What are Chowhounds having for dinner tonight?

[kmills9408]

I'm making a delicious rice dish, I call it "Spanish rice", but I just made the name up. I roast pablanos, remove the skin, seeds and veins, and dice. I add this to onions and garlic that I sauté. I add cooked ground beef/turkey and season with chili powder, cumin, and cayenne. I add black beans, corn, and pre-cooked rice to the pan to heat up. I then cover the mixture with Mexican spiced cheese and put it under the broiler until it is nice and bubbly. I finish off with homemade salsa and sour cream, and some sliced fresh jalapenos for my fiancé...

An added bonus...only one pot gets dirty!

What are you having for dinner?

I'm hope this post will inspire me to try new things!

[kmills9408]

Since this post is still up and running, I guess it's ok that I answer myself...

I am having beef and barley soup tonight. I've never made it before, so I'm hoping it's delicious. I'm making soup because it's a chilly 70 degrees here in South Florida and I need some soup to warm me up tonight :) Don't hate me!

[Mawrter]

Leftovers! I had sauteed chard and roasted potatoes. I had a pound or so of crimini mushrooms that I had to move on, too. I sauteed them, then pured all the veggies into a six eggs, some milk and half a cup or so of roughly chopped Locatelli ends from a party. Poured it all into a buttered baking dish, 350 for a half hour. Delish.

[poptart]

Spinach omelette sprinkled with furikake, and toast!

[linguafood]

Very spicy Thai beef salad w/sirloin, shrimp & pork fried rice to have something warm with it. Though I'm hoping the beef salad will make us sweat :-D

[ArikaDawn]

Tonight is super simple and being thrown together to empty out the pantry/fridge. Whole wheat rigatoni with stewed tomatoes, garlic, basil, and creminis.(my SO takes a bit of butter in his serving as well as parm shavings).
Salad comprised of bits of romaine, kale, and baby spinach I have in the fridge with grape tomatoes and a simple red wine vinaigrette for my guy, and just the vinegar sans oil on mine.
Dessert will be the last of the weekends custard cake for my guy and maybe an apple with a bit of cashew butter for me, depending upon when we eat.
Then comes relief as we are liberated from all the odds and ends we needed to consume before they went bad =)

[swsidejim]

We had a great weekend of eating/cooking at my house

Saturday Dinner:

Waygu Ribeye steaks cooked just under medium rare
A whole Dungeness Crab
King Crab Legs
Red beans and rice

Sunday Lunch:

Crabmeat enchiladas
guacamole & chips
leftover red beans and rice

Sunday Dinner:

Simmered pork chops in onion gravyw/green peppers, and mushrooms
garlic mashed potatoes
green salad with green goddess dressing

All of the above served with plenty of cold beer, and tequila

Also all of the above meals were home made and from scratch.

[gini]

Zuni roast chicken
roasted sweet potatoes
braised fennel

[vvvindaloo]

Pasta allla Norma. Rigatoni tossed with a sauce of sweet Italian tomatoes, basil, and sauteed eggplant. Grate (large holes) ricotta salata on top.

[chicagosoxfan]

Tonight my boyfriend is making Tandoori Chicken. It's been marinating since yesterday. This is his first time making it. He hopes to become an expert at it so he can bring it for tailgates and grilling this summer.

I am preparing some duck confit for a cassoulet later this week tonight as well.

[LeBone]

Beer.

[mimilulu]

Roast free range chicken and low carb "fauxtatoes" (cauliflower puree). Glass of chardonnay. Bliss!

[Vetter]

Pad kee mao with pork, brocolli, red bells, and onions, and tons of thai basil. And a sparking muscato with.

[miss louella]

Vetter, is your pad kee mao recipe available online? I've been searching for the "right" one for years to no avail. Any help you can give would be MOST appreciated.

Hope your dinner was as delish as it sounds!

[goodhealthgourmet]

pasta puttanesca with sardines...and roasted cauliflower on the side because i've been craving it all week.

[linguafood]

I was going to make Thai beef salad, but then saw fresh wild-caught Hammerhead trout at the store, so I couldn't resist. The dealer said it might be the last delivery of the season... will pan-sear, serve with a white wine butter sauce and some rice w/peas, carrots & corn. Nothing fancy, 'cept for the fish hopefully ----

[Gin and It]

Dry run for the Superbowl- 3 flavors of baby back ribs (teriyaki, red bbq, and yellow bbq), red beans and rice, potato salad, cole slaw, and cornbread. Trying it out on my husband's band mates.

[alysonlaurel]

Sounds like excellent Superbowl food.

[gini]

Went to a potluck last night bearing bottles upon bottles of Elk Cove Pinot Noir. The other fine attendees brought: cured meats, cheeses, and olives to start; butternut squash soup; eggplant parmigiana; beer can bread; salad with apples & almonds; make your own ice cream sundae supplies.

