Pumpkin Quesadillas

PUMPKIN QUESADILLAS

1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 tsp ground cumin
8 8-inch flour tortillas
4 oz goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted
1/4 cup veg oil

• In a bowl, combine pumpkin and cumin. Spread over 4 tortillas. 
• Sprinkle with cheese and walnuts. Top with remaining tortillas.
• In large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-low heat.
• Cook quesadillas 1 at a time, flipping once and adding more oil between batches, until lightly browned. (about 3 minutes)
• Slice and serve.

Beef & Black Bean Chili

BEEF & BLACK BEAN CHILI

1/4 cup olive oil 
2 pounds beef, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 
Salt and freshly ground black pepper 
1 large red onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoons ancho chili powder 
1 tablespoon ground cumin 
1 bottle dark beer 
5 cups chicken stock, or canned low-sodium or water
1 (16-ounce) can chopped tomatoes, drained and pureed
1 tablespoon honey 
2 cups cooked or canned black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

• Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Season the beef with salt and pepper, and saute until browned on all sides. Transfer the meat to a plate and remove all but 3 tablespoons of the fat from the pan. 
• Add the onions to the pan and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the ancho powder, pasilla powder, and cumin and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add the beer and cook until completely reduced. 
• Return the beef to the pot, add the chicken stock, tomatoes and honey, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan, and simmer for 45 minutes. 
• Add the beans and continue cooking for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the lime juice, and adjust seasonings.

AVACADO RELISH

2 ripe Hass avocados, peeled, pitted and diced 
1/2 red onion, finely diced
Lime juice 
Salt and pepper 
Cilantro leaves, chopped

• Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper.

CUMIN SOUR CREAM

8 oz sour cream

1 tsp cumin

• Mix sour cream and cumin together in small bowl.
• Serve a dollop in each bowl of chili.

recipe derived from FoodNetwork.com Bobby Flay

Grilled Chicken Thighs with Pineapple Relish

GRILLED CHICKEN THIGHS

with PINEAPPLE RELISH

1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp salt, divided
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
2 cups cubed fresh pineapple (about 1/2 pineapple)
1/2 cup fresh corn kernels
1/3 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced
3 tblsp red onion, finely chopped
1 tblsp cider vinegar
1 tsp sugar

• Combine garlic powder, cumin, 1/2 tsp salt and pepper in smal bowl; sprinkle over chicken.
• Grill chicken on grill over medium-high heat until done. About 4-7 minutes each side.
• Meanwhile, combine remaining 1/4 tsp salt, pineapple and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl. 
• Serve relish over chicken.

Lamb Pizza

LAMB PIZZA

This pizza will take about2-1/2 to 3 hours to make, so plan accordingly!

For the Dough:
1 (1/4 ounce) packet of active dry yeast
2 tsp sugar
2 tblsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing and drizzling
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 cup semolina flour [or use another cup of the all-purpose flour]
2tsp fine salt

For the Topping:
6 tblsp EVOO
1/2 cup pine nuts (optional)
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
6 tblsp tomato paste
1 pound ground lamb [you can also use beef!]
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1/4 tsp ground allspice
kosher salt
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tblsp fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tblsp fresh parsley, chopped

For the Sauce:
2/3 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
1 tblsp fresh lemon juice
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

• MAKE THE DOUGH: Combine the yeast, sugar, olive oil and 2 cups warm water; let stand 5 minutes.
• Whisk both flours and the salt in a large bowl. Add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture and stir with a fork until the dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes. Place in a bowl brushed with oil, cover and let stand until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Punch down the dough and divide into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, cover and let stand until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, MAKE THE TOPPING: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the pine nuts, onion and bell pepper; cook, stirring, until softened, about 6 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Add the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil, lamb, cumin, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, allspice and 1/2 tsp salt. Cook, breaking up the meat, until browned, 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and cook 1 minutes Remove from the heat and stir in the yogurt, lemon juice, cilantro and parsley; season with salt.
• MAKE THE SAUCE: Stir the yogurt, mint, lemon juice and 1/4 cup water in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to use.
• Preheat the grill to medium. Cut 12 9-inch square pieces of parchment paper. Stretch each peice of dough into an 8-inch round, brush with olive oil on both sides and stack with the paper in between.
• Invert the dough onto the the grill; remove the paper. Grill in batches until golden brown on the bottom, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip and spread each round with 1/4 cup lamb mixture, leaving border. Continue grilling until the dough is charred in spots and cooked through, about 3 minutes. 
• Transfer the pizzas to a platter. Drizzle with olive oil and serve with the sauce.

this recipe is from "Food Network Magazine" September 2012 issue

Quick Shrimp Tacos

On our trip to Mississippi then Alabama's Gulf Shores, we bought 65 POUNDS of shrimp to bring back with us. We love shrimp that much! And its much cheaper that way, duh! So I'm going to make lots of shrimp dishes because I have LOTS of shrimp!

QUICK SHRIMP TACOS

8 6-inch tortillas
1 lime
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp ground coriander
kosher salt
2 tblsp extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup  red onion, finely diced
1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined [est about 5 per taco]
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 cup finely shredded cabbage
1 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro

• Heat the oven to 350°F. Wrap the tortillas in foil and bake until heated through, about 10 minutes. Turn off the oven; leave the tortillas in the oven until ready to serve.
• Meanwhile, finely grate 3/4 tsp. zest from half of the lime. Cut the lime in half and squeeze the zested half to yield 1 Tbs. juice. Cut the other half into 4 wedges.
• In a small bowl, stir the sour cream, 1/2 tsp. of the lime zest, 1/4 tsp. of the coriander, and a large pinch of salt; set aside.
• Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Raise the heat to medium high and add the shrimp, the remaining 3/4 tsp. coriander, the cumin, pepper flakes, and 1/4 tsp. salt and cook, stirring constantly, until the shrimp are cooked through, about 2 minutes. Add the lime juice and remaining zest and stir to coat. Remove from the heat.
• Put some of the cabbage, cilantro, and sour cream on each tortilla and top with the shrimp. Fold in half and serve immediately with the lime wedges on the side.

recipe from www.finecooking.com

Corn Crisps

***Thanks to Pinterest, I'm getting a lot of traffic on this recipe! So, WELCOME! Please take a look around at other recipes, there are some fabulous ones (if I must say so myself)! And please "like" me on FaceBook so you won't miss anything! Thanks again for taking the time to visit and enjoy the food!***

I saw these in "family fun" magazine and had to try. We all LOVE corn and these looked like the best bite-sized side for any meal!

CORN CRISPS

1/2 cup flour
1 tsp kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper [optional]
1 large egg
1/4 cup milk
1 T [tablespoon] unsalted butter, melted
1-1/2 cups can or frozen corn, thawed if frozen [I think it could do with MORE corn, so try adding 2 cups]
1/4 cup finely chopped scallions
Canola or vegetable oil

• In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, cumin, sugar, and cayenne. 
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, and butter. 
• Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until they are just blended. Fold in the corn and scallions.
• Pour oil in large nonstick skillet [until it come up 1/4 inch on the sides] and heat over medium-high heat until the oil is shimmering. 
• For each crisp, drop a slightly rounded tablespoon of batter into the oil. Fry them in batches over medium-high heat until they are golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. 
• Transfer the crisps to a paper towel-lined sheet pan, sprinkling them immediately with a bit of salt. [this can be taken out--it was pretty salty with the sprinkled salt on top, in my opinion]
• Repeat with the remaining batter.