Chorizo, Bean and Cheese Empanadas with Egg Sofrito

I was torn between making Huevos Rancheros for dinner and making something new. 

So....I made a new version of Huevos Rancheros! Instead of a crispy tortilla, you have a cheesy, spicy empanada insead.

 

Chorizo, Bean and Cheese Empanadas with Egg Sofrito

Serves four dinners, plus four extra for freezing/lunch

To make the pastry                                                                               

4 c wheat flour
1 tbl sugar
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks (6oz) COLD butter
2/3 c COLD water
2 tbl white vinegar
2 egg

1. Combine flour, sugar, nutmeg, and salt with a whisk. Using your hands or a pastry blender, cut in the butter until mixture is crumbly.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk vinegar, eggs, and water, slowly add liquid to the dough; kneading gently until combined. Wrap in plastic wrap or a damp towel and place in the fridge until needed.

For the filling

 
1 c chopped chorizo
2 c cooked pinto beans
1 onion, diced fine
2 green chilies/jalapenos, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp fresh coriander leaves
1/4 lb. of shredded cheddar cheese

1. In a saute pan, add chopped chorizo and dry fry on low. Don't worry about adding oil, as the chorizo will release its own grease and crisp the pieces up nicely; approximately 8 minutes. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.

2. Add onion, chilies and garlic to remaining chorizo grease, saute on low until onions are soft. Add beans, spices, and a splash of water; let beans fry for 10 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan and mashing beans occasionally; adding more water to prevent them from burning.
 
3. Mash the beans once tender until they resemble thick mashed potatoes. Stir in cheddar cheese, coriander leaves and chorizo. Let mixture cool 30 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 375F/190C. Remove the pastry dough from the fridge. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to 1/8″ thick. Cut dough with a large lid or coffee can into 4in or 6in diameter circles. I got 8 empanadas out of this. 4 for dinner, 4 for the freezer :)

I used a teacup saucer to measure

5. Put about 2 tablespoons of filling into the center of each empanada. Fold the dough over each other, making a semicircle, and press the edges with a fork to fully enclose the filling.

 

6. If making ahead, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and keep refrigerated up to 2 days. When ready to bake: brush with an egg wash or milk. Bake the empanadas for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Keep in the oven to warm.

Sauce and Egg

1/2 onion, diced
1 green chili, chopped
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
2 small tomatoes chopped or 1/2 can chopped tomatoes

1. Clean out the same saute pan. Drizzle a little oil and add onions and chilies; softening the onions on medium heat. Once translucent, add the tomatoes and the juice the tomatoes are packed in. If you are using fresh tomatoes, chop them first, then add. Note: that fresh tomatoes will take longer to cook as canned tomatoes are already cooked to begin with. Add cumin and salt, bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and let simmer for 10 minutes. Add salt to taste if needed.

2. Crack 4 eggs slowly on top of the sauce. Cover with a lid and let cook for 3-5 minutes or until whites are cooked and yolk is set (I like mine a little runny, like poached eggs).

start

finished

To Serve

On a plate, place 1-2 warm empanadas. Top with sauce and one egg. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves, salt and pepper.

Calories calculated using Sparkrecipes Calculator: 545.2 calories per serving

Aloo Paratha Wrapped Lamb Rolls

This post is inspired by a myriad of blogs I was reading today. I wanted to make something different with my lamb shoulder. Not lamb curry...not Moroccan lamb..etc, we've all seen those posts. I wanted something...international but what?

I searched around and behold; this wonderful video by Chef Mark Miller. A yummy, beautiful Lamb Wrapped in a Pueblo Flat bread.

It sounded delicious, but I didn't have all the ingredients he required. You chefs!

Here is my version of Mark's lamb recipe IDEA, but instead of a soft flat bread, I made a : potato stuffed, pan fried, flat bread- also known popularly as aloo paratha.

The aloo paratha wrapped lamb was simply delicious. I will be making this again. It turned out perfect and was very filling, with a crunchy outer layer and tender spiced lamb inside. Perfect for taking on a picnic or a garden party where everyone is outside. 

