Chili Rellenos with a Twist

Vegetarian. This is not a term used frequently in our household. Both Mark and I enjoy having meat in our meals and rarely are willing to give it up. That being said, one of Mark's favorite meals is actually vegetarian. This is a spin off of a Rachel Ray recipe for a healthy chili rellenos. My favorite part is all the cheese!!! I served it with Mexican Rice and Tortillas.

Healthy Chili Rellenos

Ingredients

4 large poblano peppers

6 ears corn on the cob or 3 cups frozen corn kernels

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

1 red onion, chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 (15-ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatos, drained well

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin, 1/2 palm full

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, eyeball it in your palm

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

Directions

Preheat broiler to high.

Place poblanos under broiler or on hot grill and char evenly all over, 15 minutes.

While peppers are working, scrape the corn off the cobs or defrost frozen corn and dry by spreading out on clean kitchen towel. Heat 2 tablespoons light oil in a skillet over high heat. When the oil smokes or ripples add corn, onion, jalapenos and toss until the vegetables char at edges and onions are tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-high and add in garlic, fire roasted tomatoes and season with cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook another minute or 2 then turn pan off.

Once the peppers have cooled a bit, chop them into inch size pieces and toss with the corn mixture and pour into a 9 by 13 baking dish. Cover with the Monterey Jack Cheese and broil until top is bubbly and cheese slightly browns.

Enjoy with Mexican Rice and warm tortillas :-)

Poblano Chicken Corn Chowder

Mmmm, soup :-) That phrase makes me think of Joey of Friends when he is trying out with Ben, Ross's son, for a tomato soup ad. Oh how I miss the days of sitting around my college apartment, watching Friends with my wonderful roommates....

Anyways, back to cooking. This soup/chowder is perfect for a chilly day when all you want is some hearty soup. Or, a gross Houston day when you are trying your best to convince the weather that it is time to become cold. Oh Winter, where are you??

Poblano Chicken Corn Chowder

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 large carrots, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 2 large onions, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 5 stalks celery, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/8 cup minced garlic
• 2 to 3 small poblano peppers, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 can corn
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin, or more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, or more to taste
• 1 tablespoon chicken base
• 3 quarts chicken broth
• 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro leaves, minced
• 5 cups diced (large pieces) grilled chicken
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, or more to taste
• 1 cup heavy cream

Directions

Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the carrots, onions, celery, garlic, poblano peppers, salt, white pepper, cumin, and thyme. Saute for 7 to 8 minutes, or until the vegetables begin to soften. Stir in the chicken bouillon. Add the chicken broth and cilantro, and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the carrots are tender. Stir in the chicken and corn, stirring frequently, until the chowder is thick and the chicken is heated through. Shortly before the chowder is done, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the flour and stir to combine. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes to cook the flour. Do not allow the mixture to brown! Ladle 1 cup of the hot liquid from the stockpot into the skillet, whisking constantly.

When the first cup of liquid is incorporated, add another 2 cups of liquid, 1 at a time. Pour the mixture in the skillet into the stockpot, whisking to blend. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 5 minutes longer, or until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the hot sauce, then the cream, and serve.

Picture to come at a later time :-)

Pretzel Bites

Mark is obsessed with pretzels. Whether they are the really hard kind in a 1 lb bag from the grocery store or the soft, buttery awesomeness found only at Auntie Anne's, he loves them all. This being said, I tried to make some pretzel rolls about a year ago and they were ehh. Nothing that was so good that I have made the since then. This being said, we were invited to a small Halloween gathering and I thought it was a great opportunity to try making pretzels again. I thought it would be cute to make little bite size ones, so that is what I did.
They came out REALLY good. I bought some queso to dip them in and it was just ridiculously tasty. I currently can't find the recipe but I will update when I can!

Homemade Tomato Sauce

It is amazing how easy it is to go to the grocery store and buy tomato sauce in a jar. There it is, all ready to come home with you and be poured on pasta. I'm not going to lie, sometimes I miss how simple that was. The problem...once you have had homemade sauce, the stuff in the jar will just not do. The absence of preservatives and unnecessary fat are just too good to not put the effort in. But, just because it is homemade doesn't mean it has to be difficult. And yes, there are still canned products involved but I think it is so much better than the Prego I was fed as a child. So here goes, my homemade tomato sauce recipe.

Tomato Sauce
Ingredients:
1 28oz can Petite Diced Tomatos
3 6oz cans Tomato Paste
22oz water
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 package of sliced mushrooms
parsley
oregano
basil
red pepper flakes
salt
pepper

Directions:
In a large pot saute the onion and garlic until extremely fragrant. Add mushrooms and saute for about 3 mintues. Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste and water. Stir until a smooth consistency. Add all remaining spices. I forgot to measure so try your best! Let this simmer for about an hour. Enjoy!

