Tag Archives: cilantro

Fresh Herb and Tofu Curry

29 Thursday May 2014

Posted by in Seattle, Soups, Vegetarian

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Herb and Tofu CurryOne of my later-in-life food discoveries was yellow curry. I had never really had it, or thought to order it, until my first job out of college. We ordered a lot of takeout…one of the places down the street was the diviest looking joint ever. Like, I would never go in there on a whim. BUT we had a “house account” there where we didn’t even have to use a credit card, they would just send us a bill in the mail…weird, right?Herb and Tofu Curry

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Spicy Black Bean & Quinoa Salad with Mole Vinaigrette

19 Wednesday Mar 2014

Posted by in Easy, Healthy, Meatless Monday, Salad, Side Dish, Vegetarian, Weeknight Meals

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Black Bean Quinoa Salad

 

We threw this together on a whim last night for dinner. It came together super easy and quick. It’s super healthy and flavorful. It’s totally portable and I’m probably going to bring it to work for lunch everyday. What more could you ask for, really?!?

To top it off, this salad is VEGAN!!! I was a tad skeptical of the “mole” vinaigrette, I don’t usually go for the mole dishes because I like to eat my chocolate AFTER dinner, thank you very much. But overall, the cocoa undertones are subtle and the chipotle gives it a nice spicy kick. This is not your everyday salad, although you may find yourself wishing you could eat it on a daily basis…

Recipe
Spicy Black Bean & Quinoa Salad with Mole Vinaigrette
adapted from Cooking Light
makes about 6 servings

Ingredients

For the Dressing:

  • 1 teaspoon grated orange rind
  • 3/4 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

For the Salad:

  • 1 cup quinoa (uncooked)
  • 1/2 cup slivered almonds
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 2-4 chopped mini peppers (or chopped bell peppers, fresno peppers, etc)
  • 1/4 cup pickled jalapenos, drained
  • 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 4 cups baby spinach leaves

Directions

  1. Cook the quinoa: Rinse the quinoa well. Combine 1 cup quinoa and 1 cup water in a small pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes until you can fluff quinoa with a fork. Let cool.
  2. Make the dressing: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl except for the olive oil; gradually add oil, stirring well with a whisk.
  3. Combine cooled quinoa and all salad ingredients except for the spinach in a large bowl. Add vinaigrette; toss to coat. Add spinach; toss to combine.

Black Bean and Cilantro Pesto Wrap

17 Wednesday Apr 2013

Posted by in Bloggerific, Easy, Healthy, Main Dish, Salad, Vegetarian, Weeknight Meals

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Compare my photo to the one at Thug Kitchen, and you will laugh.

Compare my photo to the one at Thug Kitchen, and you will laugh.

I recently found out about Thug Kitchen and couldn’t be more thrilled with a vegan recipe blog that simultaneously enriches my life with its wonderful teachings on not being an idiot about what you eat.

I highly recommend you go over there and check things out. If I swore as much on this blog as I do in real life, it would probably be close to what’s over at TK.

Thug Kitchen was recently nominated for Saveur’s Food Blog Awards as Best New Blog. Head over there and check things out, lots of blogs way better than this one are nominated!

Recipe
Black Bean and Cilantro Pesto Wrap
adapted from Thug Kitchen (Sorry TK, I’m not Vegan but sometimes I try to eat really healthy)

Ingredients

  • 1 large bunch of cilantro, chopped, about 2 cups
  • 2/3 cup slivered almonds
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon lemon zest 
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup vegetable broth or water (I used chicken broth, oops)!

For the Wrap:

  • whole wheat tortillas
  • Veggies (spinach, tomato, cucumber, carrots, lettuce, corn, avocado, etc)
  • Cream cheese

Put all the ingredients for the pesto in a food processor and blend until desired smoothness/chunkiness. You can dice everything if you don’t have a blender or food processor.

This recipe makes about 1 cup of pesto. You can mix the pesto with about 1 or 2 15 oz cans of black beans. Mix the beans together with the pesto and wrap it up with whatever vegetables you like: I took a whole wheat tortilla and added a little cream cheese (sorry vegans), spinach, tomatoes, carrots, and avocado. Other tasty options include cucumbers, red onion, lettuce, corn, salsa, black olives, lime juice.

The black bean pesto makes for an excellent next day lunch: I just mixed the leftover pesto with tomatoes, bell peppers, and then added fresh sliced avocado on top before diving in. Yum!

Bobby Flay Pork Satay

28 Wednesday Nov 2012

Posted by in Appetizers, Entertaining, Grilling, Main Dish, Pork, Sauces, Uncategorized

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Pork Satay with Homemade Peanut Sauce

My first Bobby Flay recipe, and it did NOT disappoint! Everyone loved this dish, and it came together relatively easily, despite a few ingredients I never have handy (coconut milk & thai peppers).

