green chile sauce.

this was an attempt to recreate the chile cheese fries that m and i had when we went to santa fe a few years ago. i have to say that they turned out quite well. especially when paired with margaritas.

green chile sauce:
-4 peppers, i used a combination of anaheim and poblanos

-1 onion, diced

-1 clove garlic, minced

- 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced

-2 cups vegetable broth

roast the peppers whole over the flame of a gas stove until the skins are charred and blistered. put whole peppers in bowl and cover with plastic wrap. let sit for 10-15 minutes.

saute onion, garlic and jalapeno in a saucepan with olive oil.

peel skins off peppers and rinse. then, seed and dice the peppers and add to the onion/garlic/jalapeno mixture. add broth and let simmer for 20ish minutes. then blend until pureed but still chunky.

this is really good over homemade cheese fries (as pictured in that gloppy mess above) or on pretty much anything else...

rice pudding!

I thought I would attempt to make yogurt in my crock pot this week, but when that never happened (it requires so much watching and tinkering, and still no guarantees) I decided to use the leftover milk for rice pudding.
I used to make rice pudding a lot when I was in college (you know, the very first time) because I had this strange habit of buying milk in gallons rather than other, more manageable quantities for a household of one. Unfortunately, the rice pudding seems to have disappeared along with my more refined grocery shopping skills.
The inspiration for this latest batch comes from the Smitten Kitchen (link in the title), who insists that it's ok to eat it for breakfast OR dessert.

1/2 C arborio rice
4 C milk
1/4 C sugar (although I would use less next time)
2 cinnamon sticks
1 t vanilla extract
some raisins

Combine all of the ingredients except vanilla in a pot. Bring to a boil, then turn it down and let it simmer for a good long time (30-40 min), stirring occasionally. Add the vanilla before you eat it.

slow cooker buffalo chicken

Ok bloggies, this one showcases my trashy side. But with my crock pot only recently returned from a two-year hiatus at a friend's house, I had to do something. And nothing says trashy like a crock pot and buffalo chicken. The sandwiches were pretty tasty and, for you meat eaters, made largely from stuff you probably have in the pantry.

1 T olive oil
1lb chicken thighs, cut into 1/1/2" pieces
1lb chicken breasts, cut into 1/1/2" pieces
1 onion, diced small
3 garlic cloves
1 red bell pepper
1 can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup hot sauce
3 T Worcestershire sauce
3 T yellow mustard
1 T molasses

1.) Brown the chicken thighs, then breasts (5 min). Transfer to crock pot.
2.) In the skillet, add onion, garlic, bell pepper and cook until soft. Add 1/4 c water and scrape up all the yummy brown stuff. Put it in the crock pot.
3.) Add tomatoes, hot sauce, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and molasses to the crock pot. Cover and cook on high until chicken is tender (about 4 hrs). Shred chicken (Martha suggests using a potato masher. Absent one of these fine tools, I used two forks) and slop it on a bun.
4.) Eat it with a salad if you're feeling fancy.

roasted maple cinnamon almond butter

Being a mega-cheapskate, I've never actually bought almond butter. Sooo, when I came across this recipe I thought I'd finally give it a try. It's SO GOOD. And SO EASY.
I doubled the recipe (link in the title) and got about 2/3 pint. Here it is:

Roast 2 cups almonds + 3 T maple syrup on 325 for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Take them out, let them cool for about 10 minutes, and transfer to food processor. Run, scraping sides as necessary, until it turns buttery (this will take awhile). Add 1 t cinnamon, some more maple, 1/2 t salt and some oil if you want a creamier texture.

Chesapeake Tempeh Cakes

OK, so I've never actually had a crab cake (and neither has Isa Chandra Moskowitz), so I can't tell how much these are like their inspiration. Regardless, they are delicious! This recipe is from Moskowitz's wonderful cookbook Vegan Brunch that I bought a year ago in San Francisco. I liked these so much that I'm thinking about making them again for dinner tonight!

Cakes:
8 oz. tempeh
1 c. water
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. olive oil
1 bay leaf
3 T. Vegenaise
1 T. whole-grain mustard (she says stone-ground Dijon is fine, which is what I used)
1 T. hot sauce
1 T. red wine vinegar
1/4 c. very finely chopped red bell pepper (not at all local right now, I know!)
3/4 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. salt
Black pepper
1.5 cups panko breadcrumbs, plus more for dredging
1 finely chopped nori sheet or 1 T. kelp granules for fishiness (this is optional and I skipped it)

Remoulade:
(Mix everything together.)
2 T. Vegenaise
1 T. whole-grain or Dijon mustard
1 T. hot sauce
2 t. capers (try not to get too much brine)

Serve with lemon wedges--this is key!

1. Crumble tempeh into a sauce pan in little bits, and add water, soy sauce (I used shoyu), oil, and bay leaf. (She notes that the tempeh won't be fully submerged, and that's fine.) Cover and bring to a boil. Let boil for 12-15 minutes, until most of the water has evaporated. Stir once during boiling.
2. Transfer tempeh to a mixing bowl, remove the bay leaf, and mash with a fork. Cool for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. She notes: "Make sure the tempeh is barely warm before you proceed, or the cakes may fall apart when you cook them." Add everything except the bread crumbs and mix well. Add the breadcrumbs (and nori, if using) and use your hands to mix.
3. Heat a thin layer of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Scoop a little less than 1/4 c. batter into your hands and form a ball. (We used a lot of pressure to make the balls so that they wouldn't fall apart.) Flatten into a patty, dredge in the extra panko, and fry for about 4-5 minutes on a side. Done! Drizzle with remoulade. Delish!

Penne alla vodka and stuffed mushrooms

This pasta dish is from a cookbook I've mentioned before--Vegetarian Classics--that I really love but sometimes forget about among my zillion or so cookbooks. I'm now inspired to make her other pasta recipes, because this one is both easy and delicious.

I had the stuffed mushrooms at a party a few years ago, and they've since become my go-to dish for a fall or winter potluck. Read Giada's recipe here.

Penne alla vodka:

2 T. olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 t. red pepper flakes (I used quite a bit more)
1 1/2 c. canned crushed tomatoes or tomato puree
1/4 c. vodka (I used more but then fretted that it tasted too vodka-y)
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. heavy cream
1 pound penne
2 T. minced fresh parsley
Freshly grated parmesan cheese

Make pasta.
In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the oil; add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, salt, and vodka, and gently simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in cream and keep warm until the pasta is ready. Drain pasta, return to pot, and mix in sauce. Sprinkle with parsley and cheese.

Milk Punch

So, I've been a little obsessed with smitten kitchen lately, I have to admit. When i saw this recipe last night, I couldn't resist. It's like an eggnog slushie but without the raw eggs. The recipe says to serve it once it's slushy, but I say that it's a little better when it's more frozen. Like a boozy boozy ice cream. But that's just me.

Here's the recipe, or you can click on the title above to link to the much prettier Smitten Kitchen version.

5 cups of a mixture of whole milk/half+half (I used a mixture of heavy cream and skim milk because that's what we had)

1 1/2 cups bourbon, brandy, or whiskey (I used Maker's Mark)

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

whisk all ingredients in a pitcher and freeze until slushy (3-4 hours) or up to one day.