Indian Chicken Curry

Two years ago I posted an Indian Chicken Curry recipe, but my blogging back then was quite sloppy. This curry I just made, while similar to the one from two years ago, smells and taste phenomenal so I thought I would do a new post.

Ingredients:
1-2 tsp vegetable oil
half a large white onion, diced
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1 clove of garlic
3-4 tbs of Pataks Curry Paste (can add more to taste after)
1/2-1 fresh tomato, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and cut up into rounds
2 small stocks of broccoli, cut into florets
10-15 mini red potatoes (depends on how mini they are!), cut into 1/2 or 1/4
1/2-3/4 can crushed tomatoes
3-4 tbs coconut milk (can add more to taste after)
1/2 cup chicken broth (optional if it seems too thick)
hand full chopped cilantro


In a large pan/pot... okay I used a wok, put in vegetable oil. Heat over medium-high heat. Add diced onions. Cook for a few minutes until they begin to soften. Add chicken (raw). Stir occasionally until chicken begins to brown. Add crushed garlic. Cook for a minute. Add Pataks Curry Paste. Stir and let it cook for 2-3 minutes. Add diced tomato, carrot, broccoli and potatoes. Stir around covering everything in the curry paste. Add crushed tomatoes (making sure it covers most if not all of everything in the pot). Add coconut milk and stir. If it seems too thick or not enough sauce, add chicken broth. Add handful of chopped cilantro and stir. Cover and cook for 25-35 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Now taste it and add salt, pepper or spice if desired. I used a little cayenne pepper to add some spice.

Serve with rice! Yum yum yum. The above serves 4 people (or two people plus lunches!!).

Black Bean and Quinoa Enchilada Bake

Oh boy, this was delicious.  Besides the two cups of cheese this is relatively good for you. It will be a new addition to my mexican meal rotation! 

Ingredients (serves 5-6 people)
1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water (or chicken stock, or a combination of the two)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, seeds and ribs removed,diced
1 red pepper, seeds removed, diced
1 orange pepper, seeds removed, diced
Juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (approximately 1 and 1/2 cups) red enchilada sauce
2 cups shredded cheese (mexican cheese or cheddar mozzarella combo)
1 yellow pepper, seeds removed, diced
1 cup corn frozen kernels

Topped with avocado slices, chopped tomato and fresh cilantro! 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray (or a little vegetable oil) and set aside.

2. Add quinoa and water/stock to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over.  Turn the heat to low and simmer for about 15-25 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Cover quinoa and set aside.

3. In a large skillet, heat the tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño. Sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add in the peppers and corn. Cook for about 3-4 minutes. Add the lime juice, cumin, chili powder, and cilantro. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

4. In a large bowl, add the cooked quinoa and black beans. Add the sautéed vegetable mixture and stir to combine. Pour in the enchilada sauce and stir. Add 1 cup shredded cheese.

At this point I just wanted to eat it.... but I decided I'd continue to follow the recipe and let it bake. 

5.Pour the black bean and quinoa mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top with remaining shredded cheese. Cover the pan with foil. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove foil. Bake an additional 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and edges are bubbling. I even tossed it under the broiler for a few minutes. Remove from the oven, and let cool for 10 minutes. Garnish with toppings, if desired. Serve warm.

Asian Noodles

This summer some of my friends left me and went on a Europe trip. Prior to them leaving, one of my friends had us all over for dinner and his mom had made a "cold Sechuan noodle dish". I loved it so much his mom graciously gave me the recipe. I now use her recipe as the base to my new "Asian noodles" which I have been making quite a lot.

2 tbsp peanut or vegetable oil
2 tbsp finely chopped green onions
1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
1 tbsp bean sauce (I used black bean sauce bought from t & t)
2 tsp Siracha
2 tsp grated ginger (or more)
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1-1/2 tbsp sesame oil

Pasta (I used spaghetti, original recipe used fettuccine).

Occasional additions: chicken, bell peppers, carrots, snow peas, bok choy or any other vegetable you'd like in a stir fry.

Recipe can serve about 4 people so portion enough pasta for 4 and the same with the vegetables.

