Chicken Pot Pie

After making the pie crust, I needed to make the chicken pot pie filling. I'd never successfully made a chicken pot pie before, but I knew it needed chicken (obviously) and some mixed vegetables. I thought I'd throw some chopped onion in as well for additional flavor, and since there were already carrots and onion in the mix, I thought some celery would also go well. However, since I didn't have any, I substituted celery seed. I also threw in some oregano and bay leaves for good measure. The primary difference I made this time was that I just used gravy instead of using cornstarch and some combination of water, stock, milk, or cream as a thickener. I'm not sure why that made such a huge difference since gravy is basically drippings, corn starch, and some combination of water, milk, or cream, but it really did. Once the filling was complete, all that remained was making the crust. Although there's a wide variety of crusts available, I wanted to make an all butter pie crust, or pâté brisée, because that's what I think of as going with chicken pot pie, and I have it say, it was worth the effort! The entire apartment also smelled delicious while baking this pie!

Chicken Pot Pie

by CJ Huang

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
	1 pound			chicken, cooked and shredded
			2	onions, chopped
		1/2 teaspoon		oregano
			2	bay leaves, crushed
		2 cups		gravy	I wanted a drier pot pie so that not all the filling would come out, but if you wanted a more moist filling, you could add more gravy.
		1/2 teaspoon		celery seed	I didn't have any celery, but you could use 3 stalks (chopped) instead.
	12 ounces			mixed vegetables	I used carrots, corn, green beans, peas, and lima beans.
		1/4 teaspoon		pepper
			1	pie crust, bottom crust prebaked, top crust unbaked	I used carrots, corn, green beans, peas, and lima beans.

Methods:

1. Mix onions with gravy and cook until onions are translucent.
2. Add all remaining ingredients except pie crust and mix well over medium heat.
3. Pour filling into prebaked bottom crust, and form unbaked top crust over filling.
4. Poke some holes with a fork or cut some slits in the top crust before baking.
5. Bake at 350F until warmed through and top crust flaky.

Sofritas

I'd heard about sofritas before, and even tried them at Chipotle, but I always thought it'd be some complex and time consuming recipe beyond what I'd be willing or able to make at home. Then I thought about it some more, and going through some of the flavors, it seemed like you could simply scramble tofu in an adobo tomato sauce. Not too difficult at all! Part of the trick is to use really firm tofu. I've gotten the best results with an extra firm "restaurant" style tofu. I'm not sure what makes a tofu "restaurant" style, but I find it easier to work with than the regular extra firm. I'm even gotten away with just draining really well and not pressing the tofu, my least favorite part of working with tofu. So with the time I saved not needing to press the tofu, I used pan frying it before cooking it in an adobo tomato sauce. Pan frying first is an optional step, although pan frying it first will result in a different texture compared to just cooking the tofu in sauce. Any way you make it, you're sure to enjoy these richly flavorful, spicy, and savory sofritas!

What's your favorite type of tofu to use? Why do you like it?

Sofritas

by CJ Huang

Enjoy sofritas at home! Simply braise tofu in a smoky adobo sauce for some richly flavorful, spicy, and savory sofritas. It's easier than you might think!

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Yield: 4-6 servings

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
572 grams	20.25 ounces		3 blocks	tofu, drained	I used an extra firm Restaurant style tofu.
98 grams	3.5 ounces		1/2	onion, diced
		1 tablespoon		cilantro
113 grams	4 ounces	1/2 cup	1 small can	green chiles	You could also use roasted poblano peppers.
		1/2 teaspoon		cumin
		1/2 tablespoon		oregano
		2 tablespoons		tomato paste
		2 tablespoons		soy sauce
		1/2 teaspoon		pepper
		4 tablespoons		adobo sauce	I used about half actual sauce and half pureed peppers from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.
		1 tablespoon		apple cider vinegar
		1 tablespoon	3 cloves	garlic, minced
		1/2 cup		vegetable broth

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Form sauce by combining all materials except tofu.
	3. Wrap tofu in some cloth, and put between two cutting boards, adding a small weight to the top of the stack to press tofu. (Optional - I skipped this step since I used the extra firm Restaurant style tofu.)
	4. Cut tofu into quarters, and pan fry until sides crisp. (Optional - I only pan fried the two sides with a larger surface area and not all six sides.)
	5. Add sauce from Step 2 and scramble tofu.
	6. Continue to scramble tofu until desired size reached, fragrant, and sauce reduced to desired consistency.

