Green Chile Hominy Casserole with Chorizo

Sigh!   Homesick Texan kicked it out of the park again.
Another hit from her (and her grandmother).

D made this. Originally he was going to make it with chicken chorizo to lighten it up. But after 18 hours in the fridge, the smell emanating from the chorizo package was so god-awful, we decided that we didn't want to poison ourselves, so into the trash it went.  So up to the bodega to get REAL (pork) chorizo, and D was off to the races.

Except that I thought the portion was too small (we had 6), this was delicious and decadent-tasting.  It had the spiciness heat of the peppers and chorizo, the creaminess of the sour cream, the texture of the hominy.

Definitely having again.

Green  Chile Hominy Casserole with Chorizo

Photo by ALB

From Homesick Texan, Lisa Fain
Yield: 4 to 6 sevings (we got 6)

Ingredients
2 poblano chiles
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2 pound Mexican chorizo, removed from casing and crumbled
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
2 jalapeños, seeds and stems removed, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 (15-ounce) cans hominy, drained
8 ounces sour cream
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
2 teaspoons lime juice
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
Salt
Pepper

Instructions
Roast the poblano chiles under the broiler until blackened, about 5 minutes per side. Place chiles in a paper sack or plastic food-storage bag, close it tight and let the chile steam for 20 minutes. Take the chile out of the bag and rub off the skin. Remove stem and seeds and cut dice chiles.

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

On medium-low heat, heat the vegetable oil and then cook the crumbled chorizo while occasionally stirring in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet until brown, about 8-10 minutes. With a slotted spatula, remove the chorizo and drain any excess grease from the skillet, leaving 1 teaspoon. Add to the skillet the diced onions and jalapeños while occasionally stirring, cook on medium-low heat until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 more seconds.

Remove the skillet from the heat and add the diced poblano chiles, chorizo, hominy, sour cream, cumin, cayenne, cilantro, lime juice and half of the cheddar cheese. Stir until well combined, taste and add salt and black pepper and adjust seasonings. Top with remaining the cheddar cheese and bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until brown and bubbling.

Slow Cooker Tuscan White Bean Soup

Last week, I really wasn't in the mood to menu plan.  D wasn't either.  So Wednesday, I looked in the fridge and saw we had some left over kale, found this recipe on my Untried list on Pinterest, and off I went on making it.  Also I had physical therapy that day, and I don't like waiting for dinner when I get home.

It was simple to make.  I did nearly kill us, as the sausage wasn't cooked nearly long enough (think completely raw in the middle).  So either brown the balls before putting them in the crockpot, or keep them in the crockpot, longer.

There was a lot of flavor, but not enough broth, thus the portions were small.  Still, I'd have again.

We had with Crusty Bread.

Slow Cooker Tuscan White Bean Soup

Photo by ALB

Yield: Serves 8 (serving size: about 1 1/4 cups soup, 4 meatballs, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese) 

Ingredients
6 cups unsalted chicken stock (such as Swanson) (use 8 Cups)
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 cup diced carrot
1 cup diced celery
5 garlic cloves, chopped
4 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
12 ounces dried Great Northern beans (used 1 lb.)
3 cups kale, stemmed and chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted tomato paste
3/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pound hot Italian sausage links, casings removed
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, shaved (about 1/4 cup)

Preparation
1. Place first 8 ingredients in a 6-quart electric slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours. Discard thyme and bay leaf.

2. Stir kale, tomato paste, and salt into bean mixture. Shape sausage into 32 meatballs; arrange on top of bean mixture. Cover and cook on HIGH 30 minutes or until meatballs are thoroughly cooked (more like 30 minutes and a zap in the microwave or cook for at least 60). Stir in juice. Divide soup among 8 bowls; top with cheese.

Nutritional Information
Amount per serving
Calories: 298; Fat: 9.7 g; Sat fat: 3.6 g; Mono fat: 4 g; Poly fat: 1.4 g; Protein: 21 g; Carbohydrate: 33 g; Fiber: 9 g; Cholesterol: 20 mg; Iron: 4 mg; Sodium: 629 mg; Calcium: 189 mg

Cooking Light, MARCH 2015

Bacon Cheeseburger Salad

One of my friends is doing a low-carb diet.  Although I'm not a fan of substituting out starchy products for cauliflower, I will look at recipes that are just different takes on things.

