Tonight I made Chicken Machaca — a stir-fry with southwestern flavors — and Mexican Red Rice. Both of these recipes come from The Border Cookbook, which focuses on home cooked meals from the American Southwest and Northern Mexico. This is another one of those books where we’ve yet to find a dud.

Chris says:

I love the consistency of this rice. It’s really moist without being goopy. Much better than those “just add water” pre-mix ones you can buy.

Lisa says:

Yum, I really like it. What was all that grinding going on in here?

Chris says:

I used the coffee grinder for the cumin in the chicken and to grind New Mexico chiles for the rice.

Lisa says:

I’m glad we’re getting some use out of that thing, we don’t make coffee at home!

Chris says:

Yeah it works perfectly! And the freshly ground spices seem to be more intense than those jars that have been sitting in the cabinet for months.

Lisa says:

I [heart] fajitas, and this chicken is almost like fajitas.

Chris says:

Yeah it’s really close… but what it’s stir-fried with has a much different flavor than you usually find with fajitas. There’s soy sauce in there.

Lisa says:

Well I [heart] them just the same!

Chicken Machaca
—————
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeño, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
cilantro, for garnish

Pound the chicken breasts to 1/2-inch thickness, then cut in long 1/2-inch wide strips. In a large skillet over high heat, warm the oil. Swirl the oil around the pan to coat completely, and add the chicken. Cook the chicken, stirring often, until just done. Remove with a slotted spoon to another plate and set aside. Add the onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, and jalapeño and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, and cumin. Cook another 2 minutes, then add the chicken back to the pan and heat through.
Garnish with cilantro.

4-6 Servings

Mexican Red Rice
—————-
1 1/2 tbsp peanut oil
1 medium onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup uncooked basmati rice
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
2 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp ground New Mexico chile
3/4 tbsp salt

In a medium saucepan, warm the peanut oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until softened. Add the rice and tomatoes, stirring for a couple of minutes so that the rice is coated with the oil. Add the stock, chile, and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15-18 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat and let steam, covered, for 5 to 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

4-6 Servings

Lisa was at the helm again tonight and chose to make this chowder from The Soup Bible. Pretty self-explanatory, just a nice chunky vegetable soup.

Chris says:

It must still be winter; so many soups!

Lisa says:

They definitely warm you up… I like the creaminess of this one.

Chris says:

Yep, and it was pretty easy to make, right?

Lisa says:

Uh, yeah… you were right here helping.

Chris says:

Yeah well I know that, and you know that, but the people out there reading this sure don’t.

Lisa says:

Riiight… the “people out there”… okay then — “Yes, this was a really easy recipe to make”.

Chris says:

…and it made a bunch — I bet I know what you’re having for lunch tomorrow!

Vegetable and Herb Chowder
————————–
2 TB butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 leek, finely sliced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 yellow or green bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 TB chopped fresh parsley
1 TB all-purpose flour
5 cups vegetable stock
12 ounces potatoes, diced
a few sprigs of fresh thyme or 1/2 tp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 cup young green beans, diagonally sliced
1/2 cup milk
salt and ground black pepper

Melt the butter in a heavy pan and add the onion, leek, celery, bell pepper and parsley. Cover and cook gently over low heat until the vegetables are soft.
Add the flour and stir until well blended. Gradually stir in the stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently.
Add the potatoes, thyme and bay leaf. Simmer, uncovered, for ten minutes.
Add the beans and simmer for a further 10-15 minutes until all the vegetables are tender.
Stir in the milk. Season with salt and pepper. Heat through. Before serving, discard the thyme stalks and bay leaf.

4 Servings

Tonight I finally got around to making a soup from The Ultimate Soup Bible, a cookbook we got from Lisa’s brother at Christmas. This easy to make tomato soup is made with Israeli couscous (which is much larger and chewier than regular couscous), onions, tomatoes, garlic, cilantro, and mint; the soup has a great aroma and wonderfully garlicky flavor. It should appear in the rotation pretty regularly. We loved it.

Lisa says:

I love Israeli couscous… and this soup is so colorful.

Chris says:

It’s delicious. I like the cayenne: it’s subtle — just a slight tingle in the back of the throat.

Lisa says:

Oh *that’s* what that is. I was worried I was coming down with something.

Chris says:

Well, you’ll feel the blues if I take your soup away.

