Vegetarian (almost vegan) Chile Verde

For several years now it's been my joy and pleasure to make Chile Verde for my daughter when we visit her.  I make a big pot, and we have it for dinner one night and then she freezes the rest to enjoy when we leave.

She's embraced a mostly vegan lifestyle the past year, with one exception, she still loves cheese, and when we visited her a few weeks ago, I made her some Chile Verde, but this time, I made it mostly vegan.  And I have to mention here, she used to accuse me of trying to poison her when I used to serve her vegetables and now, WOW, she eats a lot of them.  I'm so proud of how adventuresome, food wise that is, she's become.

And you know this Verde, was really good.  I even surprised myself at how tasty it was.   So I thought I'd share it here with you.

In fact, it was so good, I made some for myself the other day, partly so I could photograph it, and blog about it, but mostly, because I liked the taste, but this time I added some white beans, I wanted to up the protein count a bit.

I did face a couple of challenges cooking it in her kitchen, because she does not cook.

I mean it, she literally does not cook.

She's lucky enough to live in an area that has good vegan and vegetarian restaurants within minutes of her house.  She'll heat up a vegetarian pizza or make smoothies, but apart from that, no cooking, nada.

No problem, I got this.

Well, until it came time to thicken the Verde.  It needed a little bit of body.  Ordinarily I would just make a roux and stir it in, let it thicken a smidge and go from there.  But DD (darling daughter) didn't have any flour or cornstarch and I hadn't thought to buy any.  So...

I got inventive.  I took a flour tortilla, tore it up into pieces and added it to the verde as it was simmering.  Let it simmer for about 1/2 hour, then fished out the softened flour tortillas, added some of the chiles and tomatillos and a little butter and put them in the blender.  Whizzed them together and added it back into the sauce, let it simmer a bit, and VOILA, it thickened.
And as I said, it tasted really good.
I patted myself on the back a little.
This is the basic recipe I used, but as I said, I added some Cannelli beans and a little onion.  For my taste of course.  
The basic mixture- I added some frozen tomatillo's I had in the fridge and chopped them up a little after they thawed. 

 Simmered it for 30 minutes and added the beans.  I also used my immersion blender and took out a cup of the verde and blended it together and added it back into the stew. 

My luscious bowl of vegetarian Chile Verde.  Such a good meal. 

Serve it with some flour tortilla's and a little (or lot of) cheese and you've got a great meal.
Best part, I've got some more for lunch today. 
Vegan/vegetarian daughter approved. 

Yield: 4 servingsAuthor: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking

Vegetarian (almost vegan) Chile Verde

prep time: 10 minscook time: 1 hourtotal time: 1 hours and 10 mins

This is a surprisingly good Chile Verde even without meat. And can be made totally vegan (omit the butter) as well as gluten free if desired.

ingredients:

1 large can Green Chiles (27 oz. size), drained

6 fresh tomatillo's or one can tomatillos (if using canned, just drain the tomatillo's)

3 jalapeno's, seeded and chopped or a small can of Green Salsa (8 oz.)

1/2 to 1 cup water or vegetable stock (plus more if needed)

1 can Cannellini beans- drained and rinsed

1/2 cup onion,  chopped

1 tablespoon butter or EVOO- for sauteeing the onion

 Roux:
1 tablespoon melted butter and 1 tablespoon flour, mixed together *
 Topping:
1/2 cup chopped onions for topping
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese or cojita cheese for topping

instructions:

Saute the onion in the 1 tbsp butter or oil until just softened.  Dump the onions into a 2 quart size pot.  Deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup of water and add to the onions.   Open the can of green chiles, drain.   Do a rough chop of the chiles and tomatillo's.  Add them to the pot with the onions and let simmer over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the beans and simmer an additional 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Take out one cup of the stew and use an immersion blender and blend it together, just a little and add it back to the stew.  This does help to thicken it a little as well.    

Just before serving, thicken with the roux, let it come to a boil and cook for one minute. 

Serve with fresh hot flour tortillas and cheese and a sprinkle of chopped raw onions.
* to make it gluten free, thicken with a teaspoon of cornstarch and 2 teaspoons water mixed into a slurry and stirred in.
You can also make this totally vegan by omitting the butter.

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Tapas for October

It's been a couple of month's since our last Tapas gathering, and everyone was ready to get together and share some food, some laughter, conversation, although at the beginning of the evening much of the conversations were about the close call from Hurricane Michael. 

