White Chicken Chili, Pickled Onions, Toasted Cumin Sour Cream, and Bacon Encrusted Cornbread
I know it isn’t quite autumn, but the summer it’s a little rainy here in Seattle and cooled off a bit. So I thought I’d make chili.
Ingredients
For the Chili
2 chicken breasts
1 beer (Corona)
1/3 cup Masa Harina (This is the best! Mexican flour in chili!)
1 yellow onion
3 ears of corn
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 can kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
1 tbsp ground pepper
1 tbsp salt
Bacon Cornbread
1 cup corn meal
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup shortening
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda
7 strips of bacon
Pickled Onions
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 limes
1 tbsp sugar
Toasted Cumin Sour Cream
2 tbsp cumin seeds
2 cups sour cream
1 tbsp garlic powder
Directions for Chili
Cut slits across the chicken breasts (about 1 inch apart).Salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil. Place on the grill.
Dice the yellow onion, caramelize in olive oil and salt and pepper in the pot you’ll be cooking in.
Pull the chicken, cut to desired size, and put into the pot, turn down to simmer, add all three cans of beans, tomatoes, and 3/4 of the beer.
Take 1/4 of the beer and the Masa Harina and put into a bowl and mix really well with a fork and add to the chili. Keep an eye on the heat and turn your attention to the cornbread and toppings.
Directions for Onions
Thinly slice the red onion, 1 red onion, add vinegar, lime juice and sugar. Mix and put the refrigerator.
Directions for Sour Cream
Toast cumin seeds in a skillet for about one minute (until really fragrant).
Scrape them into sour cream.
Add garlic powder, stir well.
Place this in the refrigerator and let the flavors meld.
Directions for Cornbread
Fry bacon and chop to desired size.
Mix cornmeal, flour salt, in a bowl.
Melt shortening in a sauce pan.
Mix milk, egg, baking soda in a measuring cup, whisk with a fork.
Pour mixture into cornmeal mix, then pour in the melted shortening.
Grease a 10” skillet, sprinkle bacon over the bottom, then pour in cornmeal mixture.
Bake at 450 for about 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
There ya have it! Add some avocado slices and some cilantro, too!
Grilled Salmon Toast with Dill Mayo, Capers, Pickled Onions
This takes no time at all and is a fantastic summer dinner for the family. If you’re not particularly hungry, this meal is for you. If you’re starving, this meal is for you.
Ingredients for the Salmon
1 1/2 lb coho salmon filet
4-5 tbsp Olive Oil
2 lemons
Salt & Pepper
Ingredients for the Onions
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 limes
1 tbsp sugar
Ingredients for the Mayo
1 cup mayonnaise
4 tsp grated lemon
Juice half of the lemon
1 tsp Dried dill weed
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Directions for the Salmon
Salt and pepper the salmon. Drizzle with olive oil. Don’t oil the grill! Just the fish. Set aside in the refrigerator.
Directions for the Onions
Thinly slice the red onion, 1 red onion, add vinegar, lime juice and sugar. Mix and put the refrigerator.
Directions for the Mayonnaise
Simply mix all ingredients in a small bowl and keep in the refrigerator.
* Grilling Salmon
I personally cook over charcoal on a Webber. I love it. I know Green Eggs and Tragers are awesome. But I just prefer to work with things a bit more as I cook. So, I get the grill to around 450 and then place the salmon directly over the coals, skin down. I never flip the salmon. I keep an eye on it and turn in a quarter turn about every 3 minutes until it looks done. Sometimes I’ll drizzle it with honey just before serving. Top the salmon with lemon slices!
Toast ciabatta bread slices, mayo on the bottom, then salmon, then capers and onions! So good!
Lime Chicken Tenders with Coconut Basil Rice and Pickled Cucumbers
This is a super-easy weeknight summer dinner! Everyone in our family devoured it! (Slap a soft boiled egg in there, too!)
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
2.25 lbs boneless chicken tenders
3-4 tbsp minced garlic
1-2 tbsp grated ginger
2-3 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
1-2 tsp red pepper flakes
4 limes (juiced)
Cucumbers
1 English cucumber thinly sliced
1 cup rice vinegar
2 limes juiced
Rice
1 cup long grain white rice
2 cans coconut milk
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 lime zest and juice
Directions
For the chicken, simply combine all of the ingredients for the marinade in a mixing bowl. Add chicken to 2 gallon freezer bag, pour in marinade and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
Prepare the cucumbers. Thinly slice with a grater, add vinegar and lime juice, sprinkle with red pepper flakes if you like. Place in a bowl and cover in the refrigerator.
At about 45 minutes into waiting on the marinade, prep the rice. Boil the two cans of coconut milk, add one cup of rice. When nearly finished, add lime zest and juice to the rice. Just before serving stir in basil.
Serve in bowls. Rice to one side of the bowl, cucumbers to the other. Chicken on top. Goes great with a soft boiled egg and some siracha if that’s your style.
Short Rib Tacos, Salted Lime Cabbage, Pickled Onions, Toasted Cumin Sour Cream, & Mexican Street Corn
Don’t ever let anybody tell you that you' can’t achieve your dreams… especially if your dreams involve tacos. Those people don’t know anything anyway.
