New Recipes

So this week I made three new recipes. All were successes-whoo hoo! I had many requests for them so here they are. Also-I used organic on any items I could. A lot of stores now have there own store brand of organic that is decently priced-so check them out. I know Publix does...oh how I miss thee...but that is another story ;). Also, I will try to take pics in the future.

RECIPE 1
The first one is from Good Housekeeping Jan 2009 and it's Indian Cauliflower Curry Stew. The recipe is meatless but I looked at another recipe I had for curry and combined the two. Here is one we got:

1 tbsp olive oil
3 med carrots, chopped
1 med onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups brown rice
1 tbsp finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 tbsp curry powder
salt
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 med head cauliflower (2 lbs), cut into sm. florets (4 1/2 cups)
2 cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas) rinsed and drained
I used 2 chicken breasts-use as many as you need
1/2 cup fresh cilantro-chopped
1/2 Plain yogurt (fat free, light or whatever you prefer) or unsweetened coconut milk

In a 6 quart dutch oven, heat oil on med-high until hot. Add carrots and onion, and cook 10 to 12 minutes or until vegetables are lightly browned and tender, stirring frequently. Remove carrots and onion and put aside. Add chopped up chicken to pot and cook till almost done.

Meanwhile, prepare rice as label directs-keep warm.

Add cooked onions and carrots to chicken. Stir in ginger, curry, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in. Add broth, cover and heat to boiling on high heat. Stir in cauliflower and garbanzo beans; cover and cook on medium 15 to 20 minutes longer, genting stirring every 5 minutes until cauliflower is tender.

The last two minutes I added 1/2 of coconut milk. (you can get this light/low-fat in certain stores). Also, if you don't want to use coconut milk and want a lighter option, you can add a 1/4-1/2 cup of plain lowfat yogurt instead. Also stir in 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro.

To serve, you spoon curry over rice in individual bowls. You can add cilantro and a dollop of yogurt on top-if you like.

RECIPE 2
The 2nd recipe I made was from a restaurant in Atlanta called the Flying Biscuit. They make this egg dish called Eggceptional Eggs. Drew and I love it so I found the recipe (they have a cookbook you can purchase and a couple recipes on their website). It was my first attempt at homemade salsa....it was GOOD. The recipe comes in parts. Feel free to substitute and use different amounts. I didn't use as much oil or butter. I also used yellow onions b/c I didn't have any red. Also-I couldn't find serrano peppers for the salsa and used jalapeno. Here are the goods. Please let me know if you have questions.

2 teaspoons unsalted butter
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons canola oil
2 Love Cakes (see below)

Garnishes:
2 tablespoons Green Salsa (see below)
1 tablespoon sour cream
1 tablespoon crumbled feta cheese
2 to 3 very thin slices red onion
I
n a small nonstick sauté pan over medium heat, melt butter. Gentlycrack eggs into pan so that the yolks do not break. In a second smallsauté pan over medium-high heat, heat canola oil. Lightly brown lovecakes on both side.

When the whites of the eggs are almost fully cooked, flip the eggsover and cook to desired consistency. Place Love Cakes on a servingplate and top with eggs. Garnish with Green Salsa, sour cream, feta,and red onion.

LOVE CAKES
Ingredients:
2 (15 ounce) cans cooked black beans
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons minced yellow onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup masa de harina

Garnishes:1/2 cup Green Salsa (see below)
2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup slivered red onions

Rinse and drain black beans in a sieve.
In a small sauté pan heat 1 tablespoon of the canola oil over mediumheat. Cook onion, garlic, cumin, and salt until onions aretranslucent. Place drained beans and onion mixture in a bowl and mashwith a potato masher until well combined. Gradually add masa, allowingmixture to absorb it before adding more. Test dough by rolling it inthe palm of your hand. Keep adding masa until dough doesn't stick toyour hand and holds the shape of a ball.

Divide dough into 16 small balls and flatten into cakes. Place a largeskillet over medium heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of canolaoil. Saute cakes until lightly browned on each side, about 3 to 5minutes per side. Top with Green Salsa, feta cheese, and slivered redonions.

Green tomatillo salsa
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds tomatillos
1/4 cup minced yellow onion
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 serrano peppers, stemmed and seeded
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 350° F.
Peel the husks off the tomatillos. Place them in aroasting pan with the onion, garlic, and Serranopeppers. Roast for 25 to 35 minutes. The tomatilloswill break down and become juicy. Remove form oven and cool.

Place the roasted ingredients in a food processor and puree. Seasonwith salt, white pepper, and cilantro. Chill until ready to serve

RECIPE 3

The next recipe is a slowcooker recipe. We have had a crockpot since we got married 6 1/2 yrs ago (from Drew's Aunt Becky) and I used it for the FIRST time this past November. Can you believe that? This awesome kitchen essential sat dusty-unloved and unused. I am making up for lost time now!! This is called Tuscan Chicken and I got it from the food network. One note-season to taste. If you like it salty....add more. I made it moderately seasoned and it had a good mild taste. We didn't do the bread thing at the end...but sounds REALLY yummy!


2 cups sliced red onions (used yellow again)
1 cup sliced fennel bulb (I didn't use this)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15-ounce) can white (cannellini) beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
4 (5-ounce) skinless chicken breast halves (with bone) -I used boneless
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves ( I used dried rosemary)
1/2 cup sliced roasted red peppers (from water-packed jar)
4 cups chopped Swiss chard leaves
1 crusty loaf of bread
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic

Arrange onions, fennel and garlic in bottom of slow cooker. Place beans on top of vegetables. Pour over chicken broth.
Season chicken all over with salt and pepper and place on top of vegetables and beans in the slow cooker. Sprinkle rosemary over chicken. Place roasted red pepper slices on top of chicken. Arrange Swiss chard all around chicken.
Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.
Slice bread and grill or toast, then drizzle with olive oil. Rub hot bread with garlic clove and serve with meal

Finally!

So, I said when we moved I would start a blog about our time in NYC. Since we have been here almost 5 months I figured it's time I should start. I am going to use the blog for many things. I am going to share stories and pics of life here, career info, new recipes I find, my joys in life, my frustrations in life- etc. Drew and I like to try new restaurants, so I am going to share our opinions on local establishments. I am also going to share "my picks" for the month. "My picks" will be anything I am into that month: shows, tv, music, books, food etc.

So....thanks for coming and I hope you visit again soon.

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