Beef Stoganoff

My last post about the steak was fun. I've really missed posting food. It stinks that the weather keeps so many people away from town, but it does give me time to catch up here. So hello!

This is actually a leftovers recipe. That steak was fun, but I made a couple too many. So, I had to do something fun with the leftovers. And this sure was fun!

It's not a traditional stroganoff, but with the sour cream sauce, it's the closest thing. I enjoyed it anyway.

Beef Stroganoff

1 cup precooked beef strips
1 lb pappardelle pasta
2 cups mixed mushrooms, shitake, portobello, button
1/3 cup beef or vegetable broth
black pepper
1 tsp cumin
8 oz sour cream
1/4 cup cream or milk
2 tbsp Garlic Olive Oil
Himalayan Pink Salt
1 tsp Espresso Balsamic

Toss the mushrooms with the olive oil and sprinkle with the salt and cumin. Saute in a very large pan over medium low heat until they are reduced by at least half. Increase the heat to medium high and add the beef strips, Balsamic, black pepper to taste and the broth.

Cook the pasta to al dente, rinse and drain. Slowly pour into the pan with the beef and mushrooms.

Stir in the sour cream adding the cream if it is too thick.

Chocolate Espresso Steak

This February, I'd love to say I'll only do things related to Chocolate and Desserts, but why limit myself? You know I'd never be able to stick to it anyway.

I did however decide to play with our lovely New Chocolate Olive Oil this week. Some mediocre cuts of steak plus a bit of oil, a little balsamic and it's just a mouthful of YAY!

Chocolate Espresso Steak
(recipe is per 1 steak)

1 Steak
1 Tbsp Chocolate Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Espresso Balsamic
Himalayan Pink Salt, or Espresso Sea Salt
black pepper

This recipe works best with a nicely fatted cut of steak. I love a rib eye or a strip streak, but the center cut sirloin is usually the cheapest thing at my grocery store. Rub the steak with the olive oil and a pinch of the salt.

Turn on your broiler and lay the steak out a little bit away from the heat. Almost the middle of the oven. 5 minutes on each side should get you a steak that's about medium done. Adjust up or down for your preference.

Top with the Espresso Balsamic and a twist of fresh black pepper.

Cheesy Pasta with Mushrooms

I needed a quick meal the other night. This was great and provided enough leftovers for the whole week!

Cheesy Pasta with Mushrooms

1/2 lb curly pasta
2 pints mushrooms, sliced
1 bag, 16oz shredded cheddar
1/4 cup milk
2-4 tbsp sour cream
4 diced plum tomatoes, or 2 medium regular tomatoes
4 tbsp Garlic Olive Oil
good pinch Himalayan Pink Salt

Pour the olive oil and the mushrooms into a saute pan and heat over medium heat. Sprinkle with a bit of the salt. Cook slowly about 10 minutes, stirring often. The mushrooms should be reduced by at least half. Set aside.

Cook the pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain and put back in the pan over low heat. Stir in the mushrooms and the milk. Slowly add in the shredded cheese. Add in two tablespoons of the sour cream and stir. If you like the consistency, leave it be, if you want it thinner, add in the extra 2 tbsps of sour cream.

Asparagus and Tomato with Mushroom Sauce

I promise, I am working on the Thanksgiving recipes! Promise!

It is a light Thanksgiving for my kitchen this year. My sister in law just redid her whole dining room and kitchen, so we are going to take advantage of that this year and go to her place. But my husband has a few days off while I work, so I'm prepping some things so he doesn't feel left out of the left-over-palooza that is coming.

You could serve this with rice or pasta. Or you can just eat it. Just eat it. It's good for you. All veggies. You could even make a double batch and use it as a side for Thanksgiving. Ha! I might just do that. I need something to bring to work with me.

Asparagus and Tomato with Mushroom Sauce

1 lb asparagus

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1/4 cup Cream of Porcini 

Himalayan Pink Salt

2 Tbsp Garlic Olive Oil

Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan to medium. Trim the asparagus of it's woody ends and slice on the diagonal into bite-sized pieces. Halve the cherry tomatoes.

Add the asparagus to the pan and saute, stirring often for 3-5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and a sprinkle of the salt. Cook for about 2-3 minutes more. The tomato juices should be running around the pan and everything should start smelling amazing.

Now it is time for the Cream of Porcini. Add it in a tablespoon at a time stirring until you have it all incorporated. 

