No More Empty Fortune Cookies

My Veggies and Me - stolen from my other blog...

2008-07-23T15:25:13Z

I've almost always loved my veggies. I mean, sure, when I was a young one, I put up a fuss over certain ones, like those evil green pebbles that call themselves peas. But broccoli, and cauliflower, okra, and brussel sprouts, collard greens, squash... zucchini? All good in my book. In my late twenties I developed a love affair with eggplant. I had to get grown and move from my parents to even experience such a fabulous vegetable, but once I did, I knew what it meant to live off the land, for I could surely sustain my every cell's nutritional requirement with eggplant. I even spent a few years avoiding anything that once had a face and blood all together. Opting for plants only. I felt much healthier then. Aside from all the chemicals that I was pumping into my body at a feverish pace, as though I was in a race to some junkie-only finish line, and only Keith Richards could lap me to take the lead. But I digress... One of my other all time favorite sustainable, succulent sustenances are brussel sprouts. I love them. They may reek to high heaven when you're cooking them, but it's an aroma that makes my mouth water and gets me all a tither. Until, that is, a few months ago...when I got soooooo sick. Then just after I got over it, like a week later, it all happened again, in exactly the same way. symptoms and all, identical. The only thing I could attribute it to was the meal I had eaten the night of becoming so viloently ill each time. I had brussel sprouts. From the same store, from the same batch. They were frozen, steam in the pouch brussel sprouts, and honestly, I believe that they were tainted. Oh, they tasted fine, and if they smelled bad, well, how the hell would anyone have known? But a short time after eating...I was violently ill. We'll leave it at that. I didn't even relate it to the seemingly innocuous morsel nestled upon my plate, or else I'd have never seen fit to eat them again, as my symptoms subsided and I was able to move from clear liquids and on to solid foods again. I just thought vegetables always give me stregnth, I'll make some brussel sprouts! Bad, bad, bad idea. So needles to say, I've been less than gung ho over the sight of those tiny cabbages ever since then. Wifester and I were at the store last weekend, and I saw the lovely brussel sprouts, bobbing their heads from behind the mist and beckoning me ..." come back into the light...just a try, this time will be different, we promise", And I, with all the strength I could muster, turned and walked away from them. Tempting as they may be, so was cocaine and every other chemical substance that I could snort and smoke and....well, let's just say I've learned that when something is no good for you, you just gotta leave it alone. Likewise, my love of okra has been, er-um, squashed, due to the unfortunate "Memorial Day Experience", which is always said, now, with the quotation marks gesture, just for added emphasis. I went how many weeks without tomatoes because of the salmonella scare, only to find out they were safe all along! Meanwhile, I was chopping up jalapeños, who were responsible, left and right! I don't know how much more of this I can take. Please, stop ruining my veggies! I love my veggies. I don't want them taken away from me. When, where, for the love of all that's green and organic will this crazy madness end?

Chicken Enchiladas, Fortune Cookie's Style

2008-07-22T14:07:38Z

Everyone loves my enchiladas. I'm not saying it to be a braggart, or to toot my own horn. It's just the truth. I've never fed a bite of them to a soul who didn't melt in their seat and say " You HAVE to show me how to make these!"
The Wifester says that she could eat them every single day. I don't know if her tummy could handle it, and frankly, I don't know that we'd be able to fit out the door!
I was greeted last week with an announcement of "LSP is coming over on Sunday, and I told her you'd cook Mexican. That's O.K., right?"
Well, of course it's O.K.! It's an opportunity to make the food I love, feed more than two people, and not worry about calories, carbs, or fat. Is it alright?! Puhlease! Does a bear poop in the woods? Do politicians tell lies? Does hip hop's baggy pants trend foil countless on foot get away attempts? (think about that one, a moment)

