Kheema - Ground Beef & Peas

 Today is a lazy day for me. I'm off work.
I'm eating pizza and watching King Kong.

Definitely a lazy day.

I went to Target earlier. I got a Frappuccino from the Starbucks in the store. 

I was so excited because today is my once a week "cheat day". 

I get to eat whatever I want pretty much.

 Walking to the car with my yummy frozen strawberries and cream blended beverage something happened and it slipped from my hand and disastrously fell on the ground.
I think I must have looked really silly and disappointed because a woman in the next row of cars came running asking if I was okay.

 I had to explain to her that nothing terrible had happened, except the great loss of my wonderful blended icy beverage on a 106 degree day.
Let's be honest, not many things could be worse than that.

 Last night I made this fantastic Kheema. It's an easy to make traditional meat dish of Pakistan and India. Originally the word Kheema meant minced meat. It is typically minced-lamb or goat curry with peas or potatoes. Last night it was ground beef, with peas and tomatoes. Also lot's of spices.

 Actually, this dish ended up too spicy for my liking. Others liked it as is.

It actually wasn't surprising, because when I eat at Indian restaurants, almost everything is too spicy for me. I think I'd tone down the spice next time for my portion.

 This meal was super flavorful and very easy to make. The prep time was just pulling all of the ingredients out, chopping up some ginger & tomatoes and defrosting frozen peas. Give it a shot!

On another exciting note, my green bell pepper plants are finally taking off and producing fruit! I don't think I've ever been so excited as when I noticed them growing.

Kheema - Ground Beef & Peas

Adapted from Aarti Sequiera

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons canola oil

1 medium onion, finely diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 (1-inch thumb) fresh ginger, peeled and minced

3 teaspoons ground coriander

2 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne, optional

1 pound ground beef

2 medium tomatoes, chopped (or one can of diced tomatoes)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus a few extra leaves for garnish

Rice or pita bread

Directions:

In a large skillet, warm the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until golden. Add the garlic and ginger, and saute for another minute. Stir in the coriander, paprika, garam masala, cumin and cayenne, and cook for 1 minute.

Add the beef, breaking up lumps with a spoon, and saute until the meat is no longer pink. Add the tomatoes, 1 cup of water and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle in the peas. Stir well and simmer, partially covered for 5 minutes.

Stir in the vinegar and chopped cilantro. Garnish with torn cilantro leaves and serve with rice or pita bread.

Chicken Stir-Fry

 Did anyone ever tell you growing up that it wasn't polite to ask someone too many questions? Especially someone you don't really know?

 Yes, my five year old neighbor is making things slightly uncomfortable for Jon and myself. 

She's asking me personal questions like: "where did you get your shirt?". 

Wait, what?

Why does she want to know? 

Is she going to go buy the shirt that I'm wearing and shrink it down to her size? Or is she just being a nosy five year old neighbor. I'd say nosy. 

But maybe she's a fashion designer, it could be that.

 She asks a variety of questions like: "Where are you going?", "Where were you just now?", "What are you doing?" " Do you know Mary?". 

Personal questions that I don't feel like answering to a five year old girl. It makes things awkward.

No, I don't know your friend Mary from down the street. We don't jump on the trampoline together.

 I heard someone tell her to mind her own business the other day, and she looked shocked. 

Who is raising kids these days and why aren't they being taught basic manners?

Also, what's with the obesity problem in America? This is a sensitive subject, and I know that, but it's getting really out of hand. 

At the supermarket the other day I saw people with a bunch of kids who had in their shopping cart: ten gallons of fruit punch, chips, cookies, sugar cereals and a bunch of other bad-for-you-food. Don't get me wrong. Nothing is bad for you in small quantities, but it was obvious that this is what they eat for every meal, every single day.

They put the fruit and vegetables on the belt last and when they ran out of money, they decided to skip purchasing the only healthy items they had. It was sad.

 Kids are making the wrong decisions all the time, and they don't realize that they are wrong decisions because they trust their parents.

They are being raised on Hamburger Helper and Slurpies, Pop-Tarts and fruit punch.

Those things taste so delicious, I'll be the first to admit it, but people are teaching their kids how to live an unhealthy lifestyle which they will then pass on to their own kids down the line. 

It should be about making the right choices. It's sad, because it's a viscous cycle.

Okay, I'm done my rant.

 Wow, that was a deep rant for a chicken stir-fry blog post which probably only a couple of people will read.

Oh well. It needs to be said. Over and over again.

 This chicken stir-fry is savory, flavorful, delicious, and healthy! 

That's the best part!

 A lot of protein, a lot of vitamins and minerals in the vegetables, a lot of flavor with the spices.

And you can pretty much do your own thing with this.

You can use chicken or beef. Even tofu!

Any kind of vegetables that float your boat.

It's a quick, healthy meal that is satisfying!

Even my dog was way too excited to try it!

