Hearty salad topped with smoked salmon and crushed chips

*Warning: Today's post will be short and simple.  Hope you still enjoy!

Y'all, I had the best salad yesterday.  All I wanted to do at the end of the day was come home and eat a comforting, filling dinner and watch some mindless TV with my sweet Sasha.  I remembered having some leftover smoked salmon from lunch and some irresistible loaded baked potato potato chips with ridges (best chips in the world, next to smoky barbeque chips.  Oh, and the ridges are key - chips taste better with that thick texture!) laying around.  So, I decided to make a large salad with whatever I had laying around the pantry and top it off with the salmon and crushed chips.  I think you can use literally whatever is in your fridge, but I happen to cut some lettuce, tomato, carrots, radishes, red onion, strawberries, and sliced almonds into my salad.  After topping it with thinly sliced salmon, I added a tangy, garlicky dressing and crushed a handful of deeeeeeeeee-lectable chips into the bowl.  (*Note: The chips should always go in last to maintain maximum crunchiness!)

Every bite was filled with the smokiness of the salmon, crunchiness of the radishes, chips, and almonds, and juiciness of the various sliced fruit in the salad.  Mmmm-mmm!  What a perfect way to end the day.

Here's the recipe for the dressing I made:

Garlicky balsamic vinaigrette (this is for a small jar-full):

Ingredients:

-1 part balsamic vinegar, 4 parts olive oil
-sea salt, cracked pepper
-1 large clove of garlic

Preparation:

-Combine vinegar, oil, and salt/pepper (to taste)
-Crush and finely chop the garlic and add to dressing (Note: It is important to crush the garlic first!  I usually do so with a meat tenderizer.  It helps release the delicious juices into the dressing.)
-Mix well and serve with salad

Creamy black bean soup

This post is dedicated to my friend Angela, who is the star baker of the Epi PhD program at Emory.  She sent me a delicious recipe for spicy chipotle black bean soup that we both ended up being immediately drawn to.  Everyone knows that croutons go well in soups, but little did I realize until late last week, that you can 'crouton' a lot of different things aside from bread.  This particular recipe called for sweet potato croutons, which were just as easy to make as regular old bread croutons, and a lot healthier.

Last Saturday evening, Joe and I got together with some old friends for dinner.  We cooked a fantastic 6 course meal (8 if you count the different types of desserts!) together, including 2 different types of roasted cornish hens.  (Aside: These are the same friends who came over for dinner when I had the cornish hen disaster of 2011.  They were sweet and decided to take another chance on me.)  I thought it would be perfect to start the crisp, cool evening off with a hearty and spicy black bean soup, so I made it as a sort of appetizer or starter, if you will.  As you all know by now, I never read through recipes thoroughly during the cooking process because I always end up changing things up anyway (hence why I have been discouraged by a few to bake homemade cookies ever again).  So, after a quick skim, I followed the general recipe while making a few improvisations along the way.  Generally speaking, it turned out pretty well.  I loved that the recipe had a refreshing Southwestern flair -- it called for fire-roasted tomatoes, which really added a smoky flavor to the dish, as well as creamy avocado slices, citrusy cilantro, and freshly-squeezed lime juice.  Main modifications I would make to the recipe include adding queso fresco as a topping (adds an additional level of creaminess and texture, plus cheese makes everything better) and baking/broiling the sweet potatoes to make them a little healthier with a similar crunchy texture.  Oh, and I nixed the greek yogurt topping.  I don't think the soup needs it, to be honest.  As usual, see below for the final recipe with final modifications:

Ingredients:

-2 cans of black beans
-1 can of fire-roasted tomatoes
-4 cups of chicken broth, or enough bullion to make the equivalent amount
-5 cloves of garlic
-1 medium onion
-1-2 serrano peppers, or whatever other peppers you have lying around the house
-1 fresh lime
-Handful of cilantro
-Salt/pepper to taste
-1 sweet potato
-Queso fresco
-1 avocado

Soup Preparation:

-Wash and drain the black beans
-Peel and roughly chop the garlic and onion
-Roughly chop the peppers and cilantro
-Slice the lime into quarters for ease in squeezing
-Fry the onions and garlic in a large pot on medium-high heat for a few minutes until they begin to brown
-Add the beans, canned tomatoes, broth, and peppers and cover the pot
-Once the mixture begins to boil, reduce heat and let simmer
-Add cilantro, lime, salt and pepper to taste, and heat for another 10-15 minutes while covered
-Turn heat off and remove pot from stove.  Let cool for 5 minutes.
-Pour mixture into blender and puree until smooth.  Serve with toppings (see below).