Cook pasta according to package directions, set aside. If I'm adding chicken to this recipe (which I normally do), I cut it into bite size pieces and sprinkle with pepper and a little bit of salt. I fry until it starts to brown in a little peanut or vegetable oil and then take it out and put it to the side.

In the same pan that you cooked the chicken in, heat the oil over medium heat. Add green onions, garlic, bean sauce, Siracha and ginger. This is when I would add my additional chopped vegetables, whatever they may be. Stir fry for a few minutes until the vegetables begin to soften. Turn off heat. Add chicken back in at this point and mix around in the sauce. Add the pasta and mix around to coat. Add rice wine and soya sauce. Mix well. Drizzle sesame oil over top, mix and serve.

I eat this as a hot dish normally because I'm too hungry to wait, but it is also excellent as a cold noodle dish.

Homemade Falafels

I made homemade falafels for my brother and I the other night. So homemade that we soaked our own chickpeas... enough chickpeas to feed an entire village. What on earth am I going to do with all these fucking chickpeas? Thanks a bunch brochacho. Seriously though. We needed 1 cup. He did an ENTIRE bag. Probably close to 10 cups. No exaggeration. ANYWAY.

I had honestly never had falafel before this (besides a drunk bite of Lindsey's Falafel wrap the other night) so had no idea what to expect or had no ability to judge their authenticity. End result, they were delicious. Authenticity rating from my bro - "shockingly legit". 

Ingredients:

1 cup raw dried chickpeas, soaked overnight

1 cup chopped falt leaf parsley

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

2-3 cloves garlic

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp hot paprika

salt to tase

1 tsp lemon zest + juice of half lemon

1 tbsp olive oil 

sesame seeds to sprinkle on

vegetable oil to deep fry 

Directions:

Soak 1 cup of raw dried chickpeas over night (approximately 12 hours) in plenty of water. The chickpeas will double in size as they soak. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Add to food processor. Peel cloves of garlic and add to processor. Add parsley and cilantro. Add the spices (coriander powder, cumin, pepper, paprika), lemon zest, the lemon juice and olive oil. Pulse the food processor, shaking it to make sure the ingredients are well combined. The texture should still be grainy yet combined. 

Line a baking tray with aluminium foil. Using your hands form the mixture until small balls and line them on the baking tray. It is important to note that the mixture isn't the easiest to shape and falls apart fairly easily! Handle with care. At this point you can lightly sprinkle the falafel balls with sesame seeds. Heat vegetable oil in a deep pan (like a wok). When the oil is nice and hot lower a falafel ball at a time with a slotted spoon into the oil. You can have more than one going at a time. Deep fry until a light golden brown on all sides. 

We served our falafels in pita pockets with lettuce, cucumber, onion, tomato, hummus, tzatiki, and tahini sauce. Next time we will get better pitas because these ones sucked. 

Goan White Fish Curry

I recently went to Curry Twist  for dinner with my friend Val. It was some of the best Indian food I've ever had. One of the dishes she suggested we get was a Goan White Fish Curry dish. As I've said before, I'm not crazy about fish but I'm trying. It was probably the best dish we had that night and that is saying a lot since everything was so good.

The dish inspired me to try making my own Goan White Fish Curry. I found this recipe and it looked easy enough. I'm also very lucky to live in a house with such eclectic spices that I didn't need to go buy any of them!

Ingredients
2 small onions, grated
2-3 long green chilies, deseeded and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 cm piece of fresh ginger - peeled and grated
2-2 /12 tsp each of the following: garam masala ,turmeric, cumin, dried coriander
2-4 cardamon pods, split
2 bay leaves
350 ml coconut milk
1 3/4 cup chopped tomatoes
5 tsp vegetable stock
400-600g (3-5 filets) of white fish, I used tilapia - chopped into chunk (around 1 1/2 inches long)
Juice of 1/2-3/4 lime
2 tbsp fresh coriander
Rice to serve

Directions
Spray a pan with cooking spray or add a little vegetable to the bottom of the pan. On medium heat, add the onions and fry until softened and beginning to color (approx 10 minutes). Stir in the chillies, garlic, ginger, ground spices, cardamon seeds and bay leaves. Cook for approximately 1 minute. Pour in coconut milk, chopped tomatoes, stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer half covered for approximately 5 minutes. Add the fish chunks and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally and being careful not to break the fish. Cook for about 10 minutes until the fish is cooked through. Add in the lime juice.

