cilantro

October 22, 2014

Cauliflower Coconut Curry

Carrie Zinnecker Main Dishes, Vegetables, Vegetarian cashews, Cauliflower, cilantro, coconut milk, curry, Fine Cooking, ginger, main dish, One pot meal, red bell pepper, Vegetarian, yogurt 2 Comments

The Fine Cooking magazine from October/November has a nice feature on cauliflower. It includes ways to prep and prepare it along with a few recipes. This tart is one of those recipes. This curry is another. I have a thing for coconut and curry, and so I was drawn to this recipe immediately. I also love to find satisfying vegetarian dishes that we can work in to our meal schedule. My husband didn’t miss the meat at all. This one is a keeper.

There is quite a bit of chopping to be done, but it can all be done in advance and refrigerated until you’re ready to cook. Once that is taken care of, this dish comes together easily. You’re looking at 45 minutes cooking time in all, but more than half of that is simply simmering time. Thanks to that simmering time your house will smell amazing. The only downside there is that it will smell that way for hours, and waking up to the smells of curry you ate the night before isn’t amazing. But it is worth it!

This reheats really well, so it’s a good choice for those of you cooking for one or two. This will feed you for a couple of meals, and that’s definitely something I look for in a recipe these days. I love leftover night.

The spices are warm and subtle. The first taste is sweet and then the heat hits you at the end but is still more warm than spicy. I didn’t have black mustard seed, so I didn’t use them and I thought this was still wonderful. The coconut milk tones down the heat and adds sweetness as well as welcomed creaminess. I used a whole jalapeno with a few seeds and it wasn’t overwhelming at all. If you want it spicy make sure to use more of the seeds and membrane or even add a second jalapeno.

The garnishes are necessary, in my opinion. The yogurt is a nice cool contrast to the warm curry, the cilantro is the perfect herb to compliment the spices and the cashews add richness and crunch. We ate this with warm naan which is perfect for soaking up the sauce. Serving this on top of rice would also be delicious (and stretch it a bit). I hope you try this dish! My mouth is watering right now as I think about it and I’m considering getting some out of the fridge…and it’s 8 in the morning. So you know it’s good.

Cauliflower Coconut Curry

From Fine Cooking

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of butter + 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (use ghee if you have it)
1 onion, cut into large dice
2 red bell peppers (you could also use orange or yellow)
1 jalapeno, chopped fine (as many or as few seeds as you’d like)
1 2-inch piece of ginger, chopped fine (about 2 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon curry powder
2 teaspoons cumin seed
1 cinnamon stick (2 inches)
1 teaspoon salt
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup raisins
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 can coconut milk
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 head cauliflower, cut into 1-2 inch florets
plain yogurt
chopped cashews
fresh chopped cilantro
naan or rice for serving

Directions

Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, peppers, jalapeno, ginger, curry, cumin, cinnamon stick and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften and brown a bit.
Add in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes, water and raisins. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes.
Stir in the coconut milk and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat and cook until thickened, 10-15 minutes.
Add in the cauliflower and mix together. Cover. keep the heat on low and cook until cauliflower is tender, about 15 minutes.
Remove the cinnamon stick. Season with salt and lemon juice. Serve with yogurt, cashews and cilantro.

June 5, 2014

Green Posole with Black Beans

Carrie Zinnecker Soup and Stew, Vegetarian black beans, cilantro, Homesick Texan, hominy, Martha Stewart, poblano, posole, serrano, soup, Vegetarian 2 Comments

This is far from a summer recipe. It’s soup. It’s hot and comforting. Not exactly what anyone is looking for when temps are rising outside. The last thing you probably want to do is eat a bowl of something warm. But my sister sent the recipe to me after trying it herself and I didn’t want to wait!

This spicy vegetarian posole is super delicious. I’ll definitely be bringing this recipe out again in the fall. But even with the warm weather my husband and I still really enjoyed this soup and will be having leftovers tonight.

I topped this subtly spicy soup with chunks of avocado, monterey jack cheese, cilantro, tortilla strips, sour cream and a spritz from a lime wedge. My sister recommends radish slices and shredded green cabbage. Having all of those things as options would be a great way to serve this soup to guests.

The recipe calls for a blender to puree some of the ingredients, but it just about filled my blender to the brim. My sister used an immersion blender with great results, so use one of those if you have one. A blender works fine if not.