[kmills9408]

I want to be invited next time!!!

[PBJulie]

I'm making these Ancho Spiced Steaks with Cuban Espresso Sauce. I made the recipe earlier this week, and my husband asked to have it again--must be a keeper!

http://www.peanutbutterandjulie.typep...

[littlegreenpea]

Sounds yummy!!

[Gio]

Last night (Thursday) Bloody Mary Salmon.
Wild Alaska salmon poached in all the ingredients used to make a Bloody Mary...and it was bloody fantastic! Served it with steamed broccoli and basmati rice pilaf.
Tonight it will be home made lo mein incorporating ground bison. Need a side dish...It will come to me ere long.

I can't remember the last time I made a thoroughly Italian meal. LOL

[Westy]

Crab cakes. not inventive, I know. I am using a recipe from G. Garvin. Looks pretty straightforward. Maybe a little spicier than some.

[souvenir]

Risotto with roasted asparagus and seared scallops. Was not expecting much because the asparagus is out of season (and so this batch came from a distance) and the scallops have been in our freezer for a bit. Perhaps because of lowered expectations, all elements were surprisingly, happily tasty.

[kayandallie]

Um, store bought chicken sausage (not sure of the flavor but it tastes good), spaghetti sauce out of the jar (a gourmet brand at least) over whole wheat noodles with parm from the plastic container over the top. Totally junk food maybe, but it sure is yummy. I got tired of my Riesling chicken leftovers (work nights are leftover nights) and by mistake pulled out from the freezer frozen black beans rather than frozen soup of some kind. Oh, well, I'm not complaining!

[goodhealthgourmet]

quick & easy comfort food tonight.

mediterranean veggie frittata with sauteed spinach, mushrooms & onions, roasted garlic, goat cheese, & leftover ratatouille from last night.

roasted tomato, thyme & sherry vinegar compote.

[Emme]

we had similar tastes tonight!

egg white omelette w/ caramelized onions and wild mushrooms (sliced portabellos, cremini, shiitakes, oysters)

roasted cauliflower

stewed tomato salsa

[goodhealthgourmet]

so funny!

i said in my post last night that i was craving cauliflower, but i had to use up all the other veggies i had on hand. i'll have to get some tomorrow. yum.

btw, i saw the orange cauliflower at WF today. have you tried it?

[Emme]

i've had the white, the orange, the purple, the broccoliflower... honestly, there's really no discernible taste difference. even those tiny cauli heads (at 2.99 each!!) don't taste at all worth their weight in gold. to me, the colored varietals are a visual, aesthetic commodity, perhaps appropriate for a party, but i wouldn't waste my money on them for a normal dinner/meal. that said, a friend of mine grows everything under the sun in his yard, and his homegrown cauliflower (white, orange, purple) are all head and shoulders above the storebought!

[goodhealthgourmet]

actually, the reason i would spring for the higher-priced colors is the added nutrition - specifically the vitamin A in the orange and the anthocyanins in the purple.

[Scagnetti]

Sweated reindeer sweetbreads en cocotte, sharp-boiled in a tepid coulis of dandelion, trout essence and devilled mushroom spores.

[LawSchoolGuy]

Really? Wow. I don't think I have any of the ingredients needed to make that, except maybe the mustard.

[gini]

Monday night: baked cod topped with mushrooms in a sour cream & red wine sauce with a side of potato and kale stamppot.

Tuesday night: scrambled eggs with kale & potato cakes.

Wednesday night: roasted vegetable & cheese quiche (for National Pie day), chocolate coated gauffre.

I recently made a huge pot of chorizo, spinach & sweet potato soup from the Oct Bon Appetit that has proved very tasty for lunches: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

[LaLa]

We are doing a little of this and that clean out the fridge from the week.Meatloaf, homemade mac and cheese, peas, creamed corn, mash potatoes that are going to turn into potato cakes, bar b que chicken, and a huge salad.oh and yeast rolls.

[LawSchoolGuy]

We had individual roasted game hens stuffed with a sausage/pecan rice stuffing, topped with a cranberry sauce. Turned out great!

Stuffing: mirepoix, then add rice and liquid of 1/2 chicken stock, 1/2 water*. Separately saute bacon, dice some kielbasa sausage (what I had on hand). Chop some pecans (left over from a pecan pie). When rice is done, mixed all together.

Game hens: Mix together butter and thyme, spread all over hens. Sear all sides in a pan (got to use my brand new 13" all-clad pan I got for Christmas =). Let cool, stuff with rice. Roast at 400 for 30 min. or so. While they were roasting, deglaze pan with some white wine. Add some chicken stock and a can of whole-berry cranberry sauce (didn't have any dried cranberries or cranberry juice).

