Mich's Meaty Mole Chili

The meat extravaganza (and a few special additions) brings this dish to life in my rendition of mole chili. This recipe is in reverence to a river trip that I took last fall; running the gates of ladore. It was my first ever multi-day river trip, and I had no idea what was in store for me. Aside from phenomenal scenery and wonderful company, the culinary delights that came out from the woodwork was equally inspiring. On this very trip, I had the best chili that I've ever had in my life, made by a fellow river mate. Tonight, as I spooned this delicious dish, I was taken back to the scenic landscape of Ladore, the campfires, and the people. Thanks again Joshie, for an amazing trip!

6 garlic cloves

1 red onion

3 cups dried beans

2 cans diced tomato (or fresh tomatoes if it's in season! diced, drained, pureed)

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 12oz bottle of dark beer (I used some homemade porter)

2 cups corn

1/2 lb bacon

1/2 lb venison

1 lb ground meat

2 sausages

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

2 Tbsp molasses

1 cinnamon stick

5 Tsp chili powder (if you're lucky like me, you'll have some stashed from NM!)

To flavor: cinnamon, cumin, salt/pepper, honey

*Before starting, soak the beans over night.

1. Brown meat separately, then set aside.

2. In a 6-8 qt dutch oven, saute the garlic and then add the diced onion. Add beer until it is reduced.

3. Add, tomatoes, stock, and the remainder of the ingredients.

4. Add meat in, and simmer, or put in oven at 400 degrees, for at least 2 hours. The longer the better!

5. Serve w/a side of homemade corn bread, salad, and toppings (plain yogurt, cheese, and fresh red onion).

Sausage Cheddar Biscuits

While I was putting the flour away, I noticed the bag had a recipe for Sausage Cheddar Biscuits on it.

Bacon Cheddar Biscuits Based on the King Arthur Flour bag recipe

Ingredients
3 cups King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fleur de sel
½ cup butter, chilled
8oz Morning Star Farms Original Veggie Sausage Patties
2 inch cut of a 2lb block of Tillamook Vintage Medium White Cheddar Cheese (about 1 ½ cups when chopped)
1 cup reduced fat buttermilk
½ cup Nancy’s Organic Nonfat Yogurt

Cut the stick of butter into ¼ inch squares. Separate the squares from each other and put on a plate; place in the freezer.
Heat a skillet to medium high and add the veggie patties. Cook thoroughly; approximately 7 minutes each side. Put patties on a plate and put in the freezer to cool.
In a mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut the chilled butter squares in with a pastry cutter until mixture is crumbly and somewhat homogenous. Put the mixing bowl in the refrigerator.
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet.
Cut the cheese into ¼ inch squares by making slices, then cutting the slices into sticks, and the sticks into chunks. Take the veggie patties from the freezer, and make four cuts across. Turn 90 degrees and make four more cuts, resulting in squares approximately ¼ inch in size.
Remove the mixing bowl from the fridge and add the cheese and veggie sausage. Add the yogurt, buttermilk and yogurt. Mix with a rubber spatula by turning the mixture and smooshing down. Work just until everything is evenly moistened.
Turn the dough straight onto the parchment paper and pat into a rectangle about ¾ inch thick. Cut the dough into 2 inch squares. Brush with melted butter if so desired, and pull the squares of dough apart so they aren’t quite touching.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until medium- to deep-golden brown. Serve immediately.

The cheese from these biscuits runs out onto the pan quite a bit forming lovely little cheese crisps to nom on. Phil says that’s the best part. They are delicious when piping hot, right out of the oven! We had them with beer for dinner.

Red Wine Beef Stew

You know how sometimes you open a bottle of wine, drink one glass, and then forget about the rest of the bottle for a while? I mean, we definitely didn't have that problem in the above photo at the seafood and wine festival, but sometimes you don't drink the whole bottle... Well, I found something useful to do with that leftover-not-so-yummy wine. Make it into a delicious stew. My parents don't drink much, and the other day we were opening a bottle of wine and found a few bottles that were a little too fermented, so I looked up some recipes to get ideas. Here is what I came up with. And I apologize, but I don't really measure.

