Country Scramble Breakfast Skillet

Serves 4.

Ingredients

  • 6 large eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup shredded cheese blend (cheddar, jack, blanco)
  • ¼ lb uncased, mild Italian sausage, seasoned
  • ¼ lb thick cut bacon, diced
  • ¾ cup Baby Bella or button mushroom, diced
  • 3 medium Eastern or Russet potatoes, peeled and diced
  • ⅓ cup onion or shallot, diced
  • ⅓ cup green bell pepper, diced
  • ⅓ cup red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed and minced
  • ½ tsp sweet paprika
  • ½ tsp ground oregano
  • ½ tsp ground sage
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Wash and peel potatoes, dicing into ½ inch cubes. Place potatoes in small saucepan and cover with salted water. Raise heat to a simmer, parboiling potatoes about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool 5 more minutes. Drain and set aside.

Prepare eggs in a small bowl, scrambled and set aside.

In a 10″ cast iron skillet, combine sausage, paprika, oregano, sage and black pepper. Brown over medium heat until barely pink. Remove to a bowl, leaving up to a tablespoon of fat in the pan.

Add bacon and mushroom to the skillet, sauté until bacon is just browned and mushrooms sweat. Add onion and bell peppers, and sauté until onions begin to sweat but not brown or turn translucent. Add garlic and saute until fragrant. Remove from heat.

Add sausage and potatoes to the skillet and toss to combine. Pour egg batter over top, tilting pan to distribute batter throughout the medley and breaking up dry pockets with a silicone spatula. Cover with shredded cheese.

Place skillet directly in oven and bake at 375°F for approximately 15 minutes, until cheese is lightly browned and bubbling. The eggs will have set when a toothpick draws clean.

Serving suggestion: garnish with salsa.

OTB Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

  • Chicken Breast, 3 breast,
  • Canned Diced tomatoes 1 can
  • Enchilada Sauce, 1 can
  • Onions, raw, 1 medium
  • Green Chili Peppers, 1 can, 7 oz, minced
  • Garlic, 3 cloves or 1 TBSP
  • Water, tap, 4 cups
  • Cumin, 1 TBSP
  • Chili powder, 1TBSP
  • Wild Blend Brown Rice-1 cup
  • Zucchini, 4 medium
  • Silver tequila 2 oz
  • Olive oil, 2 oz
  • 1 avocado
  • Mexican blend shredded cheese, 1 cup approximately
  • 2 green onion, sliced

Instructions

Season chicken with salt & pepper. Sear in 3 qt pot, and remove to cool. Chop zucchini into bites sized chunks. Shred or chop chicken when cool.

Add onion and garlic to saute. Deglaze pan with tequila. Add remaining ingredients and simmer over low heat covered for 2 hours, topping up water as needed.

Serve garnished with a slice of avocado, a pinch of cheese, pinch of green onion/chive and tortilla strips.

Adapted from On The Border Recipes

Beer-free Beer Battered Chicken bites

This fry batter is a cross between beer batter for fish and chicken, and corn dog batter for hot dogs. The end product is a moist, fluffy breading reminiscent of a beer batter, without the beer.

For a more savory product, add granulated garlic and onion in the batter to taste.

Ingredients

  • 2 large chicken breasts cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 1¼ cups all purpose flour
  • ½ cup yellow corn meal
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp coarse ground black pepper
  • ½ tsp chili powder
  • ½ tsp chipotle powder
  • ½ tsp ground oregano
  • ½ tsp marjoram leaves
  • ¼ tsp cayenne powder
  • 1 cup buttermilk, approximately
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup corn starch, reserved
  • 1 quart peanut, vegetable or canola oil for frying

Instructions

Preheat oil to 350°F in a fryer, 3qt saucepan or 10″ cast iron skillet. Do not overfill.

Trim chicken breasts of fat and tendon, and cut into bite sized pieces, approximately 1 inch cubes. Final product will be nearly double in size. Lay pieces on a paper towel and pat dry on all sides until tacky.

Measure 1 cup of corn starch onto a plate or shallow bowl to dredge chicken pieces. Set aside.

Prepare batter, combining flour, corn meal, baking powder, salt and spices in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Combine eggs and ¾ cup of buttermilk in a separate bowl and combine. Pour wet ingredients over dry and stir until well combined, adding more buttermilk until the batter forms wet peaks. Should be thicker than pancake batter, more sticky than runny.

Working individually, dredge chicken pieces in corn starch, shaking off excess. Transfer dredged pieces to batter and coat thoroughly on all sides. Using a fork, shake excess batter and transfer battered pieces pieces to fryer. Fry pieces in batches of 4 to 6, turning occasionally as they float. Batter will puff and turn golden. Turn pieces until evenly golden brown on all sides, and transfer to a cooling rack over a lined pan to catch drips. Pieces should cook about 5 to 6 minutes each.

