Eggplant Rolls with Goat Cheese

June 19, 2013June 20, 201320 Comments

In the past week, I flew to New Jersey, drove to New York, prepared for a wedding, went to a wedding, drove back to New Jersey, took a plane back to California with a stop in Chicago, then drove from Orange county to Riverside for a graduation.

On Sunday, I was in 4 different states all in one day. It was amazingly busy but totally worth it. The wedding I went to was fantastic.

It was my friend Sara’s wedding. You might know her as the Biscotti Queen. She’s the lady who taught me to make biscotti, so clearly it was a wedding I couldn’t miss. Their wedding was one of the most fun and unique weddings I’ve ever been to.

There was no assigned seating (or even enough tables for everyone to sit at), instead you mingled around, stood at cocktail tables, sat around fire pits, in adirondack chairs and generally enjoyed the company of great people.

Instead of a sit down dinner, the night was filled with amazing appetizers and desserts. I thoroughly enjoyed the smores.

One of the many appetizers served was Eggplant Rollatini, perfect given Sara’s very Italian family. As I was looking through my photos of the wedding mixed with some photos of foods I made before heading to New York, I realized that the day before I left I unknowingly made my own non-Italian version of Eggplant Rollatini.

I won’t call it Eggplant Rollatini, because it’s not exactly the same. I’ll call it Eggplant Rolls with Goat Cheese

Eggplant Rolls with Goat Cheese

1 eggplant
1/4 tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste
4-6 oz goat cheese
1 tbsp capers
4 tbsp fresh chopped herbs (I used basil, oregano and sage)
1 can diced tomatoes, with juices
1/3 red bell pepper
1/2 a small onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 Tbsp olive oil (plus more for brushing eggplant or use cooking spray)

Pre-heat oven to 400F. Slice eggplant lengthwise into thin slices. Lay on a baking sheet, spray with cooking spray or brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt pepper, and paprika. Bake for 7 minutes, flip then bake for another 7-8 minutes. Remove from oven, turn oven down to 350F.

In the meantime, make your sauce. In a blender, blend together tomatoes, red bell pepper, onion, garlic and 3 tbsp fresh herbs. Add salt and pepper if you like (I only added pepper since I used canned tomatoes).

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large skillet, add sauce. Cook for 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally while you prepare the rest of your eggplant.

In a bowl, mix together goat cheese, capers, and 1 tbsp of herbs. Once your eggplant is cool enough to handle, lay some of the goat cheese filling on the eggplant then roll and place seamside down into the sauce. Repeat until you’ve rolled all your eggplant (you might have some left over filling which I like to sprinkle on top after baking).

Bake for another 10-15 minutes, sprinkle with remaining goat cheese/herb filling and serve. One eggplant (depending on the size) should serve 2-3 as a main dish.

This eggplant was totally different from the one at the wedding, but in my opinion equally delicious. Let’s be honest, anything with goat cheese is amazing and I love lightening up heavy dishes like this. I should also note it passed the taste taste from Jesse and my co-worker from New Jersey.

That totally makes it legit, and now it has an amazing memory of an awesome wedding attached to it.

Overall, the travel and craziness of the weekend were totally worth it. I got to visit an amazing friend, see a few others (although I missed a few friends I didn’t get to see), and was so happy to be a part of a wonderful couple’s special day.

I have so many other things to tell you about. What do you want to hear about next? An AMAZING salad? More about this wedding? Do you need a dessert in your life? Tell me!

How to Have a Fried Chicken and Waffles Party

June 11, 2013June 11, 201318 Comments

Chicken and waffles are one of those food combinations that have a cult following. In Los Angeles, Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles is an institution, and I’m pretty sure Lay’s makes a Chicken and Waffles flavored chips.

I remember having Roscoe’s once in high school, but I don’t remember if I tried the chicken and the waffles together. I’m pretty sure I ate them separately. That’s clearly not the “right” way to eat them.

Like most things I find intriguing, I wanted to try making my own chicken and waffles. But let’s be honest, frying chicken is not something I’m going to take lightly. I wasn’t going to just make 2 pieces of chicken, 2 waffles and call it a day. No no. This was my first time frying chicken. It was going to be an event. And thus the Chicken and Waffles party was born.

The first thing you need for an event is guests, so I recruited this crew to be my chicken and waffles testers.

So if you’re like me, and you feel the need to make chicken and waffles an event, here’s a how.

