Recipe #77 - Flank Steak Salad with Jalapeno Poppers

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Recipe idea courtesy of Chuck Hughes from the cooking show Chuck's Day Off.

For the steak salad:
Rub the flank steak on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy skillet on medium-high heat and cook the steak on one side for 6 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side for 6 more minutes.

Meanwhile combine the red onion, cucumbers, tomatoes, avocados, cilantro, mint and lime juice in a bowl and mix well. (Side note: this step called for 2 tablespoons olive oil, but I left it out and it tasted just fine with just the lime juice.)

Season the salad with salt and pepper, to taste and set aside.

For the jalapeno poppers:
Heat oil in a deep fryer or a heavy-bottomed skillet to 350 degrees F. Carefully slice down the side of the peppers and remove the seeds. Set aside. In a bowl combine all the grated cheeses, season with pepper, to taste and stuff the peppers.

In a separate bowl, mix the flour, egg, and beer to form a batter. Dip the stuffed peppers in the batter.

Fry in the deep fryer or in a heavy skillet for about 5 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

Slice the flank steak into thin pieces.

Pile the salad on a plate with slices of flank steak, and top with 1 popper, sliced in half.

This recipe turned out really well. The colors where bright. It had a very fresh, summer taste to it. I've never tasted mint and cilantro together, but it was a memorable surprise pairing perfectly with the lime juice. It has been raining all day, so it's was a nice, uplifting, healthy lunch that brought some sunshine back into the dull house today.

Rating: 9
Time: 1 hour (there's a lot of cutting involved)
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
For the Steak Salad
2 pounds flank steak
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 red onion, sliced
2 cucumbers, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tomatoes, diced
2 avocados, halved, pitted, peeled and diced
1 cup torn fresh cilantro leaves
1 cup torn fresh mint leaves
Juice of 2 limes
2 tablespoons olive oil, optional

For the Jalapeno Poppers
6 jalapeno peppers or milder peppers (which I recommend)
1/3 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1/3 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1 cup flour
1 egg
3/4 cup beer
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Vegetable oil, for frying

Recipe #65 - Cheddar Corn Muffins with Jalapeño Butter

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This bland corn bread just became a little more exciting! Made with whole pieces of corn adding much needed texture. As well as a little spicy punch courtesy of the jalapeno butter.

To make corn muffins:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F with rack in the middle. Brush muffin cups with softened butter. Whisk together cornmeal, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl.

Whisk together corn, buttermilk, egg, and melted butter in another bowl, then stir into four mixture until just combined. Stir 1 1/2 cups cheese.

Divide batter among muffin cups and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.

Bake until puffed and golden-brown and a wooden pick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Turn out onto a rack to cool.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Make jalapeno butter while muffins bake:
Stir together butter, jalapeno, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Serve with muffins.

Rating: 9
Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 12 muffins
Ingredients:
For muffins:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus 1 tablespoon, softened, for brushing muffin cups
2 cups cornmeal (preferably stone-ground)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup corn, thawed if frozen
1 1/4 cups well-shaken buttermilk (not powdered)
1 large egg
1 3/4 cups grated sharp Cheddar (5 1/4 ounces), divided

For jalapeno butter:
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 fresh jalapeno, finely chopped, including seeds

Recipe #63 - Layered Taco Dip

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Start by preparing all the veggies. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a larfe skillet over medium hear, brown beef. Drain well. Stir in beans, taco sauce, chili powder and cumin. Heat until warm. 

Spread the meat and bean mixture into a 9x13-inch casserole. Spread sour cream over beef and mixture, then sprinkle onions, tomatoes, olives and peppers. Top with cheese. 

I doubled the recipe because some people don't eat veggies (ah-hum, Teresa).

Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Serve warm. 

Rating: 8 

Time: 45 minutes 

Serves: 6 

Nutritional Information: 

Calories - 415

Total Fat - 28.3g

Cholesterol - 85mg

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

1 (16 ounce) can refried beans

1/2 cup hot taco sauce

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 (16 ounce) container sour cream

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped tomatoes

1 cup black olives, chopped

3/4 cup sliced jalapeno peppers

Recipe #54 - Jumbo Shrimp Stuffed with Cilantro and Chiles

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Prepare an outdoor grill with a medium-high fire. Without removing the shells, slit about 3/4 of the way through the shrimp down the ridged back and remove the vein that runs down the center. Rinse and pat the shrimp dry. 

Whisk thyme leaves, lime juice, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and black pepper, to taste, in a shallow nonreactive bowl or dish. Lay the shrimp cut side down in the lime mixture and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

In a food processor, pulse the garlic, jalapeno, scallions, remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt to make a coarse paste. Add the cilantro and pulse just enough to incorporate into the mixture. 

Spoon the mixture into the opening in the shrimp and close the shrimp. Grill the shrimp shell side down (to keep filling from falling out) for 3 minutes. Turn to the other shell side, cover, and grill another 2 minutes or until the shrimp turn pink and are slightly firm to the touch. Sprinkle with salt and serve. 

