Chili... 'nuff said

So I get this thing in my email for the Cooking Channel and its a recipe contest.  13 categories to enter but only the best of 3 of those categories will be picked.  For shiz and giggles I decide "I MUST ENTER!"  There were several options -- brownies, pie, blah blah... but if you know me personally - you know that I have been working on my chili recipe for quite some time.  With the help of my friend Ben, a chef in Dallas, and little vegetarian flavor... I think i might actually have perfected it.  Its saucy, and spicy, and warm and with a little mustard, shredded cheese, minced fresh onion on top of some Fritos....  Its like a first kiss with a soul mate, like glitter and unicorns, like platinum and diamonds... like sparkles.. ok I've gone too far.  I cant help it.  I love shiny things.

I digress.

BACK TO THE CHILI!

Flamin' Veggie Chili

Ingredients:

1 bag of Boca meatless crumbles
1 lg. Texas yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
6 T of Chili powder
2 T of smoked Hungarian paprika
2 tsp of ground cumin
1 Ghost chile rehydrated and finely chopped  (you can leave this out if its too much)
1 T red chile flakes
2 cans of dark kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans of Stewed tomatoes (with liquid)
1 can of tomato sauce
1 can of Crushed or diced tomatoes
2 T of tomato paste
1 med can of chopped green chiles
1 T of Worcestershire sauce
1-2 T of Soy sauce
1 tsp of dark molasses
2 T of Vegan no beef base
Directions:

 

Sauté the onion over med-hi heat in a little olive oil till translucent.  Add crumbles and turn the heat up to Hi and brown.  Add garlic, and sauté till fragrant.  Add the chili powder, paprika, cumin, chile flakes and ghost chile and sauté for a minute or two.   And the beans, all the tomatoes and green chilies.  Stir to combine and then add the soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, molasses and vegan beef base.  Stir to combine.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Knock the heat down to medium, medium-low and cook for 45 min with the lid off till it reduces and becomes thick and all the flavors marry together. Make sure to stir this occasionally to make sure it doesn’t burn.  Turn the heat down if it’s too hot and make sure it simmers and bubbles with out burning for the entire 45 min.  As Alton Brown says, “Your patience will be rewarded.”

Also if you want to let this go all day in a crock put just brown the veggie beef and then throw everything in a large crock pot and turn that sucker on low and let it go all day.

Thanks for reading and happy eating (although there are no other options here).

Glazed over

Ok so I had a dinner party last week and I made Balsamic Glazed halibut on top of wilted spinach and creamed potatoes.  It was AMAZING.  And I had posted a recipe for the glaze a couple of weeks ago and figured I would post of pic of an awesome example of how to use it!  I let the halibut marinate for about an hour and then seared it in a pan.  Once the fish was done I put the rest of the marinade in the pan and reduced it for a few minutes and then plated!  TADA!

So GOOD! 

I put the Crack in Cracker Jacks

Ok so feast your eyes on this batch of deliciousness....

Oh yes!  What you see here is a fresh batch of Crack Jack... 

I know you have all waited patiently for the recipe so here it is.  I PROMISE you will not regret this!

CRACK JACK
Makes a crap ton of popcorn

For the Pecans:

Ingredients:
1 egg white
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cayenne
4 cups of pecans chopped in 1/2

Preheat oven at 275 degrees

Line a cookie sheet with sil pat or wax paper.  (if using wax paper spray with cooking spray)
Beat the egg white till stiff.  Add sugar, vanilla and cayenne and stir till its all smooth.  Mix in the pecans and pour onto baking sheet.  Bake until browned - about 10-15 min

Makes enough pecans for 2 batches of popcorn and some to eat while you wait.


For the Popcorn

Ingredients:
2 bags of lightly salted (NOT BUTTERED) popcorn
1/2 c of unsalted butter
1/2 cup of light corn syrup
1/2 cup of packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp of vanilla
1/2 tsp of baking soda
a sprinkle of sea salt if you want

Preheat the oven to 250.

Pop the popcorn and set aside -- dig out the seeds and any unwanted pieces.
Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray


In a heavy bottom saucepan heat brown sugar, corn syrup and butter over med heat.  Stir till it starts to boil and then leave it alone to boil over med heat for 5 min.
While the caramel is boiling spread the popcorn out over the cookie sheet and sprinkle with the candied pecans.
Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla and baking soda.
Drizzle over the popcorn and make sure they are all coated - mix it around if you need to.

