Breakfast taco

This morning I was reminded by my wonderful Witchy Sissy to use my left over roasted tomatillo sauce with eggs. I complimented her on her cooking prowess and great suggestion, when she told me that she had just read my blog on chicken enchiladas with roasted tomatillo sauce and that I was the one who mentioned it, in the blog. LOL!

Turns out the Witch was right, it was a damn good idea and it made an awesome breakfast!

If you're looking for quick, easy, portable and delicious, please look no further. From start to finish, including the time it took for my wee cast iron pan to heat up, it took about 4 minutes. If you're using a lighter weight pan I bet you can shave at least 2.5 minutes off that time.

Breakfast Taco
makes 1 taco
1 egg
1 T roasted tomatillo green chili sauce
1 T grated cheddar cheese
1 fajita size flour tortilla
pinch of kosher salt
dab of butter

Scramble egg in your favorite skillet with a dab of butter. I use my small cast iron pan for this.



Heat your tortilla in your microwave, about 20 seconds, until warm & pliable.

Heat up 1T of your roasted tomatillo sauce

Once egg is cooked transfer it to the warmed tortilla, top with shredded cheese and tomatillo sauce. Enjoy!



Nutrition Facts provided by SparkPeople Recipe Calculator
1 Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 243.2
Total Fat 10.4 g
Saturated Fat 3.6 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.2 g
Monounsaturated Fat 3.9 g
Cholesterol 221.4 mg
Sodium 327.4 mg
Potassium 68.8 mg
Total Carbohydrate 22.2 g
Dietary Fiber 0.0 g
Sugars 0.0 g
Protein 12.1 g

Roasted Tomatillo Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas

Enchiladas are one of the Husbands' favorite Mexican dishes. I can always count on him to order an enchilada combo plate with 1 chicken, 1 beef and 1 cheese enchilada when we go out for Mexican. What can I say, the man loves his enchiladas!! And whats not to love? Spicy chili sauce, savory meats, creamy cheese and flavorful tortillas, YUM!

Most of us think that making enchiladas is hard or time consuming. I'm here to prove that wrong! Making enchilada sauce isn't hard - heck it isn't even very time consuming! All it takes is a few ingredients and a little Witchcraft, which I'm here to show you now.

Tomatillos are the secret ingredient to most green chili sauces. Tomatillos are small green fruits that look like a green tomato. They are not, however, they are members of the gooseberry family. Tomatillos have a papery skin that needs to be removed before cooking. When shopping for tomatillos look for firm fruits that are heavy for their size and paper skins that are tight and not peeling off. When you are ready to cook the tomatillos peel the papery skins off and discard. Then rinse the fruit well to remove the sticky/slimy coating that occurs when the paper is removed. The flavor of a tomatillo is tart and almost lime like. They are used often in Mexican green sauces for the acidic flavor they bring as well as the light green color. If you can't find fresh tomatillos in your grocery you can use canned ones, they are in the Mexican foods aisle, by the canned chilies.

Once the sauce is made, which takes about 30 minutes, the rest is a matter of assembly. If you are lucky enough to have left over sauce (or are smart enough to make a double batch) try it on eggs. Or heat some up and add tortilla chips, cheese and you've got chilaquiles. DELICIOUS!

Roasted Tomatillo Green Chili Enchiladas
makes 4 to 6 servings

Sauce:
4 cups chicken stock (homemade is best, boxed is acceptable)
4 Anaheim or New Mexico green chilies (long mild chilies), roasted and peeled
1 jalapeno, roasted and peeled
1/2 onion
3-4 cloves garlic
4 medium size tomatillos, roasted
Salt & pepper to taste
drizzle of oil for sautee

Enchiladas:
1 lb chicken breasts (2 breasts)
12-15 corn tortillas
shredded cheese, cheddar, queso fresco, Monteray jack, whatever makes you happy
Roasted tomatillo sauce

Roast the peppers and tomatillos. Click here for instructions on how to roast peppers indoors. Once peppers are roasted and peeled remove seed pod and as much of the veins as you desire. Set aside.

In a small sauce pan heat the oil. Once hot add the onions and garlic, stirring often to avoid burning the garlic. Allow onions to start to soften, then add the stock, peppers, tomatillos and S&P. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the chilies are softened.

Transfer the stock & peppers to a blender or food processor. Process until smooth. Return to the pan, adjust season as needed and bring to a simmer again.

Poach the chicken breasts in the green chili sauce. Cook chicken in the sauce over medium low heat, just barely simmering, for about 20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 160. Remove chicken and allow to cool enough to handle.

Preheat oven to 350.

Slice chicken thin against the grain or cut into a dice. Mix 1/2 cup of the sauce in with the sliced chicken, set aside.

Spray or oil a 13x9 pan.



Submerge each tortilla into the hot sauce for 10-20 seconds, until the tortilla is softened and pliable but not so long that it starts to dissolve. (be prepared to destroy a few tortillas, it happens every time!) Place softened tortilla into the pan and spread 1-2 T of the chicken in the center. Fold ends over and place seam side down into the pan. Repeat until you run out of chicken, about 12-15 enchiladas.



Pour 1 cup of sauce over top of the enchiladas. Cover with shredded cheese. Place into a hot oven until cheese melts.

