Week 3 Recipe Contest Winner : Quinoa Chili

For a few months, I've heard a lot about quinoa. One of the world's healthiest foods, quinoa has significant cardiovascular benefits, reduces the frequency of migraines, contains antioxidants and protects against diabetes and asthma. It is also considered a "super food" because it contains more protein than any other grain, and is a gluten-free whole grain food.
With those impressive stats, I had to try it - and was stoked to receive this recipe as a contest entry from April Biery.
We made this chili on Friday night and ate it all weekend...this recipe makes a giant batch! It was delicious and a definite departure from my regular "five alarm" chili. This recipe can also easily be made vegetarian by omitting the ground beef.
I made a few changes to the original recipe. I omitted oregano as my husband is slightly sensitive to it. I also subbed a yellow pepper for green, and added a large can of tomato juice to thin the soup a bit. Overall it was fantastic and a great way to use this amazing super food.

Side note: An unexpected benefit of making this recipe is that I'm now excited to cook with quinoa! It would make an excellent substitution for rice in almost any dish.

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water

1 pound extra lean ground beef

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (48 ounce) can tomato juice
2 (19 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 green (or yellow) bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon dried parsley
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender, and the water has been absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and stir in the ground beef. Cook and stir until the beef is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink. Drain and discard any excess grease; set beef aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, garlic, and jalapeno pepper; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with chili powder and cumin; cook 1 minute more to release the flavor of the spices. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato juice, black beans, yellow bell pepper, red bell pepper and parsley. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Simmer until the bell peppers are tender, about 20 minutes.
Once the red and yellow peppers are tender, stir in the quinoa, beef, and corn kernels. Return to a simmer, and cook 5 minutes to reheat. Stir in the cilantro to serve.

Balsamic and Onion Pot Roast

During the winter months a lot of meals include roasts-and this is one of my favorite recipes for pot roast. Stay tuned for my next recipe to find out what to do with the leftovers!

Ingredients:

3-4 pound boneless chuck roast
2 Tbsp Steak Rub (I used Montreal Steak)
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 large onions, sliced thickly
1 cup beef stock, reduced to 1/2 cup
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup tomato sauce

Directions:

Trim as much fat as you can from the roast. Rub meat well with steak seasoning. Heat a heavy pan with small amount of olive oil and brown roast well on both sides.

While the roast browns, place the beef stock in a saucepan, bring to a boil and cook until reduced to 1/2 cup. Let cool slightly, then mix in balsamic vinegar and tomato sauce.

Deglaze the pan you browned the roast in with 1/4 cup water and add to sauce mixture.

Peel onions and cut into thick slices. Place onions in bottom of Crockpot. Place roast on top of the onions and pour beef stock sauce over. Set Crockpot to low and cook 6-8 hours, until beef is tender. The meat might be partly submerged in liquid after this much time.

Remove meat from crockpot and cover with foil to keep warm. Drain liquid from Crockpot and remove as much of the fat as you can with fat separator or skimmer. Cook down liquid by about 1/3, and serve sauce with meat and onions.

Recipe slightly adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen

Recipe File: Shrimp Bisque

Lobster bisque is possibly my favorite item to order at a restaurant. I love to learn to re-create my favorite restaurant dishes, but lobster bisque is a bit prohibitive due to the whole buy-a-live-lobster-butcher-him-in-your-kitchen thing. So a few years ago I found a great Shrimp Bisque recipe instead, altered it slightly, and loved it. (And all without bringing a live lobster home!)

This is definitely a weekend dish for me-it takes almost two hours to make-so I always make a double batch and freeze the extras. It’s well worth the effort, and is always a hit with my seafood-loving family.

 Ingredients

Shrimp Stock:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter


• 1/2 cup roughly chopped yellow onions


• 1/4 cup roughly chopped carrots


• 1/4 cup roughly chopped celery


• 1 large clove garlic, peeled and smashed


• 2 bay leaves


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper


• 1 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined, shells reserved, meat used for bisque 


• 8 cups water

Shrimp Bisque:

• 2 tablespoons butter


• 1 cup chopped yellow onions


• 1/2 cup chopped carrots


• 1/2 cup chopped celery


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne


• 1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic


• 2 tablespoons tomato paste


• 4 cups shrimp stock


• 1 tsp white wine vinegar


• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon


• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme


• 1/2 pound shrimp reserved from shrimp stock recipe


• 3/4 cup heavy cream


• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice


• Chopped chives, garnish

Directions

To make the stock, in a large heavy pot, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium high heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves, salt, and peppercorns, and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the shrimp shells and cook, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes. Add the water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, skimming to remove any foam that forms on the surface. Remove from the heat and strain through a fine mesh strainer into a clean container, pressing on the shrimp shells to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the shells.

In a clean large pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, salt, and cayenne, and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste, and cook until starting to brown, about 2 minutes.

Add shrimp stock, 1 tsp vinegar, tarragon and thyme and simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove from the heat and puree with a hand-held immersion blender or in batches in a blender or food processor.

Return to the heat and add the shrimp, cream and lemon juice. Simmer gently until the shrimp are cooked through and the flavors marry, about 5 minutes. Adjust the seasoning, salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with chopped chives and serve immediately.

-Adapted from Emeril Lagasse

Recipe File: French Onion Pot Roast

This recipe combines two of my favorite things: French Onion Soup and slowly-braised beef. This just might be the ultimate comfort food!

