Quick Soup Idea for Leftovers

Is it just me, or is there something really unappetizing about leftover shredded chicken sitting in the fridge. After a couple days all I want to do is throw it away and go out for Indian food. But here's a better idea, and you can use any spare veggies you have laying around:

Mexican Chicken Soup

Ingredients

• leftover shredded chicken (1 lb)
  
• an onion (sliced)
  
• a couple celery stalks(chopped)
• a couple carrots(chopped)
• mushrooms (if you have them)
• chicken stock (a couple cups)
• white wine (a splash)
  
• tomatoes (fresh or canned)
• spices (i use ground cumin and some chile powder)
• fresh cilantro and cheddar for garnish
  

Directions

1. Caramelize onions in a tablespoon of butter
2. Add celery, carrots, mushrooms- cook until tender
   
3. Deglaze with chicken stock
4. Add wine, tomatoes, chicken
5. Simmer 30-60 mins.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste, Garnish with cheddar and cilantro
   
7. 

Promo Code: CHICKEN

Dinner in a Pumpkin

I love autumn- the changing leaves, the crisp air and the promise of more holidays to come. When I think about what foods represent autumn I can't ignore a family tradition

Dinner in a Pumpkin! Every Halloween season my dad would make his signature dish. A hearty beef, rice and veggie dish baked inside a pumpkin. This week I will share this tradition with all of you.

Recipe

(optional add-ins include rice, peppers, mushrooms, or anything else you can think of!)

1. Saute an onion(chopped), and garlic until tender
2. Add ground beef (figure about a half pound per person) until brown
3. Add a splash of worcestershire sauce
4. De-glaze with a splash of red wine
5. Add one can diced tomatoes, and sauce from the can
   
6. Cover and turn heat down to low, cook 10 minutes
   
7. Meanwhile grate a couple handfuls of your favorite cheese
8. And clean out the pumpkin, add melted butter and salt and pepper to inside of pumpkin
9. Fold a handful of cheese into beef mixture
   
10. Spoon everything into pumpkin
11. Top off with remaining cheese
12. Cover with pumpkin lid
13. Bake at 450 degrees one hour
14. When serving, make sure to scrape out some pumpkin with each scoop

(empty pumpkin)

Promo Code: Stock

Primal Chocolate Almond Butter Cup

Primal Chocolate Almond Butter Cup: if you consider dark chocolate primal :)

There is no question that my biggest weakness is chocolate. Sure it was difficult to give up ice cream, pasta and bread at first, but now I really don't crave those things at all. But I do crave dark chocolate from time to time. And I have decided that life is just so much better with a square of dark chocolate here and there- so I'm not giving it up!

Anyways, here is a fun recipe I put together this afternoon- hope you like it as much as I do!!

Ingredients

1. 2 ounces dark chocolate (at least 70%)
2. a couple tablespoons natural (non-sweetened) almond butter
3. a sprinkling of trail mix, if desired

Directions

1. Melt dark chocolate in a double broiler (this means simply to set a saucepan over another saucepan with simmering water in the bottom one. The top pot should contain chocolate only- no water)
2. Meanwhile, butter a mini muffin tray
3. Pour chocolate one third of the way up each muffin container
4. Spoon a dab of almond butter into the center of each container
5. Sprinkle some trail mix on top
6. Drizzle more chocolate over the top, to encompass the candy
7. Chill in fridge til set (a couple hours)
8. Yummm

Promo Code: SWEET

Gorgonzola Steak- Available to order this week!

I used to be afraid to cook meat. Throughout college, I lived off of pre-marinated chicken breasts from the supermarket and was too shy to even approach the meat counter. I don't know why- I guess I thought I would poison myself if I undercooked the meat, or I didn't know what kind of pan to use. Regardless, now I'm a big meat-eater and would like to help others who wish they knew a little more about how to cook it.

Below is a simple recipe that can be modified really really easily. If you want prosciutto in your steak, put prosciutto. How about herbs? Great! roasted red peppers and fontina? Perfect! Be creative.

Gorgonzola Steak
Ingredients

• flank steak (figure about 8 oz. per person)
• salt and black pepper (in a grinder)
• gorgonzola cheese (or whatever filling you'd like)
• trussing string (if you ask the meat guy at the counter, he'll probably give you some for free- a few feet of it will be plenty)
  
• a couple shallots per person
• 1/2 cup red wine per person

Directions

1. Pound the flank steak until it is about half as thin as when you bought it
2. Liberally salt and pepper both sides
   
3. Sprinkle the cheese and any other fillings on the steak
4. Roll the steak like a jelly roll
5. Tightly tie the string to secure (if you're not sure how to do this, just tie in a few places along the steak)
6. Get a pan really hot with a thin layer of olive oil
7. Sear the steak for a couple minutes on each side so it is brown and crisp on the outside
8. Bake at 400 degrees the rest of the way until it has reached your preferred doneness (this could be anywhere from 5-30 minutes depending on the size of the steak and how done you want it)
9. Poke the steak for firmness. If your finger sinks all the way into it, it's rare. If you rfinger barely indents, it is well-done. The more you do this, the better you will get at it!
10. When it is almost done to your liking, take it out and let it rest for 10 mins. This is essential! The meat will continue to cook up to 10 degrees and it will be much juicier this way
11. While the steak is resting (and your fry pan is still hot), pour a splash of the wine into the pan (just enough to deglaze it which means to allow the liquid to sizzle in the pan, while you scrape up the yummy brown bits from the steak)
12. Add a tablespoon more olive oil and shallots. Season and cook until tender
13. Add the rest of the wine and reduce by half. Add in some pan juices from the steak and at the last minute swirl in a tablespoon of butter if you'd like. Taste and season as needed
14. Quickly slice the steak into pinwheels, discard string
15. Top the steak with the sauce and enjoy!

BTW, sorry theres' no pic of this--I will have to take one in the kitchen on Monday, since it's on the menu for this week!

Promo Code: STEAK

Dinner Challenge 3

Putting Together a Great Dinner from Nothing

It had been a while since I posted a Dinner Challenge, and last week I got the chance again! Only random left-overs in the fridge, and I had to figure out a way to make them into something edible. Here's what I had to work with:

• cooked salmon
• bell peppers
• carrots
• red onion
• green onion
• soy sauce

What I did:

1. Chop and cook onion over high heat with a little olive oil
2. Slice and add peppers
   
3. Break up salmon and add to onion
4. De-glaze w/ white wine
   
5. Add green onions (the white parts)
   
6. Chop and add carrots and a couple tablespoons soy sauce
7. Cover and steam to allow carrots to soften and flavors to come together, about 10 mins

Chris' Comment: 'best dinner ever'

Promo Code: CHICKEN