Bake for 1 hour.  Let it rest to cool the sugar down before you try to fuss with it.  Break it up - put it in a giant ziploc and be surprised if it lasts 24 hours.


I brought a bag to work and now I am the new favorite person.  Just sayin'.

Thanks for reading and happy eating!

Side Note: EFF YOU FOOD

I have contemplated changing the name of my blog to  "EFF YOU FOOD : Why are you so delicious when my body clearly hates us both." 

I have recently found out that my thyroid decided it didn't want to work anymore.  This troublesome news has now led me to decide to join the gym - yuck - and also to change what I eat, AGAIN!  So here it goes...  No more white foods.  Which I do a pretty damn good job at NOT eating now anyway but now its serious.  No white rice, no home fries at Cindi's, no baguettes, no biscuits, no more unbleached white flour.  GROSS.  Whatever.  Its what I have to do to fit into this dress...

The Micheline Dress

I know - nice right. 

That being said I also found out that my digestive system does like to absorb vitamins so now I have to take them under the tongue and go through a "diabetes projection" blood test to see if I MIGHT have it someday.  The answer is - DUH!  That why I have been TRYING to loose weight - to no avail.

So like i said - My thyroid apparently put in its notice and didnt give me 2 weeks... and my ovaries hate me too (i have PCOS) and therefore the big D must be avoided at ALL costs.

EFF YOU FOOD!  I love you so much!  Why do you do this to me... why cant you and my organs get along? 

I guess ill take my lo-glycemic diet to the next level.  But i will tell you here and now.... I REFUSE TO MAKE BORING FOOD! 


That's all.

Tuna, Kale and Popcorn tales...

Ok so I made the popcorn... FINALLY!  And I ate all of it.  No kidding - Jeremy and I made the mistake of sitting down with the bag in front of the television and watched the food network.   HUGE mistake.  We ate the entire thing.  So -- looks like I'll make some more so that I can take a picture and post it.  :)

In the meantime!  LETS TALK KALE!!!

Now I have never been a huge fan of dark greens.  However, as I get older and start cooking them myself I realize how much I really DO like them!  I have mentioned this before - Jeremy and I are trying to do a nutrient rich diet and that includes a LOT of greens.  I have a recipe for Kale that I made all the time. I love it so much that I even eat the left overs cold. 

Braised Kale

2 large bunches of Kale, stems off and ripped into bit sized pieces
1/2 cup of No-Chik'n stock
2 cloves of garlic minced
1/2-1 T of red pepper flakes
Red wine vinegar

Rinse your kale and put it in a hug pot over med-hi heat.  Pour the stock over it and flip the kale around until it starts to shrink up and get yummy.  Then dump in the garlic and red pepper.  Braise this over med-high heat till its wilted but still has a bite to it.  Take it off the heat and add the vinegar.  I probably use a little less than 1/4c when I make it -- but I love the flavor so you can use as much as you like.  I dont put salt or pepper on this but you can if you want. 

I served this Kale up with a seared big eye tuna steak.  I coated the steaks in EVOO coated both sides with a mixture of lemon zest, dried thyme, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Seared over med-hi heat for 2 min on each side and drizzle with a soy, garlic, lemon, ginger sauce.  SUPER GOOD!!

This was an AMAZING meal that was nutrient rich, full of flavor and VERY little fat!  Not to mention Jeremy didnt speak while he was eating.  All I heard were grumbles and moans and I got a big fat kiss at the end of it all.  So I guess I did a good job!  YAY ME!

Food Poisoning sucks

Don't eat taco bell...   I know this is usually an understood, but in a panic to shove food in my mouth yesterday I ordered a 7-layer burrito and a bean burrito...  usually contains no meat.  However -- something went terribly wrong.  Never again.

Ashley's Balsamic Vinegar Conundrum

My lovely friend, Ashley, sent me a message on Facebook asking me to help her out with idea for what to do with all the balsamic vinegar she has since she is "sick of using it for salad dressings."  What she didn't know was that I not only can give her one recipe - I can give her 4!!!

I LOOOOOOVE balsamic vinegar.  (Yes all the "O's" were totally necessary!) I would drink it out of the bottle if I didnt think it would dissolve my digestive system with in minutes.  So what do you do with that pesky bottle that you have just sitting there collecting dust?  Here's what I would do!


