sloppy veggies.

 

My husband likes simple foods so sometimes our meals consist of homey casseroles and quick dishes. I like fancier plates so even the humble sloppy joe gets a little something something added to the meat! I mean, who doesn't like a fancy sandwich?

As I've never really grown up eating this particular dish, I went and googled a few recipes until I found one that I really liked. I loved the idea of adding loads of vegetables in the meat. Thankfully this was husband approved and is part of our regular rotation.

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Very Veggie Sloppy Joes
(adapted from Simply Delicious)

2.5lbs ground beef

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 large leeks, washed and finely chopped*

3 large carrots, peeled and finely chopped*

2 celery spears, finely chopped

1 can mushrooms, drained, chopped

1 tbsp minced bottled garlic

1 tsp minced black garlic (optional)

1 1/2 tbsp Chili powder

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp smoked paprika 

1 tsp paprika

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp ground coriander

3/4 tsp cloves

1 tsp yellow mustard

2 tins chopped tomatoes

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 small can tomato paste

1 8oz can Tomato sauce

1 tsp beef bullion

salt & pepper to taste

*For even more veggies:

Substitute 1 leek and 1 carrot for: 1 zucchini, 1/2 bell peppers, 1/4 cup of Italian parsley.

soft kaiser rolls or onion hamburger buns, toasted

grated cheese

finely chopped lettuce (optional)

Fry the onion, leeks, carrots and celery until soft and fragrant, about 10 minutes. 

Add the mushrooms and garlic and fry for another 5 minutes before adding the spices and ground beef.  Cook until beef has browned then add tomatoes and tomato paste. 

Allow to simmer for 5 minutes then add beef stock and sugar.

Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 30-45 minutes covered.

If the sauce looks very watery, remove the lid from the pot and turn up the heat. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes uncovered until the sauce has reduced slightly. Season to taste.

Serve the mince on the toasted bread with some grated cheese.

tagine, without the pot.

I love buying kitchen gadgets . . . especially if it's something that I'll particularly find useful. Sometimes, I buy them because they're cute or pretty. My latest splurge was at World Market where I got myself a nice-sized tagine!

I've been itching to use it and finally found a couple of recipes that I wanted to try. So, I got everything that I needed and started to cook. Unfortunately, I never used the tagine. Turns out, before you use a tagine, the bottom portion needs to soak overnight or else it'll crack. Not only that, but apparently I also needed a "heat diffuser" so that it'll protect the clay pot from excess heat. Who knew that clay pots were so finicky??

Luckily for me, I had a heavy-bottomed pot to use as an alternative.

Despite not using the tagine, this dish actually turned out pretty well! I used this and this as guides and went from there. And since I didn't have some of the ingredients listed, I made do with what I did have in my fridge/pantry: Moroccan oil-cured olives, saffron water, giant golden raisins, and plain lemons.

For the side, I decided to make some roasted beets. It's a little weird since I've never come across any Moroccan dishes that uses beets as a side dish, but it was either use them or let them go bad. Thankfully, they paired surprisingly well with the lemony tagine. I also served this with some saffron rice since the hubby isn't too keen on couscous.

So, what's the verdict? Two thumbs up from the hubby! Yay!

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Moroccan Chicken Tagine
(adapted from Simply Recipes and My.Recipes)

For the Chicken:
3 to 4 pcs bone-in chicken thighs
3 tbsp Moroccan spice
2 tbsp honey
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

For the Tagine:
1 large or 2 medium onion, chopped
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
3 to 4 carrots, chopped to 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup large golden raisins
1/4 cup pitted oil-cured olives
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 lemon rind, pulp removed and thinly sliced
1 tbsp saffron water (or a pinch of saffron)
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
salt and pepper, to taste
water, as needed
chopped parsley, for garnish

 
Marinate the chicken:
Combine chicken, spice, honey, garlic, and olive oil in a ziplock bag. Massage the marinade into the chicken to make sure it's evenly coated then marinate overnight (or up to 2 days) before making the tagine.

Make the tagine:
On cooking day, heat a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add the chicken, skin-side down, along with marinade liquid. Cook the chicken until lightly browned then turn over and repeat with the other side. Once the chicken is lightly browned on both sides, add the remainder of the ingredients except for broth.

