Poblanos Stuffed with Turkey, Rice & Veggies

My friend who’s from Mexico surprised us with a fancy dinner called Chiles en Nogada, traditional in the south of Mexico.

With my mind and stomach on chiles, and some left over rice pilaf, I decided to make my own stuffed chiles dish, filled with ground meat, rice and veggies. I used this as another opportunity to sneak in as many veggies as possible. My hubby called me the ‘kale ninja’.

 

4 Poblano chiles
1 cup of cooked basmati rice (cooked in chicken broth)
¾ lb ground turkey
2 celery ribs, diced
1 large carrot, diced
½ small onion, diced
1 cup fresh kale, chopped
1 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro
2 large cloves of garlic, crushed
½ can of corn
½ can kidney beans
Salt and pepper, to taste
Few dashes of Tabasco sauce
Grated Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese

Prepare each pepper by cutting across the top near the stem and down the middle of one side. Remove veins and seeds. On the grill over fire, or under a broiler, char all sides of the peppers until blackened and bubbly, turning until all sides are charred. When ready, place in a bag or covered dish and let steam. Then peel skin from the peppers and set aside.

 

In a large sauce pan over med-high heat, cook ground turkey until almost cooked all the way through. Add veggies, herbs, garlic, corn and kidney beans; cook until veggies are tender and turkey is no longer pink. Season with salt, pepper and Tabasco, to taste. Mix rice with turkey and veggies.

Using a large spoon, stuff each chile with the filling. Please stuffed chiles in a casserole dish and top with shredded cheese. Place under a broiler and cook until cheese is melted and starts to bubble and turn brown.

Serve with black beans and sliced avocado.

Grilled Corn with Herb and Lemon Butter

One of my favorite summer treats!

 

2 ears of corn

2 slices of butter
½ cup fresh herbs, minced (I used cilantro, parsley, chives and basil)
Zest from one lemon
Salt and Pepper

Husk ears of corn and remove silky strands. Over high heat, grill corn for 5-9 minutes, turning occasionally, until lightly charred on all sides. Place two sheets of aluminum on the counter. Place an ear of corn on each sheet. Rub with butter, sprinkle with herbs and lemon zest, and season with salt and pepper. Wrap corn and let flavors infuse for 5-10 minutes.

Cut corn off husk or enjoy right off the cob.

Sausages with Greens & Beans and Grilled Garlic Bread

I fell in love with Italian Greens & Beans at our Italian friend’s family dinner and have been making it ever since. Here’s my spin on the dish. This dish is healthy, tasty, cheap and quick… and my hubby loves it!

 

Greens & Beans:

1 large bunch of kale, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled into ribbons
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
½ cup broth
2 crushed garlic cloves
Red pepper flakes (Amount depends on how spicy you like it. I usually do 1 tsp.)
1 can cannellini or white kidney beans
Salt & pepper, to taste

Grilled Garlic Toast:

Rustic, crusty bread, sliced (I used a crusty sourdough loaf)
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
Garlic cloves
Sea salt

Sausages…your favorite kind!

In a large pan, heat EVOO over med-high heat. Add kale and carrots; sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add broth, cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, pepper flakes and cannellini beans. Mix together and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside until ready to eat.

While the sausages are grilling, brush one side of each slice of bread with EVOO. Grill bread on both sides. Once bread is toasty, rub oiled side with garlic cloves. Sprinkle with salt.

Serve greens and beans with grilled sausages and sprinkle everything with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

 

Note: I know traditional Italian greens and beans don't have carrots, but I like to sneak in as many veggies in every dish whenever possible.

Palačinky - Czech Crepes

My mom used to make Palačinky, Czech crepes, for us when we were little. We would help by mixing all the ingredients in a bowl and my mom would fry the crepes, impressing us with her flipping skills. Then we would take turns spreading the jam and rolling the Palačinky. We enjoyed these both warm and cold the next day.

 

2 eggs

3 Tbsp sugar
2 cups milk
2 cups flour
Pinch of salt
Oil (for frying)

Your favorite jam

Powder sugar

In a medium bowl, combine eggs, sugar, milk, flour and salt. Over medium high heat, add 1 tsp oil and spread over frying pan. Pour a thin layer of batter and spread over pan by tilting and rotating pan. Crepes should be very thin, almost transparent. Fry on both sides until golden brown. Spread with jam, roll up and keep warm until served. Dust with powder sugar before eating.