Allow to drain and cool. Serve with Honey Mustard Sauce or Barbecue sauce.

Black Bean & Corn Salsa

A versatile and impromptu salsa that can be used as a side dish, filling or cold salad. Makes about 4 cups.

Ingredients

  • 1 can, 15oz whole kernel corn, with liquid
  • 1 can, 15oz black beans, partially drained
  • ½ cup chicken stock
  • 2 tbsp butter or olive oil
  • 1 tsp granulated onion
  • ½ tsp granulated garlic
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • ½ tsp crushed red pepper flake
  • ½ tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp ground oregano
  • ¼ tsp ground sage
  • ¼ tsp chili powder
  • ¼ tsp chipotle powder
  • ⅛ tsp cayenne powder
  • 1 medium bay leaf

Instructions

Combine ingredients in a 2 quart saucepan and simmer uncovered 15 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Serve warm, or omit chicken stock and butter to serve cold.

Mediterranean hummus dip

The key to achieving a creamy, yogurt like consistency with this dish is to add liquid slowly while blending.Makes about 4 cups (32oz).

Ingredients

  • 2 cans, 15oz garbanzo beans or chick peas, liquid reserved
  • ⅓ cup sesame tahini
  • ¼ cup lemon juice, or about 2 lemons
  • 3 cloves garlic (optional: roasted)
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp granulated onion
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground black cardamom
  • 1 tsp sweet paprika
  • 1 tsp ground oregano
  • 1 tsp ground thyme

Instructions

Strain garbanzo beans into a bowl, reserving the liquid.Combine tahini, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic in a food processor equipped with a metal blade. Blend the tahini with the other ingredients until a dry paste forms, being careful not to overwork.Add the beans with 1 cup of the canning liquid, blending 1 minute on high speed, or until smooth. If the mixture is dry or thick, add canning liquid in small increments to achieve desired consistency, being careful not to thin the mixture too much. Add remaining spices and blend until combined. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 1 week.

Tzatziki sauce

Makes 20 oz.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups plain green yogurt
  • 1 English cucumber, washed and shredded
  • 1 lemon, zested and juiced
  • 4 tsp dill weed
  • 3 cloves crushed garlic, miced
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
  • ½ tsp hot paprika

Instructions

Using a citrus zester, fine grater or microplane, remove the zest of one lemon, then juice.

Combine ingredients in a medium bowl. Serve chilled as a dip or topping.

Chicken kebabs

Makes 10 skewers.

Ingredients

CHICKEN KEBABS

  • 3 chicken fillets, cut in 1-inch cubes
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • 1 yellow bell pepper
  • 1 red onion, quartered
  • 1 flat Baby Bella mushroom

CHICKEN KEBAB MARINADE

  • 1⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil,
  • Juice of 2 lemon,
  • 6 clove of garlic, chopped
  • 4 tsp paprika
  • 4 tsp thyme
  • 6 tsp oregano
  • 6 tsp salt
  • 4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Combine marinade ingredients and divide between two ziplock bags. Add chicken to one bag, and vegetables to the other. Marinate at least 30 minutes, up to 4 hours.Arrange vegetables and chicken on skewers, and grill over medium flame, about 425°F, for about 20 minutes, turning twice.

Asian Noodle salad #1

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces thin Asian vermicelli noodles, prepared
  • 1 carrot, shredded
  • 4 pickling cucumbers, shredded
  • 3 scallion or 1 bunch chives, chopped
  • 1½ cups fresh bean sprouts (optional)
  • ⅓ cup fresh, chopped cilantro or lemon basil
  • ⅓ cup fish sauce
  • ⅓ cup seasoned rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 cloves garlic, grated or minced, and toasted
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
  • Juice of 1 lime (or 1 tbsp)

Instructions

Prepare noodles per directions on the package, then chill in an ice bath or store refrigerated overnight.

Combine ingredients in a bowl and toss until well combined.

Serve as a base for Asian dishes, or as a side.

Neapolitan pizza dough #1

Derived ratios from several recipes:

  • 600g Type “00” flour
  • 400mL water
  • 12g salt
  • 8.5g (1 sachet) yeast

This wants a long rest and a long rise. Prepare days in advance. Make four 12″ crusts.

Combine ingredients and mix by hand until incorporated. Allow to rise up 10-10 hours. Turn out and divide evenly by 4. Seal in quart size containers and refrigerate 2-4 days until risen.

Warm to room temp at least 2 hours prior to working.

See also, Garlic Knots recipe.

Adapted from Basic Neapolitan Pizza Dough Recipe