What You’ll Need:

Chicken: I used drumsticks and thighs
Peanut Oil for frying
Buttermilk for the chicken (and the waffles)
Flour, paprika, salt and pepper for dredging the chicken
Yeast, Milk, Eggs, Flour, Sugar, Salt and Butter for the Waffles
Maple Syrup or just pancake syrup
Plate, forks, knives, napkins
Beer. Lots of beer. And ice to keep it cold.

First things first. You have to convince people that you are an awesome cook and that your chicken and waffles will be amazing. I suggest creating invites to get people excited (don’t see how they wouldn’t be, also don’t tell them you’ve never tried frying chicken before). I used Evite, because I’m a nerd. But you can also e-mail, text or call your friends to invite them. Make sure they RSVP so you know how much to make.

I estimated 3 pieces of chicken per person and at least 3 waffles per person. My worst fear is someone leaving my house hungry.

A day or two before your event buy all the things you need (see list above).

The night before the event, start your waffles.

I used Smitten Kitchen’s Essential Raised Overnight Waffles.

They were amazing. I absolutely recommend them!

But because I’m a fiend for feeding people, I figured one waffle recipe for 8 people wasn’t enough (I was right). So instead of doubling the recipe, I used a recipe a friend shared with me (made day of). It was oh so buttery and tasty.

Day of…

Set up your table. Dress it up, dress it down. Always include fresh flowers.

Start making the chicken. Let me preface this by saying this was my first time making fried chicken. I did A LOT of research. After reading the million ways to make the “perfect” fried chicken, I decided to keep it simple. I pretty much used this recipe from AllRecipes but didn’t use their method. My method was to make sure the oil wasn’t too hot and I kept turning it for even golden-goodness all around.

Frying the chicken is the most time consuming part, so start early (depending on the size of your skillet and how much chicken you make it’ll determine how long it will take).

First drown your chicken in buttermilk and let it sit there for a few minutes. Then put about 3 cups of flour in a bag with 1 tbsp each of paprika, salt and pepper (more salt if you’d like, mine wasn’t salty).

Transfer a piece of buttermilk soaked chicken into the flour bag, toss around. Place chicken on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Repeat until all the pieces of chicken are covered in the flour/buttermilk mixture. Note: the amount of chicken you make will determine how much flour you need. If you need to make more, just remember the ratios above (1 cup flour = 1 tsp spice, feel free to increase the spice).

Let the chicken sit and the coating get paste-like as you heat the oil. Fill a large (I used 12″) cast iron skillet about half way full of oil. Turn on heat to medium and let the oil get hot.

I didn’t use a thermometer. I used the flour trick. What’s the flour trick? Sprinkle some flour into the oil. If it starts to bubble your ready to fry. Keep the flame at about medium. Once the oil is hot, add a few pieces of chicken to the skillet. You don’t want to crowd the pan but you should be able to fit about 4-5 pieces in there. Fry chicken, turning every 3 minutes about 14 minutes for drumsticks and 18 minutes for large thighs.

Cut through one to make sure it’s cooked through so you know your estimated cooking time from now on. Place chicken on a paper towel lined baking sheet and put in a 200 degree oven to keep warm and crisp.

Repeat until you’re done making your chicken.

Next make your waffles. If you’re using Smitten Kitchen’s recipe, now is the time to mix in the 2 eggs and baking soda. Or mix together your waffle recipe of choice! Cook your waffles in your waffle iron.

I borrowed my sister’s waffle iron so that I had two going at the same time. It made the process faster. If you’re making waffles for a crowd, keep them warm and crisp in the 200 Degree oven by putting them on a baking sheet IN A SINGLE LAYER (I didn’t do that and totally got soggy waffles. Sad face.).

Now that your chicken and waffles are made. You’re ready to eat. Pile a platter high of chicken

and another of waffles, and don’t forget the syrup!

And your table will be ready for a crowd to dig in!

(Obviously they all had to wait while you took pictures of the table setting)

Now sit around, pass the waffles

and the chicken

And eat them how you like best, don’t be scared to use your fingers or smother everything in maple syrup.

If you have left overs, don’t worry. Reheat it all in the oven in a single layer and it’ll taste delicious the next day too!

Thanks to David, Talia, Rachel, Marco, Allison, Joe and Jesse (especially Jesse for being my co-chef) for having chicken and waffles with me! You guys are the best! Thanks for testing out my food and being all around pleasant company!

