Potato Tacos with Green Chilies and Queso Fresco

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I’d like to call this recipe Tacos Los Tres Amigos because I like consuming tacos in threes. Sometimes I go over my calorie allotment and just eat a little less for my next meal. And that’s totally okay! It’s adapted from a delicious recipe by Rick Bayless. I’m not quite sure anymore, but I’m pretty sure he’s the one that introduced me to the really interesting and yummy herb epazote. Using epazote is optional here and you can use more cheese to make up for the omission. It is available at many Mexican grocery stores, so if you have those in your area, definitely check them out! It’s funny because before I was growing it in my garden, I had to trek a few miles to the store to buy it. But last year when I stayed in Baja California, it was growing wild everywhere. In any case, I’m always curious about new things and if you are too, don’t miss out on this one!

Tacos Los Tres Amigos

Servings: 8-12 Tacos
Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients
1.5 lbs small boiling potatoes, halved
3 tablespoons olive oil + additional to fry tortillas
1 small white onion, thinly sliced
6 medium fresh poblano chiles, roasted and peeled
Salt
8 oz crumbled Mexican queso fresco or other fresh cheese such as feta or goat cheese
16 leaves epazote, chopped (optional)
8-12 corn tortillas, lightly fried in olive oil

Directions
Simmer the potatoes in salted water to cover until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool under running water, peel and cut into 1/4-inch dice.

Heat the oil in a heavy medium-size skillet over medium. Add the onion and potato, and fry, stirring regularly to ensure that nothing sticks to the pan, until the mixture is richly browned, 10 to 15 minutes.

While the potatoes are browning, seed the chiles and roughly chop. Stir them into the potato mixture with epazote and season with salt to taste. Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the cheese.

Fry corn tortillas in olive oil over medium heat. Fill with potato filling, fold in half, and serve with your favorite hot sauce.

Trader Joe’s Thai Chicken Curry

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Even though this recipe is simple and not even made from scratch, it’s sort of sacred to me and Adrian. We’ve been making some version of it since we started shopping at Trader Joe’s together about 10 years ago. As our palates have changed and our cooking skills have improved, we’ve added and omitted a few things. We also took a trip to Thailand in 2012 and fell in love with keffir lime leaves, which added the final touch we needed to perfect this recipe. Below is our little secret to a delicious curry in 25 minutes!

Warning: Our chili recommendations are quite spicy, so you might want to cut your chilies in half or omit them altogether!

Trader Joe’s Thai Chicken Curry

Serves 4
Time: 25 Minutes

Ingredients
Trader Joe’s Thai Yellow Curry Sauce, 1 bottle
Trader Joe’s Thai Red Curry Sauce, 1 bottle
10 garlic cloves, chopped
2 shallots, sliced thin
2 serrano chilies, sliced
10 Thai chilies, sliced
1.5 lbs chicken thigh, cut into 1-inch pieces
5 heads baby bok choy or 1 large head bok choy, roughly chopped
1 bunch Thai basil or sweet basil, roughly chopped
4 green onions, chopped
3 keffir lime leaves, julienned (optional)
Steamed rice, to serve

Directions
Over medium heat, combine curry sauces in a large pan or dutch oven. Add garlic and shallots and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Add chilies and chicken and cook, stirring for 5 minutes. Then add bok choy, basil, green onions, and keffir lime leaves (if using). Simmer over medium heat for about 10-15 minutes, until sauce has reduced to a curry consistency and the chicken is cooked through. Serve with steamed rice.

A Pasta Recipe for Slow-Pokes Like Me: Spaghetti with Sautéed Sweet Potatoes and Ricotta

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Lately I’ve been cooking a lot of quick meals, even though that’s not necessarily my style. Many of my friends know me as the home chef who essentially slaves in the kitchen for hours on end, and it’s not because I make over-complicated food. I’m just pretty laid back and bring a super relaxed attitude with me wherever I go, which works great for those braises that take a few hours in the dutch oven anyway.

But a slow-cooking home chef has to get food done quickly sometimes, right? Otherwise how would I ever have time for clients and work, let alone the gym, or runs on along the beach? So below, I present you with a quick and delicious pasta on this night that I’m going to the gym. Faster home chefs could probably piece this one together in 20 minutes, but I over-estimated the time to 30-minutes for slow-pokes like me!

