Cafe Rio Black Beans

I wish I had taken a picture of how our Cafe Rio salads came together. They were delicious. Too delicious to pause for pictures. We already have the meat and rice recipes posted, so I'm going to try to finish off the salad. As a side note, you can buy the tortilla strips in the salad toppings section at Smith's.

I don't really like beans, but these beans were delicious in the salad.

Black Beans

2 T Olive Oil

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

1 t Ground Cumin

1 Can Black Beans, rinsed and drained

1 1/3 C Tomato Juice

1 ½ t Salt

2 T Fresh Chopped Cilantro

In a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato juice and salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving stir in the cilantro.

Berry Cobbler

I made this berry cobbler last night, and no exaggeration, it was probably the best cobbler I've ever had.  It was so yummy! And that is why I can never make it again.  I could eat the whole thing by myself.   I hope that I wouldn't, but it's that good!  What made it so good?  The lemon zest, so don't leave it out.  And the tip to grate the cold butter instead of cutting it in was genius! 

Berry Cobbler
Recipe by Our Best Bites
3 c. all-purpose flour, lightly spooned into the measuring cup and leveled with a knife
1/4 tsp. table salt
2 1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
1 1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. (1 stick) salted butter
2 eggs
1 c. heavy cream
zest of one lemon or orange (optional)
4 c. berries (I like the three-berry mix, blueberries, raspberries & blackberries)
1/2 c. brown sugar
Streusel Topping:
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. + 1 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 Tbsp. butter at room temperature
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9×13″ baking dish and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, and citrus zest. Set aside.
Using a cheese grater, grate 1 cold stick of butter. Lightly toss the butter with flour mixture until it’s mixed evenly and crumbly (don’t over-mix here). Whisk the eggs and then lightly toss them with the flour/butter mixture until evenly absorbed. Add in the cream and mix until combined; the mixture should be quite sticky and a little lumpy (kind of like biscuit dough). Lightly press about 1 1/2 c. of the dough mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan and set it aside.
Toss the berries with the brown sugar and spread it over the prepared “crust.” Drop the remaining dough over the berries and set aside.
Whisk together the sugar, flour, and cinnamon for the struesel topping. Cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over the dough and bake for 45-55 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the crust is cooked through. Serve warm with sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Pork Chops with Apples and Garlic Smashed Potatoes

I found this recipe on pinterest and made it a few weeks ago but I'm just getting around to uploading the pictures so I might as well blog it now. I'm assuming this recipe came from Rachel Ray considering she is the only persons in the world who calls them "Smashed potatoes", and this recipe is De-Lish!


1 lb small fingerling potatoes (i wanted more so i did 2 lbs and i used red potatoes)
2 cloves garlic
kosher salt
4 half inch thick, boneless skinless pork chops
2 tsp fresh sage (i used dried)
freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 large red onion cut in to 1/2 inch strips

2 granny smith apples, cubed
3/4 cup apple cider
1/4 cup buttermilk

Put the potatoes and garlic in a saucepan, cover with cold water and season with salt. Cover and bring to a boil, then uncover and continue cooking until tender, about 15 minutes. Cover and set aside.

Meanwhile, rub both sides of the pork chops with the sage, and salt and pepper to taste. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat, then add 1 teaspoon olive oil and sear the chops until golden on both sides, about 5 minutes total. Transfer to a plate. Wipe out the skillet and add the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil. Add the onion and apples and cook over medium-high heat until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the cider.

Return the chops to the skillet. Cover and cook, turning once, until just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain the potatoes, reserving 1/4 cup liquid. Return the potatoes to the pan; add the buttermilk and mash, adding cooking liquid as needed. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with the pork chops, onion and apples. Drizzle with the pan juices.

Pad Thai

I made this tonight and it was really easy and good. I only used chicken because that is what I had. I also like it a little spicy so I added extra, I used red pepper paste. I think the peanuts and lime give it so much flavor so don't skip them.

