Monthly Archives: June 2014

Beef, Staff Favorites

Teriyaki Beef Sticks

Teriyaki Beef Sticks
 
Author:
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Asian
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Ingredients
  • 4 small ¾" thick beef steak
  • 1¼ cups light brown sugar
  • 1 cup soy sauce
  • 1¾ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ⅛ teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
  1. Trim fat off steak and score them.
  2. Cut steaks in to strips to make it easy to put them on the skewers.
  3. Combine remaining ingredients and mix well.
  4. Pour over steak in a zip bag and refrigerator at least 3 hrs or overnight.
  5. Teriyaki Beef Sticks uncooked photoTeriyaki Beef Sticks Uncooked photo
  6. Broil or grill to your desired wellness.
Salsa

Jicama Salsa

Jicama Salsa
 
Author:
Recipe type: Salsa
Cuisine: Mexican
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Ingredients
  • 1 cup finely diced jicama
  • ½ cup finely diced tomatilla
  • ½ cup finely diced red onion
  • 3 Tbsp chopped cilantro
  • 3 Tbsp lime juice
  • ½ tsp honey
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp finely chopped jalapenos
Instructions
  1. Combine all ingredients in a glass bowl and stir well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
  2. Stir before serving.

 
Breads

Yuca Empanada Dough

Yuca Empanada Dough
 
Author:
Recipe type: Bread
Cuisine: Mexican
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Ingredients
  • 1 lb raw yuca, peeled
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ¼ cup cold water
Instructions
  1. Grate the peeled yuca into a bowl lined with a clean flour-sack or similar towel. Lift the towel from the bowl and squeeze the yuca until all the moisture is removed.
  2. Get out a saucepan and pour in the water and salt. Put over medium heat and bring it to a boil, then add in the yuca, turn heat to very low, and cook, stirring often, until the yuca turns slightly transparent and a bit darker in color. Remove the pot from heat and continue stirring until cooled somewhat and dough sets up a bit.
  3. Dump the contents out onto a lightly oiled work surface and allow the mixture to reach room temperature.
  4. When cooled, lightly oil your hands, then begin kneading the yuca 'dough' until it feels stretchy or elastic and it keeps its shape and is completely cooled.
  5. Divide the dough into 12 equal balls. Place each ball onto a work surface lightly brushed with oil and roll out into thin circles. You can do this by hand or with a pastry roller.
  6. Fill as you would any empanada or pasty and deep fry or bake as desired.
  7. Makes 12 small empanada.

 
Main Dishes

Turkey Empanadas

Turkey Empanadas
 
Author:
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Mexican
Serves: 4
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Ingredients
  • 1 lb ground turkey meat
  • 1 medium sweet onion, finely diced
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ¼ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • pinch ground cloves
  • 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • ½ cup raisins
  • refrigerated pie crust sheets - for 2 pie crusts
Instructions
  1. In a large cast iron skillet, brown the turkey. Add the onions when the turkey is almost cooked, and continue cooking until the onions are translucent. Then add the next 7 ingredients (everything except the pie crusts) and turn heat down to low; simmer gently for 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly spray a baking sheet with cooking oil.
  3. Unroll the pie crust sheets and cut both into even quarters and place on baking sheet. Spoon the mixture into the middle and fold over, matching edges of the crust. Seal the edges by pressing the tines of a fork along.
  4. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
  5. Remove and cool slightly.

 
Beef, Staff Favorites

Beef Quesadilla

Beef
 
Author:
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Mexican
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Ingredients
  • 1 lb. lean ground beef
  • 1 - 1.27 oz. package Fajita Seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 2 green bell peppers, chopped
  • 2 Red Bell Peppers - chopped
  • 1 onion - chopped
  • 10 - 10 inch Flour Tortillas
  • 1 - 8 oz. package shredded Cheddar cheese
  • 1 tablespoon bacon bits
  • 1 - 8 oz. package shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  2. Cook ground beef until completely done, and drain off excess grease
  3. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the green bell peppers, red bell peppers, and onion. Cook and stir until the vegetables have softened, about 10 minutes.
  4. Layer half of each tortilla with the beef and vegetable mixture, then sprinkle with the Cheddar cheese, bacon bits, and Monterey Jack. Fold the tortillas in half and Place onto a baking sheet.
  5. Bake quesadillas in the preheated oven until the cheeses have melted, about 10 minutes.

 
Main Dishes

Easy Skillet Chilaquiles

Easy Skillet Chilaquiles
 
Author:
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Mexican
Serves: 4
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Ingredients
  • 12 small corn tortillas, torn into small strips
  • 2 Tbsp cooking oil
  • 1 to 2 cups homemade salsa (roja or verde)
  • 1 cup shredded cooked chicken
  • 1 cup grated Pepper Jack cheese
  • homemade salsa for topping
Instructions
  1. In large skillet over medium heat, add cooking oil; when hot add the tortilla strips and cook, flipping often until they browned slightly and slightly crisp
  2. Pour in the salsa and stir to coat the tortilla pieces well; reducing heat to low.
  3. Top the tortilla strips with chicken and cover with shredded cheese. Loosely cover the skillet, allowing the chicken to warm and the cheese to melt. Remove from heat.
  4. Serve immediately.

