today i began what will be intermittent work as a personal cook for my friend. when i found out that he spent a garish amount of money on food each month, mostly at restaurants, i grew concerned. but when we ventured to the farmers' market and he was sheepish to browse the stalls with me, i insisted we take action right away. i offered to cook for him on a weekly basis using fresh, healthy, and seasonal ingredients that are organic and/or local whenever possible...for a very reasonable fee :)
so i sent him a menu yesterday with a slew of options and he chose two entrees and one snack for the week. it's all trial and error at this point, but we're thinking that he'll eat a few servings of each meal and freeze the rest for a later week. he'll supplement his meals with greens and homemade salad dressings which i delivered in little spice jars. he'll still go out to dinner or lunch a little bit, but not nearly as much as before. within three months, he will have saved one million dollars :) maybe not that much, but he'll feel darned good with the cost savings and all those seasonal veggies runnin' around in his body!
so i sent him a menu yesterday with a slew of options and he chose two entrees and one snack for the week. it's all trial and error at this point, but we're thinking that he'll eat a few servings of each meal and freeze the rest for a later week. he'll supplement his meals with greens and homemade salad dressings which i delivered in little spice jars. he'll still go out to dinner or lunch a little bit, but not nearly as much as before. within three months, he will have saved one million dollars :) maybe not that much, but he'll feel darned good with the cost savings and all those seasonal veggies runnin' around in his body!
the entrees he chose for this week were chicken enchiladas and vegetable lasagna. easy peasy ones for our first trial week. for each recipe, i took bits and pieces of recipes i trusted and loved and combined them into new complete recipes. i thumbed through the greens restaurant cookbook as well as the moosewood cookbook; i surfed epucurious and the food network; i referenced my mom's famous enchilada recipe and recipes i'd copied down while working at the farm a few summers ago.
with frameworks in mind, i headed over to the north oakland farmers' market with my friend tyler. he was cooking a community dinner tonight and so we joined forces to shop and solidify our recipe plans. i picked up onions, rainbow chard, fresh carrots, creamy avocados, green garlic, baby greens and one whole pound of strawberries. he got some ground beef, asparagus, avocados and berries. delight!
i spent the rest of the day cooking...chopping and steaming and sauteeing and shredding and mincing and peeling and boiling and baking...by 6 pm i had two baking pans full of goodness. i called thea and invited her to dinner and she, seth and i shared a delightful evening with killer bay views, good beer, fine music and if i do say so myself, delicious food :) we opted for the chicken enchiladas and thea brought over homemade strawberry salsa...yum! next time i'd serve these with mexican crema and a salsa verde. holy yum!
*spring chicken enchiladas*
saute the onions and garlic in olive oil with 1/2 teaspoon of salt until the onion is clear. add the spices. transfer to a saucepan and add the tomatoes, water, tomato paste, chiles and wine. add the remaining salt. cover and simmer for about 45 minutes. taste it throughout; if it's not spicy enough, add a bit more cayenne. remove from heat, let cool. immersion blend (or use a blender) into a smooth puree. set aside.
///the rest.
saute the onion and garlic in the chicken drippings until tender, then lightly saute the corn in with it all.
when it's cool, pull the chicken apart into shredded strips and combine it with the onion, garlic and corn.
microwave the tortillas on high for 30 seconds (wrapped in paper towel)...this softens them and makes them more pliable. coat the bottom of a 13" by 9" pan with a thin layer of the sauce. using a large shallow bowl, dip each tortilla in the enchilada sauce to lightly coat it. then spoon 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture into each tortilla. fold the tortilla over the filling and place eight enchiladas into the pan with their seam sides down. top with remaining enchilada sauce and sprinkle with cheese.
bake for 15 minutes and let cool slightly before serving. serve garnished with mexican crema and cilantro...and yummy seasonal salsas and a pacifico beer on the side!
i spent the rest of the day cooking...chopping and steaming and sauteeing and shredding and mincing and peeling and boiling and baking...by 6 pm i had two baking pans full of goodness. i called thea and invited her to dinner and she, seth and i shared a delightful evening with killer bay views, good beer, fine music and if i do say so myself, delicious food :) we opted for the chicken enchiladas and thea brought over homemade strawberry salsa...yum! next time i'd serve these with mexican crema and a salsa verde. holy yum!
*spring chicken enchiladas*
///the sauce.
1 cup chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, minced (i used 3 bulbs of green garlic...since i had it!)
1 28-oz can chopped tomatoes (summer time comes, you better be using 3 cups of fresh ones tho!)
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed (or 1/4 teaspoon dry coriander)
2 Tablespoons dry red wine
1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
2 Tablepoons olive oil
4 oz. diced green chiles (in a can. but imma can some this summer so i can use 'em this fall!)
saute the onions and garlic in olive oil with 1/2 teaspoon of salt until the onion is clear. add the spices. transfer to a saucepan and add the tomatoes, water, tomato paste, chiles and wine. add the remaining salt. cover and simmer for about 45 minutes. taste it throughout; if it's not spicy enough, add a bit more cayenne. remove from heat, let cool. immersion blend (or use a blender) into a smooth puree. set aside.
///the rest.
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon of a Mexican spice blend (i used salt/cayenne/sugar)
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup frozen corn, thawed (again, summertime? that corn better be fresh off the cob!)
8 corn tortillas
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
preheat oven to 350F.
coat a large saute pan with the oil. season the chicken with salt and pepper. brown the chicken over medium heat, allow 7 minutes each side or until no longer pink. sprinkle chicken with cumin, garlic powder and Mexican spices before turning. remove chicken to a platter, allow to cool.
coat a large saute pan with the oil. season the chicken with salt and pepper. brown the chicken over medium heat, allow 7 minutes each side or until no longer pink. sprinkle chicken with cumin, garlic powder and Mexican spices before turning. remove chicken to a platter, allow to cool.
saute the onion and garlic in the chicken drippings until tender, then lightly saute the corn in with it all.
when it's cool, pull the chicken apart into shredded strips and combine it with the onion, garlic and corn.
microwave the tortillas on high for 30 seconds (wrapped in paper towel)...this softens them and makes them more pliable. coat the bottom of a 13" by 9" pan with a thin layer of the sauce. using a large shallow bowl, dip each tortilla in the enchilada sauce to lightly coat it. then spoon 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture into each tortilla. fold the tortilla over the filling and place eight enchiladas into the pan with their seam sides down. top with remaining enchilada sauce and sprinkle with cheese.
bake for 15 minutes and let cool slightly before serving. serve garnished with mexican crema and cilantro...and yummy seasonal salsas and a pacifico beer on the side!
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