Sauce wasn't quite what I was looking for - too sweet. Still good, but next time I'll use dried cranberries and cranberry juice, or maybe port.

* Note: I use Kitchen Basics Chicken Stock (which is by far the best imo, other than homemade). If I use only chicken stock for the rice its a little strong.

[jfood]

LSG

One question, why wait til cool to stuff. Why not stuff right before or use a pair of tongs to hold while they are still hot and then right into the hot oven to keep the temperature heading north.

If jfood might offer a view from the peanut gallery. Sounds great up til the can of whole cranberries. Jfood's mom used to make a "cranberry chicken" and jfood gets nauseated thinking about it, but that's another thread. When jfood was reading the thread it almost screamed for a maple glaze instead of the cranberry. Love the idea of kielbasa or andouille in this. Sounds simple and nice. Just a couple of pennies for thought

[LawSchoolGuy]

Maple glaze sounds good - I agree the canned cranberry sauce didn't work well.

I made a mistake above - I waited for the rice to cool enough to handle (can't stuff well without using hands), used tongs/hands on the birds (really weren't even that hot since I was just giving the skin some color)

[jfood]

jfood busy in the office so exercise caught the 630-800pm time slot last night plus dinner in NYC before a show on Thursday night so needed to average out calories. Pretty boring with high-temp roasted chicken with a frisee salad and gorg. Tried a new pie bakery for dessert plus a nice ripe orange while watching TV.

[goodhealthgourmet]

j,

gorgonzola and pie when you're WATCHING calories?

that's just so unfair.

[jfood]

G

That's what the orange was for, a substitute for ice cream. :-))

[amyzan]

We had kale potato soup and braised chicken legs from Alice Waters' new book The Art of Simple Food last night. (The chicken legs are adapted from a recipe for duck legs if anyone's looking for it in the index.) I did the red wine and prunes variation for the legs, and they're delicious. This was the last of the soup, and had simmered down quite a bit, so we just laid the chicken legs and braising vegetables in the soup bowls. I added some leftover brown rice to the soup as it warmed up, so the soup would be even more stew like. It was another really cold night, so this was just what we wanted. I've also made the soup recipe with chorizo, as there was a sausage variation and I had some in the freezer. It's a great basic recipe with lots of ways to vary it, hearty and comforting in winter.

[mirage]

Last night we had the meatloaf from the recent Gourmet - we didn't like it.

Have high hopes for tonight's dinner, though: A pork and cabbage dish from the Babbo Cookbook. Supposed to be cheeks, but we are using shoulder. Made the Prune Vinegar last night and it is tasty!

[mirage]

Replying to my own post to say that, though we did not like the meatloaf hot last night, it is quite good cold in a sandwich.

[JudiAU]

Enjoy. I've made that dish before (with cheeks) but without the vinegar. It was lovely.

[GilaB]

Ma po tofu over brown rice - stir-fry 1/3 pound of ground meat (I used turkey; I think pork is traditional, but I keep kosher) with 1 T chopped garlic, 1 T grated ginger, and 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes until it loses its pinkness, then add 1/2 cup chopped scallions and 1/2 cup stock (I used vegetable). After a minute or so, add 1 pound cubed firm silken tofu, and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring once or twice to coat. Add 2 T soy sauce, then serve over rice; I topped with chopped parsley for some color. This served two hungry people, but I didn't have any sides - it would have been awesome with a side of some simple stir-fried bok choi, but I was scraping together dinner with what I happened to have around, and that didn't include too much in the way of vegetables.

[Val]

GilaB, ma po is one of my favorite's but a member of our household is on a very low-sodium diet right now so I can't make it for a while...a very nice poster on this board, Mabziegurl, posted an awesome recipe for the ma po that includes Asian black beans (I use black bean sauce and rinse the beans off a little) and chili bean paste and rice wine that would take the place of your stock...it comes out quite spicy if you'd like to take your ma po to another level. I've also used ground turkey with great results, like yours.

[JiyoHappy]

I cooked a very rustic Indian dinner. A "saag" of turnip , mustard and baby spinach greens, cooked with garlic, ginger and green chillies. For bread, I made a thick roti of millet (bajra) flour. Everything cooked in whipped butter. For dessert, sugarcane jaggery dissolved in warm milk.
20,000 calories in one meal I think!

[amyzan]

That sounds so good! I love mixing greens for sabji, more interesting flavors. I've never baked with millet flour, though--how does it behave? I'm curious if your roti are yeast raised and the millet flour has enough gluten for that, or if maybe the roti are just a very lean bread without any leavening? This might be something I'd be interested in experimenting with in the future. I've only ever eaten millet as a grain.

