Posts for February 21st 2011

fast and easy

Fast and Easy Dinner: Chicken Tacos With Greens

Taco night is a regular thing in my house since they are an easy weeknight dinner.

Taco night is a regular thing in my house since they are an easy weeknight dinner. However, I've gotten bored eating the same filling, so I started exploring more authentic options on Rick Bayless's website. The first one to catch my eye was this quick chicken recipe with a variety of greens including chard, spinach, and arugula — all topped with Mexican sour cream and freshly roasted poblanos. The recipe only calls for two chicken breasts, but the onions, greens, and poblanos bulk up the filling. There was plenty for my party of four and a little left over. I topped the tacos with chopped scallions and a squeeze of lime juice; next time I'll add cilantro. Spice up your taco night with this scrumptious soft taco filling and use the leftovers for amazing quesadillas or enchiladas. Get the recipe and see how the quesadilla turned out by reading more.

cauliflower

The Key to a Creamy Soup? Cauliflower!

During the Winter, there's nothing quite like a bowl of creamy, rich, and comforting soup.


During the Winter, there's nothing quite like a bowl of creamy, rich, and comforting soup. However, a cream-based soup, while deliciously decadent, isn't the most friendly of dishes for the waistline.

Luckily, our friends at KitchenDaily have developed an awesome recipe for super creamy soup without any cream. The secret ingredient? Cauliflower! To learn their technique, head over to KitchenDaily for the whole story.

recipes

Happy Hour: Seelbach Cocktail

If you're hosting or attending an Oscars party, you'd be remiss not to offer some bubbly to wash down all your homemade movie snacks.

If you're hosting or attending an Oscars party, you'd be remiss not to offer some bubbly to wash down all your homemade movie snacks. My suggestion? Serve up something classic but new to most: the Seelbach Cocktail.

According to cocktailian A.J. Rathbun, this drink has its origins in Louisville, KY's pre-Prohibition years. It makes heavy use of bitters, incorporating two different types. That's not seen too often but results in a pleasant yet intricate sparkler that's ideal for slow sipping alongside awards show commentary. For the recipe, keep reading.

burritos

Let's Dish: What's Your Favorite Mexican Food?

All this margarita talk has got me craving Mexican food!

All this margarita talk has got me craving Mexican food! While I love a delicious bowl of guacamole and an addictive queso, my all-time favorite Mexican dish is tacos. Salmon tacos, beef tacos, chicken tacos — I don't discriminate against certain proteins. Hard tacos, soft tacos: what's not to love about this versatile dish that can be filled and topped with an endless array of ingredients? On the eve of National Margarita Day, I want to know: what's your preferred order at a Mexican restaurant?

recipes

The Seelbach Cocktail

From Champagne Cocktails: 50 Cork-Popping Concoctions and Scintillating Sparklers by A.J.
Seelback Cocktail Recipe

Ingredients

2 ounces bourbon
1 ounce Cointreau
14 dashes Peychaud's Bitters
14 dashes Angostura Bitters
Chilled brut Champagne or sparkling wine
2 orange twists, for garnish

Directions

  1. Divide the bourbon, Cointreau, and the two bitters between two flute glasses. Stir briefly.
  2. Fill the flutes almost to the top with the chilled sparkling wine. Stir again, but don't get nutty about it. Garnish with the orange twists and serve.

Makes 2 drinks.

Food News

Do You See Insect Eating in Your Future?

With food needs on the rise, insects are looking more and more like the food fodder of the future.

With food needs on the rise, insects are looking more and more like the food fodder of the future. In today's Wall Street Journal, Dutch entomologists Marcel Dicke and Arnold Van Huis make the case for critter consumption: bugs like beetles and grasshoppers are abundant, nutritious, easier to raise than livestock (requiring less water and food), and produce less waste and greenhouse gases. Bug eating's big in developing countries and growing in nations like the Netherlands. And then there's this: the average person already consumes a pound of insects a year, without even knowing it!

I once braved a bug tasting, and it wasn't so bad. Do you see a chapulines taco in your future?

Trends

Peanuts: They're What's For Dinner

After a few rough years, it seems that peanuts are finally making a comeback on menus.

After a few rough years, it seems that peanuts are finally making a comeback on menus. According to research firm Technomic, the listing of peanuts on menus has jumped nearly 45 percent between 2006 and 2010.

With growing talk about potentially fatal peanut allergies on the rise, everything (including many schools!) put the kibosh on the legume — and a widespread salmonella scare only made things worse.

But according to Nation's Restaurant News, peanuts have begun making a showing across all food sectors, from chains like P.F. Chang's to independently owned upscale restaurants, and in everything from soups to sauces to frozen yogurt and desserts.

I'm glad to see more of this classic nut in San Francisco eateries; for instance, an upscale riff on the Snickers bar at San Francisco's Commonwealth left me blown away. Are you excited for the trend of peanut dishes?