1. In a dutch oven, heat up a few tablespoons of olive oil and butter. Add 1-2 lbs. of cubed beef and brown it on all sides. Add 1 medium chopped onion and about 5 minced cloves of garlic. Cook for a few minutes until onions become translucent. Add a pinch of salt, a few bay leaves, and some fresh herbs. I used rosemary and sage, my two favorites. Stir in about a tablespoon of flour. Throw in a bottle of wine.
2. Put the dutch oven in a 350 degree oven for about an hour and a half. The liquid should reduce a bit and smell delicious.
3. In a pan on the stove, cook some veggies. I used: 2 small potatoes, 1 carrot, 2 celery stalks, green beans, and collard greens. Add some pancetta, a few tablespoons of sugar, and about 1/2 cup of water to the pan and cover it. Cook for a few minutes until everything is done.
4. Take the dutch oven out of the oven and mix everything together.

Chile Verde (Green Chile Pork Stew)

A few years ago, I had one of the best summers of my life in Nuevo Mexico. I was sent to NM from my program, and though days were filled with learning all things medicine, evenings and weekends were filled with climbing, cycling, catering w/Brett house, and all around debauchery con mi hermanas (paco y uhleeta). When I have a hankering for NM, I take out the frozen green chili's, and start brewing a little stew.

2 Tb olive oil

2 lb pork loin, cut in 1" cubes

1 large onion, diced

3 large cloves garlic, minced

1/2 lb tomatillos, husks removed, pureed

1/2 lb tomatoes, diced

6-8 green chili peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded, and diced

1-2 jalapenos, seeded, and finely chopped

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 tsp cumin

salt and pepper to taste

chopped cilantro

lime wedges

plain yogurt/ sour cream

1. Heat oil in a large pot (4-6qt dutch oven works nicely!). Brown the pork, then reduce the heat and add the onion and garlic. Cook until the onion softens.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients (sans cilantro, lime, and yogurt).

3. Bring all ingredients to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered until the pork is very tender. Approx 1- 1.5 hours.

4. Add more spice accordingly, I added a little more red chili powder.

5. Serve with lime wedge, chopped cilantro, dolop of plain yogurt, and perhaps some home made tortillas! (courtesy of aleta!)

TORTILLA TIME!

O wow! I just made the yummiest tortillas EVER.... twice!
My boyfriend Harrison is doing a project for school, where for 3 months he will eat nothing but local foods (300ish mile radius of Albuquerque, NM). This is proving difficult in the winter months, but we are both being as creative as possible.
Last night I had the urge to make tortillas, and they turned out incredibly delicious, so I made them again this morning and filled them with eggs, potatoes, green chile and cheese, and we gorged ourselves on "Breakfast Tacos".

2 cups white flour
2 Tbs butter (we used raw butter, which worked quite well!)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder (unfortunately there is no local source... but shhhh!)
3/4 cup hot water


Mix all the dry stuff together, then add the wet goods.
Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, and separate into 6-8 balls.
Let the balls sit under an upside-down bowl for about 20 minutes.
Using either a tortilla press (thank you wonderful sister who brings cool things back from Mexico) or a rolling pin, or a closed bottle of wine, flatten the balls into round, or amoeba shaped tortillas. (I actually roll them one at a time b/c they shrink sooooooo fast!)
Place your flattened shape on a VERY hot skillet, and using your hands, keep the tortilla from shrinking by pushing all over it.
Let it cook for about 15 seconds, then flip it. Let it cook about another 30-40 seconds, flip again, and cook about 30 more.
EAT!!!!! They are best when they are fresh off the skillet, and can be eaten as is, or topped with beans, cheese, eggs, meat.... anything really!


LOTS OF LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Non-Dairy Ice Cream

I have been trying to make ice cream without any dairy, since the dairy tends to upset my stomach. The other night, I made avocado key lime ice cream. I blended up:
2 cans coconut milk
2 avocados
1/2 lb. key limes (just the juice)
1/2 cup sugar
Then I stuck it in an ice cream maker. Amazing! Anyone have any other good ice cream ideas?

Healthcare

Thank god it passed! I am so happy about this!!!

An interesting yet tasty cobbler combination

I modified this from a recipe in Barbara Kingsolver's new book. It is a cobbler that has basil and balsamic vinegar in it....really tasty.

Filling:

2-3 apples

raspberries (fresh or frozen)

handful of chopped basil

3 tbs balsamic vinegar

2 tbs honey (or more...)