Ok so have I convinced you? When are you throwing a chicken and waffles party?

I would totally do it again!

Black Bean Enchiladas

June 7, 2013June 7, 20136 Comments

So on this thing that I’m calling Operation Make-Dinner (my desperate way to make myself eat healthy meals instead of snacking for dinner), I’m realizing that one person doesn’t require that much food.

I can cook two large (and my large I mean 4-6 servings) per week and that will last for lunch and dinner throughout the week. Luckily, I don’t get tired of eating the same thing over and over again.

Earlier this week, I made Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash. I had it for dinner once, then lunch two consecutive days after.

So on the days when I had Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash for lunch, I had Black Bean Enchiladas for dinner.

These aren’t super fancy enchiladas like the kind you have in restaurants, these are much simpler and healthier. I didn’t fry the tortillas, they’re not filled with fatty meats and cheese. It’s mostly beans and vegetables, sauce and a sprinkle of cheese.

For a week night meal, that’s what it should be: mostly vegetables. I used shredded carrots and bell peppers because that’s what I had on-hand (the carrots were left over from the Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash).

To make life easier (and for portion control), I baked them in small glass containers (instead of a large 9×13 pan)

Black Bean Enchiladas

1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 cup shredded carrots
1 bell pepper (I used a bunch of mini bell peppers)
2 cups black beans (I cooked them Guatemala style last week, but you can use canned too)
1-2 tsp cumin powder (depending on how you like it)
1/4 cilantro, finely chopped (plus extra for garnish, optional)
juice of 1 lime
12-15 tortillas
1-2 large (28oz) cans of enchilada sauce (or make your own)*

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onions, pepper and carrots and cook until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in black beans and cumin, cook an additional 3 minutes. Stir in cilantro and squeeze in lime juice, stir until well-combined. This filling is awesome on it’s own, I had leftovers and am planning to eat it just with some rice…

But back to the recipe…

Pre-heat oven to 375F. Next start to assemble enchiladas, pour some of the enchilada sauce in to the bottom of whatever baking dish you use (I used 3 small ones, only made 9 enchiladas and had left over filling as another meal with rice). Heat tortillas in the microwave to soften (if they break when you try to roll them, just microwave for a few seconds), place some of the filling down the middle, roll tortilla and place seamside-down in the baking dish. Repeat until you’ve filled your dish or you run out of tortillas and filling. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over tortillas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake 20-30 minutes or until the sauce bubbles. Remove from oven, allow to cool a few minutes then serve with sour cream, cilantro and avocado.

*Note: I like a lot of sauce, I used one big (28 oz can) for 9 enchiladas, so if you’re making more you might want to get 2 cans. If you like it less saucy, then one can would be enough.

These were a great dinner two nights in a row. I still have leftovers for tonight, which is great!

This weekend, I’m not making dinners, because Saturday I’m having a chicken and waffle party and I’m wayyy too excited. Can’t wait to tell you about it!

What are your plans for the weekend?

Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash

June 5, 2013June 17, 201348 Comments

My initial effort at making dinner more often, started with a bang. After I wrote the last blog post, I started meal planning and of course, I turned to Pinterest for ideas. I found a recipe I thought looked tasty for Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Salad. It looked great, but I decided I wanted it to be a bit lighter. I don’t want to be eating a pound of quinoa for dinner (not that there’s anything wrong with that, just not my taste).

So instead of quinoa, I went with spaghetti squash, because I’m a huge fan and it’s lower in calories than quinoa. The result…

Delicious, and ready in less than 30 minutes! Not to mention it’s super easy clean up, since you only use one pot/skillet. To make life easier, I bought pre-cut and pre-washed shredded carrots and cabbage. So the only chopping I had to do was the green onions and chicken.

Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash

1 spaghetti squash
3-4 green onions
1-2 lbs chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup shredded cabbage (I bought cole slaw mix)
1 cup Frank’s Buffalo Sauce (or more if you’d like)
1-2 oz Blue Cheese (or more if you’d like)

Poke your spaghetti squash a few times with a fork or knife. Microwave 10-15 minutes or until tender.

In the meantime, cut up your chicken and toss in onion and garlic powder. Next slice the green onions. Slice the white part of the green onions and reserve the green tips for garnish.

Heat olive oil in a skillet or pot (I used a 12″ cast iron skillet). Add chicken and green onions, cook until chicken is cooked through (about 5 or 6 minutes).

