Tag Archives: chipotle

Fudgy Chipotle Brownies (Grain-free, Gluten-free)

Posted on July 17, 2012 by | 7 Comments

Most nights, we treat ourselves to a small square of dark chocolate for dessert.  It is not too guilty of  a pleasure, since dark chocolate is packed with cell-protecting antioxidants, known to reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer.  Of course, that is  exactly what I’m thinking about as I savor my portion and wash it down with the last of the red wine in my glass.  Ha!  My brain, likely high on the released endorphins, is screaming “OMG Chocolate is AWESOME and I feel GREAT!”

As an extra special treat, I whipped up some dark chocolate brownies and made us even more health conscious.  (That’s what my brain is telling me, and who’s to argue?)  We love the warm, smoky spice of chipotle peppers with chocolate, and capsaicin, the substance that makes chile peppers hot, also is overflowing with health benefits.  Don’t you want brownies that fight cancer, inflammation and heart disease, provide pain relief, burn fat, reduce cholesterol, boost immunity, and relieve congestion?  Of course you do!  There is only 1 teaspoon of ground chipotle in the recipe, which produces a subtle warmth.  I recommend using more, or supplementing it with one chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, to make a spicier brownie.

This recipe is modified from Elana’s Pantry (Espresso Fudge Brownie), and is gluten-free, grain-free, and depending on your chocolate source, dairy-free.  Use high-quality dark chocolate, at least 70% cacao, to make the most decadent, rich, gooey, delicious healthy brownies.  Remember, these are purely medicinal!

Ingredients:

  • 8 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon ground chipotle, or to taste
  • Optional: one chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, finely minced
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup coconut palm sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup blanched almond flour
  • 2 tablespoons coconut flour
  • additional coconut oil for greasing baking dish

Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease a 8×8-inch baking dish.

In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and coconut oil, stirring occasionally, until completely melted and silky smooth.  (I use a stainless steel bowl over a saucepan with simmering water.)  Remove from heat and stir in the ground chipotle and/or chipotle pepper.

In the mixing bowl of an electric mixer, combine the eggs, palm sugar, and vanilla.  Beat together, and let it sit for a few minutes to allow the sugar to break down (it will blend in easier when hydrated).  Pour in the chocolate mixture, a small amount at a time, beating well in between pouring.  Stir in the almond and coconut flours and salt.  Beat until well combined, then pour into the buttered 8×8-inch baking dish.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool for at least 1 hour.  Enjoy, to your health!

But it’s medicinal! And yummy! Now, for something to listen to while you “take your medicine” we have a pair of ladies to croon. First up, ex-Atlanta native Kelly Hogan with I Like to Keep Myself in Pain. Hogan called out among her musical friends for songs “you’d like me to sing” and folks like M. Ward, Jon Langford of the Mekons and Andrew Bird, among others, responded. The resulting album is a masterpiece of southern soul, with a crack band (including Booker T. on organ!). One of my favorites of the year.

When she’s not doing her own album, Hogan performs with the sublime Neko Case, as on 2009′s Middle Cyclone. Case exists in a place all her own, each album further solidifying her unique brand of country/rock/folk stylings and of course, that jaw-dropping voice. So, have a medicinal brownie and listen to the ladies!

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Posted in For the Sweet Tooth

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Grilled Chicken Wings Mole

Posted on February 11, 2012 by | 6 Comments

Greetings Huffington Post readers! Join us on Facebook for more treats!

Always on the lookout for another way to serve chicken wings, I read quite a few recipes before the “big day”.  I am of course referring to Superbowl Sunday, unquestionably the biggest day of the year for chicken wing consumption.  According to the National Chicken Council‘s 2012 Wing Report (really, I am not making this up), more than 1.25 billion wing portions will be consumed during Super Bowl weekend in 2012, totaling more than 100 million pounds of wings.  That’s a lot of freakin’ chicken wings!

Chipotle hot wings sounded interesting, but I decided to take that idea a step further with a nod to mole sauce.  Technically this marinade is not even close to the depth of flavor you would experience from an authentic Oaxacan mole, but it does have discernible elements of chile, cocoa, cinnamon, and honey – - mild heat, sweetness, and smokiness.  This is my “first draft” of the recipe, and it may need to be tweaked a little to get just the right balance.  If you give it a try, I welcome your suggestions to take this recipe from “tasty” to “killer”!

