Heirloom Tomato Tart

Summer might be over, but Portland keeps hanging on to the sun. The leaves are falling off of the trees though and it is definitely fall. Maybe you stashed some tomatoes away in your freezer. Make this and pretend it's still August.

Heirloom Tomato Tart via Joy the Baker:

Makes 1 9 by 9 tart

For the sun dried tomato pesto sauce -

1 8 oz. jar sun dried tomatoes, some of the oil reserved

2 cloves garlic, peeled

1 small red chili, seeds remove and coarsely chopped

Big pinch of granulated sugar

1 scant tsp. salt

3-4 Tb. olive oil from the sun dried tomato jar

For the Tart-

1 9×9-inch sheet all-butter puff pastry, thawed but still cold

Small handful fresh basil leaves

4 oz. goat cheese

3 small heirloom tomatoes, sliced about ¼-inch thick and drained on paper towels

Handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half and seeds removed

1 Tb. fresh thyme leaves

Olive oil

To make the sun dried tomato pesto sauce, combine sun dried tomatoes, garlic cloves, chopped

chili, sugar, salt, and oil in the bowl of a food processor. Blend until combined, but still slightly

coarse. The mixture does not need to be completely smooth. Taste and season as needed. You'll get some extra. It's fantastic on other things, like toasted bread.

Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking

sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Unfold a chilled sheet of puff pastry. Roll lightly with a rolling pin just to flatten completely. Place on the prepared baking sheet and spread about half of the pesto sauce over the puff

pastry, leaving about a ½-inch border around the edges. Coarsely tear basil leaves over the

sauce. Crumble goat cheese over the sauce. Arrange heirloom tomatoes in a single layer over

the goat cheese and press down slightly. Try to cover as much of the sauce as possible as it can

burn in the oven if exposed. Add a few cherry tomato halves. Sprinkle generously with fresh

thyme and drizzle with olive oil.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until puffed and golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to rest

for at lease 10 minutes before serving.

It's kind of like pizza, but so much fancier. Close your eyes and dream of summer.

Baked Ranchero Eggs with Blistered Jack Cheese and Lime Crema

I am the worst at blogging. This is an example. I meant to post this, after meaning to post it forever ago before that, almost a month ago. And these are really bad cell phone pictures, which aren't usually really bad, but these ones are. Believe me when I say this tastes a lot better than it looks here.

Baked Ranchero Eggs with Blistered Jack Cheese and Lime Crema via The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook:

Serves 4-6

1 jalapeno

3 c. whole tomatoes (from a 28 oz. can), fire roasted if possible

1 medium white onion, roughly chopped

1 large garlic clove, crushed and peeled

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1¾ c. cooked black beans (or from a 15 oz. can), drained (optional)

2 Tb. olive oil

4 small (6 inch) corn tortillas

Salt, to taste

12 large eggs

1¼ c. coarsely shredded jack cheese

2 Tb. freshly squeezed lime juice, from about 1 lime

1 c. crema mexicana or sour cream

¼ c. chopped fresh cilantro

Halved in 9 inch skillet or quartered and baked in 1-quart gratin dish

Make ranchero sauce first. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. First, taste your jalapeno for heat. Adjust the amount accordingly, halving or quartering the pepper, if needed, and toss into a blender. I like it spicy, so I just went for the whole thing. Add the tomatoes, onion, garlic, and several pinches of salt and pepper, and blend until smooth. Pout into a 12-inch ovenproof skillet, add black beans, if using them, and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, or until it has reduced slightly.

Meanwhile, brush a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Cut the tortillas into ½-inch-wide strips, and arrange them on the oiled tray. Brush the tops of the tortilla strips with the remaining tablespoon of oil, and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 3 to 6 minutes, or until they are brown and crisp. Mine are a little thicker, so it needed to bake a little longer, more like 10 minutes. Turn them over once if needed. Remove the strips from the oven, then preheat broiler.

