Month: November 2013

Black Bean and Butternut Squash Burritos
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Black Bean and Butternut Squash Burritos

Nicole told me about this and I practically forced her to send me the link, my wife adores butternut squash and is always looking for another way to have me prepare for her. This looked so good I had to share on the site. Butternut Squash is one of my favorite squashes so versatile, tasty and good.

Black Bean and Butternut Squash Burritos

The best burritos I’ve ever made. Also, the only burritos I’ve ever made. But quite possibly the best I’ve tasted! These burritos have a kick of heat to them (that you can control yourself) and a light sweetness thanks to the butternut squash. The filling is so good I found myself eating it on its own. Use it to sprinkle on salads or as a dip for crackers in addition to making burritos. You could also try using sweet potato or pumpkin as a way to change up the butternut filling.

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Yield: 4 burritos or 3.5 cups of filling

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, cubed, & roasted
  • 1/2 cup uncooked short grain brown rice (yields: 1.5 cups cooked)
  • 1-2 tsp olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped sweet onion
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 1 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
  • 2 tsp ground cumin, or to taste
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
  • One 15-oz can black beans (about 1.5-2 cups cooked), drained and rinsed
  • 3/4 cup Daiya cheese
  • 4 tortilla wraps (large or x-large)
  • Toppings of choice: (avocado, salsa, vegan sour cream, spinach/lettuce, cilantro, etc)

1. Preheat oven to 425F and line a large glass dish with tinfoil. Drizzle olive oil on squash and give a shake of salt and pepper. Coat with hands. Roast chopped butternut squash for 45 mins. or until tender.

2. Cook brown rice

3. In a large skillet over medium-low heat, add oil, onion, and minced garlic. Sautee for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Now add in salt and seasonings and stir well.

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4.  Add chopped red pepper, black beans, and cooked rice and sauté for another 10 mins. on low.

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5. When b’nut squash is tender remove from oven and cool slightly. Add 1.5 cups of the cooked butternut squash to the skillet and stir well. You can mash the squash with a fork if some pieces are too large. Add Daiya cheese and heat another couple minutes.

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6. Add bean filling to tortilla along with desired toppings. Wrap and serve. Leftover filling can be reheated the next day for lunch in a wrap or as a salad topper. now that they are rolled lightly spray the tortilla with cooking spray and crisp in pan over medium heat. Start with seam side down . I have also placed under a broiler watching carefully of course.

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Posted By Angela (Oh She Glows) On October 24, 2011 @ 7:47 am

Good as topper also

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Related articles

Butternut and Green Apple Soup (Stevesacooking.com)

One more thing to do with butternut Squash when on sale (Stevesacooking.com)

Black Bean and Butternut Squash Burritos (ohsheglows.com)

Ten Easy and Amazing Recipes Using Butternut Squash (kalynskitchen.com)

Meatless Monday: Roasted Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchiladas (blogher.com)

Roasted Butternut Squash Carrot Soup (thecocinamonologues.com)

Reign on Mashie-Topped Meatloaf Cupcakes – Week 12
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Reign on Mashie-Topped Meatloaf Cupcakes – Week 12

Someone asked me if I am a huge football fan is that why I do these weekly game day recipes? Yes I am a fan but I also am a fan of my son and patriotslife.com   the blog he is involved in. I would do it for CelticsLife.com  but I just can’t come up with that many recipes, beside the schedule would kill me or I would be 900 Lbs.,  anyway……

Meat and potatoes a man’s meal, a football man’s meal, a meal that will satisfy any half time hunger.

cows                                                                   Potato

Now grab that pastry bag or a plastic bag, stuff it with mash potatoes and start decorating the top of your meatloaf cupcakes. What you’re unsure of your manliness, afraid of a little Dolphin treatment in the living room? We all know that when watching a football game we live by a different set of rules.

Ingredients

Meatloaf

Ground Beef

  • 1 1/4 lbs. extra-lean ground beef (4% fat or less)
  • 1 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
  • 3/4 cup finely chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute or egg whites
  • 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp. each salt and black pepper


Mashies

Mashed Potaotes

  • 20 oz. (about 3 medium) white potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 2 1/2 tbsp. light sour cream
  • 1 1/2 tbsp. light whipped butter or light buttery spread
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp. onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/8 tsp. paprika
  • Optional seasoning: black pepper

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with foil baking cups, or spray it with nonstick spray.

2. In a large bowl, combine all meatloaf ingredients. Thoroughly mix.

3. Evenly distribute meatloaf mixture among the muffin cups, and smooth out the tops with the back of a spoon. Bake until firm and cooked through with lightly browned edges, 20 – 25 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add potatoes, and once returned to a boil, reduce heat to medium. Cook until very tender, 15 – 20 minutes.