Recipe #1:  

Balsamic Glazing Sauce

This crack-like substance is good on anything.  My favorite way to do it is on the Delight Soy Nuggets.  I can find them in the frozen veggie meat section of WF.

Ingredients:

1/2 c balsamic vinegar
1-2 T of Dijon Mustard
2-3 T of honey or agave nectar
Salt
Pepper

Wisk to combine.  After you have browned the soy nuggets pour the sauce over it and let it bubble away till your eyes water and your whole house smells like heaven!  I like to all so add in some sauted mushrooms here... but do whatever you want - there are no rules.  Serve with roasted sweet potatoes and steamed asparagus and you will think that there is NO FREAKIN' WAY this is good for you.

Recipe #2:

Balsamic Glazed Veggie Meatloaf

Ingredients:

2 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 small zucchini, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
5 cloves garlic, smashed to a paste with coarse salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
S & P
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 T finely chopped fresh thyme
1/4 c chopped fresh parsley
1 bag of MorningStar Farms Crumbles and 1 roll of Gimme Lean Ground Beef
1 T of Worchestershire sauce or liquid smoke
Panko Breadcrumbs - 1/2-1c or enough to make it all come together and soak up some liquid with out sucking out ALL the liquid
1/2 cup freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Add the zucchini, bell peppers, garlic paste and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the vegetables are almost soft, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Whisk the egg and fresh herbs in a large bowl. Add the veggie meats, panko, grated cheese, 1/2 cup ketchup, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar and the cooled vegetables; mix until just combined.

Gently press the mixture into a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Whisk the remaining 1/4 cup ketchup, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes in a small bowl; brush the mixture over the entire loaf. Bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

YUMMO!

Recipe #3:

Balsamic Marinade 
(for just about anything.  I used this to marinate giant portobella mushrooms before grilling them and making burgers out of them!)

Ingredients:

3/4 c Balsamic Vinegar
3/4 c EVOO
2 T Brown sugar
1 shallot, minced
Sprinkle of Garlic powder
1 tsp red pepper flake
S & P

Put this is a jar or a tupperware and shake the crap out of it.  Pour it over fish or mushrooms or WHATEVER and marinate for however long you want.... at least 20 min though.  I use it to baste whatever I marinated while its cooking.

And Finally!

Recipe #4:

Balsamic Berries 

Ingredients:


4 pints (8 cups total) sliced fresh strawberries plus raspberries and blueberries
5 T balsamic vinegar
2 T sugar
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Toss all of the ingredients together and let sit at room temp for 30 min.  Serve this deliciousness over vanilla ice cream and just TRY not to let out a little moan.

Ok Ashley!  There you have it!  Now, of course, if you try one of these let me know how it turns out.  I think I might be making the meatloaf for dinner tomorrow.  We shall see....

Laziness Prevails... And Vegan Burritos happen instead.

Ok so I REALLY didnt want to go to the store this weekend after running all my errands so the popcorn didnt happen.  HOWEVER.  Vegan Burritos did!  Time for some back story!

Jeremy and I -- that's him in the picture -- are trying to do high-antioxident, nutrient rich meals at least once a week. 

He works for WHOLE FOODS in the "Whole Body" department so he is privy to lots of diets and suppliments and all that jazz.  Two of the diets that they promote is the Engine2 diet and the Andi Diet.  The Engine 2 is vegan and the Andi diet is not but when I make anything that calls for chicken I use the Delight Brand Soy Nuggets or Patties.  Anyway -- we have been trying some of the recipes and HANDS DOWN my favorite so far is the Jane's Jammin' Burritos from the Engine 2 diet recipe book.  And I follow it to the T.  Now - be mind full that this is not a "pretty" meal.  Its brown and brown with some flecks of color but my homemade salsa (1st place winner in a salsa contest by the way!) and the guacamole make you want to rub it on your face.

NOW FOR THE RECIPE!

