Moving, Shaking, Brisket Making...

This poor blog! It is finally getting some attention (thank you, London Still blog for the shout out!) and in the meantime I find myself utterly consumed with shoots (of the photographic variety...) I drove all over the State of Ohio in the last three weeks. Truly. If there is a city then I was there shooting in it. Check out some of my latest work HERE

My home decor adventures are also steadily rolling along. Soon I will share with you the pillows I made to match the re-upholstered chair (I know, I know...you must be chomping at the bit for that one...)

It's supposed to be Spring here in Midwestia (AKA, Wooster, OH,) and while we enjoyed warmth and sunshine for a few days it's now back to a blustery Winter chill... I'm not happy about it. But it certainly gives me an opportunity to make a bit heartier fare than the warm temperatures require. I'll try to think of it as a last hurrah for braises and stews until Autumn...

Try as I might, I cannot give up beef. I know I need to limit my intake but I still just love the stuff. Good, organic, grass-fed beef is one of my favorite foods and I eat it, on average, once a week in various ways. Sorry, vegetarian and vegan friends :( But read on, there is an excellent cabbage slaw recipe that is worth 2x its weight in gold!

One of my favorite ways to enjoy beef is as a slow-cooked, pulled concoction (I blame my Jewish upbringing- every holiday included some kind of braised brisket.) The recipe I am sharing here is a Latin preparation. It's sort of a ropa vieja, pabellon criollo, pulled-beef variation and it's an instant favorite in our house. Professor hubs actually said he wished he could eat the following meal every day! No matter how delicious, I couldn't settle down with just one meal for the rest of my days...but this one will certainly be put in the regular rotation.

I recommend serving the brisket with cilantro lime rice, avocado salad, and the cabbage slaw recipe below. Or combine them all in small tortillas as tacos.

Desperate Housediva's Pulled Beef Brisket

based on a recipe found on SmittenKitchen

Serves 4, says the recipe; but we served 6, with leftovers for two more lunches the

next day...and if you served it as taco filling you'd probably be able to serve even

more.

3 pounds beef brisket (trimmed of excess fat)

sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

1 Spanish onion, halved and thinly sliced

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 cups water

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with their juices

1 to 2 whole canned chipotle chiles en adobo [Read: 1 or 2 from a can, not one or

two cans, m'kay? Many misread this amount!] (I used two peppers; two will give it a real kick!!!)

2 bay leaves

1/4 cup molasses

If using an oven (and not a slow cooker,) preheat oven to 300.

Season the beef generously with salt and pepper, to taste. Heat a large, heavy

skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and heat just until beginning to smoke.

Add the meat and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides, about 10

minutes total. (If using a slow cooker, this would be the time to transfer the meat

to the slow cooker; otherwise put it in a dutch oven.) leave the skillet on the heat.

Add garlic, onion, chili powder, coriander, and cumin to drippings in the skillet and

stir until fragrant, about one minute. Add vinegar and boil until it’s almost gone,

scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir in water and pour the

mixture over the brisket. Add tomatoes with their juices, chipotles, bay leaves, and

molasses.

If using the oven, cover the dutch oven and cook for 3-4 hours at 300 until brisket

pulls apart easily with a fork.

If using a slow cooker: Cover the cooker, set it on LOW, and cook the brisket until

it pulls apart easily with a fork, about 8 to 10 hours.

To serve, you’ve got a few options: Leave the meat in the slow cooker and use two

forks to pull it apart and stir it evenly into the sauce; season with salt and pepper,

to taste. Remove and discard bay leaves. This is obviously the simplest route.

You could also strain the sauce, but then you lose some of the nice rustic veggie bits...

Green Onion Slaw

1 cup green onions

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 whole jalapeno (for a teensy kick)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup pure olive oil
1 head purple cabbage, finely shredded
2 shallots
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves

Blend green onions, shallots, vinegar, chiles, mayonnaise, salt, pepper and oil in a blender until emulsified. Place cabbage in a bowl, and right before serving add the dressing and stir until combined. Fold in the cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Resolutions and a completely awesome recipe for Enchiladas

Happy New Year!!!!

As far as resolutions for 2011 go, does anyone have any good ones to share? I'm considering some of the following:

1. Be better about accessorizing. No, seriously. I never wear jewelry (except for my wedding ring) and I am always impressed by people who can accessorize well. It really takes things up a notch or two and I would love to learn the art of styling/accessorizing with panache.