5. Drain and transfer potatoes to a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients for mashies except paprika. Thoroughly mash and mix.

6. Evenly top mini meatloaves with mashies, and sprinkle with paprika. Makes six servings; two cupcakes per serving. Eat up!

HG Tip! Use a piping bag to distribute the mashies. You can even create your own makeshift piping bag! Just transfer mashies to a plastic bag, and squeeze them down toward a bottom corner. Snip off that corner with scissors, creating a small hole for piping. Ta-da!

Serving Size: 2 meatloaf cupcakes – Steve says: Ya right, these are poppers .

Mashie-Topped-Meatloaf-Cupcakes
This recipe was from hungry-girl.com
For further inspiration, Hungry Girl just released her official “Top Ate” reasons to love potatoes:
  1. Potatoes are seriously satisfying! A study of nearly 40 common foods found that potatoes deliver the most satisfaction.
  2. A 5.3-ounce skin-on spud (the size of a computer mouse) has 45% the daily value of vitamin C and only 110 fat-free calories. Potatoes also have fiber.
  3. Dining out? Top a plain baked potato with salad-bar goodies like broccoli & salsa.
  4. White veggies are underrated and provide key nutrients we need. In fact, potatoes have even more potassium than bananas.
  5. Gluten-free alert: Potatoes are a great alternative to pasta and bread. You can even make lasagna with spud slices instead of noodles, Lillien adds.
  6. Russets, reds, purples, fingerlings, yellows, whites & petites… So many possibilities!
  7. HG Lisa’s favorite way to eat a potato? Twice-baked, stuffed with light cheese and veggies.
  8. Potatoes are ALWAYS in season. “Put ’em on your grocery list today,” she says.

Thanks hungry girl even more reason to eat a manly potato.

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Steel-Cut Oatmeal With Fruit
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Steel-Cut Oatmeal With Fruit

 

So many kinds so many questionsI used to be a Quick Cook Oats and even tried those instant packages (yuck) thanks to Lyn I am a Old Fashion Oats guy, while she is a Rolled or Steel Oats gal. Hey everyone has their own taste and who’s to say you are right or wrong.  Joe and my wife both cook a weeks worth Lyn has it all set in the frig in individual servings while I use my cook what I eat method every morning. I have been known to wander over to her side from time to time.

Old Fashioned Oats, Steel Cut Oats and Quick Cooking Oats

Old Fashioned Oats, Steel Cut Oats and Quick Cooking Oats

Steel-Cut Oats – We get steel-cut oats when the whole groat is split into several pieces. Simmered with water, steel-cut oats retain much of their shape and make a chewy, nutty-tasting porridge. Substitute: Whole Oat Groats

Rolled Oats – Whole grains of oats can also be steamed to make them soft and pliable, and then pressed between rollers and dried. The resulting “rolled oats” re-absorb water and cook much more quickly than whole groats or steel-cut oats. When a recipe calls for “rolled oats” or the packaging mentions it, they generally mean the thickest rolled oat, which retains its shape fairly well during cooking. Substitute: Quick oats can be substituted, but the texture will be lost

Old-Fashioned Oats – The source of much confusion, old-fashioned oats are actually the same as rolled oats. You’ll usually see them called “Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats” on packaging.

Quick Cook Oats

Quick Cook Oats

Quick or Quick-Cooking Oats – These are oats that have been pressed slightly thinner than rolled oats. They cook more quickly, but retain less of their texture. Substitute: Rolled Oats or Instant Oats

 

Instant oatmeal

Instant oatmeal

 

Instant Oats – Pressed even thinner than quick oats, instant oats often break into a coarse powder. They cook the quickest of all and make a very soft and uniform mush (erm…for lack of a better description). Substitute: Quick Oats

Hotel Morning Oats – Then there was the oatmeal at the hotel in Minnesota last trip, I think you could have put up wall paper with it, talk about stick to your ribs Joe.

Joe P. Whitney Jr.
“This is what I make Tony and I every week for breakfast. I double the batch and add 16 dates, 1/3 c raisins, 1/3 c of walnuts, cinnamon, and vanilla. It’s so amazing!! It sticks to your ribs. Don’t really get hungry till about ten. Try it!!”

