Confident Kitchen

This has been an awesome month so far for my little recipe blog.  Crossposting all over has really helped bring the numbers up from less than 10 hits a day to an average of almost 100 per day.  The busiest day was when I posted about the Portabello Enchiladas, with 310 hits in 24 hours.  Yay!

So, thank you for checking out my little recipe blog.  I hope you come back soon.

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Elise.com posted this recipe recently and it looked so quick and easy, I just had to try it.  Since I had guests over, I figured it was a good time.  They were easy, not too sweet, and a great dessert after a zesty meal.

• 6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
• 3 large eggs
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons peppermint extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1 Preheat oven to 375°F. Generously butter six 3/4-cup (6 ounce) ramekins. Stir chocolate and butter in heavy small saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

2 Using electric mixer, beat eggs, egg yolks, and 1/3 cup sugar until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Add all purpose flour and beat until blended. Add chocolate mixture, peppermint extract, and salt; beat just until incorporated. Divide chocolate mixture among prepared ramekins. Place ramekins on baking sheet.

3 Bake cakes until edges are set but centers look shiny and still move slightly when ramekins are gently shaken, 10-11 minutes. (Start checking at 9 minutes.) Remove cakes from oven; let cool for 5-10 minutes.

4 Either serve as is, in the ramekins, or run a knife around the edges of the cakes and invert on to individual dessert plates.

Serve with raspberries, mint leaves, vanilla or mint ice cream, or whipped cream.

**Notes:  I didn’t think they were quite cooked, so I left them in an additional 3 minutes.  Elise.com says that they are pudding inside, cake outside, but ours were all cake.  Oh well, still tasty!  We added some light rum to the whipping cream, very tasty and will definitely make again.

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Food should not be allowed to be this good. These are the absolute best, bar-none, enchiladas I’ve ever had. ~Carl

With these words, I knew I had a fantastic dish. Carl and I are trying to migrate back towards more vegetarian fare, which meant modifying recipes of things that we are craving. One such dish was enchiladas. I have another enchilada recipe on the site, but it calls for turkey and was slightly different. I used that as a general guideline to come up with something infinitely better.

• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 1 can black beans, rinsed, drained, and smashed
• 1 can enchilada sauce (we used organic)
• 2/3 tub fresh salsa (any spice level, we picked Hot)
• 6 flour tortillas
• 1 cup cheddar, grated
• 1 cup fontina, sliced into blocks, 3 pieces each enchilada
• 4 small or 2 large portabello mushrooms, diced
• fat free sour cream, if desired

1. In a medium pot, saute onion and bell pepper in 1 Tbsp canola oil for 2-3 minutes. Add smashed black beans, 2/3 can of enchilada sauce, and salsa. Stir, set aside.
2. In a small pan, saute portabello mushrooms 2-3 minutes in 1 Tbsp canola oil. Add to mixture above.
3. Spoon 1/4 cup portabello mixture into tortilla. Add 3 blocks fontina cheese. Roll each enchilada and place seam down in oiled baking dish. Cover with remaining enchilada sauce and chopped tomatoes.
4. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Add cheddar cheese, bake an additional 5 minutes.

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I have this fantastic cookbook called The Occasional Vegetarian and I keep meaning to try more recipes from it.  Originally, I flipped through it looking for a recipe containing beans, but when I saw one with orzo, my stomach started growling.  Orzo it is!

The recipe calls for summer squash, but our local organic grocer didn’t have any tonight, so I threw in a roasted rutabega (see instructions below).  The change worked nicely.

• 4 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 pound orzo
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup shallots, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 unpeeled carrot, thinly sliced
• 1 medium zucchini, diced
• 1 rutabega, diced
• 1/2 cup vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Tablespoons half-and-half
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Cut rutabega into bite-sized pieces, coat with a small amount of salt, pepper, and olive oil.  Bake in oven for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil.  Add 2 teaspoons of salt and the orzo.  Cook for 6-7 minutes, drain, set aside.
3. Heat oil in large skillet.  Add bell pepper and saute over very low heat for 10 minutes.  Raise the heat to medium; add the shallots, garlic, and carrot.  Saute until the carrot becomes soft, about 2-3 minutes.  Add the zucchini and rutabega, cooking 1 more minute.
4. Turn the heat to high.  Add stock, tomato sauce, salt, and pepper.  When the sause simmers, turn the heat to low and stir.
5. Add drained orzo to sauce, stirring until the sauce is absorbed.  Add half-and-half, stir.  Remove from heat, stir in Parmesan cheese.  Serve.

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• 1/2lb bacon
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 large shallot, chopped
• 1 leek, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 cans chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon dry thyme leaves
• 1 pound thin-skinned potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 2 10-ounce packages of frozen corn
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• salt and pepper to taste

Cook bacon.  Add garlic, onion, shallot, leek, and celery; saute for about 10 minutes or until onion is soft.  Add broth and thyme; bring to a boil.  Add potatoes; reduce heat, cover, and simmer until potatoes are tender enough to mash easily, 10-15 minutes

Add corn, milk, and cream.  Stir soup over low heat until hot (do not boil).  Serve with salt and pepper.

*Notes:  This is amazing soup.