Sweet Potato Crouton Preparation:

-Dice sweet potato into 1"x1" cubes.
-Place cubes into a baking pan with a tablespoon of olive oil and salt.
-Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes.
-When sweet potatoes look like they are beginning to brown, broil for 2-3 minutes.

Serving the soup:

-Serve piping hot (can place the blended, pureed soup back on the stove if need be) with queso fresco, diced avocado, and crunchy sweet potato croutons.
-Enjoy!

This picture is not mine but from the website with the original recipe.
I forgot to take pictures again!

Beer-braised pork with purple potatoes and carrots, and spicy sweet potato soup

Well, I have to say, I'd been waiting to try this beer-braised pork recipe for a few weeks now.  My partner-in-crime and culinary guinea pig had been out of the country for a week and a half and I was itching to try this with him!  I finally got my opportunity over a Valentine's Day dinner on Tuesday evening; overall, I'd say it was a success.  The key was marinating the pork chops in beer for a couple of hours (and no more!) and braising the meat until it literally fell off the bone.  Alcohol (amongst other things) is a natural meat tenderizer; when added to a marinade, it naturally penetrates and breaks down meat tissue.  One must be careful with tenderizing meat in this fashion for too long, however, since it can actually make the meat slimy and mushy.  And nobody wants mushy meat for dinner.  Ew.

I wanted to make this a finger-lickin' good platter (!), so I decided to braise the meat in the oven with some sliced purple potatoes so the starchiness of the potato could absorb some of the juices from the meat.  I thought maybe a lighter, sweeter dish would be an appropriate accompaniment to a hearty, gravy-filled pork entree so, inspired by the Homesick Texan (thank you for the recommendation, AP), I concocted a version of the chipotle sweet potato soup presented here.  And, of course you can't go wrong with roasted potatoes of any kind, so both of these were served with a side of garlic-roasted purple potatoes.

If I had to evaluate the meal, I'd give the pork entree about an 7.7.  I could have definitely made improvements to it.  In particular, if I had to make this dish again, I would use Russet potatoes because they are much starchier than other types of potatoes and would therefore absorb more of the pork juiciness.  Further, I would ACTUALLY braise the pork.  That's right, folks, I fibbed right on my blog!  I actually just baked the pork in a covered pot for 3 hours.  If you recall, braising involves both high and low heat (slow) cooking.  Typically it involves some sort of meat, which is first seared on the stove; after the surface of the meat is cooked, the dish is slow cooked on low, either in the oven or on the stove, often after additional liquid is added.  The intention is for the added liquid to then mix with the fats released during the high heat cooking process to create a warm, hearty, comforting gravy sauce that perfectly complements your oh-so-tender-fall-off-the-bone meat.  Anyway, in bypassing the initial high heat process, I may have failed to burn off some of the beer taste.  Don't worry, it's not like this dish was swimming in alcohol, guys.  The alcohol had long burned off.  But I do wonder if the SLIGHT ale-y taste I got in the gravy was due to not cooking the meat uncovered on high heat first.  Anyone have thoughts on that?

With that being said, I probably should have used less of the beer in the marinade to begin with.  I used an entire bottle, but half a bottle probably would have been sufficient.  That is not to say that this dish wasn't still good!  The meat was certainly tender and fell off the bone.  It was hearty and comforting.  Each bite was filled with tender meat, seasoned with wintry rosemary, garlic, shallots, and gravy-saturated carrots and potatoes.  So, with a few tweaks and adjustments, my final recommended recipe is below.