[JiyoHappy]

This roti is an unleavened flat bread. It is true that the millet flour sold in the US has very less gluten, because it is diverted from bird/animal feed!
I use warm water to make the dough and knead it for about 5 min. Then let it sit for atleast 15 min and knead again for 1 min . The roti is not rolled with a rolling pin but flattened using "heel" of the palm, on a plastic or cheesecloth lined board. I keep the diameter of this roti at 5 to 6 inches only , b/c a low gluten flour cracks if extended beyond that size. Add 2 tbl spoons of barley flour to a cup of millet flour to avoid the rotis from cracking. The best skillet to cook millet or barley or cornmeal roti is the blue-steel crepe pan (10 inch) from William-Sonoma.

[amyzan]

Do you think cast iron would be a good second choice on the pan? That's what I make most flatbreads on at present.

[JiyoHappy]

Millet roti has to cook at a very high heat on one side and the heat has to be significantly lower when it is flipped to cook on the second side. It is very difficult to quickly bring down the temperature of a cast iron skillet , in about a 30 sec timeframe. And then bring it back upto very high for the next roti. I use cast iron for wheat, barley and chana( roasted black chickpeas with skin) flour flatbreads. But for sorghum or millet, it did not work out so well for me. Anodised Calphalon works good for all kinds of flatbreads though.

[amyzan]

I do have an 8 inch anodized aluminum calphalon pan, so can use it, though I'd have to make the rotis small. Thanks for the info.

[goodhealthgourmet]

" It is true that the millet flour sold in the US has very less gluten, because it is diverted from bird/animal feed!"

actually, millet itself is gluten-free, regardless of the source. [but there is the risk of gluten contamination during harvesting/processing unless it's done in a certified gluten-free environment.]

[JiyoHappy]

Bajra or sorghum flour for bread is traditionally sticky . Not as much as wheat or cornmeal, but still kneads well and not crack when heated. That is what makes it possible to make 12 to 14 inch bread without breaking or cracking.
When millets are bred and cultivated for animal feed, good flour quality is nowhere in the picture. So we have to make the best use of whatever is available and adjust recipes to the composition of the ingredients.

[karen2006]

We just had..hot and sour soup (my dad's recipe). Tofu stir fry with broccoli, yellow squash, mushroom, garlic ginger and sweet soy. Tomato egg.

[fern]

We just had tomato egg soup for the first time last week. Daughter's friend from China made it for us. What tomato egg dish did you have for dinner and do you have a recipe you can share? Thanks.

Made my first hot and sour soup today. Delicious.

[NYchowcook]

I made black bean quesadillas w/ chopped red pepper and mont jack cheese on sprouted wheat tortillas.
Mixed us some sour cream w/ chipotles & sour cream. Yum!

[foxy fairy]

Thanks for the threak, kmills, and the inspiration, hounds!

Tonight, I'm tackling two new (to me) recipes from The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen by Paula Wolfert (January Cookbook of the Month, woohoo!)--

Garlic and Lemon-Marinated Kabobs
This one is just boneless skinless chicken breast in little 1-inch cubes, marinated for three hours in a little mayo, S, P, and lots of garlic and fresh lemon juice. YUM. I'll pop it under the broiler, basting, for about 10 mins according to instructions. This is already marinating (3 to 4 hours) and the prep was sooooo easy. That enabled me to make another cool and slightly more involved dish to accompany --

Butternut Squash and Potato Pie with Tomato, Mint, and Sheep's Milk Cheese
Basically, this is like a potato gratin, but a snazzier version. One layer potato (mixed with parsley, mint, garlic), one layer squash (mixed with parsley, mint, garlic, Manchego, ricotta), one more layer potato. On top I poured a cup of milk, sprinkled on a little flour to form a "crust" for this pie, and drizzled on a Tbsp olive oil. This one cooks 40 mins at 350, then another 30 mins at 400. YUM. Fairly simple prep, although it's always a blast peeling butternut squash, right?!?! :)

What I like about these two dishes, and this cookbook too, is that once the prep is done, I can just sit back and relax/play on chowhound while I wait for the food to be ready. There's not a lot of running around in the kitchen like a maniac. Although, I think I'm going to try Jerusalem Salad too to accompany (as suggested by Rubee) -- basically romaine, tomato, cukes, with a tahini-lemon-olive oil dressing.

Tomorrow for lunch I'm going to make shawarma-esque wraps with the leftover salad and chicken and dressing. YUM! YUM!

[rabaja]

Great big steamed artichokes. Apparently that's all the bf wants. If that doesn't fill me up, I'm going to attack the NY steak left over from last nights dinner.

[rabaja]

I got lucky and came home to find little sauteed crab cakes to have with our monster sized artichokes.
Tonight it will likely be chicken legs braised Moroccan style with preserved lemon, cumin, coriander, chilies and green olives. Add to that some bulgur and sauteed escarole and we'll be all set. Super easy too.

[ziggylu]

Have some shredded chicken left from salads last night so we're having soft tacos.

Made a pot of beans and am grilling some calabacita as well.

[chelleyd01]

It is freezing here and getting ready for a nice snow storm so I got 2 small roasting chickens and (this is the first time Ive ever really roasted a whole chicken) rinsed them, put lemon slices and slivered garlic under the breast skin, stuffed the middle with more lemon, parsley and garlic, salt and pepper and lemon pepper from Penzeys. I put them on a bed of red potatoes with more garlic. I also sliced sweet potatoes and tossed them with OO, salt and cajun spice because I can't have white potatoes, just sweet. (SOUTH BEACH SUCKS!). I hope the chickens come out good...they smell good, thats for sure!

[hungry_pangolin]

A Spanish-inspired braised chicken (I use legs and thighs) dish: some onion, garlic, black olives, tomato, capers, anchovy filet, white wine, thyme, S&P. I made it last night so that I had only to reheat it today (starting to smell very nice as I type this). I can't decide between garlic bread or rice at the moment; baby spinach salad with a lemon/egg dressing on the side; bottle of verdello. A nice cold weather meal (about -10C at the moment).

[polish_girl]

It's cold and raining here in N Ca, and I also don't have much time to cook today. So I decided on what's in the fridge, and a one pot meal.
In my LC I put in cloves from 1 head of garlic, a dozen shallots, about 10 skinless chicken thighs, 8 quatered potatoes, a tiny bit of olive oil, a teaspoon of dijon mustard, lots of dried basil, rosemary, marjorjam, a bit of salt and pepper, some cayenne and a couple of tbs of bbq sauce. Mixed it well, added a tiny bit of water, covered and baked for 1.5 hours in 350C- it is wonderful! I had a bit already, just to taste it. Reheated it tastes even better! It will be served with a cucumber salad (salt, pepper, lemon juice, a touch of sugar and sour cream).

[fern]

mmm, sounds great and easy, too!

[nance]

What is a LC?

[Gio]

Le Creuset.

[Beaver Street]

I threw a package of Trader Joe's chicken asado in the crockpot on Sunday and added a bunch of salsa, chicken broth, etc., then shredded it up to make burritos all week. I'll top it with some homemade guacamole, lettuce, cilantro and cheese. It's been dinner for the last three nights, and although it's quite tasty, I'm definitely ready to move on to something new!

[Richelle]

Sweet Potater-Shepard's Pie is often made with corn..but yours sound good also, or should I say your Moms.

I had a busy day, so between two tasks, I browned cuned beef, then onions, added wine, herbs and stock, and it,s been simmering for three hours already, I will be serving the beef onion stew in a well of buttermilk mashed potatoes, and it has been snowing here, so comfort food it is.

[sweetpotater]

This weird casserole my mom left in my freezer and insists is "to die for." She calls it shepherd's pie, and it does have mashed potatoes and ground beef, but there is onion soup mix and frozen peas and some other things. As you can tell, I'm not too excited, but I need to clear out the freezer for our yearly pickup of organic cow.

[fruglescot]

sweetpotater,
I'm not quite sure if ground beef ingredient qualifies for Shepherd's Pie !?
Lamb or mutton is the traditional meat used. The Scots call your ground beef concoction by another name which I can't recall off the top of my head.
george shepherd

[mirage]

I'm not Scottish, but - Cottage Pie.

[fruglescot]

AYE! That's it. Cottage Pie. Have a Happy Robbie Burns day, Mirage

[Docsknotinn]

Coq au vin and Oeufs a la nage with choux paste swans swimming on a raspberry lake.
Ok so I lied.
Roast beef sandwiches with tillamook extra sharp cheddar and garlic hummus with mini pitas.

[fern]

Hot & Sour soup that I made earlier today and had for lunch. Used Barbara Kafka's recipe, though I made some changes including just using chicken broth from the freezer, no pork, and no eggs. Also, I had spicy tofu so I used that and used lots more shitake mushroom and green onion than she calls for. Also added a bit of hot chili oil and fresh ginger.

Have a new bamboo steamer so we'll have dumplings, although I am a cheater and bought frozen ones at the Asian market. I love using that thing!

Also a dish of fresh mandarin orange segments. That's it.

All in all a lazy cook's supper but it will be tasty and warming.

[poptart]

It is nice reading everyone's ideas...inspiring!

I made Scotch Broth in my new slow cooker yesterday, it came out great so I am happy to have leftovers tonight....leeks, carrots, celery, onion, very lean beef, mushroom broth, barley, etc.

