Recipes I've been digging (into!) lately

Well, Halloween is tomorrow and I nearly made it through the month of October with just ONE post. Embarrassing! So, in the interest of sharing what we've been loving lately (even though there are no exciting new recipes to post) here are some faves:

Cooking Light's Mexican Chocolate Cream Pie - I made this twice in a week. Both times we demolished it. Do add red pepper to taste - a little goes a long way and before you know it, the back of your throat is burning, and the only solution is more whipped cream!

I REALLY wanted some baked pumpkin oatmeal a few weeks ago after seeing this post on Kath Eats. I didn't want bites though, I wanted a nice, big vat of it, and this recipe I found by Lynn's Kitchen Adventures (new to me blog) hit the spot! Made it twice, once about 2/3 of a recipe, and the second time a full recipe. Do be mindful of the dimensions of your pan though - I used a 4 x 9 (ish) dish making the oatmeal deeper and thus took another 15 minutes to cook. Great to bake the night before, then let it warm up while you take your dog on a walk or do your hair. Great topped with nut butter, maple syrup and coconut flakes!

Butternut Squash and Coconut Soup with Shrimp from WFM was a surprising hit! I love bsquash soup and make it a few times a year - always mixing up the seasonings to keep things interesting. I was unsure how I'd like it with the addition of shrimp -but adding even less than a pound made the soup feel substantial.

The ultimate make-ahead dinner award goes to... Char Siu Pork Roast from Cooking Light! Reasons why this dinner rocked:

• No dicing of the meat required beforehand
• No searing required
• Marinate overnight for easy flavor (and no veggie chopping!)
• If you have a programmable rice cooker like me, you also have rice ready when you get home
• Bonus points if you trim Brussels sprouts the night before and then roast them as an easy side while you cook down the sauce

What's cooking in your kitchen lately?

Menu October 13, 2013

Happy October! I've been too busy enjoying cool weather, rainy weekends, baby showers (my sister's!) and trips to New Orleans. But trust me, there have been plenty of tasty meals in between. Take this weekend, for instance. Something about a rainy weekend in Austin is so unique and magical (except for maybe those who were at ACL this weekend - sorry about that!), it's like snow. When that happens, it pretty much cries for a day in the kitchen. So, I roasted a chicken and prepped food for the week. Delightful! I hope your week is too:

• Sunday - Roasted chicken with sage and a butternut squash, lentil and goat cheese salad (recipe below)
• Monday - Greek Salad with olives, cranberries and feta (I had a delicious one at Phara's this weekend, trying to recreate it. Stay tuned for the recipe if it works!)
• Tuesday - Spaghetti squash with a walnut-miso glaze from Saveur with a salad
• Wednesday - Chicken parm with oven roasted tomato sauce from Cooking Light with broccoli
• Thursday - Spaghetti squash fritters with sriracha mayo from Cooking Light
• Friday - surprise dinner out!

And now for the delightful part - it's our two year anniversary on Monday! We're kicking off festivities with lots of tasty eats and fun this weekend.

Butternut squash, lentil and goat cheese salad

2 cups butternut squash cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup green lentils
1 clove garlic
4 ounces greens (I used a mix of spinach, kale, chard and mustards)
2 ounces Pure Luck chevre (or your favorite goat cheese), crumbled
2 tablespoons pickled mustard seed maple syrup (recipe on Ladies' Home Journal)

Preheat oven to 374. Toss squash with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast 35 minutes. Meanwhile, place lentils in 6 cups of cold water with garlic clove and salt and peppper. Bring to a boil, lower temperature and cover, cook for 15-20 minutes. Strain and remove garlic clove.

In a large bowl, add greens, goat cheese and dressing. Top with squash and lentils and toss. Enjoy!

Coconut Chicken and a confession

I have a confession to make. From ages 21-24, about 50% of what I made was a Rachael Ray dish (or my own twist on her dishes). I had her cookbooks, knife and large skillet, and pretty much every dish I made started with boneless, skinless chicken breast that I cut into 1-inch pieces and cooked with red onion and garlic. I've come a long way since then, but I still appreciate the confidence her recipes gave me in the kitchen, even though I haven't cracked one of her cookbooks in years.

Making this chicken dish gave me a flashback to my early twenties, when I was living with my three roommates who were finishing college. I'd come home, crack open a bottle of New Age wine, turn on my playlist (a lot of James Morrison in those days), and get cooking. They loved having a homemade meal everyday, and I loved having people to cook for! Now we're all spread out over the country (Michigan, DC, Houston, and of course, Austin), but it felt like they were there last night!

