My Life as a Chef

Texas Caviar

2011-01-17T07:17:00.000-08:00

This recipe is available online with multiple different variations. That's the beauty of this dish, as the recipe was handed on to me I modified it to my own liking!

Texas Caviar

G D V S

1 can black beans rinsed and drained

1 can black eyed peas rinsed and drained

1 4 oz can of sliced jalapenos

2 TBSP of pimentos

1/2 c. chopped red pepper (orange, yellow, or green would work too)

1 can of white shoepeg corn

1 clover of garlic minced

Mix all of the above ingredients together, I use a half gallon mason jar. Then on the stove top :

1 c. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 c. apple cider vinegar

1 TBSP of maple sugar (or if you don't have any on hand you could use some fresh 100% maple syrup)

bring to a simmer until sugar is dissolved . Pour over the bean mixture and let the caviar marinate in your fridge for at least 24 hours. The longer it sits, the more powerful the flavor! Drain the marinade before serving.

We scoop this up with tortilla chips. You could put this in a wrap, either tortilla or lettuce, as well. Also would be delicious over sliced baguette or similar bread. I bet it would even be tasty served over brown rice!

Cream of Asparagus Soup (AKA Seaweed Soup)

2010-08-30T19:14:00.000-07:00

So tonight's dinner started out as an innocent recipe. Sometimes... I take a recipe and it turns into more of an outline.... in which case, some ingredients turn into optional items... or their increments need serious adjustments. New ingredients come in to play. And the next thing I realize, I have a whole new recipe on my hands! At least the original was kind enough to supply the inspiration ;-)

Crockpot Cream of Asparagus Soup

1.5 lbs of Asparagus cut into approximate 1 - 2 pieces.

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 red potatoes, chopped

4.5 c chicken broth

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 T of gluten free soy sauce

dash of creole seasoning (approximately 1/8 tsp)

dash of italian seasoning (approximately 1/8 tsp)

1/2 c half & half (or if you're like me and frequently decide to skip the half and half when shopping, just use some milk)

Put all ingredients down to half and half in the crockpot and cook on low for 6-7 hours. Use an immersible blender until everything is blended thoroughly. If you don't blend long enough there will be strings from the asparagus stalks, like celery. Taking a spoonful to test will let you know if you've blended long enough. Then add the half & half (or milk) before serving.

This soup has great flavor with some kick to it! It wasn't overly spicy, so my kids all ate it with great enthusiasm. They dubbed it seaweed soup. I went with it.

Mock Spanish Rice

2010-08-21T18:53:00.001-07:00

Tonight I had the type of cooking night where I am so completely satisfied, beyond deliciousness type of good and so resourcefully done.

I hate wasting food and leftovers. I was facing a fridge full of hodge podge items. In short the kids received a multi course meal of soup, salad, and pasta. And the boyfriend and I enjoyed a delicious meal, including this little side dish I whipped up.

Unfortunately I did not write it down as I did it, so my measurements are extremely projected approximations. Good luck ;-) I hope myself that I can repeat it sometime in a larger quantity.

Mock Spanish Rice

G D S

1 - 2 T olive oil

1/2 red bell pepper chopped

1/4 c red onion minced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

a pinch of salt and pepper

sprinkled Oregano (Ok, I know that description isn't fair... let's say 1/2 teaspoon)

1 & 1/2 - 2 c. of cooked brown rice (this is an eyeball estimate of how much I had leftover from another meal)

1 - 2 T. tomato sauce (I had an open jar of sauce in the fridge, flavor : tomato basil = perfection)

about 1/2 c. chicken broth (unfortunately that's a big guess too. I added a little at a time from a homemade batch leftover from soup this week as well)

Saute vegetables in oil until soft. Add the rice and seasonings. Cook for a few minutes. Add the tomato sauce, mix well and add the broth. Simmer until desired consistency. I liked it to simmer all the way down so it was thick, almost like a glaze on the rice. SO GOOD!!!

Cut Out Cookies

2009-11-22T17:33:00.001-08:00

Whew! I did it! I took a regular recipe and converted it to a gluten free one. It's not anything-else-free, but it is gluten free. I can't take all the credit, really, since good ol' Pamela's products helped out. AND they were yummy!

Gluten Free Cut Out Cookies
G

1 c butter softened
1 c sugar
1 egg
2 TBSP Orange Juice
1 tspn vanilla
2 1/2 c Pamela's Pancake Mix (if you do not use the pancake mix, but some other flour be sure to add 1 tsp of baking powder!)

Mix the first 6 ingredients with an electric mixer until fluffy. Gradually stir in flour by hand until well mixed (no more than 1 c at a time). Chill 2 - 3 hours in refrigerator until firm enough to roll out with a rolling pin. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Roll out half of the dough at a time on a floured board until 1/8 - 1/4 inch thick. Cut with cookie cutters and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 6-10 minutes, until edges are light brown. Remove from sheet and cool.

Taco Soup

2009-06-09T18:07:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine sent this recipe for me to try, it was fantastic! I loved it, all of my kids loved it - definitely a winner.

Taco Soup
G

2 cans of beans (preferably one black and one pinto)
1 large can diced tomatos
1 small can stewed tomatos
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 packet of ranch seasoning
1 pound of ground beef

-Brown the ground beef, drain fat. Drain liquid off of beans, add to pot. Add tomatoes and seasoning packets.

-Let simmer while you open up cheese, tortilla chips, sour cream and whatever other taco fixings you like.