Steel-Cut Oatmeal With Fruit

Joe's oatmeal

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups water
  • 2 cups low-fat milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • 1 cup steel-cut oats
  • 1 teaspoon unsalted butter (optional)
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons dried fruit, such as raisins, chopped dried apricots, dried cranberries
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons maple syrup, agave syrup, honey or brown sugar (more to taste)
  • Fresh fruit (such as diced apples and pears, optional)

How:

1. Combine the water, milk and salt in a large, heavy saucepan, and bring to a boil. Slowly add the oats, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Stir in the butter, dried fruit and sweetener. Cover, and continue to simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often to prevent the cereal from sticking to the bottom of the pan, until the oats are soft and the mixture is creamy. Serve, with added fruit stirred in if desired, or refrigerate and reheat as desired. Or freeze as follows:

2. Line ice cube trays with plastic wrap. Fill each cube with oatmeal, cover with plastic wrap and freeze. Once frozen solid, remove the cubes from the ice tray and freeze in a plastic bag. For each portion, thaw three or four cubes in a microwave on the defrost setting. Add additional warm milk if desired.

Yield: Four servings.

Advance preparation: Cooked steel-cut oats will keep for five days in the refrigerator and can be reheated atop the stove or in the microwave.

Note: Although my steel-cut oats come in a container with directions for cooking them in the microwave, I don’t find the results satisfactory. The oatmeal doesn’t have the time it needs to swell and release its starch into the liquid, so the liquid never gets creamy and the oatmeal doesn’t soften properly. A better way to save time is to soak the oats overnight. Bring 2 cups water to a boil. Combine the oats and salt in a bowl, and pour on the water. Leave overnight. In the morning, bring the milk to a simmer in a large saucepan, and stir in the oats and any liquid remaining in the bowl. Add the remaining ingredients, and simmer 15 minutes, until creamy, stirring often.

articleLarge

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             Blueberry Bread

Hilltop Steak House Marinated Beef Tips
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Hilltop Steak House Marinated Beef Tips

Years ago in another life, the life of a movie theater manager, I used to frequent the Hilltop Steak House in Saugus MA with the fake cows corralled out front.

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There were 3 of us, all mangers, who would gather there for drinks and dinner. The other managers had it down to a science, I was the newbie and just learning the power a movie passes. Years later while with 20th Century Fox and Orion Pictures I found that premium movie screening passes would get fake train ticket punches on the commuter rail. I rode the rails for month at no cost besides the $1 parking fee. Yep it was a while back….. Anyway back to Hilltop back then you had no choice but to get a number and wait sometimes up to an hour.

hilltop line

We would get our number, wander upstairs to the bar, tell the bar tender to let Big Rosie know we were here, order our drinks (tip an occasional movie pass). Within a few minutes our number was called and we would wander down to Rosie’s smiling face. Her family size as she did fit her nickname. After our meals were on the table and maybe half to three-quarters gone Rosie would whisk our plates away, apologize for the meal not being perfect,  and would return with three new meals. She kept us feed with plenty or left overs to take home to our refrigerators – home was the theatre, our days were long especially with mid night showings. Anyway her family and friend had plenty of movies to go to between Peabody, Saugus and Stoneham.
Why am I bringing up the Hill Top, well after 52 years they are finally closing their doors I heard that someone even stole a cow from the front.

cows

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 1/4 c. maple syrup
• 1/4 c. red wine vinegar
• 1/4 c. soy sauce
• Chopped Parsley
• 4 chopped garlic cloves
• Oregano to taste
• Pepper to taste
• 4 lbs. sirloin steak tips
• 2 lbs. sm. white onions
• 2 red peppers
• 2 green peppers
• lg. pkg. Mushrooms

How:

Marinate steak tips in the first 8 ingredients for at least 6 hours. (Can be done 24 hours ahead). Cut Vegetables in large pieces and add to marinade mixture 1 hour before grilling (can be added as you grill, but it is not as tasty).

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Grill steak and vegetables together in a grill pan.

tips

Hilltop Steak Tips

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Reign On Carolina Barbecue Vinegar Barbecue Sauces – Week 11
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Reign On Carolina Barbecue Vinegar Barbecue Sauces – Week 11

Thin, tart and full of great flavor – While watching the Pats why not try some local cuisine BBQ shredded Panthers with vinegar based sauces.

Vinegar is the secret ingredient of Carolina Barbecue, particularly apple cider vinegar. Straight cider vinegar is used as a marinade, before cooking, as a baste during cooking and as the primary ingredients of a finishing sauce served on barbecue at the table. The secret of using vinegar with barbecue is to give it time to work it’s way into the meat so that you won’t be left with a strong bitter flavor. You need to balance the sweet flavor of slow cooked meat with the flavor of the vinegar. The advantage to vinegar barbecue sauces is that you can add them in at anytime and the vinegar easily works into the meat. This allows you to add spices and have them sink into the meat giving it plenty of flavor.

apple cider
Of course there is more to a good vinegar barbecue sauce than vinegar. North Carolina is divided on the issue of sauce. On the eastern side, vinegar is kept pure, particularly of those nasty tomatoes. However on the west side barbecue sauces are put together with a hint of tomato and sugar. Now while the purists will keep to these formulas others have taken to the additions of cayenne, brown sugar, molasses, red pepper, red pepper flakes, etc.. These thin sauces can come in so many different variations that they could challenge the thick, sweet sauces in variety.