Coconut Chicken

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 large red onion (or one small onion), thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional if you don't like things a little spicy)
2 chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt and pepper to taste
1 15-oz can coconut milk (not low fat)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2 green onions, dark green parts only, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1 lime, quartered

In a large pot (I used my 2 qt Dutch oven), warm olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute two minutes. Toss in garlic and ginger and saute another 30 seconds. Add bell pepper and mushrooms and cook another 3 minutes. Add turmeric and cayenne and stir to combine, then push vegetable mixture out to the edges of the pot to make space in the middle.

Place chicken int he middle of the pot, careful to get it in one single layer. Let it cook 2-3 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper while you wait, then flip and let it cook another 2 minutes. Stir the chicken into the veggies, then pour coconut milk into the pot. Add water to the cococnut can and pour it in, then stir to combine. Bring it up to a boil, then reduce heat and let it simmer 10 minutes. Stir in cherry tomatoes.

Serve over Basmati rice and top with green onion and cilantro, then squeeze a lime wedge over the top. Pair with a rose and Enjoy!

Restaurant Review - The Granary 'Cue & Brew

Hey Austinites - has it been a while since you've made the hour and a half drive down to San Antonio? Here's a tasty reason - visit the newish The Granary 'Cue & Brew in the hip reinvented Pearl District in downtown San Antonio! Luke and I headed there this weekend to visit his parents, and they said we HAD to go to The Granary - the brother owners are actually friends of Luke's from his school days!

Imagine that Lamberts and its fancy barbeque is magically transferred to San Antonio, but along the way they added the tasty beer of a microbrewery and the nice dichotomy of a traditional barbecue lunch and more upscale, adventurous options for dinner. That's what you'll find at The Granary! Their menu changes often, so this is just a taste of what you might find there.

To drink
The microbrewery aspect was a huge draw for Luke, and he wasn't disappointed with the beers they had to offer. I went with the beer cocktail route and ordered the shandy - made with their housemade rhubarb soda (they have seasonal soda offerings) and beer. So refreshing on a hot September day - I had two! They also make their own root beer, which is super flavorful! They can make  you a root beer float, if you're daring enough (we wanted to save room for the main event - the meat!).

 
To snack
They had a strong appetizer menu, but with our eye on the prize, we just ordered a couple small things to taste while we waited. The heirloom tomato salad had a nice mix of large, juicy heirloom tomatoes and some smaller cherry tomatoes. And, interestingly enough, avocado ice cream on the side! That was a first for me (ice cream for an app, not avocado ice cream - I already know I love that!). We also enjoyed the grilled figs which weren't on the menu, paired with a cocoa "dirt" and apricot gel.

To eat
The entree menu was tough to select from - we spent a solid 5 minutes debating what to get. Luke's dad insisted on the Barbecue Board (like what you would get there for lunch) which featured brisket, pulled pork, and stellar sides of potato salad and beans. The nice thing about this was the portion - generous but definitely not too much!

For me, the highlight was the beef clod (a shoulder cut). This was a GENEROUS portion of beef and had a super flavorful crust made of quinoa and coffee, and it had a maltiness (from the tomato caramel I think, which was addictive) that Luke said reminded him of beer! This is a must-get.

A close second was the BBQ Beef ramen. I asked the server if this was more BBQ-y or ramen-y, and he said it was somewhere in the middle - dead on! Love that the noodles were cooked in their beer, and the shallots were so flavorful. Of course the BBQ was amazing, and my only complaint was that the egg was difficult to eat.

Not too sweet
The fun continues to dessert, though there were definitely some options that were stronger than others (we had all 4 items!). Notably missing (or maybe not, since we didn't realize it until we were leaving) was chocolate, but I survived :)


The buttermilk pie was divine (and Luke's family are hard core buttermilk pie fans/critics!), but the most innovative and delicious dessert was the Beer and Pretzel ice cream with mustard caramel - we loved the complex flavor and the sweetness tempered by a bit of bitterness.

Heirloom Tomato, Avocado, Chickpea and Bacon Salad

Sadly, my amazing tomato crop has now dried up and stopped producing, but not before I got to enjoy many a delicious caprese, margarita pizza and fresh salad. Fortunately, heirloom tomatoes are abundant at the grocery store and enable my almost no-cook dinner mentality. This salad is pretty and composed, but could easily be tossed together. And for a vegetarian main, simply take out the bacon and chicken and add more chickpeas.

