Untested - Voodoo Chilli

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 medium onion, minced

1 medium zucchini, diced

1⁄2 lb. cremini mushrooms, diced

1 medium carrot, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can (28oz) whole peeled tomatoes

2 canned chipotle peppers, finely chopped

1 tsp. chilli powder

1⁄4 tsp. ground cumin

1⁄2 tsp. dried oregano

1 can pinto beans, drained

Salt and black pepper, to taste

1⁄2 avocado, sliced

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or pot set over a medium flame. Add the onion, zucchini, mushrooms, carrot, bell pepper, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft and lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes, crushing lightly between your fingers to give the chili a coarse texture. Add the chipotle, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and beans, plus salt and pepper to taste. Turn heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve in bowls and top with sliced avocado.

French Lentil and Coconut Dal - Published

1 - Substituted chipotle for the jalapeno to get some smoky heat going. Turned out well! The original recipe is for soup - we found it too thick but it would make a great dal over rice.    
2 - Removed the 1 Tbsp soy sauce
                                                                  
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 chipotle canned in adobo, seeded and minced
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1 cup du Puys lentils
1⁄4 tsp. cumin
1 bay leaf
1 can coconut milk
3 cups low-sodium vegetable stock or water
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Chopped cilantro for garnish

1. Heat olive oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, ginger, chilli, and carrots and sauté till the onions are soft and translucent, about 3 minutes.
2. Add the lentils, cumin, bay leaf, coconut milk, and stock (or water). Turn heat to low and simmer until the liquid has reduced and the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If you like, use a hand blender to gently purée the soup for a thicker consistency. 
4. Garnish with cilantro. Serve over rice.

Omelets with beans and salsa - Untested

1 - Used Mama's Cannelini beans instead of black. Had leftover bottled salsa from a farmstay.

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

Juice of one lime

Dash of hot sauce

4 6 eggs
1/4 cup milk

4 egg whites

Salt and pepper, to taste                                         

4 Tbsps salsa             

1. Mash the black beans and combine with the lime juice, and hot sauce.
3. Whisk the eggs with the addition of the salt and pepper until they are frothy.
4. Pour the eggs into the hot pan; you may want to increase the heat to medium. Sprinkle the chopped herbs over the liquid egg. As the egg cooks, lift the edges and tilt the pan to let uncooked egg get underneath.
5. With the oven rack in the middle, turn on the broiler to heat up (or use a salamander if you're so lucky to have one).
6. When the egg has half cooked, spread the bean paste evenly over it. While the egg is still a little under-cooked on the surface, (not just slithery but actually jiggly), slip the pan into the oven to broil
7. When the egg is set and the edges puff up a little, take it out of the oven and carefully fold the omelette.
8. Coat a small non-stick pan with cooking spray and heat over a medium flame.
9. Crack one egg and combine in a bowl with egg white, salt, and pepper. Whisk, then add to the pan. Use a spatula to stir, and lift the cooked egg to let the raw egg slide under.
10. When the eggs have all but set, spoon a quarter of the black bean mixture onto the omelet. Fold over a third of the egg to cover the mixture, then slide the omelet onto a plate, using the spatula to flip it over at the last second to form one fully rolled omelet.
11. Top with salsa and avocado. Repeat with the remaining eggs.

http://www.mensfitness.com/nutrition/what-to-eat/12-zero-belly-recipes?page=2#sthash.QDgmlT6w.dpuf

Untested - Scrambled eggs in Portobello dish

Makes 1 serving

1 large Portobello mushroom cap
1⁄2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 egg
2 egg whites
1⁄8 avocado, thinly sliced
Herbs and spices of your choice

1. Preheat the broiler. Line large baking sheet with foil.
2. Remove and discard mushroom stem. Brush both sides of mushroom cap with half the olive oil and sprinkle with salt, then place gill-side-up on the baking sheet. Broil mushroom until soft, about 5 minutes per side.
3. Heat the remaining oil in a nonstick pan over medium-low heat. Whisk the egg and whites in a bowl, add to pan, and scramble. When eggs are just set, remove from heat.
4. Top mushroom cap with eggs and sliced avocado. Season with salt, pepper, and spices of your choosing.

http//www.mensfitness.com/nutrition/what-to-eat/12-zero-belly-recipes?page=2#sthash.QDgmlT6w.dpuf

Test 2 - Mixed Greens, Spiced Pecans & Goat Cheese with Dark Chocolate Balsamic Viniagrette

This was part of my Valentine's dinner, and the vinaigrette was a hit. I wonder if it will be as good without the pecans and cheese?
1 - Yes, it is! The dressing is excellent as a stand-alone on a salad.


Part 1 - Dark Chocolate Balsamic Vinaigrette
1/2 c balsamic vinegar
2 oz 70% dark chocolate
3/4 c olive oil
Pinch of salt
1/8 t freshly ground black pepper
Part 2 - Salad
10 oz herb salad or spring mix
1/2 c chopped spiced or plain pecans*
1/2 c crumbled chèvre cheese

1. Prepare the dressing by combining the chocolate and balsamic vinaigrette in a small saucepan.  Cook over very low heat for about 3 minutes, or until the chocolate has completely melted and the vinegar has reduced.  Remove from heat and transfer to a medium bowl.  Add the oil and whisk until completely combined.  Season with salt and pepper and whisk to combine.
2. Assemble the salads by arranging equal portions of greens on medium salad plates.  Sprinkle with chopped pecans, then add the crumbled goat cheese.  Lightly drizzle each salad with dressing (about 1-1 1/2 teaspoons per plate; try not to overdress!), top with more freshly ground pepper if desired, and enjoy!

