Food ~ Latest eats at the Otero house

Good-bye gourmet, hello convenience, simple and quick. I don't know about you, but when I come home from work, I feel like I am tired, but...I still need to continue working...and that is in my other "full-time job", photography...

So, my latest routine is: think of what's in fridge, google a recipe with main existing ingredient and make do with what I have in the house without having to go to the store! Ha! Do you ever feel that every time you cook, you still need something and it forces you to go buy it? Not in my house anymore. I get used to cooking the same things all the time, and the not so preferred stuff are pushed back to the dark and lonely back of the refrigerator... So, use up all you have in the pantry/fridge before going to the grocery store.

On that note, here is some stuff I've made in the last week or so...

Breakfast: fried egg and arugula on a toasted slice of bread spread with sundried tomato and basil shmear...with fruits. Easy.



Then, the other night I made French baguette onion soup... I've never made it before, always wanted to try it. Not sure how it's supposed to taste but it was pretty good! Anything next to a baguette will be good...Just sayin'...Sorry for the messy pic, but onions soups look kinda messy, don't you think? With all that gooey cheese on top...



And tonight I whipped up a quick carrot potato salad with fried tilapia on a bed of spinach. What's grated on top? Parmesan cheese...my latest obsession.



I forgot to take a photo of the other creation the other day: vegetable tart. That was yummy. Carrots, spinach and goat cheese in a store bought pie crust. Yummo, I'm tellin' ya...yummo!

So, there you have it folks! What have you been cooking up?

Personal ~ Recipe of the Day

Call this recipe "Not your Mother's Stuffed Peppers"...

I present to you "Improvisation Night". From Melinda's Bella Cucina to your kitchen, this is Quinoa and feta stuffed peppers.

Poach your bell pepper halves in boiling water until skin is soft. In the meantime, sautee some red onions with some shredded carrots (2) in 2 T of EVOO. Add one cup quinoa, then 2 cups vegetable or chicken stock. Let it boil for a minute, then cover and mix it with a fork when quinoa cooked. Add a bunch of cilantro and feta cheese. Season with salt and pepper and mix. Take off heat. Prepare a baking dish and add the pepper halves. Fill them with the stuffing. I felt like the dish needed something like "the cherry on the cake" so I added slices of munster cheese. Stick them in the preheated oven at 350F and let the cheese on top melt. It is imperative that is served with a glass of wine!



Bon Appetit!

Food ~ Chinese Sweet and Sour Chicken with Sesame Seeds

Happy Saturday!

Today's dinner featured an Asian dish made in the slow cooker. Fall is creeping in on us, so the slow cooker comes in use more often now... Every time you use the cooker, the meat will fall off the bone and it's sooo much more flavorful, since it can have a whole party with all the other ingredients. They're just mingling and hanging out for 3-4 hours and the results are oh sooo yummm!

So, without much bla-bla, here's the recipe.

Ingredients

One 3-4 pound chicken
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup dry sherry or apple juice
1 tablespoon ketchup
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 green onions, trimmed and halved
1 clove garlic, pressed
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, lightly toasted

Preparation

Wash and dry the chicken throroughly. Remove the giblets and neck for another use (I used it to make chicken stock). Cut off any kumps of fat. Put the chicken in the cooker, breast side up. Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, water, sherry, ketchup, red pepper flakes, green onions, and garlic in a small bowl; pur over chicken. Cover and cook on High until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh registers 180 F, 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours.

Transfer the chicken to a platter. Remove and discard the green onions. Combine the cornstarch with the water and stir the slurry into the sauce. Cook on High, stirring constantly until thickened. Spoon the sauce over the chicken, sprinkle with the sesame seeds, and serve. I forgot to sprinkle it with the sesame seeds...

I served it over a bed or jasmine rice.



Bon appetit!

Food ~ Grilled Pork Tenderloins with Grilled Pineapple Salsa

So, today was my husband's 37th Birthday...

It was a huge football day, as the season officially started and his favorite team, the Dolphins, played today. Awesomely enough, they won! I also contributed to his good day by making him this carrot cake with vanilla fondant...



...and topped it all off with a great dinner. Recipe to follow below.




Ingredients
2 (1-pound) pork tenderloins, trimmed of fat and silver skin
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon ground chipotle chili powder
2 teaspoons salt, plus a pinch
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano, crumbled
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 pineapple, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons minced red bell pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Fresh cilantro sprigs, for garnishing

Directions
Preheat a grill to high.

Rub the pork tenderloins all over with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, then sprinkle evenly with the chipotle chili powder, 2 teaspoons of the salt, the pepper, and the oregano. Rub the tenderloins well with the garlic and drizzle the lime juice over all. Allow the tenderloins to sit, refrigerated, for 45 minutes before cooking.

Brush the pineapple slices lightly with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, then place the pineapple slices on the grill and cook, turning occasionally, until softened slightly and nicely marked by the grill, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from the grill and allow to cool to room temperature. Dice the pineapple slices (discard the tough core portions) and place in a medium non-reactive bowl. Add the red onion, remaining 2 tablespoons of lime juice, remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, remaining pinch of salt, jalapeno peppers, red bell pepper, and chopped cilantro and stir to combine. Set aside while you grill the pork.

Place the tenderloins on the hottest part of the grill and cook, turning occasionally, until well browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Reduce the grill temperature to low and continue to cook, turning occasionally, until a thermometer inserted into the center registers 145 degrees F. Remove the tenderloins from the grill and allow to sit, loosely covered, for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Slice the tenderloins on the diagonal and serve with the grilled pineapple salsa and fresh cilantro sprigs. Drizzle with Cilantro Oil.

Note: I didn't have cilantro, so I used parsley instead and I didn't use cilantro oil. I served it with parsley mashed potatoes.

All in all, a great day today! Have a fantastic week!

XoXo

Food ~ Fish Tacos

Happy Wednesday! It was a Fish Tacos kinda Tuesday yesterday... Here's a really easy fast and healthy dinner idea:

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds mahi-mahi filets
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 lime, quartered
12 small corn tortillas, warmed
Romaine or Iceberg lettuce, shredded, for garnish
Pico de Gallo salsa, for garnish
1 avocado, pitted and cut into thin slices, for garnish
Sour cream or crema, for garnish

Directions
Pat fish dry and combine in a nonreactive bowl with the white wine, lime juice and garlic. Set aside to marinate about 10 to 15 minutes.

When fish is ready, remove it from the marinade, pat dry, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Heat oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. When oil shimmers, place fish skin-side down in skillet. Cook until opaque and firm to touch, about 3 minutes per side.

Flake the fish, squeeze one of the lime wedges over the top, and toss to coat. To make a taco, stack 2 tortillas on top of each other and fill with fish, lettuce, salsa, a few avocado slices, and a dollop of sour cream. Repeat to make 6 tacos total.



Are you happy it's a short week? Are you getting excited about the week-end? What are your plans?

Food ~ Red cabbage apple and cilantro salad

This recipe is a creation of my own. Personally, I love cilantro, so when I had a bunch of the green leaves in the fridge together with a head of red cabbage, I wanted to use them both in a crunchy refreshing salad that satisfies the eye and the tastebuds as well.

I grated the cabbage, chopped the cilantro and combined the two with some lemon juice, olive oil and white balsamic vinegar. I added apple slices for the sweetness.

It looked like this:



Enjoy!

Food ~ Arroz con pollo my style

The worst or best part about cooking is that you have to plan ahead and be organized. I'm really bad at both. But sometimes I try to think and plan what I want to do for dinner already at breakfast. So, this is how tonight's din-din came into creation.

When you have all the ingredents, it's easy to whip it up. This recipe was fast. Here it goes:

Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
2 tablespoons butter
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken tenders, breasts or thighs, cut into bite size pieces
Salt and pepper
2 cups white rice
3 cups chicken stock, available in paper boxes on the soup aisle of market
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 tablespoon (3 teaspoons) Sazon seasoning blend (recommended: Goya) with Mexican and Spanish foods in market
1 cup tomato sauce
1 (2-ounce) box golden raisins, 1/4 cup
Olive and Pepper Salsa:
1 cup Spanish olives with pimentos, drained and chopped
2 vine ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 small green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 small white skinned onion, chopped
Several drops hot sauce
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, a handful
1/2 lemon or lime, juiced
Salt
Avocado and Garlic Sour Cream:
2 ripe avocados, pitted and spoon flesh from skins
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 clove garlic
Salt
1 cup sour cream
Directions
Preheat a medium pot over medium heat, add extra-virgin olive oil and butter. When butter melts into oil, add cut up chicken. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Stir and lightly brown the chicken, then add the rice and cook another 1 to 2 minutes. Add chicken stock, poultry seasoning, Sazon seasoning, tomato sauce and raisins. Bring the stock to a quick boil, 2 or 3 minutes. When the liquid boils, reduce heat to low and cook 13 to 15 minutes, until rice is tender but still a little chewy in the center.

While the rice and chicken are working, prepare the salsa. Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and adjust the salt and hot sauce, to taste. Next prepare the Avocado and Garlic Sour Cream by adding all ingredients to a food processor and processing until smooth. Adjust seasoning, then transfer to a small bowl.

Stir 1/2 cup of prepared Olive and Pepper Salsa to the chicken and rice mixture. Turn off heat and let stand 5 minutes.

Serve the prepared Latin rice and chicken in shallow bowls with spoonfuls of salsa and avocado cream to garnish. Serve any remaining salsa and sour cream with plantains and corn chips for dipping and scooping.

At the end, it should look something like this...



Bon appetit!

Update...Girls Night In...

Well, I just got back from Cara's and it was a blast...like expected! We had a great time and the meal was awesome! Thanks Cara for the invite, had a great time.

Here are some pics...










And the ladies...






Good night!

Ladies Night tonight

Ever since I heard about Wednesday's tradition in their family, I was a little jealous...mostly because I don't get to have any family nights with my family because they're far far away. Well, every Wednesday night our best friends Cara and Jay have a Girls' Night and a Boys' Night, respectively. Cara gets together with Jay's Mom, Grandma, and aunts and Jay gets together with the "Boys": his Dad, brother, uncle and whoever they might have...I don't know. The girls gather at each other's houses and cook together, chat, and act silly or they go see a movie... The boys usually golf. How awesomely cool is that??
So when Cara asked me to be a Guest-Main-Cook-Star with her today, I was sooo excited! I was invited to participate in this culinary fun activity and, like my Mom always taught me, I couldn't have gone with my hands in my pocket. I had to bake/cook/bring something. So, I promised the ladies yesterday that I'd make dessert. They all know me for my desserts so why not showcase my talents in front of these lovely wives and mothers that run their own households. It was easy to decide on what to make: my Mom always makes this fabulous and fresh apple torte that is baked up-side-down. Really easy... So I made it last night, trying to save time tonight at Cara's. I figured it'd be fun if I helped her make the other stuff that she's planning on making. So, the menu sounds yummy....orange chicken baked in breadcrumbs and a salad. Very summery and fresh! I'm excited not only for the scrumptious dinner, but for the fun that we're going to have making it. And with my addition of the cake, which, by the way came out great!! (thanks Mom!!), it'll be awesome! I'll post some photos after...when we'll be unbuttoning our pants with delight...

Have a great Wednesday everybody!