Positively Pre-Cooked

If you've read my blog entries before, you know I love to use pre-cooked chicken breasts that I keep in my freezer.  I buy a large package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts and bake them for 45-60 minutes at 350.  Then I place them, usually by threes, into freezer bags.

This solves a lot of my dinnertime dilemmas.  I mean, A LOT.

I believe that by keeping staples at the ready - chicken broth, canned tomatoes, canned beans, onions, garlic, seasonings - that you have the ability to make any dinner easy and quick.  Please remember my first rule... (other than wash your hands before you cook)...KEEP IT SIMPLE.

Tonight's dinner is a product of this belief system.  YEA!!!!!

I didn't even defrost the two chicken breasts all the way, that's how simple it was.  The link of chorizo sausage is pre-cooked by the manufacturer.  I used the seasonings and veggies that existed already in my kitchen, and you should employ the same theory.  Don't have potatoes?  Use rice and cook it on the side.  Don't have the same seasonings?  Use ones you do have.  Some of my recipes are not versatile, they need to be made to the letter.  But most of my posts, such as this one, include recipes that you can make any which way but loose.  Give this meal a shot.  It's gonna spice up my Thursday quite nicely!


Chicken & Chorizo Stew
Serves 4


Ingredients:

2 tsp. olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped (I used a poblano)
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1 tsp. oregano
1 link Aidell's chorizo
1 & 1/2 cups Dutch Yellow Baby Potatoes, halved
2 pre-cooked chicken breasts, cut into chunks
1 pinch of saffron threads
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1/4 tsp. Bijol powder
(If you can't find Bijol, use a mix of cumin and turmeric)

Heat a Dutch oven on medium, adding olive oil.  Saute onions, oregano and pepper until soft.  Add garlic for one minute.  Add chorizo and potatoes.  Saute for 2-3 minutes.  Add chicken and saffron.  Stir well.  Add in tomatoes, broth, paprika, and Bijol.  Cook on medium to med-low until potatoes are fork tender.

This can be served with Queso Fresco (white crumbly Mexican cheese), Feta, or even a sharp Cheddar.  A nice piece of hard bread, a glass of wine, and you've got a meal that is more than worthy of the effort and the eating.  Bon Appetit!

One More Time...

Another soup recipe.  I know, I know.  You're probably sick of all the soup I've been making.  But this one is fast and flexible.  And, if you're having the same miserable weather I am, this soup will jazz up your day a tad.

I served my soup for lunch with a slice of reduced sodium Ezekiel Bread topped with 1/2 cup sliced avocado.

~ Food Science Time ~

I'm no Sheldon Cooper, so here goes...
People ask me how to keep avocado from turning brown.  I rinse my hulled avocado under running water, then I drizzle lime juice on it.  The water rinses away the component that helps oxidize the avocado flesh and the citric acid in the lime juice helps preserve it.  Our culinary nerd moment is now complete.


Quick Black Bean Soup
Serves 6 


Ingredients:

2 tsp. safflower or olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 Cubanelle pepper, diced
1 Serrano, diced (optional)
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 tsp. Mexican oregano
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
2 (15 oz.) cans of seasoned black beans
1 (14.5 oz) can of fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth
A bunch of cilantro, rinsed and chopped
2 tbsp. Hatch roasted green chiles, mild (optional)

In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium.  Add onion, Cubanelle, and Serrano.  Saute for about five minutes.  Add garlic, oregano, and cumin.  Saute for one more minute.

Add in beans (entire cans, do not rinse or drain), tomatoes, broth, cilantro, and chiles.  Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.  Blend with an immersion blender until 2/3 of batch is blended.  Cook for 5 more minutes on a full simmer until heated through.  Serve immediately.

Weight Watchers Points+ per bowl: 3 per one cup bowl, the avocado sandwich was another 4+ points

The Perfect Pozole

I've been craving soup quite a bit this winter.  Odd, considering I've never been a fan of soup.  Too much slurping, usually not at all filling, and many times over, it's too salty.

