Guacamole Hummus

After spending the afternoon at Boston Rescue Mission, I was looking forward to heading home and watching the Super Bowl with Bret.  Since I was gone most of the day, Bret whipped up some fantastic grilled buffalo chicken tenders.  I wanted to have something cool and creamy to contrast with the spicy chicken tenders so I decided to try my hand at guacamole hummus.  This was a recipe that I flagged from the May 2011 issue of Everyday Food.

First, I gathered my ingredients:

• 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 3 cups fresh cilantro leaves
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 ripe avocado, roughly chopped
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• Lemon wedges

Like making hummus, the preparation was super simple.  I combined the chickpeas, cilantro, garlic, and avocado in the food processor.  I pulsed until everything was finely chopped. With the food processor running, I added the olive oil in a slow, steady stream and then added the lemon juice.  I then added one tablespoon of water at a time, until the guacamole hummus was not chunky and the mixture was smooth.  I seasoned the guacamole hummus to taste with salt and pepper and serve with lemon wedges.  I opted for serving this with cucumber and celery stick for a very green-themed and healthy snack, but you can also serve with tortilla or pita chips.

Um, this was an awesome and healthy dip.  It tasted just like guacamole but had such a thick creamy texture.  It only required one avocado and none of the mashing.  I like a little chopped red onion and jalapeno in my guacamole so I think I'll add that to the guacamole hummus the next time I make it.

While guacamole is an already pretty healthy snack, adding the chickpeas added some protein to make it even healthier.  Tell me, what are you favorite healthy snack foods?

Portuguese-Style Fish Stew

Every year I tell myself that I am going to cook and eat more fish.  Well, this year is no different.  I love fish so I don't know why I don't cook it more often!  When I was perusing through my recipe binder, I found a recipe that I clipped from Food Network Magazine for Portuguese-style fish stew and it reminded me to get back to my fish resolution.  This recipe looked super simple, which made it a perfect dish for a Friday night dinner.

First, I gathered my ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (I omitted the additional tablespoon for drizzling)
• 2 bay leave
• 2 teaspoons paprika (smoked or sweet)
• 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 small green bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
• 1 cup water
• 1 1/2 pounds skinless cod (my Whole Foods didn't have striped bass), cut into 2-inch chunks

After I prepped the ingredients, I warmed up two tablespoons of olive oil in my Le Creuset French oven over medium-high heat.  I added the bay leaves and paprika and stirred those ingredients together for about thirty seconds.  I then added the onion, bell pepper, tomatoes garlic and two tablespoons of the cilantro.  I seasoned the vegetable mixture with salt and pepper.

I covered the French oven and let the vegetables cook until they were softened.  Afterwards, I added the water and reduced the heat to medium low.

I seasoned the fish with salt and pepper, and then nestled the pieces among the vegetables in the pot.

I covered and simmered until the fish was just cooked through.  I cooked my fish for about ten minutes.  I probably overcooked it a bit because I was terrified of the fish not being cooked through but luckily the fish didn't taste dry because of all of the moisture in the stew.

I removed the bay leaves from the pot and served the stew in shallow bowls sprinkled with the chopped cilantro. 

I loved all of the flavors in this dish, even the green bell pepper (which I'm usually not a fan of).  However, I would say that this stew recipe definitely needed more seasoning.  I rarely do it but I definitely added some salt at the dinner table.

This stew would be perfect with some rice mixed in or with some hunks of crusty bread.  But for me, it was a perfect dinner to slurp up on Friday evening to unwind from a long work week.


Tell me, do you have any food-related resolutions this year?

Spicy Almond Tofu Stir-Fry

I probably make a stir-fry dish at least twice a month.  It is my go-to weeknight meal because I always have some vegetables and protein on hand.  I typically whisk together a soy sauce-based sauce to tie the entire dish together but this week, I decided to try something different.  I was really craving a good Thai-style peanut sauce but when it came time to dinnertime, I found that I only had almond butter on hand.  So, I did a substitution and found that almond sauce is pretty fantastic too.

First, I gathered my stir-fry ingredients.  Obviously you can use whatever vegetables and proteins you would like, but I used:

• 1 block firm tofu, drained (or in my case, pressed) and cubed
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 habanero pepper, mostly de-seeded and finely chopped
• 1 package of baby button mushrooms, cleaned and patted dry
• 1/2 cup of frozen zucchini slices
• 1 cup of frozen broccoli
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can of sliced water chestnuts, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup of peanuts, toasted
• 1/8 cup vegetable oil (not pictured)

For the almond sauce, I used:

• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/8 teaspoon spicy red pepper flakes (Thanks, Bianca!)
• 1/4 cup water (not pictured)

After I prepped all of my stir-fry ingredients, I started out by warming up the wok on high heat with the vegetable oil.  Once the wok and the oil were very hot, I added the tofu to get a nice browned crust on the tofu.