I forget how much I love posole. There’s just something about the hominy that makes me happy. It has such a great texture, especially in soup. The chiles and poblano add a nice heat, but it’s not terribly spicy. If you like it hot, then don’t be so careful when seeding the peppers. Be sure to check the seasonings after the soup has simmered. Mine needed a nice dose of salt along with the lime juice. You could easily add some cooked shredded chicken for a heartier version.

Green Posole with Black Beans

From Martha Stewart adapted from Homesick Texan

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 poblano chile
1/2 pound fresh tomatillos, husks removed
2 serrano chiles, stemmed, quartered, and seeded
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro (extra for serving)
1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley
1 ounce baby spinach leaves, 1 large handful, about 1 cup
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
6 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
2 cans (15 ounces) hominy, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
fresh lime juice from 1 lime (extra wedges for serving)
kosher salt
monterey jack cheese
1 avocado, sliced or cut into chunks
sour cream
tortilla chips or baked tortilla strips

Directions

Heat broiler with rack in top position. Place a sheet of foil on the rack. Broil the poblano until charred and skin is bubbling, 4-5 minutes per side. You can also do this over a gas burner using tongs. Transfer to a paper sack or zip-top plastic bag, close it tightly, and let steam 20 minutes. Rub the poblano with paper towels to remove skin. Stem, seed, and place in a blender.
In a large pot of boiling water, cook tomatillos until soft, about 5 minutes. Drain and transfer to the blender.
Add serranos, onion, garlic, cilantro, parsley, spinach, cumin, oregano, and 2 cups of broth. Blend until smooth. OR you can put everything from the poblano to the broth to a pot and blend with an immersion blender.
Pour tomatillo mixture into a large pot and stir in 4 cups broth, the hominy, and the black beans.
Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes.
Add lime juice. Taste, add salt and adjust seasonings.
Garnish with avocado, cilantro, cheese, sour cream, chips and extra lime juice if desired.

May 2, 2014

Mexican Street Corn Off the Cob

Carrie Zinnecker Side Dishes, Vegetables chili powder, chipotle pepper, cilantro, corn off the cob, crema mexicana, lime, queso fresco, street corn 3 Comments

There is a taco place that originally opened in Austin called Torchy’s. They have this incredible street corn that I get every time we go. It is so very delicious. The corn is crisp and flavorful. And then there’s this ancho aioli that they put on top with the cilantro and cheese that makes this corn dish truly amazing. Please try it if you ever find yourself at a Torchy’s in Austin, Dallas or Houston (and apparently Waco, Lubbock and soon College Station!). And Torchy’s, I’d like that ancho aioli recipe…

I love the idea of street corn on the cob. It’s also beautiful, all those lovely corn cobs lined up on a platter. But I think it’s hard to eat and when I’ve had it I find that all the yummy toppings fall off and that makes me sad. This way you can get the flavors of street corn without the mess or the sadness!

I have to honest with you. This corn is not the same and not quite as good as Torchy’s but it’s still delicious and you can make it at home! After looking through a few recipes for street corn, esquites, elotes en vaso, and other similar dishes with names I sound like a fool pronouncing, I came up with this recipe. A good thing to remember when putting this together is to taste as you go and adjust the amounts according to what you like. If you want your corn extra creamy, use more crema, if you want it more or less spicy, adjust the chipotle. Adjust the lime juice as well. If you use queso fresco like I did, you may need a pinch or so of salt. If you use cojita cheese (which I unfortunately could not find) then you may not need the extra salt since it’s a saltier cheese.

As people serve themselves they can garnish with as much cilantro, chili powder and cheese as they’d like. You can leave out the chipotle all together and serve it as a condiment as well, making sure to let everyone know that a little goes a long way! When Ben and I were newlyweds I made a meal for him that was so heavy on the chipotle that it was almost inedible. So be careful!

I sauteed the corn in a skillet, but you can boil it or grill it and then cut it off of the cob. I prefer it with a little color and roasted flavor so grilling or sauteing in a hot skillet would be the best way to go. I cut the corn off of 5 cobs and got about 2 cups of corn and it will serve about 4 as a small side dish. Just increase or decrease the amount of corn for the people you plan to be serving.

You can make this earlier in the day, just up to the point where you mix the corn, butter, crema, chipotle and lime juice. Refrigerate then reheat over medium-low heat until hot, stirring frequently. Then you can serve and garnish the cups.