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What is there to say about this meal?  When I found it online and turned the laptop screen to Carl, I was entertaining thoughts of making it.  Carl immediately opened his mouth and started enthusiastically pointing towards his face, trying to show me that yes, I should make this.

**Edit to add:  I found this recipe here Saturday evening.  There are many amazing recipes on this site.  Please excuse the late linking.**

It’s a bit labor intensive.  It also took just over an hour to make, but it was worth it.

• 1 whole chicken, quartered
• fresh coriander, chopped
• 4 medium sized plum tomatoes peeled and de-seeded - chopped small
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• fresh ginger, grated
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp mild chilli powder
• salt, to taste
• 2 tsp freshly ground mixed black pepper
• 2 tbsp peanut oil

1. Make a cris-cross incision on the top of the plum tomatoes and place them in a large bowl. Pour boiling water until all the tomatoes are completely covered. Leave to stand for a few minutes while you chop the chicken to pieces. Peel the tomatoes, slice in half, de-seed and chop.
2. Mix together the ground coriander, ground cumin, turmeric and mild chilli powder in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. Heat a medium-large pot [enough to accomodate the chicken] and oil on medium heat. Using a wooden spoon, fry the garlic for a few seconds or until it starts to brown slightly. Add the ginger, stir for a few seconds then add the onions. Cook until the onions are transparent and slightly colouring. Add the mixed spices and fry for 30 seconds always stirring. Add the chicken pieces and stir. Ground a little salt [1 tsp] and ground pepper, stir. Fry the chicken with the spices for at least 3 minutes always stirring to avoid sticking to the pot, making sure that it doesn’t burn. Add in the tomatoes and stir. Lower the heat to 2, put on the lid and cook for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken has cooked through. Check now and again to make sure that there’s plenty of sauce otherwise, add some boiled water, 1/2 a cup at a time.
4. Taste and add more salt if necessary. Stir in the fresh coriander and serve with rice.

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This was the easiest recipe ever.  The night before, I opened all the cans, chopped the veggies, and stored in plastic containers in the fridge.  In the morning, I just dumped everything in the crock pot, stirred, and left for 11 hours.

• 2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 14-1/2-ounce cans Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
• 2 14-ounce cans vegetable broth
• 1 15-1/4-ounce can whole kernel corn, rinsed and drained
• 1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups diced red-skinned potatoes
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 sliced jabaneros (seeds optional)

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.  Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 9 to 11 hours or on high-heat setting for 4-1/2 to 5-1/2 hours.

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I’ve always wanted to eat lentils, as they are a protein-rich superfood, but I’ve never liked the almost-chalky texture they have when they haven’t been cooked long enough.  I found this recipe in Vegetarian Times.

• 1 cup dried lentils
• 1 medium carrot, diced
• 6 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 celery stalk, finely diced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil

1. Bring 3 cups water to a boil.  Add lentils, cover, and simmer for 30-40 minutes.  Drain well.  Spread lentils on a large baking sheet to cool.
2. Toss lentils, carrot, green onions, celery, bell pepper, cilantro, parsley, garlic and lemon zest in a large bowl.  Drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil, and toss to coat.

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Carl suggested that I make quiche tonight, a comfort food for us.  I’ve been dealing with the anxiety related to visiting the dentist and agreed that quiche was the best idea.  I browsed through All Recipes and settled on this one:

• 6 slices bacon
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 cups half and half
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups chopped fresh spinach
• 2 cups chopped fresh mushrooms
• 1/2 cup chopped shallots
• 1 Tbsp chopped garlic
• 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 (9 inch) deep dish pie crust

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
3. Saute mushrooms, garlic, and shallots in 1 Tbsp olive oil.
4. In a large bowl, whip together eggs, half and half, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Stir in bacon, spinach, mushrooms, shallots, garlic, 3/4 cup Swiss cheese, and 3/4 cup Cheddar cheese. Transfer to the pie crust. Top with remaining cheese.

    5. Bake uncovered in the preheated oven 50 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned.

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Carl found another recipe on Elise.com that he wanted to try.  Why not? I had a few extra tomatoes laying around from last night’s Trippy Tomato Soup, and this is the season for tomato dishes.

• 3 cups cored, peeled, roughtly chopped fresh ripe tomatoes (about 2lbs)
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 4 teaspoons sugar (will reduce by half next time I make this)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 6 basil leaves, chopped
• 2-3 slices of crusty french bread, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
• 1 Tbsp butter
• garlic salt

1. Put peeled chopped tomatoes, butter, sugar, salt and pepper into a small saucepan.  Heat to a simmer, then reduce heat to a medium-low.  Let simmer for 20-30 minutes or until tomatoes are cooked, soft, and the flavors have blended.  Add chopped basil and add more butter, salt, and pepper if needed.
2. Melt 1 Tbsp butter in a small frying pan on medium heat.  Add the bread cubes, arranging in a single layer on the pan.  Let gently cook on medium heat so the bread dries out and gets slightly toasted.  Turn pieces over to toast other sides.  Cook for about 10 minutes or until croutons are crunchy dry and slightly toasted.  Sprinkle with garlic salt. Remove from heat.
3. Serve stewed tomatoes with a few croutons on top of each individual serving, and the rest of the croutons available in a small bowl to add as desired.

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