2. Be better about keeping touch with my friends all around the world-even the ones close to home. I really tend to get lost in my own little nest of domesticity and I miss out on hearing about my friends' adventures (large and small.)

3. Write more. In general. More letters, more blogging, more emails, more stories, more journal entries, etc.

I'm sure starting tomorrow most of us (myself included) will be trying to cook nothing but steamed chicken, brown rice, and vegetables and will be working out for at least an hour seven days a week (as is usually the case around New Year's.) And yet, for some reason I thought that this recipe for New Mexican Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas (given to me by my fabulous friend and native New Mexican, Angelica) was a perfectly festive, fun, easy, DELICIOUS way to ring in the new year. I just love this stuff. And if you have leftover chicken from a roast, etc. it comes together so quickly- in single digit minutes. Then you can stick it in the oven and have time to go work out or something :)

Angelica's New Mexican Chicken Enchilada Casserole

10 ounces cream of mushroom soup (Note: This is the first time in my life I have

ever done one of those "soup" recipes-I never thought I would, nor did I think

I would LOVE it.  But it's good to be less snobby about food, right?  And you

could always buy the organic, reduced guilt kind, right?)

1/4 cup chopped green chile** (canned is ok, but not as awesome)

 1/3 cup milk  (I use skim)           

 1/2 cup chopped onion 

1 1/2 cups cooked shredded chicken     

 cooking spray 

1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)                

12 corn tortillas 

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt/garlic flakes 

3 cups grated cheddar cheese (I use the reduced fat pre-shredded stuff but I say go for the 

real stuff and no guilt!)

Preheat oven to 350. 
1. Heat cooking oil/spray in a heavy pan at medium-high heat. 
2. Lightly warm each tortilla in the sprayed pan to soften. 
3. Heat the soup and milk over medium heat on the stove top and then 
add the cooked shredded or diced chicken, garlic flakes, and green chile to taste.

4. Alternate ingredients in a lightly greased, 2-quart casserole dish,

   beginning with the tortillas, then cheese, then a sprinkle of onions 

and then a layer of the soup mix and repeat. The top layer should have            

 the last layer of tortillas with some cheese sprinkled on top.

5. Cover casserole dish with foil and bake in a 350°F oven for 25-30    minutes.

Salad Days: Part III Mexican Salad (AKA: The most delicious salad ever)

How I do love these long Summer days!

And how I do love the beautiful produce which is displayed in Midwestia's amazing famer's market... Not to mention the gorgeous herbs reaching towards the sun in my little backyard garden. Lovely. Each and every one.

In this, the final installation of the Salad Days posts, I present you with the recipe for my salad piece de résistance; the Desperate Housediva Mexican Salad.

In a word: Yum!

This is the ultimate salad for people who don't find salads satisfying. It's quickly become Professor Hubs' (and Professor Hubs' whole family's) favorite Summer Salad.

It's customizeable, easily made completely vegan, and is naturally gluten free.

DESPERATE HOUSEDIVA'S MEXICAN SALAD

adapted from a recipe from my friend Claire and a recipe from SELF magazine...

(serves 4, generously)

2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped

1 can black beans, drained (preferable organic)

1 can sweet corn kernals (preferable organic and low salt) OR the kernels cut off of 2 leftover corn-0n-the-cobs.

12 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 jicama, peeled and chopped (or if you can't find it; 1 firm apple, peeled and chopped)

5 radishes, thinly sliced

1/4 cup of thinly sliced red onion or a handful of chives

handful of shredded cabbage

1 bell pepper (red or yellow) chopped

1 avocado, chopped

Handful of fresh cilantro, chopped

Handful or crumbled feta cheese (or not, for vegan cooks...)

Grilled protein of choice, cubed (Grilled chicken breast, grilled shrimp, grilled tofu, etc.)

Combine all ingredients and toss with dressing.

DRESSING

Juice of 4 limes + honey to taste (or 1/4 cup rose's sweetened lime juice)

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 garlic clove, minced

1/3 cup olive oil or more, to taste.

Wisk to combine and use at least half to dress salad. Add more to taste and save the rest for another purpose (another salad, a marinade, etc.)

Enjoy!!!

