Tag: foodblogger

Healthy Delicious Black Bean Enchilladas

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This is very healthy, satisfying, filling and easy to make. Prep time is only about 20 minutes and it is great for vegetarians, vegans, and meat eaters (since you won’t miss the meat at all).

Ingredients (2 large servings)

  • 1 can of black beans (low sodium is best)
  • 1/2 of a 14 oz can of red enchilada sauce
  • 5 -6 cloves of garlic finely minced
  • 1/2 of an onion
  • 8 corn tortillas
  • Medium or Sharp Cheddar cheese (Can leave out or use a vegan substitute)
  • Chopped green onion for garnish (optional)

Directions

Open drain and rinse the can of black beans. Lightly spray the tortillas with vegetable oil and briefy fry tortillas the corn in a hot pan until it puffs up, fry both sides. Do not make them hard you want to do this so they hold together in the enchilada and you are able to roll them. Take each tortilla and put inside a heaping tbsp of black beans, 1/2 tbsp onions, sprinkle of the minced garlic, about 1 tsp of shredded cheddar cheese, and 1 tbsp of enchilada sauce inside and roll up and place in an oven or microwave safe dish (you can cook them in either). Do this until baking dish is full. Pour some enchilada sauce over the top of the rolled enchiladas and sprinkle some of the shredded cheese and some of the copped green onion. Cover the dish. You can either  microwave them for 4 minutes  (longer for larger dishes) or put them in an oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Roasting Coffee, Way Easier Than You Thought

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Richly Roasted Coffee Beans
Richly Roasted Coffee Beans

Roasting Coffee is far easier and quicker than you would have thought and requires no special equipment. And when you try it, WOW it tastes great. Here is how you do it.

Equipment

It is a good idea to setup outside because chaff will fly off and it will produce a little smoke. Take about 1/4 to of the coffee beans and put them in the hot air popcorn popper put the top on the popper. If you have the type of popcorn popper with a screen on the bottom, you will have to hold the popcorn popper in your hands and shake gently while roasting the coffee and tilt it back slightly so the beans don’t fly out of the popper while you are roasting. If you have the type of popcorn popper that has holes in the bottom and swirls the beans, then you don’t need to hold the popper and shake it since they will be rotated around by the popper. Turn on the popcorn popper and gently shake the popper with the coffee beans in it so that you move them around such that the beans on the bottom do not set on the bottom for too long. You will need to do this for about until you hear a popping or crackling coming from the coffee beans. This is the first crack it will go on for  a little while then stop but you need to continue to the crackling stops. At this point the beans are roasted, but they are lightly roasted and will make a light coffee. You can continue to roast for a darker coffee and you will hear a second, more subtle crack. This is the second crack you can roast a little longer if you like dark espresso or french roast coffee. When the beans are roasted to the extent you want pour them into a strainer and toss them to separate the chaff from the beans and cool them. You can tell how long to roast by the color. The beans in the picture above are a medium roast. You should let the beans set overnight after roasting before grinding them and making coffee. The coffee will taste great. I find it has much less bitterness that the typical store bought coffee.

10 Variety Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

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You can make incredible spaghetti sauce on your own and get it tailored to your taste. I will give the basic recipe and then tell you how to adjust it to your individual taste.

Ingredients

  • 1 28oz can of crushed tomatos (If you don’t have crushed you can use diced by putting tomatos and juice in a food processor and pulsing a few times)
  • 1 8oz can of tomato sauce (low salt)
  • 1/2 small onion finely chopped
  • 4 oz water
  • 5 cloves of garlic diced finely
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp of dried basil
  • 1 tsp of dried oragano
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice (to add a fresh taste to the sauce)
  • 1 1/2 tsp sugar
  • Salt as needed (This is a lower salt recipe. If you like it saltier, add salt to taste)

Directions

Put olive oil in a sauce pan and add 1/2 of the garlic,  1/2 of the onion, and red pepper flakes and fry the onion and garlic on medium heat for about 3-4 minutes till it softens, but no browned. Add in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, lemon juice, sugar, water, basil, oregano, and black pepper. Bring to a slight boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour. Add in rest of garlic and onion and simmer for 1 more hour.

Customization

  • Basic: Follow recipe above.
  • Spicy spaghetti sauce: add 1/2 tsp more red pepper flakes
  • Sweeter sauce: add up to 1 tsp more sugar.
  • Sauce with a stronger basil flavor: add 1/2 tsp more of the dried basil when you add in the rest of the garlic and onion.
  • Meat Sauce: Brown 1 lb of ground beef and add into sauce.
  • Vegan/Vegetarian Meat: Grind up 1/2 of a 14 oz can of chick peas slightly. Not too much or it will be a paste. Add in during the last 15 mins of cooking.
  • Chunky: Use diced tomatoes instead of crushed and pulse in food processor till right chunkiness.
  • Quick: Add all onion and garlic when frying and after adding tomato sauces and all other ingredients simmer 30 minutes.
  • Robust: Add 1 to 2 tbsp red wine with tomato sauces. Cabernet Sauvignon is a good red wine to add.
  • Garden: Follow Chunky version and add minced carrot while frying garlic and onion, then add chopped bell pepper and sliced mushroom when adding second half of garlic and onion. Also chop onion a little bigger.

