Pomegranate Margarita

 

Pomegranate Margarita: Recipe and Photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

• 12 oz glass filled with crushed ice
• Margarita salt
• 1 shot of tequila
• 1 shot of triple sec
• 1 shot of pomegranate juice
• 3 (or more) shots sweet and sour
• Squirt of fresh lime juice plus more for the glass rim
  
  Run a slice of lime around the rim of the glass then dip the glass into margarita salt. Fill glass with crushed ice, add the tequila, triple sec, pomegranate juice then fill the remainder of the glass with sweet and sour. Stir drink and serve with a wedge of lime.

Pickled Eggs

 

INGREDIENTS

Beet pickled eggs with cardamom and anise

• 1 beet, peeled and roughly chopped into 1 to 2-inch sized pieces, cooked*
• 1 cup beet juice*
• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 onion, sliced
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3 cardamom pods
• 1 star anise
• 6 hard cooked eggs**, peeled

*Simmer the chopped beets in a cup of water, covered, until tender, 30-40 minutes, or used canned beets. Use the beet juice from the cooking water, or the juice from canned beets.

Curried pickled eggs

• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 onion, sliced
• 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
• 3 cardamom pods
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds (yellow or brown)
• 1 Tbsp yellow curry powder
• 6 hard cooked eggs**, peeled

Jalapeno pickled eggs

• 3/4 cup cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp white granulated sugar
• 6 cloves
• 2 jalapeno peppers, sliced in half lengthwise, seeds removed and discarded
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon dry oregano
• 1/4 onion, sliced
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 6 hard cooked eggs**, peeled

Tarragon pickled eggs

• 3/4 cup cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 onion, sliced
• 2 sprigs fresh tarragon
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp white granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon herbs de provence
• 6 hard cooked eggs**, peeled

**Boil or steam the eggs until hard cooked. To steam the eggs, place in a steamer rack over boiling water, cover and steam for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and rinse with cold water. To boil the eggs, cover with 2 inches of cold water in a saucepan, bring to a boil, cover, remove from heat, and let sit for 12 minutes, then rinse with cold water. Hard boiling works best with eggs at least a week old, otherwise they may be difficult to peel. Steaming works great with fresh eggs.

METHOD

1 Peel the eggs and place in the bottom of a clean glass jar, quart sized.

2 In a medium saucepan, add the vinegar, water (or beet juice if using), the onion (and jalapeno if using), sugar, and spices. Bring to a boil and cook, uncovered, until the sugar has dissolved and the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool a few minutes.

3 Pour the vinegar onion mixture over the eggs in the jar, covering the eggs completely. If you are making the beet pickled eggs, place some or all of the cooked beets in with the eggs in the jar (this will help to bring color to the eggs, and you will have pickled beets as well.) Secure close the jar's cover. Refrigerate up to a month.

The pickled eggs will be ready to eat after a few days. The longer the eggs sit in the pickling juice, the more the pickling juice will penetrate the eggs.

Yield: Makes six pickled eggs.

Kheer

Recipe by: Katie Skoglund

I recently had kheer, or Indian rice pudding, at at a local restaurant called Taj Mahal. I absolutely loved it and wanted to recreate it at home. It tastes very similar to the restaurant kheer, but I actually prefer my recipe more. I also replaced the traditional pistachios with walnuts, since I don’t particularly like pistachios.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups coconut milk (I used light coconut milk to save on calories)
• 2 cups milk (I used vitamin D milk)
• 4 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/2 cup Basmati rice
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
  
  Directions:
  
1. Bring the coconut milk, milk and sugar to a boil in a large saucepan. Add basmati rice, and simmer over low heat until the mixture thickens and the rice is tender, about 20 minutes.
2. Stir in the raisins, nuts,  and cardamom. Chill the kheer in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Serve chilled.

Coconut Curry Mussels

When I need a good party food or want to impress some friends I usually turn to mussels cooked in coconut milk and curry. It's affordable, easy to prepare, and has a definite wow factor. I mean, who can't resist the look of these obsidian peaks jutting out from a plate from canary-colored broth? These mussels take on the flavors of the broth which is spiked with lemongrass, pungent red chilies, and kaffir lime leaves leaving them with a distinct Thai flavor. The mussels themselves imbue the broth with a slight, ocean brine that cuts through the richness of the coconut milk. This recipe will feed four people happily or make an excellent appetizer for a group. This is a dish best served with beer and crusty bread.

