Tag Archives: entree

Eating

Chili challenge

We tried Wild Caribbean Black Bean Chili tonight. I wasn’t crazy about it; Rockford gave it a B and dubbed it “Margarita Chili.” There was a bit too much lime for my taste. I plan to stick with my Queen City Chili recipe.

QUEEN CITY CHILI
1 medium red pepper
1 medium sweet onion
1 can mushrooms
1 can corn
1 can kidney beans with jalapeños
1 can hot chili beans
1 9-ounce can tomato paste
1 14½-ounce can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
2 teaspoons garlic powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Grated cheese
Sour cream

Sauté onion and pepper with Cajun seasoning until onion is slightly translucent.

Add tomato paste and diced tomatoes to slow cooker, stirring until smooth.

Stir in corn, mushrooms, beans and pepper and onion mixture. Do not drain vegetables. Add chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Cook for six to 10 hours in a Crock-pot on low heat. Serve with cheese and sour cream.

Eating

Cheese and Spinach Quiche

I read about this one in a J.M. Hirsch column. I don’t have a deep-dish pie plate, so I used a Bybee casserole instead and folded the excess crust over a bit, tart-style. The quiche drew rave reviews from Rockford.

Cheese and Spinach Quiche
(Start to finish 1 hour)
2 bunches (about 1 pound) spinach, trimmed and well rinsed
3 large eggs, beaten
1 bunch scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 cup shredded 2% milk Cheddar cheese
1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
9-inch deep-dish pie crust, raw

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Place the spinach in a large pot with a cover. Cover and heat the spinach over a medium flame and steam, using the water clinging to the leaves, for 5 minutes, or until wilted.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl combine the eggs, scallions, both cheeses, oregano, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Use tongs to press out all liquid from the spinach, chop spinach finely and add to the egg mixture. Stir well. Spoon the mixture into the pie crust. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the center is firm and the top golden.

Remove from oven and cool slightly before serving.

Makes 6 servings; 7 WW Point per serving
(Recipe from “Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook,” Wiley, 2005, $34.95.)

Eating

SnoBoCross. And broccoli.

Due to budget constraints (oh, and for our health. yes.), we’re having a meat-free week. It’s been a big success so far, first with the Sweet Potato Pot Pies and tonight with Stir-Fried Broccoli and Red Peppers with Peanut Sauce (from Cook’s Illustrated). I need to come up with a shorter name for it because we’ll be having it again and that’s just too much to write on the menu.

Stir-Fried Broccoli and Red Peppers with Peanut Sauce
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon lime juice plus 1 teaspoon grated zest from 1 lime
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
1 tablespoon peanut oil plus 1 more teaspoon
1 large red bell pepper (about 8 ounces), cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch strips
9 ounces broccoli , cut into even 1-inch florets (about 4 cups)
2 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1/4-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced (about 1 teaspoon)

Mix fish sauce, lime juice and zest, sugar, and red pepper in small bowl until sugar is dissolved. Add coconut milk, water and peanut butter, and whisk until smooth; set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until shimmering, 2 to 3 minutes. Add red pepper and broccoli; cook, stirring every 10 to 15 seconds, until just barely tender, about 2 minutes. Push vegetables to sides of skillet, clearing center of pan. Add remaining teaspoon oil, garlic, and ginger to center of pan and mash with back of spoon; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then stir mixture into vegetables. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in sauce mixture. Simmer to heat through and blend flavors, about 1 minute; serve immediately.

In other news, we’re thoroughly enjoying the addition of SnoBoCross to the Olympics. My favorite line of the night: “This is the essence of snowboard cross.” Closely followed by: “Radislov’s board looked like it was riding super-good.” And, “I was trying to be as small as I could.” Really, it was a photo finish.
I think Bob Costas hates SnoBoCross. He’s such a square.