Stuffed Mushrooms

This was another recipe that I made for our Christmas Eve feast. I added an extra ingredient on a whim--a neighbor gave us a chunk of horseradish cheddar cheese, which helped me realize how much I like horseradish. I shredded about 1/4 c. and tossed it in with the rest of the ingedients and it gave these mushrooms an awesome little kick. If you don't have horseradish cheese, you could probably add some prepared horseradish sauce. Or leave it out all together if you're not a fan. But I am a fan. Tasty.

12 large fresh mushrooms
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 clove garlic, minced
4 slices bacon, cooked & crumbled
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 Tbsp. chopped parsley

Heat oven to 350. Remove stems from mushrooms, and if necessary, use a small spoon to scoop out a hollow spot in the cap. Mix together remaining ingredients; spoon into mushroom caps. Place filled-side up on a cookie sheet or shallow baking dish. Bake 18-20 minutes or until heated thoroughly.

Tower of goodness

Okay, 2 posts in one day - found the recipe for one of my favorite appetizers at a local joint.  I've been know to eat it as my meal, because it is a good-sized portion...of YUM.

Crab, Mango and Avocado Tower
Yields 4 servings

For Chive Oil:
2 bunches fresh chives
1/2 cup vegetable oil

For Tower:
3/4 cup diced mango
3/4 cup diced avocado
10 ounces Dungeness crab meat
4 tablespoons pomegranate reduction or light syrup
4 tablespoons citrus-flavored vinaigrette
4 tablespoons chive oil (see recipe below)
1/2 cup micro greens or spicy sprouts tossed in a small amount
of the citrus vinaigrette, for garnish

Directions
1. To make the chive oil: Blend the chives and oil in a blender for 5 minutes. Place the finished oil into a squirt bottle and set aside. The oil may be made a day ahead of time.To create the “tower,” place a 2-inch ring mold on a serving plate.
2. Spoon 2 heaping tablespoons of diced mango into the mold.
3. Layer 2 heaping tablespoons of avocado on top of the mango into the mold.
4. Finish with 1 1/2 ounces of Dungeness crab meat to fill the mold.
5. Press down lightly to set the ingredients. Keeping your fingers or a spoon on top of the mold, apply pressure, and gently slide the ring mold up and off of the salad
6. Rinse and dry the mold before moving on to the remaining plates.
7. Garnish the top of each salad with the micro greens
8. Drizzle the pomegranate reduction, citrus vinaigrette, and chive oil on the plate and around the tower.

OK, so about an hour after posting this recipe I was thumbing through a cookbook from the library and came across a version of this recipe that sounds even better!  Coincidence?  Maybe.  Destiny?  Probably so.  This version has an avocado gazpacho salsa.  However, I would add mango.  Definitely.

Crabmeat Salad

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon champagne vinegar

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest or minced

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon table salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

12 ounces lump crabmeat

Gazpacho Salsa

1 yellow bell pepper , cored, seeded, and cut into 1/8-inch pieces (about 1/2 cup)

1/2 small cucumber , peeled if desired, seeded, and cut into 1/8-inch pieces (about 1/2 cup)

1 medium plum tomato , cored, seeded, and cut into 1/8-inch pieces (about 1/2 cup)

1 small rib celery , cut into 1/8-inch pieces (about 1/2 cup)

1/2 small red onion , minced (about 1/4 cup)

1/2 small jalapeño chile , stemmed, seeded, and minced

1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro leaves

3/4 teaspoon table salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

Avocado Salsa

3 avocados (ripe), cut into 1/4-inch dice

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon table salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons lime juice from 1 lime

Garnish

1 cup frisée (microgreens like above)

2 oranges, peeled using a paring knife and segmented

FOR THE CRABMEAT SALAD:

Whisk the olive oil, champagne vinegar, lemon zest, mustard, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl. Measure 3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette into a medium bowl and mix with the mayonnaise. Add the crabmeat to the mayonnaise mixture and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed. Set the remaining vinaigrette aside.

FOR THE GAZPACHO SALSA:

Toss the yellow bell pepper, cucumber, tomato, celery, red onion, jalapeño, cilantro, salt, pepper, olive oil, and sherry vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside.

FOR THE AVOCADO SALSA:

Toss the avocado, coriander, salt, pepper, and lime juice in a medium bowl and set aside.

TO ASSEMBLE:

Place a 3-inch-wide round biscuit cutter in the center of an individual plate. Use a slotted spoon to press 1/3 cup of the Avocado Salsa into the bottom of the cutter using the back of a soup spoon. Lift the cutter off the plate slightly to reveal some but not all of the avocado. Holding the cutter aloft, press 1/3 cup of the Crabmeat Salad evenly into the cutter on top of the avocado. Lift the cutter farther to reveal some but not all of the crab salad. Holding the cutter aloft, use a slotted spoon to press 1/3 cup of the Gazpacho Salsa evenly into the cutter on top of the crab. Gently lift the cutter up and away from the plate to reveal the crab tower. Repeat the procedure five more times with the remaining ingredients.

Dress the frisée with the remaining champagne vinaigrette. Place a few sprigs of the dressed frisée on top of each crab tower and arrange the orange segments, if using, around the towers. Serve immediately.

Coconut shrimp

Nobody in my house like shrimp as much as I do, so I rarely get to eat them.  This recipe came across my desk this morning and I think it just might be inspiring enough to make some for myself!


