fish tacos

from here

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 jalapeño chile, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 small red onion, one-quarter finely chopped, the remainder thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, grated or finely chopped
• One 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce
• Juice of 2 limes, plus 2 teaspoons grated peel
• 1/2 head red cabbage, shredded
• 1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro (a generous handful)
• Four 6-ounce mahi mahi fillets
• 8 corn taco shells
• 1 cup crème fraîche or sour cream

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add the jalapeño, chopped red onion and garlic and cook for 4 minutes. In a small bowl, mash the black beans with the cumin and season with salt and pepper; cover.
2. In a large bowl, combine 2 tablespoons oil with the honey, hot sauce and lime juice; season with salt and pepper. Add the sliced onion, cabbage and cilantro; toss.
3. Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium. Coat the fish with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the lime peel. Cover and grill the fish, turning once, for 8 minutes.
4. Warm the taco shells and tortillas on the grill. Spread a few spoonfuls of mashed beans (stir 1 to 2 tablespoons hot water into the beans if too thick) on the outside of the tacos, and wrap a tortilla around each one, pressing to adhere.
5. Flake half a piece of fish into each taco shell and top with some cabbage slaw. Serve 2 tacos per person, with the crème fraîche and extra slaw on the side.

turkey chili

from here

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 3 medium poblano peppers, seeded and diced
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 2 cans white kidney (cannelini) beans
• 4 cups chicken or turkey broth
• 3/4 tsp oregano
• 1 15.5 oz can hominy

serve with yogurt, lime, and cilantro

slow cooker curried chicken with peas and potatoes

from America's Test Kitchen

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 chicken breasts or thighs
• 2 TBSP vegetable oil
• 1 lb carrots, chopped
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 TBS grated ginger
• 2 jalapeños, minced
• 4 tsp curry powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
• 1 14-oz can coconut milk
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup currants or golden raisins
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 lbs red potatoes
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 2 TBSP lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:

1. Brown chicken in 2 tsps vegetable oil, add to slow cooker.
2. Add remaining oil to pan and saute vegetables and spices. Stir in the can of tomatoes and add to slow cooker.
3. Add 2 cups broth, currants, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, and the potatoes around the edges. Cook on low for 4 hrs.
4. Take out chicken and potatoes and cut into bite-size pieces.
5. Stir in flour with 1/2 cup broth, add to sauce to thicken.
6. Add chicken and potatoes back in sauce and the other remaining ingredients.

guacamole

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 avocados
• 1/2 red onions, minced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 jalapeño minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp salt

salsa

INGREDIENTS:

• 4-6 lg tomatoes, diced
• 1 lg yellow onion, diced
• 2 jalapenos, diced
• 3 serrano chiles
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 cup green onions, diced
• 2 tomatillos
• juice from 2 limes
• 1 tsp vinegar
• dash of salt, pepper, and sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1. Dice onion and soak in lime juice. Add salt, pepper, sugar, and vinegar.
2. Blend jalapenos with serrano peppers and tomatillos.
3. Combine ingredients.

Mexican rice

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 tablespoons neutral oil
• 2 cups long-grain rice
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 medium onion
• 2 large tomatoes
• 1 quart chicken stock

DIRECTIONS:

1. Saute rice in oil until brown.
2. Blend garlic, onion, and tomatoes in food processor.
3. Add chicken stock and blended mixture to the rice, bring to boil, and then simmer until rice is cooked.

Thai peanut chicken

from Mark Bittman's The Best Recipes in the World

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5-2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• One 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
• 1 TBSP curry powder
• 2 TBSP corn, grapeseed, or other neutral oil
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 1/3 cup roasted peanuts, chopped
• 1 TBSP sugar
• 1 TBSP nam pla (Thai fish sauce)
• 1/2 cup coconut milk

DIRECTIONS:

1. Put the chicken, garlic, ginger, and curry powder in a large bowl and toss well to coat. Marinate while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
2. Put the oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok and turn the heat to medium. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the chicken. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken loses its raw look and begins to brown, about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the peanuts, sugar, nam pla, and coconut milk. Cook, stirring occassionally, until the sauce is thickened and the chicken tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

chicken chili

from Ina Garten

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 cups chopped yellow onions (3 onions)
• 1/8 cup good olive oil, plus extra for chicken
• 1/8 cup minced garlic (2 cloves)
• 2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and large-diced
• 2 yellow bell peppers, cored, seeded, and large-diced
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for chicken
• 2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled plum tomatoes in puree, undrained
• 1/4 cup minced fresh basil leaves
• 4 split chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
• Freshly ground black pepper