Street Corn Off the Cob

Serves 4

Ingredients

5 ears of corn, husked and corn cut off the cobs
2 tablespoons of butter
kosher salt
2-3 tablespoons of crema mexicana (could also use sour cream or mayonnaise)
1-2 tablespoons of lime juice (plus a few extra wedges for serving)
1 minced chipotle pepper mixed with 3 teaspoons of sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce
queso fresco (or cojita cheese)
chili powder
cilantro, roughly chopped

Directions

Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat and add in the corn. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring just a few times so that the corn has an opportunity to char a bit.
Remove from the heat and add in butter and salt and stir until butter has melted.
Place corn in a bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon of crema and 1 tablespoon lime juice. Taste and add more crema and/or lime juice. Taste and season if needed. Stir in 1 teaspoon of the chipotle, taste and add more if needed.
Divide into cups and garnish with queso fresco, a sprinkle of chili powder and a few cilantro leaves. Serve with lime wedges.

April 22, 2014

Huevos Motuleños

Carrie Zinnecker Breakfast, Main Dishes black beans, Breakfast, cilantro, corn tortillas, eggs, gluten free, ham, huevos motulenos, plantains, salsa, Yucatan 0 Comments

Easter Sunday left us with a huge amount of leftover ham that is going to be in all of our meals for the rest of this week and likely into the weekend. I scoured the internet for some creative ideas on how to use it. Here is the first meal I made to use up some of the ham. It’s either a weekend breakfast or a breakfast-for-dinner meal but really can be eaten for any meal of the day and you can use any meat you have around.

This breakfast dish originated in the town of Motul in the Yucatan and in my recent search I’ve seen many different variations. The things that seem to remain constant are the fried tortillas, black bean mash, salsa, egg, some kind of meat, and the fried plantains.

I prepped the beans and the salsa earlier in the day and reheated them at dinner. But even if you’re making this and serving it immediately, you may need to heat things up, or at least keep them warm while you’re doing the other parts since this dish does have a few components and it takes some time to get everything together. I found that getting everything else ready, then frying the tortillas and bananas and cooking the eggs last was a good way to get it all done.

My grocery store did not have ripe plantains so I used bananas. A nice ripe plantain would’ve been better, but the bananas worked out ok. If the idea of bananas with everything else is just a little too adventurous for you, then leave them out. This is a great dish with or without them. I used the smoked gouda cheese called for in the recipe I used, but other cheeses would work well. I tried my best to make a nice egg over easy, but isn’t wasn’t pretty (as you can see). Fix your eggs the way you like them. I think next time I’ll scramble mine because as much as I want to like a runny yolk it’s tough for me to handle. This recipe also calls for peas, which I found to be weird, but I used them anyway. You can’t really taste them with all the other flavors going on, and they’re a fun addition to the plate, so use them or don’t.

I can see myself making these again, and I can definitely see myself making the beans and salsa again and using them for a quick dinner on tortillas with some shredded chicken, lettuce and sour cream. The flavors in both the beans and the salsa are really nice and fresh.

Once you have everything together, assemble them and enjoy!

While some of the ingredients sound weird together, try them anyway! Unless you have an allergy of course or peas make you gag. When they’re all together this dish is deliciously different. And it’s good to try new things.

Huevos Motuleños

Adapted slightly from Saveur

Ingredients

Beans

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 poblano peppers, seeded and roughly chopped (reserve 1 pepper for the salsa)
1 handful of cilantro
1 medium white onion, quartered (reserve 3 quarters for the salsa)
1 tablespoon canola oil
kosher salt

Salsa

1 pound tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped
Reserved poblano pepper, roughly chopped
Reserved onion, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
kosher salt

Base and Toppings

8 corn tortillas
1 ripe plantain, sliced into thick, 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces
oil for frying
4 eggs
8-10 ounces cooked ham, chopped (or other meat)
4 slices of smoked gouda cheese, optional
crumbled queso fresco
green peas
fresh cilantro

Directions

Beans

Puree the beans, 1/4 of the onion, the cilantro, 1 poblano pepper and 1/4 cup of water in a blender or food processor until smooth.
Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add in the bean puree, stir and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt.
Transfer to a bowl and keep warm or refrigerate if using later.