Cook mixture for about ten minutes. Add broth, scraping the bottom of the pan, then cover with a tight-fitting lid. Cook for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked and tender. If the dish is too dry, add water as needed and cook for a further few minutes. Season with salt and pepper, as needed, then serve garnished with parsley.

Makes 4 servings.

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Honey Roasted Beets
(makes 4 servings)

5 small red beets, quartered
5 small golden beets, quartered
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp fresh thyme
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar, flavored or plain
2 tbsp chopped parsley

 
Preheat oven to 375F degrees.

Whisk together olive oil, honey, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss into beets then evenly spread onto a foil-lined baking sheet.

Roast for 30 to 40 minutes until tender. Remove from oven then add vinegar and parsley. Toss to coat, then transfer to a serving bowl. Drizzle pan juices over beets then serve.

light and filling.

Roasted Vegetable Hummus Plate: Just a quick dinner with roasted eggplant and butternut squash on light, creamy hummus. A dash of sumac and parsley then drizzled generously with olive oil. Add some sliced naan and a simple salad to the side and you have yourself a mighty tasty dinner indeed.

blackened, not burned.

Holy. Crap. I think that this may be the BEST fish sandwich that I've ever made. Talk about crazy delicious, this was a spicy, tangy, savory explosion of flavor in my mouth and I am so sad that it's all gone. You should really make this . . . like, RIGHT. NOW.

I came across this fish sandwich when I was looking to try out the blackened seasoning I made. I recently went to Safe Harbor Seafood Market and Restaurant down in Jacksonville and had their famously fantastic blackened shrimp nachos. Wow, were those nachos super tasty! I was going to do a food hack of the nachos, but unfortunately I didn't have the right ingredients to remake it.

What I did have was some ciabatta bread and a few frozen flounder fillets. Sounds like blackened fish sandwiches to me. :)

When I was looking for the perfect sandwich recipe, I wanted mainly one thing: no mayo in the slaw. This recipe was perfect. I liked that it was colorful and the red cabbage slaw was vinaigrette based. Also, I was able to utilize two of the seasonings I had in my cupboard; the blackened seasoning I just made and adobo seasoning.

Speaking of adobo seasoning, I had made mine (a mixture of these two recipes) before trying the McCormick's version. I did NOT like McCormick's version at all. I think it was the taste . . . it seemed off and not at all what I was expecting it to be. Whenever I have Mexican adobo sauce, it's usually more red than yellow and the homemade mix came closer to what I was used to. I had to throw the bottle of McCormick's adobo seasoning away. :/

On a happier note, the seasoning mixes worked well in this particular recipe. I've switched out the seasoning that the fish originally had with equal parts blackened seasoning. For the chipotle mayo, I subbed out the canned chipotles with dried ground ones and the adobo sauce for the seasoning. I don't usually have canned chipotles in adobo sauce in the pantry and I've found that this makes an acceptable substitute. Everything else pretty much stayed the same.

I'm telling you . . . these are the best fish sandwich EVAR.

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Blackened Fish Sandwich with Red Cabbage Slaw and Chipotle Mayo
(barely adapted from Daydream Kitchen)

For the Slaw:
1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1½ tbsp white balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup finely shredded red (or purple) cabbage
¼ cup thinly sliced, 1-inch strips of green bell pepper (“matchstick” sized)
¼ cup coarsely chopped cilantro
1 scallion, thinly sliced (white and green parts)

For the Chipotle Mayo:
2½ tbsp light mayonnaise
1/4 tsp dried chipotle pepper flakes
1/2 tsp adobo seasoning

For the Sandwich:
2¼ tsp blackened seasoning
1 tsp olive oil
2 5-oz skinless fish fillets, about ⅓-inch thick (cod, salmon, flounder, etc . . .)
2 crusty sandwich rolls, halved and lightly toasted

 
Make the slaw:
Combine the garlic, shallots, and vinegar in a small bowl. Whisk in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Combine the cabbage, bell pepper, cilantro, and scallion in a medium bowl. Add the dressing and toss well to combine. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, as needed. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes to allow flavors to combine.