Lisa says:

Yeah, I will — I definitely want to have this again…

Chris says:

You’re in luck, then. The recipe makes so much that we’re having leftovers tomorrow night!

Lisa says:

Wahoo!

Tomato Soup with Israeli Couscous
———————————
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
14 oz can chopped tomatoes
7 garlic cloves, chopped
6 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock, if you’re veg.)
1 1/3 cups Israeli couscous
3 mint sprigs, chopped
5 cilantro sprigs, chopped
1/4 tsp ground cumin
cayenne pepper, to taste
salt and ground pepper, to taste

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the onions and carrots and cook until they are soft, about 10 minutes. Add 1/2 the garlic and the remaining ingredients to the pan. Bring the soup to a boil, add all but 1 tsp of the chopped garlic, then reduce the heat and simmer for 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the couscous is tender. Remove from the heat, stir in the rest of the garlic, and ladle into bowls. Serve with warm sourdough bread.

4-6 Servings

Tonight’s we had an onionstravaganza! Mujadara, a Lebanese rice and lentil dish topped with blackened onions, paired with chicken cooked with onions, tomato, and hot pepper, served family-style. The chicken recipe comes from Secrets of Healthy Middle Eastern Cuisine.

Chris says:

I could have made the chicken spicier; our red pepper’s not hot enough.

Lisa says:

Yeah it’s not super-hot. Maybe add more onions.

Chris says:

True; doesn’t the surgeon general recommend 8 entire onions a day?

Lisa says:

We’re almost there now! So good … I love the sweet taste of the rice!

Chris says:

I love the onion taste of the everything.

Mujadara
——–
4 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion , chopped
3 garlic cloves , minced
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice

3 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
3/4 cup dried lentils , rinsed, picked over
3/4 cup long-grain white rice
2 large onions, sliced
3 tomatoes, quartered lengthwise
yogurt
mint

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and next 4 ingredients; sauté until onion softens, about 4 minutes. Add broth and lentils; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Stir in rice; return to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook until liquid is absorbed and rice and lentils are tender, about 15 minutes longer.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced onions; sauté until soft and beginning to blacken, about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to plates; top with blackened onions. Garnish with tomatoes, yogurt, and mint.

Chicken in Hot Sauce
——————–
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
1 tbsp hot red pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
4 medium onions, sliced
1/2 cup tomato paste
1 cup water

Cut the chicken into 2″ pieces and coat with 1/2 tsp of the red pepper. Sautee the chicken over medium-high heat until golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Add the onions to the pan with a couple tbsps of water; cook until translucent. Return the chicken to the pan, and add the tomato paste, water, and the rest of the hot red pepper. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.

4 Servings

Tonight we prepared this delicious, easy to make stew and quinoa dish, adapted from a recipe in Bon Appetit magazine. I’d never actually made quinoa before, and was surprised at its appearance before cooking — it’s a lot smaller than I thought. It plumps up nicely when cooked, and has a unique texture — it’s light and fluffy, but the germ separates from the grain and adds a slight crunch to each bite. Delicious.

Chris says:

This is one of my new favorite vegetarian dinners. I really like the taste of the spices with the squash and carrots.

Abbie says:

Mmmmmm! Yeah, what is that spice?

Lisa says:

There’s a bunch of spices in there, but you’re probably tasting the cayenne…

Abbie says:

Gives it a little kick!

Chris says:

By the way, butternut squash seeds look a lot like pumpkin seeds… I wonder if anyone ever roasts them?

Thad says:

I’m sure you could… mmm, thanks for making us dinner!

Abbie says:

Yeah, really .. recipe please!

Quinoa with Butternut Squash and Carrot Stew
——————————————–
For the stew:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup water
1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1″ cubes
2 cups carrots, peeled and cut into 3/4″ cubes

For the quinoa:
1 cup quinoa
1/2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped peeled carrot
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 cups water

The stew:
Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; sauté until soft, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; stir 1 minute. Mix in the dry spices. Add 1 cup water, the drained tomatoes, and the lemon juice, and bring to boil. Add the squash and carrots. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

The quinoa:
Rinse quinoa and drain. Melt butter with oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and carrot. Cover; cook until vegetables begin to brown, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, salt, and turmeric; sauté 1 minute. Add quinoa; stir 1 minute. Add 2 cups water and bring to boil; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover; simmer until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes.

4-6 servings