I really wanted to make this stir fry on the grill tonight.. a little peer pressure (ok, there was really no pressure, it just sounds good) from Chris at Nibble Me This could have been the reason... but, wouldn't you know it, the wind picked up and I have nowhere to hide from it, so I decide to use the boring old stove. Next time, Chris, next time....
This is yet another simple stir fry packed with a lot of flavor. You could even use pork or beef with this sauce if you wanted to - although I would recommend the pork over the beef - pork just goes so much better with pineapple. Either way... simple and tasty... it's a must try!
Chicken Stir Fry with Hoisin Pineapple Sauce
Created by Jenn's Food Journey
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
1 1/2 Tablespoons Sriracha
3 Tablespoon Hoisin
1 1/2 Tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
3 Tablespoons pineapple juice
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips or bite size chunks
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups sugar snap peas
1 large orange pepper, thinly sliced
1 large garlic clove, finely minced
Directions:
In a large measuring cup, mix together the Sriracha, Hoisin, soy sauce and pineapple juice until well combined; set aside.
In a wok or deep, non-stick skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the chicken and quickly stir fry 4 minutes. Add the snap peas and pepper and continue to cook for another 4-5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Add the garlic and stir fry 1 minute. Stir in the sauce mixture and bring to a boil. As soon as the sauce starts to thicken, remove from heat, stirring to make sure everything is combined. Serve over rice or noodles. Enjoy!
One Year Ago: Pulled Pork BBQ Pizza
Two Years Ago: Chicken Tortilla Pizza
As I said in my post yesterday (which you must check out, I mean it's for Triple Chocolate Guinness Cookies, how could you not check it out???), I don't usually do too much for St. Patrick's day - SO - for all of you that are still looking for last minute ideas, I thought I would at least point you towards a few recipes I think would be perfect to help celebrate the day. Enjoy!
One Year Ago: Sriracha Coleslaw
Two Years Ago: Pan Fried Pork with Mushroom Gravy
I don't usually do anything fancy or fun for St. Patrick's day... heck, I can't even remember the last time I went out and had a green beer on St. Patty's day... but this year I had an abundance of Guinness that neither Chris or myself were going to drink, so I tried to figure out a few ways to make good use of the said beer. So the Triple Chocolate Guinness Cookie was born! Ok, ok, this recipe was born before that, but my idea to make a cookie with the beer was born at that moment at least. After a quick bit of searching, I found this recipe and thought.. hhhmmmm... not just chocolate but TRIPLE chocolate AND beer cookies.... Yea, I think I need to make these. (p.s.. plan ahead for these babies.. they take longer than you would think to make)
So in honor of St. Patrick's day, I give you............
Triple Chocolate Guinness Cookies
Adapted from The Galley Gourmet
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
2 (12oz) bottles of Guinness extra stout
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon instant coffee or espresso powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup milk chocolate chips
Directions:
In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, add the Guinness and 1/2 cup of brown sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Continue to cook on medium until thick and syrupy - about 40-50 minutes. Set aside to cool.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, instant coffee, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a bowl of a standing mixture fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and the remaining sugars together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, once at a time, until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the vanilla. Mix until combined. With the mixture on low, gradually add the cooled beer syrup, mixing until just combined. Gradually add the dry mixture until no more flour is visible. Remove from mixing stand and fold in chocolate chips. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit in refrigerator for about 30 minutes to an hour. (Dough will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days).
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Scoop out tablespoon portions of the cookie dough and place on baking sheet spaced about 2-3 inches apart. Bake the cookies until the edges are just set, about 10-12 minutes, rotating the baking sheet half way through. Allow the cookies to cook on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, than transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
One Year Ago: Smoked Pork Butt
Two Years Ago: Poblano Chicken
My apologies for the pictures... I guess I must have been pretty darn hungry because I did not get any real good pictures of this meal - which sort of bums me out cause this meal was AWESOME!! The inspiration for this meal from from my favorite Grill Grrrl - Robyn. I know I have mentioned before that I secretly want to be Robyn and this recipe is one of the many reasons why! Her idea was very simple, take chicken, marinated it wing sauce, and slap it on slider rolls. I decided to take that and run with it. I made my own wing sauce and decided to use a Ranch coleslaw to top it off with - but definitely check out Robyn's site as she has a recipe for a blue cheese dip that some of you might really enjoy!