Note: All tomato products used were Hunt's brand. Also, this freezes really well! Here are mine about to go into the freezer!

My Attempt at a Healthy Week

Healthy...That word is so objective these days. To some it means low carb, or low fat, or no sugar or full of veggies. Well, for Mark and I it means not over loaded with cheese or bacon and usually includes one vegetable. You see, although I love cooking and I love food, both of those phrases have their limitations. I love cooking, but, only things that I love to eat. I love food, but only things that fit into a very limited number of categories. I am an extremely picky eater. So, since the holidays are not too far off, I figured it was time to try out some healthy recipes so that when December rolls around, bigger pants won't be on Santa's wish list. I tried this recipe, with some modifications, from Cooking Light, and I must say, it was actually pretty good. Looking at the picture it looks quite monochromatic but it was very appealing in person. I added the garlic bread because this whole healthy idea is a gradual thing...no need to cut out everything I love. Oh, and have I mentioned I love garlic? Like almost to an unhealthy degree? There have been mornings I wake up with garlic breath because I ate so much the night before, but that is another blog for another day. So, here it is, the Parmesan Chicken and Rice recipe that was my attempt at being healthy...


Parmesan Chicken and Rice
Ingredients:
1 T Olive Oil
1/2 C Chopped Onion
1 t Minced Garlic
1/2 t Thyme
8 oz Sliced Mushrooms
2 Chicken Breasts, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 C Dry White Wine
1/2 t Salt
1/4 t Pepper
1 C uncooked Basmati Rice
1 3/4 cup Chicken Broth
1/2 C Grated Parmesan
1/4 C chopped fresh Parsley

Directions:
Pour rice and chicken broth into a pot. Bring to a boil then cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes.
While the rice is cooking, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, thyme, and mushrooms; saute for 5 minutes or until the onion is tender. Add chicken and saute until chicken is browned. Add wine, salt and pepper; cook until the liquid almost all evaporates. Stir in the cooked rice and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the rice has soaked up the rest of the liquid. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan and parsley. ENJOY!

My Trip to Denver...

So, for those of you who don't know, my husband is in Medical School at UT Houston. This is amazing; I am so happy that he is following his dream to become a doctor. The only draw back is that he is very busy, so busy that last year I found myself to be very lonely. I completely understand the commitment we have made to him going to school but as a very co-dependent person it has been a hard adjustment. Well, this year I decided I am tired of sitting at home and feeling sorry for myself. I am perfectly capable of putting myself out there and meeting new people and reconnecting with old friends. This is actually going fabulously!! I have made some amazing new friends and I have truly enjoyed reconnecting with old friends.
One of those friends is a sweet girl named Annika. Annika and I went to elementary, junior high and high school together. She was my doubles partner for four years in college and when you spend that much time with someone, you are destined to become friends. After high school we didn't chat as much but recently we have rekindled our friendship and as a way to continue putting myself out there and not being lonely, I took at trip to see her in Denver. I was a little nervous because I don't travel much without Mark but it turned out to be an awesome weekend!
My most favorite thing we did was Saturday morning we drove up to Boulder and went to a farmer's market. The weather was amazing and we got the yummiest food for lunch! I had Chicken and Basil Dumplings with a Spicy Peanut Sauce and Fresh Squeezed Lemonade. Oh dear they were good!!Yes, even when I travel my number one favorite thing to do is eat. I am pretty sure Mark and I plan our vacations based on where all we can eat! But ya, the weekend was amazing and I had so much fun with Annika; I just love friendships that can be picked up at any time! Also, this was good because Denver is one of the places I would consider moving for Mark's residency and after this trip, yes, I could move there :-)

English Muffins Breakfast Pizzas

Lately I have felt that Mark and I are eating the same things over and over again. Yes, they are yummy things, but I have been feeling we need to broaden our horizons when it comes to dinner. One of our favorite meals is breakfast for dinner, but sometimes I feel that there are only so many ways you can combine bacon and eggs. I mean, not that that is bad but I was pleasantly surprised to find the following recipe because it was scrumptious and incorporated a few veggies into our dinner which it is usually lacking. So, here they are, English Muffin Breakfast Pizzas :-)


English Muffin Breakfast Pizzas
Ingredients:
6 English Muffins
4 eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 t salt
10 dashes Cholula
10-12 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled
3/4-1 C Shredded Mexican Cheese
1 Green Pepper, chopped
1 Yellow Onion, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray liberally with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
In a pie plate, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and Cholula. Gently pull apart each English muffin and soak the inside side in the egg mixture--you want the egg mixture to soak into the bread, but you don't want the English muffin to be completely falling apart. Place the muffin, cut side up, on the baking sheet.

Sprinkle the crumbled bacon on the top of the muffins. Add the green pepper and onions and then sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake for 15 minutes and serve immediately.