Pumpkin Alfredo

I know that this isn't breakfast, but it is related to my recent pumpkin waffles. I had a half can of pumpkin left over and I needed to use it up. So, what to do with a half can of pumpkin? I thought about making pumpkin-cider donuts, but I am saving that for my husband's birthday. And if I make it now, I have to come up with something else for him. So I looked around the fridge and noticed some sour cream. So there we have it, Alfredo!

Pumpkin Alfredo

1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp pumpkin pie spices
1 pint mushrooms
1/4 cup White Wine Jelly
2 tbsp Salonika Olive Oil
1 pkg pasta, any kind
Himalayan Pink Salt
Black Pepper

Heat the olive oil to medium in a high sided saute pan. Add the mushrooms and a pinch of the salt. Stir to coat with the olive oil and cover. Let them cook for about 6-7 minutes.

While the mushrooms are reducing themselves, cook your pasta in lightly salted water. When it is done, rinse in cold water and set aside in a large bowl.

After the mushrooms have reduced well, add the wine jelly and the spices and the pepper. Stir around and then stir in the sour and heavy creams.

Let that simmer for 1-3 minutes. Now stir in the pumpkin, making sure that everything is well combined.

If you have a large enough pan, pour the pasta into it and toss. If you don't, let it cook for another minute to fully heat the pumpkin too and then pour the sauce over the pasta.

*If you don't have wine jelly, substitute with regular wine and add 2-4 minutes to the cooking time to simmer off the alcohol.

Fireworks Chicken Salad

I grilled chicken with the Citrus Habanero Olive Oil a couple days ago. They were spicy and delicious, but  there were some leftover chicken breasts. I thought they would be eaten by now, but they are still around, so I made chicken salad!

I love each of these ingredients individually, but together they are just scrumptious! I'm taking this to a party tomorrow if I don't finish it all!

Fireworks Chicken Salad

2-3 grilled chicken breasts
1 can black beans
1/4 cup Piquillo Pepper Tapenade
1/2 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed
1 yellow or orange pepper, diced
1 tsp Greek Sea Salt or Himalayan Pink Mineral Salt
Extra Citrus Habanero Olive Oil for drizzling

Chop or shred your chicken. Place in a large bowl. Rinse and drain the black beans and add them. Stir in the edamame and the bell pepper. If it needs a little extra spice, drizzle with a little bit more of the Citrus Habanero Olive Oil. Stir in the Piquillo Pepper Tapenade and sprinkle with the salt.

Serve!

Welcome Home!

My parents are coming home from Italy! Now I can go back to posting recipes instead of pictures. Whoohoo!

I was tidying up at their place, getting the mail in order when I noticed that they had no food. They have been gone for a long time, so there are a couple things in the fridge, like garlic. And some bottled water. Of course, they aren't going to want to cook when they come home, so I thought I'd get them a little something.

When I get some one a little something, I mean food. So I got them groceries. Some milk and some eggs...and I made them some chicken so they don't have to cook on their first night back.

Welcome Home Chicken

2 large chicken breasts, thinly sliced
1 orange pepper, sliced thinly
1/2 a large onion, chopped
1 pkg mushrooms
3-6 tbsp Garlic Olive Oil
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 tbsp fresh oregano
Himalayan Pink Sea Salt, to taste
2-4 tbsp Red Pepper Bruschetta

Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large saute pan to medium heat. Add the chopped onions and let cook, stirring occasionally until they are almost fully caramelized, 20 minutes or so. Add the mushrooms a little salt and a little extra oil if the pan is looking dry. Saute them until they break down, about another 8-10 minutes. Add the peppers and the chicken and stir it all to combine. Add more olive oil to make sure that everything is well coated.

Bring the heat up to medium-high and add the chicken broth and the oregano and cover. Let simmer for about ten minutes. Stir and test how done the chicken is. This will depend on how thick your slices are. Stir in the Red Pepper Bruschetta (avaliable in store) and a little salt to taste.

Serve with fresh bread.

This recipe could be easily done with tofu subbed in for the chicken. Have fun with it!

Welcome Home Mom and Dad!

Jalapeno Tilapia Pouches

I wish that one day I could walk into my kitchen and find everything I need. I don't have a large kitchen or much cabinet space, and as such I tuck things away into small spaces and find them months later. Hopefully, whatever it was hasn't gone bad by then.

Last night, I was walking around my whole apartment looking for my jar of sliced jalapenos.

Not something you expect to lose.

But I did have my bottle of Jalapeno Olive Oil. And that will do.

Jalapeno Tilapia Pouches

Parchment paper
4 Tilapia Fillets
1 tomatillo, diced
1 large red pepper, diced
Himalayan Pink Salt
4 tbsp Jalapeno Olive Oil
Sliced jalapenos, optional

Preheat your oven to 450degrees.

If you have any of these, that is awesome! If not, you get to make your own pouches. I rolled the sides up, put everything inside and then rolled the top down. It worked fine. But if you do a quick search on how to make them, many people have much better ways...that also won't get the tops of the parchment all brown and crispy.

Place the fish inside your pouch, toss the peppers and tomatillos inside as well. If you can find your jar of sliced jalapenos, toss a few of those in too.

Sprinkle 1 tbsp of the Jalapeno Olive Oil over each fillet. Roll your pouch closed and bake for 15 minutes.

I enjoyed this with some salad and white rice. Go Fish!

Emergency Pasta

While cooking at my mom's house this week, I suddenly realized that I had nothing to eat for lunch. I could snack on green beans, but that's a good way to run out of green beans. I found a bag of pasta in the cabinet, but no sauce! What to do?

I grabbed a can of fire roasted tomatoes and some Basil Oil and got to work.

Emergency Pasta and Sauce

1 can fire roasted tomatoes

3 tbsp - 1/4 cup Basil Olive Oil

1 tsp Italian Table Blend Spices

Himalayan Pink Mineral Salt*

Cooked Pasta

In a pan over medium heat, empty your can of tomatoes. If you want the sauce to be very thick, drain some of the water from the can first. Add in the spices and a pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes.

Grab a potato masher and go to work. Add the olive oil a little at a time until you like the consistency. 

Spoon over the pasta and go.

*Salts coming to the internet soon!

Spaghetti Squash and it's Seeds

Spaghetti Squash is a strange food. It sure smells like squash when you bake it, but shred it and put some tomato sauce on top and it's a grain free spaghetti.

It has been on sale recently, so I bought a couple. My favorite thing about them is the seeds. I toss them with a little Sun Dried Tomato, Parmesan and Garlic Olive Oil, some Himalayan Pink Salt and bake them until they are nice and crispy.

How do you like your squash seeds?

Mom and her Habanero

Now the Citrus Habanero Olive Oil is one oil you won't find used much on this blog. I'll share recipes I find, but I don't use it. I love things slightly spicy, but that one is waaaay too much for me.

But my mom thinks its awesome. She says she it has a great flavor. I'll just have to take her word for it.

Mom's Citrus Habanero Roasted Veggies

You need about 5 cups of chopped vegetables. Carrots, broccoli, squashes, mushrooms, peppers. Even potatoes. Just grab whatever is in season and go with it.

Preheat your oven to 400degrees.

Add veggies to a large casserole dish. Toss with about 1/4 cup Citrus Habanero Olive Oil and spread them out in a single layer.

Season with a little Himalayan Sea Salt and black pepper. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and starting to turn a golden brown.

My mom eats this by the bowlful. Enjoy!

Steak with Polenta

So I made a whole bunch of polenta. I have so much left over that I froze about half of the leftovers. Every couple days I grab it and slice off some to go with my dinner.

Today I decided to make steak. I wanted to serve it with some smashed red-skin potatoes, but when I got home I realized I had used the last of them on Monday night.

What to do?

I sliced it up and sent it to the frying pan.

Steak and Polenta 

You need a nice frying pan, some sliced polenta and some steaks. This will serve as many people or as few people as you need it to. This is directions for each serving.

Salt (Himalayan Pink) and Pepper
Steaks
2 Tbsp for each steak, I like Jalapeno, Bacon or Roasted Garlic Olive Oil. I used Portobello and Garlic Olive Oil for this one.


Salt and pepper your steaks liberally. Add 2 Tbsp of olive oil to a frying pan and heat over medium high heat.

Add the steak and cook until desired level of 'done'. This will vary according to how well-done you like your meat. I prefer medium-well, and cooked mine for about five minutes a side.

Keep it warm.

Slice your polenta into thin slices. Add it to the pan and cook until crispy. Also about five minutes.

Serve together and enjoy!