Jicama Salad

Weekend brunches always call for a salad dinner. I tried to eat healthy today, but we went to Queens Comfort in Astoria (a place known for their mac and cheese and chicken 'n waffles). Needless to say, my corn flake crusted chicken sandwich was fried. Even without a bun, I felt guilty eating it. Tonight - grilled chicken and a refreshing jicama salad on the side. Can't beat that. I love the heat that creeps up with this dish, yet it's super crisp and refreshing. Hmm...I think I want summer time.

Ingredients

1 large jicama (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled, then julienned or cubed (easiest to work with if you cut the jicama in half first)
1/2 green bell pepper, finely diced
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 a large cucumber, seeded, chopped
1 navel orange, peel cut away, sliced crosswise, then each round quartered
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup lime juice
Pinch of cayenne
Pinch of paprika
Salt

Optional
1/2 avocado chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil

Make it

Toss together the jicama, bell peppers, red onion, cucumber, orange, and cilantro in a large serving bowl. Pour lime juice over all. Sprinkle with a pinch of cayenne and paprika. Season generously with salt. Let sit a half an hour before serving.

Healthy Potato Leek Soup

Had some leeks in the fridge and was wondering how to prep them. A friend of mine made potato and leek soup and posted about it on Facebook and it inspired me to do the same. This is hands down stupid easy to make. Very filling too. You can begin a meal with it or add a sammy with this.

INGREDIENTS
1 teaspoon EVOO
3 leeks, trimmed, cleaned and thinly sliced (3 cups) - use mostly white parts and some of the green
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 1/4 pounds all-purpose potatoes, (about 3 medium), peeled and cut into small chunks
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

PREPARATION
Heat oil in a large heavy saucepan or stockpot over low heat. Add leeks, and onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and thyme; cook for 2 minutes more. Pour in broth and add potatoes. Increase heat to medium and cook about 20 minutes until potatoes are soft. Remove from heat and add to blender. Puree. Stir in sour cream, salt and pepper. Return to low heat and heat until hot, but not boiling. Serve hot or chilled.

NUTRITION
Per serving: 162 calories; 4 g fat ( 2 g sat , 1 g mono ); 13 mg cholesterol; 25 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 7 g protein; 2 g fiber; 206 mg sodium; 507 mg potassium.

Crab-and-Shrimp Étouffée

I wanted to make an Étouffée (Pronounced ay-TOO-fay) to round off my New Orleans' themed cuisine for Superbowl. I literally said, "F&CK YES", when I was doing my final stirs. This dish smells amazing and is loaded with such wonderful seafood goodness. One pound of crab meat and two pounds of shrimp make me a happy girl! It's not as spicy as I thought but the creole seasoning is nice - it's a subtle heat. I am in heart with this dish. I don't care who wins the Superbowl as long as I have a bowl of this.

Ingredients
2 pounds unpeeled, medium-size raw shrimp*
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped celery
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14-oz.) can chicken broth
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 tablespoon low-sodium Creole seasoning
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1 container fresh crabmeat, drained and flaked (I used a 1 lb container)
5 cups hot cooked long-grain rice
Garnish: chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preparation
1. Peel shrimp; devein, if desired.

2. Melt butter with oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat; stir in flour, and cook, stirring constantly, 5 minutes or until caramel colored. Add chopped onion, green pepper, and celery; cook, stirring constantly, 4 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add minced garlic, and sauté 1 minute.

3. Stir in chicken broth, white wine, and next 6 ingredients, and cook, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.

 CRAB!!!

SHRIMP!!!

4. Stir in crabmeat; cook, stirring often, until thoroughly heated. Add shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes.

5. Spoon shrimp mixture into individual serving bowls. Spoon hot cooked rice on top of shrimp mixture. Garnish, if desired.

*2 (16-oz.) packages frozen unpeeled, raw shrimp, thawed according to package directions, may be substituted.

Easy Mini Muffulettas

 What goes better with football than mini sandwiches? These little guys look typical but the cheese will be warm and gooey and the olive spread will make it different! I may steal one before all my guests arrive.

Ingredients
1 (32-oz.) jar Italian olive salad
12 small deli rolls, cut in half
12 thin Swiss cheese slices
12 thin deli ham slices
12 thin provolone cheese slices
12 Genoa salami slices

Preparation

1. Spread 1 Tbsp. olive salad evenly over each cut side of roll bottoms. Top each with 1 Swiss cheese slice, 1 ham slice, 1 Tbsp. olive salad, 1 provolone cheese slice, 1 salami slice, and 1 Tbsp. olive salad. I did two rounds of toppings since I cut the cheese and meat to fit my slider rolls. Cover with roll tops, and wrap sandwiches together in a large piece of aluminum foil. Place on a baking sheet.