The spicy sweet potato soup deserves a rating of 9.3...no, 9.6.  I have to say, this dish really made our night.  Lighty and creamy, the sweetness of the potato seemed to be perfectly balanced with a hint of serrano pepper (sorry, folks -- didn't have any peppers on me, and besides, I hate following recipes to a "tee"...I usually just glance and go).  I have to give a lot of credit to Lisa Fain, who just has some really amazing recipes on her blog which make me nostalgic for Texas and its unique, varied cuisine.  This particular recipe really caught my eye, though, and I'm glad it turned out well.  I also have to say that adding nutty parmesan cheese and fresh basil to the soup really brought out the sweetness of the potatoes and spicy kick from the peppers.  It really brought the whole dish together, guys.  Don't leave them out!!

And now, the moment you have all been waiting for (or maybe just my parents and Joe, who MIGHT be the only people who read this on a regular basis...because they feel obligated to) -- the final products:

Juicy, tender, deliciously 'braised' pork chops with carrots and potatoes.  

Spicy sweet potato soup, served with a side of roasted garlic purple
potatoes.  I forgot to take a picture of the soup with the chopped basil
and parmesan cheese on top!  I can't stress to you how essential these
two "condiments" are to this soup!

THE RECIPES (dun-dun-dun):

Beer-Braised Pork Atop Purple Potatoes and Carrots:

Ingredients:

-2-ish pounds of pork (I used mixed chops, but you can use whatever)
-2 shallots
-4-5 cloves of garlic
-1 cup cream
-1 cup of chicken broth (or you can just use the appropriate amount of bullion for 1 cup of broth)
-1/2 bottle of beer
-2 large sprigs of rosemary
-salt/pepper to taste
-2 Russet potatoes
-2 large carrots
-1 serrano pepper

Preparation:
-Marinate pork in a large plastic bag or bowl with beer, chicken broth, salt, pepper, and chopped garlic, shallots, rosemary, and serrano pepper(s) for 4-8 hours.  Do NOT marinate for more than 8 hours to avoid slimy texture in the meat; the thinner your meat cut, the shorter your marinate time should be.
-Sear the pork on both sides (if you have chops, I'd say 3 minutes on each side?) in a large pot until mostly done.
-Cube the potatoes (into 2 inches x 2 inch blocks?) and add them, along with sliced carrots, 1 cup of cream and another cup of chicken broth (if you so desire, and if you feel you want more liquid in the gravy), to the pot and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 2-3 hours WITH THE COVER ON (this prevents the gravy liquid from escaping the pot so you don't end up roasting your pig).
-At this point, preparation should be relatively low maintenance.  Pull that sucker out when you think it's ready (likely in 2-3 hours) and take a taste test.  You'll know when it's good to go!


Spicy Sweet Potato Soup

Ingredients:

-2 large sweet potatoes
-1 shallot
-2 cloves garlic
-ground cinnamon
-salt/pepper
-4 cups chicken broth
-1/2 cup milk
-1 (or more, depending on your heat tolerance) serrano (or other) pepper(s)
-1 tablespoon ghee/butter
-fresh basil leaves
-parmesan cheese

Preparation:

-Roughly chop the shallot, garlic, and sweet potatoes.
-Sautee the chopped shallot, garlic, and serrano pepper with ghee or butter until they begin to brown.
-Add the sweet potatoes and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes.
-Add chicken broth, milk, appropriate amounts of salt, pepper, and ground cinnamon in a covered pot on medium for about 20-30 minutes (or until the sweet potatoes are tender and done).
-Remove from stove to cool for about 10 minutes.  (Note: It should start smelling delicious at this point!)
-Add soup mixture to blender and puree/pulse blend until it becomes incredibly creamy.
-Serve while hot and topped with parmesan cheese and freshly chopped basil.  It makes ALL the difference in the world, guys.  Trust me.

Enjoy, y'all!  

