leftovers recipe 1 - Sweet Potato - Poblano Soup

Leftover ingredient:  slow cooker pork roast.

1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 small onion, diced
1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 small carrot, diced
4 cloves garlic, mashed
1 poblano chili, seeded and diced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1 (26 ounce) carton chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup coconut milk

Heat broiler and line baking sheet with foil.  Toss sweet potato, onion, corn, carrot, garlic, poblano with oil in a large bowl.  Arrange veggies in a single layer on baking sheet and broil.  Toss once while broiling.  Broil until browned (12 minutes)

Transfer veggies to a large pot and stir in spices, wine, salt and chicken stock.  Bring to a simmer over medium high heat.  Reduce heat and simmer.  Use hand blender to partially blend soup.  Simmer 15 minutes.  Add left over pork.  Simmer 10 minutes more.

Remove from heat, whisk in coconut milk.

Note 1:  I had frozen coconut milk, so I used 3 cubes.  I think that is about 1/2 cup.

kid approved meatballs

T didn't love these (thanks to the ground chicken), but the kids did.  I thought they were a bit blah, but paired really well with a rice pilaf (with carrots and asparagus ...and some butter).  AND it used up some ingredients in my frig that were getting close to expiration.

 Chicken Meatballs
1 lb ground chicken
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/4 cup green pepper, finely chopped
1 Tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cup fresh spinach, finely chopped
1 Tbsp flax meal + 3 Tbsp water (or use an egg)
up to 1/4 cup bread crumbs, added 1 Tbsp at a time (I used about 2 Tbsp)

Preheat oven to 350degF.  Spray a broiler pan with nonstick spray.

Combine flax meal and water.  Set aside for 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, add ground chicken, garlic, green pepper.  Mix well.  Fold in cilantro, onion powder, cilantro, cumin, salt, pepper, and spinach. Mix well to combine.  Add in flax meal (or egg) and bread crumbs.  Add just enough bread crumbs to hold together.

Form into meatballs.  Bake for 18 minutes.

Note 1:  I chose to brown them in a fry pan before finishing the cooking in the oven.

Note 2:  You could probably make this work without any breadcrumbs.  I just thought I should use them on my first attempt.

easy. yummy.

We had leftover spaghetti sauce from our pre-race dinner, so we decided to sort of have leftovers on Sunday night (dinner was a quick fix before the fantasy football draft).

For some reason I thought it would be good to have some Texas toast with our leftovers. And T decided that we were going to have "leftover spaghetti pizzas" or "spaghetti toasts". So yummy. And quick.

Have I posted this before?

If so, I think it requires posting again. Iowa Girl Eats has a fabulous Jerk Chicken recipe with red beans and rice. I almost always make it with grilled pineapple too.....

Lentil goodness

I made this lentil, sausage, mushroom concoction. It was so super tasty.

I based the recipe on one from leitesculinaria.com. I cut the recipe in half, which made more than enough. I also added some stuff and deleted some stuff. Here is my version, as I remember it:

Warm Lentil Goodness "Salad"

1/2 cup brown lentils
2 cups vegetable stock

Cover lentils with stock in small pot. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until desired tenderness ~ 35 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2 Tbsp butter (the good stuff, if you have it)
1 package of mushrooms, quartered

Saute mushrooms in butter. Remove from pan and set aside.

Olive oil
Bacon drippings
4 pearl onions, chopped
1 Tbsp minced garlic
Salt and pepper
3 slices cooked bacon, chopped
1 chicken andouille sausage, chopped

Heat swig of olive oil and bacon drippings over medium high heat. Saute onion until transparent (or caramelized if you like). Add garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Add bacon and sausage; cook 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and toss together for a bit. Add this mixture to the lentils and mix well.

Drizzle with (2 Tbsp?) balsamic vinegar.

Enjoy!

You must try this recipe. Now!

It MUST be spring if there are strawberries and rhubarb available, right?

I spent a few minutes perusing the internet to find a good, new recipe. I found one for Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp at Skinnytaste.com, so I thought I would give it a try.

Normally anything with rhubarb has heaps of sugar, but not this! I used one drizzle of honey and one drizzle of agave nectar for the filling - brown sugar for the topping. It turned out magnificent.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
filling:
1 lb strawberries
1 lb (5-6 stalks) rhubarb, sliced in 1" pieces
1/2 orange juiced
1 drizzle of honey
1 drizzle of agave nectar

topping:
1 cup quaker quick oats
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup melted butter

Quarter strawberries and combine with sliced rhubarb in an 8x8 pan. Drizzle with honey and set aside for an hour.

Heat oven to 375F.

Combine topping ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir the fruit mixture, then drizzle with agave nectar. Squeeze half of the orange over the fruit, then stir again. Top with topping and pop in the oven.

Bake until topping is golden brown and fruit is bubbling, about 40 minutes.

Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

And then a weekend of summer....

Beers on the patio Friday night at Muddy Waters (great, except for the smokers). Steeltoe Size 7 on tap.

Saturday the patio furniture came out. I ran in sleeveless top and shorts (and was hot). Dinner with Nicole (again on the patio) at Wakame.

Sunday brunch with the Morans on the patio. The food was devoured, so it must have been good ....or everyone was hungry.