Or, in some cases, reminds you of when you had the flu.  Not at all appetizing.

But tonight's soup was very appetizing.  My youngest daughter loves it and has deemed it in her top two (the other being black bean soup).  It's a bowl full of spicy, sassy, steamy goodness.  I've combined a Yucatan Lime Soup with a Chicken Pozole.  Please feel free to leave out the cloves and the seeds in the Serrano pepper if you do not enjoy either, but please leave the cinnamon stick in as well as the hominy.  Without the cinnamon and hominy, this soup would be a sad mess.  I used canela instead of common cinnamon sticks and I also used Mexican oregano.  Try your Food Lion or Asian market for the canela.  I found mine at the Asian market.  Most supermarkets have the McCormick brand of Mexican oregano, and I like the whole dried leaves so I can crunch them myself.  Invest in both if you can, it does make a difference, a difference your taste buds will appreciate.

Before I  post the recipe, let's talk about one of the more important savory staples - GARLIC.  I am going to rant here.  Do not, whatever you do, buy jarred garlic.  Please.  If you love yourself and those you cook for at all, you'll put that jar you have straight into the garbage.  That is disgusting.  It looks as though someone has chewed up perfectly good cloves of garlic and once made into mush, spit them into a jar full of funky chemicals.  And you're going to dare to put that in your food and serve it???  If you hate peeling cloves, buy them pre-peeled in your produce department.  Heck, even garlic powder is better than jarred garlic.  And do not kid yourself - those in the know will always be able to flag a dish that has been made with the sour, bitter, foul-smelling, half masticated bits of jarred garlic.  Use fresh.  They cost less than a buck a head and they keep rather well in a dark cabinet.

And while you're at it, toss that plastic lemon out.

Thank you.  No - really.  Thank you.

Maggie's Chicken Pozole
Serves 6 Large Bowls


Ingredients:

1 tbsp. Safflower or Olive Oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 Serrano chile, sliced thin (leave seeds out for less heat)
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. Mexican oregano
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 stick Canela or Cinnamon Stick
8 black peppercorns
6 whole cloves
Cheesecloth
32 oz. carton chicken broth
1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes, drained
Juice of one lime, use only FRESH LIMES
3/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, roasted and shredded
1 can corn niblets, drained
1 can hominy, drained

In a large Dutch oven, heat oil and then saute onion and Serrano.  Cover and cook on med-low until soft, about five minutes.  While this is cooking, make a pouch from the cheesecloth for the peppercorns, canela, and cloves.  Tie into a bundle.  

After onion and pepper are soft, add the garlic, cumin, chili powder, and oregano.  Combine and toss in the bundle, sauteing for one minute.

Add broth, tomatoes, lime juice, and cilantro.  Stir well. Simmer on medium or med-low for 30 minutes.  Discard bundle.  Use a stick blender (if you do not want a chunkier soup) to make contents smooth.

Add in chicken, hominy, and corn.  Stir well and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes.  

Maggie and I enjoyed ours with Quesadillas made from low-carb tortillas and a few thin slices of queso blanco.  This soup, I believe, has the magical ability to turn any frown upside down and gray skies into sunshine.  For you vegetarians out there, skip the chicken broth for veggie and add a can of chickpeas in place of the shredded chicken.  It's the perfect Pozole either way. 

Tortellini Tummy

I am not certain what's come over me this winter, but I've had more soup in the past two months than probably the last ten years.  Every day I think of a different soup I would enjoy having for lunch, then usually forget it and make myself a salad or sandwich.

So for tonight, I stirred up some soup that is bound to make taste buds cheer and tummies go, "aaaahhhh."  It was just the right meal to help us get over the middle of the week road hump.

This is not a fancy soup, it uses zero fancy ingredients.  If you have the main three on hand - dried tortellini, canned tomatoes, chicken broth - then you can make this any old time.  It's also great for lunch with panini or a loaf of crusty bread.