Ahem... so off to the grocery store I sent the Wifester, to shop for the cooking extravaganza. I love making chicken enchiladas. Oh, they usually take the better portion of the day, and are a bit messy, and balancing the ingredients in the chili sauce, I've learned, is a try and try again system of failures and advancements, failures and advancements. But it's the aromas that fill my house when I'm making them that I enjoy. I remember when I was in nursing school (can you believe it? I used to be a bona fide nurse!) learning that the sense of smell is most closely tied to our memory of all the senses. I believe it. Every time I cook Mexican food, specifically, enchiladas, I have those rare, fond childhood memories of being a little girl, in my mother's kitchen, surrounded by Aunties and sometimes an uncle or two, my Grandma Nieves, and usually a cousin or two, or eight. If I close my eyes and block out the sounds of reality TV coming from my own living room, I can hear the mariachi bands playing from the old cassette tapes, I can hear the sounds of my mom and my aunts singing along and I can see them lifting aprons to dance. Cooking, in that kitchen, with those women, was a treat, a joy, and a learning experience. Each had their own way, each differing from the other. But when combined, their culinary wisdom created some of the most extraordinary gastronomical experiences of my life. They imparted a touch of their culinary wisdom into my developing and influential young mind, and for that, I owe a debt of gratitude. Each time I cook, be it Thai, Mexican, Italian, or purely southern-comfort foods, I draw on those early years. I use those experiences to help me be the woman I am today, not just in the kitchen, but in my life in general. I remember to laugh, when there needs to be laughter, I remember to dance, and enjoy my work. I compromise, and try to be a team player, even when I full heartedly believe that my way is the best way, because you know what? I always believe that my way is the best way, even when it isn't.
Enough about my neurosis, moving on...
Here's how I spent last Sunday...all day:

Chicken Enchiladas

First things first, you gotta have your meat just right. *snickers, chuckles, and snorts* Ah! I crack me up.
OK, Start by adding your cut of choice to a covered dish (I'm a leg girl, I like boneless, skinless thighs), smother the chicken with seasonings, I like to use a sprinkling of red chili powder, fresh minced garlic, cilantro, oregano, ground cumin, tarragon and Goya Sazon with Azafran. Let this chill in the 'fridge for for a least a few hours. The longer is sits, the more the chicken will absorb the flavors, so usually, first thing in the morning of the day that I'll be making this dish, I do this, just after starting my coffee. After a few (four or so) hours, it looks like this:

Don't worry, that red is just from the tarragon, chili and the sazon. It looks like a bloody mess, but it's not really.

When you're ready to start the boiling process, bring a big pot of water to a hard boil, the kind you hear from the other rooms and know something's a-cookin'. Throw that chicken in, cover, and let it continue to boil...

...and boil...

...and boil. Adding water as necessary.
It usually takes about 4-6 hours for the chicken to get to the falling apart stage. This is right where you want it.
Somewhere around the 2 hour mark, I chop up and add sweet yellow onion, green pepper, jalapeno, and more garlic. You can almost never have too much garlic. Thats why god made antacids!
It's ready to work with when it looks about like this:

now you want to uncover, let the water evaporate, until it's almost all gone, reserving just a little bit, add a few pinches of flour, a few pinches of chili powder, and some more cumin and oregano. Stir, stir, stir...until you have this:

Sometimes, I add olives, black or green, or both. Sometimes I I leave this as is. This time, I left as is. Now, chop some more onion, jalapeno, and garlic, since the others have flavored your chicken, but evaporated into the meat, sweat them in olive oil, and add to this mix, then set aside to cool a bit.

With the chicken mixture ready, you can begin making the enchilada sauce.
I start with oil, I like extra virgin olive oil. I don't really measure, but I guess it's about 1/4 cup? Not much more than that. I like to use a medium sized sauce pan. Heat the oil, then add a few pinches of flour, and stir, stir, stir. Pretend you're making a gravy, or a roux (if you're from Lousiana). Add some red chili powder. For this dish, I used about 1/4 cup of chili powder. Stir, stir, stir! Don't let it burn. Now I add tomato puree, a little at a time, to incorporate it well. Then add about 1 1/2 - 2 cups of chicken broth and cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, and a bay leaf. Let this boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer. Stir to smooth, add more stock or water if it becomes too thick.

While this is simmering, I like to sweat yet more onion , garlic and jalapeno. When the onions are translucent, add to this sauce. Taste your sauce along the way, if you want it hotter, add some crushed red pepper, or more jalapeno, unseeded. I take the seeds out, I am married to a gringa, after all.
Spoon some of this sauce into a casserole dish, just enough to cover the bottom, but first, fish out that bay leaf and properly dispose of it; It's done its job, and believe me, no one wants to bite into it. Bleh!