Shrimp, Zucchini & Spinach Crepes

Crepes:

2 eggs
2 cups milk
2 cups flour
Pinch of salt
Oil (for frying)

Filling:

1 small zucchini, diced
2 cups of fresh chopped spinach
¼ cup pine nuts
½ lb raw shrimp, deveined and tails removed
1 large clove of garlic, minced
Gruyere cheese, shredded

Alfredo sauce

In a medium bowl, combine eggs, milk, flour and salt. Over medium high heat, add 1 tsp oil and spread over frying pan. Pour a thin layer of batter and spread over pan by tilting and rotating pan. Crepes should be very thin, almost transparent. Fry on both sides until golden brown; set aside.

Over medium high heat, heat oil in a frying pan. Add zucchini and spinach; sauté for 3-4 minutes until tender; add to a bowl. Add pine nuts to the frying pan and toss until browned. Add to bowl with zucchini and spinach. Lastly, add shrimp and garlic to pan. Sauté until shrimp are pink. Remove from pan immediately and add to bowl.

To assemble, fill each crepe with vegetable and shrimp mixture. Sprinkle with Gruyere cheese and roll. Repeat. Drizzle with Alfredo sauce.

Variations:

·         Add sundried tomatoes
·         Replace shrimp for chicken

Eggplant Parmesan over Fettuccine

I guess this is technically Chicken Parmesan made with fried eggplant instead of chicken and minus the parmesan cheese. I don’t know. What would you call it? Delicious?

4 servings

Vegetable and extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for frying

1 large eggplant, sliced into ½” slices

Salt

Flour, for dredging
2 beaten eggs, for dipping
Italian seasoned bread crumbs, for coating

1 fresh mozzarella cheese ball, sliced

Package of your favorite fettuccine

1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce (I used a sausage sauce to add some meat to the dish)

3 large fresh basil leaves, sliced, for garnish

Sprinkle sliced eggplant with salt and set aside. This will start to sweat the eggplant to remove the extra water.

In a large frying pan, heat half vegetable oil and half EVOO over medium high heat. You want the oil to come half way up the eggplant slices when cooking. While oil is heating up, finish preparing eggplant slices.

Using a dish towel or paper towel, rub eggplant slices with salt and remove excess water. Set aside.

Prepare three bowls in the following order: flour, eggs and breadcrumbs. Taking each eggplant slice, dredge in flour, dip in egg and then coat with breadcrumbs. Drop in oil and cook until each side is golden brown, only flipping once. Remove from oil and place on a wire rack; set aside.

In the meanwhile, cook pasta according to directions; drain and toss with pasta sauce to heat through. Set aside.

Once all the eggplant is fried, top each slice with mozzarella cheese and place under a broiler until cheese is bubble and starts to turn brown.

To plate, add pasta topped with eggplant and sprinkle with fresh basil.

Battle of the Potato Salads: Czech Potato Salad vs. Vinaigrette Potato Salad

When my husband told me that he didn’t care for the Czech style potato salad that my family makes, 1) I was shocked that I’ve never heard this before considering we’ve been together for 10 years, and 2) how can you not like the potato salad?! It’s so good! His friend did confirm that it was strange to have peas and carrots in a potato salad, which didn’t occur to me as strange considering that’s how I’ve always had it. 

 

So, since we were having our friends over for a BBQ this weekend, I decided to have a ‘battle of the potato salads’ and let our guests decided which on was better. Here are the two contenders: Czech Potato Salad and a Vinaigrette Potato Salad. Let the battle begin. 

 

I recommend making the salad a day before to let the flavors blend overnight.

 

Czech Potato Salad vs. Vinaigrette Potato Salad

Czech Potato Salad

3 large Yukon Gold potatoes
2 large carrots, diced
½ cup frozen peas
2 celery stalks, diced
1small yellow onion, minced
2 green onion sprigs, diced
2 large pickles, diced
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley

Dressing:

¾ cup mayo
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp pickle juice
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large pot of salted water, boil potatoes whole until skins break and they are fork tender. Drain and set aside until cool enough to handle. Peel skins and cut into cubes. Add potatoes into a large bowl.

While potatoes are cooling, dice carrots and place in a small pot of boiling salted water. Add peas and cook until carrots are fork tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and add to large bowl. Add remaining ingredients.

In a small bowl, combine ingredients for dressing. Whisk together until combined. Add to potatoes and veggies. Gently toss with dressing. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Vinaigrette Potato Salad

3 large Yukon Gold potatoes
5 strips of bacon
3 green onion sprigs, diced
½ small red onion, finely minced
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
2 celery stalks, diced
3 hardboiled eggs, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
Champagne vinaigrette (store bought)

In a large pot of salted water, boil potatoes whole until skins break and they are fork tender. Drain and set aside until cool enough to handle. Peel skins and cut into cubes. Add potatoes into a large bowl.