In a separate bowl, stir together the lime juice, crema, and a pinch of salt.

Once the sauce has thickened slightly, remove the pan from heat, and break the eggs across the surface of the sauce, distributing them as evenly as possible. Return to heat, cover the pan, and simmer the eggs gently in the sauce for about 10 to 12 minutes, until the whites are nearly but not completely opaque. Sprinkle the surface of the tomato-egg mixture with cheese, and broil until the cheese is bubbly and a bit blistered, just a few minutes.

Garnish with dollops of lime crema, broken-up pieces of tortilla strips, and cilantro. Serve immediately.

I ended up overcooking the eggs a bit while trying to get the whites to set. It still tasted really good, but without that unctuous yolky flavor and mouthfeel. I would definitely make this again. The sauce is awesome and it makes enough for using on another dish later on.

Potato Tacos with Avocado and Tomatillo Salsa

Apparently I like tomatillos and recipes that are really easy. Want something mid-week and fast and maybe a little different? Try this. Make mashed potatoes. Fry it up in some tortillas. Make some salsa. Bam bam bam – dinner.

Potato Tacos with Avocado and Tomatillo Salsa via Serious Eats:

Serves 4 (or 2 mega hungry people)

2 avocados

4 medium tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and quartered

1 large garlic clove, quartered

1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, and chopped

½ c. cilantro leaves, chopped

½ tsp. salt

1 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, chopped into ½-inch pieces

4 oz. queso fresco, divided, crumbled

Salt and black pepper

12 corn tortillas

¼ c. vegetable oil

½ c. Mexican crema, or sour cream

1½ c. iceberg lettuce, shredded (or better lettuce because yeah)

For the avocado salsa, cut avocados in half lengthwise, and remove large seeds. Scoop out flesh and place in blender along with tomatillos, garlic, chiles, cilantro, ¼ cup water, and salt. Process until it is a coarse puree. Set aside. The avocado sauce won’t turn brown because of the tomatillos. You can also eat a bunch of it while you're working on other stuff.

To make the potato tacos, bring large pot of water to boil over high heat. Add potatoes and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain in a colander. Mash the potato in large bowl, or pass through potato ricer. Mix in half of the queso fresco. Season mixture with salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon two tablespoons of potato mixture into each tortilla. Fold each over, and secure each with one tooth pick, weaving in and out to keep each in a “U” shape.

Pour oil into large 10-inch cast iron pan set over medium-high heat. When oil is shimmering, add enough tacos as will fit in a single layer, probably three. Cook until crisp and golden on each side, about 30 seconds for each, flipping with pair of tongs. When done, remove tacos, draining as much oil as you can. Place on paper towels and repeat process until all tacos are cooked.

Serve tacos with salsa, crema, and lettuce.

So good. So fast. Did I mention how good they are?

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Quesadilla with Swiss Chard Pesto

It’s been hot here lately folks. And that’s a mostly nice thing. What it means is that cooking usually doesn’t take long in the kitchen because no one wants to be in there. I love this recipe from Closet Cooking because it used a bunch of my CSA, packs a ton of protein, is mostly good for you, and is ridiculously delicious. The quesadilla recipe itself is for one, but with the amount of everything else you’re making, you can easily double or triple the quesadillas you make. Have some friends over or something. All the modifications were based on what I had available at home/could find at the store.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Quesadillas with Swiss Chard Pesto slightly modified from Closet Cooking:

Serves 1

Quesadilla-

1 tortilla

½ c. (or less) shredded cheddar cheese

¼ c. chipotle roasted sweet potatoes and chipotle black beans

1 Tb. swiss chard pesto

Chipotle Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Black Beans-

2 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed, dried and cut into ½” cubes

