Hearty Chili and Cornbread

I love fall, if for no other reason than it seems the perfect time to start pulling out some comfort foods!

Clearly, food photography is not my gift, but it tastes delicious!

A good, hearty chili soup just makes me feel warm and cozy and is really versatile.  It is an easy thing to make for a big group, and even if I'm just making it for our family, I usually make a big batch when I make it.  We usually eat it the first night with some cornbread, and then another night we'll often put a bit of it on a bowl of pasta for some "chili mac" or use some of it as a topping for baked potatoes.  It also freezes really well, so I like having something to tuck away to thaw out and use later for a quick meal.

So, a warning is that this makes a BIG pot of chili.  You could easily half this recipe and still have enough for a family for dinner.

To be honest, this is the first time I've ever written down what I put in the chili, and the nice thing about this "recipe," is that it is really flexible, so if you like to have more or less meat or more or less beans, you can adjust those quite easily.  You can also adjust the amount of broth you add to make it thinner or thicker. Cutting to the chase, when I made it and wrote it down, this recipe leads to a hearty chili that we really enjoy:

Hearty Chili

1 c onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

500 g ground meat (I use beef when available but have made it with buffalo, pork, or chicken, or a mix)

4 c broth 

5 c cooked/canned kidney beans 

1 large can (850 g) tomato puree

1 T cumin

2 T chili powder (American)*

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 t cinnamon

1 t brown sugar

Lightly brown the ground meat in your pot with the onions and garlic.  The meat here is usually very lean, so I usually put a few tablespoons of oil in the pan first but did not usually do that if the meat had a bit of fat to it.

Add the broth.  In the States, I would tend to use beef broth or bouillon.  Here I use 4 cups of water and 2 bouillon cubes--usually chicken but only veggie were available this time, and it was fine.

Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium.  

Add the cooked or canned beans.  I have shifted the kind of beans, depending on what is available.  Here, I usually try to use kidney beans.  If you use canned beans, you don't have to cook them, but I used dried beans this time, soaked them overnight and then cooked them separately in a pressure cooker.  

Add the tomato puree, cumin, and chili powder and salt and pepper to taste.

* I didn't have American chili powder available this time, so I used 1/2 teaspoon of the local chili powder, and it was still a tad on the spicy side for my kiddos. 

Simmer the chili for 20-30 minutes on a medium low heat, stirring occasionally.  If it starts to bubble much, turn down the heat.  In the last 5-10 minutes, add the cinnamon and brown sugar.

Top with sour cream, shredded cheese, or green onions, if you like.

As I said, I like to make a batch of cornbread to go with our chili.

Here is the recipe I usually use:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/grandmothers-buttermilk-cornbread/detail.aspx

The only change I usually make is that I substitute yogurt for the buttermilk, and it works great.  This picture is a double batch, but I would recommend just a single batch unless having company.

Easy Pad Thai

 Thai food is one of my all time favorites. The variety of flavors that go into almost any Thai dish is what draws me in. I love the combination of sweet, spicy and savory of a good Thai curry or my go to comfort Thai food, Pad Thai. I found a simple Pad Thai recipe a year or so back and it has become a staple in our house. If you are in Asia (or in my case have an Asian supermarket nearby) the ingredients are simple and inexpensive. If you try and get these same ingredients from a conventional grocery store in the states, you will feel like you have spent a minor fortune. But trust me, do a little searching and you might be surprised that there actually is an Asian market near by. I just discovered a second one in our town just the other day!

I found the original recipe on the Eating Well website. They have quite a few simple and delicious, mostly whole food recipes, I definitely recommend the site. I modified this recipe slightly to suit our family a little better.

Here is my beautiful Pad Thai in my beautiful $3 wok (This can be cooked in a regular pan, but when doubling or tripling, which I often do, a wok is your best friend!)

Ingredients
4 ounces dried rice noodles
2 teaspoons peanut oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1-2 lbs boneless skinless chicken (I use thighs because they are so inexpensive. I have also used beef in this recipe)
1/2 cup sliced green onions
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon chili-garlic sauce
2 tablespoons chopped dry-roasted peanuts
Preparation

1. Soak rice noodles in warm water to cover in a large bowl until they are limp and white, about 20 minutes.
   
2. Heat oil over high heat in a wok until very hot. Add the garlic and stir-fry until golden, about 10 seconds. Add the egg and cook, stirring, until scrambled, about 30 seconds. Add chicken (or beef) and stir fry until cooked through
   
3. Drain the noodles and add to the wok, tossing with tongs until they soften and curl, about 1minute. Add bean sprouts, green onions, vinegar, fish sauce, sugar and chile-garlic sauce; toss until the meat is fully cooked and noodles are heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle with peanuts and serve immediately.
   
