Eggplant is one of the few vegetables that I remember my dad eating as a kid. That, and parsnips. I’ve never really been fascinated by the taste of eggplant but then again, I never tried it roasted or in a dip. Roasted eggplant is …
Spring break season is in full swing and for the first time in a LOOOONG time, my family actually went somewhere! Usually, our spring break consists of visiting my family farms and then tackling the spring cleaning chores while I have the kids around to …
One of my favorite things to order at Mexican restaurants are the chile rellenos which I always pair with an enchilada. I’m predictable that way. Intimidated by the thought of making these little beauties, I finally bit the bullet to discover my fear of them being difficult to make was unfounded. I assumed it would be a challenge to remove the skins from the peppers but let me assure you, it indeed is not. The skins are removed from the peppers by either roasting them over a gas burner until they char or by broiling them to get the same effect. Then, you let them cool and the skins literally just rub right off.
I also learned something else new about chile rellenos. Chile rellenos are dipped in beaten eggs and not a flour based batter. Who knew?!? This Minnesota girl surely didn’t so I was pleasantly surprised in doing my research to find that there is little to no flour used in chile rellenos. Occasionally, the pepper is dusted lightly in flour of some kind to help the egg whites stick but they don’t have to be. I chose to keep it flour free but if you have difficulty with the eggs sticking to the pepper, you can dust the outside of the pepper in any type of flour to help it stick.
For the sauce, I use a unique enchilada style sauce with a little squash in place of part of the tomatoes to enhance the nutritional value without affecting the flavor. The pureed squash also serves to make the sauce more smooth similar to the effect of using tomato paste. Feel free to use this easy enchilada sauce recipe instead. Stuffing the chile rellenos is not super challenging either. Just slit the top open wide enough to fit your knife or a spoon inside and scrape out the seeds and as much of the pith (the white membrane) as you can. Then stuff the inside with a melty Mexician cheese like queso quesadilla or monterey jack. You can also stuff it with shredded chicken or picadillo if you’d prefer!
I’ve been creating (and eating) a lot of keto diet appropriate meals lately and spiced okra is one of the fun side dishes I’ve come up with to use as a fiber rich, low carb side kick to any protein meal mail dish you wish …
I’ve been working on a ketogenic recipe series for the peeps over at BreakingMuscle.com where I just completed a really fun series on 20 ways to prepare poultry. You’ll have to check it out! I’m really enjoying the new keto challenge as it’s been really …
This weekend is a big weekend for Minneapolis. The Superbowl is being hosted here so there’s been a lot of cool happenings downtown. In other news, Jimmy Fallon wants to have dinner at someone’s house to sample a home-cooked Minnesota dinner. Being the native Minnesota nice gal that I am, I invited him over for a braised venison meal with a side of mushroom wild rice. Not that I’m expecting he’ll actually be joining us but thought I’d extend the offer. He could even forge his own bottle opener in our backyard blacksmith shop and use it to open a classic Minnesota Grain Belt beer. I’m sure that would be exciting… but alas, that is most likely not happening. What IS happening, however, is this roasted red pepper cheese dip made with three cheeses which makes a perfect appetizer for Superbowl Sunday.
This is one of the easiest, creamiest dips. I’m obviously forgoing my normal dairy free food trend with this one. It’s over the top dairy, super delicious and incredibly addictive. This combination is one that a local restaurant serves up baked in a wood fired oven alongside fire baked flatbread and it’s to die for! I had a good guess as to which cheeses were combined with the roasted red pepper and one of the waitstaff was kind enough to confirm without giving me too many specifics. I mean, they’d hate for anyone to figure out the recipe and then be making it at home… well, a few little experiments later and I had the taste that I was looking for!
Roasted red pepper cheese dip uses cream cheese, chevre (goat cheese) and monterey jack. This dip can be made in a small crock pot or you can place it all in an oven save dish. I used a small cast iron pan and broiled it. Doing this, the very top gets all nice and browned and you can stir it in for that roasted toasted goodness while the middle of the cheese stays warm and creamy. Serve this melty mouthful of amazingness with veggies, toasted naan or any other dippers for a tasty treat. Fair warning: you might want to make a double batch!
I retreated downstairs to find a movie on Sunday evening after finishing these amazing stuffed sirloin steak rolls and tuned in to see the Minnesota miracle happen live instead. I’m not an avid football fan so I was merely keeping tabs on the score via …
I’ve previously claimed to not really like cauliflower but, you guys, I am SOLD!!! My fabulous mother in law brought a cauliflower gratin over for our Thanksgiving feast that I thought was really tasty. So I thought, why not kick it up a notch? I …
Oh man, you guys are in for a treat! These may not be one-hundred percent authentic Mexican but dang are they good. You will NOT be disappointed. This recipe originally comes from my sister so I have to give her credit for the basic rub ingredients in these carnitas. From there, I subbed in coconut sugar instead of the more traditional brown sugar and added in juniper berries, bay leaves and lime juice during slow-cooking.
The first step is mix up the spice rub and massage it into the pork loin. I like my carnitas to have a little smokiness to it so I’ve used smoked salt in this rub but you can certainly use a fine sea salt or pink himlayan as well. I then sear the loin on a hot grill for about 5 minutes per side before placing in a slow cooker. Alternately, you could sear this in a large cast iron pan or under a broiler. This gives the outside a nice brown color and you’ll end up with a few intensely delicious crusty bits in each bite.
After searing the loin, slow cook for about 6-8 hours on low until it is easily shreddable. If you prefer it chopped, take it out a little sooner and chop it into bite size pieces of awesomeness. I always do the shredding right inside the slow-cooker so the carnitas can re-absorb all of the juices. This creates a super tender and never dry shredded meat that is so unbelievably perfect!!
For those of you who are masters with a barbeque smoker, I’ve also made this in a smoker on occasion and it turns out amazing. The only change is to skip the juniper berries and bay leaves and add lime juice after shredding to taste. Shred it, chop it, stuff it in your mouth. These carnitas are a tender tasty morsel in fajitas, tacos, salads, nachos and huevos rancheros. The options are endless. Top it with black bean and corn salsa, a fresh pico, shredded lettuce, and queso fresco to complete the meal. Whatever way you choose to eat these carnitas, you can’t go wrong. Serve it up authentic style with a honey margarita on the side!
In an attempt to eat more fish and make it fun for the kids, I tried my hand at forming fish cakes, which are basically a hamburger patty but made with fish. They are not as difficult as one might think. These pretty little patties are full …