Aloo Paratha Wrapped Lamb Rolls
                                                             
                                                                                   Serves 4
                                                                                   Time: 3 hours

Lamb

1-2 lb Lamb Shoulder, loin, or boneless chops; fat trimmed, sliced into 4 rounds
1/2 lemon, juice
3 garlic cloves, sliced
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp honey
1 tbl olive oil
salt and pepper

1. Pre-heat the oven to 450F/230C. Trim as much fat from the lamb as possible. Lamb fat is 'gamey' and doesn't do much to add flavor so you are better off with a nice lean cut of meat. Cut it into 1.25cm thick rounds.

2. Measure a sheet of aluminum foil large enough to wrap lamb slices and place in a roasting tin. Arrange the pieces of meat in the center of the foil.

3. Next, using the tip of a sharp knife, make incisions in the lamb and insert the pieces of sliced garlic, distributing them as evenly as possible. Make a paste out of the remaining ingredients and rub all over lamb slices.

4. Let sit for 30 minutes to marinate. Roast lamb for 30 minutes or until a crust forms. Fold up the foil to make a parcel, place the roasting pan back in the oven and cook at 300F/150C for 1-2 hours.

Begin making Aloo Paratha a half hour before ready to serve.

Filling

1 large boiled potato, peeled and mashed
1/2 onion, shredded
1/4 c coriander leaves
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
Other half of lemon, juice

1. Mix the mashed potato, onion, spices and lemon until combined.

Paratha Dough

2 c flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp pepper 
water as needed
2 tbl butter or oil

1. Mix the flour and spices evenly with a whisk, add water slowly, mixing as you go until a dough forms. Knead the dough with your fist until it becomes soft, about 6 turns or 5 minutes.

Assembling Aloo Paratha Lamb Rolls

1. Remove cooked lamb from the oven, set aside on a rack for 5 minutes to cool and juices to drain off. Divide the Paratha dough into eight balls. Roll each ball one at a time, into a 1/4 in thick circle. 

2. Add some of the potato mixture and top with another rolled circle. Sprinkle with more flour and roll the sandwiched dough very thin, enough where you can see the filling slightly through the dough; careful not to break the 'skin' as I did in this pic.

3. Fold each lamb slice in the dough, and fold gently underneath to hide the seams. 

Prepared Lamb rolls

4. Heat a skillet with 2 tablespoons of butter on medium-low heat. Place the lamb rolls seam side down first and cook until dough becomes deep golden brown, flip and cook again until crispy and brown. This is not like original parathas because you will only be cooking one side of the dough, so you have to make sure the outside is cooked low and long enough to cook the dough inside touching the lamb. Sorry no pic of this step. 

5. Serve lamb rolls with a simple red onion salad and yogurt sprinkled with salt and pepper.  

 

Calories calculated using Sparkrecipes calculator: 568.8 Calories per serving.

Turkey, Quinoa and Pear Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Most of the recipes that I come up with are inspired by two questions: "What haven't I eaten in awhile?" and "How haven't I prepared that food yet?"

Answers: Cabbage and Cabbage rolls.

Most cabbage rolls I searched for are just plain rice with some red sauce on top (boring!) I mean for an international dish (every country seemed to have their own version of the cabbage roll), there was very little variation).

I knew I wanted to use my leftover turkey from Thanksgiving, especially in a way that was subtle and not so overly turkey. I'm sure a lot of you are tired of preparing Thanksgiving leftovers always in the same way.

So, I thought I'd approach this conundrum as: "how would I stuff a turkey?" and just turn it inside out! Voila the Turkey, Quinoa and Pear Stuffed Cabbage Roll was born.

Turkey, Quinoa and Pear Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

1 c uncooked Quinoa                                                              Serves 4
2 c vegetable broth
1 head of Cabbage, approx 12 leaves
1/2 c yellow onion, diced
1/2 c turkey, chopped or shredded
1 zucchini, shredded
1 small pear, peeled, cored, diced
1 tbl garlic paste or 1 clove of garlic finely minced
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp marjoram
1/8 tsp ground sage
salt & pepper

Optional:
1 c marinara sauce
1/4 c mozzarella cheese

 

1. In a medium sauce pan, pour in your vegetable broth, bring to a boil. Take out a large pot and fill with water, bring to a boil too. Pour quinoa into the vegetable broth, reduce to simmer and cook 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, fluff with a fork and let cool. (I put my whole pot in the freezer for 5 minutes to speed up the process).