   The best part about this recipe for me is that it is so customizable. Like more vinegar? Go for it. More veggies, less (or no) meat? It all works. I would recommend that if you are using extra veggies like carrots that might take a while to cook, steam them slightly before adding them in or everything else will be overcooked.
   
   Enjoy! 
   

Crunchy Coffee Cake

Sometimes I just have a craving for a cake. Baked goods are a serious weakness for me actually. So, in good fashion, around 3 o'clock yesterday, I had a hankering for a cake. That probably explains my expanding backside, huh? This little coffee cake was the result of the limited ingredients I had in the kitchen due to our departure for a trip in a few days. Thank you, Better Homes and Gardens 1977! If you need something slightly sweet for tea or coffee time in your house, give this one a try since it doesn't feel like a guaranteed trip to the dentist. It's super simple with tasty results--and it's Miracle Oven friendly since we're approaching that season of very little electricity.

Give me a C! Since someone couldn't wait before snapping a picture...

Crunchy Coffee Cake
1/4 cup oil
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cups sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Topping:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 Tablespoon melted butter
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Combine the liquid ingredients in one bowl and the dry ingredients in another. Add the dry to the wet and stir just until combined and relatively smooth. The batter will be pretty thick. Pour into a greased 9x9 square pan/round cake tin/Miracle Oven. In the empty dry bowl, mix the topping ingredients together lightly. Sprinkle over the cake. Bake at 375F/190C for about 25 minutes or 30 minutes on low heat in the Miracle Oven. Transfer to a cooling rack after cooling for 15 minutes.

Notes: The cake part is just plain white, especially when cooked in the Miracle Oven. If you want some color, try subbing brown sugar for the white sugar and adding a little cinnamon to the batter. That should get you a more golden cake color even in a stove top oven. Also, just a side note on stove top ovens. I am told that, unlike conventional ovens that start putting out delicious smells right away, stove top ovens let you know when they're done because the smell of a cake won't become obvious until the very end of cooking. In other words, when you smell it, it's probably done. Helpful little tidbit that has been pretty accurate for me in the last 4 years of use.

Cheesy Garlic Biscuits

Biscuits – like fluffy American biscuits—that’s definitely something I miss being away from my Southern roots. We’re biscuit people. We can’t help it. If you’re not American, our biscuits are deliciously flaky, savory, crisp outside, soft inside, buttery treats. There’s a seafood restaurant in America that serves a very specific type of cheesy garlicky biscuit as table fodder, and they’re absolutely addicting. This is the closest version I can come up with for them after tweaking several copycat recipes that I found. They’re also drop biscuits so no rolling and cutting makes these easier to prepare for an ordinary meal. 

Golden biscuit goodness!

Cheesy Garlic Biscuits

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/8 teaspoon red chili powder (optional)

1/2 cup grated cheese

1/2 cup buttermilk (sub sour milk)

1/4 cup melted (regular salted) butter

 Topping:

1 Tablespoon melted butter

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried herbs like parsley or an Italian mix (x 3 for fresh herbs)

First combine the dry ingredients, including the garlic and cheese. Allow the melted butter to cool for about 5 minutes then add it to the buttermilk, stirring until you start to get little clumps. If you're short on time, just dump these two into the dry ingredients separately, stirring a little after each addition. Mix all the ingredients until you have a uniform, wet dough. Preheat the oven to 225C/435F. Once the oven is hot, the dough should have begun to look more dry and less liquidy. Drop biscuits by the rounded tablespoon onto a flat pan, leaving about 2 inches of space between each. Add the last clove of garlic to the tablespoon of melted butter. Brush the tops of the biscuits with the garlic butter then sprinkle lightly with the dried herbs. Bake for about 12 minutes or until the tops and bottoms just begin to turn golden.

Notes: To make 1/2 cup of sour milk, add 2 teaspoons white vinegar to a 1/2 cup measure. Pour in enough milk (NOT hot or you'll get cottage cheese) to make 1/2 cup. Stir briefly then allow to sit for 5 minutes before using. Also, if you have a little cookie scoop or ice cream scoop, that works great for getting uniform biscuit sizes.

Energy Bites

Always on a quest for healthy snacks that will interest my kids, I stumbled upon these from Super Healthy Kids. Verdict = Super kid love. Seriously, they ask for these all the time, maybe because the name makes them think they’ll get super powers. They’re also 100% no cook so the kids can be involved in making them. What’s not to love? And speaking of love, if you have kids, you need to have a peak at all the great things the wonderful ladies at Super Healthy Kids have on their website--all of which are aimed at increasing kids' intake of fruits and veggies along with more vegetarian protein sources. Some of their snack ideas are soo cute and creative! We have made these bites in balls and bars, both of which seem to work equally as well. 