I used apple cider for the base of this sauce since I have a lot of it in the refrigerator, but other fruit juices could potentially be substituted.  I recommend marinating the wings overnight, if possible, or for at least 6 hours.

Ingredients:

  • 3-4 pounds chicken wings (either whole or separated)
  • 1/4 cup apple cider
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo, minced
  • 2 large cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • Lime quarters, for squeezing (optional)

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together all the ingredients (except the wings and limes) until well-mixed.  Place the wings and marinade in a large resealable bag; shake and squeeze the bag to coat the wings thoroughly.  Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or preferably overnight.  Turn bag occasionally.

Prepare a grill for indirect cooking at 375-400F.  (If using a Big Green Egg with inverted plate setter, add a drip pan to help with clean-up.)

When coals are ready, grill the wings for 15 minutes, then flip the wings and grill for another 15 minutes.  Move them around as necessary to cook the wings evenly.  Keep flipping them until the skin is crispy and they are done  – around 45 minutes for wing portions, or around 60 minutes for whole wings (when they start getting loose at the joints, they are usually done).

Serve with a squeeze of lime and Citrus and Avocado Salad.  Enjoy!

My goodness that’s a bunch of wingless chickens wandering around…but I digress. Couple of new releases this morning. First is a guy I saw perform in a small record store to about 10 people several years ago, and I was struck by his unique sense of place and language, and his haunting, sparse style. His name was Jim White, and his new album, Where It Hits You is a barren, emotional landscape of despair, based on the end of a relationship. Sounds like a downer, but it grows on you.

Mark Lanegan, formerly of the Screaming Trees and Queens of the Stone Age has a new album, Blues Funeral and its already being touted as the album of the year. It’s moody, provocative rock with an edge. Fans of Nick Cave and Tom Waits will dig this.

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Posted in Appetizers, Entrees, Poultry, Sauces, Marinades, and Rubs

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Big, Bad Beefy Back Ribs

Posted on May 31, 2011 by | 6 Comments

Big Beefy Ribs

Smoking these gigantic beef ribs is not for the faint of heart – they are big and bad, as the title of this post says!  It takes some prep work, starting days ahead if your ribs are in the freezer.  Then on cooking day, plan on starting them fairly early because they need 6 to 8 hours to get to the tender stage that’s just right for eating.  However, it was SO worth the effort because these ribs had a great meaty taste that stood up well to the smoke, spicy rub, and barbeque sauce.

First, a bit about the ribs themselves.  These ribs are from U.S. Wellness Meats – pasture raised, grass fed beef with no hormones or antibiotics.  As I’ve mentioned recently, grass fed beef is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, and in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a proven cancer fighter, plus many other nutrients.  I am a rib fanatic, so when I saw these beef back ribs I knew I had to try them!  Please be advised, they are shipped from U.S. Wellness Meats in a 16 pound package.  This necessitated an afternoon of cleaning out our freezer – which is a good thing because there were quite a few unlabeled packages and containers that I’m pretty sure had been in there for 5 years.  There were probably 3 full racks, at least, in this package.  When they arrived, I partially thawed the ribs, repackaged them in smaller slabs of 4 to 7 ribs, and put them back in the freezer.  I’ll tell you now, I could barely fit a rack and a half (about 10 ribs) on our large Big Green Egg.  The good news is, we have lots more ribs in the freezer for another day!

The next step in the process, after allowing the designated ribs to thaw over 2 days, was to remove the tough membrane from the back of the ribs.  This is important because that membrane keeps the spice rub from permeating the meat, and it also is inedible, rubbery and unappealing.  It’s a little difficult to remove it, but if you’ve taken the membrane off pork baby-back ribs, it’s the same principle.  Using a dull knife (or screwdriver), loosen the membrane on the underside of a rib (one near the end of the slab).  Pry it up, then use a paper towel to get a good grip on it, and pull it away from the ribs.  If you’re lucky, you can get it to come off in a big sheet – but if it breaks, just find another place to pry it up with the knife and start over.  You don’t want to leave any of it on your ribs!