Add peas and fresh parsley just before serving.

Perfect cold weather food!

[Obessed]

Salmon -- not sure how/what I will prepare with it. I'm thinking of trying Ina Gartens recipe for Salmon and Lentils, but not sure. If it's not raining maybe grill on some cedar planks.

[tatertotsrock]

I am making what my friends and clients call "fat-camp pasta".
They always make fun of me for it.
It's just shredded carrots, 2 bags of baby spinach from Trader Joes all chopped up, a package of crimini mushrooms thinlu sliced...I sweat out all the veggies, pour a jar of TJ's marinara over it, simmer and then pour it over some spinach and chive fetuccini noodles (also from TJ's)...it's just a basic fiber/veggie bomb that I serve with some little protien object...this lasts me about 4 days...it's my quick fix for busy weeks.

[kmills9408]

Yummy! I'm always jealous of everyone talking about the fabulous things they make using ingredients from TJ's...none here in South Florida!

[flipkeat]

We're having Mississippi BBQ'd pork done in the slowcooker ...When finished I'm going to pull it apart and serve on fresh homemade bread with a side of coleslaw..Mmm yummers!!

[farmersdaughter]

Braised Pork, Tofu and Shiitakes from this recipe, which was adapted from "The Breath of a Wok". http://sundaynitedinner.com/braised-p...

Along with it, steamed brown rice and on the side I'll stir fry whatever Asian green vegetable looks the best at the market today - bok choy, pea shoots, nappa cabbage, etc.

[jencounter]

It's raining here in So. Ca., so it's pasta e fagioli and crusty bread for dinner.

[goodhealthgourmet]

protein is definitely going to be the ostrich fillet i picked up yesterday. salt, pepper, chopped fresh thyme, and a quick broil. i need to use up the eggplant, peppers & zucchini i have on hand, so i'll most likely throw together a simple ratatouille, and maybe roast some brussels sprouts. although i suddenly have a craving for cauliflower...

[kmills9408]

Goodhealth--
Ostrich filet is my new passion, but I have been too scared to try it at home. I think I'm more afraid of buying it than I am of cooking it. I'm in South Florida and have yet to find it available retail anywhere near by. Where do you get yours?

[goodhealthgourmet]

whole foods carries it frozen - that's what i buy. the company is pokanoket farm - it comes in black boxes with blue writing. they also make patties of pure, ground ostrich - nothing added.

it's become my go-to red meat these days, i love it.

WARNING, though, that since the fillets are so lean and relatively thin, they cook unbelievably quickly. i like my meat pretty rare, so i broil it for about 2 min on each side, and it comes out perfectly for me.

if they don't stock it at your whole foods market, ask them to order it for you.

[Val]

So many great replies...this will be our 2nd time for this recipe, Stir Fried Tofu with Broccoli, since we scarfed it down 2 weeks ago...I used Nasoya Extra Firm cubed tofu and just pressed out the extra liquid before frying...I'm new to Braggs Liquid Aminos but have seen them discussed favorably on this board and we love them, the colors of this dish are beautiful too:

http://melomeals.blogspot.com/2006/05...

[nissenpa]

That looks incredible!!

[goodhealthgourmet]

val: so glad you're loving the braggs. have you tried nutritional yeast yet?

[Val]

No, but I did also buy the kelp granules...I saw the nutritional yeast but figured I was trying enough new healthier foods...will try that another time!

[karykat]

We're having chicken with cassis sauce from today's smitten kitten. Except we don't have the cassis stuff so we'll be using pomoegranite molasses or plum stuff or whatever looks rightr. Will make some rice with that. SO is in charge of rustling up a vegetable. For dessert: baked pears with nuts, brown sugar and dried cranberries with an apple cider/maple syrup basting liquid. We've been doing that with apples or pears based on a Claudia Fleming recipe. I like it because now it's mindless -- the nut mixture is premade and all I have to do is cut the fruit, stuff in the mixture and pour the sauce around. It seems like a real dessert but took 2 minutes.

[fruglescot]

Can you expand a little on the use of the POMEGRANATE MOLASSES,karykat I'm looking for uses. Check out the general boards for my thread. Thanks

[karykat]

I think the recipe (which was actually from the simply recipes blog, not smitten kitchen as I had thought) had suggested pomegranite molasses as an alternative to the creme de cassis. I knew I had the molasses, but when I went to my cuphoard, lo and behold, I had the creme de cassis after all. So that's what we used. And the dish was pretty good. A basic sauteed chicken with a wine reduction along with a little cream and a little of something sweetish, in this case, the creme de cassis. We thought it was good. I think it would also have been good with the molasses.