Energy Bites with Chocolate Chips

Energy Bites
1 cup uncooked oats
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup peanut butter (chunky or creamy)
1 Tbsp chia seeds (not available locally) or flax seed (local)
1/4 tsp vanilla

Mix all the ingredients into a bowl. Add up to a cup of any extra add-ins you want to make them special. You can use M&Ms or Smarties, dried coconut, dried fruit, chopped nuts, etc. Mix everything, form into balls or bars (between waxed paper), and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Notes: I just noticed that on Super Healthy Kids they form the bites after the 20 minutes of refrigeration. It seems to work fine either way, but might be easier to work with once chilled. 

Also, if you're concerned about pesticides, look for a honey variety like rudilo (in beekeeping/honey shops) that is cultivated away from other commercial crops like mustard. There would be a much higher chance of having better quality, uncontaminated honey.  

Catching Up and Chocolate Syrup

Hello again! Yes, it has been a ridiculous long break since my last post, but here's what's been going on since then. At the end of June, I bid adieu to my days a student. Whoo hoo! I am officially, as in on paper, an educator. I decided that after 6 years of nearly non-stop studying I deserved the whole month of July to do whatever I wanted. Obviously, that ended up not including blogging. When August hit, we took the plunge into homeschooling our kindergartener and sort of mom schooling my little man. He mostly just does a little bit then wanders around pretending to be this or that. Anyway, September is literally days away so it's time to get back on the horse.

So, on to the chocolate syrup. My kids drink milk every morning and most afternoons. For a while, they insisted on always having warm milk with chocolate malt powder. When I finally convinced them that it just wasn’t right to drink warm milk in summer, we had the problem of chocolate powder not mixing into cold milk. Yes, it’s possible, but far more work than I like to manage in my foggy morning state...and yes, I realize I could just say no to chocolate, but I think I'm okay with giving in to this one. Chocolate syrup to the rescue, except it comes with a pretty hefty price tag. Then, I remembered seeing years ago how to make syrup yourself on Good Eats. I tried Alton Brown’s recipe, and it totally works to the point that my kids don’t know the difference. I’ve adapted his recipe to be the perfect amount to fit into a recycled chocolate syrup bottle. Now, this does require the addition of corn syrup or Golden syrup to keep things smooth and flowy. I doubt it would work very well without that so keep that in mind if you experiment.

Chocolate Syrup

3/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon light corn syrup

Put all the ingredients into a heavy bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil and just boil until all the solids like the sugar and cocoa have melted (use a whisk to keep it smooth). It only takes about 1 minute of rolling boil. Allow the sauce to cool to room temperature then pour it into your airtight container or bottle. Keep it in the fridge where it will thicken, and it will last for several months.

Simple Weeknight Dinner: Bean Tostadas

Tacos are a regular feature in our house due the usual abundance of seasoning packets we have on hand. Here lately, however, we never seem to finish our taco leftovers so I started looking for another summery take on Mexican food. These simple bean tostadas are really easy to make, especially if you have someone who can get you ahead of schedule by making tortillas or rotis (non-baking powder version) and salsa. If you've never made salsa, the easiest ones involve simply chopping a few tomatoes, an onion, some garlic, fresh cilantro, and a chili, then seasoning with salt and lime juice. If it weren't for all the chopping, my kids could make it! If you're making tortillas, do a double batch and then freeze the cooled ones in plastic bags so they'll be perfect for quick tostadas.

Bean Tostadas
Rotis or tortillas (1-2 per person)
Fresh salsa
Sour Cream
Grated Cheese
Shredded lettuce or cucumber
1 can refried beans
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon cumin powder
Bacon drippings (optional)
Oil

Pop the box of cream into the freezer about 30 minutes before dinner. Then prepare according to this post about 5 minutes before serving. Prepare all your grated ingredients and keep in small bowls. Heat the refried beans with 1/4 cup water, cumin powder, and bacon drippings (if desired). Stir until you have a smooth spreadable consistency. Meanwhile, heat about 1/4" of oil in the bottom of a frying pan. Once it's hot but not smoking, add rotis one at a time. Initially, you need to press down the middle a little to keep it from puffing and to promote even frying. After about 30 seconds, flip the roti and allow the other side to turn golden, too. Drain over paper towels, allowing the tortilla to drip over the pan for a few seconds before transferring to the draining towel. You can also sprinkle with a little salt if you'd like. To build the tostadas place a fried roti on the plate, top with the bean mixture, then grated cheese, and any other toppings you would like. It's a bit messy, but soo delicious to eat!

We only had a couple spoonfuls of beans left afterward so I'd say this one was a winner, especially for the kids who were thrilled to eat a giant tortilla chip!