Jalapeno Cheddar Skillet Cornbread

Are your days messed up?  My days are so messed up.  Every single day has felt like the beginning of the week because on the beginning of the week I was pretending it was still the weekend.  If I don't miss or forget something this week it will be a miracle.  


Speaking of non-existent beginnings of weeks throwing off the rest of your week, how was your three day weekend?  Mine was fantastic, and I think, in my brain at least, is still going on.  We celebrated the holiday with a barbecue feast of pulled pork, which I still hold to be the best recipe ever.  I can say this without bragging because it's not my recipe, it's my moms!  Just make it.  Please.

We also had coleslaw and homemade jalapeno cheddar cornbread, the latter of which I am here to tell you about so you too can have cornbread all summer long.

Let's make cornbread!

Start with the dry ingredients: cornmeal, white flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt are whisked together in a large bowl.

Now wet ingredients: an egg is whisked until frothy, then combined with buttermilk and whisked again.

Dry ingredients, meet wet ingredients.  Whisk the two until just combined.  Add 2 tablespoons melted butter and mix again.

Now that's cornbread, but I like to think of it more like a base.  Cornbread, being as versatile as it is, can handle add-ins.  In my case, lots of shredded cheddar cheese and diced fresh jalapenos!

The cheese gets mixed into the batter, saving about 1/4 a cup or so (pictured above) for topping.  Same goes with the jalapenos; three get chopped up and about two get added in the batter, while the remaining gets the shining spot on top.

Pour the batter into a hot skillet that you have been preheating in the oven while the oven was preheating and top with reserved cheese and jalapenos.

Into the oven it goes for 15 minutes, until the top is brown and the sides pull away from the skillet a bit.

Let cool and serve with butter and barbecue!  A match made in heaven if you ask me.

This cornbread is more bread-y than cake-y, which for the purposes of barbecue, I liked.  It's crispy on the edges and soft in the middle and cheesy throughout.  My favorite.

You could add lots of delicious things to this cornbread; I think caramelized onions and dried cranberries would be divine.  Cornbread is as basic as it gets, and that's baking I can get on board with.  It's delicious, wholesome, and endlessly customizable.  And you get to use your cast iron skillet, which you all should know, makes me feel like a pioneer in the best sense.

Make this cornbread your summer go-to, and if your days get mixed up in all the Summer fun, don't sweat it.  It happens to the best of us.

Here's the recipe!

Jalapeno Cheddar Skillet Cornbread (Cornbread base adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter, for greasing the skillet
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk (I used reduced fat, but you could use whole--I won't tell)
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 3 jalapenos, diced (remove the seeds and ribs for less heat)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Take one tablespoon of butter and grease the entire inside of your cast iron skillet.  Leave any remaining butter in the bottom of the pan.  Place the skillet in the oven to preheat as the oven does.
2. In a large bowl combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.  Whisk thoroughly.  
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg until frothy.  Add buttermilk and whisk to combine.  Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, then add the melted butter and mix again.   Add about 3/4 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese and about two of the diced jalapenos and mix to combine.  
4. Carefully remove skillet from the oven.  Pour batter into the skillet--it should sizzle a little.  Top the cornbread with the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese and diced jalapeno.  Bake for 15 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the edges have pulled away from the skillet a bit.  
5. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.  Serve in wedges, with butter.  

Enjoy!

Baked Asian Tilapia with Green Beans

Three day weekends are glorious, aren't they?  Three day weekends that feel like three day weekends are even more so.  Three day weekends in which I get to relax, go hiking, enjoy the sun, try (in vain) to get some color on these legs while sitting outside on my stoop to write a long, long overdue blog post, well those are what dreams are made of.

I think lately I've been doing a really good job of just living.  I'm in the process of finishing my Masters, my Fellowship, and transitioning to a new job, and moving apartments, and to tell you the truth it's a little frightening.  I mean, good-frightening, for sure, but frightening none the less.  I'm finding that I feel most at ease either in my kitchen, or outside, and I'm letting myself just do that.  That's what three day weekends are best for, no?  Doing the things you like to do, when you like to do them, at the pace in which you like to do them.

Also, parking spots.  My street is lousy with parking spots because everyone's away at their well appointed Summer homes.  Suckers.

To ease back into this space, and hopefully bribe you into forgetting my long absence, I bring to you a fresh tasting, easy-as-pie weeknight recipe that is light enough to counteract all of the barbecue you'll be consuming today and tomorrow.

Let's get to it!

Start with the fish.  Lay two pieces of foil, slightly overlapping, onto a baking sheet, and add one tilapia filet and a bunch of green beans around it.

