even company fare. Lynn, being from Texas uses jalapeno bread as her coating. Nowhere in New England would I know where to find that, so I improvised (to get the heat) by marinating my chicken thighs in yogurt and sriracha sauce.  

Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs
Inspired by Lynn Socko

6 chicken thighs, bone in, skinned
6 oz nonfat Greek yogurt
3 T sriracha sauce
2 cups fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
cooking spray

In large bowl mix together yogurt and sriracha sauce. Add chicken and marinate covered in fridge for 1/2 hour or up to 2 hours.

While chicken is marinating, chop cilantro, prepare bread crumbs in food processor or spice mill, and add seasonings to combine. Coat baking pan with cooking spray and pre heat oven to 375 degrees. Remove chicken from fridge, place bread crumb mixture in large bowl or plate and dredge chicken in seasoned bread mixture.

Place  breaded chicken on baking sheet (I line mine with foil for easy clean up) and bake 35-40 minutes. The baking time really depends on what size your chicken pieces are. Mine seemed to be enormous so I gave them the full 40 minutes.

Doesn't that look like something you'd like to serve yourself or guests? I steamed some sugar snap peas as a side, and the combo was great. And the chicken was juicy and tender, and the sriracha did not get lost in the yogurt.

Refried Bean Cakes

I've been enjoying my spicy little love affair with Tex-Mex cooking, so when Cooking Light had a 20 minute recipe for Black Bean Cakes in their September issue, I decided to give it a whirl. But I didn't have black beans. So I did a quick re-mix in my head and decided to use a can of fat free refried beans, add a few more spices to their already nicely-spiced recipe, and came up with a simple little ditty that took me a bit longer than the anticipated 20 minutes, but well worth the extra 10 minutes.

Refried Bean Cakes
Inspired by Cooking Light
Makes 4 patties

1 large egg lightly beaten
1 16 oz can refried beans- I used Old El Paso fat free
3/4 cup panko crumbs, divided
1/4 cup finely chopped scallions
2 T chopped fresh cilantro
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground chili powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
2 cloves of garlic grated
Canola oil for frying

In large bowl combine all ingredients except canola oil.

The mixture seemed a little loose, so I covered it with plastic wrap, and parked it in the fridge for about 10 minutes to set.

Remove from refrigerator, separate bean mixture into four portions and shape each portion into a 3/4 inch thick patty. Dredge in remaining panko and get ready for a quick saute. In large nonstick skillet add about 1-2 T canola oil. Add patties and cook three minutes on each side.

You can serve these with fried eggs and a salad as Cooking Light suggests. I gobbled mine down with some homemade pico de gallo, low fat sour cream and spicy sriracha sauce and loved every bite of it.

But the fun has only just begun, because tonight I think I found the real reason I made these bean cakes. These creamy, slightly spicy, healthy little darlings were meant to be married between 2 mini corn tortillas, stuffed with cheese, sriracha/mayo sauce and pico de gallo, then sauteed in a med/high skillet. Here's the procedure I used to make one:

Make a mixture of equal parts of light mayo and sriracha. Take 2 small corn tortillas (6 inch) and spread mixture on one side of each tortilla.

Now sprinkle a tablespoon of low fat shredded cheese over the sriracha mixture.

And cover the cheese with a bean patty topped with pico de gallo.

Top with a little more cheese, cover with second tortilla (sriracha side down) and press down slightly so the bean patty will spread to almost the size of your tortilla (it's that pliable). Spray cooking pan with PAM or similar product, heat burner to medium or medium high and add tortilla sandwich to the heated pan. Cook about 3 minutes, and right before you're ready to flip the tortilla, spray top with PAM. Flip and cook another 3 minutes. Let cool a bit and serve with anything your little heart desires.

It's as easy as making a burger, but cheaper, healthier with a lot more crunch. I promise you, all of your senses will thank you.

Cilantro Burgers

Since this weekend is the unofficial start of summer and barbeque season, I thought it would be appropriate to share a new burger recipe I came up with. It's not a burger for everyone- it's for those who can't get enough cilantro in their lives. Cilantro is the plant (herb) that grows from the coriander seed. It's amazing how the population is so split on this herb. It seems you either like it or hate it. So for you cilantro lovers, this burger's for you.

Cilantro Burgers

1 T finely chopped scallions (whites only)

1/2 cup bread crumbs- I used 1 slice Italian bread ground in my spice mill

1T Gourmet Garden Cilantro Herb Blend

2 tsp Sambal Olek (Chinese Chili Paste)

2 pinches curry powder (optional)

4 pinches paprika

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 egg slightly beaten

1 pound ground beef

Combine all ingredients (except beef) in a large bowl. Now add ground beef, and with fingertips mix gently until incorporated. Don't over mix. Make 4 patties . **TIP**When making the patties, indent your thumb in the center of each patty to make a small well. This will ensure the burgers will cook flat and not puff up.

Prepare grill. I cook my burgers on a stove top grill and heat it to high, then lower the temp to medium. Spray grill with PAM or lightly grease with canola oil. Add burgers. Cook 5 minutes on the first side, then 4 minutes on the second. Your burgers will be medium to well done.

These burgers are ever-so moist and tender, with the fresh flavor of cilantro and hint of heat from the Sambal. The texture is perfect. You won't be disappointed. I served this batch with a dollop of mayo and Dijon mustard, with Bibb lettuce on grilled Italian bread. As with all burgers, add the condiments that YOU like. Anything goes.

Happy Grilling!