Chicken Stir-Fry

Ingredients:

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves of garlic

1 tsp freshly minced ginger

2 tsp coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp chili powder (or less if you like less spicy)

1 lb chicken, cubed

1 bell pepper

1 squash

1/2 lb snow peas

1 package sliced mushrooms

2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Directions:

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a wok or a large pan. Add minced garlic and ginger, coriander powder, cumin and chili powder to the oil. Allow to cook for about 30 seconds, then stir. Add the chicken and lightly turn to spread the spices around evenly on the chicken. Add the squash and bell pepper and let cook, stirring often a few minutes. Next add the snow peas and continue cooking for another 5 minutes, making sure it looks like all the veggies are evenly cooking. Add the mushrooms last and cook a few minutes more. Cut into the chicken to make sure it's cooked through and done. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top and serve.

Wild Alaskan Salmon Steaks w/ Oven Roasted Asparagus & Salad

 Celebrities starring in Wild Alaskan Salmon Steaks:

Garlic Powder (Brad Pitt)

Ground course salt (Ann Hathaway)

Cracked Pepper (Leonardo Decaprio)

Olive Oil (Meg Ryan)

Two Salmon Steaks (Tom Cruise)

 Hey! 

Don't judge me.

It's my movie, not yours! And yes, Meg Ryan is in this movie.

You could easily make your own version of this movie. 

You can add your own celebrities (ingredients) and snaz it up a bit to your liking. 

Do what makes you happy!

What makes me happy is preheating the oven to 350. Taking two salmon steaks and placing them on a large piece of foil. Adding salt, pepper, garlic powder and drizzling them with olive oil generously on both sides. Then baking them for about 20 minutes until cooked through. How hard is that?

Not at all. 

Totally easy and rewarding because with all of those celebrities, this fish is delicious!

 Now let's talk about asparagus. There are several ways to cook asparagus, but a new favorite way of mine is to simply arrange them on a baking sheet and roast them in the oven.

Once again, you can kind of do your own thing here with spices, etc. 

But I like to cover a baking sheet in foil, add salt, pepper, and olive oil to coat them. Then bake in the oven at 350 for about 12-15 minutes or until a fork goes into them easily. 

 And the great thing about these asparagus with the fish is that you can cook them both at the same time in the oven! Double whammy! 

Whip up a couple of salads with your favorite veggies. 

 I usually choose lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, olives, & feta cheese drizzled with a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Can't go wrong there!

And tada! A delicious dinner awaits!  

If you make this for someone else, you can easily wrap it up and stick it in the fridge. Tastes just as good warmed up later.

Lots of love and happy cooking to you! Hoping this healthy, simple meal gives you some inspiration.

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream & Nutella Filling

Hello there! Welcome to my fabulous, not-much-of-a-blog-at-this-point. 

I have another blog which I've had for a long time called butterisgood.com.
I stopped posting a couple of months ago.

Why you ask? That answer is complicated, but I'll try to explain.

It's mostly because it was a blog about butter. 

My waistline has been begging me to try other things. 

Things other than cake, other than cookies and muffins and pancakes. 

Things that involve "healthy deliciousness" rather than "loosen your belt right this instant deliciousness".

With that being said, I still love you Butter, I really do. I promise. In fact, I've written you a letter. Please don't hate me.

Dear Butter,

You and I have been fond of each other for some time now. You've had my back when I've needed something delicious and sweet. While I absolutely love you Butter (don't worry, I will never divorce you), it is time for us to take a break, a separation if you will.

We need to have time on our own where we can experience life and recipes using other ingredients.

Sincerely,

Katie

P.S. - With this letter, here is peace offering. A rich, chocolatey cake that will knock your socks off!
(Wait, does butter wear socks?)

 It's time to branch out and try things like cilantro, tomatoes, chicken & onions. I've always been a fan of meat, I love meat more than anything, but now it's time to enjoy the art of finding different ways to cook it.

It's time to do some serious cooking!

I'm a really healthy person most of the time. Or at least I strive to be. Of course, I have one "cheat day" a week where we can hang out with sexy ingredients like butter, chocoalte, & nutella. Whatever we desire. Ooh la la.

I get a very big thrill out of cooking for people. I love the way it feels to complete a meal that tastes great and that we can eat on a semi-regular basis for dinner. 

This cake is for a special occasion. Like Father's Day for example!

Chocolate Chocolate Cake with Coffee

Adapted from Ina Garten 
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups good cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
Chocolate Buttercream, recipe follows
1/4 cup nutella

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.
Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Add nutella to the center of the first layer. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

Chocolate Frosting:
Ingredients:
12 ounces good semisweet chocolate (recommended: Callebaut)
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 large egg yolks, at room temperature
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoon instant coffee powder

Directions:
Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl. Microwave in 30 second increments. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature. You can also put it in the refrigerator for a few minutes to speed up this process.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolks and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 4 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.