andoullie hash w/ yams, black beans & smoked gouda

it appears it has been just over a year since my last post - holy cow!! the ironic thing is that my last post was in regards to some mexican breakfast food i whipped up, and well, that's exactly the same type of fare that i fixed this morning. i have prepared a mexi-style hash w/ some nice and spicy andouille sausage. see below:

        ~recipe: fills up 3-4 happy tummies~

- 2 andouille sausage links (uncooked), chopped

- 1 very large organic yam, diced w/ skin on

- 1/2 can black beans, rinsed

- 2 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, minced

- red onion, diced

- smoked gouda, shredded

- farm fresh eggs

- 1-2 ripe avocados

- roasted tomatillo salsa (trader joe's in da bomb)

- fresh cilantro

- smoked paprika

- s&p

- olive oil

start by cooking the yam in olive oil over med-high heat in an oven-proof skillet (i prefer cast iron b/c the flavor is amazing). next, add sausage and then finally the red onion and black beans. season w/ smoked paprika and s&p. create "nests" within the hash, and crack your eggs into the nest being careful to retain the yolks as a whole (see pic - i broke one). sprinkle cheese over the top and place in a preheated oven @ 375 degrees-ish. as soon as the eggs are cooked to your liking, remove the skillet, top w/ more s&p and fresh cilantro. garnish w/ avocado and tomatillo salsa, and have a happy sunday.

sunday brunch = mexi-benny!

hello foodie friends!  gosh, i've been meaning to post more of my recent creations but have failed.  i want to make a vow: i'm going to start this very instant!  my most latest recipe came about for 2 reasons.  the first being that i had some leftover pork from some amazing "loaded baked yams" a couple of nights prior and the second being that i was seriously craving a good "eggs benny" sans hollandaise (b/c i never put the stuff on my eggs; i prefer just the yolk instead).

so here it is:

recipe: serves 1

ingredients
1/2 c leftover shredded pork (this was mixed w/ fresh garlic, jalapeños, black beans & hot sauce beforehand as well)
2 eggs, poached
1 whole-grain english muffin, toasted
2 tbsp guacamole
2 tbsp shredded habernero cheddar (pepperjack would be good too)
2 tbsp roasted salsa
fresh chives, minced
cracked black pepper & sea salt
hot sauce, your pick
reduced-fat cottage cheese (if you like cottage cheese as much as i do w/ breakfast!)

warm the pork mixture while you poach your eggs.  place the eggs in an ice bath and keep the pot of simmering water over the heat b/c you'll put the eggs back in for ~30 seconds to warm through when you're ready to plate.  toast the muffin and starting assembling: top EACH muffin half w/ 1 tbsp guac, 1/4 c of the pork and bean mixture, 1 tbsp cheese, egg, chives, salsa, s&p and hot sauce.  throw some cottage cheese onto the plate, bust the yolks and dig in!
 

poached eggs & pesto on toast

after just getting home from the gym, i'm already thinking of what to whip up for breakfast, and i'm in the mood for one thing - poached eggs.  so instead of making them and placing them atop a perfectly toasted english muffin, this time i think of topping off a hearty piece of dave's toasted bread (the best bread in the entire universe) with 2 delicately poached white pillows of runny yumminess.

now of course i can't just leave it at eggs and toast, and so yes, i've added a little bit of this and a tad more of that of ingredients like pesto and feta, oh and avocado of course...you get the pic.  dress it up anyway you want to, but i must say the flavors i used here proved to be not only savory but also totally satisfying for a post-workout munchie.  

recipe: serves 1

ingredients
2 eggs, poached in water and a splash of apple-cider vinegar
1 piece of dave's killer bread, toasted
handful of spinach, pan-fried w/ sun-dried tomatoes
sun-dried tomatoes in evoo, pan-fried w/ spinach
dash of pesto
dash of feta
sprinkle of basil, chopped
avocado, sliced
s&p

poach eggs and place in an ice bath until you're ready to reheat.  pan-fry sun-dried tomatoes and spinach together, top w/ s&p and keep warm.  toast bread and put eggs back in the hot water you used for poaching for 30-45 seconds, while you're assembling the toast w/ the spinach/sun-dried tomato mixture.  gently place eggs on the mixture, and top w/ pesto, feta, basil and additional s&p.  slice some avocado for alongside, and enjoy.

smoked lamb tacos & homemade margaritas

my hubby & i have a new-found friend whom we'd like to introduce to you as, "old smokey," and after only 2 go-arounds w/ our new buddy, i think i can vouch for both of us when i say we're completely smitten.

so early saturday, we got our boneless lamb roast all rubby-dubbed-dubbed w/ a dry rub we picked up in kauai, hawaii (one of "the best" dry rubs i've came across)...but you can use any kind of dry rub you want, really.  after the rub-down, my man took our lamb out to old smokey, whom looked after our little lamb roast for the next 5-6 hours or so.  

muchas gracias old smokey!

recipe: serves 4-6

lamb taco ingredients
~4 lb. lamb roast, smoked
dry rub
la tortilla factory tortillas (our fave brand), warmed
*taco toppings of your choosing

smoked corn & refried black beans ingredients
4 ears of corn, smoked for approx. 2 hours
ancho chili powder
evoo
s&p
humboldt fog goat cheese, crumbled

1 can refried black beans
fresh garlic, minced
red onion, minced
fresh jalapeño, minced
red bell pepper, diced
fresh cilantro, chopped
evoo
s&p
non-fat plain greek yogurt

smoke the corn cobs for approx. 2 hours, and then let cool and cut off the cob while standing it up in a bowl (for easier cleanup).  add the next 3 ingredients, mix to combine and then top w/ goat cheese (or any cheese you prefer).  

