Countless numbers of us, on a daily basis, are faced with the challenge of filling multiple roles. We must be spouses, parents, professionals, etc., and still find time and energy after all that to be health-conscious individuals! Life shouldn't be an exhausting struggle, it should be a collection of one enjoyable, memorable, fulfilling, experience after another, should it not? I mean, pardon the cliché, but life's too short to let it be anything else.

I am a self-proclaimed food hobbyist on a quest to find delicious, healthy, fast, easy-to-make recipes and to successfully make those food adjectives actually belong together in a sentence. I am looking for after work meals that don't come out of a can, that I can enjoy preparing after a long work day, that my family will enjoy eating, and that will allow me to rest assured knowing that we are eating healthy. When I find these meals, I wish to share them with others. Cheers :)

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Steak Enchiladas with Spanish Rice

Ever have a big BBQ and have lots of left over steak? Well I did this week, and I have a great idea of something you can do with that steak.

Just roll 'em up in a tortilla, spread some smoky salsa over top with some jack cheese, melt in the microwave, throw on a dollop of guacamole and sour cream and serve with a side of yummy spanish rice, and nachos, and voila a Mexican fiesta. No boring reheated leftover steak here!



Guacamole

5 ripe avacados
1 lemon (juiced)
1 lime (juiced)
3 cloves garlic minced
1 tbsp ground cumin
salt and black pepper to taste

1) Peel, pit, and mash avacados

2) Add lemon and lime juice and mix

3) Add garlic, cumin, salt and pepper

4) Using an immersion blender, blend until you reach a creamy consistency



Spanish Rice

This I adopted from a Weight Watchers recipe.

2 cups long grain white rice
1 onion chopped
3 cloves garlic chopped
1 red pepper chopped
3 tbsp EV Olive Oil
1 can Italian seasoned diced tomatoes
1 jar Herdez Brand Mild Salsa (drained)
2 tsp saffron threads finger crushed
Approx. 20 green olives with pimentos
1 can sliced black olives
1 cup canned or frozen green peas
Juice from 1 lemon
Fresh Cilantro finely chopped (1/4 cup)
Salt and Black Pepper

1) Steam rice

2) Saute Garilc, onion, and red pepper until tender, reduce heat to medium-low



3) Stir in saffron threads, tomatoes, drained salsa, green and black olives, peas, lemon juice, and ~2 tbsp of the cilantro

4) Add cooked rice and mix



5) Add salt and pepper to taste

6) Reduce heat to low



7) After plating, sprinkle more fresh chopped cilantro over top


Enchiladas

10" Tortillas
BBQ'd steak thinly sliced
PC Brand Smoky Chipotle Salsa
Pasta sauce
Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
Sour Cream
Guacamole

1) Mix Pasta Sauce with Salsa in a 1:2 ratio (Salsa alone is too wet)

2) Spread a strip of salsa mix over middle of tortilla (~2 tbsp.)

3) Arrange sliced steak in middle of tortilla



4) Roll and arrange on plate

5) Spread 2-3 tbsp of salsa mix over top, along with jack cheese



6) Heat in microwave until cheese is melted

7) Place a dollop of sour cream and guacamole over top


Arrange enchiladas on a plate, heat in microwave, then plate the rice, and the nachos with sour cream &/or guacamole for dipping.
Sprinkle cilantro over entire plate to garnish.



Salud!!

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Heisenburger Sliders!

Heisenburger sliders - guaranteed to be a huge hit at any BBQ, these little gems pack a HUGE punch of flavor. They have been a summer favorite for us this year.

The recipe and name was conceived by my lil sister....the name was inspired by our favorite TV series right now...."Breaking Bad". The main character's alias is Heisenberg, and the name of these little burgers has become commonplace in our family.

Ironically, Heisenberg was one of the most important physicists of the 20th century and is most famous for his uncertainty principle-highly relative to Walt's life in Breaking Bad, but not so relative to our little Heisenburgers, as there is no uncertainty here with respect to their taste!! Nonetheless, this is what we call them!

I prefer the sliders, presented here, but my sister likes to make them full size and serve them on a nice crusty kaiser bun....also YUMMMMY!!

Ingredients:



Burger Patties:
2 lbs Ground Chicken
3 cloves finely chopped garlic
10-12 dashes Worcestershire Sauce
2 eggs
1 cup finely ground soda crackers
2 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp white pepper
Salt & Black Pepper to taste

Toppings:
Grated Mozzarella Cheese
Carmelized Onions
Mayonnaise
Hot Dijon Mustard
*NOTE: The mustard can make or break the flavor combination. Our favorite brand is Kozlik's (hot garlic flavor), available at a variety of locations including St. Lawrence Market, The Village Grocer, Longos, and other fine food establishments.

24 Mini Hamburger Buns



1) Combine all ingredients listed for the patties well, by hand, and form into small flat patties

(it's best to flatten patties using a chopping motion with the side of your hand)

(patties shouldn't be much bigger then the palm of your hand)

2) Chop 3-4 onions. In a non stick covered sauce pan saute over med-high heat in butter with a little salt until golden brown (approx 15 minutes), set aside.



3) Grill patties on the BBQ until cooked (approx. 10-14 minutes, 5-7 minutes each side)




4) Remove patties from grill, placing them on a large cookie sheet



5) Sprinkle grated mozzarella over top of the patties and melt in oven (350F for 7-8 minutes)


6) Toast buns over grill



7) Assemble burgers with carmelized onions, mayonnaise, and mustard

8) Arrange on a serving platter



9) Serve and Enjoy!!

Hello Again!!!

Hello everyone....it feels great to be back!! I have had an extremely busy summer with work, vacations, family visits, and other functions....and I spent most of the summer getting through my first trimester...yes, we are expecting our 2nd baby, due to arrive in February!! We're very excited!

You all have heard of the first trimester blahs I'm sure, well with working long hours in the particularly hot humid weather we have had this summer, and with all that's been going on, I had 'em BAD!! I just havn't had it in me to stay up past my daughter's bedtime to tend to my blog....but these days I'm feeling much more energetic so here I am!!

At least I've had time to think of some ideas for future posts, so hopefully there'll be some neat ones to come!

Looking forward to getting back into my normal routine!!

Ciao for now ;)