#42 Chiles Rellenos

It's about time I share a Mexican dish on the blog and this one is a winner. You may not want to judge this meal based on the poor pictures I took or the poor presentation on the plate, because it really is a winner despite its appearance. I once learned how to make this recipe from a dear Mexican woman, though had yet to try it on my own until this month. It is a bit timely in the preparation, but I think it's worth it. So best of luck and enjoy the spice!

Chiles Rellenos (Stuffed Chiles)

Ingredients:

4 fresh poblano chile peppers

1/2 pound ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

3 eggs, separated

1 cup shredded cheese (mozzarella if you like)

2 tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup oil

Directions:

1. Place whole peppers over an open flame (gas burner) or under the broiler. Roast, while turning frequently until evenly black and blistered. Remove from heat, place in a plastic bag, and let them sweat for a while. This will allow the skins to peel off easily. (This step is time-consuming and seems weird to be intentionally burning the peppers - but it's a must!)

2. While the peppers are sweating, cook the ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat. When the beef if fully cooked, add the onion, garlic and tomato. Cook for a few more minutes and finish by seasoning with salt and pepper.

3. Remove the peppers form the bag and peel off the burnt skin. Run peppers until cool running water to rinse away burnt pieces. (This is hard, but try not to break the pepper). After getting the peel off, make a small vertical slit in the side of the peppers and remove the seeds and veins.

4. Stuff each pepper halfway with the ground beef mixture, then fill the rest of the pepper with shredded cheese. Close the slits and try to fasten with toothpicks.

5. Whip egg whites in a large glass or metal bowl until thick and fluffly. Add the egg yolks and whip for a minute to blend in.

6. Heat 1/4 inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat the stuffed peppers with a light dusting of flour and then dip them in the egg so they are fully covered. Carefully place in the hot oil and fry on both sides until golden brown.

7. Drain on paper towels and serve warm. (Goes well with rice and beans!)

Buen Provecho!

#41 Peruvian Ceviche

As a teacher, I'm always encouraging my students to take turns sharing their ideas and listening to others. It's somewhat the same taking turns in the kitchen. Though Peruvian Ceviche is Walter's favorite dish and his specialty, I decided to take on the challenge while visiting my friend in San Diego. So here you go, my attempt at Peruvian Ceviche!

Peruvian Ceviche

Ingredients:

2 potatoes

2 ears of corn

1 red onion cut into thin strips

1 cup fresh lime juice

1 - 2 stalks of celery

1/4 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves

1 pinch ground cumin

1 clove garlic, minced

1 habanero pepper, seeded and minced

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 pound fresh tilapia, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Romaine Lettuce Strips

Directions:

1. Place the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water. Simmer until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, then drain, and set aside to cool to room temperature. Also boil the corn until it is finished and set aside to cool to room temperature. Place the sliced onion in a bowl of warm water, let stand 10 minutes, then drain and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, place the lime juice, celery, cilantro and cumin into a glass bowl to soak. Stir in garlic and habanero pepper. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the diced tilapia.

3. Set aside to marinate for an hour, stirring occasionally. The fish is done once it turns firm and opaque.

4. To serve, peel the potatoes and cut into slices. Stir the onions into the fish mixture. Line serving bowls/plates with lettuce and spoon the ceviche onto the lettuce leaves. Serve with ears of corn as well.

Buen Provecho!

#40 Cinnamon Rolls

Yum! Never having attempted to make my own cinnamon rolls, I was pleasantly and sweetly surprised by these treats. I look forward to making these for years to come as people visit or need a breakfast dish to share. Delicious!

Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup margarine, softened

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 (.25oz) package instant yeast

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup water

1 egg

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 tbsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 cup margarine, softened

1/2 cups raisins

Directions:

1. Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in margarine; stir until melted. Let cool until lukewarm.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 1/4 cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt; mix well. Add water, egg and the milk mixture; beat well. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has just pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.

3. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small mix, together brown sugar, cinnamon and softened margarine.

4. Roll out dough into a 12 x 9 inch rectangle. Spread dough with margarine and sugar mixture. Sprinkle with raisins if desired. Roll up dough and pinch seam to seal. Cut into 12 or more equal size rolls and place into a 9x13 baking pan. Cover and rise until doubled (at least 30 minutes - I did it overnight and it was phenomenal!).

5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and bake for 20 minutes or until browned. Serve warm.

Buen Provecho!

#39 Chicken Pot Roast

When I hear the words "Pot Roast", I can't help but think of a Sunday afternoon meal back home. And this is exactly what this meal turned into....a lazy Sunday afternoon lacking a plan. Turns out, chicken pot roast in my new roaster pan was pretty tasty.

Chicken Pot Roast

Ingredients:

4 potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 large onion, thinly sliced

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 tomato, chopped

1/2 cup mushrooms

1/2 cup white wine

1/3 cup Soy Sauce

3 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 cloves garlic, pressed

4 bay leaves

1 tsp dried oregano leaves, crumbled

1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed

3/4 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. paprika

4 chicken breasts, sliced

Directions:

1. Place all vegetables and chicken in the roaster pan. Cover with soy sauce, olive oil, vinegar, wine and spices. Stir until evenly coated.

