Grilled Steak and Cheese

Grilled Cheese...Yes. Steak...Yes. Happy Belly....Yes.

• Jalapeno Cheddar Cheese Bread - four slices, one side of each piece lightly buttered or oiled
• Sliced Monterrey Jack
  One cup of Arugula Leaves, washed and torn
• Sliced Rib-eye, seasoned with Spicy Montreal Steak Seasoning, Salt and Pepper (for two sandwiches a half pound is fine)
• Pesto

Chipotle Aioli

• Half can Chipotle Peppers in Aioli
• Half cup of Garlic Mayonnaise (Central Market sells Garlic Mayo or you can add roasted garlic to regular Mayo) 
• Half lime, juice squeezed

In a small food processor, blend the Pepper, Mayo, and lime juice until desired consistency is achieved. Add more mayo if you find it too spicy.

For the Sandwiches

Sear the Ribeye 3-4 minutes on each side until brown. Remove from pan and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes.Thinly slice the ribeye.

Turn a panini maker on, allow to heat (sandwich can also be grilled in a skillet or on a griddle pan).

Spread Aioli and pesto on one side of each piece of bread (you can either put the pesto on first and then spread Aioli or only do Aioli on the inside and but the pesto on the outside of the sandwich or in a small side bowl as a dipper).

Place cheese on one side of bread. Then layer sliced Ribeye and arugula and cover with other piece of bread.

Put into panani maker and grill for about 4 minutes.

Excellent served with Tomato Basil Soup.

Basil Pesto Chicken Pizza

One of my favorite pizzas and it is so easy to make yourself. I do not eat tomato or pizza sauce, so I have to get creative with my pizzas. My favorites are Alfredo sauce, basil pesto, truffle oil, 3-cheese sauce. Here is one version.

• Store bought or homemade pizza dough of preference
• Shredded or chopped chicken (can be freshly cooked - I almost always use up leftovers)
• Black olives - sliced
• Mushrooms - Sliced
• 3 or 4 cheese blend - shredded - I like to use Mozzarella, Fontina, Asiago, and Pecorino
• Fresh cracked Pepper
• Sun dried tomatoes - reconstituted and cut into pieces (optional)

Preheat oven to 400.

On a floured surface, roll out pizza dough with a roller pin. Once you have achieved your desired thickness (or thinness), shape and size, spoon pesto directly onto dough and spread to cover. Go around the pie with a pepper mill and crack fresh pepper over it. Then add the cheese, spreading evenly over pie (again add desired amount). Then top with black olives and mushrooms and chicken (and tomatoes if using). Crack more pepper, add a small sprinkling of cheese and a drizzle of truffle or basil olive oil if you so desire. Bake on 400 for about 12 minutes or until the crust is done and remove from oven. Slice and serve.

Parmesan-Basil-Panko Crusted Chicken

Post-Bake

I really need to find a shorter name for this chicken. Ergo, for now I will be calling it Andi's Favorite Chicken - because for a long time when I would not eat chicken, this is the only way I would prepare it. It is super easy and healthy and adds a nice texture to dishes like risotto or pasta. You can buy Panko in the Asian aisles at HEB, Central Market, or Whole Foods as well as Asian shops. If you cannot find it - you can sub bread crumbs of your choice.

Andi's Favorite Chicken

Pre-Bake

• Chicken Breasts (you can cut into tenders for quicker cooking or portion control or leave in breast form). 
• One Egg, beaten (depending on how much chicken you use you may need additional eggs)
• Flour to coat
• Salt - liberal pinch
• Pepper - if you are me then use half of the bottle, if not use as much as you like
• Cayenne - a pinch
• Parmesan - shredded, about a cup per two breast or six tenders - add more if needed
• Fresh Basil torn- at least one bunch (I generally use as much as I can get my hands on)
• Panko (Japanese Bread crumbs) - about a cup per two breasts or six tender - add more if needed

Preheat oven to 375

Beat egg in a bowl. Combine flour, salt, pepper and a pinch of cayenne on a plate. Dredge chicken in the flour mixture then dunk in egg, coating well.

On a plate, combine shredded Parmesan, torn basil, fresh cracked pepper, and panko and mix well. After removing the chicken from the egg, coat with the panko mixture well. Place chicken on a greased baking sheet (one with holes will help the bottom get crispy) and bake until the crust is golden and chicken is done. About 15 minutes (for tenders, cooking time for breasts is longer).

