Tag Archives: Main Dish

Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Posted on September 17, 2012 | 2 Comments

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It’s been quite the whirlwind around here at Foodie Central! School, sports, Scouts and pure craziness hasn’t left a lot of time for cooking, much less blogging!

This sandwich is for Mr. Foodie. He’s a jalapeño popper junkie and I thought this would be right up his alley. This was a yummy sandwich and we both enjoyed it. I made this both with fresh diced jalapeños and with the canned roasted diced jalapeños. Our personal take was that the canned was much better and gave a more authentic popper taste. The fresh diced did not work well for us. I do believe if you took the time to roast your own fresh ones, that would be the best bet though, so if you have the time, definitely go that route!

The ingredient list is general, do as you see fit for with the amounts per your personal taste!

JALAPEÑO POPPER GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH

Ingredients:

-Sliced French Bread
-Butter
-Cream Cheese
-Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
-Canned Roasted Dice Jalapeños

Directions:

1. Butter one side of each slice of bread, and spread cream cheese on the other side.

2. Place butter side down on a non-stick pan over medium heat.

3. Spread a bit of the jalapeños on one slice of bread and top with shredded cheddar cheese.

4. Continue to cook until cheddar cheese melts and then top it with the other slice, cream cheese side down.

5. Once the outside of the bread is crisp and browned to your liking, you are ready to eat!

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Spicy Honey Chicken

Posted on September 2, 2012 | Leave a comment

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Way back when I first started surfing the Internet to find recipes, I came across this one on a great blog called Our Best Bites. I have made this recipe many times and have always enjoyed it, so has the Mr. Foodie and our Foodie children.

I will say that as-is, the recipe is great. However, I’ve also found it very forgiving. The original is made with boneless, skinless chicken thighs and while I prefer it that way, my guys like breast meat so I made it with cut up breast tenders and it was still yummy. I’ve made it leaving out coriander and chipotle chili powder when I didn’t have it on hand and yep, still yummy. I will say that I don’t think it is overly spicy, in the burn your mouth sense, after all, my kids eat it with zero problems – the honey glaze seems to really cut that down. I have even used Hot Mexican Chili powder in it and it never got off-the-hook spicy.

Although it makes quite a mess in your pan, it is worth it! Such a tasty, easy recipe, definitely worth adding to the rotation.

SPICY HONEY CHICKEN
Adapted from Our Best Bites

Ingredients:

-4 Large Chicken Breasts (boneless, skinless, cut into smaller pieces)
-2 Tsp Vegetable Oil
-2 Tsp Garlic Powder
-2 Tsp Chili Powder
-1/2 Tsp Onion Powder
-1/2 Tsp Coriander
-1 Tsp Kosher Salt
-1 Tsp Cumin
-1/2 Tsp Hot Mexican Chili Powder
-1/2 Cup Honey
-1 TBS Cider Vinegar

Directions:

1. Make a rub for the chicken pieces by combining the garlic powder, both chili powders, onion powder, coriander, salt and cumin.

2. Drizzle chicken pieces with oil and coat well with rub mixture.*

3. Heat a grill pan, coated with cooking spray, on the stove to medium/medium-high heat.

4. Grill chicken pieces until cooked through, depending on the size of the pieces, about 3-5 minutes on each side.

5. While the chicken is cooking, place honey in microwave and heat until it thins out a bit – 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir in the vinegar. Reserve a little to drizzle on at the end for serving.

6. Brush the honey mixture on both side of chicken pieces at end of grilling. I continue to brush until it is all used up and turn pieces frequently.

7. Top with reserved glaze before serving.

*You can mix chicken, oil and rub mixture in a large plastic bag or glass dish and leave in fridge if you want to do this part ahead of time. Just mix well to coat chicken pieces.