-Adapted from Eat Feed Autumn Winter

Ingredients:

2 to 2 1/2 pound beef chuck blade roast
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 medium or 2 large onions, cut in half, thinly sliced
3/4 to 1 cup beef broth
2 teaspoons packed brown sugar
1 cup grated Gruyere cheese

 

Directions:

Generously season the roast with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a deep skillet or Dutch oven. Add the roast and brown, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the roast to a platter and set aside. 

Turn the heat to medium. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to the same pan. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes until soft and translucent. Add 3/4 cup beef broth and brown sugar, stirring to combine all ingredients. Return the roast to the pan, nestle into the onion and liquid mixture, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes. Turn the roast and cook for another 30 minutes. Turn again and cook for another 40 to 60 minutes or shorter for a smaller roast. If using a larger roast or the roast liquid starts to dry out, add an additional 1/4 cup beef broth. 

When fork tender, remove the roast to a shallow ovenproof dish, such as a gratin pan. Remove the onions with a slotted spoon and arrange over and around the roast. Turn the heat under the juices to high and boil for 10 to 15 minutes to reduce and thicken the juices, until you have 3/4 to 1 cup liquid. In the meantime, preheat the broiler. Slice the roast into 1/4-inch slices and slightly overlap them in layers in an ovenproof dish. Pour the sauce over the beef and onions. Sprinkle the roast with the cheese. Place under the broiler until bubbling and golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. 

Serves 6

Easy Four* Ingredient Lasagna

This is my simple comfort food. I make this dish a lot when I have company on weeknights, and especially when I have little ones around. It takes about a half hour to prep, and an hour to cook, but it is truly one of the simplest dishes that makes the biggest impression on guests-and provides even better leftovers!

Ingredients:

Lasagna noodles (8 to 12)

2 lb. ground beef (I use 85/15)

2 lb. shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1 67-oz jar Prego Traditional Spaghetti Sauce

Sea salt & olive oil, for boiling pasta

Parmesan cheese and Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, as desired for topping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Start boiling water for lasagna noodles. Add a pinch of sea salt and a tablespoon of olive oil to the water before boiling.

While the water is boiling, brown the 2 lb. of ground beef over medium high setting in a large saucepan. When browned, drain off excess fat from the pan using a large spoon. Add the entire jar of Prego to the ground beef and turn the temperature to low to continue simmering the sauce and beef mixture.

Add lasagna noodles to boiling water. Boil according to directions on package, 8-12 minutes or until al dente. Drain and separate the noodles.

Spray the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray. Place 3-4 lasagna noodles over the bottom, slightly overlapping. Using a ladle, spread half of the sauce/beef mixture over the noodles and cover with half of the mozzarella cheese. Place 3-4 more lasagna noodles on top of the cheese. Layer again with the other half of the sauce/beef mixture, and the remainder of the mozzarella cheese. 

Cover dish with aluminum foil.

Bake lasagna at 350 for 50 minutes. Remove foil, and continue baking for 10-15 minutes or until cheese on top is smooth in the center and beginning to brown around the edges. 

Take lasagna from oven and cut into 8-12 squares as desired. Leave rest for 10 minutes to allow the cheese to “set up” a bit in the dish.

Place Parmesan cheese and Crushed Red Pepper Flakes on the table for the guests to use-I always like a little spice, my husband likes the cheese.

Serve with garlic bread + enjoy the company!

Best. Meatloaf. Ever.

We just got back from a Caribbean cruise, and we returned to near-blizzard conditions on Monday. (Boo!) The cruise was wonderful, and the food was amazing-but coming back left a little to be desired. So last night, I dug out my favorite meatloaf recipe to warm me up on a cold winter night. It’s simple, delicious, and the gravy is a snap-serve with mashed potatoes and veggies or on a sandwich-this meatloaf is comfort food at its finest.

2 lb. ground beef

1 can Cream of Mushroom soup (condensed)

1/2 c. dry bread crumbs

1 pouch dry onion soup and recipe mix (I use Campbell’s)

1 egg

Mix beef, 1/2 can of soup, bread crumbs, onion soup mix and egg. Shape into 4”x8” loaf pan. Bake at 350 for approximately 1 hour, 15 minutes or until done. 

Mix drippings from the meatloaf, the other 1/2 can of cream of mushroom soup, and 1/4 cup of water in a saucepan. Heat until warm; serve with meatloaf.

Bon Appetit Magazine / March 2011

I subscribe to a bunch of food magazines, but I have to say that this month’s issue of Bon Appetit magazine was phenomenal. When I get the magazines, I generally tear out two to three recipes for my recipe binders (more on that another day!) and file the magazine away. This month, however, I think I’ll have to get an extra copy for my archives-because it seems that EVERY recipe in this issue is recipe file worthy.

Not surprising, as the editors at Bon Appetit make me smile each month. But with the “Dig into Comfort” theme this month, they were firing on all cylinders. It seemed amazing…as I turned each page, there was a recipe featuring another of my favorites…with a twist. I am especially excited to try the Pimiento Mac and Cheese. (my mouth is watering thinking of the creamy goodness of mac and cheese punched up with peppadew peppers!)

Look for Bon Appetit at your local grocer or bookstore-the Pimiento Mac & Cheese is featured on the cover.

Other wonderful recipes in this issue include: 

Grilled Chive Potatoes, Scallops with Orange Ginger Dressing, Chicken Breasts with Fontina and Prosciutto, Goat Cheese Bruschetta with Chipotle and Roasted Red Pepper and Croque Monsieur.

I’ll keep you updated as I try these recipes-March is going to be a very busy (and yummy!) month ahead!