Secret Recipe Club: Goat Cheese Marinara

Goat Cheese with Roasted Tomatoes

Can you believe another month has come and gone? I can't. A lot has changed in the last month. I now have a full time job and am headed towards a permanent position. And we are looking for a house. We've been going to open houses every weekend since we moved to Nashville and now have an agent. So yes, things are moving along.

In the chaos, my cooking has fallen by the wayside. The first week out with agent, I cooked twice. While that is not a small amount for some people, I normally cook 7-9 times per week. So twice was just nuts to me. In the meantime, we've been exploring the restaurants in the area where we are house hunting. Because of course we aren't house hunting where we live currently. That would make WAY too much sense. What can I say, we crave a bit more urban of a lifestyle than where we are now.

Oh, but this all leads us back to Secret Recipe Club! Woot! I love participating in this club every month. And I adore that I was able to pick a recipe that fits with my current out-of-the-kitchen lifestyle. So Tasty, So Yummy has so many choices that I didn't know where to start. So I looked at it when I got my assignment and then didn't look at it again until the Saturday morning before our post date. I didn't have to scroll very far into her new stuff before I started drooling. You see, she posted a dish that I've had on my list to make for TWO YEARS! Two years, I tell you! And I came thisclose to making it. Alas, my weekend plans changed and Anthony Bourdain's Roti de Porc au Lait has yet to happen.

But don't fret, I still adored what I made! As I thumbed through her labels, I found one that sang to me: goat cheese! You see, I had already planned to make my Risotto Primavera. I never use the full 4 ounce log of goat cheese in my risotto and was looking for a way to use the leftovers. I had every intention of serving this Goat Cheese Marinara with toast, but the more I looked at it, the more it looked like the perfect risotto topping. And thus, that's how it was served. Oh, and the reason I used fresh tomatoes instead of canned as recommended by So Tasty, So Yummy? I knew I'd be the only one eating it and wanted to scale down without wasting the rest of a can. I'll be using the can when I make this for a crowd. Do check out the original recipe!

Fresh tomatoes with salt, pepper, and sugar

Goat Cheese Marinara

adapted from So Tasty,So Yummy

serves 2

Ingredients:

1 tomato, diced

¼ tsp sugar

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

1 ½ ounces goat cheese

Directions:

Preheat toaster oven to 400ºF. Toss diced tomato with sugar and spices. Place in small ramekin and bake 15 minutes or until tomatoes are juicy and soft. Add goat cheese to top of the tomato mixture and return dish to toaster oven. Bake another 15 minutes or until goat cheese is browned on top.

Serve with toasted slices of French bread or as a topper to your favorite Risotto Primavera.

THOUGHTS:

Oh so easy to make and oh so delicious. The acidity of the tomatoes played off the goat cheese beautifully. And added to the risotto? Magnifico!

VERDICT:

Yummy-as-a-dip-or-a-risotto-topping: 1 vote!

I-don't-feel-like-trying-something-new-tonight: 1 vote

Goat cheese marinara turned risotto topping

Secret Recipe Club: Homemade Fajita Seasoning

I used to love making those layered sand thingys!

It's Secret Recipe Club time! Believe it or not, I have four dishes ready to go on the blog, but have failed in the writing-it-up stage. I seem to have writer's block. Or at least, that's what I'm calling my I'm-too-busy-obsessing-over-house-hunting-to-focus-on-anything-else brain. :) But alas, Secret Recipe Club beckoned and I temporarily came out of my house obsession to make some scrumptious food!

Secret Recipe Club comes around once a month on my blog, but you can check out Secret Recipe Club creations 4 Mondays a month! Are you a blogger interested in joining in the fun? Sign up here!

I have to admit I was quite intimidated when I saw the blog I was assigned: Anne Jisca's Healthy Pursuits! This woman is pretty amazing. She grinds her own flours and her normal kitchen stock is incredible. One day I'll be like her! I drooled over Anne's breads (spelt biscuits, Hearty Harvest Bread, Rye Bread, Spelt Bread), and came thisclose to making her granola bars. I'll definitely have to try out her recipe when I finally decide I'm ready to make granola bars!