Now, you can begin to assemble. Take your yellow corn tortillas, and either heat in the microwave, covered with a damp cloth for about 45 seconds or you can heat in a pan of oil for a few seconds each side, removing with tongs.
I use the microwave method, since I can heat a stack all at once, rather than one at a time, and it cuts out at least that bit of oil being added to the already heavy meal. Dip a tortilla in the chili sauce

Add a spoonfull of chicken to the tortilla, then a sprinkle of cheese, I like to use Monterey Jack and Sharp Cheddar. Roll tortilla, and lay seam side down in prepared casserole dish.

continue until you've filled up the dish. Then spoon some chili sauce over them. MMMM...just look at these

Now top these beauties with more shredded cheese and, if you like, some olives and onion.

Cover with foil and Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, then remove foil and bake another 10 min to toast tops. Remove from oven, sprinkle with fresh chopped green onion, and look at what you've made!

Leftover Magic

2008-07-13T00:26:29Z

My blogging buddy, Chatty, of Glimpses Through the Blog, asked for more vegetarian recipes, please! And being the good neighbor that I am, and being the good little co-dependent that I am (love me, love me!) I aim to please. So Chatty, this one's for you!

Let's say you followed my wise and tasty recipe and made yourself MMM MMM Good Tofu "Chicken" Patties. Good for you! I knew you'd love em' as much as Wifester and I do! But if you're anything like Wifester and I,(and I don't mean two married women, trying to catch a break with some equality) I mean, you probably had some leftover "Chicken" Patties. "What to do? " You say? No worries! Those babies freeze nicely and then toast in the toaster to perfection! Or, let's say you then, a day or two later, had dinner with Wifester and myself. So nice of you to stop by! Well, I decided to serve some pasta, as that is a rare treat that we don't often allow ourselves these calorie and carb counting days...So a big ass pan of eggplant spaghetti was made, and again, lots of leftovers so I sent you home with some. Now, just for shits and giggles, lets say your wonderful boss brought in some zucchini from her garden to share. Really? So did mine! And have I told you how I heart zucchini! I heart zucchini grilled, I heart zucchini baked, I heart zucchini fries, I heart zucchini bread! Oh, but keep that away from Wifester if you add walnuts to it, I almost killed her once that way. (Sorry, love!) Where was I? Oh yes, so now we have leftover Tofu "Chicken",

we have a nice zucchini, and we have some leftover eggplant spaghetti. Never fear! Fortune Cookies is here to show you how to make a delicious dinner out of these three tired leftovers. Are you ready? Good. lets go!

First, boil your zucchini. depending on it's size, but 10 min otta do it.

*insert your own joke here. I'm leaving this one alone!

Next, while above veggie is being boiled, take aforementioned leftover tofu "Chicken" patties and crumble them up, or, put in a food processor and chop to a coarse texture, like this:

(pre processor)

look at the carrots, peas and celery spilling right out of there...mmmmm can't you just taste it now?
then once it's all been processed, heap it into a pile, and set it aside, like so:

see, it kinda looks like stuffing, huh? but much more savory...and remember, this has jalapeno! Ole`!
O.K. now, go ahead and heat your oven to say about 350 and get your baking sheet ready by pouring some extra virgin olive oil on it. If you are Rachel Ray, you call it EVOO, I'm not so fancy-schmancy, so I just call it what it is. What is this need with our society to abbreviate everything? Have we really become that lazy? Really?
But I digress, back to the fabulous dinner we were just in the midst of. Now at this point, you want to take some of that leftover eggplant spaghetti and heat it just until warmed. We are really looking for just the sauce, not the noodles, so hopefully you've kept it separate, but if not, no worries, put it in the food processor, it'll be fine, I promise!. By now that zucchini should be ready, so lets use some pot holders and put it on the prepared sheet then slice in half, lengthwise... (pay no attention to that sweet potato in the background, it had no part in this meal. I will , however show you how I make yummy spicy baked sweet potato steak fries one of these days!).

