Black Bean Tostadas

My first tostada experience was at a small Mexican joint that I went to with my Aunt Paula (the wacky cake provider) and Grandma Mea. While walking in, I noticed about 20 people loaded with luggage and travel bags sitting on the curb. My aunt said they were waiting for the bus to Mexico. I laughed, thinking she was kidding, until I saw the ticket desk smack in the middle of the restaurant. 

Any place that has a travel agency back to their homeland is probably authentic, my friends. 

Tostadas are basically open-faced, crispy tacos.  I pureed black beans for the tostada topping, but pinto beans would be great, as well. This recipe uses ingredients that you probably already have on hand, so it's great for a quick meal (especially when final exams are approaching. Yikes!).  You also may get the urge to hop on a bus to Mexico....after finals are done, of course. 

Black Bean Tostadas    Serves: 1

2 6-inch corn tortillas

1/3 cup black beans, drained

1 T. chopped onion

1 T. fresh parsley or cilantro

1/8 t. cumin

1/4 t. chile powder

Salt

Pepper

Toppings:

Shredded romaine lettuce

Chopped fresh tomato

Green onion

Sour Cream

Guacamole

Queso Fresco or Feta cheese

1.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.) In a food processor or blender, add black beans, onion, parsley, cumin, chile powder, salt, and pepper into the bowl. Process until very creamy and smooth, like the texture of refried beans. 

3.) Place two tortillas onto a baking sheet and place into the preheated oven. Bake until almost crispy, or around 7-8 minutes. Remove tortillas from the oven and divide bean mixture between the two tortillas, leaving a "crust" around the tortillas' edges. Place back into the oven. Bake until tortillas are crisp and golden brown. 

4.) Top with lettuce, tomato, green onion, sour cream, guacamole, cheese, or anything else you like! 

Rigatoni with Rich Tomato Sauce

I spent a reasonable amount of time trying to figure out exactly what this sauce should be called. A ragu? Nah. Just plain meat sauce? Not really. Creamy beef sauce? That just sounds...wrong.

So, I'll settle for "Rich Tomato Sauce." It's hearty and very filling--the portion I originally intended to be for one could easily serve two.  And it cooks up quickly, too, especially when you use pre-made marinara sauce. I personally find store-bought stuff a bit bland, but a little extra seasonings and ingredients go a long way.  I garnished it with the fresh basil I'm attempting to grow out on my porch (because who knows how long my green thumbs can keep that baby going), but fresh parsley would be great, as well.

Rigatoni with Rich Tomato Sauce     Serves: 2
2 cups cooked, al dente rigatoni
1/2 small onion, diced
1/4 lb. ground sirloin
1/2 cup marinara sauce
1/2 T. olive oil
1 T. tomato paste
1 T. red wine
1 T. heavy cream
Salt
Pepper
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
A couple of fresh basil leaves
1.) Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Pour in red wine and scrape up the browned bits at the bottom of the pan (flavor!).
2.) Turn heat to medium-high. Add beef and cook until browned, about 5 minutes.
3.) Return heat to medium and add marinara sauce, tomato paste, salt, and pepper. Once the sauce is heated through, add the cooked pasta and cream to the skillet and toss to coat. Place in serving bowls and top with mozzarella, parmesan, and basil.

Feta Salsa

Brace yourselves, dear readers. We are about to embark on a dangerous, yet hunger-satisfying mission. What is it? We're breaking the food barrier. You know when a jet breaks the sound barrier and there's a loud boom? ...and then you look up and expect the atmosphere to rip apart, exposing the deep secrets of the Universe? (Ahh, the chicken did come before the egg!) Ok, well, breaking the food barrier isn't anything of that magnitude, but it's still pretty cool.

I'm not going to insult intelligences by listing the ingredients that go into a typical salsa here. We all know what the good stuff tastes like.  But mixing together sun-dried tomatoes, olives, feta, and herbs and calling it a salsa? Whoah, man. That's pushing some serious food boundaries, but in a very delicious way. Eat with pita bread, spoon over chicken, or bring it with you as a snack while you're breaking the sound barrier. Epic.