I haven't used the pomegranite molasses myself otherwise. I bought it knowing that it did have other general uses.

[tzurriz]

Spaghetti with homemade meat sauce and really good hot Italian sausage, a crusty loaf of bread, and a salad.

Hey, it's snowing out there. Comfort food is key.

[kalenasmith]

Everyone's meal sounds wonderful. I love getting ideas for everyday dinners.

We're having pan fried pork chops and onions, simmered with a little apple juice concentrate and chicken stock...oven fried sweet potatoes and steamed green beans.

[Kelli2006]

I just finished making chicken stock, and I still have a pot of red sauce that has been cooking for 4 hours. I'm going to serve it with whole wheat pasta, a baguette and a salad.

[alysonlaurel]

I got pork chops at the farmer's market on Saturday, so I'm going to make them with muchroom gravy, stuffing out of a bag, baby spinach sauteed with garlic and olive oil, and roasted butternut squash that I also got from the greenmarket.

[polyhymnia]

beans and chicken. I learned how to make these great beans from a friend who spent time in Mexico (the secret is beer as a cooking liquid and lots of cilantro) and I roasted a chicken yesterday so I'm going to pop a chicken leg into the cooking beans and put it over some lemon and parsley rice leftovers. Yum!

[guate]

I've been planning on a pot of beans with beer and on something with lots of slow cooked cilantro so you many have just what I am looking for! Mind sharing more? What kind of beans? What else? Thanks!

[cdog]

i am going with a nice piece of hanger steak. i am thinking a simple prep: pan roasted and finished with some butter and herbs. the side dish is up for debate, but i have some fennel and celery root in the refrig. i was debating a a celery root slaw or maybe a roasted fennel and onion dish tossed with some nice dry cured black olives.

[gastronomy]

kmills9408 your rice sounds really yummy!
happybellynh would you mind sharring your recipes for Indian yellow pea dal over brown rice and braised cauliflower? Sounds like a great meal!
Tonight Im broiling salmon with a herb dijon crust- Im have pasta for lunch so i think i will skip the starch tonight- maybe some edamame and a nice green salad to go along. :)

[kmills9408]

happybelly--I would love the dah recipe as well...mine always seems to be missing something, so any helpful tips would be greatly appreciated!

Also, what chutney do you recommend?

This thread really has inspired me just as I hoped!

[happybellynh]

Hello! I kind of wing the recipes, but here's the idea (which I probably got from Julie Sahni's Classic Indain Cooking once upon a time).

Yellow Split Pea Dal

Bring to boil 2 C yellow split peas, 4 C water, 1 t. salt. Simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Should be the consistency of thick stew.

Meanwhile, heat 2 T ghee to high, add 2 t. cumin seeds and 1.5 C diced onion. Lower heat, and cook until onions are fully browned (45 mins). Pour over dal and sprinkle with fresh cilantro. Salt to taste.

Braised Cauliflower

Heat 2 T ghee to high, add (all at once) 1 chopped chili, 1 T fresh minced ginger, 1 t. coriander seeds, 1/2 t. turmeric, stir briefly, then add 1 head caul flowerettes. Stir, then add 1 C hot water, bring to a simmer, cover, lower heat, cook 20 mins til 'al dente'. remove cover, and cook a few minutes to allow liquid to evaporate.

I don't have a favorite chutney... I'm still trying them all. The fig stuff was great- I found it at Whole Foods, in a new line of refrigerated all natural Indian products... but I don't remember the name, and I can't seem to find it online.

Good luck!

[kmills9408]

Thanks so much! I can't wait to try this out. The fig chutney sounds wonderful and, unlike tj's, I have a whole foods near me.

[foxy fairy]

guate --

I used to make this yummy sauce in the Original Moosewood Cookbbok with beer, tomatoes, bell pepper, spicies, a few other goodies, and mild white cheese. She calls it "Nachos Sauce" but I served it over black beans or pinto beans, or sometimes I would bake the beans with the sauce for a while.
Roughly, you need:
1 1/2 cup chopped onion, 3/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp umin, 12 tsp coriander, 1/4 tsp cayenne (or my new fave, Aleppo chile!)
a big red bell pepper
a few good-lookin' tomatoes, peeled, seeded, chopped
2 Tbsp flour
12 oz beer/ale, but not too bitter
3 minced cloves galirc
a couple of tsps sugar in case the beer is bitter
2 cups packed mild white cheese, shredded

Sautee the onion, Add spices and tomatoes and peppers, cover and cook over medium for 30 mins. Peppers will be soft.

Whisk in flour, careful -- no lumps! Stir in beer, bring to boil, reduce and simmer, gently uncovered, 15 mins. Stir in garlic, cook for 5 more mins. Taste (throw in the sugar if you need it)

Finally, stir in the cheese. Let it melt into the sauce. SErve this hot over beans, beans/tortillas, beans/rice. Your cilantro goes on top.