This dish was not what I had originally planned on making. I used to get really upset.. ok, not upset, but it used to throw me quite a bit when that happened. Now? Now I just roll with the punches. No sense letting a little thing like something not turning out exactly like you expected ruin your night. Nope, I figure as long as it's still edible, you really didn't do anything wrong. And this meal was quite edible.... quiet edible indeed! And very, very tasty to boot! Oh yes, I'm sure it had everything to do with the mango habanero aioli, but I'm not upset about that at all... :)
Grilled Chicken with Mango Habanero Aioli
Created by Jenn's Food Journey
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
2 Tablespoons lime juice
1/4 teaspoon paprika
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
For the aioli -
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons mango preserves or chutney
1 habanero pepper, finely minced
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Mix together the yogurt, lime juice and paprika until well combined. Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towel. Season with salt and pepper and place in resealable bag. Pour the yogurt mixture over it, seal, and place in refrigerator for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix together the mayo, lemon juice and Dijon until smooth. Add in the preserves and habanero and mix until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Preheat grill to 375 degrees F. Clean and oil grill grates. Place the chicken directly over the fire and grill for 6-8 minutes on each side or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160-165 degrees F. Remove from grill and allow to cool for 3-4 minutes before serving. Serve with aioli and enjoy!
One Year Ago: Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies
Two Years Ago: Baked Parmesan Tilapia
Not that many people probably remember, but, this is very similar to a recipe I posted a while back for Tilapia Oreganata, but I had to post this. It's just too tasty and too simple not to share. The topping is zesty and crunchy and goes perfectly with an easy lemon aioli.
Baked Lemon Breadcrumb Tilapia
Created by Jenn's Food Journey
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 Tablespoon plain, unseasoned breadcrumbs
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 spring fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely minced
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 tilapia fillets
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Rinse the tilapia and pat dry. Place in prepared baking dish. In a bowl, mix together the panko, unseasoned breadcrumbs, lemon zest, rosemary and garlic until well combined. Toss in 1/2 the lemon juice and. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle remaining juice over the tilapia and top with breadcrumb mixture. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve with tartar sauce or lemon aioli if desired. Enjoy!
One Year Ago: Guest Blogger - Creamy Avocado Pasta
Two Years Ago: Bacon & Tomato Pasta
That's right: EASY! I mean really, really, really easy. Like so easy a caveman could do it... oh wait, if I say that do I have to pay GEICO a royalty fee? Crap... ok, well it's easy, let's just leave it at that.
I used another pound of the chorizo Ruben brought me... I only have 3 pounds left.. I will use those very sparingly....trust me! It's like gold.. but in a meat version!
Easy Chorizo Mac
Created by Jenn's Food Journey
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
10oz elbow macaroni
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 shallot, finely minced
1 lbs chorizo
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 teaspoons taco seasoning
1 (14oz) can diced tomatoes, partially drained
1/4 cup sour cream
Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water; set aside.
In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and reduce heat to medium low. Allow the shallot to cook for 5-8 minutes or until they are soft and translucent; stirring occasionally. Add the chorizo to the skillet and cook for 8-10 minutes or until most of the grease has absorbed. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes; stirring occasionally. Stir in the sour cream and allow to cook another minute. if the sauce is too thick, add some of the reserved pasta water, a little at a time until it reaches the right consistency for you. Remove from heat and toss in pasta. Serve immediately.. although it was even better the next day. Enjoy!
