Jalapeno and Cheddar Corn bread

I was never a fan of corn bread.  The dry, crumbly texture did not appeal to me.  At.  All. 

But my husband is a genius in everything he cooks, corn bread is no exception.  His trick?  Using a cast iron skillet.  By warming up the heavy pan for 5-10 minutes before adding the mixture the bottom gets nice and crunchy (and it doesn't stick to the pan when it's all done).

When I decided to make cornbread as a side for the Chipotle Chicken Kabobs with Avacado Cream Dressing I knew I had to go big or go home.  It's hard to beat the man at his own masterpiece.

But I think I did it.  Here's how:

INGREDIENTS

1 box jiffy cornbread mix (yes, I know it's a cop out to buy the box mix and not make it from scratch.  I'm just not that kind of cook who has all afternoon to make dinner.  I need it done in half an hour.  If you want to make it from scratch, there are plenty of recipes out there.  Many of them better than mine.  But you're not here for time consuming, you're here for quick, easy, and tasty.)

1 jalapeno, minced

3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded or cubed

1/4 cup honey

DIRECTIONS

Make cornbread as directed, mixing only until combined (leave it lumpy!)  Add in the cheese, honey and jalapeno.

Pre-heat a cast iron skillet in a 400-degree oven for at least 5 minutes.  When heated, add the cornbread mixture and cook according to package directions.

VERDICT

This is not some crumbly cornbread from a Ponderossa buffet.  This cornbread is amazing.  And even though it's from a mix, it tastes like you put a lot more effort into it.

Chipotle Chicken Kabobs with Avacado Cream Sauce

I guess it goes without saying, but the weather in Upstate NY can be CRAZY!  Monday it was 45 degrees and raining.  It was a cold, miserable day.  The next day it was sunny and 70.  So while we were supposed to make eggplant parm over pasta last night... it really didn't seem like a comfort food night.  It seemed like a grilling night.

So instead of my first attempt at eggplant parm, I give you Chipotle Chicken Kabobs:

INGREDIENTS

For the chicken: 
Juice of 2 limes
½ cup of vegetable or canola oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
¾ tsp. chili powder
¾ tsp. paprika
½ tsp. cumin
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 chipotle in adobo, seeded and minced
2 lbs. chicken breasts and/or thighs, cut into 1½-2 inch pieces (I used 2 breasts and 4 thighs)
Minced fresh cilantro, for serving

For the kabobs:

Fresh vegetables, to taste (I used patty pan squash and red peppers).  Grab whatever you've got in your fridge or garden and chop into 2-inch pieces)

(Note 2:  Patty pan squash?  Double points for using something from our CSA share this week!)

For the avocado cream sauce: 
1 avocado, split and pitted
½ cup low-fat greek yogurt
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

 In a medium bowl combine the lime juice, oil, spices, garlic, brown sugar, and chipotle.  Whisk together to combine.  

Add the chicken pieces to the marinade and mix well to ensure that they are all coated and mostly submerged.  Cover, refrigerate, and let marinate for 30-60 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a grill to medium-high.  When the chicken is done marinating, thread the pieces onto skewers for grilling, alternating with fresh veggies.    Dispose of the excess marinade.  

Place the kabobs on the grill and let cook, turning once or twice, until all sides are slightly browned.  Remove to a plate and let rest 5-10 minutes.  Sprinkle with minced fresh cilantro, if desired.

To make the sauce, combine the avocado, yogurt, garlic and lime juice in the bowl of a food processor or a blender.  Process until smooth.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve alongside the kabobs for dipping.

VERDICT

This chicken was HOT!   Spicy hot!  It was nice to have the cream sauce to cool it down a bit.  Although.... I'm not sure this exact cream sauce is exactly what this chicken was asking for.  Don't get me wrong, it was good... I just don't know if the sauce was perfect.  It was good, and would be great in place of sour cream on something like quesadillas.  

Bonus:  Serve this up with Jalapeno & Cheddar Corn Bread!

Hot Pepper Jelly

It's canning season!  I love the Public Market in Rochester- I came home last week with a grocery bag full of Hungarian Hot and Jalapeno Peppers for under $5.

So far this year we've canned 6 kinds of salsa, a batch of peaches, and Garlicky green beans.  While the canning materials were out we decided to use up the hot peppers and try a new recipe- hot pepper jelly.

What do you do with it, you ask?  It can be used on fish.  Or pork.  Or with cream cheese on crackers.  Or as a dip for coconut shrimp.

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 cups finely chopped red or green hot peppers
1 small sweet bell pepper finely chopped
1 1/2 cup white vinegar (5% acidity)
6 cups sugar
6 oz Certo pouch (Sure-Jell fruit pectin)
1 teaspoon red food coloring, optional 

DIRECTIONS

Coarsely chop peppers with seeds and place in blender with vinegar, sugar and pulse to mix well. Transfer to pot, add butter and bring to a rolling boil for 1 minute. Cook for 5 minutes at a steady boil. 

Quickly add Certo and coloring. Allow mixture to return to a boil and cook for 3 more minutes stirring a few times. Remove from heat and skim off any foam. Put into half pint jars and seal in water bath for 10 minutes. This should make about 7 jars with a little left over. 

VERDICT

Our first batch was the red batch(made with the Hungarian Hot peppers.  The verdict?  Delicious.  I can't wait to try it on pork!

As for the green (jalapeno) version... it's not so pretty.  But it's still good, and a LOT spicier.