We're going to cook it all together.  Next, mix up the sauce.  Ginger, garlic, scallions, cilantro, Sriracha hot sauce, honey, and soy sauce are all mixed together.

Pour the sauce evenly over the fish and green beans, then seal the packet by bringing the two long ends together, wrapping around the fish, and the other two opposite ends together meeting at the top, then folding down until the entire thing is tightly wrapped in foil.

Bake that in a 400 degree oven for about 25 minutes, which is just enough time for you to cook some rice.  When the fish is ready, remove from the oven and carefully unwrap the foil packet.  There's a lot of steam in there, and it will burn you, so act accordingly.

Yum.  To serve, add a layer of rice to a plate then put the fish on the rice.  The green beans go on the side, and the sauce that's leftover in there is poured on top of everything.

That is an easy, balanced meal that came together in under 30 minutes.  You did that!  This tilapia dish is healthy, fresh, and extremely flavorful.  The fish is flaky and tender while the green beans taste fresh and slightly crunchy.

This meal was made for Summer, which is good because it seems it is upon us.  That means warm, breezy days and writing outside.  That means savoring what you want to savor and letting go of the rest.  It means easy, healthy meals and less than the normal amount of dishes in the sink.  It means making the most out of an extra day off work, because it reminds us of when we were kids and got 60 extra days off work.  Summer is the best.

Here's the recipe!

Baked Asian Tilapia with Green Beans (Adapted heavily from Epicurious)
I made mine to serve one, but you can double or triple the recipe as needed


Ingredients

• 1 4-ounce tilapia filet
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 green onions, white and light green parts only, chopped
• 1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons Sriracha (less if you don't like spice)
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 pound green beans, trimmed
• 1 cup cooked rice

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with two sheets of foil, overlapping.  
2. Place fish and green beans in the middle of the two sheets of foil.  Fold up the sides to create a boat of sorts, so to keep the sauce inside.  
3. Mix ginger, garlic, green onions, cilantro, sriracha, honey, and soy sauce together in a bowl.  Pour over fish and green beans, then wrap the foil around the fish and green beans to create a packet.  Bake for 20-30 minutes, until fish is easily flaked with a fork.
4. Meanwhile cook rice according to package directions.
5. When fish is done, remove from the oven and carefully open the packet, letting the steam escape.  Add rice to a plate, then add the fish on top of the rice.  Plate the green beans on the side, then pour the excess sauce from the foil packet over everything.  

Enjoy!

Baked Black Beans

I've been coming at you with a bunch of really simple recipes as of late, which can also give you insight into my life as of late.  Not that I've been overly busy, no, I just have been taking more advantage of these longer, warmer, days and spending some time outdoors after work instead of in front of the stove.  Tonight I tried this, knowing full well that it was supposed to rain, and I found out that weather doesn't really work like the movie The Day After Tomorrow; you can't outrun it.  If it's raining at home, it's raining by the river.

That's the great thing about the warmer months isn't it?  Not the rain, although it ain't bad.  No, the great thing is simple, delicious meals and time spent outdoors.  Save that 3 hour chili for the winter when you need the stove to keep your apartment warm.  Oh, you don't use your oven/stove to heat your apartment?  Weird.  

Let's take advantage of this time of year and make something simple!

Start with diced tomatoes and green chilies (like Ro-Tel) and a can of black beans, drained and rinsed.  Just the tomatoes are pictured, sorry.

Season with salt, pepper, cumin, and red pepper flakes and cook for about 10 minutes, until completely heated through.  Then add beans to an oven-proof crock and top with shredded cheese.

Pop that into a 400 degree oven and cook until the cheese is melted and bubbly.  Meanwhile, assemble your toppings!

Sour cream is mixed with lemon zest and lemon juice to give it a little citrus zing.

Tomatoes are chopped and avocados are sliced.

When the cheese is melted on the beans, remove from the oven.

Top with your toppings!  I put on a couple of slices of avocado, some chopped fresh tomatoes, and some of the lemon sour cream.

Serve with some warmed tortillas or chips, or just as they are.  The beans are flavorful and comforting and the cheese is kind of toasty on top, which pairs perfectly with the cool sour cream, avocados and fresh tomatoes.

A little added hot sauce on top never hurt anyone either, unless you don't like spicy things--it might actually hurt you.  Know thyself!

The topping choices are endless too--throw some of feta cheese on top for a riff on my new favorite quesadillas!  Fresh cilantro would also be amazing.  But that's me.  I love cilantro and I love feta cheese.  Really, do whatever pleases you.  Just keep it simple, keep it light, and run in the rain if you want to!  It's actually pretty fun.

Here's the recipe!