This happened to be one of them.  The original recipe was for one person, but again, if I have a pound of ground beef, I'm not using 6oz.  I'm using the whole pound.  So I upped the ingredients and servings of everything but the dressing, and added tomatoes and onions, although, D didn't have tomatoes on his salad, and I didn't have onions on mine.  I wasn't really missing the roll, because I'm not a huge fan of sandwich bread (rolls, white bread, wheat bread), and usually the dogs get most of the roll anyway.

It helped that Center Cut Bacon and 93/7 Ground Beef were on mark down, as were salad greens.

So the salad was really good.  The dressing was simple yet totally went with it.  I would have again.

Bacon Cheeseburger Salad

Photo by ALB

Serves: 3
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 10 Minutes
Total Time: 15 Minutes

Adapted from Buns in My Oven

Ingredients
For the salad:
8 cups Mixed Greens
1 cup Reduced-Fat Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
8 Dill Pickle slices, chopped
2 Roma Tomatoes chopped
1/2 cup Red Onion
8 slices cooked and crumbled center cut bacon

For the burger:
1 lb. 93%/7% ground beef
2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt

Dressing:
1/4 cup Light Mayo
2 tablespoons mustard
2 teaspoons ketchup
2 teaspoons vinegar
1 teaspoon pickle juice

Preparation
Add the greens, cheese, pickles, and bacon to a large bowl. Toss to mix.

Mix the seasonings into the ground beef.

Cook in a medium skillet until cooked to your liking.

Add to the salad.

To make the dressing, add all ingredients to a small bowl and whisk to combine.

Drizzle the dressing over the salad.

Nutrition Facts (from My Fitness Pal)
Servings 3.0
Calories: 548; Total Fat: 30 g; Saturated Fat: 13 g; Monounsaturated Fat: 1 g; Polyunsaturated Fat; 3 g; Trans Fat 0 g Cholesterol: 128 mg; Sodium: 2137 mg; Potassium: 457 mg; Total Carbohydrate: 14 g; Dietary Fiber: 2 g; Sugars: 5 g; Protein: 55 g

Mojo Grilled Chicken Breasts

D made this to go with the Southwest Zucchini boats.  It was very moist and flavorful.  I like the onions as well because they were sweet.  Would have again.

Mojo Grilled Chicken Breasts

Photo by ALB

The red onions develop a nice char on the grill, but they finish cooking and develop a depth and sweetness once left to steam. Drizzle any juices from the onion mixture over the grilled chicken.

Yield:Serves 4 (serving size: about 4 ounces chicken, about 1/4 cup onions, and 1/4 avocado)

Ingredients
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
6 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Cooking spray
1 medium red onion, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch rings
1 ripe avocado, peeled and sliced
1 lime, cut into wedges
Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Preparation
1. Combine 1/4 cup chopped cilantro and next 4 ingredients (through garlic) in a large bowl. Reserve 1/4 cup marinade in a medium bowl. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and chicken to remaining marinade, turning to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes, turning occasionally.

2. Heat a grill pan over high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion slices to pan; grill 10 minutes, turning occasionally. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and onions to reserved 1/4 cup marinade; cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let stand 10 minutes.

3. Return grill pan to high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Sprinkle chicken evenly with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add chicken to pan; grill 5 minutes on each side or until done. Serve chicken with onion mixture, avocado slices, and lime wedges. Garnish with chopped cilantro, if desired.

Nutritional Information
Amount per serving
Calories: 217; Fat: 9.8 g; Satfat: 1.6 g; Monofat: 5.3 g; Polyfat: 1.2 g; Protein: 25 g; Carbohydrate: 7 g; Fiber: 3 g; Cholesterol: 73 mg; Iron: 1 mg; Sodium: 495 mg; Calcium: 17 mg; Sugars: 1 g; Est. Added Sugars: 0 g

Cooking Light, JUNE 2016

Southwestern Stuffed Zucchini Boats

So this is one of those recipes that I instantly want to hate.
6 servings from 4 zucchinis.  It's either 4 servings or 8.  Nobody has time to to figure out that each person 4 people gets 2/3s of a zucchini and 2 people get the left over cuts.  Not to mention, all the stuff will fall out of the boat.