I don't cook with booze any more, but damn, do I miss this sauce! It's transformative for beans.

[polyhymnia]

here's what I do: sautee up a small onion, dump in a big can of pintos or equivalent in soaked dried beans, add a bottle of a light mexican type beer like sol or corona, a diced jalapeno or however much you want so that it's at the appropriate spiciness, a couple of bay leaves and salt. Let it all cook down somewhat and when it starts to get thick, maybe after about 20 mins, though i recommend just eyeballing it, mash up the beans a little so that it gets nice and stick to your ribs-y. I generally add the cilantro right before I do this, but have added it pretty much anywhere in the cooking process. I never thought I'd like cooked cilantro but it gives the beans such a great flavor. If you add in some chorizo this dish is basically frijoles charros and is even more filling than the non meat version.

[tlegray]

Chinese chicken salad. I bought a roast chicken at Sam's. I'll dice up some of that and then I'll add chopped romaine, iceberg, celery, julienned carrots, bean sprouts, and carmelized shallots. Mix it all together with Cardini's Asian Ginger salad dressing and top with fried won ton strips that I'll fry and season with salt.

[erns53]

That salad sounds really good! I would definitely add almond slivers, because I love them.

I've been looking for "lighter" dinners recently because the cold weather has put me in the mood for heavier lunches. By the time I'm home in my warm apartment, I'm ready for a salad... but walking to lunch in the middle of the day... well, I'm pretty much ending up with a rich cream soup every day.

So tonight, I think I'm going to use the leftover roast roma tomatoes I have in my fridge from brunch last Saturday. I'll put them on thick crusty toast and top the thing with homemade ricotta. Broil the suckers until the cheese is golden, add salt and pepper, and put a salad on the side. It'll all take about 15 minutes to put together for me and that boy I keep around to do the dishes.

[tlegray]

The almonds, I forgot to mention them. I will toast chopped almonds. I will add more of these to my salad then chicken.

[erns53]

Aha. Of course you wouldn't leave off the almonds.

[happybellynh]

Kmills, your 'spanish rice' sounds suspiciously like my 'spanish rice'... although mine is meatless, and I cook the rice in the pot with the rest of it (I just add enough tomato sauce and stock along with the rice, put the lid on the pot, and wait 20 minutes).

Tonight I'm having leftovers- Indian yellow pea dal over brown rice, braised cauliflower, fig chutney, and naan. The dal, rice, and cauliflower are my own, the chutney and naan are store-bought. I make up a bunch on Sunday, then make little 'tv dinners' in to-go ware, and eat them for lunch/dinner all week. This week I also have homemade tomato/pesto/florentine soup with gouda panini.

[Gio]

I wazzzzzz going to make Sam the Man's lentil soup that he described in another thread, but DH said he wanted panini instead. So I, in my infinite wisdom, am going t make grilled fresh ( but currently frozen) sardine/lettuce/tomato/aioli sandwiches to along with soup made with bits and pieces of various cabbages, leek/onions and other vegetables that need to be cooked ere long. I may or may not press the sandwiches. We'll see.

Sam's soup will have to wait till the weekend. But, that will give me more time to get just the right meat at the market. I think he didn't approve of my substitution of chicken thighs for his dried African game meat. Of course, I'm not altogether sure I'll find that in my neighborhood. LOL

[chef chicklet]

Chicken with Salsa Verde - tomatillos cilantro serraon chilies, garlic, lime juice.
I'll bake the chicken, first breading it with panko. Then make the sauce stove top, and serve the sauce on the plate, place the panko crusted chicken breast on top.
Diet food!!
Last night was Thai turkey lettuce wraps, and vegetable dumplings (from a bag).

[foxy fairy]

chicklet-- I am a fiend for salsa verde, but I've never served it with chicken like that. Great idea! healthy too, like you say. I usually make a batch of salsa verde when I do a big pot of black beans, and then I'll grill some spicy shrimp too, buy some fresh corn tortillas from my favorite bodega, add some crema, queso fresco, and have a make your own taco night. Long live salsa verde!

[CindyJ]

How did you make the lettuce wraps?

[swsidejim]

Being lazy tonight, the past couple of nights were Ham & scalloped potatoes on Monday, and last night grilled cheese with ham & some soup.

For tonight it will be leftovers from my lunch. I am going to Fabulous Noodles in Lisle, IL. for lunch, and I am going to order a little extra of everything(Yu noddles Indonesian style, bbq pork fried rice, egg rolls, mandarin ribs, & a beef dish) to bring home. So I guess leftover Chinese food for dinner.