Remove spaghetti squash from the microwave. Once it’s cool enough to handle, slice in half, remove the seed and discard, the fluff the spaghetti squash with a fork to get the strands loose. Add spaghetti squash to the skillet and mix. Add Buffalo sauce, cabbage and carrots. Toss to combine. Serve and sprinkle with blue cheese and chopped green onion tips. This recipe will serve 4-6.

I was really pleased with this meal. I liked how quick and easy it was, but also tasty. If you wanted to make this spicier, I would definitely add some sriracha for a little added kick. You can also just get the spicy buffalo sauce instead of the traditional buffalo sauce.

Now I have a ton of left overs for lunch, but I’m excited for my next dinner creation!

What are you having for dinner tonight?

June Goals: Meal Plan and Make Dinner

June 3, 201317 Comments

Hi All. Remember wayyy back when, when I did the Paleo Challenge? Oh yeah, who could forget… the two weeks I turned into a crazy bitch.

Well, I remember at the end of that whole debacle, one of the lessons I learned was that I need to make dinner more often. I have a really hard time with that. Usually, I kind of just snack on things: a tortilla with beans, random pieces of cheese, handfuls of chocolate chips, a yogurt, pretzels, any other random thing I can find. I rarely ever have a meal.

Tonight, I knew I was going to make

Strawberry Shortcake in a Jar (don’t worry recipe blog post about this is coming soon!) to photograph for a blog post. Before I came home, I stopped by Subway to get a sandwich to avoid eating cake for dinner, because I know myself. I would seriously just eat cake for dinner and call it a night. But that’s not good for you.

So as I was eating my Subway sandwich

I began to think… I make myself get out of bed at 5:20am to get to the gym by 6am, even though I want to stay in bed more than anything. Somehow I manage to get my butt up and move it. I really can make myself have a real, healthy dinner at least 3 nights a week. That shouldn’t be that hard, right? I think it just comes down to habit.

Most days, I come home from work and just don’t really feel like making dinner for myself. If Jesse is having dinner with me (usually once a week), then I have no problem making a meal. But just for me. No fun.

But that needs to change.

So I decided to make it a person and blog goal in June is to make healthy dinners a few times a week and blog about it. I’m not talking about the usual desserts and ridiculous treats I think are fun to blog about… like pie

I’m talking about quick and easy things that I should actually be eating… sort of like I did during the Paleo Challenge… like my epic paleo dinner of chicken and mushrooms over cauliflower puree

and my quick and easy paleo dinner.

It just takes a little bit of planning. This won’t be paleo all over again, but I will try to keep it healthy.

Now I should say, I don’t see anything wrong with having a Subway sandwich for dinner. It’s probably healthier than most things I would have been eating, but $5 for dinner is a little too much to spend every night in my opinion.

So here it goes… what should I make tomorrow night?

Does anyone else struggle with this? Have any quick and easy recipes to share with me?

Chipotle Fish Tacos

May 7, 2013May 7, 201311 Comments

Cinco de Mayo just happened. You’re probably tired of Mexican food, but let’s be honest Corona and Guacamole don’t really qualify as Mexican food. That doesn’t really qualify as food. That’s a snack.

And it’s Tuesday. Taco Tuesday. How about some tacos?

Trust me. You need these tacos in your life.

I remember the first time I ate these tacos. Jesse made them for me, pretty early on in our relationship, and I was skeptical. But I swear it was love at first bite. I’m talking about the tacos here.

Ever since that first time, I’ve probably had them a dozen times with a million variations: shrimp, chicken, etc.

But these are the best.

Chipotle Fish Tacos

3 pieces of tilapia, cut into small pieces
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 an onion, diced
1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro
Juice of 1/2 lime
salt and pepper
1-2 cups cabbage, thinly sliced
1 diced tomato
1/4 cup mayo
1 tbsp sriracha*
a few lime wedges
1 avocado sliced
6 tortillas

Heat oil in the pan. Add 1/4 of onion (so you’ll have 1/4 of onion left for putting on the tacos) and cook for a few mins. Add fish and chipotle (depending on how hot you want it use 1-2 or more, for less spice just use the adobo sauce, not the chile itself), cook for a few minutes until fish is no longer translucent. Stir in juice of 1/2 lime, about a tablespoon of cilantro and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Stir together sriracha and mayo. Thin out with some lime juice or water. Depending on how spicy you like it, the ratio of sriracha to mayo might be different for you. Add a bit, try it and add more if you’d like.