• 1 large onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 zucchini, chopped
• 2 yellow squash, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 3 cups shredded napa cabbage
• 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cans fat-free vegetarian refried beans
• 1 cup cooked brown rice (i like brown rice - i use a little more than 1 cup)
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Soy Cheese
• 6 large Ezekiel sprouted-grain wraps (found in the freezer section at WF with other sprouted breads - the Ezekiel cinnamon raisin english muffins are SUPER good!)
• Salsa (2 GOOD vine ripened tomatoes, a handfull of cilantro, 1/2 onion, 1 tsp of minced garlic, 4 pickles jalapenos, lots of lime juice, salt, pepper and 1/4 tsp of cumin.  chop the crap out of all of it and throw it in a bowl and chill for 24 hours.)
• Guacamole

Preheat oven to 350º


Sauté the onion and garlic in a large sprayed skillet on high heat for 3 minutes.
Add the zucchini, yellow squash, red pepper, and cabbage to the skillet. Cook 4–5 minutes, until the vegetables are al dente (soft but firm) and the cabbage is wilting.
Add the black beans, refried beans, and rice to the skillet. Stir the ingredients together on low heat until the mixture is thick and mortar-like. Season with the cumin and cayenne.
Slap a large spoonful of veggie mortar onto the center of the Ezekiel wrap and spread it from top to bottom along the center line. Sprinkle with shredded soy cheese.
Fold the sides over using a bit of the veggie mortar as adhesive for the top flap.
Rest the burritos next to each other and place them seam side down on a sprayed baking sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the wraps are crisp.
Serve with salsa and guacamole... And rub on face.

Jeremy ate 2 of these... and some beef jerky and some candied pecans and some walnuts and a spoonful of almond butter with agave nectar on it....  he has a problem, I think.  I ate one and a half and thought i might explode.

This recipe says it makes enough for 6 burritos.  LIES!  It makes enough for like 8-10.  So we cut this recipe in half for just the two of us and we get 6 out of it.  It keeps really well though so if you are content to eat this for a few days it might be a good one for you.

So I PROMISE I'll make the popcorn.  Maybe I'll do that tonight since we plan on ordering chinese food.  Blame my neighbor - he swears he found a good one.  I am seriously doubtful since I am from NJ and I KNOW what good chinese food is... and trust me when I say the Carrollton area has some BANGIN' Vietnamese food but falls WAY short on Chinese.  I'll let you know how it is...

Anyway - Try the burritos ASHLEY!!!  Let me know how they turn out!

Happy eating!

Why am I craving popcorn?

So all the trees around my office building are flowering with gorgeous white buds and when I see them all I can think about is popcorn!  The problem with that is, and not to get TOO political, is that corn and I are at an impasse.  I have watched too many documentaries on corn in all our foods and corn as a bi-product in practically everything we use... blah blah blah.  This has put me off corn.  P.S. - ever wonder why your dogs feet smell like Frito's when they lick them?  Corn in the dog food --  I changed their food after I found that one out. 

Anyway - you can see why i might be slightly disturbed by the idea of craving the one product I am having a political stare down with.  Never the less all the white flowering trees are causing me to briefly reconsider our relationship.

SIDE NOTE:  I miss the popcorn balls my Aunt used to make at Christmas.  Different colors all wrapped in plastic wrap and waiting for all the kids to gobble up at the annual Christmas gathering.  Oooh and holly sprigs...  This blog will be ridiculous during the holidays so be prepared.

I love the smell of popcorn right out of the microwave or as its popping in the poppers at the movies or at my parents house.  Something about fluffy nuggets covered salt and butter puts an extra sparkle in my eye.  Then there is the introduction of the sweet factor - caramel or candy... oh the possibilities.  I need a minute to daydream about it....

.............. mmmmm ..................

Ok im done.

I have also noticed that I am not the only one on the popcorn trip!  Lots of these little gourmet popcorn shops have opened up around the metroplex.  I mean so many flavors!  One in fact carries Banana popcorn.  My coworker got me some after realizing that I, and my dad, have a slight obsession with banana flavored anything.  It was amazing.  They have every flavor you can think of.   I saw a Groupon or something for this one a while back and the variety they have is mind blowing! Uptown Popcorn
I mean Loaded Baked Potato Popcorn? Actually that could be pretty freakin' awesome.


I will admit that I am RARELY a traditionalist but after thinking about what these would taste like I realized that when it comes to popcorn I prefer a crap-ton of butter or caramel and that's it.

Well I suppose there is only one thing to do about this.  I am going to have to make something popcorn related this weekend.  Ooooh -- I have a really good recipe for spicy candied pecans/walnuts maybe I can make some narcotic related version of cracker jacks.  Ohhhh yes - with fresh popcorn from the old-timey popper at my parents house...  Homemade salted caramel drizzled all over it.  My mouth is watering. This is happening.

DAMN YOU TREES!!!!   Ok - look for pictures and a recipe after the weekend.  (is it sad that i am giddy now?)

