Green Tortilla Soup

I wanted another dish to use up some of the beer can chicken I made, and since it's fall I wanted a fast soup to make on a weeknight. I saw this soup on the Rachael Ray Show. It looked fast, easy, and delicious!!! The soup is "green" from tomatillos. On her show, she said you could use fresh tomatillos or salsa verde. I show salsa verde. Here is a link to the recipe. http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/mean-green-tortilla-soup/

I am submitting this recipe to Joelen's blogging event Tasty Tools-Dutch Oven. Here is a link to her great blog with lots of blogging events to enjoy. http://joelens.blogspot.com/

Green Tortilla Soup

3 cups chicken stock

1 cup water

15oz can corn

4 corn tortillas, cut into strips

cooking spray

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 lb precooked shredded chicken

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, grated

2 tsp cumin

2 jalapeno chilies, chopped

16oz jar salsa verde

2 cups cilantro, chopped

zest and juice of 2 limes

2 cups shredded jack cheese

1 avocado, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place the tortilla strips onto a baking sheet and spray with cooking spray.

Bake strips until crispy for about 8 minutes.

Preheat a dutch oven or large pot on medium-high heat.

Add oil, onion, garlic, and cumin to pot and cook until soft about 3-4 minutes.

Add corn and jalapenos.

Add salsa verde, stock, water, and chicken to pot.

Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Remove from heat, and add cilantro, lime zest, and lime juice.

To serve place some tortilla strips into bowl, add soup, and top with cheese and avocado.

Beer Can Chicken turned into Enchiladas with Pumpkin Sauce

This week was my week to choose a recipe for our cooking group the Weekend Wizards, and we are following a fall theme this round. I chose to do a savory pumpkin dish. The recipe comes from Everyday Food from the kitchens of Martha Stewart Living's cookbook Great Food Fast. Here is a link to the original recipe. http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/spicy-enchiladas-with-pumpkin-sauce?autonomy_kw=enchiladad%20with%20pumpkin&rsc=header_15

Whole chickens were on sale at my grocery store this week, so I decided to make 2 beer can chickens and use the chicken in 2 dishes this week. Here is a link to my previous beer can chicken. http://courtcooks.blogspot.com/2008/06/beer-can-chicken.html

I changed to rub on the beer can chicken to 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp garlic, and 1 tsp chili powder.

I made a terrible mess in the kitchen when I was preparing the pumpkin sauce!! I used my food processor to make the sauce (the recipe says to use a blender-guess I didn't read it good enough) and adding 2 & 1/2 cups of water was too much liquid for it too handle. Orange liquid filled my kitchen counter, and onto the floor. After cleaning up, I poured the remains into a BLENDER, added more chili powder, pumpkin, and water.

My husband loved the dish!! I had tried the pumpkin sauce before baking and was sure the dish was going to be a disaster. After cooking the sauce, it really complimented the chicken.

This dish can be assembled up to eight hours ahead of time; refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, until ready to bake (add a few minutes to the cooking time).

Enchiladas with Pumpkin Sauce

1 whole chicken-about 3-4 lbs (skin removed, and meat shredded)

6 scallions, thinly sliced

coarse salt and fresh ground pepper

15oz can pumpkin puree

4 garlic cloves, peeled

2 jalapeno chilies, quartered

2 tsp chili powder

8 corn tortillas (8")

1 & 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, scallions and season with salt & pepper.

Set mixture aside.

In a blender, puree the pumpkin, garlic, jalapeno, chili powder, 2 & 1/2 cups water, 2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper until smooth.

Pour 1 cup of the sauce into a 9x13 baking dish.

Spoon a mound of the chicken mixture into the center of each tortilla, and roll into a log and place seam side down in the dish.

Pour the remaining sauce on top, and cover with cheese.

Bake until cheese is golden brown, and sauce is bubbling-about 25-30 minutes.

Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Apple Rosemary Pork Tenderloin

Here is another recipe from the Weekend Wizards fall theme meals. This recipe is from allrecipes.com. I made a few changes, and the pork was so moist and flavorful!!! This recipe is pretty involved for a weeknight meal, but I will save it again for a fall weekend. I served the pork with smashed red skin potatoes.

Here is a link to the original recipe http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Apple-Rosemary-Pork-Tenderloin/Detail.aspx

Apple Rosemary Pork Tenderloin

2 tsp dried rosemary

1 & 1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 & 1/2 tsp dried marjoram

salt and pepper to taste

3 lb pork tenderloin (used two 1 & 1/2 lb tenderloins)

12 oz apple cider

3 Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into 1 inch pieces

1 large red onion, cut into 1 inch pieces

5 tbsp brown sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup maple syrup

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Trim silver skin off of both pork tenderloins.

Mix rosemary, thyme, marjoram, salt, and pepper.

Rub herb mixture on pork tenderloins.

Place tenderloins in a roasting pan.

Pour cider in pan.

Place apples and onions on and around tenderloin in pan.