2 Tb. oil, separated

2 Tb. chipotle in adobo sauce, minced and separated

2 tsp. ground cumin, separated

1 small onion, diced

2 clove garlic, chopped

1 (19 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

Swiss Chard Pesto-

1 bunch swiss chard, coarsely chopped

1 handful cilantro, coarsely chopped

1 jalapeño, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic

¼ c. pine nuts, toasted

½ c. olive oil

½ lime, juiced

Salt and freshly pepper to taste

To make the sweet potatoes and black beans, toss the sweet potato in 1 tablespoon each of oil and chipotle and 1 teaspoon of cumin, place on a baking sheet in a single layer and roast in a preheated 400F oven until tender, about 30-40 minutes. Do this early in the day if it’s going to be a hot one.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic, remaining chipotle and cumin and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the beans and cook until warm, a few minutes. Mix with the sweet potatoes.

To make the pesto, puree all of the ingredients together in a food processor. You can do this a day or two ahead of time. There will be a lot, so try it out on a bunch of stuff.

To assemble the quesadilla, place the tortilla in the pan, sprinkle half of the cheese over half of the tortilla, then top with the chipotle roasted sweet potatoes and chipotle black beans, swiss chard pesto and the remaining cheese. Fold the tortilla in half coving the filling and cook until the quesadilla is golden brown on both sides and the cheese is melted, about 2-4 minutes per side. Serve garnished with more salsa, some sour cream or yogurt and whatever other toppings you like.

Jalapeño Pepper Jack Scones

 If you're not reading Joy the Baker yet, you're missing out. Her irreverent writing style is always entertaining and though I have a zillion of her recipes starred in my reader, this is my first time baking anything of hers. The awesome smoothie from last month was hers though.

I made these for Valentine's Day because I had most of the stuff around the house and I love cheese. So I guess you could the love between Aaron and I is spicy. And cheesy. Also, delicious. This recipe been sitting in my reader for awhile now, but I'm glad I finally got around to making them.

Jalapeño Pepper Jack Scones from Joy the Baker:

Makes 6 large scones

2 c. all-purpose flour
2 Tb. cornmeal
1 Tb. baking powder
1 tsp salt
8 Tb. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
2 large eggs
½ c. heavy cream (plus more for brushing the tops of the scones)
¼ lb. pepper jack cheese, cut into small cubes
2 medium jalapenos, some seeds removed, diced small
2 tsp. olive oil
1 Tb. all-purpose flour

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.

Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a small sauté pan and cook diced jalapeños until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Let the diced peppers cool and them mix with the diced cheese. Toss mixture in 1 tablespoon of flour and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Work in the cold butter with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Some butter pieces will be the size of peas and the flour will be nice and crumbly.

Whisk together 2 eggs and heavy cream. Add the wet ingredients all at once to the dry ingredients, fold together with a fork until almost fully incorporated. Add the jalapeño and cheese mixture to the shaggy dough and work together. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 30 seconds. Form into a disk about 8” around and 2” thick. Cut disk into six wedges and refrigerate for 10 minutes before baking.

When ready to bake, place chilled scones onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush with heavy cream and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and delicious.

These are so good! They're much spicier than you might expect which pairs well with the fattiness of the cheese. I think this would work so well with soup, but they're awesome just on their own. Even for breakfast!

Chicken and Waffles

What do you do when you make too much pancake/waffle batter? You stick in the fridge and then have chicken and waffles for dinner. You can modify these any way you like, but make sure it's spicy or you're missing the point.

Chicken and Waffles:

Serves 2

For the waffles-
½ recipe waffle batter
1 head broccoli, diced small
½ c. cheese (white cheddar rocks!)
2 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 Tb. cayenne pepper
2 Tb. granulated garlic
2 Tb. dried minced onion
Freshly cracked pepper

For the chicken-
2 chicken breasts
2 eggs
Breadcrumbs
Flour
2 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tsp. granulated garlic
Freshly cracked pepper
Salt to taste

To make the waffles, mix everything in with the batter, and get it going in a waffle iron. You should have enough batter to make four small waffles.