Pizza Chili

2009-03-28T15:25:00.000-07:00

Wow wow wow. I made a complete experimental meal tonight and was quite pleased with the results. Nothing fancy, but kid approved.. so that makes a happy house all together!

Pizza Chili
G V S D

1 medium onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic pressed or minced
1 can rinsed and drained black beans
1 can rinsed and drained black eyed peas
1 1/2 jars of pizza sauce (I would have tried 2 jars.. but had a half used jar, so this is what I worked with)
filled both jars with water and dumped it in (approximately 2 1/2 - 3 cups)
1 TBSP chili powder
pinch of cumin
salt to taste

Saute the onion and garlic in a small amount of olive oil. Add remaining ingredients and simmer while you cook brown rice (approximately 45 minutes or so depending on your rice).

Serve over rice. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese if you are not dairy free. Enjoy.

Some kind of casserole?

2009-02-24T11:10:00.000-08:00

There was this one time I created a recipe... that was awesome.. and I told someone about it. And I promised to write the recipe down and send it. I made it a few times in total... and thought I wouldn't forget it.

AAaaaaannnd.... now I can't remember.

So... Rissa, this is my attempt at trying to remember exactly how I made the meal I made. I wish I had written down. Because now that I remember making it, I remember how awesome it was when we ate it. I hope this is it!

Some Kind of Casserole
G, S

Saute some chopped onions and pressed garlic together. Add about a pound of ground beef and cook till browned. Stir in 1 drained can of sweet corn or 1 drained can of french style green beans. Add a can of diced tomatoes with chilies. About 1/2 c. - 1 c of ketchup. Shake in a bunch of Worcestershire sauce, like a tablespoon or two. If it's too saucy, let it simmer. When finished, top mashed potatoes and shredded cheddar cheese.

Crockpot Split Pea Soup Zinger

2009-02-23T09:12:00.002-08:00

I love soup. Some of my favorite meals are soups. The best part about soups are that they're often easy crockpot meals. A small investment of time earlier in the day reaps big evening rewards, in my opinion. This split pea soup is uh-may-zing.

Crockpot Split Pea Soup Zinger
G, D

Dump the following ingredients in your crockpot and go. 3-4 hours high, double for low.

1 ham hock (I always get a small ham with the bone-in, eat the ham for one meal then use the bone for the soup flavor) or 5 pieces of bacon
2 1/2 cups of chicken stock
1 medium onion chopped
1 potato chopped
2 large carrots chopped (or if you're like me, throw in handfuls of baby carrots till you're satisfied there are enough)
1 c. split peas rinsed
1 cloved of garlic through your garlic press
1 TBSP soy sauce
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
salt and pepper to taste

My Marvelous Granola

2009-02-17T17:57:00.000-08:00

It seems appropriate for my granola recipe to be the first to share. I love my granola. I'm a bit of a snob about it actually. I've tweaked recipes until I got what I wanted and it's so delicious I brag. It's true. Ask my friends. They only put up with my bragging since I share the granola.

The one thing about it is that it's crumbly. I've read numerous suggetions on how to get your granola chunkier.. but, I haven't experimented yet. Why? Because I love to stir it into yogurt or pour milk over it like cereal.... and in both cases I don't want big chunks to eat it like that. So crumbly granola it is. Either way, it's marvelous.

Kate's Marvelous Granola
D, V, S

4 c. rolled oats
1 c. slivered almonds
1 c. chopped walnuts
1 c. shredded coconut, unsweetened
1/2 c. wheat germ
sprinkle in ground flax seed if you have some fresh

Mix above ingredients in a large bowl.

Over medium heat melt together 1/2 c. natural peanut butter, 1/2 c. extra virgin coconut oil, 1/2 c. honey while stirring constantly. Once blended remove from heat. Stir in 1 TBSP of vanilla and 1 tsp. ground cinnamon. Pour liquid mixture over dry mixture in bowl, stir until well coated. Spread into a large bar pan and bake at 170 degrees for 3 hours, stiring once per hour.

Once the granola has cooled mix in raisins or dehydrated cherries.

***Granola Snob's notes : To make this recipe Gluten Free omit the wheat germ, add 1/2 c. of other dried ingredients either more oats, almonds, walnuts, coconut, ground flax, or a little bit of each. Please don't buy ground flax. You only get the nutritional benefits if you grind the seed fresh right before using. A cheap coffee grinder works well to grind flax seed. Please don't sunflower seeds or sesame seeds to this granola - they ruin it. Believe me, it's an experience.

Because Two are Better than One

2009-02-17T13:19:00.000-08:00

Welcome!

However you came here, whether it was from my other blog, google, recommendation of a friend, I'm glad you've stopped by. This is my secondary blog. I've started another blog because I feel two blogs are better than one.

Actually, it's because I'm frequently asked for many of the recipes I use and/or create. The primary purpose of this blog is to share and review recipes. I plan to share our family favorites. I will also review recipes you send me, giving you a chance to have both your own recipe and blog highlighted here. So send 'em on over, I'll whip them up in my kitchen and give them a try!

I spend so much time in my kitchen it's about time that I put together a cookbook. So this blog is my online cookbook persay.

I will be labeling recipes typically (entree, side dish, dessert, etc) but also with allergen information. My kids need to be gluten free. Please feel free to send in suggestions for allergen labels.

Here is your key : G (gluten free), D (dairy free), V (Vegan), S (soy free)