While the tofu was cooking, I whisked together the ingredients for my almond sauce. 

When the tofu was done, I transferred the tofu to a plate and then added the chopped onion and habanero pepper to the wok.

After a few minutes, I added the mushrooms.

Then, I added the zucchini, broccoli, and garlic, along with some salt and pepper.

Finally, I added the tofu and almond sauce back to the pan and gave everything a good mix to make sure the almond sauce coated all of the stir-fry.

I then threw my peanuts into the oven at about 400 degrees to get them roasted.  While the peanuts were roasting, I added the water chestnuts to the stir-fry and gave everything a final mix.

I served the tofu stir-fry in a shallow bowl and topped with the roasted peanuts.  You can serve the stir-fry over noodles or rice, or eat it plain like we did.

The habanero pepper and red pepper flakes added a lot of heat, but it contrasted nicely with the sweet creaminess of the almond butter.  I also loved that there were softer mushrooms, onions, and tofu but also crunchy broccoli, water chestnuts and peanuts. 

This impromptu almond sauce will definitely be making a regular appearance in my stir-fry rotation.  Tell me, what is your go-to weeknight dish?  What dishes make regular appearances in your kitchen?

Chicken Sausage With Beans And Okra

I have two huge recipe binders in my kitchen that are filled with clipped recipes.  Between emails, magazines and recipes shared between friends and family, I have quite the collection.  This past weekend, I decided to sort through them to find some new recipes to try out.  I found a really simple recipe from Everyday Food (November 2009) for Red Beans with Andouille Sausage.  I liked the concept of the dish but I didn't have all of the ingredients and I was too impatient to soak the dried red beans overnight.  So, I adapted the recipe to make a healthier version with chicken sausage, red and black beans and okra.

First, I gathered my ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 package (12 ounces) of sweet Italian-style chicken sausage, cut into 1-inch slices
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced small
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can black beans
• 1 can red kidney beans
• 2 cups water
• Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
• 1 cup frozen chopped okra
• Salt and pepper, to taste

In my Dutch oven, I warmed the oil over medium heat.  I added the chicken sausage and cooked until the sausages were browned.

Using a slotted spoon, I transferred the sausages to plate.  I then added the onion and garlic to the pan and cooked until softened.

I then added the two cans of beans in with the canned bean juices, along with the two cups of water and a generous pinch of the red pepper flakes.  I brought the entire mixture to a boil and then reduced it to a simmer. 

I let the beans cook for about half an hour before I stirred in the frozen okra and the chicken sausage. 

I let the entire mixture simmer for another thirty minutes and seasoned with salt and pepper, to taste.  The liquid thickened up into a wonderful sauce with a lot of flavor from the beans, chicken sausage drippings, and garlic.  The okra added texture and crunch.

If there was more of this liquid, it would have made this dish into a really thick and hearty soup.  Instead, this wasn't quite a soup but filling nonetheless.  Bret and I each had a huge bowl of this dish and it warmed us right up during this cold weekend.

In addition to this recipe, I pulled out a few different clipped recipes to try during the coming weeks.  Tell me, where do you usually find inspiration for new dishes?

Buffalo Tofu Lettuce Wraps

I have been in love with my new tofu press.  It drains so much water out of tofu, which helps get a really wonderful texture on my tofu after baking or pan-frying.  It has really inspired me to make a lot of interesting tofu dishes lately, including buffalo tofu lettuce wraps, which Bret and I made together this past weekend.

The ingredients were simple:

• 1 package of extra firm tofu
• 1/8 cup of hot buffalo sauce, plus more to taste
• 1/4 cup of cashews, chopped
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small head of Boston bibb lettuce, leaves separated
• Blue cheese dressing to taste

First, we pressed the tofu for about six hours and intermittently drained the excess water.  Once the moisture was really drained from the tofu, we marinated the tofu block in about an 1/8 cup of hot buffalo sauce. 

We let the tofu marinate for about a half hour on each side before cubing it and letting it marinate some more.

Meanwhile, we toasted the chopped cashews in the oven.  You can smell a beautiful nutty aroma from the cashews when they are toasting but you've got to keep an eye on them and stir often.  Trust me, you'll know when they've toasted too long and have burnt!

In addition, we rinsed a small head of Boston bibb lettuce and gave it quite a few spins in our salad spinner. 

Finally, we warmed up the wok with some cooking spray.  Once the pan was hot, we cooked the tofu with the minced garlic until there was a beautiful crust on the tofu.