Feta Salsa        adapted from: Smitten Kitchen
5 sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil, roughly chopped
5 pitted kalamata olives, roughly chopped
2 T. feta cheese
2 T. fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1/2 t. dried dill (or 1 T. fresh)
1 scallion, sliced thinly
Fresh cracked black pepper
1.) Crumble feta into a small bowl. toss in tomatoes, olives, parsley, dill, and scallion. Stir to evenly distribute. Add in a bit of olive oil if the mixture is too dry for you (but the tomatoes add oil).  Crack some black pepper over the top and serve.

Dijon Apricot Spread

I go to the grocery store prepared. Making an effort to reduce waste, I plan the recipes I'm going to prepare for the week, then scheme up semi-creative ways to use leftovers. Sounds pretty effective, huh?

Well, usually there are a few pesky foods that throw off my game plan. It happens to everyone (right?). You're making your way to the drink aisle to replace the lemonade you spilled in the refrigerator...halfway full...with many other foods surrounding it...and you have to leave for class in 5 minutes, and a devil of a craving hits you.   

"Did I just see coconut M&M's? And they're on sale? Well, a coconut is kind of like a nut, and if I get the dark chocolate version, it'll be good for my heart."

This happens to me quite often, but I still use up everything I buy.  So, because I decided to purchase a big bag of dried apricots (?), I wanted to make something with them rather than eat plain.  You could certainly use apricot preserves for this recipe, but if you've got dried apricots lying around, they work well, too. But if you have a giant bag of coconut M&M's that you don't know how to deal with, well, I can't really help you there.

Dijon Apricot Spread    Makes about 1/3 cup
5 large dried apricots (or 2 T. apricot preserves)
2 T. mayonnaise or plain yogurt
2 T. dijon mustard
1 t. chopped fresh tarragon
Salt
1.) (*If using dried apricots) Fill a small saucepot with about an inch of water and bring to a boil. Set apricots in a steamer basket, place in the pot, and cover. Let steam for about 5 minutes, or until very soft.
2.) Transfer soft apricots to a food processor and pulse until pureed. Add a little water if it's not smooth enough for you. Add mayo, dijon, tarragon, and a pinch of salt in with the apricots. Pulse until combined. Serve on sandwiches, crackers, or mix it in with leftover chicken for an awesome sandwich.

adapted from: The Pioneer Woman

Smoked Salmon and Cucumber Rice Salad

I'd never tried smoked salmon until last December. Sure, I'd heard of it before, but it remained a mysterious food to me for almost 21 years. One entire fifth of a century. Hot dang.

The Great Smoked Salmon Revolution of 2010 began at some fancy Christmas party my parents agreed to take my sister and I along.  We were having fun hounding Santa for a picture, sipping on Cokes, and listening to symphony music, but the food. Oh, the food. It was awesome. Beef tenderloin? Yes, I'll take four helpings. Bacon-wrapped watercress? Fill 'er up! What type of cheese would I like? Let's go with all of them. Being a free-loading college student, I naturally tried everything-- including the mystifying smoked salmon.

The beauty of smoked salmon is that it's already cooked, making for some fast meals. Oh, and it's a nifty shade of bright red. Groovy, man.  If you've never tried smoked salmon, don't let it be a mystery. It's flavor is meant to be unveiled to the world's tastebuds. Trust me.

Smoked Salmon and Cucumber Rice Salad     Serves: 2
2 cups cooked white rice, cooled
1/2 cup smoked salmon pieces
1/2 of a small cucumber, seeded and cut in bite-sized chunks
2 scallions, chopped
Salt
Pepper
1 T. lemon juice
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 t. dried dill
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Couple of fresh mint leaves, chopped
1.) Whisk yogurt, dill, parsley, mint, olive oil, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.
2.) In a separate, medium-sized bowl, add rice, cucumber, scallions, and smoked salmon pieces. Toss lightly. Pour in yogurt dressing and stir until just combined. Top with more fresh parsley and cracked black pepper, if desired.

Spinach Artichoke Risotto

Food wise, I think we can all agree that spinach-artichoke dip is the King of Dips. Spinach, artichokes, cheese, cream, cheese, and cheese--what's not to like? I could plow through it with a spoon. The crackers are merely a distraction.

As for people, I'd crown former Governor Rod Blagojevich as the King of Dips, but that's a very, very different story.