Heirloom Tomato, Avocado, Chickpea and Bacon Salad

3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper to taste
2 pieces bacon
4 ounces spinach
1 large avocado, pit removed and sliced
1 large heirloom tomato
A handful of cherry tomatoes (optional)
1 cup chickpeas (about 1/2 can)
2 green onions, sliced - divided
1/2 cup lowfat Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

Place chicken in a ziplock back. In a small bowl, whisk mustard, vinegar, 1 tablespoon oil and salt and pepper, then add to bag. Marinade at least 30 minutes (up to 2 hours).

Meanwhile, cook bacon in a cast iron until crisp - then crumble. Remove and keep warm. Add chicken and cook until cooked through (about 7-8 minutes). Set aside and let rest, then slice.

Place spinach on each plate, then top with avocado slices. Slice heirloom tomato into slices and half the cherry tomatoes and put on top of the avocados. Sprinkle with chickpeas and half of the green onion slices, crumbled bacon and chicken.

 In a small bowl, stir remaining green onions, yogurt, vinegar, remaining olive oil and salt and pepper. Drizzle over salad. Grab a steak knife and enjoy!

Menu August 25, 2013

I have a confession to make - I've started shopping for Halloween decorations. I KNOW it's only August and still 100 degrees outside, but I can't help myself. So, with the hope of fall lingering in the Robison household, my menu planning is back in full force. Here's what's on the menu this week:

• Sunday - Hatch Chile and Chicken Enchiladas (recipe below)
• Monday - Pork Chops with Bulgur, Peach and Mint Salad from Cooking Light
• Tuesday - Shrimp Tacos with Corn Salsa from Cooking Light
• Wednesday - Crispy Cauliflower Cakes with Herb Sauce and Arugula Salad from Cooking Light
• Thursday - going out!
• Friday - Savory Corn Tart with Heirloom Tomatoes from Whole Foods Market

Hatch Chile and Chicken Enchiladas

1 15-oz can diced tomatoes
1 15-oz can red enchilada sauce
3 cups shredded chicken
6 mild hatch chiles, seeded and chopped
1 tomato, chopped
2 teaspoons cumin
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
4 ounces spinach
18 corn tortillas
2 cups shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar)

In a medium bowl, stir together tomatoes and enchilada sauce. Set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together chicken, chiles, tomato and cumin.

Heat oil in a cast iron and add onions. Saute 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add spinach and stir in until just wilted. Add onion mixture to chicken and stir.

Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray. Ladle 3/4 cup enchilada sauce and spread evenly.

Warm tortillas one at a time on a dry skillet (about 45 seconds). Add 1 tablespoon cheese and 3 tablespoons chicken mixture, then roll and place in baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and pack in tightly. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over enchiladas then sprinkle cheese evenly. 

Bake for 25 minutes. Remove and let set for 5 minutes before digging in. Enjoy!

Maple Miso Chicken

Apologies for the delay! Honestly, when the thermometer reaches 100 degrees for several weeks in a row, real recipe planning goes out the door and we eat a lot of simple meals like salads and tacos. But, this little gem was a delicious weeknight meal - with a heavy focus on savory, then salt, and then a little sweet to balance it out. And, I had all the ingredients in my fridge already - love meals that I don't need to shop for!

 
Maple Miso Chicken

3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons miso paste
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 tablespoon cooking oil (I used safflower)

Whisk first 5 ingredients together in a bowl (through sesame oil). Add 2/3 of mixture to a large plastic bag with chicken and reserve the other 1/3. Seal and let marinade at least 30 minutes (preferably an hour or two). Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a large cast iron pot on medium heat and warm oil. Add chicken and let cook until browned on one side - about 5-6 minutes, then turn. Brush with some of the reserved glaze. Place in oven and let cook 10 minutes (or until cooked through). Remove from oven and brush with any remaining glaze and enjoy!

I served with a super simple, but super flavorful side of orange tahini broccoli. Here's how it goes:

Orange Tahini Broccoli

1 pound broccoli
3 tablespoons tahini
Zest and juice of one small-ish orange
Salt and pepper to taste

Trim broccoli into bite-sized florets. Steam broccoli until ready (mine usually takes about 10 minutes). Meanwhile, whisk tahini and orange juice, then set aside. When broccoli is cooked, toss with orange zest and salt and pepper. Drizzle with orange tahini sauce and serve hot!