And just like that, dinner was ready!  We made lettuce wraps with tofu, toasted cashews and blue cheese dressing.  Bret also used a little extra buffalo sauce in his wraps but I, for once in my life, didn't need the extra heat!

My tofu press has me cooking with tofu way more than I used to.  Tell me, what is your favorite way to cook or eat tofu?

Crispy Chocolate-Cherry Treats

Around the holidays, I received a complimentary copy of America's Test Kitchen's Holiday Cookies 2010 issue.  Sure, it was last year's issue but I still loved perusing through the recipes.  I flagged the recipe for Crispy Chocolate-Cherry Treats because I thought they would be a fun little dessert for our New Year's Eve feast!

First, I gathered the ingredients for these grown-up Rice Krispies treats:

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 (10 ounce) bag marshmallows
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 cups Rice Krispies cereal
• 1 cup dried cherries, chopped
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips melted

I haven't made Rice Krispies treats in over a decade and I forgot how much fun they are to make:

• Line a baking pan with aluminum foil and allow the excess foil to hang over the pan edges.
• Grease the aluminum foil.
• Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat.  Add the marshmallows, white chocolate chips, and salt and cook until smooth.
• Once smooth, stir in the vanilla extract.
• Remove the marshmallow mixture from the heat and mix in the cereal and dried cherries.
• Scrape the entire mixture into the aluminum foil-lined baking pan.  Spread the mixture evenly and press into the bottoms and corners with a greased spatula.
• Let the treat mixture cool for about an hour before drizzling the melt chocolate.
• After the chocolate has cooled, use the foil overhang to lift the treats onto a cutting board and cut into squares.

I made these Crispy Chocolate-Cherry Treats first thing on Saturday and we definitely had a square with some champagne at midnight!

My friends also enjoyed some of these treats on New Year's Day, along with the leftover chicken and sausage gumbo, salsa and chips, and lots of cheese and crackers!  These treats were a big hit and I'm definitely going to experiment in the future with different ingredients like peanut butter chips, dried cranberries or melted Nutella!

What sweet treats did you enjoy on New Year's Eve?

Southern Biscuits

When I decided to make Chicken and Sausage Gumbo for New Year's Eve dinner, Bret suggested that we make biscuits to eat with the gumbo.  This seemed like a simple enough request and we found an easy Food Network recipe for Southern Biscuits. 

First, we gathered the ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons shortening
• 1 cup buttermilk, chilled

The biscuits were super easy to make:

• Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• Using your fingertips, rub the butter and shortening into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles a crumbly dough.
• Make a well in the center and pour in the chilled buttermilk.  Stir just until the dough comes together.  The dough will become very sticky.
• Turn dough onto a floured surface.  Dust the biscuit dough with flour and gently fold the dough over five or six times.
• Press the dough into a one-inch thickness and cut out the biscuits with a two-inch cutter.  We didn't have a cutter so we used a wine glass instead.
• Place the biscuits on the baking sheet until they just touch and bake for about fifteen minutes, until the biscuits are tall and golden on top.

This simple recipe did not fail us and were awesome with a pat of butter and used to sop up the gumbo! 

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

After our hearty and filling first course of Coconut-Curry Mussels, Bret and I leisurely cooked a wonderful Chicken and Sausage Gumbo for our New Year's Eve dinner.  I flagged this recipe from my most recent issue of Bon Appetit.  Since this dish takes about three hours to prep and cook, I knew that this would be perfect for our New Year's Eve night in.

First, I gathered our ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs
• 1/2 cup (or more) vegetable oil
• 1 pound andouille sausage, cut into 1/2" rounds
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 medium onions, finely chopped
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced (white and pale parts separated from dark)
• 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 2 green bell peppers, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic (this was about six cloves for me)
• 8 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 2 cups 1/2”-thick slices frozen okra, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• Steamed rice

After prepping the ingredients, there were still a lot of steps to this recipe.  As you may have noticed from my previous blog post, I didn't take photos of the cooking process because I wanted to just enjoy the time in the kitchen with Bret.  Sometime you just need to shut the camera off, turn up the music, pour a glass of wine and enjoy the actual act of cooking:

• I combined the salt, freshly ground black pepper, paprika and cayenne pepper in a small bowl.  I then sprinkled the spice mixture all over the chicken thighs.
• I warmed up the 1/2 cup of vegetable oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Working in two batches, I seared the chicken until golden brown, about five minutes per side.
• I then transferred the browned chicken to a plate and then added the sausage to the pot.  Again, I cooked the sausage until browned, about four minutes per side. I transferred the browned sausage to another plate.
• I then strained the drippings from the Dutch oven through a fine-mesh sieve into a multi-cup heatproof measuring cup.  I reserved one cup of the strained drippings.  Since my drippings were less than a cup, I added more vegetable oil to measure one cup.
• Bret wiped the Dutch oven clean and I returned the drippings to pot.
• I warmed the drippings over medium heat.
• I whisked flour into drippings. Bret and I took turns whisking constantly until the roux was the color of milk chocolate.  This took about fifteen minutes for us.
• I reduced the heat to low heat.  I then added the onions and cooked until soft.
• Next, I stirred in the white and pale-green parts of scallions, celery stalks, green bell peppers, and garlic cloves and cooked those vegetables until soft.
• I then slowly whisked in the broth.
• I next added the bay leaves, thyme, and reserved chicken and sausage.
• I brought the gumbo to a boil.  Once it was boiling, I reduced the heat to low and let the gumbo simmer gently.  I skimmed a lot of fat from the surface while it was simmering and stirred occasionally. 
• I let the gumbo simmer for about forty-five minutes and then I stirred in one cup of okra, the Worcestershire sauce, and the hot sauce.
• I let the gumbo simmer for another forty-five minutes until the chicken was very tender and falling apart in the gumbo.
• I stirred in the remaining one cup of okra and simmered until the most recently-added okra was crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.
• I removed the gumbo from the heat.
• I served the gumbo over rice and garnished the gumbo with the chopped dark-green parts of the scallions. 

This gumbo took a lot of time but was worth all of the effort.  The gumbo had a thick gravy-like consistency.  The chicken was tender and the sausage added the perfect amount of kick to the dish. 

The gumbo is also wonderful re-heated.  I served it to my girlfriends the next day while we watched the Pats game.  We froze about half of the gumbo but I'm looking forward to eating the other half of the leftovers for the next day or so.

This chicken and sausage gumbo was probably one of the more labor-intensive dishes I've made (next to Gordon Hamersley's Roast Chicken). 

Tell me, what is the most labor-intensive dish you've made?  Was it worth it?

Coconut-Curry Mussels

Happy New Year!  I hope everyone closed out 2011 and welcomed 2012 in style.  After a whirlwind year, Bret and I were happy to ring in the new year together quietly at home.  We spent the afternoon and evening trying out new recipes and I'm looking forward to sharing these dishes on the blog this week. 

We started the evening with Coconut-Curry Mussels, which I flagged from Everyday Food Magazine (June 2011).  I'm a huge fan of seafood and Bret is a slow convert.  He, however, does enjoy mussels so I knew this would be a big hit on New Year's Eve.

First, I gathered my ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1 can unsweetened coconut milk
• 3 tablespoons red Thai curry paste (the original recipe called for green or yellow Thai curry paste)
• 2 pounds mussels, rinsed and scrubbed (the original recipe called for 3 pounds mussels)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

The recipe was really easy and straightforward:

• In a large pot with a lid, melt butter over medium-high heat. 
• Add the garlic and ginger, and cook until fragrant.
• Whisk in coconut milk and curry paste, and bring the broth to a simmer over high heat.
• Add the mussels and stir to combine.  Cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium-high heat.  Cook until the mussels have opened, which is about three to five minutes.
• Remove the pot from heat and stir in the lime juice and cilantro.

The mussels were plump and juicy.  We sopped up some of this lovely coconut-curry broth with slices of crusty French bread. 

This simply but lovely dish was a great way to start our New Year's Eve meal and one that can easily be repeated for a weeknight dinner.

Tell me, did you stay in or go out for New Year's Eve?  Either way, what did you eat?`

My Newest Obsession: TofuXpress

I have been wanting a tofu press for the longest time.  I cook with tofu pretty frequently and I'm always finding creative ways to squeeze out the excess water from tofu before baking or stir-frying it.

Pressing Tofu For My Marinated Baked Tofu Stir-Fry

No matter what my method, I never feel like I have quite gotten all of the water out and the tofu never ends up having quite the crispy texture that I'm looking for. 

I saw a few product reviews for the TofuXpress on some of my favorite blogs and I put it on my Amazon wishlist in 2010.  Almost two years later, I finally got it as a Christmas gift from my sister (thanks, Jessica)!

The tofu press is everything that it says it will be.  It helps easily squeeze out the excess water and without excess water (and a really hot pan), you can get an awesome crust on the tofu. 

We made a simple tofu stir-fry tonight for dinner and the tofu texture was really meaty.

The TofuXpress was one of many food-related items I received for Christmas and Hanukkah, including cookbooks, food-themed fiction, and a new rice cooker.

Tell me, what are your favorite food-related gifts to give or receive?