Now is where your steady hand comes into play, so if you are like me, don't open that bottle of wine until after you've dissected your dinner veggie, otherwise, you may end up with less than savory results. What we are going for here is a zucchini "boat", leave about 1/4 inch of meaty substance inside, and cut and scoop out the rest. Set the innerds, hehehe, innerds... on your chopping board and cube or chop. you can add some butter to a sauté' pan and add the chopped zucchini bits. when tender, add them to your eggplant spaghetti sauce. (remember, that's just what I had on hand, you can use any spaghetti sauce you have on hand. I like using veggies like eggplant and zucchini in my spaghettis and lasagnas rather than meats. Adds more to the flavor, in my opinion. Sprinkle some salt, I prefer Kosher salt, over the zucchini "boats" and a dash of any spice you like, oregano is good here, so is rosemary. Now you can spread some of the sauce mixture in the bottom of the zucchini "boat", then top with crumbled tofu "Chicken" Patties. I got a bit ahead of myself and forgot to snap a photo until half way through this one, sorry!

Hopefully you'll be a bit more careful and your zucchini will be more shapely when carved...I on the other hand don't seem to be a very good vegetable sculptor. But no worries, they stuff just the same!

pop these puppies in that preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes, just to heat through, then, once it's nice and toasty and sizzly, add a bit of Parmesan and Mozzarella to the tops and pop back in the oven to melt...

after 10-15 minutes, pull these on out of the oven, and you'll be looking at this:

Now that's some yummy goodness straight from my kitchen to yours! Let me know how yours turns out!

I served these along with some leftover Crash Hot Potatoes, as seen here, at Poineer Woman's blog (thanks Pioneer Woman! They were great!)
What did you have tonight?

Black Beans in Mango Sauce

2008-07-13T00:09:21Z

Here's one I like to take to work for potlucks and such. It's always a big hit. I especially enjoy it in the summer, but who am I kidding, I won't turn my nose up at it any time of year!

BLACK BEANS IN MANGO SAUCE

1 1/2 Tbs. olive oil

2 cups minced red onion, divided

1 Tbs. minced garlic

1 3-inch jalapeno chile, seeded and minced

1 1/2 Tbs. minced fresh ginger

1 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds

1 1/2 tsp. salt

About 6 cups cooked black beans (3 15-ounce cans, rinsed and drained)

6 Tbs. fresh lime juice

2 large ripe mangos, minced as best you can (part mashed is OK)

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Minced fresh cilantro (optional)

Squeezable wedges of lime

Heat the oil in a medium-sized skillet. Add 1 3/4 cups of the onion, the garlic, chile, ginger, cumin seeds and salt. Sauté over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes.

Turn down the heat to medium-low and add the black beans and about half the lime juice. Sauté for about 5 more minutes, or until everything has mingled nicely and the beans are heated through. Mash the beans with the back of the spoon and transfer to a bowl.

Stir the remaining lime juice and about half of the chopped mangos directly into the hot beans, mashing the mangos a little as you stir. (I add about 1/2 tsp. soda at this point.) Grind some black pepper, then cover and let stand for about 15 minutes to let the sauce develop.

Serve warm, at room temperature, or even cold, ( my favorite is cold!) topped with the remaining red onion and mango. Add some minced cilantro, if desired. For a finishing touch, tuck a juicy lime wedge into the side of each serving.

Menu suggestion: Serve with rice and broccoli or with spinach salad and cornbread. ( I like it served over steamed white rice)

Also, can be served wrapped in corn tortillas, and topped with some of the black beans and mango sauce , garnish with cilantro and lime.

Tofu Tacos

2008-07-13T00:12:39Z

As promised, here's my guide to Yummy Yummy Tofu Tacos. Sure to satisfy even the pickiest of carnivores.