Salsa

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add in the tomatoes, poblano and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender and there is some color on the onion, about 10 minutes.
Let cool slightly, then puree in a blender or food processor until smooth.
Heat another tablespoon of oil in the skillet and return the pureed vegetables to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally until mixture thickens slightly, and taste and season with salt.
Transfer to a bowl and keep warm or refrigerate if using later.

Base and Toppings

Heat an inch or two of oil in a large saucepan or dutch oven to 360°F.
Fry corn tortillas, 1 or 2 at a time depending on the size of your pan, for a minute on each side. DO NOT undercook them. They’ll be chewy instead of crispy if you don’t fry them enough or if the oil isn’t hot enough. Remove from the oil to paper towels to drain. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, making sure oil is at the correct temperature before frying. This may require turning the heat up and down to regulate the temp and keep it between 360 and 375.
Fry the plantains (or banana) for about 45 seconds to 1 minute. Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels.
Cook the eggs, fry, over easy, scramble.

Assemble

Heat everything if it hasn’t been kept warm, including the ham and peas.
Place one tortilla on a plate.
Top with 1/4 of the bean mixture, then your egg.
Top with some of the ham pieces and one piece of gouda cheese torn into pieces. Top with the other fried tortilla.
Spread some of the salsa on top of the tortilla then sprinkle with queso fresco, peas and cilantro. Place a few of the plantain (or banana) slices on top and serve.

February 28, 2014

Quick Chickpea and Spinach Curry

Carrie Zinnecker Main Dishes, Vegetarian chickpea, cilantro, curry, garam masala, quick and easy, spinach, tomatoes, Vegetarian, yogurt 1 Comment

I get one cooking magazine in the mail. Fine Cooking. I’ve mentioned it more than once (at least a dozen times probably) on the blog. It’s most definitely my favorite cooking magazine. It doesn’t have loads of content, but what it does have is good content and not a lot of ads. Anyway, buy a copy sometime and check it out.

This recipe for chickpea and spinach curry is from the latest issue. While doing meal planning for this past week I was at a loss for Tuesday’s dinner. So I grabbed the magazine and started flipping through it. This one stood out to me right away. I love the flavors in Indian food, but it often takes a lot of time and ingredients to make good Indian food at home. This recipe allows you to take some short cuts but still wind up with a very flavorful and satisfying meal with just enough spice.

Our Tuesday nights get a little crazy, no matter how hard I try I always feel like I am rushing to get dinner ready or the house picked up. This meal fit in perfectly with our busy night (although I failed in some ways this past week and we were still rushed!). It comes together incredibly quickly and cooks up in a flash. It’s full of good-for-you vegetables and fills you up without being heavy. But your house will smell like curry for a few days. That’s the only downside. Ben came home the next day from work and said, “Indian again?” to which I replied “No, spaghetti and meatballs.” which I’d spent all day cooking. I was sure it would’ve masked the curry, but no.

You can serve this as a side dish or as a vegetarian main, which is what I did. The recipe below serves 4 as a side and 2 as a main. It’s easily doubled or tripled, so can suit whatever your needs are.

I skipped out on the yogurt the first time around, but ate it with leftovers and loved the creamy, coolness of it next to the spice. Definitely serve this with naan if you can, but I am sure it would also be nice on a bed of white rice.

If you don’t like cilantro or are serving this to people who don’t, leave it out of the dish. You can serve fresh cilantro separately and let people decide how much, if any, they want.

Quick Chickpea and Spinach Curry

From Fine Cooking

Ingredients

1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/8 tsp. cayenne (optional, I left it out)
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 14-1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes
Kosher salt
6-7 ounces baby spinach
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (optional, mix in or on the side)
1/2 cup Greek yogurt (optional for serving)

Directions

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add in the onion, ginger, curry powder and garam masala and cook for a few minutes, until the onion is softened. Add in the garlic and cook for one minute more.
Stir in the chickpeas, tomatoes, and salt to taste (start with 1/2 teaspoon and add no more than 1 teaspoon)
Add in the spinach, a cup or so at a time, letting is cook down just a bit before adding more to keep you pan from getting overloaded.
Once the spinach has cooked down and is wilted, season with more salt if needed, cover the pan and turn off the heat. Let it sit for about 5 minutes.
You can stir in the cilantro to the dish now if desired or serve it on the side.