Homemade apple sauce

There is nothing like homemade apple sauce this time of year.  You can make it all start to finish- including picking the apples- in a few hours and have natural, no preservative filled apple sauce to last you the rest of the year.

I didn't pick the apples we used for this batch.  Although it's picking season here, I picked up a bag at the Public Market to use.  For $5 for a 1/2 bushel (about 20 pounds!!) we had enough to make two batches of apple sauce with a dozen apples left over for eating.

This recipe is not only delicious, but the house smells heavenly for the rest of the day!

INGREDIENTS

12 apples, peeled, cored and roughly chopped

3 cups water

1 cup white sugar (brown works too!)

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

DIRECTIONS

After peeling and coring the apples, roughly chop them (into 3-4 pieces is fine).  Mix all ingredients together in a large pot and cook on medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  

After 20 minutes the apples should be very soft.  You can mash them to desired consistency either with a fork or a potato masher.  Store for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator, or up to a year in the freezer. 

VERDICT

  

So easy.  So good.   Why buy the jarred stuff?

Oven fried cauliflower bites with Cheddar Cheese Sauce

Yes, more ways to disguise cauliflower.  At this point it's not so much to trick the kids into eating healthy as it is to find fun ways for Mark & I to eat it.  This cauliflower- definitely healthy.  The cheese sauce?  Probably not so much.  

INGREDIENTS

5 cups fresh cauliflower florets with an inch of stalk

1/2 cup panko crumbs

1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs

2 TBS parmesan cheese, grated

1 tsp Italian seasoning

sea salt and fresh ground pepper

4 egg whites

3 TBS water

2 TBS Dijon mustard (optional- I HATE mustard so we skipped it!)

Sauce:

1/2 cup skim milk

3 TBS Dijon mustard (again, skipped it!)

4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

4 oz processed cheese product

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425.  Lightly coat a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

In a bowl whisk the egg whites, water, and a couple pinches each of salt and pepper.  In a separate bowl, combine the panko, bread crumbs, parmesan and Italian seasoning.

 Dip the florets one at a time by holding onto the stalk first into the egg mixture and then the crumbs.  Place on a single layer on the baking sheet.

VERDICT

This was supposed to be our appetizer before we made pizza tonight.  We never got to the pizza.  This was filling and super easy.  And it was really tasty! 

Thai Peanut Noddles with Chicken

I have an awesome friend who comes down to visit for dinner frequently.  Because I have kids and she doesn't, she's willing to make the drive down here- in spite of being on the road a lot for work.  It means a lot that she's willing to travel and save me the work of loading the kids in the car or finding someone to watch them so we can hang out.

... but she also comes with a bunch of crazy diet restrictions.  She is, after all, the one who brought the organic vegan Green Goddess Salad into our home.

Ok, so the restrictions aren't that crazy.  And I guess I can learn to cook dairy and gluten free considering what a picky eater I was when we met.  So what do you feed someone who can't eat pasta?  Rice noodles!

INGREDIENTS

12 oz. rice noodles

6 Tbsp fresh lime juice

5 Tbsp soy sauce

3 Tbsp natural peanut butter

or 3 Tbsp of regular brown sugar

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 chicken breast

1 small red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1/4 cup scallions, sliced

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped

Sesame seeds, as garnish

DIRECTIONS

Start with the chicken, cooking it in a skillet over medium-high heat with a TBS of oil and 2 TBS of soy sauce.  Salt and pepper to taste. Add red bell pepper during last 1-2 minutes of cooking (when the chicken is still just a bit pink in the center.

Cook rice noodles according to package directions.  (most directions will have you boil water and then place noodles in to soak for 5-10 minutes)

Meanwhile, whisk together remaining 3 TBS of soy sauce and remainder of ingredients.  Mix well and toss over pasta when finished.  Add in chicken.  Garnish with sesame seeds and enjoy!

VERDICT

In addition to being restricted from wheat and dairy, she also isn't a fan of Thai food.  Luckily this peanut sauce isn't overwhelming.  It's pretty mild considering the amount of fresh basil and mint in there. 

Just a note on soy sauce- Kikoman brand is NOT wheat free.  La Choy and the Aldi's brand Fusia are.  If you're on a gluten free diet it's a great thing to know!  (It's also to have a great big over-stuffed pantry with extras of ingredients).

Green Goddess Salad

Thank you to the fabulous Melissa Fellows for making this salad this weekend.  It was a hit!

This salad is also vegan, dairy-free, gluten free, and organic.... because Melissa is on a crazy diet.

INGREDIENTS

2 fresh ears of corn, shucked
2 hearts of romaine, finely shredded


1/2 cup cooked black beans (use 1/2 a drained can of rinsed beans)
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
4 scallions, white and green parts only
1 ripe avacado, diced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro 

For the Dressing:
2/3 cup sheep or goat milk yogurt or vegenaise
1/4 cup cilantro
2 scallions, white and green parts
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 green jalapeno
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 TBS raw honey or xylitol

DIRECTIONS

Make the dressing by combining all of the dressing ingredients in a blender.

For the salad, chop all ingredients.  Steam corn until it's cooked.  When it's cool enough to handle, slice the kernels off the cob.  Mix with the romaine lettuce and top with the dressing.

VERDICT

As crazy as the whole "non-dairy-vegan-gluten-free-crazy-diet" thing is, and as skeptical as we were... it was really good.  And spicy!  I'm not sure where the spiciness comes from... I may have to clarify this recipe.