Category: Recipes

Blackened Grilled Flank Steak

Blackened Grilled Flank Steak

  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons hot paprika
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
  • 2 pounds flank steak — trimmed
  • Cooking spray
  1. Combine first 7 ingredients; rub spice mixture over both sides of steak. Cover and refrigerate 3 hours.
  2. Prepare grill.
  3. Place steak on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Let stand 10 minutes. Cut steak diagonally across the grain into thin slices.

Black Bean and Chicken Chilaquiles

Black Bean and Chicken Chilaquiles

  • Cooking spray
  • 1 cup thinly sliced onion
  • 5 garlic cloves — minced
  • 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
  • 15 ounces black beans — rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup fat-free (less-sodium chicken broth)
  • 7 3/4 ounces salsa de chile fresco — (such as El Pato)
  • 15 6-inch corn tortillas — cut into 1-inch strips
  • 1 cup shredded queso blanco — (about 4 ounces)
  1. Preheat oven to 450°.
  2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion; sauté 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add chicken; cook 30 seconds. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl; stir in beans. Add broth and salsa to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
  3. Place half of tortilla strips in bottom of an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Layer half of chicken mixture over tortillas; top with remaining tortillas and chicken mixture. Pour broth mixture evenly over chicken mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until tortillas are lightly browned and cheese is melted.

Chocolate Chip Scones

This is one of my favorite recipes. I love scones but adding chocolate makes it all the better. You can use a food processor rather than the pastry tool; it makes it go a little quicker. These are light, not too sweet – and the chocolate melts in your mouth.

Chocolate Chip Scones

  • 2 c. all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 c. packed brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 c. cold (unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" pieces)
  • 3/4 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 c. buttermilk (Use buttermilk only (do not substitute.))
  • 1 large egg (lightly beaten)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 T. milk
  1. Preheat oven to 425°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, stir together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in chocolate chips. Make a well in the center and add buttermilk, egg, and vanilla. Stir just until combined, taking care to not overmix.
  2. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead 5 or 6 times. Pat into an 8” circle and cut into 8 wedges. Transfer to prepared baking sheet, about 1-1/2” apart. Brush each wedge of dough lightly with milk. Then bake until scones are golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Garden Fresh Pesto

Basil from 2018 Garden
a packet of basil seeds can provide enough basil for a winter’s worth of pesto.

This year I did get around to planting basil in one of my new replacement raised bed stock tanks. The new containers have worked out well. I use this recipe and a freeze the ready-made pesto in old Tupperware containers used for making and freezing hamburgers. Once frozen I remove them and seal them into food saver packets.

Pesto Recipe

  • 2 cups fresh basil leaves (packed)
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup Olive oil
  • 3 Tbs pine nuts or walnuts
  • 3 garlic cloves (finely minced)
  1. Place basil leaves in small batches in food processor and whip until well chopped (do about 3/4 cup at a time). Add about 1/3 the nuts and garlic, blend again.
  2. Add about 1/3 of the Parmesan cheese; blend while slowly adding about 1/3 of the olive oil, stopping to scrape down sides of container.
  3. Process basil pesto it forms a thick smooth paste. Repeat until all ingredients are used, mix all batches together well. Serve over pasta. Basil pesto keeps in refrigerator one week, or freeze for a few months.
  4. Remove 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid before draining the pasta. Toss pasta immediately with the pesto sauce and the reserved cooking liquid. Serve at once with additional cheese, if desired.