My brother and I both enjoyed it, however it was no where near as good as the one I had from Curry Twist so I was rather disappointed. My brother had nothing to compare it to and happily took it for lunch the next day!

Baked Zucchini Fries

Well yummy! Both my brother and I were quite surprised at how good these were. They call them the "healthier alternative" to french fries. Now I would never cut french fries out of my diet... because I'm not psycho and I love potatoes. But I would certainly make these again. As my brother went for a second helping of zucchini fries he said quietly to himself  "these make me happy". Serve zucchini fries with marinara sauce. I just heated up a bottle we had in the cupboard because I didn't want to make one.

The chicken was also surprisingly delicious too. Marinated in olive oil, dijon mustard, garlic, s&p, thyme and oregano. Grilled on the grill pan for about 7 minutes aside. Poured white wine in the pan and stuck it in the oven for another 4 minutes. 



Zucchini Fries

3 small zucchini, or 2 large
1 cup panko crumbs
2 Tbsp Italian Seasoning (I just used a mix of basil, thyme and oregano)
salt & pepper
1/4 tbsp garlic powder
¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 eggs

Preheat the oven to 425. Line a baking sheet (or two - you want them to be spread out) with aluminum foil. Spray with a little cooking spray (or lightly drizzle with some olive oil). Set aside. Start by cutting your zucchini. Cut off each end. Then cut the zucchini in half and then lengthwise. Set one piece on its end and cut it in half lengthwise. Cut that half in half. Cut that half in half. Stack the planks on top of each other and cut into strips. Basically just make them into french fry shapes. Combine panko crumbs, italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt/pepper and shredded parmesan cheese in a shallow bowl. Whisk the egg together in a shallow bowl and working in batches dip each zucchini strip into the egg and coat well in panko mixture. Set on a the cookie sheet. Bake for 12-15 until lightly brown.

They were actually pretty crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Like a real french fry! 

Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken

Turns out fettuccine alfredo is SUPER easy to make. I never new that.

I made this for dinner for my two guy friends and they tend to eat a lot so I made enough for 6 real people (or the three of us). Ross said it was better than Il Fornello (take that Il Fo!) and Will exclaimed "fuck ya bud" (excuse the language) when he took his first bite.

Ingredients:
24 oz dry fettuccine pasta
1 cup of butter
3/4 pint heavy cream (35% whipping cream)
2 clove of garlic
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 cup grated Romano cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmasean cheese
salt and pepper to taste
sliced green onions top top

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add fettuccine and cook until al dente. Drain. While the pasta is cooking, in a large saucepan, melt butter. Add crushed garlic. Let the butter and garlic begin to boil. Add in cream. Stir. Add in nutmeg. Stir. Add in cheeses. Stir. The sauce will begin to thicken. Stir. Add salt and pepper to taste.... Stir. Add pasta and guess what... STIR!

Now if you'd like this to be fettuccine alfredo with chicken, this is now where you would add the chicken. We BBQ'd chicken which was marinated in olive oil, garlic, lemon, basil, hot pepper flakes, s&p. Sliced it into bite size pieces.

Top with the sliced green onions. STIR. Just kidding.

Penne with Rainbow Chard and Farmer's Market Sausage

 There is a farmers market by my house that I never have a chance to go to because it finishes before I get home from work. I've been getting off work early this week because I'm covering for someone who is on vacation, so I got to go. My mom and I went down and spent way too much money... but we got some great stuff!!

I saw rainbow chard, which to be honest I've never used before, and got really excited. It was just so pretty and colorful. So we bought it. We also got the most delicious sausages ever. They were pork sausages but according to the vendor they were fashioned after wild boar sausages... whatever that means. But seriously, they were so good. And I will return and get more next chance I get!