Make the mayo:
Combine the mayonnaise, chipotle pepper, and adobo sauce in a small bowl. Set aside. (Alternately, you can substitute sour cream or greek yogurt for a lighter dressing.)

Make the sandwich:
Rub the blackening seasoning all over the fish, coating both sides well and pressing to adhere. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, season the fillets with salt and add to the pan.

Sear until beginning to blacken on the bottom, about 3 minutes. (Reduce the heat to medium if the spices begin to burn.) Turn and sear the second side until blackened and the fish is just cooked through, about 2 minutes longer, depending on thickness.

To serve, spread the chipotle-mayo sauce on all 4 cut sides of the rolls and lay a filet on each bottom half. Mound the red cabbage slaw on top of the fish and cover with the top halves. Serve right away.

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Blackened Seasoning
(from Mom-Makes . . .)

2 1/4 tsp sweet paprika
2 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper

 
Combine the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, black pepper, cayenne pepper, basil, and oregano in a food processor or spice grinder and pulse until finely ground and evenly mixed. Alternately, sift ingredients into a bowl and whisk until well combined. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Keeps up to 6 months.

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Adobo Seasoning
(adapted from Food. and Lemon Chiffon Cake)

1 tbsp lemon pepper seasoning
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp parsley flakes
1 tbsp achiote powder
1 1/4 tbsp kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp ancho chile powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder

 
Combine all ingredients in a food processor or spice grinder and pulse until finely ground and evenly mixed. Alternately, sift ingredients into a bowl and whisk until well combined. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Keeps up to 6 months.

pork, 'taters, and peas.

Just a quick-ish dinner today. Pork chops with apricot and sage sauce, some peas, and a potato gratin. The gratin probably took more time than the pork did as I had to reduce the recipe to about 1/4 of the serving. I saw the recipe from an episode of Cook's Country and decided I wanted to try and make it. No butter or cream? Yes, please! Fortunately, I found a recipe online for it and the rest is history. The pork chops were more an afterthought. After spending so much time on the potatoes, I just wanted to make something that I didn't have to think about. Luckily, the chops tasted great, lol.

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Pork Chops with Apricot-Sage Sauce
(slightly adapted from American Diabetes Association)

2 (4.oz) pork chops
1/4 cup finely chopped shallot or onion
1/2 cup fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
2 large fresh sage leaves
2 tbsp all-fruit apricot spread
salt and pepper, to taste
olive oil

 
Season the pork on both sides with salt and pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Cook the pork for 6 to 8 minutes, or until just slightly pink in the center, turning once. Transfer to a plate. Cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.

Put the shallot in the skillet. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Pour the broth into the skillet, stirring to dislodge any browned bits. Let boil for about 5 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced to about half (about 1/4 cup).

Meanwhile, chop the sage. Whisk the sage and apricot spread into the sauce. Spoon over the pork.

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Olive Oil Potato Gratin
(from Cully's Kitchen)

1 cup shredded Romano cheese
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup panko bread crumbs
Salt and pepper
2 onions (halved and sliced thin)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
½ teaspoon thyme
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3 pounds potatoes (peeled and sliced ⅛ inch thick)

 
Preheat oven to 400F and lightly spray a 13x9 casserole dish with cooking spray.

Place 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the onions and season with ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook stirring frequently until onions are browned. Add the minced garlic and ¼ teaspoon thyme and continue to cook until fragrant. Stir in ¼ chicken broth and continue cooking until broth is evaporated. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl while onions are cooking mix together the Romano cheese, 3 tablespoons olive oil, panko bread crumbs, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Set aside.

Place the sliced potatoes in a large bowl and toss them with 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and remaining ¼ teaspoon thyme.

Spread ½ of the sliced potatoes in the casserole dish and distribute the onion mixture evenly over the top followed by the other half of the potatoes. Pour the remaining broth over the potatoes, tightly cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour.

Remove the casserole from the oven, remove the aluminum foil, and sprinkle the Romano cheese mixture over the top. Bake uncovered for an additional 15 – 20 or until cheese mixture is browned.

taste it and make it: bulgogi sandwich!