 
Rice

Creole Dirty Rice

Creole Dirty Rice
 
Author:
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: French
Serves: 4
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Ingredients
  • ½ lb beef or chicken liver, cut into ½ inch pieces
  • 1 Tbsp cooking oil
  • ¼ cup finely diced green bell pepper
  • ¼ cup finely diced celery
  • ¼ cup finely diced onion
  • 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
  • ½ tsp dried basil
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • ¼ tsp garlic powder
  • 2 cups COOKED rice
Instructions
  1. In large skillet over medium-high heat, add the cooking oil, and when it's hot, add the liver pieces and cook until just browned.
  2. Remove pieces with slotted spoon.
  3. Add the green bell pepper, celery, and onion to hot skillet and cook until softened slightly; reduce heat to low.
  4. Return liver to skillet and add crushed tomatoes, basil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder, stir, cover skillet and simmer gently for 25 to 30 minutes.
  5. Stir in rice and serve.

 
Soups & Stews

Beef Hominy Stew

Beef Hominy Stew
 
Author:
Recipe type: Soup
Cuisine: Mexican
Serves: 4
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Ingredients
  • 2 lbs beef stew meat
  • 1 Tbsp cooking oil
  • 1 large sweet onion, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • ¼ tsp kosher salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 6 cups water
  • 1 - 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 2 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 - 28 oz can hominy
Instructions
  1. Get out a large pot, add the oil, and when hot, add the beef and cook quickly just until beef browns well.
  2. Add the onion, garlic, salt and pepper; stir and cook for 30 seconds, then add cilantro and water; stir.
  3. Turn the heat down to low, cover the pot, and allow to simmer very slowly for about 15 minutes, or until the meat is very tender.
  4. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste, cover the pot again, and allow to simmer very slowly for about 15 minutes.
  5. Add the hominy, cover pot loosely, and allow to simmer slowly for another 15 minutes, stirring often.

 
Desserts, Staff Favorites

Fruit Custard Tart

Fruit Custard Tart
 
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Serves: 8
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Ingredients
  • **Sweet Pastry Crust**
  • 1½ cups all purpose flour
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • **Pastry Cream**
  • 1¼ cups milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • ½ tablespoon liqueur(Grand Marnier, Brandy, Kirsch) (optional)
  • **Topping**
  • 3 cups fresh mixed berries (raspberries, blackberries,strawberries, blueberries) or other fruit of your liking (kiwifruit, bananas, plums, pineapple, or melon)
  • **Apricot Glaze** (optional)
  • ½ cup apricot jam or preserves
  • 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
  1. **Sweet Pastry Crust**
  2. Mix together flour and salt, set aside.
  3. Mix butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
  4. Beat eggs and add to butter mixture and mix well.
  5. Add flour mixture and mix until it forms a ball.
  6. Flatten the pastry into a disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 15-30 minutes or just until firm.
  7. Grease tart or pie pan.
  8. Evenly pat the chilled pastry onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for about 15 minutes.
  9. Preheat oven to 400° F
  10. Lightly prick bottom of pastry crust with the tines of a fork or tooth pick.
  11. Cook crust in center of oven on a larger baking pan and bake crust for 5 minutes.
  12. Reduce oven temperature to 350° F and bake for additional 15 minutes or until dry and lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely before filling.
  13. **Pastry Cream**
  14. In a medium sauce pan, mix the sugar and egg yolks together.
  15. Add flour and cornstarch together and then add to the egg mixture, mixing until you get a smooth paste.
  16. Add milk and vanilla and just to boiling (just until milk starts to foam up.)
  17. Remove from heat and add slowly to egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent curdling. (If you get a few pieces of egg (curdling) in the mixture, pour through a strainer.)
  18. Then pour the egg mixture into a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until boiling, whisking constantly. When it boils, whisk mixture constantly for another 30 - 60 seconds until it becomes thick. Remove from heat and immediately whisk in the liqueur (if using).
  19. Stir in vanilla extract.
  20. Pour into a clean bowl and immediately cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a crust from forming.
  21. Cool to room temperature. If not using right away refrigerate until needed, up to 3 days. Beat or whisk before using to get rid of any lumps that may have formed.
  22. **Apricot Glaze**
  23. Heat the apricot jam or preserves and water in a small saucepan over medium heat until liquid Remove from heat and strain the jam through a fine strainer to remove any fruit lumps.
  24. **Assemble Tart**
  25. To remove the tart from the fluted sides of the pan, place your hand under the pan, touching only the removable bottom not the sides. Gently push the tart straight up, away from the sides. The fluted tart ring will fall away and slide down your arm. If you want to remove the bottom of the pan, run a knife or thin metal spatula between the crust and metal bottom, then slide the tart onto your platter.
  26. Spread a thin layer of apricot glaze over the bottom and sides of the baked tart shell to prevent the crust from getting soggy. Let the glaze dry (about 20 minutes). Then spread the pastry cream onto the bottom of the tart shell. Place fruit randomly on top of cream or in concentric overlapping circles, starting at the outside edge. After arranging the fruit, rewarm the glaze, if using, and gently brush a light coat on the fruit. If not serving immediately, refrigerate but bring to room temperature before serving. This fruit tart is best eaten the same day as it is assembled. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers.
  27. Fruit Custard Tart Photo

 
Rice

Saucy Kidney Beans And Rice

Saucy Kidney Beans And Rice
 
Author:
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Ameican
Serves: 4
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Ingredients
  • 1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
  • 2 - 16 oz cans red kidney beans, plus 2 cans water
  • 8 oz cooked smoked sausage, chopped
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • ½ tsp any Creole seasoning blend
  • ¼ tsp hot sauce
  • ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
  • ⅛ tsp black pepper
Instructions
  1. Cook rice according to package directions.
  2. Add all remaining ingredients into a large saucepan over low heat and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes.
  3. Add cooked rice to kidney bean mixture.
  4. Stir until rice is mixed in well.
  5. Serve.