Ingredients:

• 250 g rigatoni or you could use penne
• 1/2 bunch of chard, stems removed and leaves sliced
• 3 italian or pork and fennel sausages
• 2 tbsp pine nuts
• olive oil
• 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
• 1/2 wineglass of white wine
• good handful of grated parmesan... lots of it. And more to top 
• small knob of butter
• salt & pepper

Instructions:
Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and cook the rigatoni according to instructions.  Reserve about 1/2 cup of the pasta water when you drain the pasta to use for the sauce. While the pasta is cooking heat a pan on medium heat and toast the pine nuts until lightly golden.  Take them out of the pan and set aside.  Wipe the pan with a paper towel to clean remnants from pine nuts.

Heat a small splash of olive oil and squeeze the sausage meat out of their skins into the pan and with a wooden spoon break them up into small pieces.  Cook until the sausage meat has browned. Add the oregano, stir for a minute and then add the white wine and cook until half has evaporated.

Add the chard and cook until wilted and then add the pine nuts. The pasta should be done by now.  Drain it and throw it into the pan, stir through sausage and chard.  Add the butter and parmesan.  Stir through and then add a splash of the pasta water and stir through.  This will mix with the parmesan and butter to create a silky sauce.  If you need more moisture just add more of the water.  Taste and season with salt & pepper if necessary.

Serve with extra parmesan to sprinkle over the top

Chicken Enchiladas

Last week instead of having our burrito night (which has sort of turned into a regular thing, because damn they're good) we had enchilada night! I used this recipe from pioneer woman. Followed it pretty much to a t, but I used red enchilada sauce instead because its spicier and my brother told me to not be a wimp. And I used regular flour tortillas cause my brother sucks at grocery shopping!

Topped with chopped tomato, sour cream, cilantro and avocado. Very tasty ! I liked the burrito better, but I think that's because it has more tasty stuff in it.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Balsamic-Roasted Asparagus, Caramelized Onions and Mushrooms

I came home from work the other day to no dinner or no groceries. As pissed as I was, that allowed me to go to the grocery store and start fresh for whatever I wanted for dinner. I quickly hoped on to foodgawker and scrolled the options. I found a sweet potato gnocchi with balsamic roasted asparagus and caramelized onions and that got the wheels turning. The first recipe you bought sweet potato gnocchi, but I had no idea where I'd find that. The second recipe I found told me how to make it. I didn't want just regular gnocchi that I could find at the store, so I thought "heck why not. lets make sweet potato gnocchi for dinner!!". 

Sweet Potato Gnocchi
2 cups (500 mL) puréed cooked peeled sweet potatoes, (about 2)
1 egg1 tsp (5 mL) salt1 pinch nutmeg

• 2-1/2 cups (625 mL) all-purpose flour, (approx)

In large bowl, stir together sweet potatoes, egg, salt and nutmeg. Using wooden spoon, stir in 2 cups of the flour. Stir in enough of the remaining flour, 1/4 cup at a time, to make soft sticky dough that pulls away from side of bowl but still sticks to spoon and fingers. On well-floured surface and with floured hands, roll dough into log; divide into quarters. Gently roll and shape each quarter into 3/4-inch (2 cm) diameter rope. With sharp knife, cut each rope diagonally into 3/4-inch (2 cm) pieces. In large pot of boiling salted water, cook gnocchi in 2 batches, stirring gently, until floating, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to serving platter.

For the topping of my gnocchi I did this recipe , but added mushrooms, thyme and a chicken stock and cream.

I'm no professional gnocchi maker, but it was good and I'd certainly like to try it again. I found mine to be very dense. I had gnocchi at a restaurant in NY this past weekend and they were so light and fluffy. I will master it one day! 

Bruschetta Pork Chop

Recipe found here! I'm a weird person. I don't like tomatoes, but throw them in a bruschetta mix with balsamic, onions and garlic i'll eat them right up! Made this last night for dinner and it was very good. Nice change to a pork chop meal. This was really easy and quick to make. 


