News!

Friends,

I’m sorry I haven’t been posting anything delicious lately. I haven’t been cooking much. I have been exhausted. I have a good excuse though… I promise! 

I have been so tired, I have barely been able to function and get through my work day. Luckily I have a fantastic husband and he has access to all of my step by step recipes on this blog, so he has been doing most of the cooking. 

Andy and I are expecting our first baby! We are 13 weeks today and we are super excited!

I will be back with some recipes as soon as I can!

 

Daniela 

 

Shredded Beef Tacos with Guajillo and Ancho Chile Sauce

I’m sorry friends….. I have been lazy.

I haven’t posted a recipe in a very long time. I’ve just been so tired and haven’t been cooking much lately. I finally got some pictures today and I am ready to share a crockpot recipe for shredded beef tacos

This recipe is adapted from Sunset Magazine October 2009.

You can leave the beef cooking all day while you are at work and just make the sauce when you get home.

I made the beef a day ahead, shredded it and left it ready to go for the next day.

This is not a spicy dish. The chiles used for the sauce are not very spicy but they are full of flavor. If you want a spicy sauce you can keep some of the seeds instead of discarding them when you clean the chiles.

 For the Beef:

2 pounds chuck roast, cut into 4 pieces

1 dried bay leaf

1 Can Coca-Cola* or another cola (not diet)

a little water

salt and pepper to taste

Beef cooking instructions:

In a crockpot combine chuck roast, bay leaf, cola and salt and pepper. Make sure the beef is just covered with liquid. If the can of coke isn’t enough to cover it add a little water. I have a round crockpot and one can with a little water is just enough to cover the roast but if you have a very large crockpot you will need a lot more liquid.

Cook on low for at least 6 hours until meat is falling apart.

Shred beef and discard any fat.

 For the Sauce:

3 medium dried ancho chiles

2 large dried guajillo chiles

2 tablespoons grape seed oil, divided

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

2 large garlic cloves, sliced

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 cup canned diced tomatoes

1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano*

2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

Make sauce for beef:

Wipe chiles clean with a damp cloth, stem and seed, and chop into pieces.

Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat.

Sauté onion and garlic until softened, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add chiles and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add 1 1/2 cups water, the cumin, tomatoes, oregano, and salt- I used about 3 pinches.

Bring to a boil, then reduce, until chiles are softened, about 10 minutes.

Purée sauce in a blender until very smooth.

In a large skillet heat 1 tablespoon grape seed oil and add shredded beef and fry for a minute.

Pour sauce over mix and combine.

Cook down the sauce until thick, about 10 minutes.

Serve with corn tortillas and make tacos. Top with Guacamole and cilantro

Sesame Crusted Seared Ahi Tuna

Today I was checking out the seafood counter at the grocery store and I saw a beautiful piece of sashimi grade tuna. I love love love seared tuna but I have never made it at home so I decided to give it a try.

It was super easy to make and delicious! You can serve this with a soy dipping sauce and eat like sushi, with a salad or with steamed rice . I made a salad with a jicama and radish slaw.

If Andy was a fan of seared tuna I would make this again with wasabi mashed potatoes and a sweet and savory sauce drizzled over it. But no luck, he hates it… More for me!

Ingredients

2 Sashimi grade Ahi tuna steaks cut thick

black and white sesame seeds

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons fresh ground pepper

2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 tablespoons grape-seed oil

Dipping sauce:

3 parts low sodium soy sauce , 1 part good quality rice vinegar

Directions:

In a small shallow bowl, mix dark and light sesame seeds until combined.

In a small prep bowl combine paprika, salt, pepper, and coriander.

sprinkle a little bit of grape-seed oil on tuna steaks and rub seasoning mix all over.

dip steaks in sesame seed bowl until steak is fully covered all around.

Heat grape-seed oil in a nonstick pan over high heat. Once the pan is really hot place steaks on pan and sear for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, longer if you want it less rare. I cooked mine for 2 minutes on each side. I like tuna very rare.

Remove  from pan and place on cutting board and cut.

serve over a salad or with rice vinegar and soy sauce dip.