To make the chicken, mix in the cayenne pepper, garlic, pepper, and salt with some flour. Dredge the chicken through the flour, then the egg wash, and then the breadcrumbs. Cook in pan with hot olive oil over medium-high heat until cooked through.

 Place the chicken on a waffle, cover with hot sauce of your choice, and top with another waffle. Serve with syrup. These are sweet and spicy and so delicious. The broccoli adds color and a bit of texture and the cheese is a perfect complement to all of the spice. It’s hearty and works day or night.

Thai Style Buffalo

I feel like I should post a warning when a new semester starts for me: WARNING! SCHOOL IN SESSION. I MIGHT FORGET I HAVE A BLOG.

It makes me sad too because I love making good food and posting about it. So here we go, back to the middle of last month when I was talking about that fun, three-course meal I made for Aaron. The entree course was Thai-style buffalo. I was going to make them into meatballs, but decided to go with it loose over rice. It as tangy and fun and I really liked it.

Thai Style Buffalo with Rice:

Serves 4

1/2 lb. ground buffalo
Zest and juice of one lime
1 Tb. garlic chili sauce
2 Tb. toasted sesame oil
1 tsp. oyster sauce
1/2 c. rice vinegar
1/2 c. island soyaki
1/2 c. olive oil
1 c. cilantro, chopped
3 cloves garlic, diced
Zest and juice of 1/2 orange
Olive oil
1 c. cooked rice

Mix buffalo with zest and juice of lime and next 8 ingredients in a large bowl. Place in fridge and marinate for about two hours, mixing every 30 minutes.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add buffalo and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over rice.

It’s tangy and a little spicy and, of course, garlicky, which made it all a very satisfying main course. I’m sure you could marinate it for less time for a quicker mid-week meal.

Oven Roasted Broccoli

My wedding anniversary was this past Wednesday. While pouring over recipes to make sure Aaron and I had a very special meal, I came across this, which seems ordinary, but with everything else we eventually had planned, so perfect. Aaron and I are big broccoli lovers, so broccoli as a side for a very special anniversary dinner seemed to be just right. Unfortunately, with all of those other things going on, it didn't end up being just right, but there's hope for next time! I didn't really measure for this one, but the original does has measurements.

Oven-Roasted Broccoli from Honey & Jam:

Serves 2

1 broccoli crown, cut into florets
Olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
Large pinch of dried crushed red pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss broccoli and oil in large bowl to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Transfer to baking sheet. Roast 15 minutes. Stir more olive oil, garlic, and red pepper in small bowl. Drizzle garlic mixture over broccoli; toss to coat. Roast until broccoli is beginning to brown, about 8 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Do not, as in my case, let the oven beep too much because you're doing five other things, and let the broccoli burn. I also think they were in there too long anyway. And then get smoke in your eyes and rub them and have your contact fall out so that you have to run upstairs to put it in solution and put on your glasses. Yeah, don't do that. The stems were still really good, but the tops were quite crispy. I will definitely be trying this again and more attention will be paid. I'm only considering this a partial failure because I did still eat all of mine. I can tell it's going to be so good next time!

UPDATE: It works! Well, I got it to work. And it really is fantastic and now one of my favorite ways to eat one of my favorite vegetables.

Asian Style Ahi

Back in January, after a long in-class weekend, I went out with a few of my classmates. This is when Kirsten and I started talking and discovered that we are both really into food and food blogs and talking about food. I love her blog, A Cilantro Color and have been meaning to try something from it since its inception. One of the reasons I love it is because of cilantro. So many people hate it and that is ridiculous! Like Kirsten, I got into it when I started eating a lot of Thai food. When my parents started making it, after a trip to Kauai, I was anti-cilantro. And then I stopped being a big baby, ate my first pad thai, and fell in love with cilantro. (If you're not into it, check out Kirsten's post about cilantro haters here.)

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago I finally tried one of her recipes or rather, I used her marinade, slightly modified, for ahi instead of shrimp, which she mentions as a use in the original post.