So what did I go for? A recipe where I had everything in the pantry! Woot! I love it when that happens! I was also able to tie it into a Double Take with Tabitha. I love multi-tasking recipes! Almost as much as I love spice rubs! So yes, I picked a spice rub-ish. We'll call this one a spice mix :)

All Shook Up!

Homemade Fajita Seasoning

adapted from Anne Jisca's Healthy Pursuits

2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp sugar
½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp cumin
½ tsp cayenne
¼ tsp red pepper flakes

Combine ingredients in an air-tight container. Two heaping tablespoons is equivalent to one packet.

THOUGHTS:

I modified my fajita seasoning because I was using the crock pot and cooking the chicken directly in chicken broth, so I did not need chicken bouillon. Also, I left out the cornstarch because I wasn't sure how it would hold up in the crock pot. If someone else knows, do let me in on your secrets!

In the future, I would stick to Anne's use of the fajita seasoning rather than going for shredded chicken in the crock pot. Check out her original post for the recipe and directions! Also, I think the mix would make an excellent rub on grilled chicken for tacos. The fajita seasoning has a nice balance of flavors. If you like heat on your fajitas, feel free to double the cayenne and/or red pepper flakes.

VERDICT:

The-fajita-seasoning-is-a-hit: 2 votes!

Pulled Chicken Tacos with Queso Blanco, Tomatoes, Lettuce, and Salsa

Double Take: Crock Pot Saag Paneer

Saag Paneer

Welcome to the fourth week of the month! (-ish. I know, I'm late with my post again. Oh wait, I'm an entire month late! Erm, so yeah, welcome to the fourth week of the month!) That's Crock Pot week in Double Take world! This week we bring you one of my favorite Indian dishes: Palak Paneer (spinach with cheese). One of my coworkers in Germany was from the Kashmir region of India, and she filled me in on the difference between saag paneer and palak paneer. In Kashmir, saag refers to the greens of kohlrabi whereas palak refers to spinach. That really surprised me. I'd always thought they were both spinach. You learn something new every day!

This particular version of palak paneer taught me that I definitely have a favorite style of palak paneer. Some palak paneer dishes are creamy whereas others are all spinach. Guess which one I like. Of course, the creamy one. So. I won't be making this recipe again, but I'm really glad I tried it. I also took the opportunity to teach you how to make paneer. Yum. It's always better than buying it from the store! At least the stores I've shopped at. Have you purchased awesome premade paneer before? If so, let me know where to find it!

I used a Crock Pot liner to help reduce the mess.
Don't use the liner if you plan to use an immersion blender. 

Saag Paneer: Curried Spinach with Fresh Cheese
adapted from The Indian Slow Cooker by Anupy Singla

Ingredients:

Homemade Cheese!

2 pounds fresh spinach, washed well (avoid using baby spinach)
2 large yellow or red onions, roughly chopped
1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes (if no sugar added tomatoes, add 1 tablespoon sugar)
1 (4-inch) piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
20 cloves (one whole head) garlic, peeled
3-4 serrano peppers, ribs and seeds removed
4 tablespoons ground cumin
1 heaping tablespoon red chili powder
1 heaping tablespoon garam masala (an Indian spice blend available at most grocery stores, or any speciality market)
2 teaspoons turmeric powder
Pan-fried cubed paneer from ½ gallon of milk, recipe to follow
2 heaping tablespoons fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi)
Salt to taste, up to 1 tablespoon

Directions:

1. Place 1/2 the washed spinach into the bowl of a 5 quart slow-cooker. You don't need to dry the spinach, or even remove the stems. They get blended in the end. Top with the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT FOR SALT: onions, tomatoes, ginger, peeled garlic, chilies, and spices. Put the rest of the spinach on top. The bowl will be brimming with spinach. Squish it down and put the cover on. It will cook down quickly.
2. Cook on high for 3 hours (or low for 4-5). Stir once or twice if you're around to get any spinach sticking on the sides from drying out too badly.
3. Blend until smooth with an immersion blender, or transfer to a blender and puree. Make sure the curry is smooth and well blended. Return the puree to the slow-cooker.
4. Taste the curry and add salt to taste if needed. Continue to cook on low for another 2 hours. The dish might look done, but the extra cooking allows the flavors to fully develop.
5. After cooking, add about 12 ounces of cubed fresh or fried paneer to the curry. Add the fenugreek leaves. Turn the slow cooker off, then replace the lid and let sit for about 10 minutes to gently heat the cheese.
6. Serve with rice, roti, or naan. (Preferably naan, if you're me)
7. The recipe yields about 10 cups so you will have leftovers for lunch the next day.

Your Crock Pot will be very very full.

THOUGHTS:
Not my favorite way to make saag paneer. I have a recipe (unfortunately I haven't shared it with you yet) that uses one pan and frozen spinach. It takes 30 minutes. I'll be keeping that one on hand and might possibly lose this one. Without a stick blender, this recipes makes a complete mess out of your kitchen. No fun.

However, if you eat the leftovers for breakfast with a glass of V8, you've already had 4 servings of veggies in one meal! Power breakfast!

Oh, I did find garam masala at my local grocery store, but you can find it cheaper at World Market :)

VERDICT:
I'll-stick-with-my-other-recipe: 1 vote!

Cheese and spinach with basmati rice.

Secret Recipe Club: Ewwy Cashewy Chocolate Bark

Ewwy, cashewy, bacon bark

Secret Recipe Club is back, baby!

Don't worry, I'm not posting late for Secret Recipe Club, I just switch groups from B to D. Group B posted the same week as Daring Cooks and I found myself unable to complete both. When the opportunity presented itself, I opted to leave group B and try out D. And I'm very pleased with that decision. Want to join in the Secret Recipe Club fun where we cook, bake, blog and share? Head on over to the Secret Recipe Club!

Announcement!

Special Cooking Challenge for my Thirtieth Year!

I've had a post brewing in the back of my mind for over six months now, but I haven't actually sat down to write it. And it should have gone up January 27th. Oops. I stumbled across a fun idea on some other blogs (and it's been long enough that I have no idea which blogs). A challenge if you will. Pick 30 items to make during your 30th year. Not just any old recipe, but things that I've never made before because they've always slightly intimidated me. I'm now three weeks into my thirtieth year and it's time to make my intentions public if I have any hopes of completing the challenge. Incidentally, I picked a item off my list that meshed with my ingredient of the month for February. Below is my tentative list. It is definitely subject to change :) Six months ago, this list was at around 33, but I've made several of them items on the list since then. 

Thirty Intimidating Recipes in my Thirtieth Year

1. French Onion Soup 
2. Jam 
3. Sticky Toffee Pudding 
4. Barbecue Pulled Pork (including the Barbecue Sauce) 
5. Pretzels 
6. Crackers 
7. Gelato 
8. Challah 
9. Savory Souffle 
10. Layered Cake 
11. Pita Bread 
12. Salsa 
13. Poblano Rellenos 
14. Ricotta 
15. Authentic Enchiladas (with flour tortillas) 
16. Creamy Salad Dressing 
17. Fried Okra 
18. Mole 
19. Mayonnaise or Aioli 
20. Vanilla Extract 
21. Pickles (Cucumber and Okra) 
22. Kimchi 
23. Rhubarb 
24. Fudge 
25. Pork Fried Rice 
26. Pots de Creme 
27. Pho 
28. Beer Tasting Dinner 
29. Cheese 
30. Brisket 

Is there a item you think I'm missing? What's on your bucket list to make?  

I'll be creating a special page on the blog to link to my 30 in 30 recipes so you can see them all in one place throughout the year!