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Spaghetti with Garlic, Oil and Pepper

Posted on August 24, 2012 | Leave a comment

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I thought I would stick with a pasta theme and post this very simple, almost non-recipe, for Spaghetti Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino (spaghetti with garlic, olive oil and pepper flakes.) This dish actually makes me think of a dear friend of mine, as it is her favorite. She is someone I consider an ‘eating buddy’ and our general rule is never to order something on the menu that is either a) so simple we can whip it up ourselves anytime or b) made from ingredients that are common and can be purchased just about anywhere. However, if this dish is on the menu, she is ordering it – going against both of our eating out rules. Tsk, Tsk, Tsk…. But, I can’t blame her, I guess, I really like it too!

This dish is pretty spicy so I would definitely adjust to your personal taste and comfort level. I had honestly never thought of the exact amounts for this recipe as I have primarily always done it by sight and/or taste. I highly suggest playing with it to your liking as well.

Mr. Foodie and I ate it as our main course, with a side of steamed broccoli but it would go well with lots of other veggies and fish, shellfish or poultry.

SPAGHETTI WITH GARLIC, OLIVE OIL AND PEPPER FLAKES

Ingredients:

~10 Oz. Spaghetti
-3 Garlic Cloves, finely minced
-1 (to 1 1/2) Tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
-1/3 Cup Extra Virgin Olive
-3/4 Tsp Salt
-1/2 Tsp Coarsely Ground Black Pepper

Directions:

1. Boil Spaghetti noodles in salted water until al dente. They should have a little bite and not be overlooked at all.

2. Drain spaghetti well and place in serving bowl.

3. Add all other ingredients to Spaghetti and toss until well coated.

Note: This can be served warm or at room temperature. If you choose to serve at room temp, be sure to re-toss before serving.

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Foodbuzz Tastemaker: Van de Kamp’s Parchment Bake

Posted on March 27, 2012 | 1 Comment

The good folks over at Foodbuzz chose me for their Tastemaker program to review the new Van de Kamp’s Parchment Bake product.  The Foodie Family does enjoy fish, from the oldest to the youngest, so I thought this would be a good one to sign up for.

As you probably already know from reading some of the posts on this blog, we are a pretty busy household, especially during the week.  Between our family business and Foodie Jr.’s activities, some days it’s just hectic so a quick meal is definitely much needed.  We try to keep the quick meals as healthy as we can.

I liked the ease of preparation for this product.  And although I prefer fresh seafood when I am making it, this was a good quick meal.  We had the garlic butter flavor and I served it with a lemon veggie rice.  The garlic butter sauce was good and it went well with rice.  The fish was flaky and cooked very well.

Overall, I think this is a good product to have on hand if you have a fish loving audience in a busy household.  If you are interested in trying it out, there is a BOGO coupon here.

Thanks to the Foodbuzz folks for giving me the opportunity!

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BLTA with Garlic Mayonaise

Posted on March 24, 2012 | 3 Comments

It gets plenty busy around here during the week and sometimes we just need a simple, quick dinner.  This one generally pleases our entire family and is not too overwhelmingly processed and unhealthy which can be a problem when you need fast, fast, fast!  This can be thrown together in an instant!  It’s sort of a non-recipe, really… but, hey, I was hungry…

BLTA WITH GARLIC MAYONAISE

Ingredients:

Sliced French Bread (or your favorite kind of bread)

1-2 Large Tomatoes, washed and sliced

1-2 Avocados, sliced

Romaine Lettuce, washed and torn

Your Favorite Bacon, cooked (we like the thick cut Applewood smoked stuff)

For the Mayo:

1/2-3/4 Cup Your Favorite Mayonaise

3 Tsp Garlic Paste

Juice of one large lemon

Salt and Black Pepper to taste (I used about 1/2 Tsp each)

Directions:

1.  Mix all the mayo ingredients together well and refrigerate at least 15-30 minutes ahead of time.

2.  Toast French Bread

3.  Assemble sandwiches per your taste.

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Cali Roll Salad To Go

Posted on November 21, 2011 | 1 Comment

Foodie Jr. LOVES California Rolls.  He would eat them all day, every day, if I let him.  He isn’t too fond of salad though.  This was my attempt to compromise with him on a very busy night that had us on the go.  We keep a pretty busy schedule around here and being able to whip these up while he was at school for quick assembly  at dinner time was a big help.  I normally would make these with real crab but I had the surimi on hand the day I made these and no time to get to the store to buy lump crab meat.  (Shrimp would be just fine to use as well.)   Foodie Jr. will eat them either way, so I luck out there.  I do not think this is an earth shattering recipe or anything, but it might be a helpful idea to some, especially busy families.  You could easily replace the crab with tofu or simply load it with more avocado if you do not like seafood.  Mr. Foodie and I enjoy these as well and they make for a great, light meal or a quick appetizer for a gathering.  I generally make a platter of them at a time but it is fun to let your guests make their own as well.