So make it 4 servings or 8, and be done with that 6 shit.  D and I made it 4 which made it higher in calories, but we're still alive so it's all good.

The taste was awesome and we definitely have again.

We had with Mojo Chicken.  Defintitely could brown some ground chicken though and add it, that way, as well.

Southwestern Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Photo by ALB

By: Co+op, stronger together
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6 (we made it 4)

Zucchini takes center stage, stuffed with spiced up black beans, red pepper and topped with cheddar.

Ingredients
4 medium zucchini, cut in half lengthwise
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup diced green onions
1 teaspoon ground cumin
4 tablespoons prepared salsa
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Pinch of salt and ground black pepper
Dash of hot sauce (optional)

Preparation
Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Scoop the flesh out of the zucchini halves. Gently squeeze it to extract any excess liquid, then dice about a cup of the flesh to use for the filling.

Cook the zucchini boats cut side down on an oiled sheet pan for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and turn the boats over.

While zucchini is cooking, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the red pepper, green onions and zucchini flesh for 3-5 minutes. Add the ground cumin, salsa, and black beans and cook another minute. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese, salt, pepper, and hot sauce if using.

Evenly distribute the filling mixture between the zucchini boats. Return the filled boats to the oven and bake for 10-12 more minutes until cheese is melted.

Nutritional Information 4 servings from MyFitness Pal
Calories: 4, Fat: 17 g, Saturated Fat: 6 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 30 mg, Sodium: 752 mg, Carbohydrate: 28 g, Dietary Fiber: 9 g, Sugar: 8 g, Protein: 16 g

Almond Butter Chicken Satay

So I'm a little odd.  I'm not a kebab fan. It's sometimes hard to get the meat off the skewers; if the skewers are wooden, one of my dogs will get a hold of them (choking hazard); and metal ones make you have to wait until your food is cold before you finally can hold the skewer.

However, I typically like the way a kebab should be flavored so I asked D if he would make these as breasts and not skewered.  So there we are.

We went to Whole Foods for Almond Butter.  We were already going there (not our typical store) to get portobellos since Kroger didn't have any.  We found a jar of Almond Butter for $12 but on sale for $4, so there you go.

We both liked this better as the first meal, than as a leftover.  But we both still liked it.  We had with Broccoli with Red Pepper flakes, because neither of us remembered we were going to have rice with it.

Would have again.

Almond Butter Chicken Satay

Photo by ALB

You can make the dipping sauce and add the chicken to the marinade before you leave for work in the morning, so you only need to skewer the chicken and grill when you get home.

Yield: Serves 4 (serving size: 2 skewers, 3 tablespoons sauce, 6 cucumber slices, and 1 lime wedge)

Ingredients
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons light coconut milk, divided
4 teaspoons fresh lime juice, divided
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 24 slices (we had 4 6oz breasts, not cut)
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons almond butter
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
3/4 teaspoon Sriracha (hot chile sauce)
Cooking spray
24 cucumber slices (forgot)
4 lime wedges

Preparation
1. Combine 1/2 cup coconut milk, 1 tablespoon juice, and next 5 ingredients (through garlic) in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken; seal. Refrigerate 2 hours.

2. Bring remaining 2 tablespoons coconut milk, 1/3 cup water, almond butter, hoisin, and Sriracha to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat; cook for 1 minute. Stir in remaining 1 teaspoon juice.

3. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Thread 3 chicken pieces onto each of 8 (8-inch) skewers. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat; coat with cooking spray. Add chicken; cook 2 minutes on each side or until done. Serve with sauce, cucumber, and lime wedges.

Nutritional Information
Amount per serving
Calories: 224; Fat: 8.9 g; Sat fat: 1.5 g; Mono fat: 3.5 g; Poly fat: 1.6 g; Protein: 26 g; Carbohydrate: 10 g; Fiber: 1 g; Cholesterol: 73 mg; Iron: 1 mg; Sodium: 564 mg; Calcium: 47 mg

Cooking Light, JANUARY 2015