Baked Black Beans (Adapted from Bleubird Vintage)
Serves 2


Ingredients

• 1 can diced tomatoes with green chilis (Ro-Tel)
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
• Salt and Pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup shredded cheese
• 1/4 cup sour cream 
• 1 lemon (for zest and half of the juice)
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1 Roma tomato, diced
• Hot sauce for serving (optional)
• Tortillas for serving (optional)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  
2. In a medium sized pot over medium heat, add canned diced tomatoes and drained and rinsed black beans.  Season with salt, pepper, cumin, and red pepper flakes and stir to combine.  Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until completely heated through.
3. Spoon beans into some oven proof crocks and top with cheese.  Place in the oven and cook until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 7-10 minutes.  
4. Meanwhile, prepare your toppings.  Mix sour cream with lemon zest and half of the lemon's juice.  Stir together and taste.  Add more lemon juice if you want it to be more lemony.  Chop the tomatoes and slice the avocados.  You're ready for beans! 
5. When the beans are ready, remove from oven and top with the avocado slices, chopped fresh tomatoes, and lemon sour cream sauce.  
6. Serve with warm tortillas or tortilla chips, or leave them as they are!

Enjoy!

Garlic Spinach with Fried Eggs

When I was a kid, and we were having company over, my Mom would have me clean my room "Mommy Clean."  Which meant to her standards, and very much not to mine.  See, I've never been very adept at cleaning.  This is not to say I'm a slob, or at least I hope I'm not.  Or that I'm not learning, because I am.  I am saying that I may or may not need someone to check my cleaning job.  Like, if I spent 5-6 hours cleaning my apartment, would you call that "rigorous cleaning?"  A friend wants to know.

Anyway, I spent this Mother's Day cleaning my apartment "Mommy Clean" and I actually think I did a good job!  See, I can clean, mom!  Happy Mother's Day!  (Also, I love you, so much, and you're the best Mom ever, and I have no idea how you did such a good job with us, but you did and I am the luckiest that you're my mom!)

With my big plans to clean this weekend, I needed quick, simple meals that required minimal dishes.  This is one of those.  It only uses one skillet, but the amount of flavor that comes out of that one skillet is unbelievable.  Simple, delicious, minimal cleaning.  This is what I need in my life.

Start the clock, we'll be done in 15 minutes.  Let's go!

Start with olive oil and garlic.  How many times have I said that?  Never mind.

When that is fragrant, add a whole bunch of spinach to the pan.  I used bagged spinach, and used the entire bag, because spinach cooks down a lot.

Toss the spinach around a bit so it's coated in the garlic and olive oil, and cover with a lid--an ill-fitting one if you have it!  Just kidding.  A fitted lid is better, but, you know, do what you can.

Let the spinach steam down, stirring occasionally, until it is completely wilted.  Season with salt and pepper then squeeze half a lemon's juice over the spinach and toss to combine.  Transfer to a plate and wipe the skillet out with a paper towel.

Next, spray the pan with cooking spray and fry two eggs until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny.

When they are done, put them on top of the spinach.  Squeeze a little more lemon on top of the whole thing for extra zing.  Then, take a fresh baguette and tear a big piece off of the end.  Everything is better with a crusty baguette.

Simple ingredients, simple preparation, incredible results.  The egg yolks are broken and create a rich, luxurious sauce that mixes perfectly with the garlicky, lemony spinach.

An entire meal using only one skillet and one plate.  We're finished in under 15 minutes, and our apartments are just as clean as they started.  Do you like how I pulled you into this?  I do!

Happy Mother's day to all you moms out there.  You do something that is so incredible, and I'm sincerely impressed.  And grateful.  And to my mom, well, you're the most incredible.  And I love you more'n my luggage!  


Here's the recipe!

Garlic Spinach with Fried Eggs


Ingredients: 

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• 1 bag of spinach
• salt and pepper
• 1 lemon
• 2 eggs
• Crusty bread for serving

Method: 

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add a pinch of red pepper flakes, then add spinach and toss to coat in olive oil.  Cover with a lid and let steam, stirring occasionally, until wilted.  Season with salt and pepper and squeeze a lemon over the spinach, then toss.  Transfer to a plate and wipe out the skillet.
2. Spray the skillet with cooking spray and crack two eggs into the skillet.  Cook until the whites are almost set, then carefully flip to finish cooking.  Carefully plate on top of the spinach.  
3. Serve with crusty french bread to soak up all the garlic, lemony, eggy goodness!

Enjoy!