While potatoes are cooling, cook bacon in a frying pan until crispy. Remove bacon from pan onto a paper towel lined plate to soak up extra grease. Once cooled, roughly chop and add to bowl. Add remaining ingredients to bowl. Mix together. Add the eggs last, gently folding in with dressing. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Grilled Salmon Burgers with Kale and Caprese Salad

I love salmon. I can literally eat it every day. I’ve also been on a kale kick. And that’s how this little beauty was created. This was yesterday's healthy lunch.

 

 12-14 oz minced or ground fresh salmon
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbsp mayo
1 large slice of sourdough bread, diced (you can use regular or panko breadcrumbs too)
1/4 small red onion, minced
½ small red bell pepper, diced
1 Tbsp freshly minced Italian flat leaf parsley
½ tsp salt
½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper

Kale, stalks removed and roughly chopped

Thinly sliced red onion, 2 or 3 rings
Vinaigrette dressing

2 Ciabatta rolls

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Caprese salad

1 large, ripe tomato, sliced
1 large fresh mozzarella ball, sliced
Balsamic vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
Sea salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
4 large fresh basil leaves, sliced

In a medium sized bowl, combine all ingredients for salmon patties. Using wet hands, shape mixture into 2 patties. Over medium high heat, grill until cooked all the way through, about 3 minutes per side, depending on thickness.

Cut Ciabatta rolls in half and lightly brush insides of rolls with EVOO. Place open sides on grill to lightly toast.

In a small bowl, combine kale and red onion. Toss with vinaigrette.

To plate, make a Caprese salad on one side by layering slices of tomato and mozzarella. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and EVOO. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with basil leaves.

Assemble salmon burger by placing salmon patty on toasted bottom roll. Top with kale salad and add top roll.

 

 

Quinoa with Brussels Sprouts, Bacon and Blue Cheese

When my husband asked me what we were having for dinner with our grilled fish, “something good, or something healthy”, I knew I had to step it up a notch. So I added bacon and blue cheese.

 

2-3 servings

¾ cups quinoa

1 /12 cups of chicken broth
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
3 slices of bacon, diced
5 Brussels sprouts, sliced
2 green onion sprigs, diced
Juice from half a lemon
Blue cheese crumbles

In a rice cooker, or following the directions on the packaging, cook quinoa in chicken broth and EVOO.

In a frying pan over medium high heat, cook bacon until crispy. Add Brussels sprouts and cook until crispy and tender.

Once quinoa is cooked, stir in lemon juice, Brussels sprouts, bacon and green onions. Before serving, sprinkle with blue cheese.

Spicy Seared Ahi Tuna with Seaweed Mashed Potatoes

2 fresh Ahi tuna filets

Cayenne or Cajun seasoning

2 large red skinned potatoes, cubed
¼ cup chicken broth
¼ cup dried seaweed
2 Tbsp milk
3 Tbsp butter
Season with salt, to taste

Steam cubed potatoes for about 20 minutes, until fork tender. Drain water from pot and add potatoes to pot, add broth, seaweed, milk and butter. Mash together. Season with salt, to taste.  Cover and set aside.

Season both sides of tuna filets with salt and spicy seasoning, such as cayenne or Cajun seasoning. Grill over very high heat until both sides are cooked and center of fish is pink.

Serve with grilled veggies.

Swordfish Ceviche

2 lb swordfish

2 Tbsp cilantro, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1 ½ Tbsp red onion, diced
1 avocado, cubed
Juice from 6 limes
Salt, to taste

In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients above. Chill for 2-3 hours.

Serve with tostadas.

Variations: substitute swordfish for scallops, tilapia or shrimp.

Eating our way through Oregon...while singing in the rain!

My husband and I decided to take a long Memorial weekend and spend 6 days in Oregon. As we started to research the trip, we read about the hikes, the waterfalls, the hipsters, the Goonies house and then we read about the fresh seafood, trendy restaurants and blocks filled with food trucks. We couldn’t wait.

Day 1 – Hood River:

We started our trip by flying into Portland and driving out to Hood River. In the first hour of our trip, we made stops along the way to check out several huge waterfalls and did a couple little hikes. (if you're ever in the area, check out Punchbowl Falls!). Our evening ended up in Double Mountain Brewery in Hood River, where we had their special white pizza with roasted asparagus and tomatoes (and we had to add sausage!). The pizza was a thin crust with the lemony sweet flavor. They had some great beers on tap, which we tasted in their sampler.

