The Easiest Flour Tortillas

I wanted to make some tortillas to go along with my salsa poached chicken and cilantro lime rice. I found the tortilla recipe here.

This took about 10 minutes to make the dough and another 20 minutes to make all the tortillas. While they were cooking I assembled the rice and the chicken. Very easy and worth making fresh. These also heat up well if you make them the day before.

The only thing that I changed was swapping butter instead of lard or shortening.

Enjoy!

Dough ball

I made a half batch, each ball is a little
smaller than a lime

Salsa Poached Chicken, Cilantro Rice,
Homemade Yogurt, and Fresh Tortillas

Flour Tortillas

Makes 24

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder         

6 tbsp butter

1 1/2 cups water

Combine flour, salt, baking powder, and butter in a food processor. Pulse until the dough starts to look crumbly. Slowly add the water and mix until the dough comes together; Knead a few turns until dough comes together looks smooth and elastic. Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces (break in half, break each of those halves into half, etc) and roll each piece into a ball.

Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Use a rolling pin to roll a dough ball into a thin, round tortilla. Place into the hot skillet, and cook until starting to get big bubbles (think pancakes) and golden; flip and continue cooking until golden on the other side. Place the cooked tortilla in a towel to keep warm; continue rolling and cooking the remaining dough.

Salsa Poached Chicken

I was looking for a new chicken dish to go along with the leftover rice, limes, cilantro, etc. I was inspired by the Salsa Poached Chicken recipe from here.

This took about 15 minutes to cook as I had sliced the meat up prior to poaching. I think next time I would use a similar technique... but saute the chicken in the pan with the salsa to see if it still brings all the taste with even less time. But poaching it in the salsa had great flavor for such a short cooking time.

I did add in some lime to the salsa while cooking the chicken to try and help tie the meal together.

I served the chicken with cilantro lime rice, homemade yogurt, and fresh tortillas.

Enjoy!

Salsa Poached Chicken
Serves 4-6

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced
1 cup salsa
1/4 cup chopped onion
Water

Add chopped onions to a pot with a lid with about 1 tbl olive oil until slightly opaque. Add the salsa, chicken breasts, and water to cover the chicken, place lid on pot.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 30 min or until chicken is cooked.

Remove chicken from pot and set on a cutting board until cool enough to handle. With two forks, shred the chicken breast and place shredded chicken breast into the pot with the fresh salsa mixture.

Cilantro Lime Pesto

Cilantro is going bad! What uses up lots of fresh herbs? Why pesto of course! This recipe is from The Washington Post and is a great starting point pesto ideas. The recipe below omits any cheese and the arugula, but I think they would both be great additions for next time I attempt this recipe.

How do you serve pesto? 
Pasta: One night we served it over this new quinoa pasta we wanted to try. The pasta was good and tasted like regular pasta, but when I read the ingredients label it didn't really seem much better than regular pasta. But I didn't look to far into it - it tasted yummy! Add about 1/2 cup for 1 lb of quinoa pasta. 
Rice: Another night we served it combined with left over white rice. Heat rice in a skillet over medium with a little olive oil (1 tbsp) and some water (2 tbsp). Once rice is softened and back to its sticky consistency, add the pesto and stir until pesto is mixed in and rice is hot. The rice was served with homemade tortillas and salsa poached chicken.

You may be wondering about the paprika, I included it but I didn't really taste it. Next time I would add more or omit it to see if I notice a difference.

Enjoy!

Pasta with Pesto

Cilantro Lime Rice

Cilantro PestoMakes about 1 cup

1/3 cup walnuts
2 cloves garlic, to taste
1 large bunch cilantro, roots and larger stems trimmed, washed and thoroughly dried
Squeeze of ½ lime
¼-1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
 ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika

Place nuts and garlic in the bowl of a food processor and process until finely chopped. Add cilantro and lime, and pulverize. Add oil, going gradually; stop machine and taste for herb/oil ratio. Add more if it feels “dry.”

Scrape down sides of bowl as needed, and transfer pesto to a small mixing bowl. Season with salt, pepper and smoked paprika, if using.

Spicy Cilantro and Lime Chicken

Lots of limes and cilantro to get through before they go bad! Here was a very spicy chicken dish served over white rice.

I added in a Thai chili pepper, which added too much heat for me! So I omitted it from the recipe below.

No veg was served that night, but a side of roasted asparagus would have been great!

Enjoy!

Spicy Cilantro and Lime Chicken  

Serves 2-4

¾ tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

½ tsp cayenne pepper

¼ tsp paprika

½ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp onion powder

¼ tsp dried thyme      

¼ tsp dried parsley

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast (butterflied and cut half)

1 tbsp olive oil 

¼ c diced onion

5 cloves garlic, minced

½ lime juice

¼  c fresh cilantro, chopped

½ tbsp butter

In a small bowl, mix together all the spices listed above, everything from the salt to the parsley. Sprinkle spice mixture generously on both sides of chicken breasts. If the breasts are thick, butterfly them or pound them thinner.

Heat large frying pan with some oil over medium heat. Sauté onion, garlic, and pepper with the lime juice until onion is translucent. Add chicken and cilantro, put a few bits of the butter around the chicken as it cooks. Let it cook until golden brown, about 6 minutes on each side, depending on thickness.

Occasionally squeeze the rest of the lime over the chicken while it is cooking. I check the chicken by slicing the chicken in the thickest part of the breast make sure it is cooked through.

Coconut Macaroons

Chocolate Chip, Lemon, and Regular
Coconut Macaroons

Here is a fast and easy dessert! It is naturally gluten free. You could make it dairy free with different chocolate chips or omitting them. It could be vegan if you substitute the egg whites too.  

I looked at many recipes trying to see what the best recipe would be. Some recipes called for 1 cup of sugar, but others said 1/4 cup of honey. I opted to try the honey version. These were sticky sweet just as expected! I'll make them with honey again in the future.

I made them in the mini muffin pan because I thought they would look cute. They do stick so next time I would line the muffin tins with the papers. If you don't read this and they do stick, I used a plastic spoon to scoop around each. You can also make them with rounded spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet and bake them as usual however, the cooking time may need to be adjusted by a few minutes.

This was a tasty basic recipe which can be easily adapted. I made some with lemon zest and a couple with chocolate chips to try it out. I think adding in sliced almonds on top or swapping in different citrus zests would be good too.

Enjoy!

Coconut Macaroons

Makes 15-20 cookies (in a mini muffin pan)

2 cups (un)sweetened shredded organic coconut

1/4 cup local organic honey* or organic Grade B maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or almond extract)

1/3 cup chocolate chips or 1 tbsp lemon / lime / orange zest (optional)

2 large local egg whites

Pinch of salt

Sliced almonds for sprinkling on the top (optional)

Preheat oven to 350º F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or line muffin tin with liners or spray muffin tin with non stick spray (these will stick!)

In a medium bowl mix together everything except the egg whites and salt, making sure the coconut is evenly coated with the honey (or maple syrup).

Using the mixer beat the egg whites with a small pinch of salt approx 2-3 minutes until stiff peaks form when you lift the mixer out.

Gently fold the coconut mixture into the eggs, being careful not to totally destroy the lovely beaten eggs. Let sit in the fridge for 10 minutes.

Drop batter onto the lined baking sheet, one rounded tablespoonful at a time.

Bake for 10-15 minutes until the tops are turning a light golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to wire rack to continue cooling completely.

Avocado, Tomato, & Bean Salsa

Refreshing summer snack? Looking for  a light side dish? Inspired from Wegman's recipes, this is a quick appetizer to toss together.

The recipe calls for grilled corn, but I don't have a grill and I didn't have any corn...but I did have a can of beans in the closet!

I also don't like tomatoes a lot so I only used a handful of cherry tomatoes. 

This may have taken about 10 minutes to chop and assemble. It also can be mostly be made ahead of time - minus the avocado.

Served it on some blue corn chips!

Enjoy!

Avocado, Tomato, & Bean Salsa


1 can of chick peas / cannellini beans or corn
2  green onions, sliced
1 Tbsp  Wegmans Basting Oil
1/4 cup red onion, diced 
1  ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, diced
a couple handfuls of cherry tomatoes, quartered

Juice (and zest, optional) of 1 fresh lime
1/4 cup Wegmans Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients!

Optional, let it chill for 30 minutes prior to eating.

Citrus Bow Tie Pasta

Warm weather is upon us! This is a light and fresh meal that takes only as long as the pasta takes to cook!

While the pasta is cooking you can slice and chop up the rest of the ingredients. When the pasta is done toss it all together, and dinner is ready!

What did I change? Overall I kept with the main recipe, I just made changes to my preferences. I sliced a couple cherry tomatoes since I'm not a huge fan of raw tomatoes. Since we had cilantro from other recipes, I used some more of that. Parsley is also an option however. You can swap the lemon juice for lime juice as well. I didn't mix the feta into the entire bowl since I'm not a fan, but it was pretty sprinkled on top of the food.

This is great served warm or cold. This will be ok for leftovers the next day, but won't last much longer than that. Once the avocado is turning brown - toss it!

Next time I might try using sundried tomatoes instead of fresh or even try some basil and fresh mozzarella!

Citrus Bow Tie Pasta

recipe adapted from Whole Foods
Serves 2

1/2 pound bow tie pasta
1 ripe avocado, peeled and cubed  

4 green onions, both green and white parts, chopped
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)
a couple diced cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup packed chopped cilantro
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon
1/3 cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Cook pasta in boiling salted water according to package directions. Drain, but do not rinse the pasta. Place hot pasta in a large mixing bowl. Add avocado, green onions, feta, tomatoes and cilantro. Whisk together lemon juice and olive oil and drizzle over the warm pasta. Toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm or cold.

Roasted Eggplant Bites

Eggplant! One of my favorite veggies, but it can be cooked so horribly wrong. I also was curious about baking it instead of frying the pieces up.

Verdict? Baking / Roasting the eggplant was great! However, it was very pale and didn't look very appetizing. Next time I will sprinkle some olive oil over the top to see if that helps to make it look more golden.

I like the Panko breadcrumbs because they are bigger and flakier, the spices in the mix were just to taste, about a tsp of each. I sprinkled the minced garlic over the top of the breaded eggplant prior to roasting it. You can use a tsp or so of garlic powder mixed in the breadcrumbs as an option too.

It also could be topped with a slice of tomato or some tomato sauce and then some fresh mozzerella cheese and some basil for an appetizer... Anyone want to come over for dinner so I have an excuse to make some?

Roasted eggplant served with a side of pasta

Roasted Breaded Eggplant Bites
1 egg plant, med size
1 egg
Panko bread crumbs (1-2 cups?)
Red pepper flakes (1 tsp)
Oregano (1 tsp) or Italian seasoning
Garlic, minced or powdered

Slice eggplant about 1/4 inch thick.  No I have never measured this.
Liberally sprinkle salt on the eggplant and let it sit in a strainer in the sink for about 30 minutes. Rinse.

Preheat oven to 400F
In one bowl scramble an egg and with a splash of water. In another bowl, combine breadcrumbs, red pepper flakes, oregano, and garlic.
Dip eggplant in the egg, let it excess egg drip off.  Dip in breadcrumb mix and then place on cookie sheet.
Put in oven for 15-20 minutes.

Remove and top with sauce and cheese and a side of pasta! Or just eat it right off the tray!

Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies

I found this recipe in a cookie cook book when I was in high school. It was on sale at Barnes and Noble! In the book they are called Chocolate Fudge Brownies, but I think they are more on the cookie side then the brownie side. And if you are expecting a brownie - you will be disappointed.

Personally, I don't like these cookies very much because I'm not a big fan of chocolate. However, they are the first to go when I bring them to a party and everyone always asks for the recipe. So I'd say try them if you like chocolate!

These cookies freeze well and it is easy to make a big batch of them. You can space about 15 of the cookies per cookie sheet as they do not spread out too much on the pan.

Also see the recipe for Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie and my Mom's favorite white chocolate and macadamia nut cookies!
 
Triple Chocolate Cookies 
Adapted from Cookies by Pamela Clark
Makes 4-6 dozen depending on cookie size

2 sticks butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 c sugar
3/4 c packed brown sugar
1 egg
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup chopped nuts (hazelnuts, optional)
2/3 cup each coarsely chopped of dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate

Preheat oven to 350F, line cookie sheets with parchment paper or use your silpat mat.
Using paddle attachment on your mixer beat butter, vanilla, sugars, and egg until light and fluffy.
In small bowl combine flour, cocoa, and baking soada.
Combine dry ingredients into wet ingredients.
Add in nuts and chocolate bits.