4 boneless pork chops
2 large, very firm, tomatoes, diced 
½ large red onion, finely diced
3-4 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for basting
1½ tbsp balsamic vinegar, plus more for drizzle
½ tsp salt
fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (or thinly sliced, whatever you prefer)
salt to taste
pepper to taste


Preheat your grill or BBQ. Make your bruschetta topping by gently tossing together the tomatoes, onion, garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, ½ teaspoon salt, and basil leaves. Set aside. Season your pork chops with salt and pepper on both sides. Grill for 3+ minutes per side depending on the thickness of your chops. Remove from BBQ and transfer to an oven safe dish. Top chops with mozzarella cheese and place under your broiler for about one minute, until the cheese is bubbly and slightly browned. Let rest for at least 5 minutes to redistribute juices. Top with a heaping spoonful of the brushetta mixture, and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

Grilled Fish Tacos

Inspired by the recipe from chow.com  :

Who am I even? If someone asked me if I liked fish, I'd say no.... but I'm trying! Fish and Chips last week and now Grilled Fish Tacos! I don't think I've ever had so much fish in such a short time span... maybe even ever! Just kidding. I've probably eaten it a handful of times. Today I made healthy Grilled Fish Tacos (quite an opposite to the not so healthy deep fried fish from last week). They were surprisingly good! Nice flavour and easy to make. Will make them again or some rendition of them!

We dressed our tacos with homemade guacamole, pico de gallo and sour cream! 

Makes 5 tacos
Ingredients:
3 Tiliapia fillets (or any other fresh firm white fish)
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 tbs vegetable oil (plus more for grill)
Salt & Pepper
3 limes
3 gloves of garlic, chopped or crushed individually
1/2 white onion
1 tomato
1/2 jalapeno (depending on how hot it is!)
small handful of cilantro (bad measurement, sorry)
1 tsp olive oil
1 ripe avocado
5 flour or corn tortillas (we used corn)
Sour Cream

1. Place fish fillets in a bowl or deep dish. Squeeze 1 lime (or 1/2 depending on how big your limes are... mine were small) over it.  Add 1 clove of garlic, cumin, chili powder and vegetable oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Turn fish in marinade until evenly coated. Put in fridge and let marinate for 15-30 minutes. 
2. While the fish is marinating, prepare the guacamole and pico de gallo.  

• Guacamole: cut the avocado in half, take out the pit and remove the skin. In a bowl, mash the avocado until smooth (you can have little chunks.. this isn't fancy guac!). Squeeze in 1 lime. Add 1 clove of garlic, salt and pepper. Mix together.  
• Pico de gallo: dice the tomato and put in a bowl. Dice half an onion and add it to the bowl. Chop up cilantro and add to the polo. Squeeze 1 lime in the bowl. Add one clove of garlic. Add chopped up jalapeno. I got my brother to test the jalapeno before I added it because sometimes they're crazy hot and other times they're not. Mix it all together!

3. Warm the tortillas by heating a medium frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tortilla at a time, flipping to warm both sides, about 5 minutes total. Wrap the warm tortillas in a clean dishcloth and set aside while you prepare the fish.
4. Brush the grates of a grill pan or outdoor grill with oil and heat over medium-high heat until hot. Remove the fish from the marinade and place on the grill.
5. Cook without moving until the underside of the fish has grill marks and is white and opaque on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Flip and grill the other side until white and opaque, about 2 to 3 minutes more. (It’s OK if it breaks apart while you’re flipping.) Transfer to a cutting board or plate. Break up the fish.
6. Prepare the taco!  Take the warm tortilla and top with guacamole, fish, pico de gallo, sour cream and a little fresh cilantro. And maybe some hot sauce too!

Beef and Bean Burritos

Happy Cinco de Mayo! We had burritos planned for Tuesday until I realized today was Cinco de Mayo and thought it be more appropriate today. These were muy delicioso!! I was full after one but craving more and my brother helped himself to a second one.

Recipe below makes 4-5 burritos.

1 lb lean ground beef
1 white onion, chopped
1 can (246 ml) red enchilada sauce
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 can refried beans
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese (plus extra for sprinkling)
1 package mexican rice (its a thing... from old el paso)
1 avocado (either made into guacamole or chopped if not ready for guac)
Shredded (chopped) lettuce
Source cream
Cilantro
Flour tortillas

Start the rice and follow the instructions on the box. The rice takes approximately 20 minutes to cook. Brown the beef in a frying pan over medium high heat. Once the meat begins to brown, add chopped onions. Cook for a few minutes and then add the cumin, oregano, chili and garlic powder. Cook for a minute. Add 1/2 the can of sauce. Reduce heat to low. Heat up refried beans in a pot. Add 1/3 of the cheese to the beans. Prepare your burrito... I did mine in this order: refried beans, rice, beef, cheese, avocado, lettuce. Fold the burrito closed and place in a baking pan, seam side down. Once you've prepared the 4-5 burritos, pour the remained on the enchilada sauce over top and sprinkle the remaining cheese. Cook under the broiler until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Top with sour cream and cilantro.