Recipes:

Egg Bake
1 roll/package of crescent rolls
1 cup ham (or other breakfast meat)
1 cup cheese
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk

Roll out crescent rolls in a 9x12 greased pan. Sprinkle ham and cheese on top of rolled out crescent rolls. Whisk together eggs and milk. Pour egg mixture on top of ham and cheese. Bake at 425F for 15-18 minutes.

Karin's alterations:
1 bit of chopped bacon & a few shakes of Italian seasoning: Both were sprinkled on top of the crust.
1 egg for a total of 5 eggs.

[Note: I made my own "Karin size" egg bake -- 2 eggs, splash of milk, chicken sausage, chopped olives, spinach and a dash of baking powder for rise. It was delicious]

------------------------------------------------------
Baked French Toast

1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
1/2 loaf french bread, cut into 1 inch slices

Combine brown sugar, butter and cinnamon; spread evenly in a greased 8x8 or 2 qt baking dish. [Note: I added a dash of nutmeg too]. Combine eggs and milk in a shallow dish; place bread in dish and soak for 5 minutes, turning once. Place soaked bread over sugar mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 350F for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve brown sugar side up. ...no syrup needed.

Meatloaf battle...

Thanks Alton Brown for a good meatloaf recipe. It may have sparked a "meatloaf-off" (like chili cook off) competition. Hmmm.

Chicken Pot Pie

Lately I have been experimenting with chicken pot pie. The best is shown here. I made it on Superbowl Sunday. I didn't really follow a recipe. I used a mushroom potpie recipe as a base, but worked mostly from the idea in my head and experience. In other words, be warned that this recipe is not exact .....

Chicken Pot Pie
2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped (somewhere between 0.5 - 1 lb)
butter or olive oil for sauteing up the veggies
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1 cup carrots, chopped or sliced into "bit-sized" pieces
1 cup frozen peas
2 cups broccoli, chopped
2 cups mushrooms, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 - 2 cups broth [chicken, vegetable, beef all work fine]
a few shakes of Italian seasoning
salt and pepper
1/2 - 1 cup leftover mashed potatoes
[note: I suspect you could also use instant mashed to thicken this. I don't know the amount that would work though]
1 frozen pie crust, thawed [or 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed]

Heat olive oil or butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook until translucent and fragrant. Add carrots and broccoli, saute for a few minutes. Add mushrooms and peas. Cook until veggies are still slightly firm. Increase heat to high. Shake in flour until veggies are covered. Add broth about 1/2 cup of broth and mashed potatoes. Bring to boil. Continue to add either broth or mashed potatoes until desired consistency is achieved. Season with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 400F. Spray an 8x8 square baking dish with cooking spray. Layer cooked chicken in bottom of pan. Cover with vegetable mixture. Cover with pie crust and cut several vents in it. Bake until crust is golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

If using a pie crust [vs puff pastry], you can brush with butter or egg wash (egg white and water) or spray with cooking spray to get a crispier crust.

Enjoy!

Buttermilk Roasted Chicken

Sometimes I cook. And I thank all the food bloggers out there for giving me ideas and recipes.

Smitten Kitchen has an excellent Buttermilk Roasted Chicken recipe. I made it with drumsticks. I pulled the skin off of them before "marinating" in buttermilk and paprika (Hungarian, of course). Tasty.

I pulled the leftovers off the bone and am using in various concoctions (and salads).

chicken chili

The weather has turned cold again. It was fitting to eat the leftovers last night post (cold, windy, short) run.
Maybe not so fitting for Sunday, which was warm and sunny.

Football game + chili sounded like the perfect match when planning for the event. Then meatloaf happened, and an amazing pot roast sandwich at Mort's Deli. Instead of overloading on red meat, I decided to make chicken chili. This took some research, as many of the recipes have cheese and/or sour cream as thickening agents.

I started with the Pioneer Woman's recipe as a base. ...and used her secret milk + cornmeal to thicken it up some.

Chicken Chili
Description: Hearty Chicken and Bean chili
Author/Source: KB


INGREDIENTS
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 (4 oz) can green chilies
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp paprika
¼ tsp cayenne pepper (or white pepper)
4 cups chicken broth
1 jalapeno pepper
½ cup carrots, diced
2 cans white beans (cannellini or navy)
1 can chili bean mixture (black, kidney, chili mixture)
1 slice crispy bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)
1 whole rotisserie chicken, shredded
1 cup 2% milk
2 Tbsp cornmeal

DIRECTIONS
In a large soup pot, heat olive oil. Add onion and saute over medium high heat for 4 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Add green chilies and reduce heat to medium. Add chili powder, cumin, coriander, paprika, cayenne pepper and saute for 3 minutes.

Add chicken broth and increase heat to high until the broth boils, then reduce to simmer for 5 minutes.

Add carrots, jalapeno and continue to simmer for 10 minutes. Add beans, bacon and chicken. Continue to simmer for 10 minutes. While the chili is simmering, combine milk and cornmeal in a bowl or measuring cup and whisk to combine. Increase heat to high, pour in milk mixture and let the chili boil for 2-3 minutes. Return to simmer for 10 minutes. Serve.


Notes
For a less spicy chili, do NOT include jalapeno seeds.

Add variety of hot peppers to desired spice and flavor (fresno, serrano, etc)

ALL spice measurements are estimated. Taste and spice as desired.

For cheese lovers. If you want to add ½ cup shredded cheese to thicken, increase the chicken broth by 1 cup.