 

In the morning, we checked out Nora’s Table. I had the Bombay-town fry, which consisted of curried potatoes, peas and kale hash with fried oysters, two poached eggs, red onion date chutney and naan bread. It was the most amazing naan bread I ever had, made with caraway seeds, sesame seeds, yogurt and topped with coarse sea salt. I love Indian food, but it was a little much Indian for breakfast for me.

 

 

My husband had the Louisiana eggs benedict made of house-made tasso ham, trinity of peppers, onions and celery, poached eggs, on an English muffin, Cajun hollandaise with your choice of breakfast potatoes or grits. Both of these delicious breakfast meals were only $10 each!

 

 

Day 2 – Portland:

We spent the middle of our trip in Portland. As soon as we got there, we wanted to check out the food carts in an area called Cartopia off of SE Hawthorne Blvd. Unfortunately, by the time we got there, they were all closed. Fortunately, Lardo was across the street! For a “snack” we order the best Bloody Mary I’ve ever had and their Dirty Fries. These thick cut fries were topped with fried pork scraps, marinated peppers, fried herbs and parmesan. Even though it was a raining day, we enjoyed sitting outside at one of their long picnic tables. The people watching kept us entertained as we pigged out on Dirty Fries. Lunch and a show for $7!

 

That night we enjoyed some tapas at ¡Oba! Restauranté. Delicious! We came in for the Prime Rib Coyotas, crispy beef flautas with corn salsa & lime crema, which we saw on their website, but the seared scallop special was the real winner. They were served over basil mashed potatoes and topped with a chorizo relish. Did I mention it was delicious? We also ordered the Seared Ahi Tuna, served with chervil-chive oil & mango-tomatillo salsa. The dish was very tasty, especially the tangy salsa.

 

After dinner, we decided to check out the Deschutes Brewery. I’m not typically an IPA fan since they tend to be too hoppy for me, but I fell in love with their Chainbreaker White IPA. We also ordered some chicken wings. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but we weren’t even hungry, so I’ll blame this one on my husband! Although we practically forced ourselves to eat them, like gluttons, these chicken wings were out of this world. They were so meaty, they were practically mini drumsticks!

Day 3 – Portland:

The next day in Portland was Saturday, so we decided to check out the Portland Saturday Market, which is located right on the water. It’s full of vendors, music and food. I went for the Salvadorian vendor and got a pupusa, a thick handmade corn tortilla filled with pork and beans, and my hubby went for the gyros. We sat near the fountain, enjoying our food while taking in all the interesting people and sights. We made up the game ‘hipster or homeless’, where you have to guess if the person walking by is, you guessed it, a hipster or homeless person. Surprisingly, the looks are very similar.

 

As we cruised around town, we came across two blocks of Food Trucks! We went with the Kargi Gogo, authentic street food from the country of Georgia. Since we couldn’t decide what to order, but wanted to try everything, we got the sampler, which consisted of a Khachapuri (Georgian Cheese Bread), Lobiani (Stuffed Bean & Onion Bread) and a Hinkali (Boiled, oversized hand-rolled bundles of joy filled with seasoned beef, pork, herbs & broth). The dumplings came with instructions. We were to hold the dumpling by its little “handle”, turn upside down, take a little bite, slurp out the broth and devour the rest. Not the best for sharing but we managed. I preferred the Khachapuri, while my husband preferred the Lobiana, which worked out perfect.

 

Here are some other fun food carts we passed:

 

That evening, while we were waiting to meet up with some friends for dinner, we decided to pop into Oven and Shaker for a couple drinks. I saw the fried chick peas on the menu and had to try them. They were fried with Rosemary and sprinkled with sea salt. What a great snack! Even though they were fried, you could pretend like they were healthy.

 

For dinner, we enjoyed more tapas at Andina, Peruvian cuisine. Everything was very good and fresh. We ordered the Palta Rellena de Cangrejo (avocado stuffed with crab, topped with a poached prawn), Picadillo Acebichado (Peruvian tartare of filet mignon with capers, olives, cilantro and quail egg) and TWO orders of the Mixta Nikkei (Yukon Gold potato, spicy tuna and crab salad, topped with crispy breaded prawn) because it was so delicious that one was not enough. The restaurant had great ambiance. We sat on their “patio” that was really their first floor as the second floor opened in the middle and had a glass ceiling. The also had live jazz that added to the whole experience.