Ingredients for Beef Ribs
3 pounds of beef short ribs
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
8 ounces of beer (Corona or an IPA)
Lime Salted Slaw
1/2 small head of green cabbage, thinly sliced
1 lime, zest and juice
3/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon of salt to boil in sauce pan
4 ounces fresco cheese, crumbled
Pickled Onions
1 purple onion
4 limes juiced
Mexican Street Corn
4 ears of corn
3 tablespoons olive oil
Mayo
Salt
Pepper
4 limes juice
Chili powder
4 tablespoons of fresh chopped Cilantro
Directions for the Short Ribs
(Do this early in the morning)! Get your short ribs and make the seasoning by way of mixing in a small bowl (salt, pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, ground cumin). Pan sear your short ribs in a large skillet in butter for about a minute.
Take them out and put them in the crockpot and then sprinkle your seasoning over them. Add beer.
Turn your crockpot on low and let them cook for 8 hours. At hour 7 go and turn them over in the sauce one time. The meat will literally be falling off the bones! Remove the bones and shred the beef.
Directions for the Pickled Onions
Thinly slice one onion, place in a bowl, add the juice of four limes, and place in the refrigerator.
Directions for the Salted Lime Slaw
In a large bowl combine cabbage, lime zest, lime juice, and a bit of salt. Then put in the fridge.
Toasted Cumin Sour Cream
Directions for Sour Cream
Toast cumin seeds in a skillet for about one minute (until really fragrant).
Scrape them into sour cream.
Add garlic powder, stir well.
Place this in the refrigerator and let the flavors meld.
Directions for the Mexican Street Corn
Preheat oven to 350.
Cover the corn in olive oil, add salt and pepper, and roast about 35-40 minutes.
Take out and add light mayo (heavy if you like), sprinkle with chili powder, cilantro, and a wedge of lime juice.
Enjoy Sunday - Saturday.
Pacific Cod Ceviche with Mango
Just in time for summer! Super-easy, fresh, and can be pulled off on any given day! Enjoy!
Ingredients
1-1.5 pounds Pacific Cod Filet
4 limes
1 pint cherry tomatoes
2 ears of corn
1 purple onion
3-4 garlic cloves
1 bunch cilantro
1 cucumber
1 mango
1 avacado
2-3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Tostadas
Mayonaise
Directions
Shuck the corn, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and broil until roasted, shaking the pan every once in a while to get an even roast.
Chop, slice, and dice everything!
Take the corn off the cob and place all ingredients into a bowl or gallon zip lock bag.
Add juice from the limes and let it marinate in the refrigerator for at least 45 minutes. This lets the fish “cook” in the lime juice. If you’ve got the time, leave it in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
Add a thin layer of mayo to the tostada and top with ceviche!
*I didn’t use any serrano peppers or cherry peppers which is what lots of people enjoy. The kids aren’t into the heat, and so I decided to use some candied jalapeños on mine alone and it was perfect!
Chicken Ragu with Goat Cheese and Swiss Red Shard
This is dish is absolutely fantastic! One afternoon during quarantine I was thinking about how much I’ve enjoyed making ragu dishes over the years and it occurred to me… “What about chicken thighs? Why not goat cheese? How about something green other than flat leaf Italian parsley?” Welp. This is it! Viola!
Ingredients
5-6 chicken thighs. (I would get them with skin on and prep it that way, but the kids aren’t a fan so I go skinless).
1 large bunch of Red Swiss Shard
6 tbsp olive oil
Salt and Pepper
1 28 oz. can of Mutti whole peeled tomatoes
4 tbsp (or more!) Cento Double Concentrated Tomato Paste
1 purple onion
4-5 sliced garlic cloves
4 oz. diced pancetta
1-2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 pound Fusilli pasta
4 oz goat cheese “crumbles”
1/2 cup red wine (Chianti)
Directions
Place the chicken thighs on a plate, pat dry, and salt and pepper both sides of each. Drizzle with olive oil. Add 3-4 tbsp olive oil to the braiser and turn to med-high. Add the chicken and brown both sides without cooking all the way through.
Thinly slice the purple onion and garlic.
Start boiling a pot of water for the Swiss shard.
Pull the chicken. Add the onion and garlic to the pan to cook in the remaining oil and chicken fat at medium. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, add a pinch or two of red pepper flakes. Don’t break the veggies down to a goopy mess but just enough.
Add pancetta and brown.
Separate the leaves from the stalks of the shard and boil for a couple of minutes. Remove shard from the pot, put in a strainer and run ice cold water over the leaves until cold. Then dice the shard up thinly.
Add shard to the caramelizing veggies.
Hand crush all of the tomatoes, adding the remaining sauce from the can.
Add 4 tbsp of tomato paste.
Add red wine.
Chop chicken to desired size and add to sauce. Salt and pepper.
Boil Fusilli until al dente and then add to braiser stirring.
Let it simmer for about 15 minutes.
When you’re ready to eat, crumble goat cheese into the braiser, stirring in really well.
Serve in warmed bowls with a nice crispy baguette and a nice Zinfandel.