Now I couldn't find any shrimp in the shell, but I went ahead with the recipe with shrimp without the shell anyways. Below is a "Cook's Note" that was posted in the recipe. I can definitely understand why having the shell is so important. I didn't think that the shrimp retained as much flavor as it could have in the shell. My mother thought to was this recipe was at least a 9, but I disagree. I think that I could have made it better.  
"Cook's Note: Shrimp cooked in the shells are more intensely flavorful. Leaving the shells on provides a buffer against overcooking, a misfortune many shrimp suffer. Shrimp, even these jumbos, continue to cook once removed from the grill. It's always best to cook them just until opaque and let the delicate shellfish finish cooking off the heat. 

Jumbo shrimp in the shell can be a knife and fork sort of deal unless you're outside and it's summer and you are feeling very relaxed. Serve these with lots of napkins if your crowd is the peel-and-eat type." - Food Network Kitchens

Rating: 5 
Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients:
16 (ish) jumbo shrimp, in the shell (about 1 1/4 pounds)
3 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped
Juice of 2 limes (about 1/4 cup)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus additional for seasoning
Freshly ground black pepper
2 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 large jalapeno, with seeds
2 scallions (white and green parts)
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Recipe # 41 - Cream Stuffed, Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos

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Let's add some spice to this blog! And by spice I mean friggin' hot jalapenos! 

Now I wanted to serve some hor d'oeuvres to my friends and family on the 4th of July. After a little research, I found this recipe. However, it only had three ingredients: jalapenos, cream cheese and bacon. Talk about blah! I took the idea and added a few of my own ingredients. 

If you try making these, one thing I recommend (actually, I insist upon) is using gloves when preparing the jalapenos. I did not. For the rest of the day every time I put a finger up to my mouth it started burning. Then it spread to my upper and lower lips and was amplified by the sun - it was miserable! Thanks to my clever aunts, I learned that if you apply either lemon or lime juice to the jalapeno burn it recedes almost immediately. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Set out cream cheese and bacon to soften.

Start by rinsing the jalapenos and cutting them in half. Take a spoon or knife and remove all of the white membrane and seeds. Seeing as the seeds are what gives the jalapenos their main punch, you can leave a few inside to spice it up. I wasn't that daring :-/ Seeds be gone!

Mix the cheddar, mozzarella, cream cheese and sour cream in a medium bowl. Then stir in the green onions and chives. 

Next, cut the package of bacon in half. Wrap each jalapeno in a half strip of bacon. You can use more if the pepper is larger. You may also secure the bacon with a toothpick if needed. 

Place the peppers on a grilling rack and pop them into the oven for 20-25 minutes (until the bacon is crispy). They put off a lot of juice so I placed the grilling rack on a cookie sheet pan to catch the juices. Serve immediately or at room temperature.  

When I told people that I was going to be making these, I got a lot of "yucks" and "uh I think I may skip that one". But when these came out of the oven, I literally couldn't stop people from eating them! They smelled and tasted better than any of us had anticipated. I had to smack a few hands to make sure everyone had the chance to try at least one. 

I would definitely recommend these as an easy, tasty and fun to make hor d'oeuvre for any time of the year.

Rating: 10

Time: 40 minutes 

Serves: 20 (you know, unless everyone loves them, then about 10!)

Ingredients:

20 jalapenos

2 - 8 oz. blocks of cream cheese

1-2 pounds bacon (I used a little over 1 pound)

2/3 cup sour cream*

1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese*

1 cup mozzarella cheese*

3/4 cup green onions, diced*

1/3 cup chives*

*You can eye these measurements, if you feel like it needs more or less, then by all means!

Recipe #37 - Black Bean Quinoa Salad

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This is an award winning recipe I found in the Commercial Appeal created by Megan Murphy, a Tennessee-licensed registered dietitian.

She writes, "Quinoa is a seed that kind of masquerades as a grain. Its consistency is grain-like, but its is noat a grain, and there is no gluten in it. The tiny uncooked quinoa particles swell up when you cook them into small round pellets and give a satisfying chew to dishes, including this one"

Quinoa also contains all 8 essential amino acids (proteins) needed in the human diet. Which makes it very poplar with vegans.

In a small bowl, toss the drained beans with the vinegar, salt and pepper. Let stand for about 30 minutes before draining off any excess liquid.

Meanwhile, in another bowl wash the quinoa in cold water, drain into a coffee filter or fine sieve set over a bowl or pot.

Bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil in a medium-sized pot, add quinoa. Lower heat and cover; cook for about 15 minutes until most of the water is absorbed. Set the pot of quinoa off the heat, and let it stand for about 20 minutes to finish absorbing the water.

Once quinoa has absorbed all the cooking water, transfer it to a large plate or bowl and allow to come to room temperature (using a plate spreads it out more so getting to room temperature doesn't take as long).