The night before you plan to cook the ribs, rub them all over with a good dry rub.  (If you’d like, smear the ribs with plain mustard, then apply the rub.)  From my “research” on cooking beef ribs, I learned that it is better to use a rub with less sugar than you would usually use for pork ribs.  After reading tons of recipes, I put this rub together for our ribs.  Also, unless your ribs are really meaty, go light on the rub or it will be overwhelming.  Wrap the seasoned ribs in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Beef Rib Rub:  (This makes more than you need for 1 1/2 racks – store extra in a glass jar with a lid, for next time)

  • 1/4 cup paprika
  • 1/4 cup chili powder, no salt * (see below)
  • 1/4 cup coconut palm sugar or raw sugar
  • 1/8 cup freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
  • 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt or coarse sea salt

On the Big Day, take the ribs out of the refrigerator about an hour before grill time.  They take long enough to cook without having to warm up in the grill!

Smokin Beef Ribs

In the meantime, get the grill ready for some smoking!  We used the Big Green Egg…a grill/smoker that I can not say enough good things about!  Fill the firebox up with lump charcoal – you won’t need it all since it burns slow, but there’s nothing worse than not having enough to last for 8 hours.  We set it up for indirect cooking at 225F, using the plate setter (legs up) and a disposable aluminum pan on the plate setter to catch drippings.

When the Egg is at temperature, throw in a couple of handfuls of hickory chips for smoke.  We used to soak these in water for 30 minutes before throwing them in, but I recently read that wasn’t necessary since the cooking temperature is so low.  Sure enough, they seemed to work fine without soaking since we got plenty of smoke and there were chips still in the firebox when we were done.  Put the grate on the inverted plate setter, squeeze the ribs in on the grate, bone side down, and shut the lid.  Watch the temperature, but don’t even think about opening it for at least 2 hours!
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Posted in Beef, Entrees, Sauces, Marinades, and Rubs

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Salmon with Chipotle-Lime Glaze

Posted on May 4, 2011 by | Leave a comment

As we enjoyed this meal, it occurred to us that it might be the healthiest combination of food ever!  Not that it really mattered, because it was quite tasty and we would have eaten every bite even it it was chock full of benzene and trans fats.  Well, not really…we do try to avoid foods that will give you cancer and a heart attack.

We found some farm-raised Norwegian King Salmon at the local Whole Foods, which, although not wild-caught, is “raised in carefully monitored, low-density pens without antibiotics, pesticides or added growth hormones” according to Whole Foods Standards. It is a mild-flavored salmon with a good fat content…yum!  Since we are in Santa Fe, I wanted to give it a bit of Southwestern flair, so I put together a simple chipotle-lime glaze and added some rosemary from the yard (which is the only herb other than sage that has survived the rabbits.)  The glaze has a kick to it, but doesn’t overwhelm the delicate flavor of the salmon. This we roasted and served with Sweet Potatoes and Kale (recipe here).
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Posted in Entrees, Seafood

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Chicken Thighs with Spicy Mustard-Orange Sauce

Posted on April 21, 2011 by | 6 Comments

Adapted from Bon Appetit via Epicurious

Chicken with Mustard Orange sauce (2)

“Orange Chicken”, as we call this at home, is an old favorite of ours because of the great sauce.  It combines the sweet, fresh flavors of orange juice and honey with the spiciness of grainy mustard, and a bit of chipotle pepper thrown in for warmth.  A good sauce transforms about anything into something special, even the humble chicken thigh.  Roasted broccoli is good for helping getting the last specks of sauce  – otherwise, you might be tempted to lick your plate.  [Go ahead, we're not looking...]

Ingredients:

  • 6 bone-in chicken thighs, with skin
  • 2 T olive oil or coconut oil
  • 3/4 cup fresh orange juice
  • 3/4 cup chicken broth
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup whole-grain Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced (or more if you like more heat)
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper.  Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat; add chicken and saute until browned on both sides (especially the skin side).

Remove chicken from skillet and pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of fat.  (Bonus Tip:  Toss some broccoli with some of the extra fat and roast it!  Mmm!)

Return skillet to medium-high heat and add minced garlic to pan.  Saute briefly (around 30 seconds), then add orange juice, mustard, chicken broth, rosemary, honey, and chipotle pepper.  Stir well and bring to a boil.  Boil for a few minutes, whisking occasionally.