2. While Quinoa cooks, take apart your cabbage leaves and drop into your large pot of boiling water for 1-2 minutes; just enough to soften them. Let dry on paper towels and trim (see picture below). Preheat the oven to 350F.

Trim the spine of the leaves to make them flexible to roll. Just a little trim off the top is good.

3. In another saucepan, add a little olive oil. Sautee onions for 1 minute. Add turkey and garlic, cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add shredded zucchini and pear; sautee until water is absorbed out; pear and zucchini are tender. Season with spices.


4. Mix in quinoa with the vegetable-turkey mix, salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon about 2-3 tablespoons of the mixture into the cabbage leaves and wrap like a burrito. Place into a casserole dish seam side down. Top each roll with a little marinara sauce and a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese.

scoop

roll

place

5. Cover with a lid or with foil and cook for about 35-45 minutes- or until tender. Note: I would omit the sauce next time, the flavors kind of clashed in this dish or maybe I'll be creative and use a mushroom sauce instead. Sauce or not, it's really up to you. It was very good either way.

Calories calculated using Sparkrecipes Calculator: 270 calories for 4 rolls

The health benefits of this meal are awesome.

Quinoa is one of the best foods I could have ever stumbled upon. It goes well with anything and is power-packed with nutrients. Not to mention- it's wheat and gluten free! This mega grain contains ALL the essential amino acids (making it a great food for vegans and vegetarians). No wonder South American Natives called this food "the gold of the Aztecs". It is also high in Vitamins B2, E and fiber.

Cabbage is also a nutrient dense food. I've been trying to incorporate more and more cabbage into my life lately for that very reason. Cabbage is known for it's phytochemicals, which contain powerful anticancer glucosinolates. It is high in Vitamin C, B6, potassium, folic acid, magnesium, manganese and calcium!

Vegetable Stuffed Shells

In the mood for some creamy cheese filled carb boats? Me too!

But I HAVE to make the standard stuffed shells recipe a bit more healthy. This is normally considered an "easy weeknight, everynight" dish. But come on? Who's waistline can afford that much gooey goodness all the time?

Which means, make the most of your vitamins and watch your serving size and there should be no guilt on a normally considered indulgent dish. 

Bring on the Veggies!

Vegetable Stuffed Shells                         Serves 4

16-18 Jumbo pasta shells (wheat is best)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 zucchini, shredded about 1 1/2 c
1/2 c yellow onion, diced
1 {2 lb} bunch of fresh spinach, roughly chopped
1 small carrot, finely shredded
1 1/2 c part skim ricotta cheese
1/2 c Asiago cheese, shredded
1 egg
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

1 c mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 jar marinara sauce or 1 1/2 c homemade pasta sauce

1. Cook pasta shells according to the package directions. Drain and set aside when done. Meanwhile start your filling.

2. In a medium saucepan add a little bit of oil. Sautee garlic for 1 minute or until aromatic. Add onions and sautee another minute. Add carrots an zucchini and sautee until tender and all water is evaporated out of the pan. Add spinach and sautee until wilted.

3. Pre-heat oven to 350F. Transfer veggies to a large bowl, combine with the rest of the ingredients (ricotta-pepper). Lay out a shallow roasting pan, spread 1/2 c of sauce on the bottom of the pan. Stuff your shells and place in the pan.

4. Drizzle 1/2 c marinara sauce over the shells and sprinkle 1/4 c mozzarella cheese on top. Cover with the lid or aluminum foil, bake for 30 minutes.

5. Enjoy!

Note: I noticed the zucchini was deviously hidden in these shells. If you have a child that hates green things (like mine), peel the zucchini and omit the spinach.

Calories calculated using Sparkrecipes Calculator: 460 calories for 4 shells