add garlic, onion, peppers, cilantro and s&p to a saucepan over med heat coated w/ a little evoo.  cook until tender, and then add in the refried black beans and cook until warmed completely through.  top beans w/ greek yogurt when plating, if desired.

as for the homemade margs......sorry, it's a family-secret recipe......and damn, they sure as tasty!

bozone beers, turkey burgers w/ homemade beer cheese sauce & baked yam & sweet tater fries

i'm quite certain this holds the record for, in fact, the "messiest" turkey burger i've ever created.  maybe this statement has something to do with the addition of the homemade beer cheese sauce i prepared......hmmm?  regardless, it sure was a tasty dinner for a relaxing friday evening w/ my man.  

we were celebrating a belated wedding anniversary and enjoying a little peace and quiet, during a short, weekend stay at the beautiful meriwether ranch in southwestern montana (complements of our dear friends, wells & renee).  these burgers & baked sweet tater & yam fries, served up w/ some ice-cold bozone ipa's, proved to be the perfect complement to a relaxing night in!

recipe: serves 3-4

ingredients

burger ingredients
~1/2 lb. ground lean turkey breast
~1/2 lb. ground sausage
1 egg, beaten
a bit of binder (i used 6-8 rice crackers, ground)
dash of worschetershire
dash of dale's sauce
fresh garlic, minced
fresh thyme, chopped
evoo
s&p
3-4 english muffins, grilled or toasted
*burger toppings of your choosing

mix all burger ingredients together and let marry for at least 1 hour and up to 6 hours.  form into 3-4 patties and grill on a charcoal grill.  place atop a toasted english muffin and top w/ your fave burger toppings.

*we used homemade beer cheese sauce, sautéed cremini mushrooms and yellow onions, crisp butter lettuce and avocado

"steak" fries ingredients

1 large yam, thickly cut

1 large sweet tater, thickly cut

evoo

s&p

ancho chili powder

fresh thyme, chopped

mix fries w/ all remaining fry ingredients (minus the fresh thyme leaves), and place on a foiled baking sheet.  bake @ 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes, flip and back for an additional 15-20 minutes until you achieve desired crispiness.  toss w/ fresh thyme and serve alongside turkey burgers.

pour some cold beers, light a fire in the fireplace, sit your booty on the comfy couch and dig in!  

thursday game-night food

yay for football thursdays!  i told my honey when he came home from work, "you have 3 options to pick from w/ this leftover pulled pork.  the choices were this - a bbq pork quesadilla, pork nachos or pork tacos.  to no surprise of mine, he said what he always says and that's, "they all sound great."  alright i thought to myself, and being used to hearing this sort of response, i made a decision and rolled w/ what i was thinking in my head - a bbq pork quesadilla.

recipe: serves 2

ingredients

leftover slow-roasted boneless pork loin (i made this 2 nights prior but marinated it for 2 days prior to that...pretty tasty stuff!)

2 whole-grain/low-carb tortillas, average size

good-quality cheese, shredded (we used yancey's fancy steakhouse onion aged cheddar)

yellow or orange bell pepper, diced

red onion, minced

garlic, minced

jalapeño, sliced

fresh cilantro, chopped

avocado, sliced

non-fat, plain greek yogurt

bbq sauce

evoo

s & p

warm pork low and slow in a skillet, along w/ peppers, onions, garlic and a bit of bbq sauce.  put 1 tortilla down on an oiled panini skilled (low-med heat) and fill w/ warmed pork mixture, cheese, jalapeños, cilantro and s & p.  place the other tortilla on top, and put the panini press on top of the entire quesadilla for even melting.  flip after 4-5 minutes, and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes.  plate the quesadilla, and top w/ avocado, cilantro, bbq drizzle, a dollop of non-fat, plain greek yogurt and s & p.

go colts! :)

garden-fresh caprese salad: 2 ways

i'm writing this post because for one, it's been more than 5 months since my last post (yikes!) and for two, i want to share 2 of my preferred preparatory techniques for making a longtime, summer favorite of mine, commonly enjoyed and known as the caprese salad.  it's basic, it's simple, it's yummy, and it's satisfying...enough said.

the traditional caprese salad often conjures up thoughts similar to the pic depicted to the left here, and although a quite simple rendition to re-create, it can be an extremely difficult feat to seek out a good-tasting caprese salad, in even the most finest eating establishments across the entire country.  in my opinion, one of the most common short-comings to a perfectly executed caprese salad seems to be the incorporation of using often under-ripe tomatoes, and i find the best strategy is to prepare this basic salad yourself, while using "ripe" fruit as the foundation for your homemade version.  


mmmmm...my of my...there's something about broiling these beautiful heirlooms that yields a subtle sweetness, which seems to pair quite harmoniously with the creaminess of the mozzarella and the twang of the thinly sliced red onions that with each bite, i think i've died and gone to heaven.  the only difference between the traditional caprese and my broiled version is the high heat and incorporation of red onions.  the basic, simplistic staples are still present in each version: wholesome, vine-ripe tomatoes (preferable heirloom), fresh mozzarella, basil, evoo, aged-balsamic, and cracked black pepper and sel gris.  therefore, the only suggestion i'm going to offer pertains to the broiled caprese, in which case i add thinly sliced red onions down over the top and place under the broiler until the cheese becomes bubbly and slightly browned.  also, i obviously add the basil after broiling, in order to retain the coolness and freshness that this vibrant green herb seems to offer to a variety of dishes.

fresh + simple = yummy + satisfying

perfect for an appetizer or light meal for one, this is definitely one of my favorite summertime indulgences, but only if the absolute finest tomatoes are the star of this food show.