Taco Salad and Guacamole

Wow that was quick turnaround! Here I am again. Hey here's a cool tidbit. The other morning Kenzie and his friend Cody wanted to make breakfast, so they pulled out the laptop and pulled up the french toast episode and cooked along with the video. I was so farklempt I almost teared up. When we started this whole endeaver, I imagined Kenzie learning to cook and be autonomous in the kitchen. I'm thinking that maybe in the future we could burn the most watched episode onto a dvd and give it out to the kids in the family. I don't know, it just warmed the cockles of my auntie heart.

So, back to Taco Salad:

Taco Salad

Meat:
1 lb ground beef
1 tbsp oil
1 medium onion diced finely
2 cloves garlic pressed
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp cumin
1 tsp flour
1/4 cup tomato juice
1/4 tsp paprika

Saute onions in oil in a medium frying pan. Once onions start to turn translucent, press garlic into pan and add ground beef. Press ground beef apart with masher and brown meat. Add spices, tomato juice and flour and simmer for 4-5 minutes until thickened.

Guacamole:

3 ripe avocados mashed
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (1 large or 2 small limes)
3 large cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 tsp salt (to taste, it may need more)
pepper to taste
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp mayonnaise
Optional: chopped cilantro, jalapeno, diced tomato

Cut avocado in half long-wise, going around the pit. Grasp each half in one hand and twist gently to separate one from the pit. Sink knife into pit using a chopping motion and twist knife to dislodge the pit from the other half. Discard pit (save one to place in finished guacamole to keep the color fast). Using the knife cut through the avocado in a grid pattern being careful not to slice through the skin. This is best accomplised by holding the half in your hand; just be careful not to press the knife through the skin and cut yourself. Now just scoop out the meat of the avocado with a spoon and mash it with a fork to desired consistency. Add in all other ingredients and mix thoroughly. Place one pit into guacamole, and press cling down gently onto surface of dip, which will keep the guac green and fresh. Let set in fridge for 30 minutes and serve. Make sure to taste test before serving. Here's the secret: good guacamole needs a perfect balance of garlic, lime and salt. When you taste test it, make sure that all flavors are balanced. If it tastes a bit sour, it needs salt. If you don't get the party on your tongue, it probably needs a bit more lime juice, and you'll know if it doesn't have enough garlic.



Other Salad Ingredients:

Lettuce of choice (iceberg for the traditional, romaine, or spring mix for the party bunch)
shredded cheese
diced tomatoes
cilantro
tortilla chips (such as Tostitos, or Fritos, or Doritos)
Salsa of choice
Chopped bell peppers
olives chopped
guacamole

Get creative! There are tons of choices, you choose your favorite.
You can set the ingredients up as a buffet and let the kids assemble their own.

Baking With Bailey: Chocolate Chip Cookies

It took us a little longer this week to get it together, but I hope you find it was worth the wait. I recently found out I have diabetes, so our quest for healthier eating has taken on new meaning. Now we're trying to find ways to incorporate whole grains and fiber into everything we bake, as well as utilizing alternative sweetening to cut out sugar. Thankfully, I have an amazing sister-in-law who loves to research almost as much as she loves to encourage. I am going to note the alternatives for those who are trying to cut out fat, up fiber, or cut out sugar. You pick if you want to do any or none of those options. I found that using half wheat pastry flour actually improved the texture of the cookie.
Above all, have fun trying it all out. I did. I am finding my new excitement in cooking is finding new ways to get great flavor out of meals/baking while making them healthy. Can't tell you how good it feels to give the kids cookies that are delicious (they eat them 4 at a time) and really good for them. A note on the Blue Agave: the darker the better. You can get it at most health food stores, but Karen found it much cheaper online at Amazon ($.17 per ounce).


Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar (or 1 cup blue agave nectar, or 1 1/2 tsp pure
powdered stevia + 1/2 cup of apple sauce, plain yogurt or water)
3/4 cup butter (or trans-fat free soft tub margarine, or apple sauce)
2 large eggs (or just egg whites)
2 tsp pure vanilla
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cups semi-sweet (or dark) chocolate chips
3/4 cups chopped walnuts
2 cups all- purpose flour (substitute 1 cup of whole wheat pastry flour)
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl whip butter and sugar until well blended. Add eggs and continue to mix until incorporated. Next add chickpeas, chocolate chips, and nuts mixing for approx 1 minute until chickpeas are broken down.
In small bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, salt and oats. With mixer off, add dry ingredients and mix until it forms thick batter. Spoon onto greased cooking pan and cook for 9-11 min. Makes 3 dozen cookies.


On a side note: Wasn't Bailey great? I couldn't get a word in edgewise :) She is going to be a star!

Cheeseburger Subs with a side of Lisp

Hey there friendly reader. We are still using the second rate camera to take video, so its a bit rough, but bare with us. We will be fully functioning and operational very soon. Meanwhile, just enjoy me with a "lisp." I have included substitutions for healthier options for those of you who are watching the calories. Now that Mackenzie is having so much fun doing the cooking show with me, the other kids want their chance too. Watch for future episodes that feature one of the other beautiful Glennen gang. Oh and one more thing. For those grammar sticklers out there (I happen to be one too), see if you can spot the grammatical error in each video (or made up words).