Tomato 'N Tortellini Soup
Serves 4


2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
Pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes with basil
32 oz. carton of reduced sodium chicken stock
2 1/2 cups dried tortellini
1 cup baby spinach chopped
Parmesan, optional

Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat until hot and add EVOO, pepper flakes, and onion.  Cover and cook on med-low for about 5 minutes, until the onion is soft.  Add garlic and cook for 30 more seconds, then add broth and tomatoes.

Simmer for 15 minutes.

This next step is optional - use an immersion/stick blender to blend out any of the chunkier veggie bits before adding the dried tortellini.

Add tortellini and stir, then add in chopped spinach.  Cook for about 10 minutes, simmering, until tortellini is al dente.

Ladle into four bowls and top with Parmesan cheese if preferred.

Your tummy will thank you!



Weight Watchers Points Per Serving - 6+ 

Soul Good Mexi Chicken Soup

The pollen that found its way onto my windshield on Wednesday has me wanting to crawl back to bed on Friday.  I need a lunch that is not only nourishing, but comforting.

This is the perfect day to whip up some Soul Good Mexi Chicken Soup.  It's actually the base to my Pozole con Pollo I'm making for dinner tonight, so consider dinner halfway done!

Soul Good Mexi Chicken Soup
Serves 4 large bowls


Ingredients:

1 tsp. olive or vegetable oil
1 med. Spanish/purple onion, diced
1 Serrano pepper, seeded and diced
1-2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 tsp. cumin
1 cinnamon stick
Peppercorns
Cloves
Cheesecloth
1/4 cup cilantro
1 tomato, seeded and diced
32 oz. low-sodium organic chicken broth
3/4 tsp. sea salt
Juice of half a lime
1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded

Directions:

Take a few peppercorns, a few cloves, and break the cinnamon stick in half, placing all in a piece of cheesecloth.  Take opposite ends of cheesecloth and tie into knots that meet in the center so the spices don't fall out.

In a large stock pot/Dutch oven, heat to medium and add 1 tsp. olive or vegetable oil.  Saute onion and cumin until soft.

Add Serrano and garlic, cook for 1 minute.  Add cheesecloth bag, cilantro, tomato, salt and broth.  Simmer for 15 minutes.

(Next step optional) Take cheesecloth bag out and blend soup until smooth.  (Following steps are mandatory) Add chicken, lime juice, cilantro, and return bag to soup pot.  Simmer for 15 more minutes.  Discard bag.  Serve with more cilantro if desired.

I serve mine with an Avocado Crema that's quick and easy.  Take 1 avocado, scoop out flesh and place in a food processor.  Add 1 container of fat-free Greek yogurt, plain.  Squeeze half of a lime over avocado and yogurt.  Toss in a pinch or two of sea salt, 1/4 tsp. cumin, and a dash of chili powder.  Blend.  This should serve 4-6.

Feeling better already!

Sushi Time...But Wait!!

We love sushi in this house.  Pete and the girls even made some for me one year on Mother's Day.  I, however, have no patience for making the stuff.  All that sushi rice. PASS!

But I do like sushi-grade ahi tuna.  I am going to pause the sushi talk here and speak to those who prefer not to eat raw fish.

If you don't like even partially cooked tuna, please do not buy the ahi tuna and then cook it all the way.  This fish is not cheap by any means.  It usually runs $10 a pound - YIKES - where I live.  To cook it entirely would be a travesty, in my opinion.  So I suggest grilling some shrimp with a little safflower oil (high smoking point), lime juice, salt, and pepper. This meal works just as well with the shrimp.

Now back to the sushi programming.

This recipe is a salad, studded with gems and topped with a crown that tastes like solid gold.  The crown being Newman's Own Light Asian dressing.  Alas, my store was completely OUT.  Nooooo!  However, Kraft makes a light Asian dressing, and I think - gasp - I might like it better!  And it was on sale...bonus!  Wait - you're wondering why I am not making my own dressing, right?  This meal is quick and easy.  For me, making my own dressing would add time to the process, and who wants that, right?  Right!

