Chipotle Kale Chips

I got some beautiful curly kale at the farmers' market this weekend and decided to make some kale chips.

I really love kale chips.  Part of the reason is that they are super simple to make. It takes longer to wash the greens then it does to prepare the chips.  One of the other reasons I love these chips is because of all of the different types of flavors you can choose to pair with them.

I decided to use chipotle pepper with this batch of kale chips and was pretty happy with how they turned out.

Chipotle Kale Chips:

1 bunch of kale, cleaned and removed from the stalk
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Rip the kale leaves into pieces and put them in a bowl with the olive oil, chipotle powder, and salt.  Toss the kale to make sure that all of the leaves are covered with the oil and the spices.

Place the kale leaves on a baking sheet, making sure they don't overlap and bake for 20 minutes of until the leaves are crispy.

Lightened Up Arroz Con Pollo

I'm going outside of our typical spanish/mexican meal routine today. I have a bad relationship with Southern style chicken and rice.  We at a lot of it as a child and I have trouble eating it now.  I do love chicken and yellow rice though.

I saw this recipe pop up on Skinnytaste the other day and decided that it was time to try a new spin on chicken and rice.  It was an easy one pot meal and the leftovers were even better.  Mr. T even went back for seconds.

I was surprised with how many vegetables went into the dish and even though this is a very flavorful dish it's not spicy so I think it would be a favorite with kids at the dinner table.

Lightened Up Arroz Con Pollo:
(adapted from Skinnytaste- 8ppt+)

Ingredients:

8 skinless chicken thighs
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 teaspoon sazon
1/2 teaspoon chipotle in adobo
1/2 garlic powder
3 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 onion
1/4 cup cilantro
3 cloves garlic
5 scallions
1/2 a bell pepper
1 tomato, diced
2 1/2 cups enriched long grain rice
4 cups water
1 chicken bouillon cube
salt to taste

Directions:

Season chicken with vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon sazon, adobo and garlic powder and let it sit 10 minutes. Heat a large deep heavy skillet on medium, add 2 teaspoon oil when hot. Add chicken and brown 5 minutes on each side. Remove and set aside.

Place onion, cilantro, garlic, scallions and pepper in mini food processor. Add remaining teaspoon of olive oil to the skillet and sauté onion mixture on medium-low until soft, about 3 minutes. Add tomato, cook another minute. Add rice, mix well and cook another minute. Add water, bouillon (be sure it dissolves well) and remaining sazon, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Taste for salt, should taste salty enough to suit your taste, add more as needed.

Add chicken and nestle into rice, bring to a boil. Simmer on medium-low until most of the water evaporates and you see the liquid bubbling at the top of the rice line, then reduce heat to low heat and cover. Make sure the lid has a good seal, no steam should escape (You could place a piece of tin foil or paper towel in between the lid and the pot if steam escapes).

Cook 20 minutes without opening the lid. Shut heat off and let it sit with the lid on an additional 10 minutes (don't peak!!!) Fluff with a fork and eat!

 

Chipotle Avocado Black Bean Burgers

I think that I might be mastering the veggie burger..... finally.

I've been exploring the world of the black bean recently and the black bean burger has been been leading me astray.  These patties have made up for all my heartache.  (That sounds like a bad country song)

The chipotle sauce and the avocado make this burger delicious.  The best thing about these burgers is that you can make up a bunch of them and throw them in the freezer for future enjoyment, or for food gift giving. 

Chipotle Avocado Black Bean Burgers:
(Adapted from Skinny Taste- 9ppt+)

6 tablespoons light mayonnaise
2 tablespoons chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice

16 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 bell pepper, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup chopped scallions
3 tablespoon chopped cilantro
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 egg
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup quick oats
1 small avocado

Directions:

Combine mayonnaise, lemon juice, and chipotle peppers, set aside.  Slice your avocado, place it in a bowl and sprinkle with a little lemon juice to keep it from browning.

Make sure the black bean are really dry and mash them up with a fork.

In a food processor, chop the bell pepper, cilantro, onion, and garlic, then add oats, then the egg and spices. Combine with the mashed black beans.

Divide the bean mixture into patties (I got 5), put them on a sheet pan, and freeze overnight.  When you're ready to cook them up, pull them out of the freezer, and cook on a sprayed skillet for about 7 minutes on each side.

Top the burgers with some of the chipotle mayonnasie and avocado slices.