For serving:

• Chopped onions, corn chips, grated cheddar, sour cream

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook the onions in the oil over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the bell peppers, chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, cayenne, and salt. Cook for 1 minute. Crush the tomatoes by hand or in batches in a food processor fitted with a steel blade (pulse 6 to 8 times). Add to the pot with the basil. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Rub the chicken breasts with olive oil and place them on a baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast the chicken for 35 to 40 minutes, until just cooked. Let cool slightly. Separate the meat from the bones and skin and cut it into 3/4-inch chunks. Add to the chili and simmer, uncovered, for another 20 minutes. Serve with the toppings, or refrigerate and reheat gently before serving.

curried honey mustard chicken

from AllRecipes

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup Dijon-style prepared mustard
• 4 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a medium bowl combine the melted butter/margarine, honey, mustard, curry powder and cayenne powder. Mix well. Place chicken breasts in a 9x13 inch baking dish and pour honey/mustard mixture over chicken. Cover and place in refrigerator. Marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
3. Remove dish from refrigerator and bake, covered, in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove cover and bake about 10 minutes more, or until done and juices run clear (baking time will depend a little on how thick your chicken breasts are).

honey-lime chicken enchiladas

from here

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 large limes)
• 2 teaspoons to 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• 2 large cloves of garlic, finely minced or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 large breasts), cooked and shredded
• 12 corn tortillas
• 2 cups of Mexican cheese blend, shredded (1 small bag usually is 2 cups)
• 1 14-oz can of green enchilada sauce (mild or medium, to your taste)
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup of heavy cream
• nonstick cooking spray
• 1 Tablespoon of chopped cilantro, to garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the cooked and shredded chicken in a medium sized bowl. Set aside. In a small bowl, place the honey, lime juice, chili powder and minced garlic or garlic powder. Whisk together thoroughly to combine. Pour this mixture over the chicken and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to marinate while you prepare the tortillas, 30 minutes or up to 1 hour, in the refrigerator.
2. Heat a large griddle till a drop of water skitters across (about 350 degrees F). Spray the surface with non-stick cooking spray or a oil it with a little bit of canola oil in between each round of tortillas. Heat tortillas about 20 seconds on each side till warm and flexible and some golden brown spots have appeared. Remove the tortillas from the griddle and keep them between a couple of paper towels until ready to use.
3. Spray the sides and bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish lightly with cooking spray.
4. In a medium bowl combine the enchilada sauce and the heavy cream. Spread about 1/2 cup of the mixture in the bottom of the oiled baking dish.
5. Add a large spoonful (about 2 tablespoons) of the chicken mixture to the center of each tortilla in a line. Cover the chicken with a large tablespoon (or big pinch) of cheese, then roll the tortilla up from one side to make a rolled enchilada - it will be more of an over lap on the seam side that rolled tightly. Place the enchilada seam side down in the baking dish starting at one end with the long edge parallel to the longest side of the pan so that you end up with two columns of six enchiladas each.
6. Repeat with the remaining chicken, cheese and tortillas. You will use about 1 1/2 cups of the cheese for the filling and set the remainder aside for topping the enchiladas in the pan. Add the remaining marinade mixture to the enchilada sauce and cream mixture, if desired. Pour this mixture over the top of all the enchiladas. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
7. Bake the enchiladas for 30 to 35 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly and starting to brown on top. Serve with sour cream, black beans, and rice or a green salad for a great meal.

aloo gobi

from AllRecipes

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (15 ounce) can coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 3 large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and
• cubed
• 1 medium head cauliflower, chopped into
• bite size pieces
• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans,
• drained
• 2 tablespoons garam masala

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oil in a large pot on medium-high heat and add onion. Cook until softened, about 4 minutes, then stir in garlic and cumin. Continue to cook until onion begins to brown.