Southwest Tofu Scramble

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Delicious Southwest Tofu Scramble
Delicious Southwest Tofu Scramble

Many times when I want to eat lighter and healthier and cut out meat. During these times when I try to eat more cleanly and this is one of the recipes I turn to. It is so good, and filling and best of all I don’t feel bogged down.

  •  Ingredients
    • 1 package of Extra Firm Tofu (Drained well and broken into pieces)
    • 1/2 of a large onion chopped
    • 1 potato cooked peeled and crumbled(I cooked it in the microwave for about 3.5 minutes)
    • 1/4 of a package of Soyrizo
    • 3 large cloves of Garlic chopped finely
    • 2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
    • 1 tablespoon of ground Tumeric
    • 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
    • 1 teaspoon of Salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
    • 1/2 of a Jalapeno pepper seeded and finely chopped (optional)
  • Directions

Put olive oil in pan with burner on high and add Onions, garlic, jalapeno, salt and fry for about 2 – 3 minutes. Add in cumin and fry additional 30 seconds Add in tofu and potato and stir around integrating it with the onions garlic and spice and add pepper. Cook for about 4-6 minutes with burner still on high until steaming. Add tumeric and stir around to color tofu. Add Soyrizo and cook until hot stirring around to mix with evenly for another 2 minutes. Serve in tortilla with cheese and salsa (for Vegan leave out the cheese)

Braised Beef Brisket

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Juicy Tender Braised Beef Brisket
Juicy Tender Braised Beef Brisket

This brisket really came out good. It was cooked in the oven, and when I took it out, WOW, it smelled great and I had to resist it for about 20 minutes while I let it rest which was torture. I sliced across the grain and it was fall apart tender and had a deep robust beef flavor. Here’s the recipe.

Ingredients

  • 3-4 pound beef brisket fully thawed.
  • 1 1/4 cups of soy sauce
  • 2 cups of beef broth (2 cups of water with 2 tsp bouillon powder will work also)
  • Juice of 1 large lemon, about 1/4 cup
  • 5-6 cloves of garlic finely minced
  • 1/2 tsp liquid smoke

Mix the last 4 ingredients together and add to a ziploc bag. Add in brisket and zip up bag with all the air squeezed out, or as much as you can get out. Put in the refrigerator and marinade for minimum of 45 minutes or up to overnight if you want. I marinaded for 45 minutes since it will cook in the marinade anyway. Put the brisket in a baking pan just large enough for the brisket and add the marinade in the bottom of the pan and cover with foil. Cook in a 300 degree oven for at least 40 minutes per pound. I did longer, I had a 4 pound brisket and cooked it for 4 hours. Let rest for about 20 minutes, then slice across the grain. Make sure and use a sharp knife so it doesn’t break apart while slicing since it will be really tender.

 

Braised Pork with Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

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Braised Pork in Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
Braised Pork in Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

Rick Bayless gave me this recipe when I asked him what his favorite easy to make Mexican pork recipe was. I made it and it was AWESOME. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

  • 3 1/2 lbs of Pork shoulder. Cut into approx 1″ cubes
  • 5 tomatillo outer husk pealed off
  • 1/2 of a large white or brown onion chopped (1/2 for browning and 1/2 for salsa)
  • about 6 sprigs of cilantro with the thick bottom stem removed (I used a little more)
  • 1/2 tsp salt, you can add more after you taste it if it is needed.
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, 2 for spicy (tip with stem cut off) I used 2.
  • 4-5 cloves of garlic

Directions

Roast the tomatillos and garlic under the broiler in the oven till spotted with brown and color changes from bright green to olive green color. While roasting the tomatillos roast the garlic also. It will cook quicker though and should be removed before it is black. Add the garlic, tomatillos, half of the onion, jalapenos, salt, and cilantro to a blender or food processor with about 1 cup of water and process till a chunky sauce. Brown the pork in a frying pan, don’t over crowd the pan or you will not be able to brown it quickly. Brown the other half of the onions in the same pan and add it all to a crock pot (pork, onions, salsa) and cook on low for about 8 hours.  I served it with corn tortillas that had been lightly sprayed with a little cooking oil and the briefly fried. You want the tortillas still soft but with some light brown spots.

