Thursday, February 17, 2011

Lettuce Wrap

Ok- new favorite thing- golden raisins, just sayin - so so good! Here is something we threw together because, lets face it, we did not want to go shopping :)

1 bag of wild and brown rice (steamables with carrots and broccoli)
Monterey Jack Cheese
Almonds
Golden raisins
Flour/corn tortilla/(or dare I say it) lettuce

If you are feeling extra healthy wrap said food in the lettuce and maybe garnish with a little sour cream. Healthy, yummy, simple, and light! Asher enjoyed most (no almonds for him) as well!

Happy Cooking!

Monday, February 14, 2011

Don't have a good name for it salad :)

ok so I was rummaging through my pantry the other day trying to decide what I wanted to put on a salad and it was awesome! So here is what I came up with :)

Golden Raisins
Sliced Almonds
Tortilla Strips (the crunchy ones)
Tomatoes
Thick cut cheddar cheese
Romaine Lettuce

so so good! I did find a blush wine vinegarette at Walmart that is really good!

Also if you are feeling extra daring try 2 parts olive oil - 1 part rice wine for a simple dressing. (also, if you want a little kick to it add some lime juice and cilantro!) Happy salading :)

Got a good salad recipe? Feel free to share! :)

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Goat Cheese Enchiladas with red mole sauce

Alright all- this was awesome! Thanks to http://www.toomanychefs.net/archives/001041.php for this recipe! We bought the mole sauce because in case you didn't know Mole is sooo hard to make. So we went to our local grocery store and bought some :) but it turned out really good! I used the almonds instead of the pine nuts and jack cheese. But the corn with the raisins with the almonds...heaven. So so good! If you try this let me know what you think!

Goat Cheese Enchiladas with Corn and Red Mole

1/4 cup golden raisins (Sultanas, in Brit-speak)
1/4 cup pine nuts (the first time, I substituted almond slivers which worked well too)
2 Tbs corn or olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic (well, two large cloves in my case)
1 1/2 cups corn kernels
1 1/2 cups grated Jack or Muenster cheese (I used Fromage des Pyrenées)
2 cups soft goat cheese
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper
1 cup vegetable oil for frying
12 corn tortillas
Red Chile Mole (recipe below or use a preparation)
1/2 cup crème fraîche or sour cream

Cover the raisins with warm water and set aside. Brown the pine nuts in a medium dry skillet, then remove. Add the 2 Tbs oil to the same skillet and cook the onion with the garlic over medium heat to soften, about three minutes, then add teh corn and cook for one minute more. Drain the raisins and put in a bowl with the pine nuts, onion/corn mixture, 1 cup of the Jack cheese, the goat cheese and the cilantro. Mix everything well together and taste for salt and pepper.

Fry the tortillas briefly in olive oil, drain them and fill them with the above mixture. Roll them and place them seam side down in a baking dish. Make the mole. (To this point, you can make them well in advance and refrigerate, covered.) When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 F (about 190 c). Pour mole sauce over the enchiladas, sprinkle with the rest of the Jack cheese and bake until heated through, about 20 minutes. Serve with the rème fraîche spooned over the top.

Red Chile Mole Sauce
1 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1 1/4 teaspoons each anise seeds, cumin and dried Mexican oregano (omitted the anise and used normal oregano)
2 /12 Tbs vegetable oil
1 small onion, finely diced
1 tsp minced garlic (1 clove, pressed)
1/3 cup ground mild red chile
1 oz Mexican chocolate, coarsely chopped
salt
1 tsp sherry vinegar

Toast the seeds and oregano in a dry skillet, then remove to a plate as soon as they smell fragrant. Grind in a mortar. Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the onion. Cook, stirring frequently for about for minutes, or until onion is brown on the edgets, then add garlic and ground spices and cook for one minute more. Remove from heat, let the pan cool for a minute, then stir the ground chile into the onions along with 1 1/2 cups water. REturn to the stove and bring to a boil, stirring slowly but constantly so that the chile doesn't burn. It will thicken as it cooks, so plan to add another 1/4 cup water to thin it out a little. (Mine didn't...) Add the chocolate and stiru until it's melted. Simmer for ten minutes, then stir in the vinegar to bring all the flavors together. Taste or salt.


Have fun and enjoy!