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Thursday, October 23, 2008

Happy Halloween from Tennessee's Trunk or Treat

Posted by jeffbylund at 9:52 PM

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YUMMY STUFF WE ATE THIS WEEK ...

Super-Stuffed Baked Potatoes
(These were surprisingly delicious!)
Serves 4
2 slices bacon
4 Russet potatoes
1 teaspoon olive oil
Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper
3 cups cauliflower florets
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 small clove garlic, grated
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup shredded cheese
2 scallions (green onions), thinly sliced
Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat, turning until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel to drain. Reserve 1 tablespoon bacon drippings. Cool and chop bacon.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rub the potatoes with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes (I did this step in the microwave for 5-8 minutes to save time). Pierce each potato with a fork in a few spots and continue baking until tender - 15 to 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, steam cook the cauliflower in about 2 inches of boiling water until just crisp tender - about 10 minutes. Transfer the cauliflower to a food processor. Add buttermilk, garlic, vinegar, paprika, reserved bacon drippings,1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Pulse until nice and smooth. Set aside 1/4 cup of cauliflower puree for garnish.
Slice a thin layer off the top of each of your baked potatoes. Scoop the potato flesh into a bowl leaving a 1/4 inch thick shell. Mix the potato with the remaining cauliflower puree, 3/4 of the cheese and the scallions, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Mash together until smooth and creamy.
Stuff the potato shells liberally with potato-cauliflower mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Return to oven to bake until cheese is melted and potatoes are warmed through- about 12 minutes. Top with reserved cauliflower puree, chopped bacon and sliced scallions.

PUMPKIN MUFFINS
Makes 2 Dozen Muffins
1 spice cake mix (we prefer Duncan Hines)
1 -- 15 ounce can pumpkin
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 package chocolate chips (optional)
Streusel Topping:
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
3 tablespoons butter
Ignore the directions on the cake mix box. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners and set aside.
Combine the cake mix, pumpkin, sour cream, oil, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds or until all ingredients are mixed together. Stop mixer, scrape down sides and continue to beat for 2-3 minutes on medium speed or until batter is smooth. Mix in chocolate chips if desired. Divide batter evenly into 24 cupcake liners.
For the Topping: Whisk together flour, sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Cut in butter with 2 knives or your hands until mixture resembles course crumbs. Evenly sprinkle topping over batter.
Bake muffins for 20-30 minutes or until tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out completely clean. Cool on a wire rack before serving.

Spicy Honey Chicken
Serves 4-6
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (thighs work best because they don't dry out)
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
Rub:
2 teaspoons granulated garlic
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (this can be hot so adjust to taste)
Glaze:
1/2 cup honey
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
Preheat grill to medium high heat or about 400 degrees F. (I actually used the broiler and it worked very well.)
Combine rub ingredients in a small bowl.
Trim any visible fat from chicken thighs, rinse and pat dry with a paper towel. Drizzle oil over chicken and rub it in with your hands. Rub the spice rub into the chicken thighs. Grill (or broil) for 3-5 minutes on each side.
While the chicken is cooking, make glaze...warm honey in the microwave for about 15 seconds. Whisk in the vinegar. Set aside 2 tablespoons of glaze to top chicken just before serving. Brush remaining glaze over chicken in final minutes of cooking. Remove chicken from grill (or oven) and allow to stand for 3-5 minutes. Drizzle reserved glaze over chicken while it is standing. Serve.

Coconut Rice
(This is so good, I couldn't stop eating it!)
Serves 8 (Unless you invite me...then it's more like 6)
2 cups jasmine rice
1 -- 14 ounce can coconut milk
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
Splash of white vinegar
2-3 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup chopped green onions
Black pepper to taste
Combine rice, coconut milk, water, salt, vinegar and sugar in a rice cooker and cook according to cookers directions (or place all in a medium size pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat to just a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes). Allow to stand for 5 minutes. Add chopped green onions, black pepper and additional salt to taste. Garnish top with green onions and serve.

Almost-Famous Steak Taco Salad
(This is a copycat recipe from a restaurant called Moe's. I've never heard of it but they make a delicious steak taco salad.)
Serves 4
For the Tortilla Bowls:
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 -- 10 to 12 inch flour tortillas
For the Steak (this is a really good steak rub):
1 teaspoon dried minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried minced onions
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder (I found this to be too hot, so I only used 1 teaspoon)
3 scallions, finely chopped
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper
1 pound sirloin steak ( about 1 inch thick)
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
For the Salad:
2 Romaine lettuce hearts, washed and roughly chopped
1 -- 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 -- 2.5 ounce can black olives, drained
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
4 ounces shredded cheese
Fresh salsa, for topping
For the Dressing:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon remaining rub used on steak above
Preparing the steaks (this can be done ahead): In a small bowl, whisk together dried garlic, onion, oregano, cumin, chili powder, scallions, Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, 1 - 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Put the steaks in a shallow dish and rub all over with a generous 2 tablespoons of rub mixture (set the rest of the rub aside to use later in dressing). Throw in the peppers and onions and toss them so they are coated with rub too. Cover and refrigerate all for a minimum of 30 minutes or for up to 4 hours.
When it is time to get dinner ready, remove steaks from frig and get your tortilla bowls going: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place 2-4 oven proof bowls (however many will fit with space to spare) upside down on a foil lined baking sheet. Drape a square of foil over each bowl and spray lightly with cooking spray. Fill a 9X13 inch baking dish with 2 cups of warm water. Whisk in the 1 tablespoon of olive oil. One at a time, dip each tortilla into warm water/oil for just 5 seconds! Drip excess water back into baking dish. Drape moistened tortilla over one of the bowls you have prepared on baking sheet. Repeat for each tortilla just before you cook them. (Trust this process - it really does work. I ended up only being able to cook 2 tortillas at a time. But they cook quickly, so by the time I was done with the salad and steak, all my tortillas were ready.) Place in preheated oven and cook for 5 minutes. When tortilla bowl is just starting to brown and is stiff enough to lift off of bowl and keep its shape, turn it over and bake an additional 3-5 minutes or until crisp and lightly browned all over. Set aside and allow to cool before adding salad, etc.
OK...while all this is going on, Cook the Steaks: Heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat. Add the steaks. Sear the steaks about 5 minutes per side. Remove from pan and set aside to rest and cool. When steak is cool enough to handle, slice into thin slices against the grain. Add marinated peppers and onions to heated steak pan and stir fry until vegetables are crisp cooked. Turn off heat and set aside.
Now, Prepare Your Salad and Dressing: Start with the dressing. Whisk together the mayonnaise, buttermilk and reserved spice rub mixture in a small bowl until smooth. Set aside. In a large bowl, toss together chopped romaine hearts, grape tomatoes, black beans and olives.
Finally, Assemble the Individual Salads: Place baked, cooled tortilla bowls into individual salad bowls and divide lettuce mixture evenly between them. Top each salad with a handful of cheese, a portion of the peppers and onions and some sliced steak. Garnish with fresh salsa and serve with the creamy dressing on the side. Steak is especially delicious! Enjoy.

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