Shared with: Tasty Tuesday, Wednesday Showcase, Wonderful Wednesday, What's Cookin' Wednesday, Creative Ways, Thursday Favorite Things, Freedom Friday, Throwback Thursday, Foodie FriDIY, Bloggers' Pit Stop, Pinworthy Projects, Saucy Saturday, Happiness is Homemade, What's for Dinner?, Sustainable Sunday, Nifty Thrifty Sunday, Over the Moon, Melt in Your Mouth, What'd You Do This Weekend?, Turn It Up Tuesday

Latin American Sauerkraut

We recently got a head of cabbage, and I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it. Then James mentioned he thought some sauerkraut would be good, but I didn't want to risk making a whole cabbage's worth of sauerkraut only to not have it turn out since I remembered the last time I did, and we ended up discarding most of the batch. So I thought maybe I could make a few different batches. As luck would have it, I was also reading through Nourishing Traditions, and they have four sauerkraut recipes! I figured if I made 4 different batches, at least one would turn out, right? Plus, if they didn't, at least we wouldn't have to eat too much before moving onto the next flavor. I'll share these four sauerkraut recipes (regular, Latin American, Korean, Japanese) with you over the next weeks.

This week, I'm sharing some sauerkraut with a bit of Latin American flair. I'm not sure how authentic this recipe is since I've never had cortido and I didn't use any pineapple vinegar to make this Latin American sauerkraut. Even though I can't vouch for the authenticity of this recipe, I can definitely attest to it's tastiness! I really liked the flavor as well as the bit of sweetness onion added to this sauerkraut. You could also make this Latin American sauerkraut by using pineapple vinegar instead of whey and salt. Prepare everything the same, and then add enough pineapple vinegar to cover all the other materials.

Do you prefer fermenting with whey or pineapple vinegar?

Latin American Sauerkraut

by CJ Huang

A Latin American-inspired sauerkraut with carrots, onion, and a bit of oregano. Perfectly accompanies any Mexican or Latin American meal!

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: none
Total time: 10 minutes + fermenting time
Yield: 2-4 cups

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
294 grams	10.375 ounces		1/4	cabbage, shredded
104 grams	3.75 ounces	1/4 cup		carrots, grated
114 grams	4 ounces			onion, thinly sliced
		1 teaspoon		oregano
		1/4 teaspoon		chili pepper flakes
		1 teaspoon		salt
		1 tablespoon		whey	I strained some from my kefir. You could also strain it from yogurt. Just make sure it's got some cultures in it! :) Or if you prefer not to use whey, you could increase the amount of salt.

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Combine all materials and mix well.
	3. Place mixture into a jar, and press/beat down until liquid covers all solids.
	4. (Optional - Place a layer of plastic film on top to decrease exposure to oxygen. I like to use this layer of plastic film to slow evaporation and decrease air exposure, but as long as the sauerkraut is covered in liquid, you should be fine.) Allow to ferment at room temperature, tasting the sauerkraut to determine if it has fermented enough. Once fermented to your taste, store refrigerated.

Taco Seasoning

A quick, easy, and tasty taco seasoning you can throw together in minutes!

Sun-Dried Tomato Baked Brie

Soft Brie cheese melted together with seasoned sun-dried tomatoes for a fun and easy dip.

Infused Vinegar

Punch up boring vinegar by infusing it with your choice of herbs, spices, or fruit! Add flavor to your food with these flavorful infused vinegars.

Refried Beans

Refried Pinto beans flavored up with onion, garlic, cumin, and oregano.

Pizza Puffs

Pizza toppings encased in a flavorful garlic herb dough and formed into little pizza puffs.

Greek Style Green Beans (Fasolakia)

A simple Greek-style green bean dish cooked with tomatoes and onions.

Little Lasagnas

When I saw this recipe on Sensible Shoppers, I knew it was something I wanted to make. Aside from being lasagna, I'm just a fan of foods made small. I like lasagna, but I don't usually keep any of the lasagna noodles on hand. As fate would have it, I had some wonton wrappers left over from making Crab Rangoons, so I was all set to go! Most recipes also call for pre-cooking the noodles - to me, that's just inefficient.

So, with that background, I'm just going to go ahead and admit it - I've never made lasagna except in a slow cooker. Those things are great - just set it up, and then come back to eat. Except then, you've go this massive amount of heavy pasta, usually lasting quite a while (at least with you're cooking for two). These little lasagnas solve both problems! The wonton skins don't need pre-cooking, and the whole thing freezes well. Eat as many as you want, and freeze the rest for later. Each lasagna is already in an individual serving size, so you don't even need to cut and portion the lasagnas.



 
Little Lasagnas by Morsels of Life
Individually portioned little lasagnas made with chunky sauce and creamy cheese in a muffin tin.