Easy Chocolate Soufflé for Two

I saw a chocolate soufflé picture in a magazine a few days ago and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.

I decided to give my first chocolate soufflé a try.

This is a Martha Stewart recipe. I picked this one because it’s for 2 small soufflés and it didn’t have any crazy ingredients and it didn’t require heavy cream. Most recipes are for 8 soufflés, way too much for a family of 2.

Not too shabby for my first chocolate soufflé….

Don’t you agree?

 

Ingredients

3  tablespoons  butter, 1 for greasing the ramekins and 2 to melt with the chocolate

1  teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder, if you don’t have cocoa powder, you can use sugar to coat your ramekin instead

3  ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate – chopped

1/2  teaspoon vanilla extract – I use Mexican vanilla extract

2 egg yolks

2 egg whites

2 tablespoons  sugar

pinch salt

pinch cream of tartar

Directions

Heat oven to 375° F. Use 1 tablespoon of the butter to grease one 16-ounce or two 8 ounce ramekins.

Coat the ramekins with the cocoa, tapping out the excess. I just put one teaspoon of cocoa in the ramekin and kind of swirled it around until the bottom and sides were coated, then I transferred the remaining cocoa powder leftover from the first ramekin, into the second ramekin.

Simmer water in a large pan. You will be placing a large bowl over the simmering water to melt the chocolate.

Put 2 tablespoon of butter and chopped chocolate in a large bowl. Place the bowl over the pan with simmering water and stir occasionally until fully melted.

Remove bowl from heat and add the vanilla and quickly whisk in the yolks until smooth and set a side.

 

In a clean bowl, with an electric mixer beat the egg whites with the sugar, salt, and cream of tartar until stiff (but not dry) peaks form.

Gently fold the egg-white mixture into the chocolate until completely incorporated but not over mixed, be gentle with the folding.

Spoon into the ramekins.

If you are making this recipe a day ahead, stop at this point and put plastic wrap over ramekins

Bake until puffed and set, 40 minutes for a 16-ounce soufflé,

20 minutes for two smaller ones. (If baked directly from the refrigerator, add 5 to 10 minutes.)

Sprinkle powdered sugar on top before serving and serve immediately (before they deflate).

I baked this in my smart oven on convection bake for 17 minutes. Every oven cooks differently; I think 15 minutes would have been better. I will definitely make this again and serve with some vanilla gelato.

Enjoy!

Quick and Easy Bruschetta

Two posts in one day…. I was seriously having blog withdrawls !

I made this yummy and healthy Bruschetta to eat with my delicious crusty bread -click this link for the recipe.

This Bruschetta is quick, easy, healthy and always a crowd pleaser.

I toasted my bread in the toaster oven with a little bit of olive oil to crisp it up. If you aren’t making the homemade bread just grab a french loaf from your local bakery and ask them to slice it for you.

I made a small batch for Andy and me, but if you are making this for more people just double or triple the recipe.

Ingredients:

3 Roma tomatoes , diced

1/4 cup fresh basil- chopped in ribbons

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons high quality balsamic vinegar. I always keep an eye out for good oils and balsamic vinegars when I go to Home Goods or TJ Maxx, they always have great deals.

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt- taste and add more if needed.

1/4 teaspoon fresh grated pepper

1 tablespoon grated Parmigiano- Reggiano

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Let sit for at least half an hour so that the tomatoes marinate well.

 

No Knead Crusty Dutch Oven Bread

I have been gone for a while. I just finished a 21 day liver cleanse, so I haven’t really had any exciting recipes to share. This wasn’t one of those starve yourself and drink cucumber water all day, type of detox. I did the Standard Process purification program and I feel fantastic. But, I’m not gonna lie, I have been dying for a piece of bread for the last 21 days. So its the first thing I made! I’m baaaaaaack!

I adapted this from a recipe I found on Pinterest which was linked to Simply So Good Blog. I didn’t take photos through the whole process but Simply So Good has lots of great Photos as well as some great flavor combination ideas that I cant wait to try. I am a TERRIBLE baker and I didn’t screw it up! This was so easy to make. I couldn’t believe how perfect and flippin’ delicious this turned out!