It's fabulous. You should try it too.

Asian Style Ahi modified from Spicy Asian Style Shrimp from A Cilantro Color:

Makes 2 ahi steaks

2 medium ahi steaks
4 Tb. rice vinegar
5 Tb. soy sauce
Juice of one small lime
5 Tb. grated ginger
3 dried Thai chilis, minced
2 tsp. Asian garlic chili sauce
5 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tb. cilantro, chopped
2 Tb. olive oil

In medium bowl add rice vinegar, soy sauce, lime juice, ginger, Thai chili peppers, garlic chili sauce, garlic, and cilantro. Mix well. Add ahi to bowl. Put in refrigerator to marinate overnight. Kirsten’s original recipe has it for 30 minutes, but as I was getting ready to prepare dinner, Aaron and I were invited out by friends, so we set it off to the next day. I think the flavor would be amazing either way.

Set your grill to a medium flame. Ahi should be served seared and rare. Grill for 3-4 minutes, until edges brown, and turn once, grilling for another 2-3 minutes. Because the marinade sunk in so much, it was hard to tell when the edges were perfect, but going off of time, it ended up being cooked perfectly.

Serve with rice and vegetables. Aaron made some awesome stir fry veggies that went perfectly with the fish. The ahi itself was amazing! It was slightly spicy, a little sweet, and had an amazing depth of flavor. It was also awesome as lunch the next day. I can’t wait to try more of Kirsten’s awesome recipes!

Raspberry Chipotle Sauce

Because Kai and Jules gave us a full flat of raspberries and because they had traveled from the Skagit Valley, we needed to use them up quick. This was not a problem for me because I love raspberries. Aaron got to searching around and found the recipe. I didn't realize until today that it was an Emeril recipe, but I have to give him credit for this one. It's really, really good. I still really dislike him though. A lot. Moving on...

There's a great sweet and smoky flavor that comes out of this and it's perfect for this time of year. I only did prep on this one. The whole thing was entirely Aaron's idea and I am so glad he found it. Even if it is Emeril.

Raspberry Chipotle Sauce from Favorite Recipes from Emeril's Restaurants:

Makes 1½ cups

1 Tb. olive oil
½ c. small diced onion
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. chipotle chilies in adobo, chopped (we definitely put in more)
2 pints fresh raspberries, rinsed
½ c. raspberry vinegar (we subbed white wine vinegar)
¾ c. granulated sugar
½ tsp. salt



In a medium pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until soft and slightly caramelized, 4 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan and sauté for 1 minute. Add the chipotle chilies and cook, stirring continuously, for 1 minute. Add the raspberries and cook until soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the vinegar and stir to deglaze the pan. Add the sugar and salt, and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until thickened and reduced by half, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool before using. Aaron was really excited because he’s had issues with reducing sauces before. This one worked like a dream.

If you want to, strain through a fine mesh strainer, pressing on the solids with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Aaron and I decided that having the solids in gave it more character.

He then used it two different ways, reserving the rest for other meals. First he mixed it into some ground buffalo meat for buffalo burgers. Then he mixed it into a bit of mayo for the burgers. I love how the seeds show up in both.

And look at that burger! It was fantastic! The sauce added a subtle sweet-spicy flavor that just rocked with the buffalo. It helped that we had an awesome tomato from Kai and rocking lettuce from the farmer’s market, not to mention those buns. They’re from a local bakery and these pubs buns just make burgers sing.

This was a rocking sauce. We used it the next day for buffalo tacos. I want to make this again for a BBQ glaze. I think it would also be awesome with blackberries. So there you go Emeril. You got me to eat something of yours. I'll learn how to deal just because this is so good.

Mexican Cookies

What happens when you combine Mexican brownies and chocolate chip cookies? You get these cookies that seem to resemble snickerdoodles more than a combination of the above. They’re very tasty though!

