southwestern veggie tacos with cilantro lime rice

corn and black beans have always been a major food staple in my kitchen. they are both really versatile and distinctive and also healthy! when you add tomatoes and green onions, characteristic elements of southwestern food come together to make something flavorful and always colorful.

southwestern veggie tacos
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 c onion, diced
1/8 c corn
1/8 c black beans
1/8 c rotel tomatoes (any flavor)
1.5 tbsp of juice from the rotel can
1 green onion, chopped
1/4 tsp cilantro
1/8 tsp pepper
2 tbsp ranch dressing
cheddar cheese
2 tortillas

heat the oil on medium in a skillet. add garlic and onion until garlic sizzles. then add everything else (except cheese and tortillas!), stir, and let simmer for 10 minutes on medium-low. put half of the veggies in each tortilla and top with cheese. makes 2 tacos!

cilantro lime rice
rice
lime juice
2 tsp cilantro
1/4 tbsp butter
1/8 tsp white sugar

cook 1 serving of rice according to instructions. right when it is ready, add the butter so it can melt while the rice is still warm. add a squirt of lime, the cilantro, and sugar. add more lime according to preference.

easy romano rigatoni

just put this together as i try to use up what i actually have in my kitchen!! it's a jazzed up version of the roman dish, spaghetti cacio e pepe, which uses pasta, romano cheese and black pepper.

romano rigatoni
water
2/3 cup rigatoni
2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 cup onions, diced
pepper
1/3 cup diced tomatoes, seasoned with basil and oregano (i used some from a can of italian seasoned ones)
1/4 cup juice from the canned tomatoes
1 tbsp heavy whipped cream
romano cheese, grated


heat a small pot of water on high. when it boils, add the pasta and cook per instructions.

meanwhile, heat a skillet on medium-low. add olive oil, garlic, and onions. when the garlic starts to sizzle, add tomatoes and juice. liberally season with pepper. stir for 3 minutes. then add 1/8 cup romano cheese, let melt, and mix together.

by this time, the pasta should be cooked. strain, and pour pasta into a serving bowl. pour the sauce over pasta and top with a sprinkling of cheese. enjoy! serves 1.

bbq chicken pizza

somehow, you can never go wrong with barbeque sauce. EVER! 


bbq chicken pizza
2 boxes corn muffin mix (ex: jiffy, 8.5 oz each)
2 eggs
3.5 tbsp butter, melted
1.5 cups milk
1 cup corn (can be frozen) 
spray on olive oil
2 tbsp olive oil
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup yellow onion, chopped
1 cup red bell pepper, chopped
dash salt
dash pepper
1/2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp hot sauce
1 1/4 cup BBQ sauce
1 bag (6 oz) cheddar cheese
2 green onions, chopped
2 tbsp cilantro


preheat oven to 400. 


combine the muffin mix, eggs, butter, milk, and corn in a bowl. spray a layer of olive oil in a skillet and wrap the handle of the skillet in foil (because it's going in the oven). pour in 3/4 of the batter and cook for 15 minutes, until golden brown. 


while the pizza base/crust cooks, chop the chicken into small pieces and cook over medium in the olive oil until fully cooked. use a spatula to cut the chicken into smaller pieces, about 1 inch in diameter. then add the garlic, onion, and pepper and saute for 5 minutes. then, add salt and pepper, chili powder, cumin, hot sauce, and BBQ sauce. simmer on low for another 15 minutes. 


by now, the crust should be ready and slightly cooled. spread the BBQ chicken mixture over the cornbread crust and top with cheese. bake at 400 for 5-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted. top with green onions and cilantro and slice. serves 4. 




*adapted from rachel ray's Book of 10. 

pineapple stir fry

when my family made a trip to hawaii, we made sure to stop by the enormous pineapple plantations. maybe that's why i think "exotic" when i think of pineapples. they are one of my favorite fruits...sweet, juicy, and with a little tang. that must be why they go so well with just about anything, especially stir fry.

pineapple stir fry
1 serving brown rice
1/4 cup onion, diced
1/4 cup red bell peppers, diced
1/8 cup carrots, sliced or chopped 
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp pepper
1/2 cup pineapple chunks

cook rice according to instructions on package.

meanwhile, heat a small skillet on medium-low. add the soy sauce, onions, peppers, and carrots. after 3 minutes of sauteing, sprinkle on the pepper and drizzle in the honey. mix well.

keep cooking the veggies until the rice is fully cooked. add pineapple to skillet and mix for one minute. combine rice and veggie mix in a bowl and enjoy!

honey ginger stir fry

what i love about stir fry is that the options are endless! you can basically pick your veggies, meat, and sauce and every time it will be different. one time i was just throwing random things in (like honey for example, which i think confused some people) and out came this tangy, crunchy, and sweet dish.

honey ginger stir fry
vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, diced
1/4th of a cabbage, cut (see here for help!)
2 green onions, cut into small pieces
2 celery stalks, diced
1/4 cup white onion, chopped
1/4 cup bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup carrots
1/4 cup peanuts
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/8 cup honey
1/4 tsp ginger
dash salt
1/2 tsp pepper


heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil on medium heat and add garlic until it sizzles. add cabbage for 3-4 minutes or until it cooks down. add green onion, celery, white onion, bell pepper, and carrots. saute for 5-6 minutes, adding oil as needed.

