Recipe Reveiw from 1/14/2013

A slow week on Barn construction. Temperatures ranged from a high of 9* to 27* and back to 5*.  The contractor finished framing the upstairs, put chipboard on the outside and started wrapping it.  It's now enclosed and I suspect the man-door, garage door, and windows will be the next emphasis. Windows are here and ready to go.

Temps are 25*F (4*C) with 20 mph winds.

Man-door and stairs to loft.

Loft looking East.  Window will go in upper center square.

West side of loft.  Window will go in upper right corner.

We also fit in a concert on Friday night: Low was playing at St. Scholastica and it was a night that worked for us.  I had not heard of them before and the Husband had, so a 'new to me' group.  Hmm, how to describe?  Dark, edgy, hints of frustration, sublime in the simplicity and wonderful harmonics which were a bit drowned out by the guitar...not a band you want to listen to if your feeling depressed, or, maybe a good band to listen to if your feeling depressed.  I guess it depends on what kind of depressed you are feeling. See, hard to describe. Definitely not your run-of-the-mill pop/rock style band.  Indie, alternative. 

This was the flyer info: 

Bravo! Performances:  Low is an American indie rock group formed in Duluth in 1993 and now tours worldwide. Its striking vocal harmonies represent perhaps the group's most distinctive element; critic Denise Sullivan writes that their shared vocals are "as chilling as anything Gram and Emmylou ever conspired on -- though that's not to say it's country-tinged, just straight from the heart."

And, a couple new recipes:

Pressed Cuban-Style Sandwiches   (Ckng Lght Jan/Feb 2013)
I love a good Cuban style sandwich.  I think it's the pickle...  For this recipe I used leftover slow cooked chicken from the previous week and shredded.  The ham was 1/2 lb deli-style ham as I didn't want to buy a lot for just a couple sandwiches. I baked for ease of prep since I had the oven on anyway.   Quick, easy, served with some tatertots along side (I LOVE tater tots!).    

• 8 ounces Cuban bread  (I used a baguette - seriously, where the heck am I going to find "Cuban" bread in Northern MN?) 
• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 1 pound chicken cutlets
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
• 1 ounce shredded Havarti cheese (about 1/4 cup)
• 1 ounce lower-sodium sliced ham
• 2 tablespoons chopped spicy kosher dill pickle
• Cooking spray

1. Cut bread in half horizontally.
2. Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Sauté 3 minutes on each side or until done. Let stand 10 minutes. Slice chicken; toss with garlic.
3. Spread spicy brown mustard over bottom half of bread; top with Havarti cheese, ham, and chicken. Sprinkle chicken with chopped pickle; cover with top half of bread. Return pan to medium heat; coat with cooking spray. Add sandwich to pan; top with another heavy skillet to weigh down. Cook 2 minutes on each side or until toasted. Cut sandwich crosswise into 4 equal portions.

Mary Drennen, Cooking Light
JANUARY 2013

Light Hominy Chili  (Vegetarian Slowcooker by Judith Finlayson)  GF and vegan

Just about screwed this one up - I forgot I needed to 'sweat' the eggplant. I forgot to pre-cook my beans, a much bigger problem than sweating the eggplant.  And, I almost forgot I needed to make this one.  So, right at dinner time I'm sweating eggplant, speed cooking beans and sauteing onions and pepper.  Not something I usually do, but I wanted the sweeter taste of caramelized onions in this one.   Result?  This was really good.  I was pleasantly surprised at how 'meaty' the eggplant remained after 3 hours of cooking. I would make this again - this made 8 great lunches (for two of us). 

1 tbsp oil

1 eggplant, peeled and chopped into large-bite sized pieces  (I prefer to peel my eggplant, especially if it's the purple globe variety most commonly found in the supermarket)

1 onion, diced

1 red pepper, chopped

1 jalepeno pepper, minced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 14oz can hominy, rinsed and drained

1 14oz can crushed or diced tomatoes, not drained (I couldn't find crushed, so I used diced)

1 14 oz navy or cannelli beans  (I use beans from my garden, pre-cooked)

1 14oz can vegetable broth

1 tbsp cumin

2 tsp oregano

1-2 tbsp tomato paste (optional)

1) Peel and chop eggplant, sprinkle with 1 tsp salt and set aside in a colander for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

2) Heat oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add onion, saute 3-5 minutes; add red pepper, garlic and jalepeno. Stir 1 minute, put in slowcooker. 

3) Add beans, hominy, crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth and spices. 

4) Rinse eggplant and pat dry.  Add to slow cooker.  Cook on high 3 hours or on low 6 hours.  Add 1-2 tbsp tomato paste if prefer liquid a bit thicker.  Cook additional 20 minutes.  



Bolivian Quinoa Soup   (Duluth Whole Foods Co-op flyer)   GF and vegan
This came together very quickly - especially if everything is mise en place.  While veggies are sauteing it is easy enough to start kitchen clean-up and by the time soup is complete, so are the dishes.  I made this a day ahead, which will also give all the flavors a chance to combine.  A nice combination of veggies, with a protein boost from the beans and quinoa with flavors reminiscent of chili.   Six servings. 

1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water
1 tbsp oil
2 cups onion, diced
1 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup carrot, chopped
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 red pepper, diced
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
2 tsp oregano (I used parsley - I was out of oregano)
2 cups vegetable broth
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
1 14oz can garbanzo beans

1) Saute onion over medium-high heat until softened (I prefer lightly caramelized).  Add carrot and celery, saute until just soft.  Add garlic, saute 1 minute; add red pepper and seasonings. Saute 2 minutes.  Add vegetable broth, tomatoes and beans.
2) Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. 
3) While soup is cooking, rinse quinoa and combine with 1 cup water.  Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed.  
4) Add 2tbsp quinoa to each bowl, ladle soup over and serve  OR (what I did) combine quinoa and soup.