One Year Ago: Chipotle Guacamole Rice
Two Years Ago: Baked Teriyaki Fish
Back in December, my friend Ruben invited me over to teach his friend Janette and myself on how to make tamales. After the amazing (and VERY time consuming) experience was over, I wanted to share it with you all. I got to thinking though, it's not really my place to share a long time family recipe that is not from my family - even if Rube told me it was ok - PLUS, I could give you a recipe, but really, I believe that you cannot really get the full "how to" unless you have someone SHOW you how to do it. So, this post is just sort of a recap of what we did. There are no measurements and exact quantities... I'm just going to walk you through the steps.
First, let me just say... I've never been a tamale fan. The masa has that odd texture to me that just does not sit well. Rube's tamales, have me changing my tune though - at least about his. As every family recipe is different, I'm sure. Rube's masa to filling ratio is so much more enjoyable than any other tamale I have tried :)
My wonderful and utterly amazing life-saving friend Ruben brought me a wonderful little gift a couple of weeks ago. FIVE.. that's right 5... pounds of the most delicious ground Mexican chorizo I have ever had! (I so owe him some vanilla bean sugar cookies!) For those of you that follow me pretty regularly, you might remember me speaking of this chorizo and how it has made me a chorizo snob. No other chorizo I can find matches it... not even close! So, you can imagine my surprise and complete joy when he handed me, not just one, but 5.. count them... 1..2..3..4...5... FIVE POUNDS OF CHORIZO!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Anyway, now my dilemma is, how to use it. (and of course, how not to use it so it will last) My first idea: Chorizo empanadas. I made empanadas for the first time, just shortly after starting my blog started and I've been wanting to make more... I just love those little pockets filled with meat! And speaking of meat filling..... Oh yea.. the filling... spicy, creamy, flavorful... enough said!
Chorizo Empanadas
Created by Jenn's Food Journey
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
3/4 lbs. ground chorizo
1/4 sweet onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 sweet red pepper, finely chopped
1 1/2 Tablespoons cream cheese
1/4-1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 package pie crust (containing 2 shells)
1-2 Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
Directions:
In a skillet, over medium heat, add the chorizo. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked all the way through, about 5-10 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon onto a paper towel lined plate. Remove all but 1 Tablespoon of the grease and add the onion (reduce temp to medium low if needed). Cook onions until translucent and tender, about 10 minutes. Add the jalapeno and sweet pepper and cook another 4 minutes. Return the chorizo to the pan and stir in the cream cheese until it's melted. Remove from heat and stir in shredded cheese. Remove from heat.
Unroll pie crust shells and cut out rounds, using a 3 or 4-inch cookie cutter. Re-roll dough as needed. Repeat procedure with remaining pie crusts. Arrange 1 round on a clean surface and brush the edges lightly with water. Drop a heaping tablespoon full of the filling onto the rounds and fold the dough over the filling, pressing the edges with a fork to seal. Repeat with remaining rounds and chorizo mixture. Brush with melted butter.
Bake at 400 degrees for 9-11 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before cutting into them (filling will be hot). Enjoy!
One Year Ago: Creamy Lime Guacamole
Two Years Ago: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
You've heard me say it a million times.. stir fry is such a quick and easy meal that I find it hard to believe that people say they don't have time to make a good dinner. That's silly, really. The hardest, most time consuming part of making stir fry is the prep work and if you keep your ingredients simple, that takes no time at all. Normally, a stir fry will take 30 minutes or less from start to finish. Who doesn't have time for that???
Sweet Pepper Beef Stir Fry
Created by Jenn's Food Journey
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
1/2 cup beef broth
2 Tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flake (depending on your heat level)
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 Tablespoon vegetable or peanut oil
1 lbs. boneless top sirloin, thinly sliced
12 mini sweet peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
1/4 sweet onion, thinly sliced
Directions:
In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix together the beef broth, soy sauce, sesame oil, 5 spice, garlic, red pepper flakes, and cornstarch until well combined; set aside.
In a wok or deep non-stick skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat. When the oil starts to shimmer (it will get a bit wavy, but not smoking), onion and stir fry for 3 minutes. Add the beef and cook, stirring constantly, for 4-5 minutes or until the beef is no longer pink. Add the sweet peppers and stir fry another 3-4 minutes or until everything is cooked through. Mix the sauce one more time and pour into wok/skillet; stirring to coat. As soon as the sauce starts to thicken, remove from heat, stir to combine. Serve over rice. Enjoy!
