Foodies-6/5/2014

Aleathia says:

It is food time again folks.  On another jaunt to the library I found a great cookbook by J. M. Hirsch called High Flavor, Low Labor.

The idea behind this cookbook is that you don't have to sacrifice great flavors because you don't have enough time.  These meals are easy to prepare, but still pack a punch in the taste department.  Most of the recipes have 10 or fewer ingredients with very simple preparations.  I am going to be sharing a recipe for Lemon Grass and White Bean Chili:

As with any recipe, I make alterations of my own to make it more palatable for my family.  This recipe calls for several things which I am going to swap out.  We can't tolerate jalapenos in this house due to stomach issues so I'm substituting a can of prepared green chilies.  The recipe says to used ground turkey, but remarks that ground chicken or lean ground beef can be used as well.  I'm going with the beef.  It also calls for fresh spinach that gets wilted through the soup but I detest wet spinach so I am going with kale instead.  It holds up better and could be frozen if there are leftovers.

Lemon Grass and White Bean Chili

15 inch stalk lemon grass, cut into 4 segments and gently crushed

2 T olive oil

1 can prepared green chilies (or 1 T diced jarred jalapeno slices)

1 large yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp smoked paprika

14 oz can of coconut milk

1 cp chicken broth

1 1/4 pounds ground meat

15 oz can cannellini beans, drained

4 cps lightly packed chopped kale (or whole baby spinach)

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan or medium Dutch oven over medium-high heat, combine the lemon grass, olive oil, chilies, onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, and paprika.  Saute for 3 minutes.

Add coconut milk, broth, ground meat, and beans (note: I am leery about the safety of this step of adding raw meat to the broth so if you also worry, cook the meat with the onions and spices, then add the liquids). Bring to a simmer, then cover, reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes.  Discard the lemon grass.  Add the kale and stir for 1 minute or until it wilts.  Season with salt and pepper.

I plan on trying this recipe next week!  Enjoy.

Foodies-5/22/2014 The Book Lover's Cook Book

Aleathia says:

Every week we go to the library to scavenge music to upload.  Michael looks for new videos and I browse the enormous cook book section.  I'm always looking for some way to spice up our gluten free lives. Sometimes I only find a handful of recipes in any given book that I can make for us with the combination of our allergies and personal tastes so it is never beneficial for me to own these cook books.  The library is a wonderful thing!

So this week I came across this book:

The Book Lover's Cookbook by Wenger and Jensen

What could be better?  Literature laced cook book?  Recipes inspired by the great writers of the world?  I love this idea because we all have read novels where food plays an important role in the main characters life as it does our own.  As humans we gather to eat in our homes, we gather in parks to eat, we go out to eat. Nurturing each other is essential to our happiness so why should it be any different for characters in novels?

I can't guarantee that I will be making the recipes I post from this book, but chances are I will give them a try in the long run.  I'm just saying I can't attest to how good or bad it turns out at this time.  Let's wing it together!

Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

"They built a fire against the side of a great log twenty or thirty steps within the sombre depths of the forest, and then cooked some bacon in the frying-pan for supper, and used up half of the corn "pone" stock they had brought.  It seemed glorious sport to be feasting in that wild, free way in the virgin forest of an unexplored and uninhabited island, far from the haunts of men, and they said they never would return to civilization.  The climbing fire lit up their faces and threw its ruddy glare upon the pillared tree-trunks of their forest temple, and upon the varnished foliage and festooning vines.

When the last crisp slice of bacon was gone, and the last allowance of corn pone devoured, the boys stretched themselves out on the grass, filled with contentment.  They could have found a cooler place, but they would not deny themselves such a romantic feature as the roasting campfire."


Traditional Southern Crackling Corn Bread

1 lb country style bacon or pork rind, cut 1/3 inch thick
1.5 cups yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 T sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1.25 cps milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 T unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  In a 10 inch cast iron skillet, cook the bacon or port rind over moderate heat until crisp, about 7 minutes.  Drain on paper towels; chop when cool.  Reserve 2 T of drippings.

Wipe out the skillet and set it over low heat.  Add the drippings and swirl to coat the pan.  In a medium bowl, combine the cornmeal with the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  In another bowl, combine the milk and eggs and add to the cornmeal mixture along with the butter; stir just until the cornmeal is moistened. Fold in the bacon and pour the batter into the warm skillet.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Serve warm