Beer Battered Fish and Homemade Fries

I have a deep fryer I've never used so my brother and I decided to try out making our own homemade beer battered fish and chips! It was pretty delicious except it wasn't crispy enough (even though the picture makes it look pretty crispy). Next time I'll probably add some baking soda to the batter and increase the heat of the deep fryer.

Batter:
5 pieces of Tilapia (or any other white fish - halibut)
1 cup all-purpose flour + a little extra
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons paprika
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground pepper
1 egg, beaten,
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle of beer

Heat vegetable oil in a deep fryer to 365 degrees F. Rinse fish and pat dry. Sprinkle with pepper and cover with the extra flour.

Combine 1 cup of flour, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper in a bowl. Stir egg into dry ingredients. Gradually mix in beer until a thin batter is formed. Dip fish fillet into the batter, then drop one at a time into hot oil. Fry fish for approximately 4 minutes until it is golden brown. Drain on paper towel and serve warm.

Orecchiette Carbonara with Charred Brussel Sprouts

I will admit I was a little disappointed in this dish because it had so many things I loved in it, but it was still good! I ate a big bowl and ate the left lovers happily. I just expected more!

½ lb. brussels sprouts, trimmed, cut into 1/4 or leaves separated
12 oz. fresh or dried orecchiette (or other small pasta)

2 oz. pancetta (Italian bacon), finely chopped (about ¼ cup)

½ tsp. coarsely ground black pepper

¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into piece

1 large clove of garlic

⅓ cup grated Pecorino plus more

2 large egg yolks, beaten to blend
Squirt of dijon mustard

2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided

• Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring often, until slightly crisp, about 4 minutes. Add pepper and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from pan. 
• Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid.
• Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in same skillet over medium heat. Working in batches (or all at once depending on how big your pan is), add brussels sprout leaves (and small pieces) and cook in the oil and pancetta grease. Add a squirt of dijon mustard and toss the brussel sprouts occasionally until charred in spots and crisp-tender, about 5 minutes; transfer to a plate and set aside. 

Add the pancetta back to the pan. Let heat back up.  Add ½ cup pasta cooking liquid to keep; reduce heat to low and gradually add butter, swirling skillet and adding more pasta cooking liquid as needed, until a thick, glossy sauce forms. (Taste as you go and switch to hot water once sauce is adequately seasoned.)Add pasta to skillet and toss to coat. Add Pecorino; toss to combine. Remove from heat; mix in egg yolks. Add reserved brussels sprout leaves; toss, adding pasta cooking liquid (or hot water) as needed to thin sauce.

• 
  
• Serve pasta topped with more Pecorino.

• 
  

Eggplant Parmesan

I'm zumba-ing in my kitchen while making eggplant parmesan. So much judgment coming from my brother. Mainly about the dancing... cause he wants me to speed up the dinner making. I've never made eggplant parmesan before but I've been wanting to eat it for a while and my co-workers were talking about it today so I thought heck, why not!

I looked at a few recipes and kind of mixed them... cause I do what I want.

Ingredients: 
2 italian eggplants, sliced into 1/2 inch to 1 inch thick pieces
2 eggs, beaten
3 cups Panko bread crumbs (mixed with 1/4 cup grated parm, salt and pepper, 1 tsp dried basil)
680 ml Strained tomatoes (such as Pasatta)
4 leaves fresh basil, chopped
1 clove of garlic, crushed
olive oil
1 onion, diced
pinch of red pepper flakes
2 cups shredded mozzarella (side thought.... why is it called eggplant parmesan if there is so much mozzarella?!?)
1 cup shredded parmesan

Tomato Sauce:
In a pot over medium heat, add a tsp of olive oil and the diced onion. Let the onions soften for a bit, approximately 5 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and half the chopped basil. Cook for another 3-5 minutes. Add the whole container of strained tomatoes. Add salt, pepper, hot pepper flakes. Cook on low-medium heat until you're ready for it.