This happened because my friend David’s parents were in town and he was having a pizza party at his place. Of course I had to bring something over! But alas, no peanut butter M&Ms! I did have some crushed Ibarra chocolate and all the fixings for regular chocolate chip cookies, so off I went.

The base was the chocolate chip cookies plus a bunch of cinnamon and chile powder. Then in went the crushed Ibarra, some more cinnamon, a bit more chile powder, and mini chocolate chips. I scooped them out onto a cookie sheet, sprinkled raw sugar and cinnamon on top, and baked for about 10 minutes at 375 degrees.



I thought they were fabulous and they went over very well at the party, but I think they would’ve been a better combination of the two with more Ibarra and more chile powder. Unfortunately I only have a cell phone picture of it, so just try to imagine delicious, moist, cinnamon-y cookies that were consumed very quickly.

Fruit Salsas

Just like I did for Aaron’s birthday, I made a bunch of snack for mine. However, unlike Aaron’s birthday, I didn’t want to be cooking just before or during the party, so I needed to come up with stuff that could be made ahead of time. The first thing that came to mind was salsa. Fresh, homemade salsas are delicious and taste even better if the flavors can mingle for a bit before serving. The two recipes I have listed here are more from my big old list and from my fabulous Mexican cookbook. Breaking down a pineapple isn’t the most fun thing it the world, but the results are so worth it. Plus, it’s something fabulous to snack on while making your salsa. Okay, so maybe that’s not in the official directions, but that’s how I do it. Same with the mango.

So here we got with part 1 of snacks from my birthday party!

Mango-Avocado Salsa from 1000 Mexican Recipes:

Makes about 1½ cups

1 large mango, peeled and finely diced
1 ripe avocado, peeled and finely diced
2 green onions, very finely chopped
1 jalapeño chile, finely chopped
2 Tb. fresh lime juice (I didn’t actually measure this, I just used the juice from one whole small lime)
¼ tsp. salt (kosher), or to taste
A bunch of cilantro, chopped (this is my addition)



Put all of the ingredients into a medium bowl, and stir gently to mix. Serve cold. Since I prepared this about 4 hours ahead of time, I waited to add the avocado until just before serving. This was such a delicious salsa. Oh my gosh, I never wanted to stop eating it. The flavors are clear and meld perfectly. I cannot wait to try this with fish or chicken.

Pineapple Salsa from 1000 Mexican Recipes:

Makes about 2½ cups

½ fresh pineapple, about 1½ lb.
½ medium red bell pepper, finely chopped
2 jalapeño chiles, seeded, veins removed, and minced
1 scallion, minced (I like that in the previous recipe, which is 2 pages away from this one, they call for green onions but in this one it’s scallion)
1 Tb. white wine vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
½ tsp. salt (kosher), or to taste
2 Tb. chopped fresh cilantro (I didn’t even eyeball this, I just put in a bunch)

Cut off both ends of the pineapple and then cut off the hard thorny skin all the way around the pineapple. Cut out the “eyes.” Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise and cut out the center core from each half. Cut the pineapple in 1/2 –inch pieces and put them in a large bowl.



Add the remaining ingredients and stir gently to combine. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 6 hours. Serve cold.

This one was also super delicious. But what did we eat the salsa with? That, my friends, is for the next post. Ooooh! Mystery. (Not really.)

Spiced Shredded Chicken

I know, I know, I know. I’ve been quite absent lately. I was powering through Wicked so I would have totally re-read it by this past Tuesday when Aaron and I went to see the Broadway musical at Keller Auditorium (it was really, really awesome, btw). And then the hubby and I started working on our guest bedroom and clearing out the closet filled with boxes that have been sitting since we moved in (2006). And I’ve been getting my stuff together for grad school. Oh, and the DS is charged again, so I’ve been playing games. In other words, sorry I haven’t been posting! I’ve been meaning to and I have been cooking!