November 18, 2013

Cornmeal Crusted Baked Green Chile and Jalapeno Jack Cheese Stuffed Chicken

Carrie Zinnecker chicken, Main Dishes Baked, chicken breasts, cilantro, dinner, enchilada sauce, green chile, jalapeno jack cheese, Mexican, quick and easy, taco seasoning 1 Comment

Sometimes I see recipes on Pinterest that look amazing, and I pin them, but with no real intention of ever actually making them. But this one I found, pinned and made in the same day. It was pretty wonderful and easily adapts to what you have, what you like and what you need. The original recipe, found here at Lady Behind the Curtain, makes 6 servings. I made 3 servings, enough for a couple for dinner and leftovers for me for lunch the next 2 days. You can easily make this meal to serve 1 or a dozen. And whoever you serve will be pleased.

I hate taking pictures of food in my kitchen when it’s already dark out. I’ve probably lamented about this before, but it really is discouraging. Natural light is a photographer’s best friend, especially when food is involved. I’m not a photographer, by the way. I’d imagine a real photographer would’ve made this look less…strange…and much more appetizing. But please believe me when I tell you that this is a really tasty and satisfying meal, despite my not so amazing photograph.

Pounded chicken breasts are wrapped around jalapeno jack cheese, green chile and cilantro, dredged in seasoned corn meal and baked, topped with more cheese, then drizzled (or drenched if that’s more your style) in enchilada sauce, and if you’re feeling fancy, sprinkled with some crumbled queso fresco and chopped cilantro. The chicken turns out moist, the green chile and cheese in the center is really delicious and the corn meal crust is crunchy and delicious. I used this taco seasoning recipe from Alton Brown. It will likely become the only taco seasoning I use from now on. Not because I dislike packaged seasoning and all the unknowns it carries, but because it is just really good. More flavor from spices and less from the salt when you make it yourself I think. I highly recommend giving it a try. You likely have all the ingredients in your pantry. Here is the link.

If you’ve already gone over to the original recipe and looked at the ingredients you might notice that I’m using more cheese, but making half the amount of food. It’s not a mistake. I like cheese and using half an ounce of cheese in one chicken breast made me sad. I want to cut into the chicken and have melting cheese ooze out. That is not going to happen with such a small amount of cheese. Although a smaller amount of cheese is definitely the healthier way to go! Go ahead and be smart and portion conscious if you want to be, but you might regret it just a little. I made the original amount of cornmeal crust because I am of the mind that it’s better to have more than you need than not enough. I did have some left over, but the chicken breasts I had were large and I’m glad I didn’t cut the amount in half, I wouldn’t have had enough.

To change this to suit your taste use a different type of cheese, whatever you like or have, white cheddar, colby jack, etc. You could also use a different type of enchilada sauce, green, mild, hot, etc. And again, this is easily adapted to suit the number of people you need to serve. Eat up and enjoy!

Cornmeal Crusted Chicken with Green Chiles and Jalapeno Jack Cheese

Ingredients

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 ounces of jalapeno jack cheese, cut into 1 ounce slices + 1-2 extra ounces shredded cheese for topping
2 whole green chiles, sliced in half lengthwise (I used whole canned green chiles and froze what I did not use in a zip top bag.)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons taco seasoning (again, this one is amazing!)
1/3 cup cornmeal
1 egg
red enchilada sauce (store bought or homemade)
crumbled queso fresco (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F
Whisk egg in a wide shallow bowl, set aside.
Whisk cornmeal and taco seasoning together in a wide shallow bowl, set aside.
Pound each chicken breast to 1/8 inch thickness (pound between layers of plastic wrap or wax paper) and lay each out on your work surface.
Lay one slice of green chile in the center of each chicken breast. (You’ll have a slice leftover if you’re making 3, so either add it to one of the breasts, or cut it into 3 pieces and add one to each breast.)
Place a slice of cheese on top of the chile, followed by a sprinkle of cilantro.
Roll up the chicken. Dip into the egg to coat, then into the cornmeal to coat. Place into the baking dish, seam side down.
Repeat with all of the chicken breasts, then bake for 25-30 minutes. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, sprinkle with the extra shredded cheese.
Warm the enchilada sauce in a small saucepan. Drizzle sauce over the chicken after is comes out of the oven and sprinkle with more cilantro and queso fresco if desired.