Cook time: 25 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Yield: 12 servings

Materials:

• 1 pound ground meat (I used beef.)


• 1 onion, chopped


• 8 ounces button mushrooms, chopped or sliced


• 14.5 ounces tomatoes (Fresh would be great, but I didn't have any around.)


• 8 ounces tomato sauce


• 2 teaspoons garlic, minced


• 6 teaspoons oregano


• 1 tablespoon basil


• 2 cups ricotta cheese


• 48 wonton wrappers (about 1.5 packs)


• 3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Methods:

1. Cook and drain meat.


2. Add in onions, mushrooms, and garlic, followed by tomatoes and 3 teaspoons oregano. Simmer.


3. Separately, combine ricotta with remaining oregano and basil, mixing well.


4. Spray muffin tin and press wonton skin firmly inside. (I used a Misto.)


5. Place a layer of ricotta cheese mixture in each wonton skin, followed by meat mixture. Top with mozzarella cheese.


6. Gently press another wonton wrapper on top, and repeat the layers.


7. Bake at 350F until cheese is melted, approximately 10 minutes.

 

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Posole

Back when I found a can of hominy, I found a plethora of posole recipes, but I made stir fry and scrambled eggs instead. But now, I decided it was time to try posole as a soup or stew. Hominy is basically dried corn with the hull removed, usually by lye in a process called nixtamalization. This process not only increases the nutritional value, but decreases mycotoxins. Posole is a traditional soup in Mexico, and since corn was considered sacred to the Aztecs, it was usually only consumed during special events. Traditionally, it was said that the meat used was human, from prisoners killed in ritual sacrifices, but after that was banned, pork became the typical meat of choice due to the similar taste. The mixing of corn and meat in a single dish is also significant because ancient Mexicans believed that the gods made humans out of corn flour. I can't say how accurate that statement is since I've never eaten human flesh, but I did use ham instead of human (or pork).

Posole

by CJ Huang

A ritually significant, traditional Mexican soup that combines hominy, ham, hot peppers, and vegetables. Easy to prepare on the stove or in a slow cooker.

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
				ham, diced
				hominy
				stock/water
			1	tomato, wedged
			3	carrots, coined
			1	onion, chopped
			3 cloves	garlic, minced
		2 teaspoons		cumin
			2	hot peppers, torn	I used dried ancho peppers. They had a deliciously sweetly spicy flavor.
		1 teaspoon		oregano

Methods:

1. Combine all materials and bring to a boil.
2. Simmer an additional 5-10 minutes after onion turns translucent.

Beefy Vegetable Barley Soup

With all this cold weather lately, I think soup was called for. I recently made some beef stock, and I thought this soup would be an excellent way to use it! Not is was this soup tasty, but it was also quick and easy - taking less than 15 minutes, and even then, the majority of the time, you could be doing something else. Another option is to make this soup into a stew by adding some potatoes and beef. If you were to do that, you could easily throw everything into a slow cooker and let that do all the work for you to enjoy later in the day. However, I didn't use any meat, so it didn't take long to get this soup on the table. However, I did add some barley to give the soup some extra substance, but you could eliminate that or add more depending on your goals. Give this soup a try on any cold day, and it will be a quick and easy way to warm yourself up! And, like most soups, this recipe is highly flexible, and you could add or remove a wide variety of materials.

Beefy Vegetable Barley Soup

by CJ Huang

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
			1	onion, chopped
		1 cup		barley, uncooked
		1 teaspoon		Italian seasoning
		1 teaspoon		oregano
	1 pound			vegetables, chopped	I used carrots, peas, green beans, corn, and lima beans.
				water or beef stock

Methods:

1. Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil.
2. Simmer until barley cooked. (I turned off the heat soon after it reached a boil and just let the carryover heat do the rest.)

Notes: You could also throw everything into a slow cooker and let that do all the work, especially if you add meat, but since I didn't, it was pretty quick and easy to cook on the stove.

Stuffed Mushrooms

After making the lentil stuffed peppers, I thought I could make some stuffed mushrooms. Although since mushrooms are smaller, I wanted a more malleable filling. Thus, all the components are finely chopped or powdered. I used the chopped mushroom stems to give the filling an additional mushroom flavor. I also had a green pepper, so I thought I'd use that as well. I threw in half a serrano pepper for some kick, although you could just eliminate it or use some extra bell pepper. I used butter (because what isn't better with butter?), but you could also use bacon for additional flavor. Unfortunately, I didn't think of that until now, so I guess I'll just have to make these again! This dish is quick and easy to make, and I think it might even be easier to make in larger batches because then it might be worth it to use a food processor, making food prep much faster, although with the size of batch I made, chopping all the ingredients didn't take much time at all. This easy appetizer would be great to make for group gatherings!