Eggplant prep:
Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly oil a large baking sheet with olive oil . Put the beaten egg in one bowl and then bread crumb mixture in another. Dip the sliced eggplant pieces into the egg on both sides and then into the bread crumbs. Place in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 7 minutes a side. Broil for a minute or two to get some extra color at the end.

Use an 8x8 inch or 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover the bottom with the tomato sauce. Place a layer of eggplant slices in the sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Then the sauce and  repeat with remaining ingredients, ending with the cheeses. I then lightly sprinkled the top with some more bread crumbs. Bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown.

It smells pretty delicious right now. I hope it is as delicious as it smells. I'll get back to you. Yup, it was good. My brother helped himself to two helpings so he must of enjoyed it! Kind of loops like slop on a plate, but its the taste that matters! Bon appetite!

Quinoa Burger Topped with Sweet Potato Fries, Caramelized Onions/Mushrooms and Gruyere Cheese

Quinoa Burger Topped with Sweet Potato Fries, Caramelized Onions and Gruyere Cheese
makes 4-6 burgers

I found this recipe about a month ago. Tonight was my second time attempting this! When I first made it for my girlfriends and I, I made a little boo-boo and when I saw "2 cups cooked quinoa" I sort of (totally) forgot that quinoa doubles when cooked... therefore I made this recipe with WAY too much quinoa. I made do and they were still delicious, but wanted to try and make them again.

I made them tonight for me and my family... this time with the right amount of quinoa! The consistency was much much closer to what it needed to be. The original blogger said her burgers didn't fall apart at all when cooking, but I still am having that issue. However, after I flip them if they fall apart I just push it together in the pan and use the gruyere cheese to hold it together.

The original recipe uses "beer onions", however I keep forgetting to get beer before I want to make this. And I always have wine, so it is much easier to do that. I will definitely make this again and I think the addition of some gruyere cheese in the actual burger will help hold in together and make it even more tasty. I also will probably put a fried on top like the original blogger does. Because yum. The original blogger also uses "red quinoa" but I have a hard enough time trying to find regular quinoa sometimes in the grocery store, I didn't want to look.

Quinoa Burger
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 cup cannellini beans, mashed
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
** 1/4 cup gruyere cheese, shredded

4-6 buns of your choice
Gruyere cheese slices to top

Sweet Potato Fries
4 medium sweet potatoes, cut into thin 1/2 inch thick strips
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
salt & pepper, to taste
4 table spoon olive oil

Caramelized Onions & Mushrooms
1 tbs butter
1/2 large white onion
1/2 container of sliced mushrooms
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4-1/2 cup white white
1 tsp dried thyme

Instructions
1. In a bowl combine quinoa, mashed cannellini beans,  bread crumbs, egg, garlic, chipotle chile powder, salt and pepper. Mix well to moisten the ingredients and then mix in the shredded cheddar cheese. Mix well again and form into 4-6 equal burger patties.  Place on a plate and put in the fridge.
2. Pre heat oven to 425 F.
3. Place cut potatoes in a large bowl and drizzle with oil, chipotle chile powder, cayenne, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Gently toss to evenly coat. Spread on a baking sheet in one layer. Bake for 15-20 minutes, then flip and bake for another 15-20 minutes. You want potatoes to be crispy, not burnt.
4. While the fries cook caramelize the onions/mushrooms. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and mushrooms. Stir frequently until softened, approximately 15 minutes. Add garlic and thyme. The bottom of the pan may start to turn brown and some of the onions and mushrooms may get a little dark brown. Add in the wine to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat and let the wine evaporate into the onions.
5. Heat another skillet with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Grab the quinoa burgers and cook until gold and crisp, about 5 minutes per side. During the last minute or so of cooking, add the gruyere cheese on top and allow to melt. You may want to cover the skillet with a top to allow for faster melting.
6. To assemble the burgers, place each burger on a bun and top with the caramelized onions/mushrooms and sweet potato fries.