2. Roast in oven at 375 degrees F for about 1 hour or until fully cooked. Remove from oven and let cool before serving.

Buen Provecho!

#38 Peruvian Kabobs

I love entertaining people. Not in the comedic or performing sense, but in the hosting and having people over sense. This week, Walter helped me host a little Peruviandinner party with some friends. While he did most of the work with the main dish: ceviche. I marinated some meat and made some kabobs along with apple crisp for the sweet tooth. We made a good team serving dinner this week and here's a yummy recipe from Peru to try if you please.

Peruvian Kabobs

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds sirloin steak, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

3 tbsp. red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons paprika (use aji amarillo if you can find it!!)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 - 2 onions chopped into chunks for skewers

1 - 2 green peppers chopped into chunks for skewers

Fiery Rub:

1 teaspoon ground paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

cooking spray

Directions:

1. To prepare the beef, combine the first 7 ingredients in a large bowl; toss well. Cover and Chill 3 hours.

2. To prepare fiery rub, combine 1 tsp. paprika, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, turmeric and

parsley.

3. Prepare grill or oven. (We baked ours, because we don't have a grill!)

4. Remove beef from bowl, discarding marinade. Thread beef along with onions and peppers onto skewers. Press fiery rub onto beef. Place kebabs on grill rack or baking dish in the oven. Grill for 6 minutes or until desired doneness, turning once.

(Thanks to http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/anticuchos-peruvian-beef-kebabs-10000000234994/ for the yummy recipe!)

Buen Provecho!

#37 Potato Pizza

Well, better late than never. As I looked at my blog this morning (it is January 11th of the new year - yikes!) I realized that I had fallen way behind. So though the dates and meals match up, I'm writing everything 3 months later. Oh well, this recipe was made in effort to rid my fridge of the many potatoes and vegetables I had on hand.

Potato Pizza

Ingredients:

4 potatoes, shredded

1 medium onion, grated

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup flour

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 zucchini, thinly sliced

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tomatoes, sliced

1 cup chopped broccoli

2 tbsps. chopped fresh basil

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1 cup shredded cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Coat a 12 inch pizza dish with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, shredded onion, eggs and flour. Mix well and press into the prepared pan.

3. Bake for 15 minutes. Spray the crust with cooking oil and bake for 10 more minutes. Place under broil and broil for 3 minutes (I couldn't do this "broil" in my oven - but it still turned out!). Once the crust is golden and crips, remove from the oven but leave the oven on.

4. In a large bowl, combine the zucchini, green pepper, thinly sliced onion, garlic and any other veggies you have. Toss to combine.

5. In a large nonstick skillet, saute the veggies until tender crisp.

6. Combine the tomato sauce and basil. Spread half of the sauce over the top of the potato crust. Top with the sauteed vegetables and tomatoes. Pour the remaining sauce over all. Top with cheese.

7. Bake at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) for 7 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Slice into wedges and serve.

Buen Provecho!

#36 Italian Pesto Chicken Noodle Soup

Without fail, within the first 2 months of every school year, I get sick. I lose my voice, I have a sore throat, I cough, I am miserable for a week. And for the last couple years this sad turn of events has culminated over a long weekend break. Boo. So here I am, with no audible voice and three days off from school. All the things I had dreamed of doing this weekend have come down to herbal tea, movies, blogging and cooking.

Wanting to prove this sickness that I am stronger than it, this morning I invented an exquisite chicken noodle soup with a heavy Italian twist. The Italian flavor comes from the homemade pesto I made last week for ladies' night, which works surprisingly well in a chicken and vegetable broth. So though much of my weekend has been limited to my apartment, I at least still get to enjoy some new flavors and good cooking. Now, the real question is, can I follow my soup with a cup of coffee? I may have a cup even though everything I read says coffee is not good for sore throats. Darn it, I'm living on the wild side, coffee here I come.

Italian Pesto Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

• ½ cup diced onion
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 6 - 7 cups chicken broth
• 4 tbsp. pesto sauce (I used my homemade pesto sauce from last week)
• 2 zucchini, peeled and chopped
• 2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 tomato, diced
• 2 cups broccoli (I steamed fresh broccoli, but frozen would work too)
• 2 chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 1 lime
• ¼ cup white wine
• 1 cup noodles
• Salt, Pepper and Cayenne Pepper
• 1 avocado
• shredded cheese

Directions:

1. Chop all vegetables and defrost chicken.
2. In large pot, pour olive oil and sauté the onion and garlic until tender. Add the chicken stock and pesto sauce. Add tomato, green pepper, zucchini, broccoli (if frozen add it with the rest of the vegetables but wait until the noodles go in if you are using steamed broccoli) and potatoes. Heat to a boil and then lower to a simmer, stirring often. While the soup is heating up, cut the chicken and squeeze one lime over the chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. After lowering the heat on the soup, add the lime-soaked chicken to the pot and ¼ cup of wine. Sprinkle the soup with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper (if you want some spice!). Cover the soup and let cook for 10 minutes.
4. Add the noodles and cover for another 5-10 minutes. Keep an eye on the soup, as soon as the noodles are done, the soup is ready!
5. To serve, ladle into bowls and top with shredded cheese and diced avocado. Yummy stuff.

Buen Provecho