Day 4 – Astoria:

On the way to Astoria, we stopped by a road side market advertising 60 varieties of jerky. I had to stop. They had everything else dried, too: every fruit, veggie and a whole isle of dried mushroom varieties. I picked up some dried salmon jerky for the road.

Once in Astoria, we sought out a little boat turned into a restaurant called the Bowpicker, which sold albacore tuna fish & chips, and only albacore tuna fish & chips. Cash only. When we pulled up to our destination, the line was about 40 deep and we found out they had been waiting for 1 ½+hours. We decided to go for it, and surprisingly it wasn’t raining during our time in line. The fish & chips didn’t disappoint. I was pleasantly surprised to bite into a beer battered filet of tuna, rather than the standard cod. There were only about 2 or 3 picnic tables around this boat in a dirt parking lot, so we enjoyed our meal in the car, just as it started to rain. Perfect timing.

 

Since we arrived in Astoria on a Sunday afternoon, pretty much everything was closed, so we ended up at the Fort George brewery and got a beer sampler. Not too impressive, but my taste buds were amused by the Spruce Budd Ale, which was made from spruce tips, and the homemade wasabi ginger ale.

 

Day 5 – Cannon Beach/Tillamook:

 

Next on the stop was Cannon Beach, which was supposed to be one of the beach parts of the trip, but it was also the worst weather part of the trip. This little town had street lined with a lot of fun shops, restaurants, candy shops and wine shops to keep you entertained, and allowing you to duck in and out of the rain.

 

We had lunch at Ecola Seafoods. It was the best clam chowder I’ve ever had, and I would consider myself a connoisseur in the world of clam chowders. Creamy and chunky with a potato and clam in every bite. We accompanied our clam chowder with garlic toast topped with crab and melted cheddar. I wish we would have stayed for dinner because I wanted to eat there again. Their fish market looked amazing with beautiful salmon filets and clams, as well as their fresh shrimp and crab cocktails available in their display case. Unfortunately, the trip had to move on. The cheese in Tillamook was calling us.

 

 

We arrive in Tillamook just in time for dinner. The options were limited, but we found Pacific Restaurant on Yelp!, which had really good reviews, aside from the warnings about lack of atmosphere (I think it was compared to a Denny’s). As we walked in, we also questioned our choice, but the food was one of the best dinners of the trip.

 

We started with their roasted local beet and jicama salad tossed in a chili-lime vinaigrette, which had a beautiful presentation, like the rest of our meal.

 

I ordered the seafood linguini in their lemon cream sauce. It was amazing. The sauce wasn’t too rich and had a nice lemon flavor. There was an abundance of seafood that topped the pasta – fresh, local salmon pieces, tender clams and huge prawns.

 

 

My hubby ordered the short ribs over a corn polenta. The beef was tender and delicious. The perfect accompaniment for a creamy corn polenta. If I ever find myself passing through Tillamook, and I mean only passing through and not staying the night (been there, done that), I will definitely be stopping by for dinner again.

 

 

The next morning, we headed for what we came for. Cheese. We headed straight to the Tillamook cheese factory. You get a unique view of the factory from a top floor and are able to watch the cheese blocks travel down the various conveyor belts of the factory, being sliced, counted or packaged. I expected a little more from the samples. They only had about 5 different types for sample, so naturally I had to go through the line several times to get my fill. The Vintage White Extra Sharp Cheddar was my favorite, and the squeaky cheddar cheese curds were a fun runner up. Besides the cheese, they also have an ice cream shop with tons of creamy flavors to sample.

 

Day 6 - Portland:

 

Our last day of the trip and we’re headed back to Portland to catch our flight out, but not without one last meal at Salty’s, which overlooked the Columbia River. We were excited to get our last fill of seafood chowder, but both decided afterwards, was not worth it. Too thick and majorly lacking clams. It was more like a roux and they forgot to add the clam juice and cream,...and veggies and clams! Although the chowder was disappointing, they made up for it with their Olive Oil Poached Salmon Bruschetta. There were three large toasted slices of baguette, spread with pesto, topped with fresh from the river salmon and drizzled with an anchovy vinaigrette. My hubby had the Blackened Alaskan Halibut with roasted garlic and Chèvre whipped potatoes, charred tomato, Calabrese sausage and a pea tendril salad.

 

What a perfect ending for our culinary adventure in Oregon.

 

Now I’m home and it’s time to DIET! Hope you enjoyed our culinary adventure.