Yikes!

Southwest Chicken Salad

This is my recipe for a chopped, Southwest-inspired salad. I've been making it for awhile, but I finally think I've tweaked it to the point where I can share it. I served it on Saturday at Dan's birthday, and people seemed to like it.

Ingredients:

• 1 can corn, drained
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 2 limes, zested and juiced
• 2 cups lite mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 bunch cilantro, loosely chopped (optional)
• 1 chipotle pepper, minced (optional)
• 1 tablespoon adobo sauce, (optional)
• 1 can beer, something cheap and light-colored
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions:

Start by making the marinade/dressing. In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, lime zest, lime juice, cayenne, cumin, ground coriander, pepper, salt, chipotle and adobo sauce. Whisk until smooth. Slowly add the olive oil while whisking.

Take half the marinade/dressing and put it in its own bowl. Add the raw chicken and coat with the sauce. If you have time, refrigerate over night. (Reserve the rest of the dressing in a raw-chicken-free zone. It will eventually be the dressing on the salad.)

In a skillet, brown the chicken on each side over medium heat. Then, add the can of beer and any remaining marinade from the chicken's bowl. Cover, and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes (or until the chicken is cooked through).

Remove the chicken from the skillet. When its cool enough to handle, chop or tear the breasts into small chunks.

Combine the chopped chicken, corn, black beans, chopped green pepper, chopped red pepper, and the chopped red onion in a large serving bowl. Pour on the remaining marinade/dressing (the half that didn't come into contact with the raw chicken) and mix well.

I've served this salad over Spanish-style rice (that's how Rena likes it), with tortilla chips to scoop (that's how Uri likes it), or on its own.

For a vegetarian option, leave the chicken out.

Recipe: Smashed Red Potatoes

I love to cook. I cook a lot. I don't talk about cooking so much on this blog.

I've invented a lot of my own recipes. Friends often ask me for them. So I'm going to start using this blog as a place to record them all.

I take no responsibility if any recipes I post here come out crappy. They all work fine when I cook them, and I wouldn't bother posting them if I didn't think they were delicious.

So, without further ado... Here's my first recipe: smashed red potatoes.

Ingredients

• 3½ pounds small red potatoes, washed
  
• 2 tsp. fresh-ground black pepper
  
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
  
• 3 wedges of Laughing Cow cheese (I like to use the "Light French Onion" variety)
  
• ¼ cup mayonnaise ("lite" varieties are fine)
  
• ¼ cup plain yogurt (again, "lite" or nonfat is fine)
  
• ¼ cup sour cream ("lite" or nonfat or whatever)
  
• ¼ cup chopped or snipped chives
  
• 4 tbsp. butter or margarine
  
• 1 white onion, minced
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
• ½ cup chopped dill (optional)

Procedure

1. Boil the potatoes in a large pot of salted water. They're done when a fork slips into them easily, but they can hold their shape.

2. While the potatoes are boiling, sauté the onion and garlic in a 1 tbsp. of the butter/margarine until almost carmelized.

3. Mix the pepper, salt, cheese, mayo, yogurt, sour cream, sautéd onion, chives and dill in a big bowl. The cheese, which is soft and "spreadable" should be well-incorporated into the mixture.

4. Drain the potatoes. DO NOT rinse them in cold water. After draining, transfer them immediately back into the pot. Add the remaining margarine.

5. Using a potato masher, smash the potatoes. Don't mash them into a creamy consistency. Stir and smash several times until all the potatoes are left in bite-sized pieces.

6. Combine the smashed potatoes and the cheesy-mayo-yogurt onion-chive dressing.

7. Cover until serving.

Serves six.

I usually serve this warm, but it's just as good at room temperature.

Thank God for CBTL

I made coffee this morning. It was undrinkable.

Etrogim Are Useful

Harry and Ziva mentioned etrogim in this week's podcast. According to them, the funny yellow citrons are only useful for Sukkot, jam, and magic illness-curing potions.

Of course, many of us (thanks, Daryn) know that etrogim are also useful for making Etrog-flavored vodka. Here's the recipe, courtesy Rabbi Gingi (master of animal husbandry), who let us put it in last year's Year-in-Israel cookbook.

Dick Israel’s z”l Etrog Liquor Recipe

Ingredients:
Up to 3 etrogs
3 cup vodka
1.5 cup superfine sugar

Instructions:
Wash etrogim
Peel only yellow portion
Place peel in 4 cup jar and add 2 cups vodka
Store in a cool, dark place for a minimum of 48 hours
Remove peel and discard (or dry the peels and use in a cake that needs citron)
Add 1.5 cups sugar
Stir until clear
Add one more cup vodka and stir until clear
Close and keep in dark for about 6 weeks
You will have a bright yellow color and sweet flavor with a distinctive strong aroma.

I want to taste the fish. That's why I ordered it.

Yesterday, I finally succeeded at cooking a giant filet of salmon. (The last time, I used the grill and it was a bit under-done.)

Sara had people over for shabbat, and I cooked a big ol' fish. It turned out yummy, and, conveniently, the treatment I used on the salmon also worked on tofu (for the non-fish eaters).

Here's the recipe:

Josh's Big, Moist Asian-Infused Salmon

Ingredients:

• 1 cup orange juice
  
• 3 large shallots, minced
  
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  
• 1 medium-sized piece of ginger, peeled and minced
  
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
  
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
  
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
  
• olive oil
  
• 1 cup white wine (I like Emerald Riesling)
  
• 2 large salmon filets

Procedure:

1. Heat a few teaspoons of olive oil in a small saucepan. Add the shallots, garlic, and ginger.
   
2. When the shallots are almost translucent, add the OJ, soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, and half of the white wine. Cook uncovered over low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently. When the mixture begins to get a syrupy texture, remove it from the fire.
   
3. Arrange the salmon filets, skin side down, on a large baking sheet. (I like to put a layer of aluminum foil down beneath the fish, but I don't think it's necessary.) Spread the saucepan mixture over the fish. It's okay if the stuff is a little runny. It's alright to have some liquid pooled around the fish.
   
4. Pour the rest of the white wine onto the baking sheet, around the fish.
   
5. Throw the fish into the oven at 450-degrees Farenheit for 15 minutes. If you're worried about it drying out, add more white wine to the pan during baking.

Serves: About 10.

Do you know Joel Grishaver?

Joel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel Grishaver I know a guy named Joel Grishaver. Isn't that a funny name? Well, it's true. His name really is Joel Grishaver. Joel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel GrishaverJoel Grishaver