2. Bake at 350° for 14 to 16 minutes or until cheeses are melted.

Note: I used Natural Black Olive Spread by Les Moulins Mahjoub

Chicken-Andouille Gumbo

Ok. I had noooo idea gumbo took over four hours to make. I started this dish around 4 pm and just finished it. It's 9 pm. Mother of .... This seems like a great dish to make when you want to cook all day. hahaha I didn't make the rice (yet) since Superbowl is tomorrow. Also, I have SO MUCH of this. I'm afraid I might be eating it for weeks. Hopefully everyone devours it! The dish is really creamy (like a comforting familiar stew) with a hint of creole spice. The hand pulled chicken is tender and hearty while the andouille packs a punch in diced up nuggets. The flavors build on each other (as they better! They've been cooking all day!). This should be a winner for New Orleans' Superbowl Sunday!

Make it:

1 1/2 gallons water
1 (4-pound) chicken, cut up (My chicken was about 6 pounds)
5 bay leaves
5 parsley sprigs
3 whole garlic cloves
Bring first 5 ingredients to a boil in a large stockpot; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour. Remove chicken, reserving broth. Skin, bone, and coarsely chop chicken; set aside. Pour broth through a wire-mesh strainer into a large bowl, discarding solids. Measure 1 gallon broth, and return to stockpot.

1 pound andouille or smoked sausage, diced
2 medium onions, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 large celery rib, chopped
3 tablespoons minced garlic
4 chicken bouillon cubes
Add sausage and next 5 ingredients; simmer, stirring occasionally, 1 hour.

1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat; gradually whisk in flour, and cook, whisking constantly, until flour is a dark caramel color (about 20 minutes). Stir into sausage mixture, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 1 hour.

And then...

1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Stir in chicken, salt, and red and black pepper; simmer, stirring occasionally, 45 minutes. Skim off fat.

And then...

1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon filé powder (this is Sassafras leaves - which I couldn't find. I used 1 teaspoon of Blackened Creole seasoning)
Hot cooked rice
Stir in green onions and parsley; simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in filé powder. Serve over hot cooked rice with hot sauce, if desired.

Cajun Corn Maque Choux

This is the first of four New Orleans's themed dishes for Superbowl! This dish is pronounced (mock-shoe). Yeah, I had to look it up. This dish could be eaten as a side dish or as a main dish. I'm serving it as a side. I'm making it one day in advance and I think I'll heat it up to room temperature to serve it. With only a few ingredients, this one was mad easy to make - ready in under 30 minutes! No excuse why you can't make it. Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups frozen shoepeg corn, thawed
2 plum tomatoes, diced
1/4 pound andouille sausage, cooked and diced
1/4 cup chopped green onion tops
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preparation
Sauté onion and bell pepper in hot oil in a large skillet over medium heat 8 minutes or until tender. Add corn, tomato, and sausage; cook, stirring often, 15 minutes. Stir in green onions, salt, and pepper; cook 5 minutes.

Crispy Breaded Pork Cutlets and Sauteed Swiss Chard with Orange

Tonight's dinner is brought to you by Martha Stewart. I loved toasting the breadcrumbs and the mustard was subtle. Super crispy crunch and juicy tender pork = delicious! Plus the pork is baked, which makes it healthier for you. The orange on the chard was terrific! Made it sweet and not as bitter. Great combo!

For the chops:

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as safflower
4 boneless pork loin chops (6 to 8 ounces each)
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss panko with oil. Bake, tossing once, until golden brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees.
Meanwhile, one at a time, place chops between two large pieces of plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet or the bottom of a small heavy pan, pound to make 1/4-inch-thick cutlets.
Dividing evenly, coat pork with mustard; season with salt and pepper. One at a time, dip cutlets into panko, pressing firmly to adhere.
Place a rack on a rimmed baking sheet; place pork on rack, and bake, without turning, until opaque throughout, 10 to 15 minutes.

For the swiss chard:

Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 bunches Swiss chard (large stems removed), leaves cut into 1-inch strips
Zest from 1 orange, cut into wide strips, plus juice
Coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add Swiss chard and orange zest. Cook, tossing frequently, until chard wilts, about 4 minutes. Season with coarse salt and ground pepper, then add juice of the orange; toss to coat.