Swirly Coffee Cake with Greek Yogurt

Here is a coffee cake that you will just adore! It is almost dense enough to be considered pound cake. One of the best parts of this recipe is you can make it ahead of time. A great coffee cake for breakfast or brunch. Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa, thanks for another great recipe!

I have tried this recipe before and the dough smelled wonderful! However, I didn't have the proper pan. Using the right pan actually does make a difference. I had used a glass 9x9 baking pan, but the cake is so dense that the middle did not cook in time for the edges to not dry out.

I did make some changes to the recipe. I used 3 large eggs instead of 3 extra large eggs, equal quantity of Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, all purpose flour instead of cake flour, and I semi doubled the streusel topping. I say semi doubled because I didn't think it needed that much extra butter or flour.

Next time I would put more streusel in the middle so it would have a nice swirly line. I used about 1/2 cup I think. I would use closer to a full cup. Its coffee cake! Live a little! :)

I would also consider making it without the streusel and using blueberries and lemon or raspberries in the cake.

Layer 1

Top layer! I almost forgot to take a picture haha

Swirly Coffee Cake

For the cake:

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups plain Greek yogurt
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the streusel: (this is doubled already!)
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch pan that has the hole in the middle.

Cream the butter and sugar in the mixer with the paddle attachment for 4 to 5 minutes, until light.

Add the eggs 1 at a time, and then add the vanilla and Greek yogurt.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Finish stirring with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.

For the streusel, combine brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and butter in your food processor (or in a bowl and mix with your fingers) until it forms a crumble. Mix in walnuts, if desired.

Mom's Favorite White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Cookies

Here is another go-to / no-fail cookie recipes. This includes the chocolate chip cookies, the chocolate chocolate chip cookies, and these white chocolate macadamia nut cookies.

But first, Happy Birthday Mom!! (Yes, her birthday was in April, I'm a little behind in my posts!)

Back to baking. These are straight forward cookies and can be made easily enough with or without the nuts. Macadamia nuts are quite pricey.

I actually leave this recipe alone and don't make any changes. I only put about 12 per cookie sheet as they do spread a little bit. I also use my mini cookie scoop most of the time.

These cookies freeze well. Put the cooled cookies into a container or a bag and put in the freezer. To defrost put the bag in the fridge or let it defrost on the counter.

Enjoy!

Also see the recipe for Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie and Triple Chocolate Chip cookies!

Vanilla Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies

Makes approx 5-6 dozen with small cookie scoop or 3 dozen regular

1/2 c Butter; softened

1/2 c Sugar

1/4 c Light brown sugar; packed

1 tsp Vanilla

1 Egg

1 c Flour

1/4 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Baking soda

1 c White chocolate chips

1/2 c Flaked coconut

1 c Macadamia nuts; chopped

Preheat oven to 375F.

In mixer with paddle attachment cream butter until light, gradually add sugars, creaming well until blended. Beat in vanilla and egg.

In separate bowl stir together flour, salt and baking soda. Add flour mix to creamed mix until combined.

Stir in white chocolate, nuts, and coconut.

Drop by level tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for about 8 - 12 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove to wire racks to cool.

The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie

Ah-ha! The perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe!

This is the recipe on the back of the Nestle Toll House chocolate chip bag. This recipe has never failed me! One batch makes lots of cookies (5+ dozen), it is easy to double or half as well. You can also make the dough ahead of time (a day or two) and refrigerated it until you are ready to use it.

The cookies freeze well too. Put the cooled cookies in a bag or container, put in the freezer. To defrost put the cookies in the fridge or on the counter. 

Enjoy!

Also see the recipe for my Mom's favorite white chocolate and macadamia nut cookies  or Triple Chocolate Chip cookies!

Cream the butter and sugar (what looks like smoke
is the paddle attachment of the mixer)

Add dry ingredients

Add chocolate chips!

 

Voila!

Original Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies
makes approx 5 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
2 1/4 c all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 sticks butter
3/4 c granulated sugar
3/4 c packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.
Combine dry ingredients. Beat butter, sugars, vanilla until creamy. Add eggs 1 at a time. Gradually add in dry mix. Stir in chips and nuts. Drop rounded tbs onto ungreased baking sheets.
Bake 9-11 minutes. (This varies by oven, mine take approx 8 minutes and I make smaller cookies).