Testing - Coq au vin et au chocolat

NOTE: This worked nicely but I would like to try a recipe where I develop a 'fond' to see if it enriches the flavours at all.

Part 1 - the Marinade
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1/2 (750 ml) bottle red wine
1 (4 lbs.) whole chicken

1. In a bowl, stir together onion, garlic, cacao nibs, cocoa powder, and red wine.
2. Put chicken in large Ziploc bag with marinade. Refrigerate overnight (or two hours minimum).

Part 2 - the Coq au Vin
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 oz. bacon, cut into lardons
2 Tbsps. butter
3 Tbsps. tomato paste
8 oz. mushrooms (morels and/or button)
1 (750 mL) bottle red wine
4 cups chicken stock
1 ounce dark chocolate, chopped
1 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tsp. fresh thyme, leaves only
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. In a large stockpot over medium heat, sweat the onion and the garlic in butter until translucent. 
3. Add the bacon, and cook until lightly browned. 
4. Add the carrots, the celery, and the tomato paste, and stir. 
5. Add the mushrooms and the red wine.
6. Cook to reduce this liquid mixture by half. 
7. Add the chicken stock, the chocolate, the cocoa powder, thyme, bay leaves, salt, and pepper
8. Remove the chicken from marinade, and add to the pot. Discard marinade.
9. Place the uncovered pot in the oven for 20 minutes
10. Next, lower the oven temperature to 325F. Cook for one more hour or until the internal temperature reads 165F.

Chickpea and rocket curry - Testing

http://www.menshealth.co.uk/food-nutrition/healthy-recipes/chickpea-and-rocket-curry-for-younger-skin

1 - I made this for Isabelle and only remembered when I put it in front of her that she doesn't like tomatoes, and the diced tomato was still in chunks. I'll have to try it again on someone else!
2 - Ben loved this version. I made several changes, including cooking times and adding a few things. Although he loved it, he felt something could be added. What I think is in italics.

3 - It has been a loooong time since I've made this. I can tell because there' 2 Tbsps of coconut that's meant to be cooked with the chickpeas. No coconut grows locally to my knowledge! I'm just going to remove it and try it again, but I  may need to think about what the coconut was providing to the dish and think of an alternative.

- Even after removing the coconut, it was good. I did increase the garlic and used grated ginger instead of ginger paste. It could do with more salt.

Part 1
1 onion (6oz/170gr) sliced
3 garlic clove, pressed
grapeseed oil
1 1⁄2 cups (1⁄2 can/398gr) diced tomato
1 Tbsp ginger, grated
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 1⁄2 cups (10.5 oz/300gr) dry chickpeas 

1⁄2 cup chickpea cooking water

2 Tbsps. shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 bunch 4 to 8 oz of arugula (or spinach with lemon)
1⁄2 tsp salt (NEEDS MORE SALT. TASTE)

1. Slice the onion while you heat a splash of oil in a pan. Throw the onion in and fry until slightly golden. Add the tomatoes, bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
2. Add the ginger, the garlic and the turmeric, cooking for a further 10 minutes. Add the chick peas and a 1⁄2 cup of their cooking water. 
3. Toast the shredded coconut in a pan.
4. Lower the heat and leave it to simmer for 5 minutes. When the time’s up, toss the arugula on top (or spinach and lemon) and the salt, and give it a final stir, allowing time for the greens to wilt.
5. Serve over rice and sprinkle with the coconut.

Rejected - Moroccan Chicken Stew

Absolutely ridiculous. What was I thinking? I even started making it and doubting myself the whole time but started anyway. I tried saving it by consulting another recipe, and hopefully succeeded. Unless you're good at adding and making things up on the fly:

Do Not Make This!

http://www.menshealth.co.uk/food-nutrition/muscle-foods/Moor-muscle


This makes a lot, and is meant to be enough to use as post-workout meals.


1.5 kg skinless chicken thighs

 2 large courgettes, chopped

 2 tins chickpeas

 2 tins chopped tomatoes

 Large handful chopped coriander

 500ml chicken stock

 Pinch cayenne pepper

 Pinch ground cumin

 Pinch ground cinnamon

 Handful quinoa

1. 1 Stick some suitably north-African music on the stereo. Place the chicken thighs in the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side.
2. 2 Add the courgettes and continue cooking, stirring occasionally. Once they’ve browned add the chicken stock. Next put in the chickpeas, tomatoes, cayenne, cumin and cinnamon. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
3. 3 While it’s cooking, throw a handful of quinoa into a pan, add double the volume in water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until all the water has been absorbed.
4. 4 Once the chicken is cooked through turn the hob off and season with salt and pepper then add the coriander. You’ve got 5 portions. Serve one over the quinoa, then split the rest into four and freeze for a Moroccan muscle feasts that will keep you refuelled for the rest of the working week.

delete

delete