mix in peanuts. make a space in the pan and pour in the rest of the ingredients. (this is so the honey can get warm and mix better with the soy sauce). then mix with the vegetables for another few minutes.

serve over white rice, brown rice, rice noodles, unseasoned ramen noodles, flat pasta noodles...anything you like! serves 1-2.

everything tortilla soup

i basically lived on this my sophomore year of college when we had a kitchen...it was the first recipe i made up on my own! it keeps really well, too!


everything tortilla soup 
1 clove garlic, minced
vegetable oil
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 cup carrots, sliced or diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 medium sized potatoes, diced
1 can black beans, rinsed thoroughly (at least 3 times)
1 can corn (pour out 1/2 of the juice)
1 can ROTEL (any version, keep juice)
dash salt
dash seasoned salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp lime or lemon juice

pour a thin layer of vegetable oil in a pot. heat pot over medium temperature, add garlic.

when garlic sizzles, add celery, carrots and onion. let onion become translucent (after a few minutes). then reduce heat to medium-low and add the rest of the ingredients.

after stirring for 5 minutes, reduce heat again to low, and let simmer with the lid on for at least 20 minutes.

*add water if you would like the consistency of your soup to be more liquidy-- i usually add a "can full" by filling the corn can with water to measure.


you can cook up some chicken ahead of time and shred it into small pieces and add to the soup once all of the other ingredients are in. let simmer and enjoy with chips! serves about 4.

six layer tiramisu

the first tiramisu i tried was in cinque terre, italy, with my study abroad travel buddies. in such a rugged, open natural park, my remembrance of the food is, similarly, straightforward, classic, and for that reason simply stunning. tiramisu is just that: elegant without being pretentious.

for one of our reunion dinners, i decided to try and whip up a quality serving. most recipes are made for a cake-style dessert. why not modify them into cute little individual servings?

traditionally, this italian dessert uses ladyfingers, mascarpone (a sweet, creamy cheese), and rum and coffee flavors. my take on tiramisu uses a brick of angel food cake instead of ladyfingers (because i can't find any at the grocery!), less rum and flavored coffee. this recipe also needs to be made a day early for the flavors to chill, merge, and develop.

--> three parts of tiramisu
typically, there are three major aspects of the dessert: ladyfingers soaked in rum and coffee; a custard made of mascarpone and egg yolk; and a thick whipped cream. it's typically sprinkled with cocoa. wikipedia tells me there is a little controversy over the origins of the dessert, but a friend of mine revealed the origin of the name, "tirami su" to mean in italian "pick me up," which it certainly does! the original recipe allegedly used honey as an ingredient, so let's see how that goes-- why not!

six layer tiramisu
6 egg yolks
1 cup white sugar
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup almond milk
1 pound mascarpone cheese (found in the specialty cheese or italian food section in the grocery store; the brand i used was sold in tubs by the half pound)
1 tbsp honey
1/2 cup coffee (divided) (this means actual brewed coffee! so just order a basic cup of joe somewhere and bring it back to your place to go. any blend is good, i ordered a crème brûlée flavor, but make sure there's not a lot of creamer or milk added on)
1 + 1/3 cups heavy whipping cream
2/3 tsp vanilla extract
angel food cake (i used a "brick" sized cake)
1 tbsp rum
1 tbsp amaretto
unsweetened cocoa powder
12 clear plastic punch cups
foil

part A: mascarpone custard (allot an extra hour for this to chill!)
whisk egg yolks, sugar, and both milks together in a medium sized saucepan until blended.
heat over medium. stir constantly and bring to boil.
let boil gently for one minute, then remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes or so.
cover and chill in a plastic tub in the refrigerator for at least an HOUR.
after chilled, pour into a bowl and whisk in the mascarpone, honey, and 1/4 cup coffee until smooth.
refrigerate until you have completed the other parts.

part B: whipped cream
beat cream and vanilla until stiff peaks form.
--> try your best to time this JUST SO. when you get a sudden feeling of resistance from the cream, stop the beater and check the peaks. just lift the [turned off] beaters straight up from the mix. if there are literal peaks that stand on their own, congrats! if they are rounded or melt back down, you need to beat them some more.
set to the side or in the fridge until part C is complete.

part C: cake base
in a bowl, combine the rest of the coffee, rum, and amaretto.
slice and dice the angel food cake into one inch squares. i used about 7 squares per cup, so try for 90-100 just to be safe.
put the squares in another bowl, and pour the coffee sauce on top. the squares should soak up most of the liquids, but if not, stir them around to make sure everything is evenly coated.


now...time to layer! (note that what's listed first is what's on top!!)
(*) a pinch of unsweetened cocoa powder
(6) a spoonful of whipped cream, spread
(5) a smaller dollop of mascarpone custard, spread
(4) 3-4 squares of angel food cake
(3) a spoonful of whipped cream, spread
(2) a large dollop of mascarpone custard, spread (see above photo for a dollop)
(1) 4 squares of angel food cake

let chill in the fridge for a day, covered with foil or saran wrap. should make about 12 servings. then serve and enjoy!

*recipe modified from here. i changed some ratios, added honey and amaretto, and made this a layered, individual serving recipe.

**make it your own: add almond extract, hazelnut syrup to the whipping cream and more amaretto instead of rum; add some seedless raspberry jam to the custard or raspberry syrup to the whipped cream; use maple syrup instead of honey.