Recipe by: Garrett McCord

Coconut Curry Mussels Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 2 lbs of mussels, cleaned and debearded
• 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 thai chili, finely chopped (can substitute good pinch of chili flakes)
• 3 teaspoons of ginger, minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of curry powder
• 1/2 cup of chicken broth
• 1 can of coconut milk (13.5 fl. oz.)
• Pinch of salt
• 1 stalk of lemongrass, chopped into four pieces and smashed
• 3 kaffir lime leaves* (optional)
• Chopped cilantro
• Lime wedges

*Kaffir lime leaf: a key ingredient in Vietnamese, Thai, and Hmong cuisine; can be found in Asian Markets, though many markets now carry them in the produce aisles with other fresh herbs. The taste is very distinct and can't be substituted. However, you can make this dish without the leaves and the mussels will still taste great.

METHOD

1 Place mussels in a bowl of cold water so the mussels will spit out any sand or mud. Let them sit for 10 minutes. Drain and repeat. Toss any mussels that are open as these are dead. Debeard the mussels, pulling out their byssal threads (aka: their "beards") and place them in a bowl of cold water until ready to use.

2 Heat the oil in a pan and add the onion and stir for a few minutes until they become soft and slightly translucent. Add the chilies, ginger, and curry powder and stir for a minute until fragrant.

3 Add the chicken broth and reduce half. Add the coconut milk, salt, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves if using and bring to a boil. Drain and add the mussels, reduce heat to medium and cover with a tight fitting lid. Cook for 6-7 minutes until the mussels open. Discard any that are closed as these were dead before cooking. (Some may only be slightly open, if you have to debate on whether it's good to eat or not, toss it.) Spoon mussels into bowls and pour over with broth. Garnish with chopped cilantro and juice from lime wedges.

Taco Soup

 

Recipe and photos by Pam from theloveofcooking.net

Soup:

• 1 lb of lean ground beef (I used 94/6)
• 1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can of pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 1/2 cup of frozen corn
• 2 cans of diced tomatoes
• 1 4.5 oz can of diced green chilies
• 1/2 oz of package of ranch salad dressing mix (half a packet)
• Taco seasoning packet
  
  

Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat then add the ground beef. Add all the taco seasonings and water as suggested by the packet and mix into the ground beef, making sure to break it up into crumbles. Add the diced onion and garlic then mix thoroughly and cook for 4-5 minutes.

Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, green chilies and ranch dressing packet, mix well then cover and simmer on low for 2 hours, stir occasionally. Taste and re-season with sea salt or pepper if needed.

Toppings:

• Corn tortilla chips
• Sour cream
• Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• Green onions, diced

Panko Crusted Chicken Stuffed with Ricotta, Spinach, Tomatoes, and Basil

Recipe and photos by Pam from For the Love of Cooking.net

1 cup of low fat ricotta cheese

Small handful of baby spinach, chopped

Small handful of grape tomatoes, diced (remove the seeds if possible)

2 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated

1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

1 clove of garlic, minced

Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Dash of oregano

2 chicken breasts

Italian seasoned panko crumbs

2 tsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the ricotta, spinach, tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, basil, garlic, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Mix until thoroughly combined.

Rinse the chicken breasts then cut a long horizontal slit along the center of the thin long edge of the chicken breast, nearly through to the other side. Fill the cavity of the chicken breast with the ricotta mixture. Season each side of the chicken with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Carefully dip the chicken breasts in the panko crumbs until both sides are evenly covered. Close the slit together with toothpicks (or if you are like me and realize that you don’t have toothpicks, simply break some kebab sticks in half and use them).

Heat the olive oil in an OVEN PROOF skillet on the stove over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, place the chicken in the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the chicken is golden brown, flip the chicken over and place the skillet into the oven. Cook for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Let the meat rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Enjoy.

Chicken Cacciatore

Chicken cacciatore is an Italian dish of chicken braised in a tomato-based sauce and often includes wild mushrooms. It is frequently referred to as "hunter style" as the word cacciatore means "hunter" in Italian.

Recipe by: Elise from simplyrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS

• One 3 1/2 pound chicken, cut into pieces
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup sliced onions
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup white wine
• 2 cups peeled and chopped, firm ripe tomatoes (or canned plum tomatoes in their juice)
• 1 cup wild mushrooms (your choice!)
  
  Directions:
  
  1 Rinse chicken and pat dry. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat, add the onions and cook until translucent, stirring occasionally. Push the onions to the side. Season the chicken pieces with salt on all sides. Add the chicken pieces, skin-side down. Cook until the chicken skin is golden brown, then turn pieces over and brown on the other side. Add the garlic to the pan and cook a minute more.

2 Sprinkle pepper over the chicken. Add wine and simmer until reduced by half. Add the tomatoes, lower the heat and cover the skillet with the lid slightly ajar.

3 Cook the chicken on a low simmer, turning and basting from time to time. Cook until the thighs are very tender and the meat is almost falling off the bones, about 40 minutes. If the stew starts to dry out, add a couple tablespoons of water.