Vegetarian Tofu Tacos

I am constantly looking for delicious, fresh and nourishing vegetarian meals to supplement the meat we eat on other days. Living with a serious carnivore like Prof. Hubs (the man would eat three meals of meat a day) makes the search even more of a challenge because serious meat eaters are very picky about their vegetarian protein sources. These tofu tacos are a favorite meal at our house (that's true for me AND Prof. carnivore/hubs...) We eat them at least once a week. This is a wonderful meal for a family because everyone can customize the tacos completely and it's fun for a group because it's eaten with the hands and is a bit messy. AND it's fresh, nourishing, vegetarian, and delicious.

Feel free to customize as you like; I'm sure the spice rub would be great on ground beef/turkey/chicken instead of tofu but that defeats the point for me.

TOFU TACOS

1 package small corn tortillas

1 package WATER-PACKED extra firm tofu (the cardboard-packed kind is too slippery and just isn't crumbly enough)

2 to 3 TBSP spice rub (recipe below)

salt

1 onion, sliced into rounds

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can corn, drained and rinsed

GARNISHES

reduced fat shredded mexican cheese

1 avocado or fresh guacamole (mix avocado with half a lime and some salt to make fresh guac)

chopped cilantro

sour cream

fresh salsa

SPICE MIX (This recipe makes extra-I keep it in a plastic bag so I always have some around)

combine:

3 TBSP ground paprika

1 TBSP ground cumin

2 TBSP oregano

1 tsp (I probably add more like 1 TBSP because I like some heat) ground cayenne

1 tsp garlic powder or dried garlic

Instructions:

If you have the time freeze the package of tofu for an hour. The process of freezing and then defrosting increases the crumbling/meaty texture. If not, skip this step.

In a large sauté pan heat a bit of olive oil over high and add onion. Cook until translucent then add beans and corn, lower heat to medium-high.

In a different pan, heat olive oil over medium high to high. Crumble in tofu, add spice mixture and salt to taste. I find it needs a bit of salt... Stir to combine. I like to stir and then rest the tofu over heat for a bit so that the tofu develops a crust. I find it's more meaty. The stir/rest thing lasts for about five minutes. Meanwhile:

Prepare garnishes in an assembly line (I like to have Cheese, guac, sour cream, salsa, cilantro)

Heat tortillas (I do it on the stove in a small pan over medium heat or in the microwave...follow package directions.)

Assemble tortillas and enjoy (with lots of napkins!)

Extreme close-up of delicious taco filling goodness....

1950's housewife recipe-Enchilada Casserole

There are a few recipes I have come across that make me think of a 1950's housewife. These are casseroles or the kind of dish that involve a can or two of cream of mushroom soup, etc. Don't worry-this recipe is not really that kind of recipe... but somehow when I make it I still sort of feel like I should be wearing a ruffled apron and heels. It must be the 'casserole' part of the title.

I have made this recipe many, many times. It's always a hit and very easy to customize (i.e. it can easily be made vegetarian by substituting the turkey with tofu, crumbled and mixed with a bit of salt, cumin, garlic, oregano, cayenne, and paprika powders.) It's also Gluten Free which is wonderful for those who are wheat/gluten sensitive/intolerant (like some of my favorite people-you know who you are!)

TURKEY ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

adapted from a Cooking Light recipe

• 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey breast
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped red pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano leaves or 1 tablespoon dried
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salad oil
• 1 can diced green chiles
• 30 oz. (pref. organic) red enchilada sauce
• Salt
• 12 corn tortillas (6 in. wide)
• 1 bag (8oz) reduced fat Mexican blend shredded cheese (NOT taco blend...)
• Chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 425. In a large sautée pan over high heat, stir turkey, onion, peppers, garlic, oregano, and cumin in oil until turkey is crumbly and no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Stir in chiles and 1 cup enchilada sauce. Add salt to taste.

Cut tortillas in half. Arrange a fourth of the halves evenly over the bottom of a shallow 3-quart casserole, overlapping to fit. Sprinkle a fourth of the cheese evenly over the tortillas, then top with a third of the turkey mixture and a fourth of the remaining enchilada sauce, spreading each level. Repeat to make two more layers of tortillas, cheese, turkey mixture, and sauce; top with another layer of tortillas and sauce, then cheese. (Reread this a few times, it seems a bit confusing at first...)

Bake in a 425° regular or convection oven until cheese is melted and casserole is hot in the center, 18 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro.