UP ALL NIGHT STAMPER

World Vegetarian Day - Stampin' Style!

Yesterday was World Vegetarian Day so I thought I would share both a recipe for and a project inspired by my delicious Sweet Potato Black Bean chili. This is delicious as is or as a vegetarian nacho topping.  You can omit the chipotle for a milder flavor.

This makes about 8 cups and goes together super fast. It freezes well, too!

Vegetarian Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili

• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 medium-large sweet potatos, peeled and diced into 1" cubes
• 1 large white or vidalia onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 4 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chile
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed very well and drained
• 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes with liquid
• 4 teaspoons lime juice
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro including finer stems

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring often, until the onion is beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. Add sweet potatoes and cook another 4 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, chipotle and salt and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Add water and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the sweet potato is tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
2. Add beans and tomatoes; increase heat to high and return to a simmer, stirring often. add lime juice and reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.

Now, this is a very forgiving recipe!  Just don't scorch the onions or garlic because they will turn bitter and if you over thicken it, just add some water and heat until all blended together.  It's so yummy and comforting and you won't miss the meat, I promise!  I like to serve it with warm (gluten free) cornbread and lots of sweet butter.....MMMMMMM!

So I promised a project, too, so here's a fall card in the colors from the chili!  What do you think?  Did I hit the mark?

Here's a closeup -

I have the orange for the sweet potatoes, the red for the tomatoes, the green for the cilantro and I chose dark brown instead of black for the beans........ 

Go ahead, try both!  You will love them; I promise!

Supply List
CARDSTOCK: Cajun Craze, Cherry Cobbler, Peach Parfait, Lucky Limeade
STAMPS: Triple Treat Flower
INK: Early Espresso
ACCESSORIES: Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Big Shot, Fancy Flower Punch, 5-Petal Flower Punch, 1/2" Circle Punch, Chocolate Chip Satin Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals, SNAIL Adhesive.

Recipe - Baked Fruit Filled Acorn Squash

I made this last night for company and we really liked it.  It was sort of an "on the fly" invention but it came out so good I wrote it down for the future.  This served four.

Acorn squash, in my opinion, is a very underrated and underappreciated vegetable.  It is high in fiber but not too stringy, it has a mild flavor that absorbs what you add to it but can stand on its own if you prefer, it's easy to prepare once you get it cut in half (stick in the oven and forget about it), and it isn't a break the bank veggie.  Plus you can get away with serving it in place of a starch and a veg because it is filling and has a starchier mouthfeel than other winter squashes.

Take two acorn squash, wash them and halve them and scoop out the seeds.  Two tips: 1- use your largest, sharpest knife to cut the squash in half.  It will be VERY difficult but place your knife on the side running stem to stem and just keep pushing down.  All of a sudden the knife will pass through the stems and will thunk all the way through (be sure you are on a cutting board!)  2 - if you have a spring scoop (like the cookie scoops from Pampered Chef) use that to scoop out the seeds.  The thin, sharper edge makes fast work of it!  Or try a grapefruit spoon......

Place the squash halves cut side up in a microwave safe dish and cover with plastic.  It's OK if the squash are leaning up against each other to fit.  Nuke them until they are easily pierced with a fork.  This took about 20 minutes in two 10 minute (with a dish shift in the middle) bursts but my microwave is older so yours might take less.  Remove the dish and using a butter knife (you want to try not to pierce the green outer skins) score the flesh in both directions.  Set aside to cool a little.

Meanwhile (back at the ranch......sorry, saw some Mystery Science Theater over the weekend), peel, core and roughly chop two apples (I used Fujis).  Melt 4 tbs of butter over medium heat and add the apples.  Saute them until they are JUST beginning to get soft.  Add 1/2 cup orange juice, 2 tbs raisins, 2 tbs dried cranberries and 1/4 cup maple syrup (always buy the darker grade B; it's got a lot more maple flavor) and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat to medium and simmer until the liquid has reduced by about half.  Using a slotted spoon, fill each acorn half with the fruit and evenly divide the liquid among the halves.

(At this point, I covered and refrigerated them because I prepped them early in the day. If you do that just take them out about 1/2 hour before finishing.)  Place 1 tablespoon butter on each half and bake in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes.  I finished mine with a quick broil because I like things to be a little browned - 3 minutes or so.  Drizzle another teaspoon or so of maple syrup over the top before serving.

You can experiment all over the place with this.  Try pears, use all raisins or all cranberries, try molasses instead of maple syrup, add some heat with some cayenne, make it even sweeter with some pumpkin pie spice.  Go nuts - hey - add nuts if you like!

We loved it and it was a great winter dish.  I'll be making this at least once a week!

A FANTABULOUS recipe!

Here is a recipe that is perfect for this weekend - fast, easy, cheap and soooooooo delicious.  Some of you may already know of or have had Captain Cornell's Barbequed Chicken.  This is NOT your typical barbequed chicken; a more apt description would be grilled chicken.  Whatever you call it I can tell you that it is superb and - biggest plus - CHUMLEY EATS IT!  WAH-HOO!!!!!

Here's the recipe:

1 cup cooking oil (any kind, canola or another heart healthy oil)
1 pint cider or white vinegar (I prefer white because it has less of a flavor on its own.  If you typically         love cider vinegar then you should use it!)
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon pepper (although we love it so I always add a bit more)
1 egg (yes, an egg!)

Beat the egg in a bowl, mix in the oil.  Add the other ingredients and mix well.  Scoop out about a cup) Pour over chicken parts (I use mixed bone in breasts and drumsticks.  It covers a LOT.) Marinate for a couple of hours in the fridge.  Grill until done, basting with the reserved marinade.

YUUUUUUUMMMMMMM!!!!!!!
 

Indonesian Salmon

I made this the other night for dinner and even Chumley will eat it!  The main ingredient is Kecap Manis ("kee-chup mahn-ees"), something I had forgotten about until recently.  Kecap Manis is a sweetened soy sauce, almost like a soy sauce molasses.  It adds a depth of flavor with its sweet smokiness that you can't really get another way.  It is hard to find but you can get it from Amazon.com here .  It is sold in a two bottle pack so you can share with a friend.

For a salmon fillet that will serve 2-3 people mix together 1/4-1/3 a cup of Kecap Manis, one generous tablespoon of freshly grated or jarred crushed ginger (I LOVE Trader Joe's version; it's even better than what I used to get from the wholesaler), 1/2 teaspoon of freshly minced garlic or 1/4 teaspoon of garlic juice (which I use all the time!) and two tablespoons of soft butter.  Mix it all together; the butter will not fully incorporate.  Place your salmon on the grill or broiler pan and pour/brush the mixture over the salmon.  Grill or broil until salmon is completely opaque and flakes easily in the center.

This is also really good on any chicken and I am thinking about trying it on those plain boring boneless pork chops.  YUM!