Now you can start assembling your tacos (this recipe will make about 6 tacos). Heat up your tortillas. Start by laying some fish in the center.

Then you add your ingredients of choice. We like to have it all on a plate at the table and assemble as we go.

Lay on the cabbage, tomato, onion, cilantro and avocado.

Then drizzle with sriracha mayo. Squirt with a wedge of lime and devour.

That’s exactly what I do. I devour these, because they’re amazing.

Happy Taco Tuesday! What’s your favorite kind of taco?

I love fish tacos, but I think shrimp tacos are my favorite.

Brie Tomato Basil Grilled Cheese Sandwich and My Top 5 Tips for the Perfect Grilled Cheese

April 24, 20139 Comments

So remember when I finished the Paleo Challenge, I learned I needed to eat actual meals instead of snacks for dinner?

Well I’m trying to get better at that. I’ve been trying to incorporate more salads into my dinners, like the Roasted Beet Asparagus and Arugula salad in my last post. But today and yesterday were long days. I’ve been stressed and I’ve had a headache since I woke up today.

To remedy all that, I did two things:

1. Went to the Good Will

Thrift shops in Orange County aren’t as cheap in the song, nor are they as cheap as they were in Central NY. But I still managed a few good finds.

A tart pan for $2.50, a lovely oval shaped plate for $4.99 (over-priced in my opinion) and a cake plate for $2.50. I also managed to find a rotating cake stand that will be great for frosting cakes.

2. Grilled Cheese

Let’s be more specific. Brie Tomato Basil Grilled Cheese.

Now don’t get me wrong, traditional caprese with mozzarella is lovely, but seriously. This sandwich is out of this world.

Last week someone asked me for tips on a good grilled cheese. Obviously it’s all a questions of taste but here are…

My Top 5 Tips for Making the Perfect Grilled Cheese

1. Good Bread. If your bread sucks, your grilled cheese will too. Don’t you dare you sliced white bread. Invest in some good bread. I used Trader Joe’s Italian Bread. Tasty enough. Orange County is seriously lacking in good bread bakeries.

2. Make sure there’s cheese on both sides of the bread. If you’re putting something other than just cheese, you need to make sure the cheese is on both sides. The cheese is the binding agent. If you don’t have it on both sides, it’ll all fall apart.

3. Use Real Butter. If you’re going to make a grilled cheese, now’s not the time to be healthy by avoiding butter. No. You’re choosing to make grilled cheese. If you wanted a healthy meal, you’d make a salad. Use butter. It makes your bread golden, toasty and delicious. Don’t skimp.

4. Mustard. Unless you’re making a grilled cheese sandwich with some sort of jam, mustard almost always makes a grilled cheese taste better. Cheese and mustard just go together. I’m not talking about yellow mustard. I’m talking tasty dijon-style mustard or the kind with the wonderful mustard seeds in it. If you hate mustard, you can ignore this comment. But if you like mustard, trust me. Give it a try.

5. Low and slow. Don’t turn the flame on high! Heat your pan to medium/low. It might take a few minutes for it to get golden and for the cheese to melt, but that’s way better than a burnt piece of bread with hard cheese in the middle. Be patient. It’ll be tastier.

That’s pretty much there is to it. Oh and if you use sliced Kraft American Cheese or Velveeta… You’re dead to me

Brie Tomato Basil Grilled Cheese

2 slices of amazingly tasty bread of your choice
a big pat of butter
1-2 oz brie, sliced (keep the rind! it’s tasty!)
3-4 tomato slices
1-2 basil leaves, chopped

Spread each slice of bread with butter on one side. On the other side, layer cheese tomatoes and basil. I try not to use too much cheese because brie is pretty strong, so I put half the cheese on one side and the bread and the other half on the opposite half of the other piece (does that make any sense? See the pic below)

Heat pan to medium/low heat. Place sandwich, butter side down on pan. Cook about 3 minutes per side or until golden all around and cheese in the center has melted.

Serve with a bowl of soup and enjoy! I had it with a bowl of Trader Joe’s Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato soup. Tastiest soup from a box ever. I promise!

Added bonus: This month is National Grilled Cheese Month. I have no idea who decided that but I support, and so should you. Eat Grilled Cheese Today!

P.S. Dunking is encouraged.