One Year Ago: Applesauce Bars
Two Years Ago: Italian Style Tilapia
The other day I saw an episode of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives where they were showcasing BBQ places. One of them had smoked beans on their menu and since it was a couple days before I was going to smoke ribs and I had planned on having baked beans with them anyway, I thought.. I'm gonna smoke those beans! Now, the downside to this is I should have put the beans in during the first hour of smoking the ribs and then just reheated them on the grill - but I didn't. I don't believe I got as much of the smokey flavor in there as I could have. But, that's ok.. these beans were still delicious and we ate every last bit of them! It could have been the jalapenos.... or the bacon... yea, it's probably the bacon!!!
And I know.. should I really be calling them "baked" when I'm smoking them... shouldn't I just call them smoked beans? Technically, yes, but hey, it's my blog and my recipe and I get to name it whatever I want. If you make this, I give you permission to call it whatever you want - just make it :)
Smoked Baked Beans
Created by Jenn's Food Journey
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
16oz can Bush's Homestyle baked beans
1-2 jalapenos, seeded and diced (leave seeds for more heat)
2 teaspoons molasses
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon brown sugar
3 slices of bacon, cut into 1/2-inch squares
small aluminum disposable loaf pan
Directions:
Mix together the beans, jalapenos, molasses, mustard, garlic, and sugar. Season with salt and pepper if necessary. Pour into disposable aluminum pan and top with squares of bacon. Place in a preheat smoker (225-240 degrees F) and allow to smoke for 1-2 hours. Remove from oven and cover until ready to use. If not using right away, reheat on grill or in oven. Serve with some smoked balsamic ribs and enjoy!!
One Year Ago: Queso Blanco Chicken Enchiladas
Two Years Ago: Pasta with Sausage, Basil & Mustard
It's been a while since I broke out the smoker. Actually, I haven't had it running since we moved into our new house. Blasphemy you say? Well, I agree, and that is why I broke it out two weekends ago. What better thing to christen it with than ribs, right? And these ribs aren't just any ribs.. they are smoked AND they are covered with a fantastic balsamic/rosemary rub. The flavors were amazing.
Don't worry if you don't have a smoker... the flavor of these ribs would be just perfect grilling them or even roasting them in the oven (email me if you want pointers on either way of cooking mentioned). I might be a little bias though, as I adore balsamic vinegar and rosemary. It's sort of like chocolate and red wine.. it's like they were meant for each other!
Smoked Balsamic Pork Ribs
Adapted from Epicurious.com
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
3 large garlic cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 teaspoon pepper
1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 rack pork ribs
For the glaze:
1/2 cup hot water
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
For the smoking:
2 bottles of beer (any kind will do)
mix of Hickory and Texas Roadhouse chips
Directions:
Mince and mash up garlic to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Stir together with rosemary, brown sugar, vinegar, cayenne, remaining 1 teaspoon of salt, and pepper. Rub evenly all over ribs and cover with plastic wrap. Marinate in refrigerator for 4-6 hours. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before you are ready to smoke them.
To make the glaze: Add water, balsamic, and brown sugar to a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until the sauce has reduced and thickened. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Store covered until ready to use.
Preheat smoker to 225 degrees F. Add your wood chips. Add the beer to the water pan. Place the ribs in the smoker and smoke for 3 hours. Remove from smoker and brush some with half of the glaze. Wrap tightly in foil and return to the smoker. Continue to smoke for another 2 hours.
At this point, I threw mine on the grill and basted with the glaze, but you can easily just start eating them and use some of the glaze as a dip. If you grill, preheat grill to 375 degrees, place directly over the fire and grill for about 4 minutes on each side, basting with remaining glaze. Remove from grill and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
One Year Ago: Jalapeno Cheddar Grilled Chicken
Two Years Ago: Caramelized Chicken Breasts with Garlic Rice