Crumble topping:

1 stick butter

2-3 tbs brown sugar

enough flour to make it crumbly

bake at 350

Beans have LOTS of Iron

I went to donate blood on Monday and when they tested me for Anemia the nurse was blown away at how high my iron levels were. I was at 15 which is apparently higher than most men. June had similar results and decided to start looking up foods to see where the massive amounts of iron are coming from. She looked up cabbage first since she has been eating a lot of it, but a serving only has 2% of iron. Then it hit her....BEANS! Did you know that a single serving of beans has 20% of your daily dose of iron? My New Mexican crockpots of beans are like vats of ironie goodness. Yet another reason to eat a burrito a day!

Amazing PIzza

I had been craving pizza for weeks and so I made some on Tuesday night. Ironically enough, on the same day, I was also reunited with about 5 Cooking Light magazines that had been sent to my old apartment, and one of them had a special feature on PIZZA. April and I made 2 kinds on whole wheat crust and both were amazing!

Type1:

Pesto, Mozzarella, Asiago, Chicken, Red Onion, Sliced Red Grapes...this was absolutely mind blowing, such an incredible combination of flavors!

Type 2:

The sauce was diced tomatoes sauteed with onion, cumin, oregano, cayenne peper. Topped with fresh mozzarella cheese and basil.

Persimmon Bread

My fruit bowl has been overtaken with Persimmons! In Korea I loved persimmons, but I think they were a different kind. The ones I have been getting in my veggie box don't have the same texture and their flavor is not as good for eating plain, so I made bread out of them. It was really good! I still don't know where my camera is so not photo, but i am sure you can use your imagination; picture banana bread :)

2 cups white sugar

1 1/2 cups wheat flour

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup oatmeal

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 cups ripe Hachiya persimmon pulp

1/2 cup applesauce

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. In a bowl, stir together the sugar, wheat flour, all-purpose flour, oatmeal, salt cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and baking soda, until well mixed. Set aside. In a separate bowl, stir persimmon pulp with applesauce, vegetable oil, and eggs until well blended. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, stirring until free of lumps. Divide batter between two greased 9x5 inch loaf pans.

3. Bake in the preheated oven for one hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaves comes out clean.

Pie Crust

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I am going to post my pie crust recipe. It's nothing fancy, but it works for me. There are tons of little tricks that people use to make their pie crust, but I pretty much ignore all of that stuff. Freezing the bowl, using vodka, chilling for hours, etc. My sister literally takes an hour to make pie crust. This recipe is simple and easy.

2 cups white pastry flour (or regular)
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening
water (chilled is better)

In a large bowl, mix the flours and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter. When the butter is mostly mixed in, cut in the shortening. Continue until you have pea-sized lumps. Slowly add the water and mix until you can form a ball. Too much water or mixing with make the crust hard and too crunchy. Too little water makes it hard to work with. It may take you a while to realize just how much water is right. I guess that is the hardest part. When you are rolling out the dough, be sure to generously flour the surface. Using parchment/wax paper helps.

For Thanksgiving, I made an apple sour cream pie. It was yummy. Check it out at http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Silver-Palate-Sour-Cream-Apple-Pie-106665

Yummy Chanterelles Courtesy of Mols

Molly gave me a bunch of mushrooms that she had hunted last weekend and Aleta and I made a feast out of them. We sauteed onion lots of garlic and chicken then added the shrooms and a little butter. Then we added some beautiful chard and let it cook down a tad. We served it all over red Quinoa (the kind rach and mols went crazy over last week) topped with fresh parmesean. This was the perfect simple fall meal, although it felt extravagant because it was so colorful and beautiful. This picture from Leat's phone really does not do it justice...I gotta find my camera!

Weird Veggies Trifecta

Here's my final installment for the bizarre vegetable series. Now, with the inclement weather arriving, it's time to head indoors and cook up all the pumpkin and butternut squash from this season (heaps of them this year). Happy Fall!

Though not weird, this is pretty much my last harvest from the garden. It's always kind of bittersweet... just like the kale this time of year.

The stuff nightmares are made of...

Sometimes it is best to let the picture speak for itself.

I didn't think it was possible to be hypnotized by a watermelon, until today.

*note: I carved nothing into this thing. Anyone know what causes this?

