Category: cooking

I made some Pico de Gallo and Texas caviar for my Monday Meal prep this week because I want more fresh in my diet.   It also lets me use the over abundance of cilantro from the aero garden.

These two dishes are about the same, so I made them together to reduce the prep and end up with more yummy, almost 8 pints of it to be exact.    Chop all the onions, garlic and jalapenos and cover with lime juice while you clean and rinse the beans and cut and seed the tomatoes.   Toss in and add the cilantro and salt and pepper to taste.  Chill over night if it will last that long.

Pico De Gallo

• 1/2 bell pepper
• 2 fresh jalapenos seeded them today.
• 1/2 red onion
• about 10 roma tomatoes with the seeds removed (about 2 pounds)
• 1/2 head of garlic chopped
• the juice of two limes
• fresh cilantro
• salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

 

Texas Caviar

• 1 can of black eyed peas rinsed
• 1 can of black beans rinsed since i only had one can of peas.
• 1 can of sweet corn which I forgot to add.
• 1/2 red onion
• 1 fresh jalapeno with the seeds removed.  It may need more.
• 1/2 bell pepper
• one fresh chopped roma tomato.
• fresh cilantro
• 1/2 head of garlic
• juice from one lime
• salt and pepper to taste.

I used to love the Jalapeno Chicken from Dynasty Cafe on Stella Link.   When I worked on that end of town I ate there frequently.   The delicious chicken  and fresh jalapenos in a brown sauce was great.  It made your head itch and a light sweat break out on your forehead.  Just perfectly spicy for lunch on a budget.

Sadly my knock off does not live up to the original but it was delicious just the same.   The original was almost 50/50 chicken/Jalapenos, but I did not have enough fresh jalapenos.

• cubed chicken thighs.
• sliced fresh jalapenos
• large chopped onions
• chopped garlic
• 1 tbsp corn starch dissolved in 2 tbsp of water
• 2 tbsp corn starch
• fresh ground pepper
• soy sauce
• oyster sauce
• 1/2 cup of water or chicken stock to increase sauce volume.   I like mine saucy so I can server it over white rice.

 

Add the 2 tbsp corn starch and black pepper to the chicken cubes and toss to dust lightly.  Set aside while preparing the vegetables.    Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a very hot wok and add the chicken to get a slight brown coating on the outside.   The chicken is cooked about 1/2 way and the Onions, Jalapenos are added.  Once the onions are slightly translucent add the garlic and continue to cook on high heat constantly stirring to prevent sticking.    Once the chicken is 3/4 done add soy sauce, oyster sauce and  about a cup of water or chicken stock and continue cooking.   Once chicken is done clear center of wok and add corn starch slurry to thicken sauce.     The Jalapenos should remain slightly crunchy and partially cooked.  If they did not you did not cook it fast enough or hot enough.

Serve over fresh steamed rice and stir fried vegetables like green beans in garlic and black bean sauce.

I love Indian food, and I have been working on learning the spices and how to blend them.  It is a lot of work, but I am starting to believe it is worth it.  Here is a test of butter chicken, so I can one day make it quick and easy in my rice cooker.   Sometimes you want too much to fit in the cooker so out comes the cast iron dutch oven.

Marinate the chicken.

• chicken I’ve been on a wings kick.
• ginger garlic paste Fresh ginger if you have it.
• more garlic 3-4 big toes
• 1 tbsp salt
• Spices
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tbsp 3 chili blend
  • 2 tsp “mild curry” powder ( a blend from the store)
  • 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper.
• 1 cup whole milk “greek style” yogurt with active cultures.

Put it all in a bowl and leave sit as long as you can 3-4 hours minimum.

Make a Garam Masala

• Green cardamon pods
• fenugreek methi seeds
• Fennel seeds
• cinnamon stick
• whole cloves
• ginger powder
• nutmeg
• paprika
• turmeric powder
• ground black pepper
• 3 chili blend

grind all the spices in a mortar and pestle leaving the cinnamon stick whole.   Once the garam masala is ready bloom the spices in the dry cast iron pot on medium high.  This is a bit non traditional as you would normally toast the spices and then blend them in a spice grinder.    After I toasted them ground spices I added butter, ghee and the onions and fresh garlic.

Add the tomatoes and chilis

I would have preferred fresh chilis like Serrano  but only had canned jalapenos, so I just used more and some Rotel to boot.

