GRILLED CHEESE WITH ROASTED RED BELL PEPPER, BASIL AND TOMATO SOUP

Nummy!  And another cold day treat.  I think I need to step it up a bit. Maybe grill outside some bison burgers and make coleslaw.

Or I could just fake my way through winter and eat all this great comfort food.  Seasonal cooking, right?

ROASTED RED BELL PEPPER, BASIL AND TOMATO SOUP

Ingredients:

1 ½ cup milk

1 ½ cup chicken or vegetable broth

½  cup roasted red bell peppers

¼ cup chopped red onion

1 Tbs Ghee or butter

5 leaves of fresh basil

¼ cup mashed potato flakes or 1 medium baked potato, mashed

1 16 oz can of chopped or stewed tomatoes or use 2 lbs fresh

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

Place roasted red bell peppers and basil leaves into food processor of blender and process until chopped fine but not pureed totally down to nothing.

Next process the chopped tomatoes. Same thing - don't over process.

Have you discovered Ghee yet?  Oh my!  So good for you (links to cholesterol reduction) and tastes like butter because it is butter, clarified butter.  Ya know the kind you get when you order lobster?  I don't order lobster, I hate fish, but some people do so I’ve seen it. It's actually considered dairy free.  Wow, really.

Place chopped onions into pan and add the Ghee. Cook until soft.

Place all the ingredients into a pot.

Stir and cook under a slow simmer for about 10 minutes.

Add a grilled cheese sandwich, some homemade pickles and life is good!

ROASTED RED BELL PEPPER, BASIL AND TOMATO SOUP

1 ½ cup milk

1 ½ cup chicken or vegetable broth

½  cup roasted red bell peppers

¼ cup chopped red onion

1 Tbs Ghee or butter

5 leaves of fresh basil

¼ cup mashed potato flakes or 1 medium baked potato, mashed

1 16 oz can of chopped or stewed tomatoes or use 2 lbs fresh

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

Place roasted red bell peppers and basil leaves into food processor of blender and process until chopped fine but not pureed totally down to nothing.

Next process the chopped tomatoes.

Place chopped onions into pan and add the Ghee. Cook until soft.

Place all the ingredients into a pot.

Stir and cook under a slow simmer for about 10 minutes.

A GOOD FRIEND, LOTS OF GOOD WINE AND TONS OF GOOD FOOD = ONE HAPPY DAWN!

Awhile back I helped my friend Cathy with a little healthy cooking.  She just wanted someone to guide her through cooking some food with the whole bunch of dietary limitations she has.  She knows how much I love food and good food for that matter so she gave me a call.  I was happy to help.  We went shopping at the local co-op, good, all fresh, organic, gluten free and dairy free food.  The challenge for me was to cook without cheese!  I know, right?  No one should eat meals without cheese.  Just sayin'.

So I cooked up some incredible chicken broth from the chicken carcass that I baked, made some enchiladas with ground turkey, my grandma's recipe for stuffed peppers made with ground up bison meat, eggplant parmesan without the parmesan but with homemade marinara sauce, and a braised pork loin. Nummy!

Well, because Cathy is just this awesome person, she wanted to treat me to a night out.  A local winery here, called Four Daughters,  had a Chef's dinner night, so Cathy said we had to go.  Who could turn that down?  They were offering a tour of the winery, a three-course meal and wine tasting.

We took a cab so we could really enjoy ourselves and had just the best time chatting with the cabbies.  I never took a cab here in Rochester, didn't know they were so friendly and fun, them cabbies.

We got there about 7 and sat at the bar to wait, there were supposed to be a few more signed up for the dinner.  About 7:15 they assumed they weren't coming so we got started with the tour.

Our first course was a scallop with bitter greens and balsamic redux.  We got that while having the tour.  Then our next course was a peice of artisinal pizza.  At this point I'm thinking this is great!  But the best part is when the two Chef's announced that they were 'practicing' tonight and were gonna serve us more like 8 courses, which turned out to be 9.  Yeehaaa!  Glad I wore my leggings instead of my jeans. Seriously.  And don't forget wine poured with every course!  Yeehaa!  Dawn's living it up tonight!

We didn't get pics of the first two courses, we were still in a state of shock from the sumptuous taste of the them.

Next came a baby pear, goat cheese and beet …. I guess you can call it a... salad.

Then it was duck proscuitto and housemade grape jelly.

Then the Chef loves to use a noodle.  One long noodle.  And a shrimp with some house pickled pepper pepita salsa. Chef said he likes redundancy.

Then there was the potato soup with bacon - yes, BACON!  (Bacon should always have an exclamation point)

And then… it was the pan seared roasted duck breast with sauteed kale and this bread pudding made with housemade driend grapes and andiuolle sausage. I think… it was getting a little fuzzy by then and I didn't write all this down.

then the intermezzo was a house made pita chip with 5 year old cheddar.  Cheese!

Well, now that we are ready to roll out of the room, dessert arrives. It's two ginger pancakes stuffed with this amazing cream filling that tasted like heaven!