Roasted Beet, Asparagus and Arugula Salad

April 22, 201313 Comments

As much as I advocate cake and pie eating, I really want you to eat vegetables too.

Lots of vegetables.

They’re good for you. Sometimes sugar and butter need to take a back seat and we need to have something good for you. Like this salad.

Roasted Beet, Asparagus and Arugula Salad

2-3 fresh beets
3-5 cups arugula1/2 lb asparagus, cut into 1″ pieces
1 tomato, sliced
2 oz goat cheese
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp honey
2 tsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
fresh chopped parsley (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 400F. Thoroughly wash beets, then wrap beets in aluminum foil. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 45 mins to 1 hour, or until tender. Allow to cool. Peel and slice. (Note: You can roast a bunch of beets and once and store them in the fridge for about a week in the roasting foil. Peel and slice when you’re ready to serve them)

Steam asparagus for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and rinse with cold water. Set aside. (You can do this while the beets roast, or you can plan your next vacation)

Make dressing by mixing together balsamic vinegar, olive oil, honey, dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Whisk until well combined.

Lastly, assemble the salad. Start with a bed of arugula, layer on the tomatoes, asparagus, beets and goat cheese. Drizzle with dressing and serve! This salad will feed 2 very hungry people or 4 as a side salad.

Eat it up!

Cóctel de Camarón: Shrimp! Yes, Please!

April 11, 2013April 12, 20134 Comments

So today, was a crazy day. Ok it totally wasn’t crazy. I was just exhausted. I somehow had the bright idea of going to crossfit twice in a 12 hour time span… I hurt real bad right now. I don’t recommend it. Give yourself at least 24 hours between workouts. It’s a good idea.

But work outs aside, today was a bizarre day for me in terms of personal realizations. Way back when, I used to use SparkPeople to track calories, but I hadn’t logged in for almost a year. So this morning, I randomly did…

I saw my last log in was after I got back from Italy where I ate my weight (and then some) in Nutella, Pasta and Gelato for nearly 6 months. Since then, I’ve lost 18 pounds. That’s kind of a lot on someone who is only 5’3″

I guess getting back home, eating normal meals and exercising a few times a week served me well (even if Paleo didn’t…).

So in honor of the fact that my butt (among other things) shrank, let me tell you about an actual meal (as much as I love cake, it’s not a meal) that is more or less balanced, light and delicious too.

I would consider this to be moderately healthy. Depending on what you serve with it that is…

It involves shrimp, tomatoes, onions and a few splashes of (unhealthy) secret ingredients:

Cóctel de Camarón

3 cloves of garlic
1/2 onion, diced
1 lb Shrimp, peel on
2 cups clamato
1-2 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp orange soda
2-3 limes
2 tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Salt
1 Avocado, sliced
Tostadas, for serving

In a blender (I used my magic bullet), blend together 1/4 of an onion (reserve remaining diced onion) and 3 garlic cloves with some water. Once it’s smooth, add to a sauce pan. Fill with water until about 2-3 inches from the top. Add some salt (or a pinch of bouillon) and bring to a boil. In the meantime, rinse your shrimp and place in a metal mesh strainer.

Cook shrimp in the broth by dipping the strainer into the broth, like this…

Once the shrimp is cooked (pink all over, be careful to not overcook), place in a bowl over some ice. You might have to do this in batches.

Next take about 2 cups of the cooking broth and place in a large bowl.

Add about 2 cups of clamato, ketchup, lime juice and orange soda. Be careful, it’s a science. Taste it along the way to see how it is.

Stir it all together and set aside. Next peel your shrimp (alternatively you could peel your shrimp before cooking then put the skins in the broth to help give it more flavor). Now you’re ready to assemble.

Start by putting a good amount of diced tomato (1/2 cup?), onions, cilantro and Serrano chili in your bowl. Then add the shrimp and avocado. Last pour the broth/clamato mixture over your shrimp. You want a good amount in there because it gives it great flavor.

From there, you’re pretty much ready to go. But don’t forget one important thing…

A beer. Because life is all about balance and a cold beer tastes great with this dish.

Serve with tostadas, extra lime, salt and hot sauce (optional). This will serve 2-3 people.

Whoever said that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach as probably right, but they forgot that the way to a woman’s heart is the same direction. I wish I could take credit for this, but I can’t. It was made entirely by an awesome boyfriend who makes ridiculously tasty things.

He makes me generally healthy meals, while I make him cookies and pies.

