Cilantro Pesto Egg Salad

I'm not a huge lover of cilantro or egg salad.

Maybe this wasn't my best choice to make for lunch.

The cilantro made me do it.

A half batch of cilantro pesto being made

I had a big bunch of cilantro sitting in the fridge threatening to spoil and this seemed like a good enough way to use it up. 

Let me start my 'review' in saying this recipe didn't convert me to egg salad.

I'm still not fond of the stuff but I'll eat it if I must.

I was, however, pleased with the way the cilantro pesto turned out.

Generally, I find cilantro over powering and a bit of a steal the show herb.

This pesto really mellowed out the flavor.  I think it'd be good tossed with some hot pasta instead of the egg salad. I'm still struggling to think of how else I'd use this Mexican-Italian fusion pesto.

Any ideas out there?

Cilantro Pesto Egg Salad

Adapted from Mess in the Kitchen

Makes about 2 cups for 8 sandwiches  (don't hold me to that)

For the pesto:

70 grams cilantro

2 tbsp pinenuts or walnuts

2 tbsp parmesan cheese

1 small garlic clove, peeled

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 

salt and pepper to taste

For the egg salad:

6 hard boiled eggs, peeled and roughly chopped

½ cup low fat mayo (is there really such a thing?)

2 sticks of celery, chopped

16 slices crusty brown bread

Directions:

1. To make the pesto: combine all the ingredients (under pesto) in a food processor and process until smooth and creamy looking. Taste and add more salt and pepper depending on your liking.

2. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the chopped eggs, mayo and celery.

3. If desired toast the slices of brown bread. Spread about ¼ cup of egg salad on 8 slices of bread, top with the remaining slices and cut in triangles.

Pumpkin and Roasted Beet Soup

Everywhere I turn I see snotty noses and hear phlegmy coughs.
Is that happening where you are too?

It's an onslaught of germs and viruses out there.
Yucky, icky germs and what can you do about it?

I know what I'm gonna do about it.
I'm loading up on this warm, sippable, vitamin packed soup.
Not only is it good for you, it's just plain tasty.

Rich in zinc and vitamin C, pumpkin gives a major boost to the immune system helping fight off little germ intruders.

That's a fact. 

I know because I read it on the internet.

Germs, meet your match.

Pumpkin and Roasted Beet Soup

Adapted from Dinner with Julie

Serves 6

2 cups pumpkin puree (or any type of squash)

3 - 4 small beets topped trimmed

1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1½ cups orange juice

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

salt and pepper

sour cream or yogurt to serve (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450F. Wrap the beets individually in foil. Place the beets directly on the rack; roast for 30 minutes.

2. In a large pot, heat oil over med heat and saute onion for a few minutes, until it starts to soften. Add the garlic and pumpkin puree. When they're cool enough to handle, peel and chop the beets; add to the pot along with the orange juice and stock. Simmer for about half an hour.

3.Puree the soup with an immersion blender and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt.

Linked to: Seasonal Sundays

Slow Cooked Tex-Mex Chicken and Beans

I recently noticed that I haven't posted many recipes that would be suitable for supper.

It's ironic because I actually do cook a proper supper most nights.

Truthfully, I'd like to just eat a loaf of bread and some cookies, but since that's not really the mature choice (is it?) I'm always on the look out for nutritious, easy to prepare dishes.... like this one. 

It was a really great meal for a busy winter day. It took less than 10 minutes to assemble and the slow cooker did all the work. (Plus, it smelled amazing while it cooked!)

 

Boneless thighs work best but I had these in the freezer so I just pulled out the bones before serving.

I thought this dish would be stew like but I was pleasantly surprised that it was more like a Mexican style pulled chicken. For next time, I think it would be pretty fantastic served on a crusty kaiser bun. (I think anything served on a hunk of bread would be fantastic.)

Plan ahead and make this on a day you won't have much time for dinner, it won't dissappoint.

P.S. It freezes well, too.

Slowed Cooked Tex-Mex Chicken and Beans

Serves: 4

Source: Martha Stewart

1 cup dried pinto beans, rinsed

1 1/2 cups good salsa

2 tbsps chopped chipotle chiles (I found this a little spicy)

2 tbsps flour

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 8)

coarse salt and ground pepper

1 red onion, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped (core removed)

1/4 cup low fat sour cream to serve

1/4 cup cilantro to serve

Directions:

1.In a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, stir together beans, salsa, chiles, flour, and 1 cup water. Season chicken with salt and pepper; arrange on top of bean mixture. Scatter onion and bell pepper on top of chicken.

2.Cover and cook on low heat for 8 hours. (Do not open lid or stir.)
3.Remove chicken from stew; shred into large pieces and return to stew. Serve topped with sour cream and cilantro. 

How to Grill Corn

Why do you need to know how to grill corn?

You probably don't.

But I do. 

So just indulge me.

I usually prefer to light the barbecue mid December when the air is crisp and the oven's full of Christmas cookies but I thought I'd mix it up.

I do that sometimes. Mix things up. It keeps me on my toes. 

Next time I'll try my christmas cookies on the grill and my corn in the oven. 

I know. 

I live dangerously.

John doesn't like his corn charred so this is how we do it. Grill corn that is.

1. Soak corn in water for 15 mins. This helps soften the husks and prevents the corn from drying out while cooking.

2. Gently pull down husks and remove as much of the silk as you can.  (ie: that annoying stringy stuff that gets all over the place.)

3.  Remove 2 of the longest husks and pull the rest up. Use these long pieces to tie around the corn to keep the husks up.

4. Grill on medium high heat for approx 15 minutes.

5. Shuck that corn (that sounds naughty) and enjoy succulent corn drenched in butter and salt.

Fridge Cleaner Grilled Calzone

So around 2:00pm yesterday I was feeling.... hmmmm...... what's the phrase?

Oh, I know

Tired and Uninspired

Ever since le bebe was born, food has become a bit of a chore. 

I've always wanted to eat but now I need to eat. Not only that, but I need to be careful what I eat, ugh.

So there I was, looking for something relatively healthy and quick and tasty and cheap and......preferably something that would make itself for lunch.

What to eat? What to eat? I had a little bit of sweet red pepper, half a shallot, some leftover pizza dough, a squishy tomato, about 1 tbsp of marinara sauce, couple slices of pineapple, fresh mozzarella and a few frozen bacon bits.

No problemo. I'll make a pizza.

Oh wait! It's 40 trillion degrees outside and I don't want to turn on the oven.

Enter my trusty George Foreman Lean Mean Grilling Machine.

Now, it's hard to tell from this photo but this lean mean fat reducing grilling machine is small. Much to small, in fact, to fit a whole pizza on it.

(Why didn't I use my bar-b-que I am only now asking myself?)

Hence, my vision of a pizza was folded into the reality of a calzone.

What can I say? Desperate times call for delicious measures :)

And this, was certainly delicious.