Food: Chili-Rubbed Steak Tacos with Cucumber-Avocado Salsa

It's football season...and the end of summer. So what could be better than some warm, spicy, steak tacos with a hit of tart, citrusy lime, and cooling avocado and cucumber? This meal is a reminder that the warm weather isn't quite gone yet -and- it's a more grown up and tangy tailgating treat than blah, blah, boringly simple burgers and brats. The "salsa" has quite a bit of lime juice in it...so it keeps quite well when stored in the refrigerator overnight. In fact, if you have leftovers, feel free to lose the corn tortilla and make a simple salad out of the salsa and shredded cabbage...add a little bit of crumbled feta and you have a refreshing lunchtime treat. And (can you keep a secret), did I mention this meal as a whole is pretty darn healthy? Bonus! This is definitely a recipe to add into your monthly rotation.


Chili-Rubbed Steak Tacos with Cucumber-Avocado Salsa
Adapted from Ellie Krieger - Food Network

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• A pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 pound top sirloin steaks cut 1-inch thick
• 12 small corn tortillas (5 to 6 inches in diameter)
• 3 cups shredded red cabbage (MM Tip: Buy a pre-shredded bag from the salad section)
  
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• 2 cups Avocado Lime Salsa, recipe follows

DIRECTIONS

In a small bowl stir together chili powder, garlic, cinnamon, salt and cayenne pepper. Rub spice mixture on both sides of steaks.

Grill or broil steaks for 8-10 minutes on each side for medium-to-medium-well, turning once. Remove from grill and let meat sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Carve into thin slices.

Warm tortillas by placing them on the grill, for about 30 seconds, turning once. Wrap in foil to keep warm/steamed. Place the carved steak, warm tortillas, cabbage, cilantro, lime and Avocado Lime Salsa in serving dishes and let diners make their own tacos at the table.

Cucumber-Avocado Salsa:

• 1 large English cucumber, cut into chunks (about 2 cups)
• 2 avocados, cut into chunks
• 2 limes, juiced
  
• Salt
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
• 1 hot Anaheim chile, seeded and chopped
  

Place cucumber and avocado in a large bowl and add lime juice and salt. Add cilantro and chiles and toss gently.

Food: Chicken Pepian

The snow melted here last week but alas it's coming down from the sky again. It's not even February and I'm already itching for warmer weather to spend time outside in the sun and in my flowerbeds. So...in a time where I'm already starting to think of spring, what could be better than a warm dish with nutty, spicy and citrusy flavors? I like to think of this one as a fusion between winter and summer...warmth and heat to keep you toasty and bright clean flavors to remind you better weather is on its way (hopefully sooner than later!).

When I first saw this recipe, I was intrigued. I don't think I've ever thought of making a sauce out of raw pumpkin seeds and tomatillos (And you wouldn't believe how difficult it was to find raw seeds at my local grocery store - thank goodness for Whole Foods and Trader Joe's). I had been eyeing this recipe for some time now but unfortunately hadn't made a good enough effort to find the main ingredient. Although I admit it isn't super pretty on the plate (see the big green pile below), I'm sure the plating could be improved...especially if I had followed the instructions adding a lime wedge and a sprig of cilantro on the side. I promise the flavor more than makes up for the appearance.

Chicken Pepian
Modified from a recipe by: Ellie Krieger

INGREDIENTS

• 4-5 fresh tomatillos
• 1 large poblano pepper, seeded and cut into 4 pieces
• 1 t dried jalapeno pepper flakes (can substitute red pepper) - adjust based on how much heat you'd like in the dish
• 2 Tb olive oil
• 1/2 cup raw unsalted pumpkin seeds
• Fresh cracked pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in half, pounded to 1/2-inch thickness
• Lime wedges

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat the broiler and remove "paper" layer tomatillos then rinse them in warm water to remove some of their natural stickiness. Pat dry, then cut into quarters. Toss tomatillos and poblano with 2 teaspoons of the oil, place on a baking sheet and broil until charred, about 10 minutes.
• Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add pumpkin seeds, pepper, and cumin and toast until pumpkin seeds are fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
• In same saute pan, heat 2 teaspoons oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
• Place tomatillos, poblano, onions and garlic, cilantro, chicken broth, toasted seeds and spices and salt in a blender and blend on high until totally smooth, about 30 seconds.
• Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil in skillet and cook the chicken until browned on both sides and nearly cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.
• Add pepian sauce to skillet, covering chicken pieces. Bring to a simmer and cook an additional 3 to 5 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Serve chicken topped with sauce and garnished with cilantro and lime wedges

Food: Italian Sausage and Oven Baked Onion Rings

A couple of weekends ago my family came into town to visit. Since they were arriving on Friday evening and I was going to be at work until almost dinnertime, I decided to make a relatively low-maintenance meal. First, my sister Meghan helped me sear some spicy Italian sausage on the stove top which we then added to a crock pot with sliced green peppers and marinara sauce. We put the pot on high and let it cook until my parents arrived. Next, we decided to try making Ellie Krieger's oven-baked onion rings. Although the flavor turned out great, we did have a few issues in coating the onions - the buttermilk caused massive chip clumping early on in the process. As a result, next time I make these I'd plan to follow two tips posted by reviewers of the recipe: Grind the chip mixture to the point it resembles cornmeal; Put the onions in the fridge for 15-20 minutes after coating them with buttermilk. Also, be sure to follow the last step in Krieger's directions - coating the rings with cooking spray keeps them from burning.

Ellie Krieger's Oven Baked Onion Rings

Ingredients
Cooking spray
4 cups baked potato chips (Baked chips made from whole potatoes work best)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne (I left this out since we were having spicy sausage - they still tasted great)
1 cup lowfat buttermilk
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 to 2 large Vidalia onions, peeled

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Spray a baking sheet slightly with oil and set aside.
• Place potato chips in the bowl of a food processor and process into crumbs, about 20 seconds. Transfer to a shallow bowl, add cayenne, and set aside.
• In another bowl, combine buttermilk, 2 tablespoons of flour, salt and pepper and set aside.
• Slice onions into 1/2-inch circles and separate into rings, keeping only large, whole rings (reserve rest of onions for other uses). You should come out with about 12 to 14 rings.
• Place the remaining flour in a sealable plastic bag, then add onions, and shake to coat.
• Dip onions 1 at a time into the buttermilk mixture, then dip into potato chip crumbs and place on baking sheet.
• Spray canola oil evenly over rings and bake for 20 minutes, or until coating is crisp.
• Season with salt, to taste, and serve immediately. (I didn't think they needed any salt due to the potato chips containing plenty already).

Food: Sweet and Sour Brisket with Brown-Beer-Braised Brussel Spouts

When I read this description about the Sweet and Sour Brisket in Ellie Krieger's "The Food You Crave," I knew I had to make it - Jonathan and I both love stuffed cabbage and I often crave things sweet and sour. When deciding what to serve with the brisket, I took a cue from Krieger's description. I decided this would be perfect served with "cabbage" (i.e. brown-beer-braised brussel sprouts (try saying that five times fast!)) and potato wedges (instead of mashers).

• Per Krieger: "This dish takes pot roast, one of my all-time-favorite comfort foods, to new heights with a sweet-and-sour tomato sauce usually found in an Old World stuffed cabbage recipe. The brisket is meltingly tender and the familiar tangy-sweet, raisin-studded sauce makes you want to lick your plate clean. Growing up, we always had pot roast on special occasions. While this recipe is festive and makes enough to serve company, don't wait for a holiday to make it. You'll be glad for the leftovers any day of the week."
  

Simple Sides:

Brown-Beer-Braised Brussel Sprouts:
Heat stove burner to Medium. Take one small bag of brussel sprouts and cut lengthwise into thin slices. Add sliced sprouts to large pan with ~1/3 bottle of brown beer (I used Newcastle Brown Ale). Cook until the liquid has evaporated and sprouts are cooked but not mushy (generally takes less than 10 minutes), stirring occassionally. Add salt and pepper to taste. Note: I've found that cooking brussel sprouts this way lends a nice texture to a dish and makes the normally strong flavor some people dislike, a little less potent. Brussel sprouts cooked this way also make a lovely bed when plating pork or beef medallions.

Quick Crispy Potatoes:
Take one package of baby Yukon Gold potatoes, wash, dry and slice into halves. Add wedges to a microwave-safe dish with enough water to cover all of the potatoes. Cook on high for 6 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain potatoes and place on an oven-safe plate, cut side up. Brush exposed side with olive oil (or spritz with a little cooking spray) and sprinkle with salt. Place potatoes under a broiler for 8-10 minutes until the cut side becomes brown and crispy (a toaster oven broiler will work just as fine as the oven).


The Main Dish:

Ellie Krieger's Sweet and Sour Brisket
1 (3-pound) beef brisket, first-cut or flat-half cut, trimmed of any excess fat
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium onion, cut in 1/2, then thinly sliced into 1/2 moons
3 cloves garlic, chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
One 15- oz. can tomato sauce, preferably no salt added
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth or water
3 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/3 cup raisins (I only had golden raisins and they worked out fine)
5 black peppercorns
1 allspice berry (I didn't have a berry so I used a couple sprinkles of ground allspice)

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Pat the brisket dry and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or braising pot. Sear the brisket until it is browned, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer the brisket to a plate.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pot and cook the onion, stirring a few times, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomato sauce, broth, brown sugar, 1/3 cup of the vinegar, the raisins, peppercorns, and allspice and stir to combine well. Bring mixture to a boil, return brisket and any accumulated juices to the pot, spoon some of the tomato-vinegar mixture over the brisket, cover tightly, and transfer to the oven. Cook until the brisket is fork tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Remove the brisket from the oven, transfer the meat to a cutting board, and let rest for 10 to 20 minutes or, if serving later, cover and refrigerate the meat and sauce for several hours or overnight. When you are ready to serve, cut the meat against the grain into 1/4- inch
thick slices. Stir the remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar into the warm sauce. Return the sliced brisket to the sauce until heated through, then serve.