Black Bean Soup

If you’re wondering why I haven’t posted any new recipes lately, the reason isn’t because I haven’t been cooking.

The fact of the matter is I’ve hit a string of recipes that were downright awful or mediocre at best. You just can’t trust reviews.

A couple of weeks ago I cooked a new dish and asked Susie and Matthew for their feedback. Usually we rate recipes 0-10. Matthew said, “Chef Chin, you’ve been chopped.” Tough crowd.

Last night I cooked Teriyaki Chicken with white rice, Black Bean Soup and an Apple Cobbler. The Black Bean Soup was for Susie’s lunch.

The Chicken Teriyaki didn’t go over well. I cooked it on my char-grill pan and the skin burnt, blackened and stuck to the pan. It was a mess and the thighs didn’t look that inviting, but I must say, they were moist and flavorful. I saw another Teriyaki Chicken recipe on Foodnetwork that calls for the thighs to be broiled. I’ll try that next time and will report back if its a thumbs-up.

Apple Cobbler

The bright spot however was the Apple Cobbler and the new addition to my blog, Tyler Florence’s Black Bean Soup. It was creamy, tasty and I consider it restaurant-quality. I’m not a soup-person, I really don’t care for soup especially black bean, but my family loves it so I thought I’d make it for them.

I found that Tyler Florence’s recipes are usually dead-on. He has a Shrimp Scampi dish that will have your dinner guests begging for more. The last time I made that dish I forgot to take pictures so I didn’t post it, but I’ll make that soon.

Here’s the link to his recipe for the Black Bean Soup:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/black-bean-soup-recipe2/index.html

The only thing I did differently was I used 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano instead of 2 sprigs of fresh and I left out the jalapeno. My family doesn’t like spicy dishes.

If you like Black Bean Soup, give this recipe a try.

Thank you Tyler Florence!

Ingredients
1 pound dried black bean
4 cloves garlic
2 onions, roughly chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
1/4 bunch fresh cilantro
Extra-Virgin olive oil
2 sprigs fesh oregano ( I used 1/2 teaspoon dried)
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 smoked ham hock
1 3/4 quarts chicken stock
Kosher salt and coarse black pepper

Directions
Pick through the beans and discard any debris – wash under cold running water. In a food processor, add garlic, onion, bell pepper and cilantro.

Set a large pot over medium-heat and add a 3-count of olive oil. Add the oregano and cumin. Add vegetable puree and saute until just fragrant, 7 to 10 minutes. Add beans, ham hock, jalapeno, and stock. Slightly cover and simmer for 2 hours until beans are tender.

When cooked, take out ham hock. Cut meat off the bone, cut into pieces and set aside.

Using a blender or immersion blender, puree enough of the beans and stock (about third of the total pot) to thicken up the soup and bring everything together. Season with salt and pepper and fold ham meat back into the soup.

Garnish with cilantro and you’re done!

Blueberry Crumb Cake

My son asked me to make blueberry muffins this past weekend, so I bought the blueberries but decided tonight to do a Blueberry Crumb Cake instead. I’ve made this twice already and it’s a nice little change, not real sweet.

If you’re wondering why I make desserts so often, it’s not only for Matthew, but I made a promise to myself that I won’t indulge in any desserts unless I make it.

This keeps me from having desserts at restaurants and keeps me from gorging myself at peoples’ home and family gatherings. Just another way for me to watch what I eat and it gets me to experiment with different dessert recipes.

I consider this Blueberry Crumb Cake restaurant-quality. The crumb on top, the moist cake and fresh blueberries, brings it all together. I was suppose to sprinkle powdered sugar on top but it was fine without it.

The original recipe called for a 9-inch cake pan but all I had was an 8-inch. My baking time was exactly 48 minutes. Next time I’ll test it at 47 min 30 secs. When I bake a dessert I reduce the baking time by 30 seconds each and every time I make it, until I’m happy with the moistness.

Just for the record, I use a dull pan, the dark non-stick pan would brown the bottom of the cake too fast making it too crusty. Next time I’ll dust the blueberries with flour. That is suppose to keep them from sinking to the bottom.

I got this recipe from www.foodnetwork.com, the Barefoot Contessa. Here’s the link:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/blueberry-crumb-cake-recipe/index.html

Make it for your family and guests and watch them drool like a German Shepherd in a butcher shop!

Ingredients

For the streusel:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

For the cake:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (3/4 stick)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2/3 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup fresh blueberries
Confectioners’ sugar for sprinkling

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8-inch baking pan. Preferably dull pan not the dark non-stick.

For the streusel:
Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter, then stir in the flour. Mix well and set aside.

For the cake:
Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl at high speed for 5 minutes, until light. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, lemon zest, and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer at low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined (I did this with a wooden spoon). Fold in the blueberries and stir with a spatula, be sure to scrape the bottom to completely mix the batter.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out with a spatula. With your fingers, crumble the topping evenly over the batter. Bake for 48 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely and serve sprinkled with confectioners’ sugar.

Cooking Tip: I made chicken and broccoli for dinner and made some white rice. In the pot I was making the rice in, I oiled the sides to see if that would stop it from boiling over when it simmered.

By golly it did! No more over-boiling on the stove . . . just oil the sides of the pan so the bubbles won’t stick and build on top of each other.

Chopped parsley adds color

I had a few clients ask me about the skillet potatoes so I thought I’d blog about it. They are so simple to make, and it brings a certain restaurant-quality to your breakfast table that you just gotta make ‘em for your family.

Chances are you have everything you need, so there’s no need to run out to the store. If you have Russet potatoes, then you’re good to go. Paprika and fresh parsley are optional. Both are used to add a bit of color.

Peel and dice the potatoes, place in a bowl, add salt and pepper, and work the seasoning into the pieces with your hands. Then add 1 tablespoon of oil (either vegetable or olive) and work into the pieces with your hands again. The amount of oil you use depends on how much you are making so please adjust accordingly. Since I’m cooking only for three, I use two potatoes.

Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a frying pan on medium-high heat, add potatoes and cook for 12-14 minutes, stirring occasionally. Be sure not to crowd the potatoes. You want the pieces to brown a little, you don’t want them to steam. Then bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes on a baking sheet.

Last night Matthew’s good friend, Alexander Andrews spent the night, and I cooked breakfast for them this morning before church. As I was photographing my scrambled eggs, I told the boys to look up for a snapshot and I’ll put them in my blog.

They look like this all the time when they’re together. Just don’t give Alexander Dr. Pepper . . . he turns into a wild man!

Breakfast is always better with a friend

INGREDIENTS
- Russet potatoes
- salt
- pepper
- paprika (optional)
- chopped parsley (optional)
- 2 tablespoon oil

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Peel and dice the potatoes and place in bowl. Season with salt and pepper and work the seasoning in the pieces with your hands. Then add 2 tablespoons of oil and work the oil in the pieces with your hands.
3. Fry on medium-high heat 12-14 minutes, stirring.occasionally.
4. Place potatoes on baking pan for 20-25 minutes and you’re done!
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Whole-Wheat Cornmeal Pancakes

After you had a couple of pancakes do you feel stuffed, bloated, or sluggish? If so, try these whole-wheat cornmeal pancakes.

They’re light and not doughy like 99% of the pancakes you’ve tried.

On weekdays I have a salad for my breakfast, but on weekends, breakfast is traditional. For my family I make whole-wheat cornmeal pancakes, skillet potatoes, scrambled eggs, and Canadian bacon.

They’re simple to make and chances are good that you already have everything you need in your pantry. They’re so good, you can eat them without syrup.

Once when I was making a batch of pancakes, I was trying to find a healthier alternative to honey so I used agave nectar instead. To be honest, I really couldn’t taste the difference.

Make some pancakes for your family this Saturday, you’ll never go back to packaged pancake mix again. I heat my oven to 225 degrees and stack them in the oven to keep warm until ready to serve.

INGREDIENTS

- 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1/3 cup whole-wheat flour
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 egg
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon honey (I use Agave Nectar)

1. Combine the dry ingredients in a medium-size bowl.
2. In another bowl, beat the egg, then beat in the milk, oil and honey. Combine with the dry ingredients and mix.
3. Lightly oil your skillet and heat over medium-low heat. When hot, spoon the batter into skillet. Cook until they begin to bubble and are golden brown on the bottom. Turn them over and cook until done.

Tuna Salad with dried cranberries

I rarely leave the office so I either grab something to go or brown bag it. Nine out of ten times I bring my lunch to work whether it’s leftovers or tuna salad.

Making tuna salad is so fast and simple, there’s no reason to buy lunch. I make mine with just a dollop of mayo, I don’t smother the tuna in it.

If you want a nice lunch tomorrow, make it tonight. Here’s my recipe for my tuna salad, it’s simple. I actually had a little of this with my salad and strawberries this morning. Yes, I eat salad for breakfast.

My breakfast this morning

Let me know what you think.

Lemon Chicken - not deep-fried

Just made Lemon Chicken last night, it is one of my son’s favorite dishes, second only to chicken and dumpling.

This is easy to make and healthier than the deep-fry you get at the restaurants. All you need is a package of chicken tenderloins. I use to buy  chicken breast and flatten it but the meat was still a little on the tough side. The tenderloins are perfect, but I still flatten them a little.

I make the lemon sauce first. It’s simple, but tasty. Just combine the ingredients for the lemon sauce in a bowl; mix well, and set aside.

LEMON SAUCE
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (I use 3 small lemons)

INGREDIENTS
- 1 pack chicken tenderloins
-  3 lemons
- 1 egg
- 1 cup bread crumbs (season with salt & pepper)
- 1/2 cup flour

Season the chicken with salt and pepper, dredge the pieces in flour, then egg, and then the bread crumbs. Fry on medium-high heat 2 to 2-1/2 minutes per side. Depending on how flat your tenderloins are, of course the frying time will vary.

I’ve tested frying the chicken starting at 4 minutes per side and kept reducing the frying time by 30 seconds with every batch I made. For me, 2-1/2 minutes per side was perfect, the chicken tenderloins come out moist.

After you remove the chicken from the pan, add 1 tablespoon of oil to the hot pan and swirl to spread evenly, then stir in the lemon sauce. Bring to a boil and whisk as the sauce thickens (about 2 minutes). Pour over chicken, serve, and enjoy!

Let me know what you think.