*If you do not have eggs and do not want to go to the store, you can use olive oil as the coating liquid

Salmon with veggies and Ginger-Lime brown Rice

This is a version of a take out favorite of mine from a Japanese place. One day I just figured...hey I can make that myself! I am willing to bet mine is healthier, plus I get more for the money and the satisfaction of cooking it. You could add veggies to this if you would like - I have used edamame before with success. Crispy shallots (as a garnish) are a great addition for texture. Remember when making this that brown rice can take a while to cook - between 45 minutes and an hour. Just an FYI so you can plan accordingly.

• Serves 2 plus leftovers
• One cup Brown Rice
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 5 large mushrooms (white, cremini or baby bellas - or a mixtures) sliced
• One small white onion or two large shallots, sliced
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 inch piece of fresh ginger or 1 tablespoon of minced ginger by The Ginger People
• Half bunch of green onion, cut into one inch pieces
• One to two broccoli stems
• about a half pound salmon (this is 4 oz per person) 
• Sriracha to taste
• Ginger Lime Sauce - The Ginger People - to taste
• Sesame or Peanut Oil
• Sesame Seeds - Optional
• Crispy Shallots

Cook brown rice in chicken broth. Steam Broccoli.

Heat oil in a skillet on medium heat. Add garlic, ginger, and onion and saute (properly season). Add mushrooms after about 3 minutes and continue cooking until mushrooms are brown but not overcooked. Add green onions and saute about 2 minutes. Add Salmon (that has been properly seasoned - I like to use salt, pepper, and turmeric) and sear until desired doneness. Add several tablespoons of ginger lime marinade mixed with Sriracha and stir in broccoli and rice. Mix well and top with crispy shallots and sesame seeds and serve.

Black Bean Corn Salsa

This is a fairly versatile dip. You can add this to seven layer bean dip, use as a regular dip along side salsa, queso or guac, add it into tacos or enchiladas, etc. When I make enchiladas I serve them with a huge helping of this on the side - I am not sure why I do not put it inside the actual enchilada as it inevitably gets mixed in and eaten with the enchilada. I suppose it is enchilada nostalgia. If you want to make shrimp enchiladas leave out the black beans and tomatoes. This is also the ONLY thing that I will eat bell pepper in. All of the ingredients listed below should be added in quantities according to taste preferences.

Black Bean Corn Salsa

• Black Beans
• Red onion - small dice
• minced garlic formed into paste (no more than 2 cloves is necessary)
• Red Bell Pepper - small dice
• Sweet Corn
• Tomato - seeded, juiced, and diced
• Lime Juice
• Avocado
• Red wine vinegar
• Spices: powdered garlic, cumin, cayenne, adobo, salt 
• Cilantro

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Add seasoning as desired.

Enchilada Calzone

I am pretty sure this Calzone is THE reason why you should experiment with food. This came about after I had made homemade pizzas and my sister was about to make enchiladas. Somehow, Aly and I came up with a plan to have an transcontinental enchilada pizza cook-off. I ended up making a calzone because it was what I felt like doing. It was fantastic and made more food than you can imagine - maybe next time I will make individual calzones. Either way - enchilada calzone is here to stay. This is very closely tied to my enchilada recipe (which unfortunately will not be going onto my blog because well - I want to be the only one besides my mom - and now Dalton - who knows the secret) and tastes just as good which is saying something. One tip - to save on time I generally buy my dough during the week and make it on the weekends if I plan on making pizzas. You can use Pillsbury Pizza Dough - I use this for other calzones or focaccia bread. If you have a favorite pizza place, I highly recommend buying the dough from there - they should sell it in ball form and all you have to do is roll it. If you live in Austin, buy your dough from Rounders. It is incredible and four bucks gets you a ridiculously large pie - I think the small is something like 14 inches.

Enchilada Calzone - serves at least 6 - IT WAS HUGE

• Pizza Dough (recipe is based on 14 in)
• 1.5 - 2 cups Rotisserie Chicken, shredded (any shredded chicken will do - if you have leftover breast - go for it)
• Black Bean Corn Salsa*
• Green Chile Pork Enchilada Sauce
• Sour cream, about 1/5 cup to one can sauce
• 2 cups Jack and Cheddar Cheese mixed

Serve with Brilliantly Garlicy Guac*

*elsewhere in blog

Roll pizza dough into a triangular or half moon shape. Place half of dough onto cooking apparatus (ie stone or baking sheet) with other half hanging off.

Combine chicken, cheese, and salsa in a large bowl and mix well.

Spoon some of the sauce onto the Calzone face. All over, cover the surface with a layer of the sauce. Then mix sour cream with remainder of sauce and mix into chicken mixture.

Spoon chicken mixture onto one half of the calzone surface. Once finished, fold the empty portion of dough over the mixture and smush the edges together. If you want to make it pretty, you can go around the edges with a fork, mashing with the prongs to give it lines. Bake on 400 for about 20 minutes or until the dough looks finished. If possible bake on a pizza stone or a pizza maker with holes in the bottom (the latter is my preference as it gets the bottom of the crust crunchy as well).

Remove and sprinkle with a little extra shredded cheese. Serve with Guac.

Brilliantly Garlicy Guac

I love making guacamole. I really do not like buying it pre-made because it just does not compare to homemade guac. And it is really easy. The name is inspired by my Sarah after I made semi-homemade guac (in the interest of time and money) to compliment my enchilada calzone creation. Note - if you do choose to buy guac buy Central Market pre-made guac in the chef-prepared bar and then add tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeno, and garlic to it -- see why it is almost easier to make it yourself?

 

The following recipe should feed about six people

• 5 Large Hass Avocados- halved, cut into four sections, removed from skin with pit reserved
• 6 cloves garlic - minced (see instructions below)
• 2 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 white or red onion - fine dice
• 1-2 tomatoes (dependent on taste preferences and size of tomato), seeded and juices drained
• ONe bunch ciltrano chopped (try to avoid stems)
• Pinch of adobo spice (optional)
• Pinch of garlic salt (optional)
• Pinch of Salt - to taste
• Black Pepper - to taste
• Lime juice - squeeze from a half lime (to taste with lemon)
• lemon juice - squeeze from a half lemon (to taste with lime)

Put minced garlic on a cutting board, sprinkle with a half tablespoon of Kosher salt, mash with a knife running the knife over garlic, then repeating. This will eventually form a loose paste of garlic. Add to bowl.

Combine garlic, avocados, jalapenos, tomatoes, cilantro, and onion in a large bowl. Mash with a potato masher (or large spoon). Once you have acquired the desired consistency (I like mine to have lumps of intact avocado in it but you can make it as smooth as you like - just keep mashing and occasionally stirring), sprinkle mixture with salt, pepper, adobo, garlic salt if using, and squeeze the citrus to taste. Stir mixture to incorporate the additional seasonings. Place pits in the guac to keep it green (can be removed during serving if you like).

Momma Joy's Quiche

So I have never made a quiche, but my Auntie Joy - who is an amazing cook - made quiches over Christmas that D loved. She was nice enough to share it with me and this morning I thought I would try my hand at it because I wanted to feed six people and it seemed like an easy, satisfying, and cost effective solution. Everyone seemed pleased with it=) I cannot eat eggs so of course could not participate. I made a couple of changes  - I used mozzarella cheese because I did not have gruyere. I also considered adding bacon, but ultimately did not feel like frying it. Additionally, I omitted the butter and used 1/3 whole milk and 3/4 cream because I had some whole milk that I needed to use up.

Makes 2 quiches

• Tbs. butter 
• 2 Tbs. olive oil 
• 5 large mushrooms - sliced
• 4-5 large sliced shallots 
• 1 bag baby spinach 
• 2 Tbs. sherry
• Sliced mozzarella, jack, gruyere, brie, fontina or cheddar 
• 10 large eggs 
• 1 cup whipping cream 
• 1 pkg. Pillsbury ready made pie crusts 

Pre-bake pie crusts per package instructions (you will need to bring them to room temperature, pre-bake, then cool before using).

Heat oil and butter (if using) on medium heat. Saute properly seasoned shallots in a large saute pan (or  your favourite cast iron skillet) until glassy, add mushrooms. Saute the mushrooms, but do not overcook them. Add spinach and cook until just wilted. Drain excess moisture. Add sherry to the pan and heat to just cook off alcohol.

In a large bowl, beat together eggs and cream (or milk is using). Add salt and pepper.

Once pie crust has cooled, layer slices of cheese in the bottom of the pastry, overlapping. Divide spinach mixture between the two and our the egg mixture over the tops.