To serve, pour sauce onto the bottom of a plate. Place 2 enchiladas on top of the sauce. Garnish with your favorite toppings, including avocado, tomatoes, green onions, sour cream or lettuce.




Nutrition Facts provided by SparkPeople Recipe Calculator
4 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 442.2
Total Fat 12.2 g
Saturated Fat 5.3 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2.1 g
Monounsaturated Fat 3.6 g
Cholesterol 96.5 mg
Sodium 1,962.8 mg
Potassium 658.7 mg
Total Carbohydrate 42.5 g
Dietary Fiber 6.2 g
Sugars 2.4 g
Protein 40.5 g

Chinese style chicken techinque, water velveting and Kung Pao chicken

While browsing one of my favorite food blogs, Home Cooking in Montana, I found the technique for velveting chicken. Ellie made Kung Pao chicken using the velveting technique on the chicken and the photos made me drool. I knew right then & there that the Kitchen Witch needed to make this. One look at Ellie's site and the Husband agreed wholeheartedly. Ellie also talks about how to precook the chicken for later use, if this is something you'd like to know more about, click on over & check out her blog. You'll be happy you did!

After reviewing the technique I decided to tackle it. It was not hard at all! It involves a few little steps but all in all, really simple. But is all this really worth it? I mean I've been making stir fry chicken dishes for years, how can this velveting really make it better?

I don't really know is the short answer. Witchcraft is the logical answer. I'm sure a lot of science goes into it as well. All I can tell you is that it indeed is worth every single second of time you invest into it. The results will rival those of your favorite Chinese restaurant. Chicken so soft, so tender, so juicy that its almost unreal. How can a simple 30 minute marinade and a quick plunge into simmering water transform a lowly chicken breast into this dish of greatness? Who cares, so long as it does. And it does lovely readers, oh it really does.

The Kung Pao sauce is from Ellie as well. I really enjoyed the flavors it provided. I will admit I was dubious that only an onion and a red bell pepper would be enough vegetables, much less enough variety, but I was very pleasantly surprised. The onions weren't overpowering, rather they were almost sweet. The red bells provided beautiful color and a sweet crunch. I chose to use cashews rather than the traditional peanut here because of a peanut allergy in the family. Feel free to use whatever nut you like.

Lastly lets talk about the heat, after all, what's Kung Pao with out some heat, right? I bought 4 small long thin dried hot chilies at my Mexican grocery, it cost me a whopping .03. Yes that's 3, three cents. I crumbled up 2 of the peppers into my sauce, the 3rd was broken into a few pieces and added to the stir fry. The last was pure garnish. A bit of Sriracha in the sauce and like magic, you've got Kung Pao chicken that will make you forget the name of that little Chinese place down the street.

Kung Pao chicken using water velveting technique
makes 4 servings
You will need:
1 lb chicken breasts or thighs, boneless & skinless, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, cut in 1 inch dice
1-2 T oil
1 T minced garlic (+/- depending on taste)
1 T minced ginger (+/- depending on taste)
3-4 dried chilies or chili flakes
1/3 to 1/2 c cashews

Velveting Marinade
1/2 tsp kosher salt or to taste
1 T white wine
1 egg white
1 T cornstarch
1 T oil


Kung Pao sauce
2-4 tsp Sriracha
6 T water(or stock)
2 T white wine
2 T sugar
4 T soy sauce
1 scallion sliced thin

Apply the velveting marinade.
1. Sprinkle in the salt while stirring the meat.
2. Stir in the wine.
3. Add the egg white and gently mix to coat each piece of chicken making sure not to froth the egg.
4. Sprinkle in the cornstarch, coating each piece.
5. Add the oil and stir to coat. Let the meat marinate for 30 minutes.



Prepare other ingredients:
While the chicken marinates, prepare the other ingredients and the sauce. Have them ready.

In a small bowl, mix together all of the ingredients for the sauce and set it aside.
Make rice if desired to serve with dish.



Velveting the chicken: Using the water method.
Bring a pot of water with just one tablespoon oil to a boil.

Once the water boils, lower the heat to maintain a very gentle simmer.

Scatter in the marinated chicken, stir to separate and keep stirring gently until the coating turns white.

Remove the chicken pieces quickly with a slotted spoon or strainer.

Set the chicken aside.



Prepare the Kung Pao:

Heat a cast iron skillet or wok over medium high heat. Once its hot add 1-2 T oil to the pan. Add the garlic and ginger, stir fry until its light brown, 30 seconds to 1 minute max. Add the vegetables, chilies and the velveted chicken. Stir fry 1-2 minutes, until the chicken is done. Add the sauce and nuts, stir to coat and thicken sauce, 30 seconds longer.

Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy!



Nutrition Facts provided by SparkPeople recipe calculator
4 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 393.1
Total Fat 20.1 g
Saturated Fat 2.7 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 4.8 g
Monounsaturated Fat 11.2 g
Cholesterol 68.4 mg
Sodium 799.6 mg
Potassium 541.7 mg
Total Carbohydrate 20.1 g
Dietary Fiber 1.9 g
Sugars 7.3 g
Protein 32.0 g

Sunrise Smoothie

Ever since I bought my KitchenAid blender
I've been a smoothie junkie. They're so easy, so satisfying, so refreshing. And best of all, you can control what goes into these unlike the big franchise smoothie places. Sure, those are great for a treat, but who needs ice cream for breakfast? That's whats in most of those smoothies, ya know, which is why they taste so darn good! But never fear, the Kitchen Witch is here with a smoothie that's both delicious and healthy!

This one begins with strawberries and peaches. The berries are ones that I froze from an awesome .99/lb sale earlier this year and the peaches are standard issue frozen peaches from the grocery store. When peaches come into season I plan on freezing my own. Mmm...fresh sweet peaches! I can't wait! Add in a little yogurt, orange juice, milk, sugar and my secret ingredient, vanilla extract, and you've got a smoothie that will not only put a smile on your face but it'll wipe out memories of jamba and kiva and their calorie laden concoctions for good.

The measurements are in grams for this recipe. I had my kitchen scale handy & figured it was a lot more accurate than a handful of berries or a plop of yogurt. If you don't have a kitchen scale, get one! No just kidding, well not really, they are fabulous tools to have! But just for those of you who don't have a scale I'll also list the approximate amounts in parentheses.

Sunrise Smoothie
makes 1 hearty smoothie (16 oz)

60g peaches (about 5-6 slices)
120g strawberries (about 7-8 berries)
80g plain all natural yogurt (about 2 heaping tablespoons)
90g OJ (about 1/3 to 1/2 c)
100g milk (about 1/2 c)
7g vanilla (1t)
20g sugar (1.5T)

Blend them all together in a blender until very smooth and whipped. Enjoy!


Nutrition Facts provided by SparkPeople recipe calculator
1 Serving (16 oz)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 258.1
Total Fat 3.3 g
Saturated Fat 2.0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.6 g
Cholesterol 11.0 mg
Sodium 61.4 mg
Potassium 514.3 mg
Total Carbohydrate 53.2 g
Dietary Fiber 3.5 g
Sugars 40.6 g
Protein 6.3 g

Supreme Pizza pasta salad

On the menu tonight is Supreme Pizza Pasta Salad. Really, Kitchen Witch, another pasta salad? Yes! Indeed yes another pasta salad. Pasta salad is so versatile. Its perfect for summer time eating what better way to use summers fresh produce in its finest forms?

This pasta salad has a tomato dressing, pepperoni, red and green bell peppers, mushrooms, onions and cheese, both mozzarella pearls and asiago cheeses. Its literally a supreme pizza in a bowl. Feel free to customize the toppings to what your family enjoys.

I found fresh mozzarella pearls (very small balls, 1/4 inch!) in the deli case of my grocery store. If you can find them they are worth the cost; sweet, creamy, delicious nuggets of cheesy goodness that are perfect size for pasta salads. If you find them I highly recommend trying them.

Supreme Pizza Pasta Salad
serves 4
3/4 lb pasta, spirals
3 roma tomatoes
1 green pepper diced
1/2 red bell pepper diced
3 green onions sliced thin
1 clove garlic
1 sprig oregano minced
2 T red wine vinegar
3 T olive oil
Salt & pepper
20 pepperoni slices
6 baby portabello mushrooms
1/2 c mozzarella pearls
1/4 c fresh grated asiago or Parmesan cheese

2 T olive oil for sautee

Cook pasta in salted water until al dente, about 7-8 minutes.

While pasta is cooking put the tomatoes and garlic in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.

In a large bowl mix the oregano, vinegar, 1/2 t kosher salt & fresh ground pepper. Whisk in 3 T olive oil to make a thick dressing. Add the pureed tomatoes and garlic. Whisk to incorporate well. Reserve 3/4 c of this dressing for the pasta.

Dice bell peppers and slice green onion. In a preheated skillet add 2-3t olive oil and the peppers & onions. Cook about 5 min over medium high heat or until they are softened slightly and start to take on a bit of color. Add to the bowl with the tomato dressing. Stir.

Quarter mushrooms and sauté them in 2T olive oil until golden browned on all sides. Remove and let cool.

Once pasta is cooked drain well. Pour cooked pasta onto a sheet pan and pour the reserved tomato dressing on top, tossing to evenly coat pasta. Allow to cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Cool cooked mushrooms with pasta also.



Cook pepperoni in the same skillet about 2 minutes on each side or until it crisps and has rendered out a lot of the fat. Drain pepperoni, crumble once cooled.

Once pasta and mushrooms are cooled prepare salad. Add the mozzarella pearls to the pepper/tomato mixture, topping with the pasta and mushrooms. Add grated asiago cheese and toss well to coat evenly with dressing and veggies. Enjoy at room temperature for fullest flavor.



Nutrition Facts provided by Spark People Recipe Calculator
4 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 622.7
Total Fat 34.1 g
Saturated Fat 9.7 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2.4 g
Monounsaturated Fat 18.3 g
Cholesterol 45.7 mg
Sodium 1,223.1 mg
Potassium 375.6 mg
Total Carbohydrate 60.7 g
Dietary Fiber 4.5 g
Sugars 3.1 g
Protein 21.5 g

Roasted Chicken

I believe this makes the 3rd roasted chicken I've blogged about. There's a reason for that, they are simple and delicious!!!

This roasted chicken is Thomas Keller's recipe. I saw him make this bird on the Techniques episode of No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain and it looked so incredible that my husband paused the show, looked at me and said

"Can you make that?"
"Yeah I can make that!"
"Then go do it woman! Do it!"

It took me a few weeks to get around to roasting the bird for the husband but I did. And boy oh boy, am I ever glad I did!! It was so easy to prepare - and cooked in less than an hour. Thomas Keller is a cooking god for a reason, after all, and Mr. French Laundry did not disappoint with this bird.

The preparation is easy for this bird: pat dry, truss and salt liberally. Roast in a 450 oven in a skillet and that's it my friends. The extreme heat of the oven liquefies the subcutaneous fat from the skin and literally deep fries itself. The skin is crispy and delicious. I am a Witch that will always pass up chicken skin, its pretty gross to me. But this chicken skin, well it was crispy, not flabby at all, golden browned and kissed with herbs. Total and complete witch craft.

Roasted Chicken
by Thomas Keller
serves 4
1 roasting chicken, 3-4 lbs
lots of kosher salt
few grinds of pepper
1-2 sprigs thyme

Wash chicken, removing giblets and neck. Pat chicken very dry with paper towels inside & out. You want this bird dry, the less it steams the better the result will be.

Truss the chicken. If you need instructions on how to truss let the Witch know.

Sprinkle the chicken with kosher salt liberally. I mean lots of it, like 1T worth. Sprinkle from high above the bird, it creates a better scatter pattern on the meat and you get better coverage. The salt is important in flavoring the chicken as well as the crispy skin so don't skimp! Cover all sides of chicken with salt, add salt & pepper to the cavity as well.

Put the chicken in a skillet and roast at 450 for 45-60 minutes, or until the dark meat temperature reads 180*F. Remove chicken from pan, sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves and allow to rest for 5-15 minutes before carving.



You can make a pan gravy from the drippings if you wish, simply bring the drippings to a boil and whisk well to loosen the fond from the bottom of the pan. Add 1/2 c chicken stock and allow to reduce. Add 1t lemon juice and 2T butter to the reduced sauce. Serve with the chicken.

Nutrition Facts provided by SparkPeople Recipe Calculator
4 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 226.0
Total Fat 4.4 g
Saturated Fat 1.1 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.0 g
Monounsaturated Fat 1.2 g
Cholesterol 129.2 mg
Sodium 145.4 mg
Potassium 478.8 mg
Total Carbohydrate 0.0 g
Dietary Fiber 0.0 g
Sugars 0.0 g
Protein 43.6 g

Tamale pie, chicken version

Have you ever heard of a tiara desserts pan? If you're old like me you might remember them from the 80's. Its an awesome pan that Duncan Hines put out to go with their boxed dessert called Tiara Desserts. Its like a tart pan with a sunken part in the center, to hold a filling. They were uber cool for about a year, then fell out of vogue. I convinced my mom to buy one of the pans back in the day and when I moved out I took it with me :) She didn't even notice!

I've been making a variation of this dish for more than 20 years now. It all started with that tiara desserts pan. I baked a corn bread in the pan and filled the divot on top with taco meat & toppings, voila! Easy Mexican style dinner with minimal fuss.

Since the first time I made this dish I've been working on improving and changing it. Back in the day when I was a teen, I used a Jify cornbread mix. Now I make my own cornbread, accented with spices and roasted corn. Its a definite improvement over the boxed cornbread mix in this Witches' opinion. I've used ground beef or chicken for the meat topping, both are delicious so feel free to use whatever you have on hand.

Lastly, if you don't have a tiara desserts pan, don't fret. You can get a knock off from King Arthur Flour here or you can simply make this in an 8x8 pan. Sure it won't be as pretty but it'll taste good. And that's all that really matters, right?

Tamale Pie, chicken version
serves 6

Tamale cornbread
2 ears corn, roasted and cut off cob
1/2 c corn meal
3/4 c flour
1 t baking powder (aluminum free if you can find it)
1 t kosher salt
1/4 c butter, melted
1 egg
1/2c + 1T milk
1 t each chili powder, granulated garlic (1 clove fresh minced works too) and cumin
dash cayenne pepper, black pepper

Chicken mixture
2 chicken breasts ground coarsely (1 lb approx)
1.5 t chili powder
1 t cumin
1 t kosher salt
1/8 t pepper
3 cloves garlic minced
1 can whole tomatoes, drained
2 jalapenos, seeded
1/4 onion
juice of 1 small lime

1 can beans, black, pinto or kidney all are fine

Toppings, all optional:
shredded cheese, tomatoes, sour cream, green onions, black olives, guacamole, shredded lettuce, salsa

Roast the corn first. Shuck corn and put under the broiler of your oven with a rack at the highest position in the oven. Broil until the kernels start to brown, rotate corn until all sides are browned. Remove from oven & allow to cool slightly before slicing off the cob. Slice corn off the cob & set aside.



Make the cornbread:
Mix the dry ingredients together, including spices. Mix the wet ingredients together and whisk well to mix the egg. Pour wet over the dry, fold about 10 times until its ALMOST smooth & incorporated. Add the roasted corn then finish mixing. It won't be completely smooth, that's ok. Pour cornbread mix into a greased pan and bake at 350 for 15 min or until it tests clean in the center.

Make the sauce for the chicken next:
(While the cornbread is baking) In a blender put the canned tomatoes, jalapenos (I cut them into hunks), garlic, onion and spices. Blend until desired consistency (I made mine very smooth so the Little Witch would eat it, too).



Cook the chicken in a non reactive skillet until its 75% done. Add the sauce to the chicken, reduce heat to a low simmer, cover, and cook about 15 minutes, or until sauce has reduced by about half and chicken is cooked through.

Puree the beans in your food processor and puree until smooth. Add a touch of salt if desired.

Assembly:
Turn the cornbread out onto a plate (if using a fancy Tiara desserts pan, if using an 8x8 pan skip this step)

Spread beans in center.



Top beans with chicken mixture

Top chicken with cheese & desired toppings. Serve and enjoy!



Nutrition Facts provided by SparkPeople Recipe Calculator
6 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 349.6
Total Fat 15.2 g
Saturated Fat 8.6 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.1 g
Monounsaturated Fat 3.1 g
Cholesterol 86.8 mg
Sodium 723.1 mg
Potassium 452.7 mg
Total Carbohydrate 38.3 g
Dietary Fiber 5.4 g
Sugars 3.3 g
Protein 17.3 g

Tzatziki Pork chops

This recipe was the result of one of those "I've got stuff that I need to use ASAP, what am I going to make for dinner types" of moments. I had made the tzatziki sauce earlier in the week for kabobs. I had thawed pork chops that needed to be used. It seemed only natural to combine the two!

Yogurt is used as a meat marinade/tenderizer in many Indian and Greek dishes. I figured the flavors in the tzatziki would only bring goodness to the pork chops. Adding the additional salt when adding the sauce to the pork makes the sauce work more like brine, allowing the flavors to penetrate the meat while adding moisture back into the pork. The yogurt also helps tenderize the meat, resulting in a fantastic dinner!

The flavor on the chops was more subtle than I thought it would be. There was no stand out flavor, other than savory melt in your mouth deliciousness. The yogurt allowed the chop to gain a lot of color on the grill - it only helped deepen the flavors. I was foolish and used up my tzatziki sauce in the marinade, only to be left wanting more as a dip, so that's how I've written the recipe. I can see this becoming the basis of a lot of future meals, and that makes me happy! I hope you give this a try.

Tzatziki Pork Chops
makes 2 servings
Tzatziki sauce:
1/2 c plain yogurt, Greek is best but really any will work
3 T grated cucumber
1/4 t cumin
1/8 t garlic powder
1/4 t kosher salt
dash pepper
2 sprigs oregano minced

2 pork chops, center cut boneless
few pinches salt

Make up the sauce by combining all the sauce ingredients in a bowl. Mix well to incorporate.

Pour 1/2 the sauce over the pork chops and add a few additional pinches of salt. Coat chops in sauce and allow to marinate for 2-4 hours.

Grill pork chops until done, 150* internal temperature. Serve with remaining tzatziki sauce.



Nutrition Facts provided by SparkPeople Recipe Calculator
2 Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 343.8
Total Fat 20.2 g
Saturated Fat 7.8 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2.2 g
Monounsaturated Fat 8.8 g
Cholesterol 86.4 mg
Sodium 100.3 mg
Potassium 684.8 mg
Total Carbohydrate 5.4 g
Dietary Fiber 0.3 g
Sugars 4.3 g
Protein 33.3 g

Mediterranean style pasta salad

I realize this isn't a lot different from the pasta salad I posted last month but, come on, really what can you do to pasta salad that hasn't already been done? Regardless, I went with a Mediterranean feel with this one; lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), tomatoes, feta cheese, fresh herbs including Greek oregano and mint. The result is a flavorful, colorful, bright salad that perks up any old grilled piece of meat.

As always look at this salad as a canvas to add whatever you and your family likes. Got fresh green beans? Use them in place of the asparagus. Don't like red bell peppers? Leave them out! Hate orzo? Use spirals or shells, whatever makes you happy.

I love that more of my herbs are growing and thriving. It's true, the more you pick them the faster they grow, at least in this Witches' experience it is. My mint is finally big enough to start using, I loved it here, so unexpected yet subtle. If you've not used fresh mint I encourage you to try it, its not at all 'minty' like you would imagine. I always thought adding mint would be like adding a stick of Extra to your dish, gross! Not so. Give it a try! The chive blossom is one of the best perks of late spring & growing chives. Their pretty purple flowers have a sharp onion flavor that doesn't linger, rather gives you its essence and then moves on to allow other flavors in. And who doesn't love to eat flowers?

While easy to prepare the flavor is very complex and its stunning on a plate. The colors let you know that you're in for a delicious treat chock full of vitamins and goodness. Hooray for summertime and veggie laden pasta salads!

Mediterranean style pasta salad
serves 4
1/2 lb orzo or other small pasta
6 spears asparagus
10 grape tomatoes
1/2 red bell pepper finely diced
1 chive blossom (optional, can use fresh minced chives or shallots in lieu)
2 springs oregano
1 sprig thyme
1 sprig mint
1-2 small sprigs parsley
2 oz feta cheese, crumbled

Dressing:
juice of 1/2 lemon
3 T EVOO
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 t kosher salt
dash pepper
1/2 the minced herbs listed above

Make dressing by whisking all ingredient listed, set aside for 15 min while pasta cooks.

Cook pasta according to directions on box. When there's 1 minute left in pasta cooking time add the asparagus to the boiling water and drain it off with pasta. Cook pasta & asparagus with a cold water bath or spray cold water on pasta, moving it around until its all cooled off.



In a medium size bowl combine the tomatoes, bell peppers, feta, herbs and chive blossoms. Add drained and cooled pasta and asparagus. Toss with dressing and serve.



Nutrition Facts provided by SparkPeople Recipe calculator
4 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 296.7
Total Fat 14.5 g
Saturated Fat 3.7 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.7 g
Monounsaturated Fat 8.2 g
Cholesterol 12.6 mg
Sodium 162.9 mg
Potassium 197.5 mg
Total Carbohydrate 36.4 g
Dietary Fiber 2.7 g
Sugars 1.2 g
Protein 8.3 g

BBQ sauce, 2 types

The Kitchen Witch has been playing around with BBQ sauces lately. I have my store bough favorites but they all contain high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which is one of my no-no's ingredients wise. For years I've wanted to make my own sauce - but the only non HFCS ketchup I could find was small bottles of organic, which gets expensive after a while! Imagine my surprise when my Witchy Sissy found me Hunts HFCS FREE KETCHUP! Hooray!! Its in a BIG bottle, too :) Now that I was armed with HFCS Free ketchup BBQ sauce construction could begin. Who knew that making your own BBQ sauce was so simple? Why did I ever buy BBQ sauce before? Best of all you can adjust the sauce to your family's taste preferrances, want it sweeter? Spicier? More tangy? Adjust as you feel fit!

The first one I made was the Carolina style sauce. Its thinner than a regular BBQ sauce due to the high vinegar content. It has got quite a sour tang, from the vinegar and the mustard. It cooked down for about an hour which helped take the raw onion flavor out of it. Honestly, I only liked it on the pulled pork; it was too sour for chicken, in this Witches opinion.

The second sauce, Brown Sugar BBQ, uses basically the same ingredients as the Carolina style sauce but in different proportions. It's heavier on the ketchup and sugar and lighter on the vinegar & mustard. I liked this one a lot more, it was closer to what I envision BBQ sauce tasting like. More KC style than Carolina style.

In all actuality I think both sauces need a bit more work. The Carolina style needs more heat, I think it would play nicely with the vinegar. Maybe Sriracha could help here. The brown sugar one needs more 'sweet' but I didn't want to overload it with brown sugar. I think honey would be a delighful addtition. The Kitchen Witch also wants to incorporate fruit into the BBQ sauce, I love fruit on savory meat items, I think fruits natural sweetness would be great in a sauce. Fruits like maybe mango. Or pineapple. Yum! I can't wait to experiment with more BBQ sauces.

Do any of you make your own sauce? If so please share with me what you do to yours and maybe a link, if you have one! Happy grilling everyone!

Brown Sugar BBQ sauce
makes about 3 c of sauce (1 bottles worth)
2 c ketchup
1/2 c brown sugar
2 T brown mustard
2 T cider vinegar
1 t kosher salt
1 t chili powder
heavy pinch cayenne pepper
1/8 t black pepper


Carolina Style BBQ sauce
Makes about 3 cups (1 bottles worth)
1 c ketchup
1 c cider vinegar
1/2 c brown mustard
1/4 c brown sugar
1 t kosher salt
1/2 onion finely minced (1/2 c total)
1/2 t chili powder
1/8 t cayenne pepper
1/8 t black pepper


Cooking directions for both sauces:
In a heavy bottomed sauce pan heat the ingredients together. Cook over medium low heat for 45 minutes or until sauce has darkened in color and flavors have melded. Stir often, there is a lot of sugar in both of these sauces and you don't want them to scorch!
Nutrition Facts provided by Spark People recipe calcula
Brown sugar BBQ sauce
16 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 68.0
Total Fat 0.0 g
Saturated Fat 0.0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.0 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.0 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 485.4 mg
Potassium 25.7 mg
Total Carbohydrate 19.3 g
Dietary Fiber 0.0 g
Sugars 17.3 g
Protein 0.0 g

Carolina Style BBQ sauce
16 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 44.5
Total Fat 0.0 g
Saturated Fat 0.0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.0 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.0 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 384.3 mg
Potassium 35.0 mg
Total Carbohydrate 10.9 g
Dietary Fiber 0.1 g
Sugars 9.5 g
Protein 0.1 g

Mock BBQ pulled pork

True barbeque is done over smoke at very low temperatures for a very long time. Low & slow. This dish is NOT real barbeque. It is a delicious alternative for those of us who don't own a smoker or have 24 hours to stand watch over a wood fire and want good BBQ flavor, anyway.

By using a dutch oven sealed tightly and a low heat oven we're able to mimic the low & slow barbeque process, sans the smoky flavor. If you'd like you can add some liquid smoke to your pork about 1/2 way through cooking. Liquid smoke isn't something to be afraid of, it's created from the smoking process, when moisture condenses in smokers the smoke collects in the water droplets and if you collect that, instant liquid smoke. All the smoky flavors with out the hassle of maintaining a fire for long periods of time. Its an indoor BBQ'er's best friend. If the Liquid Smoke isn't your thing, feel free to leave it out. I've made this pork both ways and both are delicious. Its strictly a personal taste preferance.

Our preferred way of ingesting this delicious pork is in sandwich form, with a toasted bun and a side of cole slaw. Its also quite good on a baked potato. Top with your favorite BBQ sauce and you're good to go! The leftovers are awesome as well, the Husband is very excited about pulled pork sandwiches for lunch. Lucky man :)

Mock BBQ pulled pork
makes approx 8-10 servings (for a 4 lb roast)
1 pork butt/shoulder, bone removed and cut into large hunks
2 large green onions, chunked (can use regular onion)
1 T oil
2 T ketchup
2 T cider vinegar
OPTIONAL 1-2 t liquid smoke

Rub:
1/4 c brown sugar
2 T dry mustard powder
1 t chili powder
1 t garlic powder
1 t paperkia
1/2 t cumin
2 t kosher salt
1/2 t pepper

QUICKER COOKING METHOD: I developed this quicker cooking method due to time constraints one day. I also liked how the smaller pieces of meat get more exposure to the rub therefore more flavor. Remove the bone from the meat and cut it into large hunks, about 4 in square approx. Some pieces will be bigger or smaller, its all good. Remove any excessive connective tissue and fat but leave some of it in, it adds flavor. If you have 6 hours available for cooking you can leave the roast whole and pull it after its cooked.



Mix the dry rub ingredients together in a bowl. Liberaly sprinkle rub over meat. Press it into the surface of the pork.

Heat a dutch oven over medium heat and add oil. Once its hot add 1/2 the pork and sear the outside. Once the pieces are browned (about 5 min) remove from pan and add remaining pork.

Once all pork is cooked add ketchup, vinegar and onions to the pan. Place the seared pork back in the pan, cover top with foil and then put the lid on the foil. Bake at 300 for 2.5-3 hours or until pork is very tender and falls apart when squeezed.



Once tender remove pork from oven and allow to rest in pan for 15 minutes. Drain off any excess fat and shred meat.

~*~Kitchen Witch Tip: To shred slow cooked or braised meats I use my tongs. When you squeeze a piece of meat with the tongs it should crumble and shred when pressure is applied. A few pinches with the tongs and voila! You've got easy pulled pork~*~



Nutrition Facts provided by SparkPeople Recipe calculator
Amount Per Serving
Calories 384.6
Total Fat 27.2 g
Saturated Fat 10.0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2.7 g
Monounsaturated Fat 12.2 g
Cholesterol 106.5 mg
Sodium 363.3 mg
Potassium 389.0 mg
Total Carbohydrate 8.2 g
Dietary Fiber 0.0 g
Sugars 8.1 g
Protein 26.6 g

Sweet and Spicy shrimp

It's no secret that the Kitchen Witch loves Asian flavors. The sweet, sour, spicy, savory combo is taste bud nirvana. At the urging of friends and fellow bloggers I FINALLY bought some Sriracha and hoisin sauces to expand my Asian cooking flavor base. I must say I'm happy I did, both flavors are in this shrimp dish and wow, was it good!

First lets talk about the hoisin sauce. I was NOT expecting it to be so sweet! However its sweetness is nicely paired with sour like the lime juice. Soy sauce of course provides the salty base along with its quintissential 'Asian' flavor. Garlic adds pungency and helps balance the sweet/sour/salty combo. The final ingredient is the screamin' hot Sriracha sauce. If hot's not your thing add 1/2 as much, taste & add more if you can handle it. The Sriracha has a nice heat, evenly across the palate but doesn't invade your throat like other spicy things can. I'm pretty wimpy when it comes to heat but Sriracha, oh boy I love its burn!! It has a great flavor on its own but it really sings when its incorporated into a recipe.

The shrimp get a very quick marinade, 15 minutes or so. They cook up in less than 4 minutes total, so realistically you can have this meal on the table, from start to finish, in 20 minutes! Pair it with your favorite veggies, quinoa or rice and you've got a healthy, tasty Asian style meal.

Sweet and spicy shrimp
makes 4 servings
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined (21-30 count)
2 T soy sauce
juice of 1 key lime (or 2T lime juice)
1 T hoisin sauce
3 cloves garlic minced
1 T Sriracha sauce
1 t oil for cooking

Mix the soy sauce, hoisin, lime juice, garlic and Sriracha together in a small bowl.

Peel and devein shrimp, remove tails if desired, and place into either a zip top bag or a bowl for marinating. Pour the marinade over the shrimp, toss to coat evenly and allow to marinate for about 15 minutes.

Heat up a heavy bottom skillet. Spread about 1t of oil in the pan. Put the shrimp in the pan circulary, so once the last shrimp is in the pan the 1st shrimp is ready to flip. Cook about 1-2 min max on 1st side, until the shrimp turns opaque on the sides and the bottom has slighly browned. Cook on 2nd side about 1 min. Promptly remove shrimp and serve.




Nutrition Facts provided by SparkPeople Recipe Calculator
Amount Per Serving
Calories 182.6
Total Fat 4.5 g
Saturated Fat 0.6 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.6 g
Monounsaturated Fat 1.7 g
Cholesterol 172.5 mg
Sodium 1,260.0 mg
Potassium 294.2 mg
Total Carbohydrate 9.9 g
Dietary Fiber 0.5 g
Sugars 2.2 g
Protein 24.7 g

Herb wine grilled chicken

I've posted my recipe for herbed chicken breasts in white wine sauce. Its a favorite around here. I use the basic marinade often, it makes chicken taste SO GOOD!!!