Rib Roast with Blue Cheese Chipolte Sauce

In our house Turkey is served on Thanksgiving and a beef roast is served on Christmas.  This year we found rib roasts for a really good deal and decided to try something a little different.

Our weekly Publix advertisement had this recipe and a picture of the finished product on the front page and it just looked/sounded amazing.  It turned out really well.

Rib Roast with Blue Cheese Chipotle Sauce:
(Publix Apron Meals)

Ingredients:
8 celery ribs
1 standing rib roast (4–5 lb)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons coarsely ground pepper
5 oz Deli soft-ripened blue cheese, cubed
1/2 stick herb garlic butter, cubed
1 cup yogurt blue cheese dressing
2 teaspoons chipotle pepper sauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat medium-size roasting pan with spray. Cut celery into 7-inch ribs; lay across center of pan. Place roast on top of celery; sprinkle salt and pepper over roast.

Bake 20 minutes or until roast has browned.

Reduce oven to 350°F; cook 2 more hours or until roast is 145°F (medium-rare). Use a meat thermometer to accurately ensure doneness. Transfer roast to cutting board; let stand 10–15 minutes before slicing.

Cut cheese and butter into small cubes. Place both in medium saucepan on medium heat; cook and stir 2–3 minutes or until melted. Stir in dressing and pepper sauce; remove from heat when sauce is bubbly. Serve roast with sauce.

Turkey Black Bean Tacos

I love tacos.  They're easy to make, taste great, and are like little boats of awesomeness.  We make them a lot and i'm always trying to come up with some new ideas.  Turkey tacos aren't a new thing for my house but these are a little different so I thought I would share.

Turkey-Black Bean Tacos:

1 can of reduced sodium black beans
1 package ground turkey
1 tablespoon of your favorite taco seasoning
1 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper powder
Soft tacos shells
Lettuce
Salsa
Cheese
Sour Cream

In a skillet heat up a tablespoon of olive oil.  Add the ground turkey and let it start to brown.  Once it starts to brown add the taco seasoning and chipotle powder.  Cook for 5 minutes, or until the turkey is cooked through.

In a small sauce pan add the can of drained and rinsed black beans.  Let them warm through.

Assemble tacos however you like.

(I told you this was easy, and a great way to get veggies and beans into picky kids)

Chipotle-Rubbed Flank Steak with Garlic Gorgonzola Sauce:

Mr. T loves steak and chipotle.  Thanks to Devon over at Confections of a Food Bitch I found this recipe that combines them both (along with my love of gorgonzola cheese)!

I made a couple of changes to the recipe tonight because I wanted to use things that we already had in the house.  I used fajita steak instead of flank steak, regular smoked paprika, and skim milk... along with some other things.

Chipotle-Rubbed Flank Steak with Garlic Gorgonzola Sauce:
(Queen of Points)

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon ground chipotle chile pepper
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 lb. flank steak
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 white onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
2/3 cup 2% milk
1 oz. (1/4 cup) gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1 teaspoon unsalted butter


Directions:

Make sure you’ve got all the ingredients for the sauce prepared before you start. The steak only takes 15 minutes, and you’ll want to make the sauce while it’s broiling.

Preheat your broiler on high

The steak: Combine the chile pepper, paprika, and salt. Rub the mixture on both sides of the flank steak. Place the steak on a broiler pan and broil for 5 minutes on each side, then let it stand for 5 minutes.

The sauce: Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and saute for a minute. Add the garlic and saute for another minute. Add the flour and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the milk and bring to a low boil. Cook until reduced by half. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese and butter. Keep warm, but don’t let it boil.

Pour the sauce over your steak and enjoy!

Chipotle Hummus

One of my coworkers is moving back to Miami to be with family.  We had a big going away party for him at a local park and I volunteered to bring some chips and dip.  This was a big hit and super easy.

Chipotle Hummus:

2 cans of chickpeas, drained (keep the liquid)

2-3 tablespoons lemon juice

2-4 chipotle peppers in adobo, chopped (depending on how much heat you like)

2 tablespoons of the adobo liquid that came with the peppers

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1-2 teaspoon sesame oil*

2 tablespoon olive oil

salt

pepper

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

Add everything to a food processor and blend.  Once everything is mixed add some of the chickpea liquid until the desired consistency is achieved.

*Be careful with the sesame oil.  A little bit goes a LONG way.