When the hubby and I were still in Guam, there were a few eateries we found that got into our usual meal rotation. Our top three were definitely Katre's Bistro, Pika's Cafe, and surprisingly, Dr. Kabob (a Greek fast food joint). Pika's Cafe, though, would probably be the best "farm-to-table" restaurant the island has. Their moto and menu revolved around the phrase, "Buy local, eat local, support local!".

With that, Pika's Cafe also had a revolving seasonal special and a bunch of unique items on their standard menu. The hubby's favorite was definitely their Korean BBQ Sandwich. In the past month, I've heard the hubby lament several times on the loss of acess to that particular sandwich. Every time we passed the Asian isle on the grocery store, he would comment with "I miss Pika's" . . . which meant the sandwich, of course, lol.

I figured I'd give him a surprise!

Enter, my version of the Korean BBQ Sandwich! Since he was missing the sandwich so much, I thought that I would try and replicate the sandwich as close as I could. I knew that it had bulgogi marinated beef, with kimchi-style pickled vegetables, and cucumbers. It also had a chili mayonnaise.

Knowing was half the battle . . . It's the execution that was the problem. In mine, I decided to sub the beef with chicken. It was lighter than beef (I wanted to get away from heavy foods for the time being) and I thought it would be easier to marinate. Also, I didn't have any beef in the fridge anyway which was another big factor, lol.

For the marinade, I decided to go with this recipe but adapted it slightly to include minced apples and sliced onions. From what I read on the web, one of the traditional ingredients to add was either Korean pears or kiwi. Well, since I had neither, I subbed with Golden Delicious apples instead (since that was what I had in the pantry). After making the chicken, I ended up with quite a bit of marinade left. I decided to cook it down and made it into a sauce for the chicken afterwards.

The kimchi recipe was something that I was pleasantly surprised to find. I thought that I would have to put my ingenuity to the test, but apparently someone had already used theirs. I love that this uses regular cabbage and ingredients I already had on hand ("emergency kimchi" indeed!). In traditional kimchi, a coarse ground red pepper called gochugaru is commonly used. However, I've also seen a few recipes call for a fermented chili paste called gochujang to be used instead of the gochugaru. Well, I decided to go with the flavor notes of the gochujang since this would be quickly pickled to be used the next day. That way, I would have the taste of a long fermented kimchi without actually waiting. :)

During the taste testing, I found that this kimchi had a lot of heat to it. So, I nixed the chili mayo that I was originally going to make. Instead, I decided to use some of the leftover chimichurri, mixed with some ketchup and mayo, to make an aioli out of that (secret sauce, baby!). It has a lot of acidity so I thought it would help imitate the "pickled" part of the sandwich. With the ciabatta, kimchi, chicken bulgogi, aioli, and cucumbers all ready to go, my sandwich was ready to be assembled!

This turned out better than I hoped! It had the same savory, sweet, and spicy flavors the Pika's sandwich had. The only drawback was that the sandwich was messy to eat. The chicken made the whole thing a little bulky and the "take-and-bake" ciabatta bread I bought was a tad bit too chewy. The sauce made from the marinade also made this messy, but I think it wouldn't be the same without it. And the kimchi? Everywhere.

Next time, to reduce the messy factor, I'll get a softer ciabatta and cut the bread so it'll envelope the fillings more. Also, I'll toss the chicken in the sauce first and shake off any excess. That way, I'll still get some of the sauce on the chicken. But man, this was one of my favorite experiments!! Oh, by the way, the hubby LOVED the sandwich. Although it wasn't Pika's Cafe's Korean BBQ Sandwich, he thought it was a damn good substitute. :D Now, back to the drawing board . . .

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Korean Chicken Bulgogi
(slightly adapted from Meg's Everyday Indulgence)

2 to 3 pcs boneless chicken thighs

For the Marinade:
1/2 a Korean pear, apple, or kiwi, minced
1/2 a small onion, thinly sliced
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp rice wine, mirin, or cream sherry
1 tbsp sweet chili sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
1/4 tsp black pepper

 
Mix the marinade ingredients in a bowl until the sugar has dissolved. Add chicken and toss well to coat. Cover and marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes up to overnight in the fridge.

To cook, preheat a skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken, reserving the marinade. Cook until chicken is cooked through and slightly caramelized, taking care not to burn. If needed, add the reserved marinade by tablespoon when the pan gets dry. Garnish with sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds. Serve with a side of kimchee.