A Hearty Breakfast For the Weary and Cold -- Challah Soy French Toast with Creamy Cinnamon Sauce and a Mixed Berry Compote + Italian Tofu Scramble

Guys, it's pretty cold here for Atlanta.  I mean, it feels pretty frigid, considering we've had less than 10 cold days this entire winter season.  And what better to do on a cold day than to eat hearty, comforting foods with friends? :)  Regretfully, I forgot to take pictures of our meal, but I'll try to make do in words and provide pictures of what I THINK the food looked like, courtesy of Google images (thank you, once again, oh mighty Google!).

I had some buddies from the PhD program come over yesterday morning for a late brunch / lunch.  I had some killer french toast last weekend at The Flying Biscuit, so I decided to make a lactose-intolerant-friendly version of it with a few dipping sauces.  I actually think making french toast with soy milk makes it more decadent -- soy milk has a natural sweet creaminess that goes well with this dish, in my opinion.  I also think it's crucial to choose thick slices of a bread that is naturally sweet and delicious on its own -- this is why I went with fresh-baked challah from the local bakery.  Oh, and what REALLY makes the difference between an 'eh, ok' french toast and a 'WOW!!  DELICIOUS!!" french toast is letting the pieces of sliced challah sit in the egg mixture for an hour or so before pan-frying.  This allows the bread to soak up as much flavor and moisture from the batter as it can before cooking.  Personally, I think dipping or topping french toast with a sweet sauce or syrup makes it over-the-top hearty and delicious on a crisp winter morning, so I made two sides to go with it -- a warm, comforting mixed berry compote and a creamy cinnamon sauce.

I also decided to attempt an Italian tofu scramble, which was inspired by some friends who invited me over for dinner last week.  They just had another baby 7 weeks ago, so they had me over for dinner so I could get a chance to hold baby Elijah, and play with their older son, two year old Benjamin (both cuties, by the way).  They've been experimenting with a lot of new recipes lately and mentioned that we would be having kale, cauliflower, and tofu scramble that night.  My eyebrows furrowed and I scratched my head curiously.  "TOFU scramble?!  I.e. a vegan take on scrambled eggs??  Never thought about trying that!"  And indeed, it turned out to be fantastic, especially with the contrast in textures between the cauliflower and tofu.  And the tofu was surprisingly not slimy when scrambled; it eventually dries into a moist crumble after sautee-ing for a few minutes and readily soaks up the delightful flavors in the pan around it like a sponge.  Not only was this an easy, cheap recipe that was full of protein and fiber, it is also a great vegan-friendly option for any guests with dietary restrictions!  I had to try a variation of it at home!  So I decided to go with an Italian theme; a combination of baby portabello mushrooms, roma tomatoes, garlic, and fresh basil would surely spice up the tofu scramble and make it a comforting winter dish on a Saturday morning.  I was a little worried about things getting too watery because mushrooms and tomatoes retain so much moisture, but it surprisingly turned out great.

Of course, I had to balance these two heavy dishes with something light and sweet, so I made a simple fruit salad with sweet kiwis, strawberries, and grapes.  Enjoy the recipes for all three dishes below!  Bon apetite!

Ok, so I think the french toast looked like something like this.
Plus, I have theseexact Corelle plates at home.  Hooray!

The mushroom, tomato, and basil tofu scramble probably looked a little
less dry than this, but you get the general idea.  Got to compromise a
little if you're getting your pictures from Google images!!

Ok, so the salad didn't look EXACTLY like this, but it was still delicious. :)

RECIPES:

FRENCH TOAST:

Ingredients:

-1 loaf of challah bread

-3 eggs

-1 cup soy milk

-1 tbsp vanilla extract

-4 tablespoons brown sugar

-1 tbsp of ground cinnamon

**Note: As always, the above measurements are rough approximations.  I never measure anything when I cook.  Just use your best judgment as you add ingredients.  

Preparation:

-Slice the challah bread into roughly 1 1/2 inch thick slices (I ultimately used 6 slices for the mixture below)

-Combine eggs, soy milk, vanilla extract, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a LARGE bowl with a wide mouth (this is key, since you have to let the bread soak in the mixture) and whisk until well-mixed.  