Cheeseburger Subs

1 lb ground beef 85-95% lean (you can also make half of this ground turkey)
1 large onion diced
2 cloves garlic pressed
salt & pepper to taste
4 slices American cheese (you can substitute with any sliced cheese)
4 white hoagie buns (may be substituted with whole wheat flour tortillas, or pita pockets)

Options for toppings:
pickles
shredded lettuce
tomatoes diced
ketchup
mustard
mayonnaise

Spray large skillet with non-stick cooking spray and add onions to pan. Cook over medium heat until translucent. Add pressed garlic and sautee for one minute more. Next add the ground beef to pan and, using a potato masher, break meat apart into small chunks. Cook on medium high heat until browned. Make sure meat is evenly spread in pan and layer cheese over the top. Turn off the heat and cover pan for 1-2 minutes until cheese is melty. spoon meat and cheese into bun and top as desired. Enjoy!

See you next week!

Nuggets of Chicken Goodness

This week I taught Mackenzie how to make good and good-for-you breaded chicken nuggets. I was a little more trepidatious as there were more steps AND we had a camera malfunction. As a result "we" (and I mean Karen) learned how to use Microsoft movie maker. I'm telling you, we are getting a crash course in all things video. FUN! Didn't Kenzie do so well? I was really proud of him. Meanwhile, the camera we're using gives me a little bit of an "esss" lisp. :) Suffice it to say, I don't actually have one. Here are the recipes. Hope you enjoy.


Chicken Nuggets

1 cup breadcrumbs (panko or other)
2 tbsp butter melted or olive oil
1/2 cup flaxseed meal
1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
1 cup broccoli pureed
1 large egg slightly beaten
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash chicken and pat dry. Cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks and set aside. In a shallow bowl sprinlke bread crumbs with butter/oil making sure to distibute evenly. Mix until all bread crumbs are coated. Add parmesan, spices, and flax seed meal and mix until homogenous. In another shallow bowl break egg and beat, then add broccoli puree and mix together. Dip each piece in egg wash and then coat in breading mixture, and place on pan coated with non-stick spray. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden and crispy. Serve with Creamy Honey Mustard Dip. Serves 4.


Creamy Honey Mustard Dip

1/4 cup sour cream
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup your favorite mustard

Mix all ingredients together in a microwave safe bowl (glass) and microwave (approx 1 minute) until all ingredients are soft. Whisk together one final time and serve.


Home Fries

4 large potatoes sliced long-wise
3-5 tbsp oil
2 tbsp garlic salt
2 tbsp (to taste) lime pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and cut potatoes(potatoshwedges should be 1/2 inch thick and all should have some skin attached) and place in large bowl. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper and toss to coat. Spray pans with non-stick cooking spray and arrange in one layer on pan. Place in oven and cook for 20-25 minutes until golden and crispy on edges. These are great with sweet chili sauce and sour cream. They also work well as loaded chili cheese fries.




See you next week!

French Toast

We are OFF! The first installment of Cooking with Kenzie is on Youtube. It was so much fun to do. The whole family got involved in this project. We are bursting with new ideas for future video podcasts. I hope that you guys enjoy watching these half as much as we enjoy making them.


Here is the French Toast Recipe:

Basic French Toast

8 slices slightly stale bread
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla

In a shallow bowl, break and beat 2 eggs. Add milk, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla and beat vigorously. Heat skillet (either non-stick or stovetop). If using a non-stick DO NOT put any butter on skillet, but if using a stove top skillet place a pat of butter in skillet. Dip each piece of bread briefly on both sides into egg mixture and immediately place on medium high skillet. Cook on each side for about 2 min or until golden brown.


Simple Pancake Syrup
2 cups brown sugar, loosely packed
3/4 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 to 1 tsp maple flavoring, or vanilla, or rum.

Put all ingredients, except maple flavoring, in 2 cups microwaveable container. Microwave on defrost for 3 to 4 minutes, or until bubbly. Remove and add flavoring. This is a Betty Swihart recipe and is good for if you are in a pinch and don't have any real maple syrup. Its also WAY better than any of the "fake" syrup that you could buy in the store.

Fresh Fruit Sauce

2 cups fresh or frozen fruit
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp cornstarch
If blueberries, add a teaspoon of lemon juice to water and maybe lemon zest too.
Dissolve corn starch into water and pour over fruit and sugar in small sauce pan over medium high heat. Let cook until it starts to bubble. Stir occasionally until sauce clears and gets thicker. Serve warm over french toast.

Happy Cooking!

Oh and if you have any recipe requests, send them our way and we will put em in the lineup...unless you ask for Haggis, I don't know how to make that, nor would I want to.

Coming Soon!

Keep your eyes pealed...we are going viral on youtube next week. My nephew Branagan Mackenzie asked me to teach him how to cook some things. We decided the world needed to see the results. Mackenzie is 12 years old, he loves playing his guitar, surfing Lime Wire to get new music and climbing on his dad's garage. We'll include video of his roof climbing tricks later.

Each week we'll post a video/show of the two of us cooking together. I'll post the recipes on the blog in case you're interested. See you next week!