Now that's what I call a good time.  Great food, good wine, good friends and just an overall great night out.  I just really love my life.  Of course it wouldn't be this great without my really great friends. : )

And Marilyn.

CHICKEN LEFTOVERS

I love using leftovers and creating new dishes from them.  A couple days ago, I took some leftover chicken, sautéed some julienne cut zucchini and topped it off with some of the leftover enchilada sauce from the Chorizo and Ground Bison Enchiladas I made the other day and added some cheese.  This is what lunch looks like in my house:

CHORIZO & GROUND BISON ENCHILADAS

I felt a little like I needed some more comfort food the other day.  It's winter. It's 10 degrees outside.  Comfort food is the way to go when it's like this, don't you think?

I wanted something kinda quick too. So I pulled out some packages outta the cupboard.  Like packaged enchilada sauce and Spanish rice.  I always encourage looking at ingredient labels.  I did for the rice and enchilada sauce and neither had anything in it I couldn't pronounce so we're good.

I was thinking that enchiladas are filled with just one ingredient or two, but I like my veggies and added them as well.  The more veggies you can consume the better off you are.  GO VEGGIES!

But I did some research an look at all the varieties of enchiladas there are:

Varieties include (from Wikipedia):

• Enchiladas con chile colorado (with red chile) are made with traditional red enchilada sauce, composed of dried red chili peppers soaked and ground into a sauce with otherseasonings. However, red enchilada sauce may also be tomato-based with red chilis added.^[15]
• Enchiladas con mole, instead of chili sauce, are served with mole,^[16] and are also known as enmoladas.^[17]
• Enchiladas placera are Michoacán plaza-style, made with vegetables and poultry.^[18]
• Enchiladas poblanas are soft corn tortillas filled with chicken and poblano peppers, topped with oaxaca cheese.^[19]
• Enchiladas potosinas originate from San Luis Potosi, Mexico and are made with cheese-filled, chili-spiced masa.^[20]
• Enchiladas San Miguel are San Miguel de Allende-style enchiladas flavored with guajillo chilies by searing the flavor into the tortillas in a frying pan.^[4]
• Enchiladas suizas (Swiss-style) are topped with a white, milk or cream-based sauce, such as béchamel. This appellation is derived from Swiss immigrants to Mexico who established dairies to produce cream and cheese.^[21]
• Enchiladas verdes (green enchiladas) are made with green enchilada sauce composed of tomatillos and green chilis.
• Enfrijoladas are topped with refried beans rather than chili sauce; their name come from frijol, meaning "bean".^[22][23]
• Entomatadas are made with tomato sauce instead of chile sauce.^[1]
• Gravy-style enchiladas are the dominant variety found throughout South and Central Texas. These have a gravy-like chili sauce over either cheese-filled or beef-filled corn tortillas, and are topped with a layer of cheese.^{[citation needed]}
• Enchiladas montadas, stacked enchiladas, are a New Mexico variation in which corn tortillas are fried flat until softened but not tough, then stacked with red or green sauce, chopped onion and shredded cheese between the layers and on top of the stack. Ground beef or chicken can be added to the filling, but meat is not traditional. The stack is often topped (montada) with a fried egg. Shredded lettuce and sliced black olives may be added as a garnish.[24]

So here we go:

CHORIZO & GROUND BISON ENCHILADAS

Ingredients:
4 oz chorizo
4 oz ground bison
1 can of refried beans (I went with the no-fat kind - since cholesterol seems to be my problem lately)
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
8 oz shredded pepper jack cheese (Ok, no comments on the fat filled cheese!)
1 red pepper - chopped (or I used those tiny little sweet red and yellow peppers)
1 onion - chopped
6-8 corn tortillas

1 package enchilada sauce - made to package directions
1 package Spanish rice - made to package directions

first add some oil to the skillet and saute the chopped peppers and onions

 add the chorizo and ground bison.  Cook thoroughly.  Remember, some chorizo does not brown like ground bison/beef, so it will stay red.  Why?  That's a mystery yet to be solved.

Layer some refried beans on the tortilla.

Then some of the chorizo/bison/pepper mixture.

then some of both cheeses.

roll up and place into a baking dish.

add some more cheese



pour some enchilada sauce on top

then some more cheese (if you already ate most of the cheese like I did, grate some more)

and more cheese

Bake in a 375 degree oven until heated through and cheese is all melted and gooey.

Serve with rice and extra sauce on top if you like.

and eat lots of guac with corn chips while waiting for the enchiladas to bake.

CHORIZO & GROUND BISON ENCHILADAS

Ingredients:

4 oz chorizo

4 oz ground bison

1 can of refried beans

8 oz shredded cheddar cheese

8 oz shredded pepper jack cheese

1 red pepper - chopped (or I used those tiny little sweet red and yellow peppers)

1 onion - chopped

6-8 corn tortillas

1 package enchilada sauce - made to package directions

1 package Spanish rice - made to package directions

1.    First add some oil to the skillet and sauté the chopped peppers and onion.

2.    Add the chorizo and ground bison.  Cook thoroughly.  Remember, some chorizo does not brown like ground bison/beef, so it will stay red.  Why?  That's a mystery yet to be solved.

