Posts tagged @sarahmcsimmons

Is it obvious that I’m on a chipotle kick lately? I’m not sure if I’m trying to pack in these warm dishes before the seasons change or what, but almost everything I’ve made in the past week or so has come with a spicy bite! Don’t worry, I’ve only got a few more recipes before I move on to something new.  In the meantime, here is the recipe for this fantastic and healthy Roasted Red Pepper soup!

Ingredients

• 1 onion, cut into 1/4 inch dice
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 chipotle chile, diced plus 1-2 Tablespoons adodo saunce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 4 roasted red bell pepper - peeled, seeded, chopped
• 1 small can, roasted salsa verde
• 1 14 oz can fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1 cup smoked chicken
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

• In a large soup pot, cook the onion, garlic in 1 Tablespoon of hot oil until tender, stirring frequently.
• Add the chicken stock and red peppers and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Cool the soup mixture to room temperature. Puree in a blender until smooth. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat. Cook for 15 minutes over high heat, stirring frequently. 
• Add the chicken and reduce heat to medium for 15 minutes. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve with a dollop of non-fat sour cream, finely diced red onions, and cilantro.

Notes: The next time I make this I’m going to omit the chicken. AND for the great news, a one cup serving of this soup is only 76 calories with 2g of fat and 12g carbs!

In college I worked at a meat and two veggie restaurant that didn’t have a healthy option on the menu. Ironically, I was my thinnest at the time. Knowing I was watching what I eat, the owner created this really easy chicken recipe so I would have something to eat. I’d forgotten about it until this weekend when left with a quart of salsa from a rooftop BBQ.

So I decided to break out this old school recipe with a few improvements and whipped up a quick orzo dish that I made up based on what was in the fridge. Both are easy, delicious, and low-fat.

SPICY CHICKEN

Ingredients

• 4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (about one lb)
• 4 cups salsa
• 1-2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1-2 Tablespoons honey

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400
• Combine salsa, mustard, and honey in a small saucepan until thoroughly blended
• Bring to a boil. Simmer over medium heat until reduced my 1/2 to 1/3
• Meanwhile sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a non-stick (oven-proof) skillet over high heat. Once hot, saute the chicken about 2-3 minutes per side until slightly crispy.
• Pour the salsa mixture over the chicken and bake for 20 minutes

CREAMY CHIPOTLE ORZO

Ingredients

• 1 cup orzo, cooked according to package directions
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 Tablespoons nonfat greek yogurt
• 1 chipotle pepper, minced plus 1 Tablespoon adobo sauce

Directions

• Mix garlic, yogurt, pepper, and adobo sauce together in a medium bowl
• Add cooked orzo into sauce and stir until fully coated
• Salt and pepper to taste

This Winter I was obsessed with Celery Root - mostly after making the Celery Root & Mushroom Lasagna Recipe. I roasted it, mashed it, and used it as a replacement for potatoes in a gratin using an old Southern Living recipe which was by far my favorite celery root experiment. It’s almost too warm for this dish but better late than never! Try it while you can:

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup All-purpose flour
• 1.5 cups skim milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 3 lbs celery root (about 3), peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick
• 2 small onions, thinly slices and separated into rings
• 1.5 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat; add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook one minute, stirring constantly
• Gradually add milk; cook over medium heat; stirring constantly; until thickened and bubbly
• Stir in salt, nutmeg, and pepper
• Spoon 1/4 cup white sauce into a 12x8x2 inch baking dish. Top with half of the celery root, onions, 1 cup white sauce, and 3/4 cup cheese. Repeat layers using the remaining celery root, onions, white sauce, and half of the remaining cheese
• Cover and bake for 40 minutes, until tender. Uncover and sprinkle the top with remaining cheese. Bake for an additional 10 minutes

This dish pairs best with chicken and beef and serves 12. 

These tarts are perfect addition to pork, beef, and chicken. They also could be served as a vegetarian main course if paired with a green vegetable and maybe some roasted beets! 

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 cup uncooked orzo, prepared according to package directions
• 1 1/2 cup sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 medium sweet onion, finely diced

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two muffin tins with cooking spray and set aside
• In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Stir in chipotle pepper
• Add orzo and onion into the liquid, mixing until well coated. Add the cheese.
• Fill the prepared muffin tins until three-fourths full with mixture and bake for 20 minutes
• Let stand for 5 minutes and remove tarts from pan by running a knife around the edges and gently lifting them out

Notes: This recipe serves 12. Leftover tarts can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days and reheated at 350 for ten minutes. 

Peter Berley knows more about food than almost anyone I’ve met. But even I was a skeptic when the former executive chef of Angelika’s Kitchen (a vegetarian spot) recommended this approach to roasting a chicken. Knowing it was a variation of the old school Thomas Keller approach, I decided to give it a try. And, Chef Berley was right, this is the easiest and most delicious chicken I’ve ever made.

Two things you need to know about this technique. You need to prep the bird at least 12 hours before you begin cooking and you will need a skillet or roasting pan that can go in the oven and on the stove top.

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

• Kosher Salt
• One 5-7 pound chicken
• Fresh Herbs
• Garlic
• Lemon Juice

Directions

• Measure out 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon of salt per pound and rub all over chicken
• Place chicken in fridge, uncovered, for a minimum of 12 hours and up to two days
• Remove chicken from fridge and truss it. 
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. After the oven has been at 450 for 30 minutes, place chicken into pan and cook on the stovetop over medium/high heat until it starts to sizzle.
• Put the chicken into the oven and leave it for 50 minutes. 
• After 50 minutes, turn the chicken over and let the juices run out. Throw in herbs, garlic, lemon juice or any other aromatics you want to use and baste it with the juices. 
• Cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for at least 15 minutes. 

Technical Details

Because I’m a food nerd, I asked a lot of questions about this technique. And these are two little nuggets I picked up.

• Keeping the chicken in the open air better enables the salt to draw the moisture from the chicken. Water is what bacteria needs to survive so, essentially you are curing the chicken. The proteins start to tenderize and when the cells open back up during cooking, they reabsorb all of the juices. 
• Adding fat to meat while roasting encourages steam which is counterproductive to the roasting process. This was a “duh” moment for me because I understand the mechanics of roasting and the role fat plays in cooking but never thought about this little fact with regards to roasting. 

The last day of class we focused on vegetables and making our own mayonnaise, with a little bit of practice grilling and flambeing fruits. Due to my ginormous fear of fire, I passed on the flambeing fruit. But I did make a perfect mayo, a bunch of vegetable dishes and some super delicious guacamole. Here is the menu from class:

• Grilled Flank Steak
• Spicy Guacamole
• Cucumber and Daikon Salad
• Cabbage and Orange Slaw
• Beet and Jicama Salad
• Roasted Potato Salad with a Garlic Aioli
• Flambeed Bananas and Peaches

It was a super fun but exhausting week. And I really missed my classmates as I was cooking alone again this weekend.

Last night we focused on roasting techniques, trussing and carving poultry, rice cookery and degreasing stocks. It was fun but I learned that I would never do well on a reality TV show working in teams. Here is what we created:

• Arborio Chicken Soup with Escarole
• Rosemary Roast Chicken
• Baked Stuffed Tomatoes Provencale
• Roasted Garlic
• Rice Pilaf
• Wild and Brown Rice Casserole
• French Style Spinach, Bacon, Mushroom Salad with Curry Vinaigrette
• Clafouti

Tonight we’re working on braising!