June 18, 2012

Vietnamese Turkey Meatball Bún

Carrie Zinnecker Main Dishes, Salad, Sauces and Condiments bún, carrot, cilantro, cucumber, Elizabeth St. Cafe, meatball, mint, noodle bowl, peanut, Vietnamese 2 Comments

While in Austin a few weeks ago my sister took me to Elizabeth Street Cafe. Eat here if you ever get the chance. It’s a French-Vietnamese cafe, which may sound strange to you (it has to a couple people I’ve told about my meal) but the marriage translates into delicious bánh mì, bún and pho as well as sweet eclairs and delicate macarons. We didn’t actually have dessert here since we’d already made plans to have ice cream at Lick. Go there too.

This was one of the yummiest meals I’ve had in a while. Vietnamese cuisine has a way of leaving you totally satisfied but not stuffed. I think it’s the abundance of fresh veggies and herbs, differences in textures and the heat and intense flavor of the sauces. We shared the pork belly steamed buns, pork bánh mì on house-made baguette, and the keffir lime fried chicken bún. All delicious.

This meal inspired me to make my own Vietnamese noodle bowl at home. I decided on a Vietnamese turkey meatball instead of fried chicken. Thanks to my Farmhouse delivery last weekend I had fresh carrots and cucumbers to use in the bowl. I made the dressing for the bún, nuoc cham. It’s a basic Vietnamese dipping sauce of lime juice, fish sauce, peppers, garlic, a touch of sugar and water. I think this a really great summer dinner. Fresh crisp veggies and herbs with warm meatballs and a spicy cool heat from the sauce.

I baked the meatballs instead of pan frying. I think there was too much liquid in the meat mixture because the baked meatballs were sitting in a pool of meatball juice (you know what I’m talking about, and it ain’t pretty) so I had to drain them. They tasted delicious and with some tweaking they could definitely be something I’d make again. Although, these meatballs I know are good and could easily be used here. The recipe below makes about 35 meatballs. I wanted to have enough to make bánh mì later in the week, which we did (2 nights in a row, in fact). Cut the meatball recipe in half if you’re only planning to use the meatballs for one meal with some leftover.

The meatballs do take some time to prep with all the chopping you have to do, and the chopping and slicing doesn’t end there. The bún is full of shredded lettuce (I used iceberg but you could use romaine) julienned carrots, cucumber slices, chopped cilantro and mint. So get your best knife and cutting board ready! I made the meatball mixture, dressing and chopped everything during nap time. This made dinner time pretty easy. All I had to do was scoop and bake the meatballs, and cook the rice noodles.

In looking at different recipe for bún I saw other vegetables used like bean sprouts, daikon and red radish. Traditionally beef is used as the protein as in this recipe from Leite’s Culinaria that looks dleicious. But pork can also be used, like in this recipe from Fine Cooking which is making me crave grilled pork at 9 in the morning.

Vietnamese Turkey Meatball Bún

Ingredients

Meatballs

(Makes about 35, you may want to cut this recipe in half)

2 pounds ground turkey
5 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
3 small shallots, finely chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons minced ginger root
2 stalks of fresh lemongrass, tender white inner bulb only, minced
4 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons finely chopped mint
2 tablespoons chopped basil
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Nuoc Cham (Dressing)

1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ginger, minced
1 red or green Asian chile, or serrano chile, sliced into thin rounds

Salad

1/2 head iceberg lettuce, shredded (or you can use romaine)
6-8 ounces of rice noodles (this depends on how many people you’re serving and how much you like noodles. We used 5 ounces and it made 5 servings.)
1 cucumber, sliced into half moons or halves
6-8 carrots, peeled and julienned
4 green onions, sliced
chopped cilantro
chopped mint
chopped basil
chopped peanuts
sriracha (if you need more heat!)

Directions

Meatballs

If baking right away, preheat the oven to 400°F. Position a rack in the top third of the oven.
Combine the turkey, fish sauce, shallots, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, herbs, egg, salt and pepper and mix with your hands until well combined but without overworking the mixture. At this point you can either refrigerate the mixture in the bowl, form into balls and cover and refrigerate on the pan, or form into balls and bake right away.
Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Using slightly moistened hands, roll the mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls. Transfer the meatballs to the prepared baking sheet and bake them for 15-20 minutes, until they are lightly browned and cooked through.

Nuoc Cham (Dressing)

Combine warm water and sugar and stir to dissolve sugar.
Stir in the remaining ingredients and refrigerate until ready to use.