2. Stir in tomatoes and coconut and the coriander, salt, turmeric, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom. Stir until mixture begins to boil, then put in the potatoes, cauliflower, and garbanzo beans. Blend well. Reduce heat to low and cover.

3. Simmer until the potatoes are tender, 45 minutes to an hour (this will depend on the size of the potato chunks). Sprinkle in the garam masala, stir, and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Note: We didn't use the cayenne pepper, but it still had a kick to it. Also used ground cumin rather than cumin seeds.

Sunday Experimentation - Sweet, spiced vegetables with currants and poaches eggs.

Ok, so this Sunday dinner I cooked with a friend, and I decided to make something up with what we had. It turned out so well, I want to share it!

Ingredients:
5 Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and sliced.
1 sweet potato, sliced thin
½ yellow onion, chopped
½ c black currants
Eggs.
Butter
Honey and Brown Sugar
Seasonings


In a skillet, melt a T or so of butter and place the artichokes and potato inside. Pour in a little bit of water, drizzle a little bit of honey on top as well as some chili power, salt, and unsweetened cocoa powder. Cover and let cook for a while.

Then, melt some more butter. Make it fatty. Then caramelize the onion, mixing in some cinnamon, a touch of clove (I just put in two whole cloves), black currants and just a touch of brown sugar while doing so. When done, mix in the potatoes and chokes just slightly.
In the meantime, poach some eggs (look it up if you haven’t done it. We put about 3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar and 3 T of golden balsalmic vinegar in the water, with some salt and pepper.)
Eat together, and enjoy. Serves 2

sweet and sour balti chicken

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tbsp tomato puree
• 2 tbsp Greek yogurt (US strained plain)
• 1 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp crushed garlic
• 2 tbsp mango chutney
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
• 4 tbsp oil (they specify corn, we used extra virgin olive)
• 1 1/2 lb skinless, boneless chicken, cubed
• 1/4 pint or 2/3 cup water
• 2 fresh green chillies, chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
• 2 tbsp single (light) cream

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix tomato puree, yogurt, garam masala, chilli powder, garlic, mango chutney, salt, and sugar ina medium mixing bowl. Stir well.
2. Heat the oil in a karahi, wok, or deep pan. Lower the heat slightly and pour in the spice mixture. Bring to the boil and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the chicken pieces and stir until they are well coated.
4. Stir in the water to thin the sauce slightly. Continue cooking for 5–7 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked and tender.
5. Add the fresh cillies, coriander and cream, cook for a further 2 minutes over a low heat.

mango chutney

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup distilled white vinegar
• 6 cups mangoes
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1/4 cup crystalized ginger, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine sugar, vinegar in pot, bring to a boil, stirring til sugar dissolves.
2. Add remaining ingredients and simmer, uncovered, until syrupy and slightly thickened, 45 min–1 hour. Stir occasionally.

makes 6 (1/2) pint jars

tabouleh

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup bulgur wheat (fine-medium grind)
• 2 cups hot water
• 1 pound ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped (about 2 cups)
• 1 bunch green onions, white and green part, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 hothouse cucumber, halved, seeded and diced (about 2 cups)
• 2 large bunches fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves finely chopped (about 2 cups)
• 1 bunch fresh mint leaves, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS

Put the bulgur in a large bowl and pour in the hot water. Cover with a dish or plastic wrap and let stand for about 30 to 45 minutes to rehydrate. Drain in a strainer, pressing with the back of a wooden spoon to squeeze out as much water as possible.

In a mixing bowl, combine the tomatoes, onions, cucumber, parsley, and mint. Toss the salad well to incorporate the ingredients; season with cumin, salt and pepper. Add the bulgur; moisten with the lemon juice and olive oil. Fold everything together.

Note: Can substitute quinoa for the bulgur wheat to make this recipe gluten-free.

mango pineapple salad with mint

from AllRecipes

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups peeled, diced ripe mango
• 1 cup chopped fresh pineapple
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup flaked coconut
• 1/4 sprig chopped fresh mint

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, toss together mango, pineapple, cranberries, and coconut. Garnish with mint. Cover, and chill in the refrigerator until serving.

***Note: we added strawberries as well, and didn't have exact proportions.