This week I decided to marinate the breasts for 4 hours and grill them over charcoal. Boy was that a great decision!!! The chicken took on some lovely color from the grill and the long marinade gave the chicken fantastic flavor. I poked the chicken breasts aggressivly with a fork in all directions, on both sides, to allow more of the marinade penetrate the chicken. The fork marks were not visible on the finished product and the chicken was juicy and flavorful.

I used fresh herbs from my garden, as of right now I have 4 to choose from: sage, thyme, oregano and chives. All 4 made it into this marinade. I also used chablis white wine, again it was what we had. Any dry white wine will work. If you're not a wine drinker you can use white wine vinegar, about 2T, in place of the wine. Its not exactly the same but it'll impart a tangy yet sweet flavor to your meal. My Witchy Sissy uses vinegar on hers and loves it.

Herb wine chicken
makes 2 servings
2 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
1/2 c dry white wine like chablis or chardonnay
fresh herbs finely minced (about 10 chive stems, 1 sprig oregano, 6 sage leaves and 3 small thyme sprigs)
3 cloves garlic chopped fine
1/2 t kosher salt
pepper to taste
2 T olive oil

In a small bowl mix the herbs, wine, salt, pepper, garlic and oil. Pour over chicken breasts that have been punctured with a fork on both sides, in both directions so marinade can penetrate meat. Allow to marinate for 4-6 hours.



~*~Kitchen Witch Tip: Allow your meat to come to room temperature before grilling or cooking it. You'll have a tender piece of meat that won't dry out on the outside and be undercooked inside. Having your protiens at room temp helps ensure even cooking as well, since the interior of the meat is the same starting temp as the exterior. While food safty is always important, leaving your chicken out on the counter in the marinade for a few hours (up to 2 hours) is safe, as long as you cook it to an internal temerature of 160.~*~



Cook chicken on a hot grill or sautee pan. Cook about 7-8 minutes on the first side or until the sides begin to turn opeque. Flip and cook about 5-6 minutes on second side, until internal temp reaches 160.

Nutrition Facts provided by Spark People recipe calculator
2 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 372.5
Total Fat 9.7 g
Saturated Fat 1.7 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.2 g
Monounsaturated Fat 5.7 g
Cholesterol 136.9 mg
Sodium 1,316.9 mg
Potassium 620.1 mg
Total Carbohydrate 3.5 g
Dietary Fiber 0.1 g
Sugars 0.0 g
Protein 54.8 g

Cinnamon topped banana bread

A friend and reader requested a banana bread recipe. There are about 1,000,000 recipes for banana bread out on the internet, so what could the Witch do to make hers different?

I've made banana bread using applesauce in place of oil to save calories. It works but it makes the bread slightly gummy. Gummy is NOT a texture profile that I really enjoy. I've added whole wheat flour to the batter, to amp up the fiber and health quotient. Its not bad, but I was out of whole wheat flour this time. I've also added chocolate chips. That is really delicious, and the little Witch LOVES it, but I'm still out of chocolate chips. Drat.

That's when I thought of a strudle like topping. Cinnamon is usually added to sweet quick breads, so why not top my banana bread with a cinnamon topping? I cut back on the sugar in the bread to compensate for the additional sugar in the topping. The result is a beautiful golden heavenly scented loaf. The little Witch was napping when I made the bread and the first thing she asked me when she woke up was "Mom, whats that really good smell? What are you making?"

This bread turned out really well if I do say so myself. As a matter of fact, its the first banana bread that the little Witch has actually enjoyed, chocolate chips or no. I think I might make french toast out of the leftovers. I hope you all enjoy this recipe. If you have any dishes that you'd like to see the Kitchen Witch do please let me know, send me a message on facebook or here on comments.

Cinnamon topped Banana bread
makes 1 loaf
3 overripe bananas
3/4 c white sugar
1 T vanilla
1/4 c butter, melted
1 egg
1/4 c milk
1.5 c flour
1.5 t baking powder, aluminium free if you can find it
1 t salt (regular table salt here)
Topping:
1/4 c brown sugar
1 t cinnamon

I used my KitchenAid stand mixer: you can use a hand held mixer or even a wooden spoon to make this recipe.



In a medium sized mixing bowl mash bananas. Add the white sugar, vanilla, butter and egg. Mix well. Stir in the milk.

Mix the dry ingredients together and add to the banana mixture in 3 installments, scraping down sides after each addition of flour. Mix batter until it lightens in color and becomes thicker, like a pancake batter.



In a small bowl mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together.

Pour batter into a greased loaf pan. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the top of the loaf, spreading it out evenly across the entire surface.



Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until it tests clean in the center. Allow to cool before slicing and enjoying.



Nutrition Facts provided by Spark People recipe calculator
8 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 294.3
Total Fat 7.0 g
Saturated Fat 4.0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.5 g
Monounsaturated Fat 2.0 g
Cholesterol 42.7 mg
Sodium 397.8 mg
Potassium 238.0 mg
Total Carbohydrate 57.3 g
Dietary Fiber 1.8 g
Sugars 34.0 g
Protein 4.0 g