CALIFORNIA ROLL SALAD TO GO

Ingredients:

-Lump Crab Meat (flaked) or Surimi (chopped), lightly tossed with Japanese or regular mayonaise.

-English Cucumbers, peeled, sliced thin and marinated in Mirin (or rice wine vinegar)  and black pepper for a few hours

-Avocado, chopped or slice per your preference

-Nori Komi Furikake (Japanese Rice Seasoning)

-Hearts of Romaine, broken in half to form a sort of lettuce cup to hold salad

Directions:

1. Layer ingredients onto romaine lettuce cup, I usually go crab, avocado, cucumber and top with furikake.

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Blackberry Chipotle Glazed Pork Ribs

Posted on September 7, 2011 | Leave a comment

Since BBQ season is sort of coming to a close, I thought I’d post a rib recipe Mr. Foodie and I made recently after we found ourselves with a refrigerator full of blackberries.  (Oh, the sales!)  I actually got this recipe out of a local grocery store handout and was quite enticed by the picture and the word ‘glaze’.  This came out good, with a balance of sweet and smokey flavors.  Mr. Foodie liked it a bit better than I did, I thought there was a little bit too much tang but I suppose this would also depend on the berries used so this recipe could vary batch to batch.  It was different and a nice alternative to our regular rub with BBQ sauce.  Enjoy these last few weeks of summer and get out there and grill!

BLACKBERRY CHIPOTLE GLAZED PORK RIBS

Ingredients:

3 Racks of Baby Back Pork Ribs

For Spice Rub:

1/4 Cup Paprika

2 TBS Sugar

1 1/2 TBS Chili Powder

1 1/2 TBS Salt

1 TBS Ground Black Pepper

1 TBS Garlic Powder

1 Tsp Cayenne Pepper

For The Glaze:

1 TBS Olive Oil

1 Cup Diced Onion

3 Garlic Cloves, chopped

1 TBS Chipotle Chilis in Adobo, seeds removed and chopped

3 6 oz. Packages of Blackberries

1/2 Cup Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 Cup Sugar

1 Tsp Salt

Directions:

1.  Mix all spice rub ingredients in small bowl and rub mixture onto each side of rib racks.

2.  Cover ribs with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

3.  In a medium saucepan, over medium-high heat, cook the onion until soft, about 4 minutes.

4.  Add the garlic, saute for 1 minute and then add the chipotle chilies and stir constantly for 1 minute.

5.  Add blackberries, balsamic vinegar, sugar and salt and then stir until well blended.

6.  Bring blackberry mixture to a boil, stirring frequently.

7.  Reduce heat to low and simmer until reduced to 1 1/2 Cups, about 35 minutes.

8.  Remove from heat and place in blender and puree for about 2 minutes, until smooth.

9.  Strain to remove seeds.

10.  Grill Ribs about 20 minutes over indirect heat.

11.  Brush the glaze on both sides of each rib rack and turn to baste about every ten minutes.

12.  Repeat the basting process 2-3 times, until the ribs are cooked through.

13.  When meat pulls away from the bone, ribs are done.

14.  Take ribs off the grill and let rest about 1o minutes, covered in foil before serving.

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Mexi-Dog

Posted on July 11, 2011 | 2 Comments

With the summer upon us and everyone out there grillin’ and chillin’, I’ve noticed a lot of hoopla surrounding hot dogs.  I subscribe to a good amount of foodie magazines and hot dogs seem like a big summer topic.  Not just what brand of hot dog is the best but what kind of toppings to put on your dog.  I have to admit, the first time I saw all the topics on a Chicago style hot dog, I was repulsed.  There was just too much going on for me.  But that was years ago and I’ve gotten more adventurous with my hot dogs since then!  Mr. Foodie and I decided to fire up the grill for lunch and do hot dogs.  He chose to go with a BBQ Bacon Cheese Dog, which is topped with exactly what it sounds like – bacon, bbq sauce and cheese.  I decided to get my creative juices flowing and came up with this Mexi-Dog.  I actually enjoyed it a lot.  It was definitely a step in a more interesting direction than my usual hot dog, which usually has some ketchup on it…maybe.