Seared Ahi Salad
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 to 1.25 pounds of sushi-grade ahi tuna
1 tsp. olive, avocado, or safflower oil
Sea salt and ground black pepper
Container spring greens or baby romaine
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 English cucumber, chopped
1 avocado, sliced (each person gets 1/4 avocado)
Chopped cilantro
Lime wedges
Kraft Light Asian dressing (1 tbsp. per person)

Directions:

Prep all veggies and place in bowls for your family/friends/pet rocks to use as a salad bar selection.  

Rinse and pat the tuna steaks dry, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Heat grill pan or skillet on medium and add the teaspoon of oil when pan is hot.  Pan must be hot enough to cause the fish to sizzle. 

Cook for about 2 minutes on each side, then allow to rest on a cutting board for another 2 minutes.  Slice thinly.  Allow family/friends/pet rocks to build salads, then add 3-4 oz. of sliced ahi to the tops of salads.  Dress with lime juice and 1 tbsp. dressing.  

I serve French bread rolls with this for my carb-loving family, but if you're watching your waistline, just add more veggies.  And the great thing about this meal is that it's a salad - add whatever you like!

Thursday dinner - done!

Weight Watchers Points (w/o dinner roll): 6 points

Note: All WW Points are based on the recipe calculator on the WW site.  Eating more proteins, carbs, and fats will increase your point level.  

From Irish-Scots to Latina!

Beginning in April, I will be starting a new blog site to work alongside "ALN Cooks!".  The name?  I dunno.  But I can tell you what it will be about.

Latin cuisine.

And not just about Latin cuisine, but the fact that I'll be eating it.  A lot of it.  For one whole year.


Starting on Cinco de Mayo, I will be eating one Latin dish every day until the next Cinco de Mayo in 2013.  Mostly, it will be Mexican food with a little Cuban, Spanish, and South American thrown in for good measure.

Now before the questions come rolling in, let me qualify what kind of Mexican/Latin foods I am referring to.

The healthiest versions possible!


Most of us here in America see Mexican food as lard-laden, salt-shaken, cheese-covered, calorie-crunching deliciousness.  Not something you would want to eat every day unless you desire heart disease and some massive junk in the trunk, am I right??

But I view true Mexican/Latin food as fresh and full of flavor.  No lard, no MSG, no cheese that is unidentifiable, or meats that are unidentifiable.  Real food, real cooking, all made with real passion.  For me, that is what real cooking is all about!

Yes, it has been pointed out to me that Mexicans eat Mexican food all the time, every day, so what't the big deal?  For starters, I'm not Mexican.  This is not the norm for me.  But for the most part, I adore Latin cooking.  It's a reminder to me that while eating spicy, zesty, flavorful foods can in itself be a fiesta, that life should be the fiesta.  

So I will need to do many things in planning this endeavor.  If you can help with my list, don't hesitate!

Gotta Get These Done Rapido!

1.   Come up with at least 150 recipes.

2.   Make the recipes as healthy as possible while retaining their tradition and authenticity.

3.   Come up with a name for this blog and site.

4.   Organize the recipes in a way that will allow for flexibility and good health - a tall order!

5.   And just to make things interesting, come up with rules on how many times I can repeat a recipe within the single year.

I'll look through my Rick Bayless and other Latin foods cookbooks from now till April.  I would love to get your feedback and any recipes my readers would like to share.  From Breakfast to Dessert, I need recipes from all categories.  

If you want to throw your vote in for a blog title, please remember the following rules - It cannot be a name that already exists (no more Trademark issues, please), It should reflect on my endeavor, and I'd love for it to have ALN in the title somehow.

Call this chica "loco" if you'd like, but I cannot wait to begin this journey!  Let's begin - Vámonos!