Well Done Rib Roast

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Delicious Well Done Rib Roast
Delicious Well Done Rib Roast

With any Holiday coming up, you will want to cook a special meal. This rib roast is a real treat and will not disappoint your guests. The herbs form a crust on the roast and it is slightly crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. It will be especially loved by people that don’t want pink in the center of their meat. I have cooked this a number of times and it has always disappeared quickly, so you may have to cook a large one.

Ingredients

  • 3-4 lb Rib Roast
  • 4 tbsp Cracked Black pepper
  • 4 tbsp kosher salt or coarse sea salt
  • 3 tbsp Basil
  • 2 tbsp Rosemary
  • 2 tbsp thyme
  • 2 tbsp granulated garlic

Directions

Thaw rib roast completely and store in fridge till ready to cook. Take out of the fridge sprinkle and massage each ingredient one at a time in and then let set for at least 1 hour at room temp. Preheat oven to 450 and then put in roast and brown uncovered for 20 to 30 mins till outside browned. Turn oven temp  down to 300 and cook for 2.5 hours, then start checking internal temp every 30 mins till it is 140 degrees. Then Remove from oven and tent foil over pan and allow to cool for 30-45 mins, then serve.

Making Fresh Pasta

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Fresh Pasta
Fresh Pasta

Making fresh noodles takes some work, especially because you have to make twice the amount since everyone will want to eat much more than if they were dried noodles, but the result is always worth it. I often make them and yes they disappear quickly.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups of all purpose flour
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp olive oil

Directions

On a large cutting board, pour flour into a pile and use your fingers to poke down in the center and form a crater, so it looks like a volcano. Break eggs one at a time in the crater you formed and use a fork to start mixing the flour with the egg until the flour absorbs the egg and don’t break the side of the flour pile or the egg will run out. After you mixed in the first egg put in the second until all 3 eggs are incorporated. then knead the dough for about 5 minutes until well mixed. Wrap in saran wrap and put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to rest. If you have a pasta roller (like HomeStart HST5018 Pasta Maker) you can use this to roll the dough.

With Pasta roller: Start at the thickest setting. Cut the dough into thirds and roll one piece through fold and roll through again 4 times. Go down one setting and fold and roll through the pasta maker. Do this 3 more times. Now go down 1 setting at a time folding over before rolling dough but only go through 1 time now till you are down to the thickness you want. Now flour both sides of the pasta sheet and run through the cutter onto a dish and toss in flour.

Without Pasta roller: Separate the dough into thirds. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a sheet on a floured cutting board. Fold over and repeat 7 times. Now roll to thickness you want. Add a lot of flour to the pasta sheet and roll up. Now with a sharp knife cut the end of the roll into the width noodle you want and repeat until the roll is cut. Unroll and toss in flour.

Then cook for 3 – 5 minutes in boiling water. Serve as spaghetti, or in soups, etc.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

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Sometimes the simple and easy things to make can taste really good and even be good for you. This cold, rich, creamy pick me up, is a way to get some of the daily fruit intake your body needs. I use a convenient little blender that I can put the ingredients in blend, then drink out of the same cup (Nutra Bullet) which makes it really handy and with very little cleanup. Before I got this, I rarely made smoothies because I had to get the blender out, make the smoothie, then clean up the blender and put it all away again. Now I just leave it on the counter make my smoothie rinse off and it is ready to go again. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients

  • 5 strawberries stems removed (less if large).
  • 1 banana peeled
  • 2 or 3 ice cubes. (The smoothie maker above is powerful enough to use whole ice cubes)
  • 1 small container of yogurt (I used strawberry yoplait)
  • 1/4 to 1/3 cup of milk
  • Any Nutritional Supplements you want, if any. (i.e. Protein powder, bee pollen, ginseng powder, etc)

Directions

Add the above ingredients and blend till smooth. It will come out thick and rich and taste awesome.

From Scratch Spaghetti Sauce

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Rich From Scratch Spaghetti Sauce
Rich From Scratch Spaghetti Sauce

If you have the time to make this, you will really be in for a treat, and triple the batch size below, because you will want to have some for later. You can put the extra in a ziploc bag and freeze it or put it in the bottle and store it in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Ingredients:

  • 10 roma (plum) tomatoes – peeled, seeded and crushed
  • 1/2 small onion finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 pinch cinnamon
  • 1 good pinch of sugar

Directions:

Put tomatoes, onion, garlic, and olive oil, oregano, basil, pepper flakes, salt, black pepper, sugar, and cinnamon into a slow cooker. Cover, and cook 10 to 15 hours on low. For great taste cook it for 10 hours and it will improve up to 15 hours. You don’t want to go much over 15 hours since the flavor will begin to dull.