Pad Thai

from Family Fun Magazine

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound dried rice noodles, linguine width
• 1/4 cup Asian fish sauce
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/2 teaspoon dried red chili flakes (optional)
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1/4 pound shrimp (about 10 to 12 medium or 14 to 16 small)
• 1 cup shredded carrot
• 2 cups fresh bean sprouts
• 1/2 cup chopped scallions
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• Chopped peanuts (optional)

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the noodles and turn off the heat. Let them stand for 10 minutes, using tongs or two forks to separate the strands as they soften and turn from translucent ivory to white. Drain the noodles, rinse them well in cold water, and drain again. Set them aside.

2. In a small bowl, stir together the Asian fish sauce, sugar, soy sauce, water, and chili flakes if desired, until the sugar dissolves and everything is well mixed. Set aside.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add the egg and scramble it as it cooks just until it is no longer runny, about 30 seconds. Transfer the egg to a plate.

4. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and swirl it around. Add the garlic and toss well. Add the chicken and cook it until the edges have mostly changed color, about 1 minute. Toss it well and continue cooking to brown it, about 30 seconds, then push it to the sides. Scatter in the shrimp, spreading them out, and cook until the edges have changed color, about 1 minute. Toss them well. Add the carrot and cook everything about 1 minute longer. Scoop the chicken, shrimp, and carrot into a bowl, leaving as much oil as possible in the pan.

5. Swirl the last tablespoon of oil in the pan. When it's hot, add the noodles, spreading them to the edges. Cook for 1 minute, until the oil sizzles. Scoop up the noodles and turn them over in a big mass. Cook them another minute, then turn them again.

6. Pour the sauce mixture around the sides of the pan. When it sizzles, place the cooked chicken and shrimp on the noodles, along with the bean sprouts, scallions, and cooked egg. Gently scoop the noodles from the bottom and turn them over. Continue tossing them to mix in the chicken, shrimp, and egg. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the lime juice and toss the noodles well. Serve the Pad Thai hot or warm, topped with chopped peanuts if you like. Serves 4.

Baked Chicken-Bacon Alfredo

I found this recipe on Our Best Bites and it is absolutely divine. I made it for dinner last night and will definately be making it again!

8 oz penne or bowtie pasta
1 recipe guiltless alfredo sauce (previous post)
2 chicken breasts, grilled and chopped into bite size pieces
6 oz cooked bacon, chopped
1 14 oz jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 cup chopped green onion, about half a bunch
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
salt and pepper to taste

Prepare pasta according to package.
While pasta is cooking, prepare alfredo sauce. When pasta is done, drain and add to sauce. Toss with chicken, bacon, artichokes, green onion and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Season to taste. Transfer to an 8x8" baking dish. Top with rest of mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20 min.

Guiltless Alfredo Sauce

For those of you who are like me, you prefer alfredo sauce over marinara. Its really hard to find a good alfredo recipe that you can make at home at actually tastes good. I've tried a lot of alfredo recipes and they all have the same problem. They are too thin. This sauce, however, is not. Its delicious, thick like alfredo sauce should be,its easy to make, and low in fat. I found it on Our Best Bites and it is definitely something I will make again! I'm sorry there is no picture.

Guiltless Alfredo Sauce

2 cups low-fat milk
1/3 cup (3oz) cream cheese
2 Tbso flour
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Place milk, cream cheese, flour and salt in a blender and blend until smooth. In a non-stick pan, melt butter and med-high heat and add garlic. Let garlic saute for about 30 seconds, do not burn.  Add milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for 3-4 min or until it just comes to a simmer. Keep stirring a few more min. It should be much thicker now. When its nice and thickened, remove from heat. Add parmesan cheese, stir it up and cover immediatly. Let stand for 10 min before serving. It will continue to thicken upon standing.

Buttermilk Syrup

Sterling loves french toast, and I must say we make pretty good french toast. But this syrup take sit to a whole new level. It is a thing of beauty. One batch makes quite a bit. It keeps well in the fridge too. It won't be frothy when you reheat it, but it still tastes good.

Ingredients:
1 cube butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. corn syrup
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Directions
Bring first five ingredients to a boil. Remove from heat immediately and add Baking Soda. That's it!