What kinds of foods do you like to make for group gatherings?

Stuffed Mushrooms

by CJ Huang

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
			16	button mushrooms
		3 tablespoons		green onion, chopped
		3 tablespoons		bell pepper, chopped
		1 tablespoon		butter
			1 slice	bread, crumbs
		1/2 teaspoon		onion, powdered
		1/2 teaspoon		garlic salt
		1/2 teaspoon		pepper, ground
		1/2 teaspoon		oregano, dried
		1/2 teaspoon		paprika
			1/2	serrano pepper, chopped	optional
				cheese, shredded	I used sharp cheddar.

Methods:

1. Remove stems from mushrooms and chop.
2. Cook mushroom stems, green onion, bell pepper in butter.
3. Add bread crumbs, onion powder, garlic salt, pepper, oregano, and paprika, and mix well.
4. Stuff mixture into mushroom caps and top with cheese.
5. Bake at 400F for about 10 minutes or until mushroom caps are cooked.

Posole Stir Fry

I had a can of hominy, and I wasn’t sure what to make. I bought it not knowing what hominy is, but reading the label led me to conclude that it was some sort of Mexican corn. Although hominy is made from corn, it’s not like your typical corn on the cob. Hominy is basically dried corn with the hull removed, usually by lye in a process called nixtamalization. When I read that, I wondered if I really wanted to eat the hominy. However, apparently this process increases the nutritional value (most likely by increasing bioavailability), flavor, and aroma, while decreasing mycotoxins. When I did a search for ways to prepare hominy, lots of posole recipes came up, so I thought I’d give it a try.

After rinsing the hominy well, I prepared to make some posole. I knew I didn’t have any green chile peppers, but I thought I could substitute some chili pepper flakes for the spice. I also substituted bacon bits for ham since I didn’t have any ham. However, the biggest difference between what I made and posole is the lack of soup or stew. I didn’t realize that I had run out of stock and I didn’t want to wait until I made more, so I thought I would just take the ingredients I had and stir fry them together to make, for lack of a better term, “stir fry posole.” Having never eaten posole before, I can’t comment on how my (highly inauthentic) version compares to the original, but it certainly was tasty! All the flavors melded together to create something with a distinct Mexican flavor. This dish might be a good addition to Mexican night along with or instead of the usual dishes.

Have you ever bought an ingredient when you didn't know what it was? How did you use it?

Posole Stir Fry

by CJ Huang

A quick and easy stir fry featuring posole, along with some bacon and onions.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
			3 strips	bacon, chopped	or bacon bits
			2	onions, thinly wedged
			2 cloves	garlic, minced
		2 teaspoons		oregano
		1/2 teaspoon		cumin
		1 cup		hominy
		1 teaspoon		chili pepper flakes

Methods:

1. Cook the bacon, adding in the onion after some of the fat is melted, and cook until onion is slightly caramelized. If using bacon bits, just add onions to bacon bits and cook until onion is slightly browned.
2. Add remaining materials and cook until slightly done.

Pasta Primavera

Even though spring is still a bit away, I thought I could bring some of those flavors to the table with this pasta primavera. Pasta primavera can contain almost any kind of vegetable, but I chose squash, bell peppers, tomatoes, and onions. The classic primavera sauce is based on a sofritto of garlic and olive oil, but some also use a heavier cream or alfredo sauce. However, I opted for a lighter version that is still full of flavor. It's a tasty blend of vegetables and pasta, tossed together to create a colorful entreé. I also added some sausage to the sauce, but the focus remains on the vegetables. Although traditionally, this dish can be served cold as an appetizer, I chose to serve it hot as an entreé. I didn't take a picture since I forgot, but I got the picture from a different source, so it's not exactly what mine looked like.

What are some ways you like to take yourself to a different time/place with your food?

Pasta Primavera

by CJ Huang

Just toss some vegetables and pasta together for this tasty pasta primavera.

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
			1	squash, sliced
			1	bell pepper, sliced
			2	onions, diced
		2 teaspoons		oregano
		1/2 teaspoon		ground black pepper
		1 pint		grape tomatoes, halved	any other tomatoes could easily be substituted
		1/2 teaspoon		basil
		2 cloves		garlic, minced
		1/2 tablespoon		oil
		1/2 teaspoon		pasta

Methods:

1. Cook pasta following package instructions.
2. Heat oil and add onions, cooking until translucent.
3. Add oregano, pepper, basil, garlic, and mix well with onions. Add squash, bell pepper, tomatoes, stirring occasionally until cooked.