I had some Thyme in my fridge that I needed to use so I made a Thyme and Parmigiano- Reggiano Bread.

Ingredients:

3 cups unbleached bread flour

1 3/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon yeast

1 1/2 cups water

4 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt and yeast.  Add water and mix until a shaggy mixture forms.

Add cheese, thyme, parsley, garlic and onion powder, mix well. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 12 – 18 hours.  I let mine sit overnight and it worked perfect.

Heat oven to 450 degrees.  When the oven has reached 450 degrees place a cast iron pot with a lid in the oven and heat the pot for 30 minutes.  I used a 6 qt dutch oven but you can use a smaller one as well.

While the pot is warming in the over, transfer dough onto a heavily floured surface and shape into a ball.  Cover with plastic wrap and let set while the pot is heating.

Remove hot pot from the oven after 30 minutes and drop in your dough ball.  Cover and return to oven for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes remove the lid and bake an additional 15 minutes.

Remove bread from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool.

Stare at it impatiently! Its looks so delicious that you just want to bite it!!!

Authentic, Basic Refried Pinto Beans

Refried beans are a Mexican staple. Beans are a side dish with every meal; breakfast, lunch and dinner.  In our house, beans and fresh salsa were a daily must for my dad. My mom makes the most delicious refried beans.  They must be made from scratch. In Mexico no one buys canned beans… it’s a big no, no!

Beans are actually very easy to make, they just take a long time to cook and a little babysitting. This recipe is very basic and easy. You can add to it if you would like, but you shouldn’t over complicate beans. Beans are beans… enjoy their simplicity.

If you like whole beans, you can follow all the instructions until you get to the mashing part. I like whole beans in bean broth. These are called Frijoles de La Olla (translation is, Beans from the Pot).  You can top your Frijoles de la Olla with cheese as well; the cheese melts in the broth .

Ingredients:

1 pound dried pinto beans rinsed, picked over/cleaned

9 cups of water

½ cup diced white onion

6 garlic cloves

3 teaspoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon of Lard/Manteca, Yes I just said Lard…. Don’t be afraid, its just one tablespoon! But if you are scared, you can substitute with a tablespoon of butter, REAL butter, not margarine. If you use margarine, you are on your own !

Top with Monterey Jack, Cotija or Feta Cheese.

Pick through the dried beans and clean them. Beans are really dirty and sometimes you will find little rocks or broken beans in the bag. Discard any trash and rinse the beans.

If you have the time, and remember to do so, soak the beans in water overnight or for a few hours. Beans take a long time to cook, anywhere from 1-1/2 hrs to 3 hrs. Soaking them helps lower the cooking time. I rarely do this because when I decide to make beans its usually on a whim, so I just cook mine a little longer.

Directions:

In a 3-4 quart pot, add the beans, water, garlic and onion and salt and bring to a boil. Cover pot with lid and Lower the heat and simmer gently until the beans are tender- about 2 hours.

Keep an eye on the liquid level. You don’t want the beans to dry out. There should always be enough liquid in the pot to cover the beans. If the liquid starts to evaporate, boil some water and add the boiling water to the pot. The beans should always be just covered.

When the beans are nice and tender, give them a taste and add more salt if needed.

Ladle your beans to a large skillet over medium heat and mash with a potato masher. Once you have all the beans in the skillet add a tablespoon of lard. You might not use all the bean broth; it’s more of a preference thing. Some people like them soupier than others.  Star off with less broth, you can always add more if you want them soupier. You can make them really smooth and creamy or a little lumpy. I like to mash them well but leave a few lumps. Once they are mashed, you can top with a little cheese. Monterey Jack is a really good melting cheese, so it works well for extra cheesy beans. I like to top mine with fresh feta… lots of creamy feta!!!

When re-heating refried beans, add beans to a skillet with a little bit of butter and pour a little bit of milk on top and stir until fully heated and milk has evaporated.

Buen Provecho!