This was great to have for a party, we served these with homemade crab rangoon.

Recipe

Bobby Flay Pork Satay

Serves 4-6, with lots of leftover sauce!

Ingredients

Marinade:

  • 1 1/2 cups coconut milk
  • 1/4 cup peanut butter
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 Thai chile pepper, seeded and finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons cilantro
  • Salt
  • 1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch thick cubes
  • Wooden skewers

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, add pork and let marinate 2 to 4 hours.

Sauce:

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 Thai red chile pepper, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 1/2 cups coconut milk
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 cup chunky peanut butter
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro

Heat the oil in a skillet and add the onion, garlic and chili. Saute for about 4 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce, lime juice, coconut milk, coriander, and cumin. Thoroughly blend the peanut butter into the mixture. Bring the sauce to a simmer over low heat, stirring frequently. Stir in the cilantro and remove from the heat.

Preheat the grill.

Remove the pork from the marinade and thread on skewers. Grill for 7 to 8 minutes or until cooked through. Serve with the sauce.

Leftovers.

26 Monday Nov 2012

Posted by in Appetizers, Holidays, Main Dish, Sauces, Thanksgiving

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the surprisingly amazing leftover Thanksgiving Samosas.

What if I were to tell you there was a super easy, almost fool proof Thanksgiving leftover recipe out there that was totally original and made you feel like you weren’t actually eating leftovers?!?

Your typical Thanksgiving leftovers…turkey soup and turkey sandwiches. Still good! But not as original as these Samosas.

Yes, turkey soup and turkey sandwiches are incredible. But on day 4, they start to get a little old and you realize why Thanksgiving only comes once a year.

Leftover Thanksgiving Samosas with yogurt-cranberry sauce.

But these Samosas are AWESOME. I was convinced they were going to turn out terrible, as I was literally mixing all of our leftovers together with a few exotic spices like cilantro and curry powder. Plus, I am not too graceful with the puff pastry dough.

Once they came out of the oven, they got rave reviews. All of your leftovers are hidden in a cute little puff, and leftover cranberry sauce mixes great with plain greek yogurt as a dip.

Recipe

Leftover Thanksgiving Samosas

Adapted from Food Network

Ingredients

  • 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
  • leftover mashed potatoes
  • leftover stuffing
  • leftover veggies (I used green beans)
  • leftover turkey
  • dash curry powder
  • dash ground ginger
  • 1 tbsp chopped cilantro
  • leftover cranberry sauce
  • plain, nonfat greek yogurt

Directions (wing it)

Mix leftover mashed potatoes, stuffing, turkey, and cooked vegetables (such as carrots or green beans) together in a large bowl. Add a dash of curry powder and ground ginger. Add a tablespoon of chopped cilantro and season with salt and cayenne pepper. Roll a sheet of puff pastry into a 14-inch square, then cut into 25 smaller squares and place 1 tablespoon filling in the center of each. Or, if you are me, totally butcher this process and make uneven squares that come nowhere close to totaling 25. Don’t worry, the result thankfully still turns out well even if you aren’t gifted in the pastry design department. Brush the edges with a beaten egg (or, if you are me, the entire pastry) fold into triangles and press to seal. Bake at 350 degree until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Mix yogurt with leftover cranberry sauce for dipping.

Salsa de Chipotle

02 Monday Jul 2012

Posted by in Appetizers, Easy, Entertaining, Sauces, Uncategorized

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I think this is the first homemade salsa I have ever made in my life. It is easy, delicious, and SPICY. I may have gone overboard with the amount of Chipotle peppers…Sweaty Betty over here.

This salsa would be good served at a party as a trio – with guacamole and maybe another more mild pico de gallo or salsa. Chipotle has a very distinct flavor that really spices things up a bit, but not everyone can handle the heat!

Recipe

Salsa de Chipotle

From the May 2012 issue of Glamour Magazine

Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 6 medium sized tomatoes
  • Salt
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus 1 tsp. for pan
  • 1/4 spanish onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
  • 1-4 chipotle chilies in adobo, plus a little of the sauce (use less if you like things more mild!)

Preheat oven to 350F. Cut tomatoes in half, and place them on a baking sheet lined with foil for easy cleanup. Season tomatoes with salt, and place in oven. Roast for 90 minutes. In a medium pan, heat 1 tsp. oil, and saute onion and garlic until golden brown; set aside. When tomatoes are ready, put them into a blender. Add onions, garlic, cilantro, and chilies. Blend on slow speed, and add salt. Gradually increase speed while adding oil, and process until smooth. Serve with chips or as a sauce on tacos.

Guacamole, and Taco Bars.

18 Friday May 2012

Posted by in Easy, Entertaining, Events, Grilling, Steak, Uncategorized

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Only some of the essentials for a good Taco Bar…Bean Dip, limes, Pickled Jalapenos, black beans, guacamole, cilantro. Margaritas and corn salad doesn’t hurt either.