• two cans of roasted tomatoes
• 1 can of Rotel
• 1 onion and more garlic added in the step above but listed here.

Brown the chicken

I browned the chicken to get a little texture on it.  It could have used more.

Finalize the dish

I took a stick blender to the sauce which simmered for about an hour while the rice pot cooked rice and I browned the chicken.    I did not strain the sauce either.        I added the partially cooked chicken and 1 small head of cauliflower and cooked for about 20 minutes until the chicken was cooked through and the cauliflower was fork tender but not mushy.    The final step was 2 tbsp of butter a and 1 cup of half n half to make creamy.   I may switch to coconut milk in the future which is an alternative.

I really cannot call them sloppy joe, so tradition i’ve always called them sloppy charlies and no unicorns were injured during the cooking of these.

• ground beef about a pound
• 1 small onion chopped
• 1 carrot chopped
• butter to taste 2 tbsp
• 3-4 garlic toes
• 1 tbsp mustard
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 cilantro cube
• 1 tbsp fresh ground black pepper.
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp brown sugar

 

Heat heavy pan and melt butter while heating once hot add carrots and saute until slightly softened and add onion.  Once onion is translucent add ground beef.   Unicorn kidney meat my be poisonous out of season, so used ground beef.    Once ground beef is almost completely browned add tomato sauce, ketchup, mustard vinegar, cilantro cube, paprika , ground pepper, and garlic.  Simmer about 45 minutes and taste.  The carrot should add enough sweetness, but brown sugar can be added to get the proper balance with the vinegar.   Onion powder, garlic powder, salt can also be added at this time as needed.   I also added a bit of pickapeppa sauce at this time have been out of Worcestershire sauce, and I like the flavor it adds.  simmer until carrots are tender, but still provide texture, about 15 minutes more.

Serve on toasted buns with sliced pickles with or without cheese.

I found these Sriracha diced tomatoes at  the local HEB.  I had been saving them for queso, but had an odd craving for some chicken tacos, so I did the needful.

• 2 chicken thighs today’s had bones.
• 1 can of Sriracha diced tomatoes.
• 1 tsp of garlic powder
• 1 tsp of paprika
• 1 cilantro cube
• 1 tsp of  dried Oregano
• 1 tbsp Knorr caldo de pollo
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp of coconut oil
• water to cover.

I could have cooked this in the rice cooker, but was trying something new in multiple dimensions.    In the sauce pan it goes.   I browned the chicken in the coconut oil to get a  little texture on the skin as I’m leaving it in.

Then with all of my cooking all in and simmer until the chicken is tender.   I put the induction stove on 180 and let it simmer for about 45 minutes.  Pull the thighs and shred the chicken and return to the sauce.  I cooked it about 15 more minutes at that point to ensure the flavor was completely distributed.

I put it on some flour tortillas and it was delicious, but the sauce was a touch runny, so maybe a little thickening agent next time.    It was delicious soaking up the sauce with the tortillas, so maybe I should leave it well enough alone.

I make a variation of a classic potato and leek soup that you can find the recipe everywhere on the internet, but I typically don’t use cream, and I originally started with a vegetarian recipe.   However I started adding chicken bouillon to make it a bit richer since I skip the cream.

• Leeks chopped  amount equal to potatoes 1 stalk is a good double portion for one person.
• potatoes peeled and cubed equal amounts to the leeks about two for one stalk( leave unpeeled for a heartier soup Yukon Gold also holds up a bit better that russet but the skins break down less during cooking adjust accordingly)
• Butter ( Original recipe uses olive oil as a vegetarian option)
• hot water to cover about two cups for 1 stalk and two potatoes measure it if you plan to use chicken base.
• Chicken base Optional  follow directions 1 tsp per cup of added water.  It can be skipped for Vegetarian soup.
• Garlic is optional.  I like to taste the leeks and try not to over power their flavor.

Clean and chop the leeks and add to pot with butter and saute while you clean and peel the potatoes.  If you are adding Garlic you can add it at this time.  Chop the potatoes and add them to the leeks and saute the both for a bit.   Add the hot water and chicken base and bring to a simmer.  Simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.   Blend in the pot using a stick blender.

Optional garnish of Parmigiano-Reggiano freshly grated.  If the hydroponic garden is up I garnish with herbs as well.

You can also add some heavy cream or half-n-half to make the soup creamier, but I feel it makes the soup too heavy so I have been skipping it.

Serve hot, The vegetarian option is also good cold, but I may have odd taste.