Salad

Cook rice noodles by bringing a pot of water to a boil. Add the noodles and remove from the heat. Let sit for about 5 minutes. Drain and rinse the noodles in cool water.
Layer in deep, wide bowls: lettuce, noodles and meatballs. Arrange vegetables and herbs around the sides. Sprinkle with peanuts and green onion and drizzle with nuoc cham. Toss everything together and enjoy using fancy chopsticks (or a nice reliable fork!).

June 6, 2012

Cilantro Peanut Pesto Pasta

Carrie Zinnecker Main Dishes, Pasta cilantro, ginger, Pasta, peanuts, pesto, rotisserie chicken 0 Comments

When it comes to pesto, I tend to think only of the basil and pine nut variety. This one is my favorite. But there are so many combinations of herbs and nuts that you can use to make pesto! I find basil and pine nuts to be on the pricier end of the spectrum, so using cheap ingredients like cilantro and peanuts make this a wallet friendly pesto as well as a delicious one. The pesto is tossed with some linguine and shredded chicken to make for a complete meal.

My Everyday Food magazine on the iPad is proving to be quite the handy resource. I can put the iPad in my cookbook holder. I don’t have to print out the recipe, and I don’t have to have my big laptop next to the stove and sink. In addition to being convenient, there are a lot of quick and simple recipes, like this one.

I didn’t change much about the recipe. I used less pasta than the recipe calls for. I did this for a couple reasons. I’d rather have more stuff in my pasta dishes and less pasta. Also, my pasta was a 1 pound package. I’d rather use half and have enough to use later for another recipe instead of using 3/4 and trying to incorporate 1/4 into a meal. I had some pesto left over, so I should have just used the 3/4 pound.

The recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, but spice hasn’t been my friend lately. So I left that out. I used a little more ginger, added shredded rotisserie chicken for some protein, and used 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and found that to be plenty. But start with 1 tablespoon, taste and adjust as you see fit.

Martha says you can use the entire bunch of cilantro, including the stems. I’m not sure if the same is true for basil and parsley. I would think parsley would be since the two are so similar (I’ve bought one instead of the other at the store on more than one occasion). Basil, I don’t know. But since basil leaves are so big it isn’t a difficult task to remove them from the stem.

This cilantro peanut pesto has inspired me to search out some other interesting pestos. Here is a kale and walnut pesto from Lauren of Healthy Foods for Living. And Cookie + Kate’s arugula and walnut pesto sounds amazing.

Cilantro Peanut Pesto Pasta

From Everyday Food

Ingredients

1 bunch cilantro, 1/4 cup leaves reserved for serving
1 clove garlic, smashed and peeled
1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into chunks
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon grated lime zest plus 2 tablespoons juice
1 teaspoon light-brown sugar
1/3 cup roasted peanuts, divided
2 to 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 to 3/4 pound spaghetti or linguine, cooked according to package instructions
2 cups shredded chicken (optional)

Directions

In a food processor, combine cilantro, garlic, ginger, vegetable and sesame oils, lime zest and juice, brown sugar, and 1/4 cup peanuts. Pulse until a coarse paste forms. Season with soy sauce and pulse to combine.
In a large bowl, toss pesto with pasta. Stir in shredded chicken.
Roughly chop remaining peanuts and sprinkle over pasta along with cilantro leaves.

May 8, 2012

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas with Greek Yogurt

Carrie Zinnecker casserole, chicken, Main Dishes chicken, cilantro, enchiladas, greek yogurt, green chile 0 Comments

The internet is a great place to peruse recipes and get new ideas for healthifying your meals. I think I made that word up. I like comfort food. I like cheese, cream, sugar, butter, bacon, chocolate and all things bread. Unfortunately, eating like that all the time would mean big trouble. So I sometimes like to find ways to lighten up those calorie laden foods, even if it’s just a touch, so that we can enjoy them more often.

There are all kinds of tricks and substitutions people come up with for lightening up old favorites. Sometimes you find something that sounds great, almost too good to be true…which a lot of the time means it is and the final product is not what you’d hoped it would be. I once found a recipe for scalloped potatoes that used skim milk. Skim milk! No cream! And it claimed to be the same creamy potato dish without all the fat. They lied. I ended up throwing the majority of it away. So, I was worried about these enchiladas. I love the idea of using non-fat greek yogurt instead of sour cream or a cream sauce, but wasn’t sure if it was going to work out. But I’ve seen lots of recipes that make the substitution, so I gave it a try. Thankfully this was one of those times that taking a chance worked out and we had a delicious dinner with a little less guilt than usually comes with a plateful of enchiladas.

