Saturday, April 5th, 2014 - Fajita Bowl

Recipe:

.5 lbs stir-fry cut beef
1/3 large white onion
1 yellow bell pepper
1/2 can corn
1.5 cups brown rice
salsa
cilantro
cheese
cumin
lime juice
chili powder
tortilla chips
vegetable oil

1. Cook brown rice in rice cooker according to directions.
2. Chop the onion and bell pepper.  Rinse and drain the canned corn.
3. Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add in the beef and add salt, pepper, and garlic.  Cook until medium well.  Move beef to a plate.
4. Add onion and bell pepper to the skillet and cook on high for a few minutes.  Add in the corn until everything is browned.  Add in lime juice, cumin, and chili powder.
5. Remove pan from heat and let cool a minute before adding back the beef and its juice.  Then add in as much salsa needed to coat the mixture.
6.  Serve the fajita mixture over brown rice, top with cheese and cilantro.

Saturday, March 1st, 2014 - Asparagus Soup

May 2015 Update:

Used a new recipe and it was much better (http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/creamy-spring-asparagus-soup):

Ingredients: 

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 large leek, white and light green parts only, cleaned and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 medium Yukon gold potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 (1-pound) bunch asparagus, woody stems snapped off and discarded, spears cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/3 cup low-fat sour cream
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives

Method: 

Melt butter in a medium pot over medium low heat. Add leeks and cook, stirring often, until tender, about 10 minutes. Add broth and potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, add asparagus and simmer gently until potatoes and asparagus are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove pot from heat ad set aside to let cool slightly. 

Carefully transfer soup to blender in batches and purée until smooth. Return soup to pot and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, whisk in sour cream and season with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls, garnish with chives and serve.

Recipe: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/creamy_asparagus_soup/

Changes: I used less water and I still felt like it was too much. It made the soup too thin. Next time I will only put in two cups of stock.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 lbs asparagus, trimmed of woody stem bottoms
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped (1 1/2 to 2 cups chopped)
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup water
• Leaves of 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 Tbsp dry vermouth
• A squeeze of fresh lemon juice
• Salt and pepper

METHOD

1 Cut tips from the asparagus 1 1/2 inches from top and halve tips lengthwise if thick. Reserve for garnish. Chop the remaining asparagus stalks into 1/4-inch rounds.

2 Melt the butter in a 4 to 5 quart pot on medium heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped asparagus (not the spear tips) to the onions. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Cook another 5 minutes.

3 Add the broth, water, and thyme to the pot. Increase the heat to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer, covered, until the asparagus are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. At the end of cooking, stir in the chopped parsley.

4 While the soup is cooking, blanche the asparagus tips in a small pot of boiling, salted water (about 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt per quart of water), until the tips are just tender, about 2-4 minutes, depending on the size of the asparagus. Drain. Rinse with cool water to stop the cooking. Set aside.

5 Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth. (If you use an upright blender, work in small batches, fill no more than a third the blender bowl at a time, and hold down the lid while blending.) For a creamy texture, if you want, press the puréed soup through a sieve or food mill. Stir in the cream. Stir in the vermouth and a squeeze of lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Sunday, February 26th, 2014 - Coconut Shrimp Curry

Recipe: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/easy_coconut_shrimp_curry/

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 teaspoon mild yellow curry powder
• Pinch of ground cardamom or the seeds from 1 cardamom pod, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 cup canned coconut milk (use regular coconut milk NOT light)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 pound raw, peeled, deveined shrimp (with or without tail)
• Cilantro for garnish

METHOD

If you haven't already defrosted your shrimp, if using frozen, do that while you prepare the sauce. The shrimp will be thawed and ready to cook by the time the sauce is done.

1 Heat olive oil in a medium sized sauté pan on medium heat. Add the chopped onion. Cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the curry powder, cardamom, and salt. Cook for two more minutes.

2 Add the coconut milk and water, simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.

3 Add the shrimp to the curry sauce and spread out evenly in the pan. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp has turned from grey to pink and is just cooked through. Do not overcook or the shrimp will be rubbery.

Serve with cilantro for garnish. Serve with rice.

Changes: no cardamom, I kept adding more curry and coconut milk until I liked the amount and flavor

For future use: add bell peppers, or other vegetables to make this a more substantial meal

Sunday, January 12th, 2014 - Hoppin' John

Recipe: From the Pioneer Woman Cookbook

Changes: used chopped thick-cut bacon instead of ham hock

Make only half the recipe since it makes a lot

Saturday, January 18th - Broccoli-Wild Rice Casserole

Originally from the Pioneer Woman Cookbook, pg. 275

I had to change all the proportions because they were too much for my baking dish.

2 cups cooked wild rice (I used a boxed package)
1.5 cups chicken broth
1 large broccoli head
5 tbs. butter (3 for cooking, 2 for topping)
1 small onion
8 oz. cremini mushrooms
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
1/8 cup flour
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 cup panko breadcrumbs

I only baked the casserole for 10 minutes with the lid on and 10 minutes without the lid.

We liked this, but the whole cooking time is about 90 min. so not sure if I will make it again really soon.