Drunk Chicken Nachos

So Monday was quite a hit here at the Maier/Magyar household. I whipped up smoked chicken nachos with homemade borracho beans. I loved the beans and the nachos, but be warned. Do not slice fresh jalepeños with your bare hands. My fingers were burning for 24 hours! Lesson learned. I used left over rotisserie chicken for the chicken, but you can add whatever meat you have around, or leave it off all together.

Drunk Chicken Nachos

Ingredients:

Chicken:
1 cup Rotisserie chicken (or chicken breast meat), shredded

Beans:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion diced
2 fresh jalapeños
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can kidney beans, not drained
1 can pinto beans, not drained
1 12 oz can of Guinness

Toppings:
Shredded cheeses of your choice. The mexican blend works great.
Pickled jalapeños
Salsa (optional)
Sour Cream (optional)
Gracamole (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in large sauce pan
2. Saute the onions until translucent, about 6 minutes
3. Add garlic and jalapeños. Stir for another few minutes until peppers are slightly browned
4. Add all three cans of beans and stir
5. Simmer for 90 minutes
6. As liquid reduces, add small amounts of Guinness to bring the consistency back to desired liquidity.

Fill plates with chips. Add beans, cheese and chicken. Also optional is salsa and sour cream.

Thrifty Dinner Menu Oct 5-11

I just worked 5 days for a not very nice Tex-Mex restaurant and decided they were not for me. But somehow I've been thinking about Mexican food ever since! While unemployed I figure I can dedicate more time to food and frugality so I'm planning this week's menu ahead of time. Recipes to follow.

This week's menu:

Monday- Smoked chicken nachos, green salad and Mexican chocolate milkshakes
Tues- Chicken Burritos w. spanish rice and borrachito beans
Wed- Breakfast Tacos filled with eggs, chorizo, hash browns and cheese
Thurs-Marinated skirt steak w. left over rice and beans and green salad
Fri- Pasta fresca w. garlic bread and green salad
Sat- Chef's Salad w. garbanzo beans, turkey, ham, homemade croutons. Chocolate chip cookies for dessert.
Sun- Crock Pot Roast w. carrots, red potatoes and celery. Served w. french bread and salad.

Yummy Chicken Noodle Soup

Alright, so no excuses for not posting, but here is a wonderful recipe for chicken noodle that I l-o-v-e. I used leftover roast chicken. Yummmm.

40 min | 15 min prep

SERVES 6

• 2 teaspoons butter
• 1 cup sliced celery
• 1 cup chopped carrot
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 small potato, diced
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• pinch of cayenne
• pinch of cumin
  
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 4 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon
• 4 ounces egg noodles
• 2 cups cooked chicken
• parsley

1. Melt butter in large pot.
2. Sauté the celery, carrot and onion for 2 minutes.
3. Add potato, thyme, poultry seasoning, chicken broth and bouilion.
4. Bring to a boil.
5. Add noodles and chicken and cook on low for 20 minutes.
6. Sprinkle with parsley.

Steeeeeeevia, yuck!

Wow, I am all for 0 calorie anything, especially if it promises to taste good, but stevia is terrible! I know that many people grow to like artificial sweeteners but at this point, I wonder. My sweetener test is coffee. I figure coffee is as bitter as anything else I eat or drink and therefore can take some sweet, but wow stevia sweetened coffee made me want to march the box of it I just purchased back to New Leaf Market and tell them they mistakenly sold me poison! So where does this leave us in the battle of sweet? Agave Nectar is so amazingly delicious and has a dramatically low glycemic index! I say run, don't walk to your local health food store and pick some up. The lighter variety has the most basic taste. I haven't yet tasted the other flavor but welcome comments!!

Sour Soup in Denver Colorado

When you hear "sour soup, " what comes to mind? Something tasty and pleasant I'm sure. This year I'm in Denver for the holidays with Chris' family who have a wonderful Hungarian Holiday spread including Sour Soup, which includes Sauerkraut juice hence the name. And it was really quite good! It does take an open mind and perhaps some liking of sauerkraut, but I enjoyed the experience immensely. I've placed the recipe below.

Happiest Holidays!!

Ingredients:
Peel and boil 2 large potatoes
1 large onion-chopped
1 c chopped mushrooms
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp flour
Franks Sauerkraut juice

Peel and boil potatoes in salted water and set aside.
Sautee onion in butter until translucent and set aside
Sautee mushrooms in butter for 2-3 minutes and set aside.

Add above ingredients to 4 cups Franks sauerkraut juice and simmer for 20 minutes.

While simmering, make roux to thicken soup:
In skillet over medium heat melt 4 tbsp butter
Slowly add 4 tbsp flour
Stir constantly until mixed and a golden color.
Add to soup slowly, mix thoroughly until soup is at desired thickness.

Cookbooks and other exciting things

 

I have been asked by my good friend David Terrazas to work on a cookbook involving recipes from an old bakery here in Santa Cruz called Maddock's. I am both honored and excited to get started on the project. David arrived at my work last week with a box filled with a jumble of recipes. So here I am, excitedly sifting through these old weathered recipe cards, some with only ingredients and other with pages and pages of instruction. It's such a fascinating experience to peek inside a now over 50 year old bakery and read the baker's handwriting. The best part about the cards is the quantity! There are literally quarts of eggs and 4-5 lbs of flour! Not to worry, I will surely pare down the quantities to normal human level for those of you who want to bake them. My first recipe will be the lemon cookies! Wish me luck!

Autumn Carrot and Fennel Soup

Happy post-turkey day. I suppose I should post something tasty and turkey related, but alas I have no leftover turkey in my kitchen, so therefore will share with you a soup I made a few weeks ago. The fennel and carrot combination were lovely. I suggest blending very well to create a smooth texture. Otherwise it can wind up a little on the hearty side.

Carrot Fennel Soup

What a soup. Carrots and fennel caramelize when roasted at high heat, then release their sweet essence when blended. A drizzle of fennel-seed oil echoes and intensifies the fennel flavor. Yield: Makes 6 servings Active Time: 20 min Total Time: 50 min 2 medium fennel bulbs with fronds 1 pound carrots, quartered lengthwise 1 medium onion, quartered 1 garlic clove 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 1/2 teaspoon sugar 2 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth 2 1/2 cups water 1 teaspoon fennel seeds Equipment: an electric coffee/spice grinder Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in lowest position. Chop enough fennel fronds to measure 1 tablespoon and reserve. Discard stalks and remaining fronds. Slice bulbs 1/4 inch thick and toss with carrots, onion, garlic, 3 tablespoons oil, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Spread in a 4-sided sheet pan and roast, stirring occasionally, until browned and tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Blend half of vegetables in a blender with broth until very smooth. Transfer to a medium saucepan. Repeat with remaining vegetables and water. Thin to desired consistency with extra water and simmer 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, finely grind fennel seeds in grinder and stir into remaining 2 tablespoons oil. 3Serve soup drizzled with fennel oil and sprinkled with reserved fronds.

Cooks’ notes:
•Soup can be made 1 day ahead and chilled.
•Fennel oil can be made 2 days ahead and kept at room temperature.

Meanwhile, finely grind fennel seeds in grinder and stir into remaining 2 tablespoons oil. 3Serve soup drizzled with fennel oil and sprinkled with reserved fronds.