So, the other night I decided I wanted nachos for dinner. This isn’t uncommon. If you know me, you know I am rather obsessed with nachos. Aaron has even made the joke that when I die and they do an autopsy, I will be filled with nothing but nachos. Anyway, I decided to split the plate with Aaron instead of selfishly hoarding them all to myself, as I have done in the past. Aaron loves meat on his nachos, so I decided to make up some shredded chicken. I mostly made this up as I went along, but I did try to keep track of what I was doing so a) I could do it again and b) so I could post it. See how nice I am?

Here’s what I did:

1 medium chicken breast
1 small lime
A few tablespoons of spices (cumin, a random mix my friend left over here. You can also use chili powder, red pepper flakes, Mexican oregano, whatever else you usually like in your Mexican food)
3-4 oz. vegetable stock (chicken stock would’ve been even better, but I used what I had. I froze some of my stock into ice cubes just for occasions such as this. It’s perfect. You should try it.)
Olive oil

Heat oil in a small pan over medium heat. Coat chicken breast in spices. Cook chicken on both sides until browned, about 5 minutes each. Squeeze in ½ of the lime juice and add stock. Cover and cook through over medium-low heat, about 10 minutes.





Remove from pan and let cool. When you can handle the chicken, shred it and return it to the pan. Add remaining lime juice and adjust spices to taste. Serve with your favorite Mexican dish, like tostadas or tacos. Or, you know, nachos.

You can make this ahead of time and use it later the same day or the following day. It’s very, very tasty and versatile.

Mexican Brownies

Tastespotting is an obsession. Well, sorta. It’s just really great food porn, which should be obvious since this will be the 4th mention of it in this blog. Anyway, I came across this recipe the other day and thought “bingo! Now I know what to do with all that Ibarra I have sitting around.” It’s just been sitting in the pantry since I worked on this project back in December. I love making brownies, especially since I now own a double boiler, and it seems like everyone likes them. Doing a twist on the same old thing is always fun.

One thing that did bug me is that the original recipe did not include cinnamon or chili powder. How can you call it Mexican brownies without those? Both ingredients enhance the special flavor that is Mexican chocolate. I first learned about chili powder in chocolate in my first Spanish class back in high school. My teacher was amazing and told us great stories about Spain and Mexico and food. I think it is a fabulous pairing and it goes really well with these brownies.

Mexican Brownies from foodlibrarian.blogspot.com:

Makes one delicious pan of brownies

3 circles Ibarra chocolate
2 oz. (2 squares) unsweetened chocolate
12 Tb. (1½ sticks) butter
1 c. plus 2 Tb. brown sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1¾ c. flour
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
4 tsp.-ish cinnamon plus more for the top (I only sort of measured)
A bit of chili powder (about ½ tsp.)
Raw sugar

Heat oven to 350 degrees.



Melt chocolate with butter in the top part of a double boiler, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. You can totally fake a double boiler with a bowl resting on top of a pot with simmering water. In the meantime, mix the dry ingredients together in another bowl. After the chocolate cools, beat in the sugar and the eggs, one at a time. Mix in vanilla then fold in dry ingredients. It was at this time I decided that there wasn’t enough cinnamon or chili powder in the mix, so I added more. Adjust flavor to taste.



Lightly grease a pan and sprinkle the bottom with raw sugar. Pour in the batter. Bang the pan if you need to in order to even out the batter in the pan. Sprinkle the top with more raw sugar and cinnamon.

Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool on a rack before eating.



These are extremely rich, dense, fudgy, and delicious. I really, really like them. Aaron says a glass of milk is necessary. Next time I do them (because I WILL do these again), I’ll add a smidge more chili powder. Other than that, awesome! I’m really impressed with how well these turned out.

Jack Cheese and Jalapeño Corn Bread

I love corn bread. It is earthy, delicious, and goes with so many different kinds of cuisine. It is especially tasty with chiles and spicy foods. When I decided to make the Brazilian Black Bean Soup, I knew it would be awesome with corn bread. This is a super simple bread to make and it is perfect. I only made one loaf, so cut the recipe in half if you want to do that.