Spoon brown sugar over entire pan evenly.

Roast for about 45 minutes, until the pork reaches 155 degrees with a meat thermometer.

Remove meat from pan and most of the juices, and continue to roast apples and onions another 20 minutes.

In a skillet, place flour, and the juices from the pan.

Stir in maple syrup.

Cook and stir over medium heat until liquid has thickened to desired consistency.

Mushroom-Cheddar Frittata

Here is another recipe from the Weekend Wizards cooking group. The recipe is from Martha Stewart. This was a great weeknight meal. I would make this again, and would switch up some of the vegetables to whatever I have on hand. This could be used as a great breakfast or brunch item.

Mushroom-Cheddar Frittata

10 oz white mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
1/2 lb red new potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 tbsp olive oil
2 shallots, minced (added)
coarse salt and ground pepper
8 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp hot-pepper sauce
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
10 oz broccoli, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Spray a 9 inch deep-dish pie plate with cooking spray, and add mushrooms, potatoes, shallots, and oil.
Roast for 20 minutes, tossing once.
Meanwhile combine eggs, milk, mustard, hot-pepper sauce, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp pepper.
Toss in cheese and broccoli.
Pour egg mixture over potato mixture, and stir.
Bake until puffed and set in the middle, and a paring knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

Lasagna

It has been so long since I updated my blog (might have something to do with the fact that I haven't cooked in weeks-no joke). My husband and I went on a great vacation to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and I haven't felt up to cooking since we returned. Somehow I managed to get sick, but my husband was fine (I must not have drank enough beer!).

I am working evenings this week and on call, so I wanted to have something that my husband could heat up and eat before I got home. A nice big tray of lasagna fit perfectly. I used a recipe on the back of the Barilla no boil noodles.

Lasagna

from Barilla

1 9 oz package no boil Barilla lasagna noodles

2 eggs

15oz ricotta cheese (used part skim)

4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (only used 3 cups)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (used Pecorino Romano)

1 lb Italian sausage

2 jars spaghetti sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spray 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray.

In medium bowl mix eggs, ricotta, Romano, and 1 cup mozzarella cheese.

Brown sausage in skillet until cooked through, and drain any excess grease.

Spread 1 cup of pasta sauce in pan.

Layer 4 uncooked pasta sheets (overlapping if needed), 1/3 ricotta mixture, half of meat, 1 cup mozzarella, and 1 cup sauce.

Layer 4 sheets pasta, 1/3 ricotta mixture, and 1 & 1/2 cup sauce.

Layer 4 more sheets, the remaining ricotta, the remaining meat, and 1 cup of sauce.

Layer 4 more sheets, the remaining sauce, and 1 cup mozzarella.

Cover with foil and bake for 55 minutes.

Remove foil and bake for 10 more minutes.

Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.

Pan Seared Scallops with Green Curry Sauce

I found some huge scallops at Whole Foods, and made this dish on the fly for dinner. We were supposed to have a fancy anniversary dinner, but we went out the night before and had a great meal so we will have the fancy home cooked dinner at another time. We did open a nice bottle of Riesling, and watch the season premiere of Entourage.

Pan Seared Scallops with Green Curry Sauce

8 sea scallops

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 can light coconut milk

2 tbsp green curry paste

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp brown sugar

2 chili peppers

1 stalk lemongrass

white rice (prepared in rice cooker)

Heat small saucepan on medium heat.

Add curry powder and heat until fragrant.

Add coconut milk, fish sauce, brown sugar, chili peppers, and lemongrass.

Simmer for 5 minutes.

Heat a skillet on medium high.

Add oil and 4 scallops.

Sear for 2 minutes on the first side.

Flip and cook for 3 minutes on the second side.

Repeat with the next 4 scallops.

Plate the rice and drizzle with the curry sauce.

Place scallops on top, and drizzle with more curry sauce.

Fire-Roasted Gazpacho

I have always wanted to make a gazpacho, but for some reason I never have gotten around to it. I saw this on Rachael Ray's talk show and I knew it would be fast, light, and delicious!! My husband used some of the leftovers as salsa.

I am submitting this to the wonderful Joelen's blog event Food Network Chefs. Check out her blog, or even participate in one of her many events!! http://joelens.blogspot.com/

Fire-Roasted Gazpacho

1 small red onion

1/4 seedless cucumber

1 jalapeno pepper

1 clove garlic

1 slice bread

a small handful of cilantro

1 lime

28 oz can fire-roasted tomatoes

splash of tomato juice

2 tsp hot sauce

2 roasted red peppers

pepper

Dice onion, cucumber, and jalapeno into large chunks and place in food processor.

Grate in garlic.

Cut the crust off of the bread and tear into large chunks and add to food processor.

Add cilantro, juice of 1 lime, tomatoes, and hot sauce.

Drain the liquid from the red peppers and add to processor.

Add pinch of pepper.

Pulse food processor until the gazpacho reaches the consistency you like.

I served the gazpacho in a martini glass.