I don’t think I have ever met anyone who doesn’t like a good ole’ fashioned Taco Bar. So easy to prepare, perfect for a party.

Mmm…steak taco. I obviously like my steak rare.

And then there’s guacamole. Always an integral part of any taco bar or lonely chip. I like all guacs, and tend to make it different every time. Before I ever tried making it, I was convinced guacamole was this really hard thing to make…But it’s so easy to just wing it. Here’s a basic recipe:

Recipe
Guacamole
Serves 6

  • 5 avocados, pitted
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/4 cup chopped white or yellow onion
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
  • 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
  • 1 chopped tomato (if you like your guac “pure” you can leave this out)
  • Juice of 1 lime

Toss everything into a bowl. Mash, and salt to taste. Serve with chips.

Other additions to consider:

  • chopped red onion
  • pickled jalepeno peppers, plus a few tbsp. vinegar from the jar

Corn Poblano Salad with Chipotle Vinaigrette

15 Tuesday May 2012

Posted by in Easy, Entertaining, Grilling, Healthy, Salad, Side Dish

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grilled corn salad with tacos and a margarita? yes please.

I first made this corn salad last year after seeing it in Sunset magazine, and it’s been a hit every time.

I love corn on the cob, half the time I might say I’m a corn on the cob purist…it’s just so good the way it is. But there are just too many other good things to do with it! This salad is no exception.

I have one gripe about this recipe – the canned chipotle chile. Every time I’ve looked, they only have larger cans at the store. You only use 1 teaspoon for this recipe! I haven’t quite figured out what to do with the leftovers, or what else I could use as a substitution. If anyone has any ideas, let me know…

You can do a lot more with this salad. After serving it with a Taco Bar for lunch, I added leftover blacks beans. This addition might be the way I make this salad from now on.

Additionally, leftovers make an awesome scramble the next morning. (Thank you, Jordan, for being a genius).

leftover corn salad scrambled with eggs.

Recipe
Grilled Corn Poblano Salad with Chipotle Vinaigrette
From Sunset
Serves 4-6

Ingredients

  • 3 ears corn, shucked
  • 1 poblano chile
  • 3 tablespoons canola oil, divided
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped canned chipotle chile
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 avocado, cut into chunks
  • 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
  • 1/2 cup slivered sweet onion, rinsed, patted dry

Preparation

  1. Heat grill to high (450° to 550°). Rub corn and poblano with 1 tbsp. oil. Grill both, turning occasionally, until poblano is mostly blackened, 5 to 10 minutes, and some corn kernels have browned, 10 to 20 minutes. Let cool. NOTE: If you do not have a grill, cook corn in boiling water for 6 minutes, and let poblano blacken in a 450F oven.
  2. Cut corn kernels from cobs into a large bowl. Peel and seed poblano, cut into 1/2-in. pieces, and add to corn. In a small bowl, whisk remaining oil with lime juice, chipotle chile, and salt.
  3. Stir avocado, cilantro, and onion into corn mixture along with chipotle dressing.

Chimichurri Sauce

30 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by in Chicken, Easy, Grilling, Healthy, Pork, Sauces, Uncategorized

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This recipe comes from my BFF Kevin – it’s a good thing I told him about this blog, or he may have never given me the recipe! I guess I should say the recipe originally comes from his mother…but he passed it on, and just said, “It’s really, really good.”

I looked over the ingredients and was sold.

So Easy, so delish…I was dipping Wheat Thins in it to “test it” as soon as it was blended, and it tastes awesome immediately! Although letting it sit to let the flavors marinate together is probably the best idea…if you can wait that long.

I served it with basic grilled chicken and pineapple cilantro quinoa. Just so you know, I like cilantro. And lots of it. I may have had garlic breath for days after eating this, but it was worth it!

Chimichurri Sauce

Recipe

  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 4-5 jalapeños (fresh) whole
  • 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon ancho chili powder (I only had standard chili powder, still worked!)
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/2 – 3/4 cup cilantro
  • 1/2 – 3/4 cup italian parsley
  • 1/3 – 1/2 cup olive oil

Put all in food processor and puree to desired consistency.

Add 2-3 bay leaves. Let sit for an hour.

Keeps well for up to a week, in a sealed container, in the fridge.

Use to dress chicken, pork, beef or fish.

Pineapple Cilantro Quinoa

30 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by in Easy, Healthy, Side Dish

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A super easy, summery, and fresh quinoa dish! 

Minimal ingredients…tons of flavor.

Recipe

Pinapple Cilantro Quinoa

from Sing For Your Supper

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup quinoa, thoroughly rinsed
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup fresh pineapple, diced
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
  • salt

Bring the chicken broth and quinoa to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook for 20-30 minutes, until the quinoa is tender and has soaked up all the liquid. Stir in the pineapple and cilantro. Serves 4.