Holy Shrimp! (and grits)

So we were watching Triple D (Diners, Drive-ins and Dives) on the Food Network the other night and Guy hit up a spot in Cali run by a gentleman from Tennessee and he made the most delicious looking shrimp and grits.  I realized at this moment that in all my time in the south, I dont think I have ever had this dish!  So guess what was for dinner last night!  :D

I am NOT kidding when I say this might actually be the best thing I have made in a LONG time.  (aside from the Crack-pot-pie which I will post at a later date)


This was spicy and delicious and can be made with out the shrimp or with real meat to adjust it to your diet and/or food preferences.  My dad asked me if he could substitute the grits for rice - I say WHY NOT!

Here's the recipe!

Ingredients for the grits:
3 cups of milk (i used Horizon Lactose Free 2% milk)
3 cups of heavy cream (i used fat free 1/2 & 1/2)
2 cups of polenta or Corn Grits
2-3 T of unsalted butter
2 C of shredded swiss cheese
S & P to taste

Ingredients for the shrimp:
2 T EVOO
1 med onion, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lb of andouille or spicy italian sausage, chopped (i used Tofurky Italian Sausage)
1/4 cup flour
2 cups of chicken stock (used 3 no-chik'n boulion cubes dissolved in 2 1/4c water)
2-3 bay leaves
2 lbs of raw shrimp - peeled, deveined and tails on
pinch to 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper - to taste really
1/2 lemon, juiced
S & P to taste

4 green onions, sliced for garnish

Directions:

Grits:
3qt pot - over med heat.  Add the milk and cream and slowly wisk in the corn grits.  When they start to bubble, turn the heat down to med-low and simmer for 10-15 min stirring frequently with a wooden spoon.  Once smooth and thick remove from heat and add in the cheese, butter, s & p.  If its too thick - thin it out with some milk.

Shrimp:
In a deep skillet over med heat saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil till its soft but not brown.  Add the sausage and cook till there is plenty of fat in the pan and the sausage is brown.  (VEGETARIAN NOTE:  If you make this with the Tofurky Italian Sausage - slice them into coins and brown them with the onions and garlic.  Then add like 4 T of butter to the pan to simulate the fat from the real sausage.) Sprinkle with flour to create the roux. Slowly pour in your stock or veggie chik'n stock and stir to avoid lumps.  Toss in the bay leaves and once its comes up to a simmer toss in the shrimp.  Cook till ALL of the shrimp are pink and tender and the gravy is smooth.  Add the cayenne, the lemon juice and the S & P.

Put the grits in a large bowl, cover it generously with the shrimp gravy deliciousness.  Sprinkle the scallions over the top and EAT IT!!!  Stir it all together or be selective about your bites... either way TRUST ME this is FANTASTIC!!!  I also thought about diced tomatoes in this -- might be really yummy.  Perhaps I will try that next time.

I have but one request from you -- if you make this PLEASE tell me how it turned out.  I wanna hear if it worked - if you think something would taste better or if you hated it (which I doubt).  MAKE THIS DISH!!!!

Thanks for reading and happy eating!

My First Blog!

Ok well we will see how this goes!  I have decided that my love of food was too much for Facebook.  Facebook is for quick accounts of whats going on with my circle friends and not for reading about every tip, trick and detail of the food I LOOOOOVE to make.  That being said...  YAY FOR MY FIRST BLOG!

Let me start of by telling you a little about myself.  I am 30 years old, I live in Texas, with my boyfriend Jeremy and our 4 fur babies, but spent most of my life in NJ and have been a vegetarian since I was 13 years old.  I am a graphic designer by day and foodie by night!  I have a passion for being creative and cooking food is the perfect outlet. 

The reason for this blog is to feature the food i make, the awesome places I love to eat, tips, tricks and anything else I can think of.  Being a vegetarian I sometimes struggle to make NEW food.  Not just the same thing all the time.  I like to change it up, figure out a way to make something non-vegetarian into something I can eat, or even try to dig through the crap in the fridge and come up with something delicious.  And this isnt just for vegetarians -- its for anyone that loves good food.  My boyfriend is most certainly NOT a vegetarian but he will be the first to tell you that good food is good food and it doesnt have to have meat in it to be delicious.

(NOTE: don't read this blog for grammatical correctness... its not gonna happen. Also, I do eat fish so you'll see plenty of that on here as well)

I hope you enjoy - I am open to suggestions - and to start things off... we are gonna talk Shrimp and Grits!  Oh my!