I didn't host it this month, my friend Jill did and I'm very appreciative of her doing so.   Her house looked so festive with all the holiday fall decorations.  

As usual, lots and lots of food was brought and shared and enjoyed.

This dip was wonderful, and I noticed a lot of munching going on. 

 One thing I've noticed over the years is that sometimes a Tapas will seem to have an unspoken theme going on. 
This month it was dips, cheeses and crackers.  This goat cheese log was so good. 

 As I said - Cheese and Crackers

 More cheeses and crackers

And the dips and spreads

 These were some fish spreads from a little place in Panacea.  They were so good.

We also had some Bacon wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

 Of course the pineapple with the Santa toothpick holder

 I love meatballs and cocktail sausages, and these were so good.   They even had some pineapple in them

 We had ham and rolls,

 and of course, mustard's and mayo and cranberry relish to top them with.

I had fun playing with my food again, I made a Forloren Hare (Danish Meatloaf) and tried to make it look like a mummy face. 

 There was some Sesame Chicken bites

 This yummy baked pasta dish.

 I swear I thought I hit the jackpot last night, there were two pasta dishes, this Mac and Cheese was presented as well.

And there were desserts...
Rice Pudding 

 Apple Crisp

 Pumpkin dip with ginger snaps

 Brownies

 Mini Cheesecakes

 And I threw together this cake.  I had some cake in the freezer and some leftover black frosting so I whipped up a quick Orange Curd, sliced the cakes, slapped the orange curd in between the layers, and then frosted it. 
It tasted pretty good. 

And all in all, another successful Tapas Time.  

Worth the increase on the scale this morning.  
Best of all, spending time with friends, sharing stories and visiting.

Hobo Dinners

This used to be one of my favorite meals that I learned how to make back when I was a Girl Guide.  And I'm still kinda amazed at how much I liked it, mainly because back then, I really didn't care for vegetables.

I got to revisit my past a little this past week or so.  We were without power for several days following Hurricane Michael's onslaught onto the Forgotten coast.    Luckily we had a generator which we ran three times a day to keep the fridge and freezer going.   But it also meant that I had to resort to cooking my meals on either a two burner hotplate which the generator could handle just fine, or out on the grill. 

I'm so thankful for that gas grill, I cooked a couple of meals on it.  One night we had hamburgers, and they tasted wonderful but on another night I made something from my past, Hobo Dinners.  We'd invited a neighbor in and we feasted on these.

And while I'd love to say that there is a hard and fast recipe for these, in reality, you make them to your taste.

Which I did.
I had some lovely heirloom carrots and in the picture you can see a purple one, but I ate that one, raw.  I love carrots.

So here's the basics.   And the recipe.  
 

Yield: 4 servingsAuthor: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking

Hobo Dinners

prep time: 10 minscook time: 20 minstotal time: 30 mins

This is a fun recipe, and it tastes great. I made it on the grill, but you can also bake these in the oven.

ingredients:

1 lb. Hamburger meat - divided into four patties ( I like 90/10 grind)

2 tablespoons butter

2-3 potatoes, peeled and sliced thin

2-4 carrots, peeled and cut into coins

1-2 onions, peeled and sliced

salt and pepper to taste

optional:

1 can mushroom soup, heated or

1 cup brown gravy

instructions:

To assemble

Peel and slice the potatoes, carrots and onions.  Mix the butter into the meat and form into four patties.   This provides a little fat and imparts a richness to the finished dish.  You can also use a fattier grind of meat if you like, just don't add the butter.  85/15 works well.

Take two sheets of foil about 10 inches long, out per meal if cooking these on the grill or just one sheet per meal if making in the oven. Spray the foil lightly with some cooking spray.

Place the onions, potatoes and carrots on the foil, top with the hamburger patty and season with salt and pepper.   Fold the foil over the meal and seal by folding over the top.  If making these on the grill, add another sheet of foil, sometimes the first layer can burn through. 

You can also top the meat with a dollop of mushroom soup or prepared gravy if you like, before you seal up the packets.   I got carried away and forgot to do that before cooking these and just served the mushroom soup as a topper.

Cook on the grill for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through.  You can also bake them in the oven for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. 

Serve on the foil for a truly rustic, campfire meal.  

You can also cook these in the coals of a campfire for a true campfire meal.  