Tofu Tacos

*1lb extra firm tofu *diced onion *shredded cheese (I like cheddar and Monterrey) *salsa of your choice *olive oil shredded lettuce (optional) *sour cream (optional) *2 pkts of you favorite taco seasoning mix *corn tortillias *red wine of your choice *wine glass *1 minced garlic clove *crushed red pepper * 1 tsp cumin *1 tbsp red chili powder *non stick cooking spray start by draining your tofu, and squeeze the excess water out. Crumble the tofu in a mixing bowl and add all dry seasonings and 1 taco packet.

set that aside in the bowl. Be sure to Spray your skillet with non stick cooking spray, or half the tofu will be left in the pan when it's done. next, let the pan heat over medium-high heat, then add extra virgin olive oil. when oil heats, add diced onion, if you like, add diced peppers of your choice red, green, yellow are all good here. sweat onion and peppers, adding the minced garlic. as the onion turns translucent, add the tofu. It will look somewhat like scrambled eggs at first, don't worry. Keep stirring it, preferably with a wooden spoon, crumbling it more and more as you stir. Feel free to add whatever seasonings you like at this point. Remember that the majority of your flavor will come from your taco seasoning packet. I like to add pepper, crushed red pepper, and garlic. The cumin, chili powder and taco seasoning packet will suffice. Keep cooking, until it browns like this: this is a good time to pour your self a glass of that wine... for those of you who'd rather make your own seasoning mix, here's my favorite taco seasoning combo.
     1 tablespoon chili powder
     1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
     1/4 teaspoon onion powder
     1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
     1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
     1/2 teaspoon paprika
     1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
     1 teaspoon sea salt
     1 teaspoon black pepper
mix all these together, add to the mixture, and cook away. You can adjust it to your taste. Add more or less of what you like or don't like.
but meanwhile, keep stirring with the other hand... Now it's ready for the second taco seasoning packet. I know, I know, your going what? Two? Well, tofu has no flavor, so what you cook with it, it absorbs. Which means that those flavors tend to get a bit lost in there, it takes a bit more to season tofu, first you were just trying to make it taste like meat, now, you want to make that meat have the taco sauciness. Get it? Good. I knew you would.(*tip: the more you chop up the tofu as it cooks, the less eggy and more meaty it will look later) So after you follow the directions on the taco packet, your tofu will look like this keep cooking it till it thickens, just like you do with ground beef or ground turkey... then turn burner down to low, heat your corn tortillas by wrapping them in a damp paper towel and placing them in the microwave for 45 seconds. Spoon filling into the tortillas and fold over, you can add cheese now, if you like melty tacos, or later it's all up to you! Wifey, Miss Picky Pants, likes hers melty, so I like to use our little handy grill for these too. There's no need to fry these, or add any oil to the grill, if you wish, you can bake them at 450 for 10 min or so, until they are golden, you'll have a crunchier taco shell. We like the crispiness, yet tenderness when they are grilled. and serve with your choice of condiments, I like peach salsa, shredded lettuce, and a dollop of sour cream, how about you? what's you taco sides?

Tofu "Chicken" Patties

2008-06-30T12:51:17Z

Tofu "Chicken" Patties

1 pound extra firm tofu ( firm will work too I'm sure) drained
2/3 cup finely chopped veggies ( your choice, I used carrots, celery, onion, garlic, chives)
1 packet of Goya chicken bouillon(I used Goya brand, but to keep it meatless use vegetatian "chicken" bouillon)
tarragon, garlic powder, rosemary, and almost every other "chickeny" spice from my cabinet (use any spice you like on chicken)
2 large seeded & chopped jalapeños (Thanks Gary!)
2 handfuls of flour so maybe 1/2 - 3/4 cup? until mixture is firm and holds form
1 1/2 handful of Italian bread crumbs
olive oil
a large mixing bowl

Mash tofu with in the mixing bowl with hands or potato masher until crumbly. Add all ingredients except oil and some of the bread crumbs. Let the mixture sit in bowl, covered, for a couple of hours in the fridge(the longer it sits the more it absorbs the flavors) The mixture should be firm and you should be able to form patties easily without it being slimy or too gooey. If it is, add more flour until it is the right texture. Roll the patties in remaining bread crumbs. Heat olive oil over med heat and fry until golden brown on each side (about 5 min) let stand for a few min(5-10) to let the flavors set in and patties to firm up. * Alternate cooking method, pictured here, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle your favorite seasoning over each patty, and cook on George Foreman Grill 6 - 9 min. until golden brown.

goes great with wine... Can be eaten as is or on buns. MMM-MMM GOOD! Stay tuned, next time I'll show yah how I cook tofu tacos!