Coconut Shrimp With Mango Greek Yogurt Dip
2 Servings

Ingredients
1 lb. shrimp (16 - 20 count) peeled and deveined
1 cup shredded coconut
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic

1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt
1/2 cup pureed mango
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

In a bowl, combine yogurt, mango puree, honey and cilantro, mix well. Refrigerate until ready to serve. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, ginger and garlic. On a plate, combine flour and coconut. After cleaning the shrimp, dip in egg batter and dredge in coconut and flour to coat. Deep fry for approximately three minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oil and allow to dry on paper towels. Serve with Mango Yogurt Dip.

Tamales!

I'm finally getting around to making my first batch of tamales, and I'm a little nervous.  I'm kind of winging it as far as a recipe goes, but here's the basics:
I'm using a variation of the sweet shredded pork from Our Best Bites - it's in the crockpot as I type, and it smells pretty darn good!  Here's a shot of it 3.5 hours into the day and then the fall-off-the-bone-goodness:

As far as the masa dough goes, that's where I'm really winging it.  I really should have made an effort to go and find a Mexican deli or grocery to get some fresh masa (it's not the stuff you can buy in a bag), but I didn't.  I grabbed a bag of Maseca and did a 2:1 masa to water and stuck it in the refrigerator overnight.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this works!  Here's the next step when I'm ready to roll:

Fresh Basic Masa Preparada for Tamales

Yields approx. 2 1/2 dozen tamales

1 cup unsalted butter or lard (yes, I bought lard.  Yum.)

2.5 pounds fresh masa (this is where I'm using the masa dough)

1 to 1 1/2 cups stock (chicken, vegetable or pork)

1 T baking powder, if needed (if you purchase fresh masa, ask if it has baking powder added.  If so, omit from recipe.)

1 T kosher salt

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, place the butter or lard and whip on high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Reduce speed to medium and add the masa, alternating with 1 cup of stock.  Add the baking powder if needed, then add the salt.  Beat until well mixed.

Increase mixer speed to high and whip until masa resembles the consistency of spackle (or finish mud), about 3 to 5 minutes.  If necessary, add stock, a little at a time, until the correct consistency is attained.  The dough should be soft but workable.

Drop approximately 1/2 teaspoon masa into a cup of cold water.  If the masa floats, it is ready to shape into tamales.  If it sinks, continue whipping for another minute.  Repeat this "float test" until the sample masa floats.

Bacon-Wrapped Wings

This is one of the many delicious and fattening recipes that I made for the Sagers family Christmas Eve extravaganza this year. Low calorie it is not, but it was a real crowd-pleaser, especially with the menfolk. I'm not a fan of hot and spicy buffalo wings, so this flavorful marinated chicken was just right for me.

3 lbs. chicken wings (about 18 wings)
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/3 c. brown sugar
1 tbsp. minced fresh ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
18 slices bacon, halved crosswise

1. With heavy knife or kitchen shears, remove and discard wing tips. Separate wings at the joint to make 36 pieces.
2. Combine all remaining ingredients except bacon in large bowl or gallon-size ziplock bag. Add wings, stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 18 hours, turning occasionally.
3. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line large rimmed baking sheet with foil; lightly spray with cooking spray. Remove wings from marinade, discard marinade. Pat wings dry. Wrap half slice bacon around each wing; place seam-side down on baking sheet.
4. Bake 30-35 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and bacon is browned.

Best brownies ever.

To. Die. For.

Yield: 24 brownies

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Bake Time : 30 minutes

1¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder

11 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 teaspoon instant espresso powder

1½ cups granulated sugar

½ cup packed light brown sugar

5 eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

* Optional:  2 T. Kahlua liqueur (the alcohol cooks off, but the taste is amazing)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9×13-inch glass or light-colored baking pan. Line the pan with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and cocoa powder together.

3. Put the chocolate, butter and instant espresso powder in a large bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water and add the sugars. Whisk until completely combined, then remove the bowl from the pan. The mixture should be room temperature.

4. Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add the remaining eggs and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Do not overbeat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.

5. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Using a rubber spatula (not a whisk), fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it. Let the brownies cool completely, then lift them out of the pan using the parchment paper. Cut into squares and serve.

7. Store at room temperature in an airtight container or wrap with plastic wrap for up to 3 days.

NOTE:  I whipped up a batch of cream cheese frosting to add to the deliciousness.  Good with, good without.  I go for the WITH!

Bean stew - vegetarian too!

I'm the first to admit that my taste for beans started to develop over the last 5-7 years.  Anytime before that, forget it!  But as I mature in age, so do my taste buds mature.  Except for lima beans.  I will never like lima beans - sorry Mom.

Bean Stew

Yields 8-10 servings

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large yellow or white onion, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

1 can (28 ounces) diced fire-roasted tomatoes

3 cans (15.5 ounces each) chickpeas (or kidney beans, black beans, white beans), rinsed and drained (or 4-1/2 cups cooked beans)

4 cups fat-free, low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

3 cups fresh baby spinach leaves, chopped kale or Swiss chard

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in 4-quart saucepan. Add onion and sauté about 5 minutes, until softened but not browned. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Do not brown garlic.

Add spices and tomatoes and simmer about 5 minutes. Add 3 cups (2 cans) of beans and 2-1/2 cups of broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer.

Place remaining beans and broth in bowl of food processor or in blender. Add cilantro and puree until smooth. Add mixture to stew. Add spinach and heat just until wilted. Stir well and serve hot.