Once the quinoa is room temperature, put it in a good sized bowl or container. Add the drained beans, red bell pepper, red onions, jalapenos and cilantro; toss gently to combine.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together the lime juice, salt, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Add the oil in a stream, whisking continuously. Once the oil is all incorporated, add the dressing to the quinoa/bean mixture and stir gently to combine.

Love, love, LOVE, LoVe this one. Anything with black beans (the healthiest of the the beans) is good in my book. The cilantro, freshly picked from the garden, was of course perfect with the fresh lime juice. The cayenne pepper along with the jalapenos and roasted red pepper gave it a little punch that spiced up the quinoa.

The dressing was definitely my favorite part. I put together a salad the next night and made the exact dressing for the topper. I also made this recipe again about a week later for lunch. Very healthy. Very tasty.

Rating: 9
Time: 40 mins
Serves: 6, about 1 cup each.
Per serving: 260 calories, 13 gm fat, 2 gm saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 29 gm carbohydrates, 6 gm fiber, 7 gm protein, 219 mg sodium.
Ingredients:
For the salad:
1 1/2 cups black beans, canned, drained and rinsed (1 15-oz. can)
1 1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 freshly cracked black pepper
3/4 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups water
1 large red pepper, roasted, seeded, peeled and diced (can be from a jar)
1 small-medium red onion, diced (about 2/3 cup diced)
2 tablespoons pickled jalapeno chiles, diced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped

For the dressing:
4 1/2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 ground cumin
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Recipe #8 - Jalapeno Popper Sliders

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We had a lot of ground beef in the frig for some reason, so I needed to make a recipe using ground beef. I was in the mood for hamburgers, but didn't want to do the typical mayo, mustard, pickle, cheese thing. I've never made sliders before and began researching recipes. I found this:

"If you're in the mood for the flavors of the southwest, you'll love this pork and beef burger covered with roasted peppers and an avocado, sour cream, cilantro, Fresno chili and line juice dressing."

That was the tag line that hooked me for this recipe. Avocado! Sour cream! On a burger? Yes, please!

Everything but the Worcestershire sauce. Plus my recipe holder aka iPad.

There were a few things I threw out of the original recipe and a few that I added from others. For example, I didn't use pork, replaced it with more ground beef. It called for Pablano peppers (way too spicy for me), but used red peppers. I used Guinness Extra Stout beer instead of Negra Modelo.

I started out pre-heating the oven to broil. I cut up the the peppers into long thin strips and placed them on a cooking sheet. I then placed the pan into the oven (with the oven door ajar to allow steam to escape) to char them all over. Once charred, I quickly removed the peppers from the pan so that they didn't stick. I threw them into a small bowl to cool. Once cooled, using a food processor, I pureed them. Or as I like to say, "mush them up real good like". That's a technical term... Ha.

While the peppers are cooling before you puree them, cut the red onion into then rings and place in a bowl. Add half of the lime juice, salt, pepper, and drizzle with EVOO to coat. 

In another bowl, mash together the avocado, sour cream, cilantro, fresno chili and the remaining lime juice; season, to taste, with salt. This makes a thick sauce to top the slider with when finished. 

In a large bowl, combine the beef, pork, pureed peppers, cumin, coriander, paprika, cinnamon, salt and lots of pepper. Mix in the beer and Worcestershire sauce. 

Form the mixture into eight 3-inch patties (a little thinner in the center and thicker at the edges). Drizzle a little EVOO in a large skillet or nonstick griddle over medium-high heat. Add the burgers and cook, turning once, for about 7 minutes for medium-rare. Top with the pepper jack cheese slice (it's ok if it's much larger, it will melt around the edges of the slider).

Place the burgers on the wheat roll bottoms. Top with the onions and sauce and set the roll tops in place. Wala! You now have fabulous looking and tasting Jalapeno Popper Sliders!

I was impressed by the depth of the flavor. I could pin point the beer and the Worcestershire sauce as well as the broiled peppers. I felt like each item could have been it's own recipe, good enough to be eaten separately. The onions marinated in the spices and EVOO. The avocado, jalapeno and sour cream. Even the cinnamon added to the beef was just superb.

Almost to pretty to eat... almost.

  

Time: ~1 hour

Rating: I'm going to give this a 10. I would def make it again. In fact, I want to make it again right now just writing about them. 
Serves: 4
Ingredients:

2 large red peppers

1 small red onion, thinly sliced into rings

Juice of 2 limes, divided

Salt and pepper

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling

1 small ripe avocado

1/2 cup sour cream

A handful of cilantro, finely chopped

1 Fresno or jalapeño chili, seeded and finely chopped

1.5 pounds ground beef sirloin

1/2 palmful each ground cumin, ground coriander and smoked sweet paprika (about 1 1/2 teaspoons each)

A pinch of ground cinnamon

1/3 cup beer, such as Guinness Extra Stout

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Sliced pepper Jack

8 white, potato or whole wheat slider rolls, split