Dinner 10/12

Hmmmmm I feel like I'm not posting enough.  This is a result of either a) I don't have time to cook or b) when I do have time to cook, I'm too busy devouring it to take pictures and post a blog entry.  Life is a little bit crazy.  Every year at school I think that the following year can't possibly be any busier...and then the next year is twice as busy as the previous year.  This past weekend was officially my last Saturday working at the Pub.  I will continue to make their Potato-Leek Soup on an as-needed basis...but I need my weekends.  I have under-rated free time for awhile now...(over a year)...it's time for me to get some "me time."

Here's a picture of tonight's dinner.  Not a gourmet feast...but it did involve a little bit of cooking...and it was delicious.

Chicken/Cheese Quesadilla (covered in honey mustard), fresh green beans/leeks/portabello mushrooms steamed/sauteed with mustard & sundried tomato pesto

Tomato Soup

Here I give you step-by-step instructions, with pictures.  This is exactly how I made the soup.  There are definitely things I will change next time I do it, to make the whole process more efficient...but I'll let you figure that part out yourself.

Step by Step

1) peel, clean, and thinly slice 2 carrots

2) put a small sliver of butter in a large non-stick pot

3) add the sliced carrots to the pot, sprinkle some salt on top, put lid on pot, turn burner on medium heat

4) KEEP AN EYE ON THE CARROTS!  They might burn...if the butter disappears, add more or add some vegetable stock

5) chop about 1/2 of a yellow onion

*if your knife is sharp and the onion is cold, this should be accomplishable w/o tears

6) remove the carrots from the pot and put the onions in the pot with more butter or vegetable stock, and steam them

7) finely chop the carrots (or put them in a blender and puree them), and add them back to the put once the onions are soft

8) add one spoonful of minced garlic, a sprinkle each of garlic powder, onion powder, and dried basil flakes, some more vegetable stock, and some water.  stir, then add some heavy cream.

9) clean 3-4 tomatos

*they should be ripe, but firm--you do not want squishy tomatos!

10) peel the tomatos

*the colder and firmer they are, the easier they will be to peel

11) dice the tomatos

12) add the tomatos to the pot

13) add more heavy cream and water

14) cook for awhile

15) chop some fresh basil, add it to the pot, cook some more

16) throw it all in a blender, blend it up, put it back in the pot, bring to a boil

17) add 2 tbsp Quinoa flour to thicken

18) simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally

*make sure to break up all flour lumps

Pear - Mustard Hummus

My third attempt at an edible hummus.  I have made spinach hummus.  I have made beet hummus.  Both were edible.  Neither made me say "Wow, I think I like hummus now!"  But yesterday I got to thinking about the pears I had in my fridge that I had been planning to eat.  I ate one of them...and it wasn't good enough to make me really want to eat the other ones.  I shoulda stuck with buying apples.  And then I thought about the can of chick peas I had up on the shelf.  And I wondered...what would pear hummus taste like?

Ingredients
1 can of chickpeas
1 pear
garlic
olive oil
mustard

Instructions
cook the chick peas according to the directions on the can

save the juice

rinse the chick peas under cold water to cool them off

(this is only 2/3rds of the can...I set aside some for salad)

grate a pear

dump the chick peas in the blender, along with about 1/3 cup of the juice, a quick pour of olive oil, a big squirt of mustard, a spoonful of minced garlic, and the grated pear

blend it up

eat it

Last night for dinner, I ate it with some multigrain tostitos (best chips ever) and I even put some on my chicken/zucchini quesadilla. 

 I'm having some for lunch today with carrot sticks. 

I think this is my favorite of the 3 different hummus-es  (hummi?) I have made.

Asparagus Quest

I have never liked asparagus.  Every now and then I try it, and say "maybe this time I will like it." But I never have.

  And then I won't try it for awhile, 'cause what's the point? 

Too bad asparagus is...super good for you. 

I am determined to like it!  Someday...

Tonight, I tried cooking it for the first time.  I almost liked it...

Of course that might have something to do with the fact that I cooked it in bacon grease--my go-to cooking essential for any food that I think I might not like. 

In a small saucepan...
1 tbsp bacon grease
cleaned/chopped fresh green beans and asparagus stalks
pinch of salt
dash each of oregano, garlic powder, onion powder

put on the lid and cook for awhile on medium heat, shaking/stirring occasionally

when almost done, add a squirt of mustard, stir well

It really wasn't bad.  It didn't taste as bitter to me as it usually does.  Some of the stalks were too tough to chew though...and I can't stand that.  Like chewing sticks.  Gross. 

Whole-Wheat Pancake Mix

I have been waiting.  And waiting. And waiting.  For whole-wheat Bisquick to appear on the shelf in the grocery store.  But it hasn't.  At some point, I had to accept the fact that it probably doesn't exist and never will.  So, I decided it was time to make my own. 

Don't get me wrong, bisquick is pretty great. And I buy the "Heart-Smart" box to make myself feel like I'm getting the healthiest one possible.  But you can't beat whole wheat for healthy-ness.

Since I eat a pancake for breakfast about...oh...every day, I think it's time to make it whole-wheat.

Whole Wheat Pancake Mix
3 c whole wheat flour
1/6 c baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/3 c sugar

yum.

Wine-Boiled Chicken

Fill a large pot about 2/3 full with water.  Add about 1/2 bottle of white wine.  Here's the two wines I used.  There was only about 1 1/2 inches of the Sutter Home left, and then I added about a 1/2 bottle of the Torrontes. 



 Sprinkle some garlic powder and rosemary leaves into the water/wine, and add the juice from 1/2 lime. 

Bring to a boil. 

Rinse 3 B/S chicken breasts, and add them to the boiling water.  Cook for 20 min, then remove from heat.  Let sit for 15-20 minutes, then shred. 

*I shredded one piece of chicken immediately, and it had hardly picked up any flavor.  I let the other two sit longer, and they did absorb some flavor from the wine/rosemary. 

Use shredded chicken for quesadillas, add to pasta dishes or green salads, or mix it up with some mayo and stuff for a chicken salad.  I love keeping a container of shredded chicken in my fridge for quick quesadillas, or to add to any meal. 



Ranch-Baked Mac N Cheese

YES!  I finally managed to get some burned cheese on top.  425 degrees for 12 minutes.  Beats 375 for 30 minutes and still not seeing any burned cheese. 

Step 1: boil some pasta

Step 2: In a skillet, combine 1 big spoonful of alfredo sauce, a generous amount of ranch, (2 or 3 times the amount of alfredo), a little bit of honey mustard, about 1/3 c flour, and a few big handfuls of shredded cheese

Step 3: mix it all up in an oven-safe dish

Step 4: sprinkle cheese on top

Step 5: bake at 425 for 12-15 minutes

Step 6: make a meal