Anyways, let's not get caught up in Illinois politics. We don't want that to spoil our daydreams of creamy-dreamy artichokes and spinach mingling fabulously together. Instead of making the dip (Dear Arteries, you're welcome.), I wanted to put these flavors into a pasta dish. Risotto works perfectly since the rice gets starchy and rich.  Chicken would be a nice addition, too, if you're like my carnivorous sister. But for me, the spinach/ artichoke combo reigns supreme.

Spinach Artichoke Risotto    Serves: 1
1/4 cup arborio rice, uncooked
1 1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 small onion, diced
Large handful of baby spinach
2 canned baby artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
1/2 T. half and half
1 T. white wine
1 t. olive oil
Salt
Parmesan Cheese

1.) Bring chicken stock to a simmer in small saucepot.
2.) Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, around 3-4 minutes. Add arborio rice and toast in the skillet, stirring frequently, for about 1 minute. Add wine and let cook for another minute or so.
3.) Add chicken stock to rice 1/4 cup at a time. Stir until liquid almost evaporates, then add another 1/4 cup. Repeat process until all stock is used up. At the last 1/4 cup addition, toss in the spinach, stir, and let it wilt. Once wilted, add in artichokes.
4.) Reduce heat to low and add half-and-half. Sprinkle in a pinch of parmesan, and salt and pepper to taste. Place in a serving bowl and enjoy!

Sophisto Joes

Purchasing the finer things in life isn't at the top of my agenda since I'm in college. I recently cut up a bunch of old notebook paper as a substitute for notecards-- purchasing rectangular cardboard is too fancy for me. Hey, I'm saving the trees, man.

My parents just visited me and bought me an...undisclosed...number of lightbulbs. If only 1 of 4 lightbulbs burns out, it's still possible to see. And I'm just saving my retinas from light pollution. Trees and retinas are high on my rescue list.

So, when I see something that sounds like one of the finer things in life, but actually isn't, I'm there. I got this recipe from Gourmet magazine, oddly enough. They don't usually have the lowly college student in mind. But their recipe for "Sophisticated" (Sophisto) Sloppy Joes intrigued me. The sandwich is spicy and slightly sweet, and it's even better when you grill the bread. My sister and I enjoyed them under a burnt out kitchen lightbulb, of course.

Sophisto Joes     Serves: 2
1/2 (15oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 onion, chopped
1 T. butter
1 small carrot, finely chopped
1 small celery rib, finely chopped
1/2 lb. ground sirloin
1/2 T. chili powder
1/2 t. ground cumin
1/4 cup dry red wine
1 T. worcestershire sauce
3/4 T. brown sugar
Deli Rolls, toasted or grilled
1.) Cook onion in butter over medium-high heat until onion begins to brown. Add carrot, celery, and 1/4 t. salt. Cook until veggies soften, 4-5 minutes.
2.) Add beef and brown, 5-6 minutes. Add chili powder, cumin, 1/4 t. salt, 1/2 t. pepper, and cook for 2 minutes.
3.) Add tomatoes, wine, worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and boil, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens-- or around 6 minutes. Serve with toasted rolls.

Chicken Salad Veronique

I love secrets, being "in the know", and all that jazz. Maybe it's because it is (er, was) my sister and I's dream to be top secret government agents. Our spy training began at ages 6 and 4, when we decided to peep in on our neighbor's wedding reception in the backyard. How did we manage such a feat? By crawling around and looking through the extremely transparent chain-link fence, of course. The couple said "I do", by the way. A revelation!

We also ding-dong doorbell ditched our own Mother. In broad daylight. And with mud smeared on our faces. Masters of Disguise.

Even though my spy days were a failure, I'm still a sucker for "secret" ingredients in foods that make them taste even better than before. So, when Ina Garten revealed tarragon as her secret weapon in chicken salad, I naturally had to try it. The tarragon really is a tasty addition to chicken salad. I'm suggesting it to the CIA, 'cause spies gotta eat, too.

Chicken Salad Veronique      serves: 2
1 cup cooked chicken, chopped
2 T. mayonnaise
2 T. plain yogurt
2 t. fresh tarragon, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 cup red or green grapes, sliced in half
Salt
Pepper
1.) Mix chicken, mayo, yogurt, tarragon, celery, and grapes in a medium sized bowl. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve on toast, over spinach, or rolls.