Also, it goes great with the red chile honey I made last week.

Jack Cheese and Jalapeño Corn Bread from Flavored Breads:

Makes two 1-pound loaves

1½ c. lukewarm milk
½ c. lukewarm water
2 Tb. canola or vegetable oil
1 Tb. active dry yeast
4 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. cornmeal
¾ c. whole-wheat flour
4 tsp. salt (I used kosher)
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
½ c. chopped fresh cilantro
1 c. grated Monterey jack cheese
7 jalapeño chiles, stemmed, seeded, and minced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.



Gently whisk the milk, water, and oil in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle yeast over the milk mixture and let sit for 3 or 4 minutes. Combine the dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, cornmeal, whole-wheat flour, salt, cumin, and black pepper) and sift into a separate mixing bowl.



Add the dry ingredients to the yeast mixture and mix or knead for 6 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Add the cilantro, cheese, and jalapeños, and mix or knead until thoroughly and evenly distributed. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.

Dust a baking sheet with cornmeal or flour. I used a bread pan because I like the shape and it works really well with corn breads. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions and shape into round loaves. Or, do what I did, and put it in a bread pan. Place the loaves on the prepared baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for 25 minutes.



Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown and a paring knife or toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center. Place the loaves on a rack to cool. Cut when cool or slightly warm and serve.

Even Aaron, who’s not a big fan of corn bread, really like this one. Especially with the soup. It’s also great crumbled up in the black bean soup the next day. Yum!

Brazilian Black Bean Soup

The other day I went through a few of my cookbooks and chose a bunch of recipes I wanted to try. One of the books that I ended up choosing a number from is my Moosewood Cookbook. Although I do eat a little bit of red meat now, I’m still a huge fan of vegetarian recipes and still eat pretty much the same way I did before I started eating red meat again.

I have never made black bean soup before and this one looked fairly simple. It was fun soaking the beans, which is something I remember seeing on my counters as a child. I was also extra careful this time when blending up part of the soup based on my splatter incident with this soup. It smells amazing, it looks amazing, it is amazing. Do all of the prep work, etc., while the beans are cooking.

Brazilian Black Bean Soup from The New Moosewood Cookbook:

Serves 6-8

2 c. dry black beans, soaked
4 c. water
1 Tb. olive oil
3 c. chopped onion
10 medium cloves garlic, crushed (do I even need to say it?)
2 tsp. cumin
2-2½ tsp. salt (I used 2. The soup has plenty of flavor.)
1 medium carrot, diced
1 medium bell pepper, diced
1½ c. orange juice
Black pepper, to taste
Cayenne, to taste
2 medium tomatoes, diced (optional. I did.)
Optional toppings (sour cream, cilantro, salsa. I used yogurt, cilantro, and avocado.)





Soak 2 cups dry black beans in plenty of water (about 8 cups) for at least 4 hours (and preferably overnight).

Place the soaked beans in a kettle or Dutch oven with 4 cups of water. I don’t have either of those, so I used my big stock pot that I use for all of my soups. It was totally fine. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer until tender (about 1¼ hours).



Heat olive oil in a medium-sized skillet. Add onion, half the garlic, cumin, salt, and carrot. Sauté over medium heat until the carrot is just tender. Add remaining garlic and the bell pepper. Saute until everything is very tender (about 10 to 15 minutes). Add the sautéed mixture to the beans, scraping in every last morsel.



Stir in the orange juice, black pepper, cayenne, and optional tomatoes. Puree all or some of the soup in a blender or food processor. Be careful! It is hot and can explode everywhere! I know this. Return to kettle. Simmer over very low heat for 10 to 15 minutes more. Serve topped with an artful arrangement of your choice of toppings.

I also served mine with a special corn bread which I will post about later. It was super tasty and filling. I cannot wait to have more!