Mutant Veggies Pt. 2

Here is a creepy cucumber to add to Jake's earlier post!

White House kitchen Garden

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Oddball Veggies: Part I

The gardening in Corvallis this year has been interesting, albeit a bit slow for the tomatoes for some reason. Every year I try to grow several new vegetables, sometimes just to find out if I like them. Among them are the veggies that I just can't grow or aren't very palatable to me. The Radicchio just didn't pan out, as it tasted similar to what I imagine Skunk-cabbage tastes like. My Roma tomatoes last year were as hard as billiard balls. I've also found that often the stranger something looks, the better it tastes. A friend said that Kohlrabi looks like "some kinda weird space alien thingy...whatever..." And it does, but its taste is akin to a sweet and tender broccoli stem.

Then there are the truely bizarre, the outliers in which some process of cell division went horribly wrong. I'll post them here as I find them, and feel free to post your own in a similar fashion. Unfortunately I didn't take pictures of some of them. Among the missing are the pontoon boat shaped zuchini, The two lobed lemon cucumber, and the V shaped pole bean.

The two headed fairy eggplant. I'll leave it to you to decide which part of the human anatomy this looks like.

Possibly my favorite: the so-called "Frankentuber," the oddest potatoe I've ever seen

A Crockpot is a New Mexican's Best Friend

Being back in New Mexico, I have reverted back to my old "burrito a day" habits. (and looking at my parents stash of beans I could probably eat 3 a day) .Beans are soooo good especially when they are homemade in a crockpot. I made the most amazing pot of shredded buffalo and beans last night.

I bought a couple pieces of buffalo meat and threw it in with pinto beans, red chile powder, garlic and onion, turned the crockpot on low and let it cook 24ish hours. The buffalo cooked down and shredded. I ate my bowl of beans with lots of green chile and cheese. YUMMY!

What to do with Green Beans

We've got a sudden glut of green beans from the garden. I hated green beans as a kid, but I figured I'd give them another chance. This is a very simple recipie for green beans that tastes almost as good as bacon. I'm not kidding. I haven't chowed down on beans like that EVER!
Ingredients:
enough beans to cover the bottom of a pan
2 tbsp butter (or olive oil, but make sure you salt the olive oil)
3-4 cloves of minced garlic
ginger (lightly) to taste

Melt the butter in the pan, toss in the garlic, ginger, and beans, and cook on a medium heat for about 10 min. Overcook (but don't burn) the beans a bit (the phrase "cooked into submission" come to mind here). I left them on a while longer than I thought I should have and they were perfect. When the garlic is really starting to brown and crisp is about right. Serve them seperately or with more garden veggies. I havent tried it yet, but eggplant strips would also be good in this I feel.
So easy, so nummy!

Clean Food = Clean Body

My Mom and I just recently finished a 12 day cleanse... the cleanse is different from a detox, in that you are getting enough nutrients and calories to sustain an active lifestyle. I feel great, and now know for sure that I have a gluten intolerance (my stomach wasn't so hot after reintroducing 2 slices of bread). It is interesting how we become so accustomed to feeling sick or "off", that we do not even notice what foods make our bodies feel both good and bad. I think cleaning out our system once in a while is important in order to truly listen to, and take care of our bodies.

So, here are the basic "guidelines" and a few of my favorite recipes from the 12 days. I am thinking I might make a recipe book for it!

For the ENTIRE 12 days, eliminate the "Big 10" from your life:
1. Alcohol
2. Caffeine (green tea is okay)
3. Dairy
4. Sugar (including honey/agave/maple syrup- but stevia is okay)
5. Flour (crackers, bread, pasta)
6. Chocolate
7. Soy Products (miso is okay)
8. Processed Fat/Oil
9. Nuts
10. Vinegar