Spaghetti with Avocado and Arugula Pesto

Have you heard that research that says owning a pet reduces blood pressure, stress and tension and all that stuff that generally causes us  high blood pressure, stress and tension?  I was watching a hilarious travel show and the main character, while traveling in Japan, visited a coffee shop just filled with cats.  Cats!  Cats sleeping, cats playing, cats knocking things off tables...you know, cats.  The idea was you come get a coffee, pet some kittens, watch them play, and go on about your business.  Blood pressure goes down, caffeine induced productivity goes up.  This is a place I want to go to.

It got me thinking though.  I grew up with at least two pets at all times.  I first realized how big of an impact they had on my life and general morale when I went to college.  After a year in the dorms, a loud, hungry kitten wandered up to my door.  I named him Tuna, and we were happy.  

When I moved to Boston I sublet a place with two cats for the summer (what up, Bruce and Elaine!?), and then moved and worked in a place where was my job to take care of three cats and two dogs.  See?  Animals abound.  When I left that job and that living situation, I found myself living with people I didn't know and not an animal in sight.

That lasted about eight months.  About 3 weeks after I moved into my own place, and after having a truly horrible day, I wandered into the Animal Rescue League really just wanting be around a cat.  

That cat is now living here, shedding on everything, and absolutely monopolizing my lap.  It's wonderful.

My point is, and I do have one, is that sometimes the things that relieve the most stress are the things we aren't even aware of.  It's second nature; we've never been without them.  These are the things that make our shoulders relax.  Animals have always been that for me, and I'm learning that cooking is too.

Especially if I'm cooking with pasta, avocado, arugula, and walnuts.  Those are some serious stress reducers. Kind of like a cat in your lap, but with food.  Did that just gross you out?  Sorry.

This pesto is like all of my favorite things mixed up in a food processor.  Let's do this!

Start by toasting some walnuts in a dry pan until fragrant.  

When those smell like toasted walnuts, transfer to a bowl and let cool completely.  Meanwhile, assemble your ingredients.  (I just said that in my head like a superhero: Ingredients, ASSEMBLE!  Yeah, I don't know.  It's late)

Basil, garlic, lime, avocado, arugula.  All good things.  Those good things go into the food processor, along with the cooled toasted walnuts, salt and pepper, and some Parmesan cheese.

My food processor is small, so I had to do it in two batches.  In hindsight, I probably would have been fine with just one batch.  But, leftovers will not go unused, I promise you! 

Pulse that until smooth.  You'll probably have to stop and scrape down the sides a couple of times, as there's not much liquid to keep it all moving.  

When the pesto is done, transfer it to a bowl and set aside.  Then, bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil and throw in some spaghetti.

Cook according to package instructions to al dente and before draining, reserve about a cup of the pasta water.  Drain and return to the pan and then add half of the pesto and a splash of pasta water to loosen it up.  Toss and toss and toss until all the pasta is coated in the pesto.  You can add however much pasta water as you need, but you probably won't use all of it.  

Serve it up in bowls with some torn basil and of course, Parmesan cheese.

This pasta is light, refreshing, and tastes, and looks, like Spring.  The creamy avocado, peppery arugula, and fragrant basil come together to create such a magnificent sauce that is a really great alternative to traditional pesto.

Because the avocados are so creamy, no olive oil is needed and the pesto stays far away from greasy and oily.  It's the perfect partner to pasta.  

If making this pasta makes your shoulders relax, you should do it.  If taking a quick run around the block does that, you should do it right now.  Or tomorrow morning, when it's light out, because I want you to be safe.  If you're like me and the sound of your snoring cat warms your heart, go pet that cat and laugh because he totally flinched when you woke him up.  Find your relaxation and do it.

Here's the recipe!

Spaghetti with Avocado and Arugula Pesto (Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis)

This recipe makes way to much pesto for a pound of pasta.  I ended up using only about half of the pesto I prepared.  If you make the whole recipe, save the rest for a flavorful dip, a great sandwich spread, or great base for crostini or bruschetta.  

Ingredients 

• 1 pound pasta of your choice.  I used spaghetti but any long pasta will do.
• 2 medium avocados
• 3 cups baby arugula leaves
• 1 cup basil leaves, plus more for serving
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Method

1. In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the walnuts until fragrant, about 5 minutes.  Move them around a couple of times and watch them closely so they don't burn.  Walnuts want to burn.  Set them aside and let them cool completely before using.
2. In a food processor, combine the flesh of the two avocados, arugula, basil, lime juice, garlic, salt, pepper, Parmesan and toasted walnuts.  Pulse until smooth, scraping down the sides occasionally.  You may have to do this in batches, in which case just divide the ingredients evenly and mix thoroughly when you combine the two batches.
3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente.  Reserve 1 cup of pasta water then drain and return to the pot.  Add half of the pesto and a splash of pasta water and toss until the pasta is coated completely.  You may need to use a bit more water to loosen up the sauce, but you probably won't use the whole cup.
4. Serve in bowls with torn basil on top and an extra sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.  