The vinegar used is usually apple cider vinegar, but plain white vinegar works as well. The advantage of vinegar in sauces is that it has an additional tenderizing effect that helps make barbecue pull apart perfect. The gentle acid of vinegar tenderizes the meat during the process making it as tender as possible

Now, like any other barbecue sauce it is best made in advance. You want to give the flavors time to mix. The vinegar will literally dissolve most anything you add to it. If you add coarse ingredients like red pepper flakes you really need to give it a day or two to pull the flavors out into the vinegar.

Now these would be good with any of my recipes such as:

ribs

root-beer-sauce-gone

pulled pork

brisket sandwich

Here are some local Carolina recipes I found

Pulled Pork Finishing Sauce

North Carolina Vinegar Sauce

This traditional finishing sauce is a wonderful accompaniment to Carolina Style Pulled Pork. It is served on the side and added by the person doing the eating.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: Makes about 1 1/4 cup

Ingredients:

•1 cup cider vinegar
•2 tablespoons salt
•2 tablespoons brown sugar
•1 teaspoon cayenne
•1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients together. Let stand as long as possible, at least 1/2 a day, but the longer the better.

North Carolina Vinegar Sauce

Carolina Red

This recipe is a great table sauce for Pulled Pork. Blending both the vinegar and tomato traditions of North Carolina into one.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne or 1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

Big Red BBQ

Preparation:

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir to dissolve the sugar. Serve at room temperature or chilled. The sauce keeps indefinitely.

Hog Mop

Want to smoke a whole hog? This mop not only gives it a great flavor but makes enough to get you through.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 12 minutes
Yield: Makes 5 quarts (You can cut it down in amounts when BBQ or smoking a roast. I would mop more often)

Years ago my sister would hold an annual pig roast I remember the ride home with the pig in the passenger’s seat cigarette butt hanging out of its mouth. We would do either an oil, oregano and rosemary or vinegar based slop. The trick was to get someone to wander over and try out turning the pig on the hand rotated spigot, then you would walk away leaving them with this distraught look of abandonment while you grab and down another beer. It was not long until they figured out the game and there were always enough newbies around. Wish I could find some of those old pictures, ahh that crispy pig skin.

pig on spigget

Ingredients:

• 3 quarts cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 quarts water
• 3/4 cup salt
• 1/4 cup chili powder

mopping

Preparation:

Mix ingredients together and mop hog every other hour.

North Carolina Vinegar Sauce

Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 5 Minutes
Total Time: 10 Minutes
Yield: 2 cups

Ingredients

2 cups apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon Texas Pete’s
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt

How

1. Place all of the ingredients in a small, non-reactive sauce pan and bring to a boil. Whisk until the sugar and salt is completely dissolved, remove from heat, and allow to cool to room temperature.
2. Pour the sauce into a jar or squeeze bottle and let rest in the refrigerator one day before using.

Carne-val

Reign on Crispy Smashed RedSkins – Week 10
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Reign on Crispy Smashed RedSkins – Week 10

Since the Patriots are on a Bi and well deserved I might add, I will honor the Washington RedSkins this recipe it may be the last time I can call them that if I want to remain PC.

Don’t let the salt in this recipe scare you but do use table salt not kosher. These would be good for any event I strongly suggest.

Found this on Brian Child’s Marinate Me Baby

Ingredients
◾2lb Red Potatoes (2×1 Inch in Size)
◾1 1/4 cup Table Salt
◾8 cups Water
◾4 tablespoons Malt Vinegar
◾Cracked Black Pepper (To Taste)
◾6 tablespoons Olive Oil

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How

Step 1
Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees.
Step 2
Set wire rack inside rimmed baking sheet.
Brush second rimmed baking sheet evenly with oil.
Step 3
Bring 2 quarts water to boil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Stir in potatoes and salt, and cook until just tender and paring knife slips easily in and out of potatoes, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain potatoes and transfer to wire rack; let dry for 10 minutes.

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Step 4
Transfer potatoes to oiled baking sheet. Flatten each potato with underside of measuring cup until ½ inch thick. Brush potatoes with half of vinegar and season with pepper.

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Step 5
Roast until potatoes are well browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Brush with remaining vinegar. Transfer potatoes to platter, smashed side up. Serve.

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