Day 1 --> Pre-Cleanse: whole grains, lean protein, fruit, vegetables, healthy fat
Day 2 --> Pre-Cleanse: whole grains, lean protein, fruit, vegetables (eliminate fat)
Day 3 --> Protein Phase: lean protein, fruit, vegetables, supplements
Day 4 --> Protein Phase: lean protein, fruit, vegetables, supplements
Day 5 --> Fruit/Veggie Phase: fruits, vegetables, supplements
Day 6 --> Fruit/Veggie Phase: juice only (dilute 30% juice/70% water)
Day 7 --> Fruit/Veggie Phase: fruits, vegetables, supplements
Day 8 --> Reintroduction: whole grains, fruits, vegetables, supplements
Day 9 --> Reintroduction: whole grains, fruits, vegetables, supplements
Day 10 --> Reintroduction: whole grains, fruits, vegetables, protein, supplements
Day 11 --> Reintroduction: whole grains, fruits, vegetables, protein, healthy fat, supplements
Day 12 --> Reintroduction: whole grains, fruits, vegetables, protein, healthy fat, supplements
(After this, start adding in the Big 10, one at a time- you will notice any lack of tolerance this way!)

~~RECIPES~~





Spicy Mung Bean Soup with Coconut
*2 cups of mung beans (soaked overnight)
*1 tsp black mustard seeds
*1 small clove of garlic (minced)
*1 inch piece of ginger (chopped finely)
*1-2 jalapeños (minced)
*3 bay leaves
*1 tsp tumeric
*1/2 tsp ground cumin
*1 tsp ground coriander
*1/2 tsp cayenne
*1 can diced tomatoes
*3 cups water or vegetable broth
*1 cup shredded coconut
*juice from 1 lemon
*1/2 tsp garam masala
*1/2 tsp salt
--> Heat a large pot over medium heat. When hot, add the mustard seeds and cook until they begin to pop. Immediately add the garlic, jalapeño, and ginger and stir for a minute (be careful for flying jalapeño pieces!). Add 1/2 cup or water and bring to a simmer. Toss in the bay leaves, tumeric, cumin, coriander, and cayenne. Stir, then add the tomatoes and coconut. Cook for another minute, then add the remaining water, and the mung beans. Simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Add water if needed. Cook about 30-45 minutes, or until mung beans are no longer hard (but they should not be mushy either!). Add lemon juice and garam masala (and more water again if needed), and cook for another few minutes before serving.



Massaged Kale with Lemon
*1 bunch of kale (any type works! mix them too!)
*1 large clove of garlic (crushed)
*1/2-1 lemon
*1/2-1 tsp sea salt
--> Wash kale and strip from stalk. Tear into small pieces. Crush garlic and mix with kale. Squeeze lemon onto kale (I suggest starting with 1/2 and adding more if needed) and add salt. Massage with hands for 3-5 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes and serve. Similar to ceviche, the lemon "cooks" the kale down!



Quinoa and Veggie Stuffed Poblanos with Chipotle Guacamole
*6 big poblano peppers (pesillas are the same thing)
*1 cup red or black quinoa cooked in 2 cups of water
*1 small zucchini (cut into small chunks)
*1 small squash (cut into small chunks)
*6-8 white mushrooms (cut into small chunks)
*1/2 purple onion (diced)
*1 red bell pepper (diced)
*2 garlic cloves (minced)
*1/4 tsp salt
*good natural salsa
*12 toothpicks
--> Remove the tops from the poblanos (like the top of a jack-o-lantern) and remove seeds. In a big bowl combine the quinoa, all of the vegetables, salt, and as much salsa as you want (just enough to moisten the mixture without making it runny). Stuff each poblano as much as possible, using a chopstick to push some down into the bottoms and cracks. Place 2 toothpicks into the tops, and out the sides to hold the filling inside. Heat the BBQ grill, and place the poblanos on. Turn every few minutes until the skin is blackened and blistered all over.
*2 avocados
*1 garlic clive (minced)
*1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (diced)
*leftover salsa
*salt
*lemon juice
--> mash the avocado and combine everything until you have guacamole. Serve on top of the poblanos...






Chicken "Tacos" with Green Chile
*1 rotisserie chicken
*1 head of boston butter lettuce
*veggie toppings (tomato, onion, peppers...)
*chipotle guacamole (see recipe above)
*chopped green chile
*pinto beans, or black beans
--> Take apart the rotisserie chicken, shredding the meat. Chop all of the veggies, and make the guacamole. Heat the beans. Using the butter lettuce as a "taco shell", assemble tacos with everything you want.

(Sorry... no pics of these... but they were SO good, we had them twice!)


Let me know if you want any more info on the cleanse. The recipes are all amazing, and I will be using the all on a regular basis. :)