Enjoy!

Black Bean and Feta Quesadillas

Sometimes I make something that is so easy it's hard to even call it a recipe.  Most of the time these happen on the nights I have class until 9 and they involve an egg and you don't hear about them because it's more about eating before I pass out than creating something that's pretty and interesting enough to show you.  But this time it's different.  You need to know about this recipe.

As you know from my Cinco de Mayo round up, I'm no stranger to Mexican inspired dishes, and I'm always looking for interesting ways to put a new spin on the classics.  This, with the combination of black beans and feta cheese, is definitely one of those new spins and I couldn't be more thrilled about it.

It starts with black beans.  Like I said, on this particular night I needed food and I needed it fast, so I opened up a can of fat free refried black beans that I found at Whole Foods and bumped up their flavor with a little salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and ground cumin.  I thinned them out with a little water and cooked over medium until just heated through.  You could use this quick and easy method, or you could make a big pot of black beans and mash them or puree them in a food processor.  Whatever floats your boat.

While the beans were heating up, chop up half a shallot and some fresh cilantro.

Assembly time!  When the beans are ready, grab a flour tortilla and spread some of the bean mixture on top.  Sprinkle with some of the fresh cilantro and raw shallot.  I used a shallot because it's flavor is a little milder than a raw onion, and I really wanted that raw crunch in the quesadilla to complement the pureed beans.  It was a good choice.  Anyway!

Next add a layer of crumbled feta cheese.  You can use as much or as little as you'd like, or even a combination of feta and traditional shredded cheddar/jack.  I stuck with the feta, and used a heavy hand because I love salty, crumbly cheese.  

Spray a medium sized skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat.  Add the tortilla with all the goods on it, then top with another tortilla and spray it with cooking spray.

Let it cook for a couple of minutes, until it looks golden brown when you peak underneath.  Very carefully flip the quesadilla and cook the other side until it is also golden brown.

Transfer to a large plate and cut into wedges.  Garnish with a little more chopped cilantro if you're feeling fancy.

This was so good.  So good that I may or may not have eaten two.  That's what lunch breaks at the gym are for, right?

It was an amazing combination of flavors and textures--the creaminess of the black beans, the crunch of the shallot, and the freshness of the cilantro made this something special, but the addition of crumbled feta rather than a more traditional cheese was really what made this one of my new go-to recipes.

Start to finish, I think this took me 20 minutes, at most, which makes it perfect for a weeknight meal.  On this particular night I was so close to just ordering take out and calling it a day, but I'm so glad I didn't.

An easy meal that is fast to make but tastes incredible?  That's worth sharing.  Make this quesadilla soon.  Then let's talk about feta cheese and how it might actually be good on anything.


Here's the recipe!

Black Bean and Feta Quesadillas 
(Serves 1 but can easily be adjusted to fit however many people you are serving)


I made this with mostly fat free or low fat ingredients, but the beauty of a recipe like this is you can make it however you'd like.  The below ingredients are what I used, but feel free to adjust as necessary.


Ingredients

• Two flour tortillas (I like Mission brand Carb Smart tortillas)
• 1 15-ounce can of fat free refried black beans  (The brand I used was Bearitos and was from Whole Foods.)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon (or a pinch) cayenne pepper (add more or less depending on how hot you want it, but be careful--cayenne packs a punch!)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2-3 tablespoons water
• 1/2 shallot, finely minced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 cup reduced fat feta cheese (or less, or more, whatever!)
• Cooking spray

Method

1. In a medium-sized pot over medium heat, add refried beans, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, cumin, and a couple of tablespoons of water and mix well to incorporate.  Cook beans until completely heated through, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, grab the tortillas and prepare to assemble.  When beans are done, spread a layer of beans on a tortilla and top with shallot, cilantro, and feta cheese.  I didn't use all of the shallot or cilantro--I used probably about half of what I chopped up.  
3. Heat a skillet over medium high heat and spray with cooking spray.  Add the tortilla that has been topped with all the ingredients to the skillet and then top with another tortilla.  Spray the top tortilla with cooking spray and let cook for about 4 minutes, or until golden brown.  Carefully flip the quesadilla and cook the other side for about 4 minutes as well, until golden brown.  
4. Transfer to a plate and cut into wedges.  Serve with more chopped cilantro and a little hot sauce if desired.  Revel in the fact that you made an amazing dinner in under 20 minutes.

Enjoy!