Bake uncovered at 375 for about 35-40 minutes. Use a toothpick to check the center for doneness. 

Let cool before serving. Can easily be served with a nice green salad for brunch.

Stir Fry

If you like measurements and good instruction STOP READING NOW. This is going to be one of those recipes I warned you about. I am not entirely sure that I should even post a stir fry recipe - the whole point is to use up whatever needs to be used in the fridge and supplement that with pantry items. I doubt I can even make the same stir fry twice because the ingredients will always be changing. So this recipe will, I fear, be a bit lacking. I am not going to add measurements as I have absolutely no idea what they are - I did everything to taste adding more of what I like (sriracha, hoison, eel sauce, and coconut milk to name a few). That said, I made this stir fry to use up a bunch of stuff and these are the ingredients - end result was awesome!

• Minced Ginger (either fresh or Ginger People minced or both) to taste
• Sriracha to taste
• Sugar - a few fingerfuls
• Sesame Oil (can sub peanut oil)
• Flour (or cornstarch if that is all you have)
• Hoisin (more than a dab)
• Oyster Sauce (a dab)
• Coconut milk (about a half can
• Lime
• Eel Sauce
• Chicken - tenders work well, cut into pieces as desired but make sure they are all relatively the same size so that they cook evenly
• Broccoli - cut to bite sized pieces
• Carrots - sliced
• Asparagus - cut into one inch pieces
• Green Onion - chopped used for garnish
• White Onion - slivered or diced
• Garlic - minced
• Cilantro - roughly chopped, for garnish
• Rice or Udon Noodles

Marinade:

• Soy sauce (about a fourth of a cup)
• tempura sauce (just a tad)
• eel sauce (to taste - optional)
• honey about a tablespoon
• minced ginger - at least a tablespoon
• rice wine (about a tablespoon)
• hoisin sauce (to taste, probably around a tablespoon)

Mix marinade and then add chicken. Marinate for 30 minutes to an hour (or longer if you prefer) keep about half of the marinade to reuse in the stir-fry sauce.

In the last ten minutes of the marinating time, stream carrots, then broccoli, and asparagus (I do this carrots first for a few minutes since they take the longest to cook, I then add broccoli for a few minutes, then lastly add asparagus until all three veggies are cooked.

In a wok (or large skillet) heat oil then fry chicken (adding a bit of the reserved marinade) until almost done. Remove chicken and add onion, garlic, flour, ginger and stir fry until onions are glassy. Return chicken to pan and add elements to the sauce (sriracha, sugar, coconut milk, hoisin, oyster sauce, lime juice, etc.). Stir in veggies and remove from heat.

Either combine with udon noodles or serve on top of rice (brown or white).

*This can be gluten free if you use rice and have gluten free elements (aka soy sauce and such) on hand.

Chicken meatballs with the best Pasta ever

Right Side: Broccoli, Cheese, Chicken Casserole; Left Side: Chicken Meatballs with BPE

So D's brother asked for a meatball recipe last week at dinner...I did not have one as I had never made meatballs before. Ergo, I concocted one (he had chicken sausage so I devised based on that plan) and then decided that I needed to try my hand at meatballs. You can use any sausage that you want - I just bought ready made CM sausage hoping they had basil, garlic, chicken sausage but settling for Roma Sausage plus one link of Italian Turkey sausage for contrast. My only suggestion after eating the meatballs (well technically I planned to make it this way but forgot to purchase the ingredient...sort of essential when cooking) is to add sun dried tomato (either reconstituted or paste) for a little bit of a kick. I plan to next time.

The pasta is a variation of one of my absolute favorites (which - just because I love it so much - will be added at a  later date). It was different than the one I usually make but was still excellent and actually a little lighter.

Chicken meatballs with the best Pasta ever

• 3 slices Italian or other white bread, torn into small bits (1 cup) - I used Ciabatta this time around 
• 1/3 cup milk (whole)
• 3 ounces sliced pancetta, finely chopped (you can swap in Bacon or prosciutto if you can’t find pancetta - I used prosciutto because CM was out of pancetta)
• 1 small onion, finely chopped (can also use shallot but double amount) - I used yellow because I had it and needed to use it up - white is fine as well
• 3 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 large egg
• 1 pound chicken sausage removed from casing (I used 2 links Central Market Chicken Roma Sausage and One link Medium Italian sausage also Central market) 
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste, divided*
• Sriracha to taste
• Parmesan Cheese shredded (or grated)
• Garlic Powder
• Fresh Ground Pepper
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 400°F with a rack in the upper third of the oven. Soak bread in milk in a small bowl until softened, about four minutes.