---- o o o o ---- 

Quick Emergency Kimchi
(slightly adapted from Maangchi)

2 lbs green cabbage, cut into thin 2-inch strips
1/2 a small onion, thinly sliced
1 cup cold water
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/3 cup hot pepper flakes
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup minced garlic
1/3 cup (3 to 4 stalks) chopped green onion
1/4 cup julienned carrots
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp ginger

 
Place cabbage in a large bowl and add cold water and kosher salt. Mix well with hands to properly salt cabbage. Set aside for 10 minutes. Make a paste with the remaining ingredients.

After the cabbage has soaked, wash and rinse the salted cabbage in cold water a couple of times then drain well. Return the cabbage to the bowl and mix the paste into the cabbage thoroughly.

Put the finished kimchi into a container, jar, or plastic bag. Press the top of the kimchi down with your hands to protect from exposure to too much air.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving or eat right away like a salad. Alternately, keep at room temperature a few days to ferment if desired.

time for snacking.

I'm a hardcore snacker. I'll admit it. Nibbling between meals is something that I'm guilty of doing every time I'm doing something for a long time. Man, oh man . . . especially if I'm caught up watching a series or a movie! Back when I was younger, I'd gobble up candy, ice cream, and other junk food that I could get my hands on. Ah, junk food.

Nowadays, I try to get my snacking under control. If I do snack, I try to opt for a veggie-fruit smoothie or a fruit and cheese plate. Sometimes a granola bar or a fruit and veggie pop. Sometimes just a couple glasses of juice. Oh, I also looooove me some hummus! I'll oftentimes swap between pita chips or carrot sticks whenever I make a batch. If I felt like treating myself, I'd warm up some pita bread and just snack away a piece or two browsing the internet.

The problem with hummus, tho, is that sometimes I get bored of making it. Don't get me wrong, I'd pick hummus over a french onion dip anytime . . . but sometimes I'm just not in the mood for it. I like variety on my palate and that's when I try making different stuff to satisfy my fickle tongue.

Enter this baba ganoush recipe. I had saved this on my pinterest board but never really got around to trying it. Probably because I don't buy eggplant all that often . . . turns out, the hubby has an aversion to it. Blarg. I grew up eating eggplant. From breakfast, to condiments and sides, and just about every filipino dish I've ever come across. I love eggplant. So, if ever I can, I try to occasionally sneak eggplant into our dinner rotation.

But back to this dip.

Since I had some eggplant lying around from a couple of days ago, I thought I'd finally try my hand at making this dip. I like that it's largely hands-off and relatively easy to do. I was missing some ingredients in the dip, but I found that I liked how it turned out. I was stoked! I deviated slightly from the recipe by seasoning the eggplant with salt and garlic during the roasting process. I think that made this ten times tastier.

So here's a few things I learned along the way: I like my baba ganoush slightly chunky so it got blitzed just before it turned into a puree. Also, I found that I prefer this as a warm dip as apposed to having it cold or at room temperature. All in all, I thought this turned out mighty tasty. Now, I have one more recipe under my belt! Huzzah!

---- o o o o ---- 

Baba Ganoush
(adapted from The Mediterranean Dish)

1 large eggplant, cut in half
2 garlic cloves, minced or 1 tsp bottled minced garlic
2 tbsp lime juice
1 1/2 tbsp tahini
1/2 tsp sumac, additional for garnish
salt and pepper
toasted pine nuts, for garnish
chopped flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

 
Preheat oven to 425F degrees.

On a foil-lined baking sheet, lightly coat with olive oil then sprinkle with some salt. Place eggplant flesh-side down then drizzle with olive oil. Cut a few slits into the skin. Open each slit and add garlic, evenly distributing between each opening. Transfer tray to the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven then let stand until cool enough to handle.

When cooled, scoop out the flesh and transfer to blender or food processor. Discard skins. Add lime juice, tahini, sumac, and a pinch of pepper. Blitz for a few seconds then adjust seasoning to taste. Blitz again until desired consistency is reached.

Serve warm or at room temperature, drizzled with olive and topped with pine nuts, parsley, and a generous sprinkle of sumac.

Makes roughly 1 cup.