3.    Layer some refried beans on the tortilla.

4.    Layer some of the chorizo/bison/pepper mixture.

5.    Top with some of both cheeses.

6.    Roll up and place into a baking dish.

7.    Add some more cheese.

8.    Pour some enchilada sauce on top

9.    Then sprinkle some more cheese on top.

Bake in a 375-degree oven until heated through and cheese is all melted and gooey. About 20 minutes.

Serve with rice and extra sauce on top if you like.

SPINACH, ROASTED RED BELL PEPPER, MUSHROOM & IBERICO CHEESE OMELET

So, it was Sunday, and Sunday is a day that I take some time to do things for myself, my 'day off' if you will (not that there are any real days off for a photographer/farmer). I also like to think of it as a day I can eat a little bit differently.  More like a person that doesn't need to eat well, ya know what I mean?  Well, anywho… I don't like breakfast.  Breakfast is a difficult thing for me because it usually contains items that I can't/won't eat like bread type items - pancakes, bagels, muffins, french toast, biscuits, heavy with sugar-laden syrups and served with sides of fat filled, artery-clogging sausages.  Yes, every now and then they are good, I mean I treated myself to a bagel for Christmas morn', but for the most part I've never really liked breakfast.  I would ordered steak and eggs when we went out for breakfast as a child, just because I didn't like anything else to eat on the menu.

So Sunday comes now and I start thinking about eggs.  Now, everyone knows how well I eat on a regular basis and technically I do, but I recently had a check up form the Doc and found that my cholesterol was a tad bit on the high side.  I freaked out!  I mean, ME??  how could that be?  But then when I really thought about it, a lot of the foods I enjoy, although mostly good for you, some of the stuff I like too much is cholesterol ridden.  I.E. meat. I.E. cheese.  My two favorite things in the world.  There isn't a charcuterie plate in the world I haven't met and didn't like (ok, maybe the headcheese one - that's a little too much for me).  And cheese?  OMG!  CHEESE is the next coming of the lord to me!  I mean I bought a goat just so I could make cheese!  I find a cheese store and spend $100 just on cheese alone! Now, granted my cholesterol was a tad bit high but my good cholesterol was hitting the roof!  Way over the average number so I think that might balance it out.  I wish I could blame genes, but my parents passed away rather young and I don't know if they had cholesterol problems or not.

Soooooo, with the cholesterol monster screaming at me, I try to avoid eggs now.  Not that I ever really ate a lot of eggs, but I am more conscious of them.  So Sunday I decided to make an omelet, not just any omelet, but a:

SPINACH, ROASTED RED BELL PEPPER, MUSHROOM & IBERICO CHEESE OMELET

The cast of characters:

1/4 cup each chopped:  mushrooms, roasted red bell pepper, onion and spinach
4 eggs (I know the pic only has 3 - I had to add another egg later cuz I had too many veggies)
1/8 cup milk
S&P to taste (that's salt & pepper)
1/2 cup Iberico cheese

Chop veggies. Make 'em look all purty.

Add a little oil to the pan and cook the veggies (all but the spinach) until onions are tender - about 5 minutes.

Add the spinach and cook until wilted - about 1-2 minutes.  Wilted spinach…sounds sad.

Whisk together the eggs and milk.

Pour egg mixture into the pan.

Using a spoon or spatula, pull the cooked sides from the pan and allow the uncooked egg mixture to bleed into the area.  (this takes some getting use to, tipping the pan helps).  And it isn't easy to do with a camera in one hand and a spoon in the other.  Gonna have to figure this out.  May have to get out the ol' tripod.

Add the cheese.

Tempt the pig with the cheese rind.

Flip half of the omelet over the cheese.




Turn off the heat and let the cheeses melt.

Enjoy!  and don't forget to add the artery-clogging sausages on the side.











SPINACH, ROASTED RED BELL PEPPER, MUSHROOM & IBERICO CHEESE OMELET

1/4 cup each chopped:  mushrooms, roasted red bell pepper, onion and spinach

4 eggs (I know the pic only has 3 - I had to add another egg later cuz I had too many veggies)

1/8 cup milk

S&P to taste (that's salt & pepper)

1/2 cup Iberico cheese

1. Chop veggies.

2. Add a little oil to the pan and cook the veggies (all but the spinach) until onions are tender - about 5 minutes.

3. Add the spinach and cook until wilted - about 1-2 minutes

4. Whisk together the eggs and milk.

5. Pour egg mixture into the pan.

6. Using a spoon or spatula, pull the cooked sides from the pan and allow the uncooked egg mixture to bleed into the area.  (this takes some getting use to, tipping the pan helps).

7. Add the cheese.

8. Flip half of the omelet over the cheese.

9. Turn off the heat and let the cheeses melt.