Cook pancetta in a dab of oil rendering the fat. Add onion and garlic with salt and pepper in a large skillet over medium heat until onion is softened, about 6 minutes. Reserve.
        
Squeeze bread to remove excess milk, then discard milk. Lightly beat egg in a large bowl, then combine with chicken, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, pancetta mixture, bread, Parmesan, black pepper, and parsley. Be gentle when mixing. Form meatballs and place on greased baking sheet.

Stir together remaining tablespoons of tomato paste and sriracha and brush over meatballs, sprinkle garlic powder and fresh ground black pepper, then bake in upper third of oven until meatballs are just cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.

Arrange with pasta. Recipe as follows:

• Rustichella d'abruzzo Orecchiette (YES IT MATTERS - Whole foods used to carry this, they still carry other Rustichella pasta but no longer this particular one, so, I have to special order it. The whole wheat is even better than the regular. This is hands down the best pasta ever - just Saying.)
• One pint cherry tomatoes, halved and seeded
• Pecorino Romano cheese grated - a cup
• 1 cup chopped fresh basil
• Fresh ground pepper 
• Salt to taste
• One Shallot White Wine Sauce Recipe* + some flour to thicken (add flour in with the shallots at the beginning so that the flour taste cooks out) 

*Elsewhere in blog

Boil salted water and cook pasta to instructions. 


Begin making shallot white wine sauce (make enough for the amount of sauce that you want). After reducing add halved tomatoes and cook until the skins loosen and tomatoes lose their shape slightly. Combine with pasta and allow to cook a few more minutes. Add half of the basil, salt to taste, add pepper and cheese and stir gently but well. Garnish with remaining basil and some shaved Parmesan cheese then arrange meatballs as desired and EAT!

Scallop Pesto Pasta

Maybe this deserves a better name, but ever since I have started making it this name has stuck. It is pretty straight forward and makes me happy when I say it. I dare say this is one of my signatures...it is wonderful and incredibly easy for a weeknight. This can also be a cupboard meal fairly easily. I buy scallops by the pound when they are on sale and throw them in the freezer. Pesto can be bought up to a week in advance and everything else is pretty much in my pantry or fridge at all times. Ergo, as long as you take the scallops out of the freezer you can whip this up without going to the store! FYI, in case you are budget shopping, Whole foods (even though I don't love their fish) has scallops that are cheaper than Central Market's. They should be $7.99 per pound at WF and Central Market is at least $9.99 (the price changes with the type of scallops being offered at that time).

This should serve four with leftovers adjust amounts to taste or quantity needed.

• Approx. a cup of Central Market Basil Pesto
• One pound bay scallops
• one pound mushrooms
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• 3 medium shallots
• about a tablespoon of cream or half and half (full fat or fat free) mixed with about a tablespoon of regular milk (if you do not care about fat content feel free to double up on the cream) - if you would like a thinner sauce feel free to add more cream or milk
• Pepper/Salt
• Pecorino or Parmesan Cheese (grated) to taste
• One package linguine or fettuccine (whole wheat, regular, fresh or dried - go crazy)

Scallops can be fairly watery if they are frozen - to reduce this I put mine in between paper towels for about 20 minutes before I cook them and throw them in a strainer after I sear them. 

Boil pasta water, cook about ten minutes (follow package instructions minus two minutes) until al dente - if using fresh pasta cook 3-6 minutes.

Whilst waiting for the pasta water to boil, saute shallots and garlic - in oil or butter - (with pinch of salt) until glassy. Add mushrooms and saute until brown (if the pan gets dry feel free to add a cap full of white wine). Remove mushroom mixture to a strainer. Heat a bit of oil in the same pan and once hot, sear scallops (about three minutes) and remove to same strainer as mushrooms. Return the pan to the stove and heat the pesto and cream together, salt and pepper to taste. Add mushroom mix and scallops to the warm pesto and simmer. Strain pasta and transfer to the pan with the sauce. Toss with tongs to combine Scallop Pesto mixture with Pasta, fresh ground black pepper and cheese and proceed to eat entirely too much (expect to sneak to the fridge for a midnight snack)!