MEXI-DOG

Ingredients:

Your favorite type of hot dog, grilled

Bun (I suppose you could go really Mexican and use a tortilla but I didn’t.)

Toppings:

Avocado, diced

Onion, diced

Bacon Pieces

Jalapenos (seeded), grilled then diced

Mexican Crema

Cotija Cheese, crumbled

Directions:

1.  Place hot dog in bun (or tortilla) and top with as much or as little of the topping ingredients as you like.

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Gnudi

Posted on July 7, 2011 | Leave a comment

I had seen this recipe floating around several blogs recently but had never heard of it, or eaten it.  Gnudi, is basically a naked ravioli.  A dumpling of traditional ricotta/spinach filling served in a marinara sauce.  I used this recipe from Giada De Laurentiis.  I was puzzled at how the dumplings would stay together so I thought it best to follow the recipe as-is before I started making my own changes.  I recommend this recipe – it’s easy and tasty.  It’s also good if you are watching your carbs a bit.  Two things I think that are very important to this recipe are 1)  make sure your dumplings are well coated in the flour and 2)  use a low, rolling boil as a fast one will destroy the dumplings.  Happy Eating!

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Ricotta Gnocchi with Avocado Cream Sauce

Posted on June 7, 2011 | 1 Comment

I was lucky enough to be chosen to participate in Foodbuzz’ Tastemaker program for California Avocados.  We love avocados here in the Foodie household.  Foodie Jr. has loved them since he was a baby and they still serve as a go-to food for him.  Baby Foodie’s very first ‘real’ meal was a fresh avocado, which he just devoured!  I was very excited when my box of beautiful California Avocados arrived.  They were absolutely perfect – beautiful and perfectly ripe!

Like many people, we use avocados primarily for guacamole, in salads and on sandwiches, or we simply just eat them plain.  I have never really ventured into cooking them as part of a hot dish before so I definitely wanted to take the challenge.  I came up with this recipe.  Both Mr. Foodie and I enjoyed it. It was really rich and filling but I do think that gnocchi was the perfect fit for this type of cream sauce.   (If you don’t want to go through the step of making gnocchi, a store bought version would be fine to use as well.)

If you have not tried an avocado, I definitely urge you to get some California Avocados!  Not only are they delicious but they are good for you too.  They pack a heavy punch of Vitamin E and are a good source of potassium.  Get yours today and enjoy!

RICOTTA GNOCCHI

Ingredients:

16 oz. container Ricotta cheese, well drained

3 eggs

¼ Tsp salt

1 TBS Butter

1-2 TBS Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Flour for coating

Directions:

1.  Beat all ingredients together in a medium bowl, I usually use a hand mixture to get it blended really well.

2.  Scoop dough by tablespoon and form into small dumpling, coat lightly in flour.

3.  Drop in boiling water, they should sink to the bottom and are done when they float to the top.

AVOCADO CREAM SAUCE

Ingredients:

1 California Avocado, seeded and skinned

1 cup heavy cream

1 anaheim pepper, minced

1 tbs garlic paste

1 tbs fresh basil

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

1 TBS White wine vinegar

¼ tsp paprika

water

1/8 to 1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese, per your taste

Directions:

1.  Put  avocado meat, ¾ cup cream and all other ingredients except parmesan into a blend and blend until smooth.  This may be a bit thick so thin a bit with water to get a thinner consistency.

2.  Transfer mixture to a saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring in remaining heavy cream and parmesan cheese.  Heat through.  Serve over gnocchi.

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