-Dip the challah pieces in the bowl and make sure both sides have been exposed and covered in the egg mixture.  Let the mixture sit with the slices of challah for at least an hour in the fridge.

-Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees and place a baking dish lined with aluminum foil in it -- this is an underutilized technique used to keep foods warm that require a long time to make a whole batch (e.g. pancakes, waffles, french toast, etc.).  

-Pan-fry each piece of bread for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes on each side; when golden brown, slide the toast onto the baking sheet in the oven to keep it warm.  

FRENCH TOAST DIPPING SAUCES:

1. CREAMY CINNAMON SAUCE:

Ingredients:

-1-1.5 cups heavy cream

-maple syrup

-brown sugar

-2 tablespoons vanilla extract

-1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

-2 tablespoons flour (as a thickener)

**Note: maple syrup and brown sugar measurements were purposefully not given because I just poured stuff in without thinking about it.  Use your best judgment.  I prefer more maple syrup than brown sugar because of its unique, comforting, wintry flavor, but that is personal preference.  

Preparation:

-Combine all ingredients into a small saucepan on stovetop at medium heat until it starts to boil.  Immediately reduce heat to low and continue to cook until mixture retains the desired thickness.  

**Note: If I had to make this again, I might add crushed pecans to the creamy mixture; it would add some texture, plus pecans have a sweetness that makes it such a unique nut.  

2.  MIXED BERRY COMPOTE

Ingredients:

-2 small container (or 1 large container) of fresh blueberries

-1/2 container of fresh strawberries

-2 tablespoons of vanilla extract

-1 fresh cinnamon stick

-brown sugar

-1 cup of water

Preparation:

-Combine all ingredients into medium-sized saucepan.  

-Stir mixture every few minutes (and squish the fruit using a large spoon or fork) on medium-low heat for about 1.5-2 hours.  It's one of those things that just has to sit and meld together.  

-Remove from stovetop when compote has reached desired thickness.  

**Note: This makes enough for an entire jar of berry compote; you can re-use for other things, or it makes a great homemade gift!

ITALIAN TOFU SCRAMBLE:

Ingredients:

-1 block tofu

-4 baby portabello mushrooms (or use any other mushrooms that you like; I just got whatever was on sale)

-1 bunch of fresh basil

-2 small roma tomatoes

-Salt/pepper to taste

-1 tablespoon olive oil

-3-4 cloves of fresh garlic

Preparation:

-Crumble a block of tofu with your hands (this is the fuuuuuuun part!) into a large bowl

-Mix in thinly diced tomatoes and mushrooms, thinly sliced basil (about a handful) and garlic, and salt and pepper to taste.  

-Pan-fry the tofu mixture (lid off!!) for about 20 minutes with olive oil until the scramble loses most of the moisture from the mushrooms and tomatoes.  

-Voila!  Enjoy!

Finger-Lickin' Good Cornish Hen + Roasted Garlicky Fingerling Potatoes

So, here's the situation, guys.  I'm a little embarrassed to say it.  Maybe everyone has their nightmare dinner party/get together story, but here's mine -- I've baked cornish hens probably 983092384 times and the ONE time I messed it up, I had two of my wonderful friends, Matt and Sarah, over for a nice dinner.  I don't even know what happened!  It was a complete disaster.  I took the chicken out of the oven when I thought it was done and it was hard as a rock.  I thought I hadn't cooked it long enough (it had been about an hour or so), so I stuck it back in to cook for another 20-30 minutes.  To my shock and dismay, I took the chicken out of the oven, only to find it even harder and drier!  I mean, I could have thrown that thing at the wall and it might have smashed into pieces, it was so tough and gamey.  This was my fail-safe tandoori chicken recipe, too.  What a disappointment!  Anyway, I have vowed to them many times that I'd make it up to them.  I still have yet to have them over for a "redo" chicken dinner, but I have a perfect new recipe to try with them; for fun, I'm going to call it the "Finger-Lickin' Good Cornish Hen."  This creation was actually inspired by a link I saw for the "Engagement Chicken" recipe.  You know that saying, "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach"?  Well, apparently this recipe is so spectacular that your beau will fall down on one knee and propose to you in a heartbeat.  Ok, so I saw this and immediately rolled my eyes.  I practically gagged when I scrolled to the bottom and saw the bit about the "Marry me juice" at the bottom of the pan.  Trust me, guys.  I'm not out to make food for my partner every night to impress him.  Heck, I made a cornish hen last week so I COULD HAVE IT ALL TO MYSELF, darn it.  I really did!  I mean, I'm all about making people happy with food, but pu-lease!