Reduce heat to low and return chicken to the pan.  Partially cover, and allow to simmer for around 20 minutes, until chicken is done.  Uncover and allow sauce to reduce until thick enough to coat a spoon.  (This may take about ten minutes.  You may need to turn the heat up to medium-low.)

Transfer chicken to plates; top with sauce and serve. 

A classic dish deserves a classic artist, and they don’t get much more so than Harry Nilsson. We watched the moving and loving film, Who is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin’ About Him)? the other night. Highly, highly recommended look at the Beatles favorite artist, and one of the legendary songwriters and singers of our time.

nilsson1

And then I discovered one of his lps hiding in the stacks, and what a find it is. Aerial Pandemonium Ballet, which features “Everybody’s Talkin’”, “One”, and the incredible “Without Her”. This guy never got the credit he was due, either for his voice, or what he did with it. Timeless, beautiful creations.

nil2

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Chipotle-Lime Marinated Pork Kebabs

Posted on February 28, 2011 by | 1 Comment

Marinated Pork Kebabs

It was one of those first days of near-spring when it felt great to be outdoors.  Sunny, but with enough chill in the air to sit around the chiminea on the patio and indulge in some crossword puzzles while James stoked the fire with pinon wood, supplemented by fallen branches from the yard.  It was also a great day to grill some kebabs on the Big Green Egg!

Chipotle, lime, cilantro and garlic remind me of the flavors of the Southwest and pork tenderloin really soaks them up.  You could also use chicken breasts, and I promise you will be impressed by how great they turn out.  This marinade works as a brine, keeping the meat from drying out during the grill.  Every bite was juicy and jumping with flavor and a bit of heat from the chile.  Every bite was also gone at the end of the evening!

Enjoy this with a margarita for the ultimate experience!

Marinade Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 chipotle chile, from canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
  • 4 T fresh lime juice
  • 1 T honey
  • 2 T water
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1 t kosher salt
  • 1/2 t ground cumin
  • Cilantro leaves from 4-5 stalks (small handful)

Kebab Ingredients

  • 16-20 ounces pork tenderloin, cut into ~ 1 1/2 inch cubes
  • 3 zucchini, cut into 1 inch rounds
  • 1 red and 1 yellow bell pepper, cored and sliced into ~ 1 1/2 inch strips
  • Extra virgin olive oil, Kosher salt and pepper
  • Limes and chopped cilantro

Place marinade ingredients in a small food processor bowl and process until garlic and chile are well blended.

Put pork cubes in a gallon-size, resealable bag and pour marinade into bag.  Mix together well and refrigerate from 2-6 hours.

Place zucchini and peppers into a large bowl and toss with enough olive oil to coat. Season with salt and pepper and toss again.

Fire up the grill and bring it to a medium high temperature (around 400F).  Spread coals around to produce as even as heat as possible.

Although mixed meat and vegetable skewers are pretty, I think it works best to put them on separate skewers for grilling since the cooking times may differ.  Thread the meat on skewers, pushing the skewer in against the grain of the meat.  On separate skewers, thread the zucchini and peppers.

Marinated Pork Kebabs and Vegs

When the grill is ready, spray the grill with oil and arrange the vegetable skewers on the grate.  Close the grill and cook for around 15 minutes, turning every 5 minutes, until vegetables are tender and slightly charred.  Remove the skewers to a baking dish and keep warm in a 150F oven, if desired.  (Also good at room temperature.)

Now arrange the meat skewers on the grill and grill for 15-20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes, until meat is cooked “medium” to “medium well”.  Cooking time will vary grill to grill – these times worked on The Egg.

To serve, garnish with some chopped cilantro and give it a good squeeze of lime juice!

This guy goes good with everything…the one, the only Willie! This record, his breakout Shotgun Willie launched Willie into the mainstream, giving us “Whiskey River”, “Devil in a Sleeping Bag” and his incredible version of Leon Russell’s “A Song For You”. Don’t get much better to my ears than Willie, and you gotta love a album that starts with Shotgun Willie sits around in his underwear…”. I wouldn’t advise that with the kebabs however…hot!

willie

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Posted in Entrees, Meat on a Stick, Pork, Sauces, Marinades, and Rubs

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