The original recipe came from Meals and Moves, a blog I hadn’t come across until yesterday. I changed very little, and would make just a couple additional changes when I make these again. I used corn tortillas, because I believe there is no other way to make enchiladas. I added cilantro, garlic, jalapeno and just a bit more cheese to the filling. Next time I might add chopped green bell pepper to the veggies, maybe a little more chicken and the whole jalapeno, seeded for the spice sensitive (like myself these days). But feel free to go for it with the seeds. I’ll meet back up with you in September when I can handle it without a serious case of heartburn. Too much information? Sorry.

If you’re looking for a good side dish to serve with these enchiladas or any Tex-Mex meal, try this black bean and corn salad from Whole Foods. It also makes for a good salsa and can be adapted to fit your tastes. I like to add chopped tomatoes.

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas with Greek Yogurt

Ingredients

10 corn tortillas
6-8 green onions, chopped
1/2 jalapeno, diced small
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can chopped green chiles (7-8 ounces total)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
1 1/2 cups non fat Greek yogurt (a little more for topping)
1 cup salsa verde
salt and pepper to taste
1/2-1 cup shredded cheese (montery jack, colby jack, etc.)
1/2-3/4 cup chopped cilantro (and a little extra for garnish)

Directions

Heat a drizzle of oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the green onions and the jalapeno and saute for 3-4 minutes. Then add in the garlic and cook for another minute or so. Add the green chiles, cumin and a dash of salt and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Mix the chicken into the warm vegetables and set aside.
Combine the yogurt, salsa verde and cilantro in a bowl. Add all but 1 cup of the yogurt mixture into the chicken mixture. Add 1/4-1/2 cup of cheese to the chicken and mix to combine.
Heat corn tortillas in 2 batches in the microwave, wrapped in slightly damp paper towels for about 30 seconds or until they are pliable.
Coat a 9×13 pan with cooking spray. Fill the center of a tortilla with about 1/3 cup of filling, roll up and lay seam side down in the pan. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Some of your tortillas may crack, but it’s not a big deal. (If you have extra space, extra tortillas and extra filling, cram another enchilada or 2 into the pan.)
Spread remaining yogurt sauce over the enchiladas and then sprinkle with 1/4-1/2 cup of cheese.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until cheese is melted and edges have started to brown.
Garnish with a little yogurt and chopped cilantro.

February 8, 2012

Pea and Avocado Guacamole

Carrie Zinnecker Appetizers avocado, cilantro, guacamole, jalapeno, lime, peas 0 Comments

Who would have thought? Peas. And, to shock you even more, it was GOOD. And not just so-so, but really, really good. Like I finished it off by scraping the sides of the bowl. That kind of good. And you still feel good because at least half of the bulk of this guacamole is pureed green peas and not high fat (even though it is good fat) avocado.

I made this for a Superbowl party. It was a small gathering and we probably didn’t need any snacks along with our pulled pork sandwiches, cole slaw, baked beans, fruit salad and cookies. But it was the Superbowl, and for some reason that has become an excuse for Americans to stuff themselves silly. I made a compromise with myself to still have guacamole, but to make it a little healthier. I don’t know where I originally saw this idea. Maybe Pinterest? I found many recipes, some using peas and avocado, some using all peas and no avocado. I decided a combination would be more like the original and therefore more likely to fool people.

I love cilantro. If you don’t so much, use less. Same with the jalapeno, but I didn’t find the amount I used below to be too much. As with all guacamole, taste as you go and adjust your seasonings accordingly. I like to taste test on what I’ll be serving with the dip. Since I was serving this with tortilla chips, I probably used less salt than if I was serving it with crudites. Enjoy!

Pea and Avocado Gaucamole

Ingredients

1 ripe avocado
1 10-ounce bag of frozen peas, thawed
1/3 cup finely minced red onion
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon minced jalapeno
1/3 to 1/2 cup seeded and chopped tomatoes (I used about 15 quartered cherry tomatoes)
salt and pepper
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
dash of garlic powder (or use finely minced fresh garlic to taste)

Directions

Puree peas in food processor until smooth.
In a bowl, mash avocado with peas. Stir in onion, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeno and tomatoes.
Season with salt, pepper, cumin and garlic. Taste and adjust.
Serve immediately or cover directly with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

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