Recipes from my cooking class with Zack of PushStart Kitchen

Guacamole

2 ripe haas avocados, halved, pitted and flesh removed

½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

½ cup white onion, minced

1 fresh serrano chile, chopped

2 tsp. fresh lime juice

Salt to taste

-mash all ingredients together do desired consistency.

Salsa Pipian

1 ½ cups green pumpkin seeds

2 fresh serrano chiles, chopped

½ large white onion, chopped

4 cloves, garlic

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

4 tbsp. olive oil

3 cups water (or stock)

Lime juice to taste

Salt to taste

In a deep sided pot, heat oil and sweat onion, garlic and chile till translucent. In a dry saute pan, toast pumpkin seeds over medium high heat. Add to onion mixture. Top with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until all ingredients are soft. Stir in cilantro and remove from heat. Blend until smooth. Season to taste.

Salsa de Chile Guajillo

2-3 medium sized tomatoes, quartered

3 tablespoons canola oil

3 oz guajillo chiles, wiped clean, seeded and stemmed

½ cup chopped white onion

3 large cloves garlic

3-5 chile de arbol, seeded and stemmed (be careful with these, they are very spicy!)

1 tsp. dreid oregano

Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat broiler. Toss tomatoes in 1 tbsp of oil and spread on sheet pan. Broil until charred on all sides. In a dry pan toast chilles until aromatic. In a blender, combine all ingredients and puree. Heat a heavy bottomed skillet and add remaining oil. Slowly add puree to hot skillet (careful, it will spatter). Simmer, stirring constantly until warmed through. Season to taste.

No-stir Dulche de leche

1 can condensed milk

Bring pot of water to boil. Submerge can of condensed milk and let boil for 4-5 hours. DO NOT let the water level drop or bad things will happen. Serve with guava paste and a sprinkling of cotija cheese.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed chicken broth
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1 cup whole corn kernels, cooked
• 1 cup white hominy
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
• crushed tortilla chips
• sliced avocado
• shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• chopped green onions

Directions

1. In a medium stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic in oil until soft. Stir in chili powder, oregano, tomatoes, broth, and water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Stir in corn, hominy, chiles, beans, cilantro, and chicken. Simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Ladle soup into individual serving bowls, and top with crushed tortilla chips, avocado slices, cheese, and chopped green onion.

Quick Oyakodon

(No picture because I couldn't find my camera)

This was so easy and super yummy. Plus, there is no oil or butter in it. The chicken and veggies are cooked in the soy sauce/stock/sugar sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked short-grain white rice
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 skinless, boneless chicken breast half - cut into strips
• 4 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 6 snow peas, thinly sliced

Directions

1. Bring the rice and water to a boil in a saucepan; reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes.
2. Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in the soy sauce and brown sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Reduce heat to low; keep warm.
3. Heat several tablespoons of the chicken sauce in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir the onion and shiitake mushrooms in the sauce until the onion has softened, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken, green onions, and a few more tablespoons of the sauce; continue cooking until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 5 minutes more. Spread the chicken mixture evenly over the skillet; pour the beaten egg overtop. Reduce heat to medium-low and sprinkle with the snow peas. Cook and stir until the egg has firmed and is no longer runny, about 3 minutes.
4. Divide the rice between two bowls and spoon the egg mixture evenly overtop. Pour additional chicken sauce over the rice to serve.

Indian-Spiced Chicken Pitas

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala , (see Tip), divided
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1 cup thinly sliced seeded cucumber
• 3/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro , or mint
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• Freshly ground pepper , to taste
• 4 6-inch whole-wheat pitas, warmed
• 1 cup shredded romaine lettuce
• 2 small or 1 large tomato, sliced
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 
  

1. Cut chicken into strips. Sprinkle chicken with 1 teaspoon garam masala and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook in saute pan until no longer pink.
2. Meanwhile, combine cucumber, yogurt, cilantro (or mint), lemon juice, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon garam masala and 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper in a small bowl. Thinly slice the chicken. Split open the warm pitas and fill with the chicken, yogurt sauce, lettuce, tomato and onion.

Asian Style Vegan Macaroni and Cheese

This isn't exactly mac and cheese, but it is low fat and pretty tasty. The asian flavors of miso and soy sauce blended nicely with the cauliflower and coconut milk.

2 cups cauliflower, cut into small pieces and stems removed

1 cup light coconut milk

1 cup water

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon white miso paste

1/4 teaspoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

Pinch of pepper

1 teaspoon corn starch

2 tablespoons grapeseed soil

1/2 cup firm tofu, drained and cut into cubes

2 1/2 cups cooked elbow macaroni

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

1/5 teaspoon garlic power

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2. In medium sauce pan, cook 1 cup of the cauliflower with coconut milk and 1 cup water over medium-high heat until soft. Add the garlic, nutmeg, miso, soy sauce, mustard, salt and pepper. Cook sauce about 3 minutes and add the starch to thicken. Pout mixture into a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
3. In a separate saute pan, heat the oil and remaining cauliflower and tofu over medium-high heat until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the salt and pepper, to taste.
4. In a pan, add the macaroni, cauliflower, and tofu mixture. Mix in the sauce and sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top, and add the garlic powder over breadcrumbs. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Source: Skinny Bitch Ultimate: Everyday Cookbook

White Chili

Atlanta got pounded by ice and snow this past Sunday, and we are still digging ourselves out. Being semi iced-in made me crave something warm and homey so I decided on this easy white chili. I paired it with some grilled cheese on fresh bread and a cold beer. This was the perfect meal for a cold night.

• 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
• 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 4 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 (14 ounce) cans great Northern beans, undrained
• 
  

1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add chicken, and saute until cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan.
2. Saute the onion, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, jalapeno chile peppers and garlic in the same skillet. Return the chicken, along with the ginger, salt, sage, cumin and white pepper. Mix thoroughly.
3. In a separate small saucepan or skillet, melt butter or margarine over medium heat. Stir in flour to make a roux. Whisk in the chicken broth and mix all together. Stir this mixture into the sauteed chicken and vegetables.
4. Stir in the beans with can liquid, and simmer all over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until cooked and heated through.

Source: allrecipes.com

Butternut Squash Soup with Poppy Seeds and Chickpea Curry Cakes with Citrus Mint Vinaigrette

My mom gave me the Skinny Bitch cookbook for Christmas so I decided to choose some recipes for dinner tonight. Butternut squash is one of my favorite soups so I decided to try this variation with agave nectar and some spices. The chickpea cakes looked to good to pass up and were fantastic with the citrus dressing. A great start to a new year of recipes!

The soup:

1 large butternut squash

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1 quart vegetable stock

1 cup water

1 large red apple, chopped

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon agave nectar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon dried sage

1/4 cup poppy seeds (for garnish)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees celsius.

2. Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise, creating two equal halves. Scoop out seeds and place squash, cut-side up, on the baking sheet. Drizzle each half with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Put 1 garlic clove in each cavity and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 45 minutes, or until squash is tender when pierced with a fork. Put aside the garlic cloves.

3. In a large pot, heat the grapeseed oil on medium heat. Add the onion and stir until softened, about 5 minutes. Add in the butternut

squash, apple, and garlic cloves. Cover and simmer 20 minutes.

4. Remove from heat and pour half of the soup into a food processor or blender. Let cool for 10 minutes. Puree the soup until

smooth. Add the remaining soup and blend together until creamy. Pour the soup back into the pot and add the ginger, agave nectar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sage. Season with additional salt and pepper, and garnish with poppy seeds.

The cakes:

15 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/3 cup sliced green onions (white and green parts)

1/3 cup light coconut milk

2 teaspoons cane sugar

2/3 cup breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon curry

powder

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

2/3 cup brown rice, cooked

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup grapeseed oil for pan searing

1. In a blender, combine the chickpeas and green onions. Pulse until combined, and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the c

oconut milk, sugar, breadcrumbs, curry powder, nutmeg, and cumin. Stir until well combined. Add brown rice and salt. Mold into 10 mini patties.

2. In a large saute pan, heat the oil to medium heat. Add the cak

es to the pan in batches and saute until there's a nice golden sear on the bottom. Flip and sea the other side as well. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain.

The dressing:

1 lemon, zested and juiced

1 lime, zested and juiced

1 orange, zested and juiced

2 tablespoon agave nectar

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, loosely packed

1/2 cup cilantro, loosely packed

1/2 cup olive oil

salt to taste

1. Place the juice and zests of the lime, lemon, and orange, the agave nectar, mint leaves, and cilantro in a blender and pulse to combine.

2. With the motor running, add the oil in a slow, steady stream. Continue until the mixture is creamy.

3. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Recipes from Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook