Food

OK this was never really meant to be a food blog which is funny to me because cooking is what I do at least 40% of the time I am home Saturday, Sunday, and Monday! I try to cook all our meals for the week on these days that I am home. Sometimes I fall short and Brad must resort to cereal or, his personal favorite, opening a can of beans, but usually I think we have our schedule pretty set. Every time I cook, if I think it can be properly frozen and reheated later, I will make extra and stick in in the freezer. Recently I have found a few recipes that we are enjoying and I thought I could put a few up here. The difference between this and a food blog is that although I will tell you how I altered things to fit our needs/what I thought was best, I don't ever take pictures along the way and rarely do I manage a snapshot before it's eaten. So, sorry, no pictures.

Corn and Black Beans (zero cholesterol)- I don't freeze this one.

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (8.75 ounce) can sweet corn, drained

1. In a small bowl, mix together balsamic vinegar, oil, salt, sugar, black pepper, cumin, and chili powder.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together black beans and corn. Toss with vinegar and oil dressing, and garnish with cilantro. Cover, and refrigerate overnight or at least 4 hours (this is really important and it won't be nearly as good without time).
3. I don't add the salt and even use no salt added beans and corn and it still tastes wonderful to us. And don't skip the fresh cilantro!

Double Tomato Bruschetta- again no freeze

We like fresh tomatoes quite a lot and found this one last summer when we were trying to use them all up. We have tried using different tomatoes but the roma's are the best because they are more firm and have less of the fluid/seeded middle section. 

• 6 roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, stems removed (sometimes we skip this if we don't have it)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 French baguette
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1. In a large bowl, combine the roma tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, basil, salt, and pepper. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes (this sitting process is important! Do not let it sit for longer than 15 it gets mushy).
2. Cut the baguette into 3/4-inch slices. On a baking sheet, arrange the baguette slices in a single layer. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes, until slightly brown. If you slice the bread at an angle, there is more surface area for topping it.
3. Divide the tomato mixture evenly over the baguette slices. Top the slices with mozzarella cheese.
4. Broil for 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Sometimes I will slice the bread, brush with olive oil, broil it while I'm cutting the tomatoes, cut tomatoes, flip bread, while the other side is on broil I'll let the tomato mix sit then when the bread is broiled I'll top it and top with cheese. When the cheese melts and is golden, it's done!

Curried Coconut Chicken- this freezes well, even over rice!

This is a newer one for us. The key is at the end when you let it boil- it has to boil until it reduces, which means lid off. Otherwise it's soup!

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch chunks (I don't usually use this  much chicken... personal preference)
• 1 teaspoon salt and pepper, or to taste
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1/2 onion, thinly sliced (I add one whole onion)
• I also add cubed red potatoes and sliced carrots and it's wonderful 
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed, diced tomatoes
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 3 tablespoons sugar

1. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil and curry powder in a large skillet over medium-high heat for two minutes. Stir in onions and garlic, and cook 1 minute more. Add chicken, tossing lightly to coat with curry oil. Reduce heat to medium, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in center and juices run clear.
3. Pour coconut milk, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and sugar into the pan, and stir to combine. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, approximately 30 to 40 minutes.

Ok, that's their directions. Because of the added potatoes, onion, and carrots I have to cook it differently to get everything soft. I add the veg oil and on med-low cook potatoes, onion, garlic and carrots. When they are half way done, I put the chicken and a little butter and cook it up in a separate pan. Half way through cooking the chicken, I add the curry and I also add a little cayenne (just a touch). When the chicken is cooked, and the veggies are about 80% cooked, I add all the ingredients together. Then I let that boil until it reduces, about 45 minutes. I serve it over brown rice.  

All three of these can be found at allrecipes.com. It's my go-to site for all things food.