Clearly, a little bit of both is necessary. Eat some shrimp and vegetables, as well as some cookies and wine.

What was the last healthy meal you had?

Caldo de Pollo (Guatemalan Chicken Stew)

March 21, 20133 Comments

If you asked me what my favorite food is, I would spend forever trying to decide and ask you a million follow up question… is it my favorite food to eat all the time? or for a special occasion? Savory or sweet? Appetizer? Main dish?

If you were my boyfriend you’d probably just say, “answer the question.”

To which I would respond “Caldo de Pollo, if we’re talking about what I like to eat on a normal day.”

I have a habit of not answering questions, or if I do, qualifying that response with a million follow up excuses as to why I can’t really answer the question.

I’m very indecisive. So here it is. If I had to choose a favorite food to eat all the time, it would be this: Caldo de Pollo.

That just means chicken stew, but this is how my family (and I think most Guatemalan families) makes it.

The vegetables are all in big chunks and there’s a bit of chicken in there.

It’s probably the easiest thing in the world to make. It’s also delicious and healthy. Whenever I go home, I want my mom to make two things: black beans and caldo de pollo. It’s just delicious.

Caldo de Pollo

1 lb chicken thighs, bone in (boneless is fine too)
1 bunch cilantro
1 tomato, whole
1 onion, ends cut off and peeled
1 chayote (güisquil), quartered
1 cabbage, cut into 6 wedges
3 carrots, peeled and cut in half
1-2 celery ribs
a few pieces of fresh or frozen corn*
2-3 small potatoes
1 small bag frozen yucca
salt
Avocado, Lime, Sour Cream (for serving)

Fill a medium saucepan half way with water, bring to a boil. Add frozen yucca.

Boil until tender, it should take about 30 minutes. This is crucial. If you put the yucca in the water before it boils, the yucca will stay tough. Make sure your yucca is tender and keep it in the freezer until the water is boiling, then add it to the water.

While the yucca cooks, start the rest of the soup. The beauty of this soup is that it’s fast and doesn’t involve a lot of chopping.

Big chunks of carrot and güisquil (güisquil in Guatemala, but chayote in Mexico so that’s what you’ll probably see it labeled as in US grocery stores) are appreciated. But the cabbage is my favorite part. Not familiar with guisquil/chayote? It looks sort of like a pear from the outside:

And sort of on the inside, just quarter it and cut out the seed in the middle

In a large post, add all of the ingredients. Add enough water to cover the ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 45 minutes or until cabbage and potatoes are cooked through. The take a fine mesh strainer, take out the tomato, peppers and cilantro. Pour some of the broth on it and using a spoon, mash the tomato, peppers and cilantro to get the most flavor out of it, then discard. Add yucca you cooked separate to the pot.

Serve with lime, sour cream and avocado. I usually just eat it with lime and avocado, but sour cream makes it super tasty, just mix it into your bowl just before eating.

*I don’t like corn, so I never use it, but most people (including my mother) add it.

I like to pack mine up into 6-7 containers (that’s how many meals a big pot makes), and take them for lunch for the week.

Healthy and delicious lunch that is totally Paleo friendly if you omit the potato and yucca. Even though yucca is a root, I think it’s too starchy for Paleo.

But seriously, what makes this delicious is the lime and avocado.

It takes a regular soup and makes it out of this world. Don’t skimp on that!

So what’s your favorite food? Something you could eat everyday and not get tired of.

Foodologie

A Blog about Balancing Health with a Constant Desire to Eat Cake

Tag: Dinner

Eggplant Rolls with Goat Cheese

Eggplant Rolls with Goat Cheese

How to Have a Fried Chicken and Waffles Party

What You’ll Need:

Day of…

Black Bean Enchiladas

Black Bean Enchiladas

Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash

Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash

June Goals: Meal Plan and Make Dinner

Chipotle Fish Tacos

Chipotle Fish Tacos

Brie Tomato Basil Grilled Cheese Sandwich and My Top 5 Tips for the Perfect Grilled Cheese

My Top 5 Tips for Making the Perfect Grilled Cheese

Brie Tomato Basil Grilled Cheese

Roasted Beet, Asparagus and Arugula Salad

Roasted Beet, Asparagus and Arugula Salad

Cóctel de Camarón: Shrimp! Yes, Please!

Cóctel de Camarón

Caldo de Pollo (Guatemalan Chicken Stew)

Caldo de Pollo