Regardless, I glanced through the list of ingredients for this recipe, then quickly decided to take my own route.  I was, however, inspired by the recipe's use of lemon to season the chicken.  But, as you all probably know by now, I'm terrible at following recipes, which is why the only thing I have ever been able to bake is a batch of Victoria's famous pumpkin muffins (no improvements necessary - it's too good!).  So, I of course improvised and added some shallots, a handful of chopped rosemary, a tablespoon of melted butter, and plenty of sea salt.  Not to toot my own horn or anything, but the final product -- pure awesomeness.  It was juicy.  It was moist.  It was a party in. my. mouth.  The key was, in my opinion, baking the chicken while covered.  This allowed the chicken juices to collect in the pan and marry with the other seasonings.  The roasted fingerling potatoes, which were lightly seasoned with some olive oil, salt, and chopped garlic, was a perfect side to the chicken.  If I had to change one thing, though, I would probably bake the cornish hens over a bed of the potatoes so they absorb the flavors from the all of the chicken juices.  Stuffing the chicken with some potatoes sounds delicious, too, but cornish hens are so tiny that this might be a difficult feat to pull off.  Below is the recipe -- enjoy!!

Finger-lickin' good cornish hen with a side of roasted fingerling potatoes
and fresh, sweet blood oranges.  Absolutely delightful!!

FINGER-LICKIN' GOOD CORNISH HENS

Ingredients (Note: I only made 1 cornish hen, but the recipe below is for 2):

-2 cornish hens
-1 whole lime (I personally like the flavor of lime over lemon; just personal preference, though)
-4 shallots
-salt to taste
-2 tablespoons butter
-2 fistfuls of rosemary

Preparation:

-Thaw the cornish hens and WASH THOROUGHLY.
-Chop the shallots and rosemary finely.
-Melt butter in the microwave.
-Salt each cornish hen generously.
-Cut the lime into fourths.  Rub the squeeze of 1 lime wedge around and inside 1 cornish hen (2 wedges for both).  REALLY rub the wedge into the skin of the chicken and the inside cavity.
-Carefully insert 1 (unsqueezed) lime wedge into the cavity of each of the cornish hens.
-Pour 1 tablespoon of butter on each of the cornish hens and rub the chopped shallots and rosemary all over the hens (both inside and out).
-As a public health student and practitioner, I do NOT advocate eating raw meat products.  However, I say you can never tell how good your meat will be unless you taste the seasoning. :)  I like to just rub one of my index fingers on the chicken and lick; if I think something is off, I adjust the flavors.  Mind you, I don't do this like 50 times.  Only once or twice, and only to get the balance just right.
-Bake in a 375 degree pre-heated oven for 45 minutes (about 20-25 minutes on each side).  Make sure the chicken is covered with a piece of foil.
-After 45 minutes, remove the foil covering the chicken and bake uncovered for an additional 20 minutes.
-Note: The amount of time you need to bake the chicken depends on how much meat you have; I believe the general rule is to bake each pound of chicken for 15-20 minutes?

ROASTED GARLICKY FINGERLING POTATOES

Ingredients:

-A bowl full of potatoes (I don't know!  I'm bad at amounts, sorry)
-5ish cloves of garlic
-Salt
-2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation:

-Finely slice the potatoes and place on a baking pan.
-Combine finely chopped garlic, salt, and olive oil with the potatoes and mix well with hands.
-Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for about 45 minutes.
-Enjoy!