Mexican Chicken Lime Soup

Advil's keeping my tooth pain at bay, but Clint spent most of the day snoozing under the influence of Sudafed. Steak dinner put on hold for the 3rd night in a row, I decided Clint would be better off with chicken soup for dinner. Because I'm the boss of him. When he's too sick to argue.


I caught up with Momo on the phone while I diced vegetables, and she made me promise to send her the recipe if it turned out good. It was easy to make, and it turned out great, so here's the recipe.

• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• garlic
• 1 t. cumin
• 4-6 c. chicken broth
• chicken--I boiled a few boneless skinless chicken thighs with onion and garlic. I diced the chicken and saved the broth for the soup. In a pinch, stripping a store-bought rotisserie chicken would work great for this soup.
• 1 c. long-grain white rice
• juice of 2 limes
  
• 1 bunch cilantro, separated into 2 bunches
• 1 tomato, diced

Saute pepper, onion, and garlic, and cumin for about 5 minutes. Pour in the chicken both, diced chicken, and the rice. Add lime juice and 1/2 of the cilantro.

Simmer until the rice is cooked. Just before serving, toss in the fresh diced tomato, and the rest of the cilantro.

Next time I make this, I'll punch it up with some diced jalapeno, and serve with more lime.

It may have been Clint's second 12-hour Sudafed that alleviated his cold symptoms just after dinner, but I like to think that the soup had something to do with it also.

Spicy Shrimp

The fresh dill in this recipe gives this shrimp cocktail a different twist.

2 lb large raw shrimp
2 T. sweet butter
1 T. olive oil
1 T. minced garlic
2 T. finely minced shallots
salt & pepper to taste
2 T. lemon juice, or more to taste
2 T. finely chopped fresh dill

1. Peel & devein the shrimp.

In a large skillet over low heat, melt butter with the olive oil. Add the garlic and shallots and saute 2 minutes, without browning.

Add the shrimp, increase heat slightly, and cook for 3 minutes, until just done. Add salt & pepper and toss well. Remove to a bowl, scraping in all of the sauce.

Add lemon juice and dill. Toss together well. Cover and refrigerate 3-4 hours before serving. Adjust seasonings to taste.

I usually serve this as a shrimp cocktail on a bed of fresh lettuce and sliced red & yellow peppers, or on the ends of long bamboo skewers, as an appetizer.

Green Rice

I fix this rice anytime we're doing Mexican for dinner; it's a nice switch from traditional spanish rice.

2 anaheim peppers
1 jalapeno
1 T. olive oil
1/4 c. green onions
1/4 c. cilantro
1 recipe Arroz Blanco (below)
1 t. oregano


Mince the chiles in the food processor. Saute 1 minute in the olive oil, add onions and cilantro. Cook a minute. Mix into Arroz Blanco, and stir in oregano.

Arroz Blanco

1 T. margarine
1/2 c. chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. uncooked rice
2 c. chicken broth

Hummus

I got this recipe from some Heart-healthy magazine, years ago. It has a lot less tahini and oil than most conventional hummus recipes do.

1-1/2 c. chickpeas
1/4 c. water
3 T. lemon juice
1 T. tahini
1 t. olive oil
3/4 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. cumin
ground red pepper

Mix all in the food processor.

You can add some kick by flavoring your hummus with additional ingredients. Here are a few ideas:

cilantro
roasted red pepper
kalamata olives
red pepper flakes
sun dried tomatos

Homemade Pizza: Dough & Tomato Sauce

Pizza Dough

4 c. flour
1.5 c lukewarm water
1 packet yeast
1 t. sugar
2 T olive oil
1 t. salt

Mix yeast an sugar into 1/2 cup of the warm water; let sit 5-8 minutes.

Mix flour and salt together in large bowl. Add additional 1 cup of water, yeast mixture and olive oil to form pizza dough, adding extra flour or water as needed.

Turn dough into an olive-oil coated bowl, cover with towel in a warm area for 1 hour. After 1 hour, punch down dough and let rise another hour.

Roll out on floured countertop, and transfer to pizza peel sprinkled with cornmeal.

Spray or brush a thin coat of olive oil on crust. Sprinkle with tomatoes/sauce, and other desired ingredients. Bake at 400 degree until cheese and crusts are browned to your taste.

TOMATO SAUCE

Saute 1 t. garlic in olive oil. Add 1 can of tomatoes, 1 t. oregano, and 1 t. basil, and simmer until juice reduces.


PIZZA INGREDIENT IDEAS

Cheeses

• Fresh mozzarella (skip the bagged, shredded stuff! Just chunk up fresh mozzarella around the pizza.
• Fontina
• Feta
• Bleu cheese
  

Meats

• Sausage
• Pepperoni
• Bacon
  
• Canadian Bacon
• Shrimp
• Crab
• Chicken
  

Vegetables/Fruits/Herbs

• Mushrooms: fresh or canned
• Roasted red peppers
• artichokes
• garlic
  
• onions
• Olives: black, green, kalamata
• Tomatoes: fresh sliced or sundried
• green peppers
• jalapenos
• spinach
• sliced pears
• pineapple
  
• 
  
• Basil
• Cilantro
• 
  
• Red pepper flakes
• caraway seeds
  

Lentils & Rice

Low household staples and coming out of a flu-induced fog, I searched the pantry today for something I could make that would be 1) warm & hearty, and 2) simple: something that could be prepared almost entirely from the couch.

1/2 c. red lentils
1/2 c. milk

1/2 c. onion
1 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
1 t. chicken curry masala
1-1/2 c. water

Add the milk to the lentils, and soak in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours.

Saute the onion in the butter and oil until softened. Add the lentils & milk, and the curry masala, and the water. Simmer for 1/2 hour, or until lentils are soft.

Serve over rice, with lemon, if desired.

Hot Toddy

Cold & flu season's here. I've found this beverage to be soothing, for a sore throat and the accompanying headache from hell.

Toss a few slices of lemon into the bottom of your cup.

Add 1 teaspoon of brown sugar.

Pour in 1 shot of brandy

Fill to the brim with hot water.

Adjust any ingredients to your taste.