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Moroccan Style Butternut Squash Stoup #SoupSaturdaySwappers

I wasn't sure I was going to be able to participate this month.  We had a bit of a hurricane last week, you might have heard about it? Hurricane Michael hit just about 50 miles from us, at one mile shy of a Category 5.  We were without power for a few days, and I just didn't think this was going to come together at all.
But here I am, and here's my take on the theme for this month, which just so happens to be a Fall Stew, Comforting Fall Stews that is, this event for Soup Saturday Swappers is hosted by Colleen of Faith, Hope, Luck and Love Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice. 

I'm there. Even if here in Florida, we're not exactly cold yet.  I'm told that the 90's, temperature wise that is,  are almost behind us.
I'll believe it when I see it.

I went here for my inspiration, but I did change it up.  I used some lovely pork stock, and didn't put in any zucchini, or basil or orange zest which the original recipe called for and I have to admit to upping the spices a touch.    
And...
I didn't add any chicken either.   I used some of the pork I'd made the stock from.
Waste not, want not.  Besides which I love pork.
Sautéeing the onions with the spices actually brings out the flavor more than just dumping them into the pot.

 It looked good, but needed, something.

 So I popped outside, picked some chives, and sprinkled them on top.

After adding the cooked pork and some creme fraiché.  

And I think this could also be made totally vegetarian as well, just by subbing out the pork stock for some vegetable stock.  

Yield: 4-6 generous servingsAuthor: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking

Moroccan Style Acorn and Butternut Squash Stoup

prep time: 15 minscook time: 20 minstotal time: 35 mins

This warm, rich soup tastes fantastic,even the weather is hot out side.

ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon ground cumin (heaped)

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (heaped)

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (heaped)

4 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut  

2 tablespoons no-salt-added tomato paste

4 cups Pork Stock

2/3 cup uncooked couscous

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups chopped cooked pork

1 tablespoon Cremé Fraiché (totally optional)
1 teaspoon chopped chives for decoration

instructions:

Heat a large heavy bottomed pan over medium heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion, and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add butternut squash and tomato paste, then add the cumin, cinnamon, and pepper to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly, cook 1 minute. Stir in Pork Stock, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add the butternut squash  and simmer 10-12 minutes. Stir in couscous, salt and cook 5 minutes or until squash is tender.  Add the chopped cooked pork, just to warm through a little.  Remove pan from heat.  
Serve with some Naan, or a crusty roll and float a little creme fraiche on top and a sprinkle of chopped chives.

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Thai-style Crab Cake Stuffed Mushrooms for #FishFridayFoodies

I had fun racking my brain for what to make for this month's #FishFridayFoodies theme.  Our hostess this month is Stacy of Food Lust People Love and she suggested Seafood Fillings.

I was actually doubtful that I would even participate in this but then got that AHA!!!! moment, and I knew what I wanted to make.  And since I was going to a potluck this past week, I decided to go ahead and make it. 

I've been working on a new crab cake recipe and almost had it right the last time I made it, but something was missing, but I got it now.

Boy do I got it, and I'll share the full Crab Cake recipe later on.
But for now, it's Fish Friday Foodies time and it's time to use a seafood as a filling.
I think my crab cakes are perfect for these little bites of YUM.

Yield: 24 stuffed mushroomsAuthor: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking

Thai Style Crab and Shrimp Stuffed Mushrooms

prep time: cook time: total time:

ingredients:

6 oz. Crab Meat

6 oz. Shrimp - peeled and deveined

1 teaspoon fish sauce

2 teaspoons Green Curry Paste - stirred into 2 teaspoons water

1 egg

1 cup Panko

24 large Mushroom Caps

instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Stir the Curry Paste, water, egg and fish sauce together.   Place the shrimp into a small food processor and process to a paste, leaving a few chunks of shrimp.  Place the crab meat, shrimp and panko into a bowl and mix together.  Add the egg, fish sauce, curry paste and the water, mix together.  I like to place a glove on my hands and use my hands to toss it together, this ensures an even mix, without mooshing it together too much.   Set in the fridge for a minute while you prepare the mushroom caps. 

Prepare  the mushrooms by taking out the stems, but don't throw them away, reserve for another use. 

Scoop up a tablespoon or so of the crab mixture, using a small scoop and place on the inside of the mushroom cap.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until the mushrooms and crab/shrimp mixture is cooked and is browned a little . (If they don't look too browned, turn the temp up to 375 degrees and bake an additional 3-5 minutes).

Serve. 

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An InLinkz Link-up