I think it’s important for people to know that healthy food is an achievable feat even for the busiest of us. This meal could probably be in your belly faster than running out last-minute to pick up fast food for your family. What was the clean up like? For those of you with a fast food addiction, don’t let these two pans overwhelm you. My clean up was was finished in less than 10 minutes. Dinner  + clean up in 40 minutes is proof that we can simplify and “healthify” our lives at the same time. Sometimes it just takes a little meal planning and thinking ahead to do so.

Spaghetti with Sautéed Sweet Potatoes and Ricotta

Serves 4-6
Time 30 min

Ingredients
1 lb spaghetti
3 tbsp olive oil
1.5 lb sweet potatoes (2 medium), cubed into 1/2-inch pieces
3 shallots, sliced
1.5 tbsp, fresh rosemary, chopped
1/3 cup parmesan, grated
1/2 cup ricotta
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Directions
Cook the pasta per package directions. Reserve 2/3 cup cooking water, drain pasta, and set aside.

In a large pan, or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add sweet potatoes, season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover, and cook stirring every 1-2 minutes to avoid scorching the sweet potatoes, about 8-10 minutes. Add rosemary and shallots and cook until potatoes are tender, 3-5 minutes longer.

Add cooked pasta and reserved water to sweet potatoes. Stir in grated parmesan. Serve pasta with a few dollops of ricotta, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

What I love Most About Summer + Recipe for Steak & Arugula Salad

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My calendar may say that it’s summer, but I’ve been so busy lately, I barely notice the change in season anymore. It’s a stark contrast to how I would literally count down the days to summer when I was a child, rejoicing when the final bell rang. Those long warm days in the California sun just couldn’t come soon enough!

The fact that summer is in full swing finally just dawned on me when foraging for these arugula greens. It’s a little sad that it took me three weeks to fully recognize the change in season, but mid-July is when my garden really starts to shine. I realize now that while I no longer count down to the lazy summer days of my past playing with friends, visiting the beach, or going to theme parks, I don’t think it’s a bad compromise that in adulthood, I have an incredible garden where I enjoy nothing more than counting down the days until my fruits and vegetables are ready to be harvested.

I suppose I truly have the better deal now because I really didn’t know how to cook much of anything when I was a kid. Now at least half of the food I cook up in summer is from my garden and that makes me a very, very happy dietitian. While this dish utilized the last of our arugula crop, my favorite salad greens will be back shortly with corn and pumpkins to follow. Until then, we will surely be eating our weight in tomatoes and kale!

Below is a recipe the salad, which I’ve adapted from an Epicurious recipe.

Steak & Arugula Salad

Serves 4
Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients
5 oz arugula
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, smashed
1 large sprig fresh rosemary needles
1 lb boneless top loin steak or sirloin (1 inch thick)
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 large shallot, thinly sliced crosswise
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar

Directions
Mound arugula on a large platter.

Heat oil with garlic and rosemary in a 12-inch heavy skillet over high heat, turning garlic once or twice, until garlic is soft, about 1-2 minutes. Meanwhile, cut steak crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices and toss with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add steak to skillet all at once and sauté over high heat, tossing with tongs to color evenly, about 1 minute for medium-rare.

Arrange steak over arugula using tongs, then add shallot to oil in skillet along with vinegars and remaining 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper and boil 2 minutes. Garnish to taste with ground black pepper. Pour dressing over steak and serve immediately.

The Real Deal Greek Salad

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The best Greek Salad is something you can really only eat in Greece (or in my house)! My husband and I should know – that’s where we met studying abroad in 2003, and I think we ate our weight in salad on the island of Paros. The only Greek Salad I knew before visiting was pretty weak – limp lettuce, boring sliced black olives, a few chopped tomatoes, maybe some cucumbers, and crumbled feta cheese. It’s a shame that the salads I see in the US barely meet my standards for an appetizer, let alone a whole meal. But the Greeks know how to do it right. I suppose they’ve been making it a little longer than we have, so there’s that.

Anyway, Leanne Ely’s Saving Dinner has a great recipe for Greek Salad, but we’ve improved on it, and made it a little more authentic. Our salad is a full meal, providing around 500-600 calories depending on how big your block of cheese is. We’ve adapted the recipe below:

The Real Deal Greek Salad

Serves 2

Dressing
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Salad
1 head butter lettuce leaves
3 tomatoes, sliced
12 Kalamata olives
1 English (seedless) cucumber, sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 small red onion, sliced into thin rings
1 (100g) block Valbreso feta cheese

Directions
In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.

Plate lettuce leaves and top with remaining salad ingredients, adding the cheese on top. Drizzle with dressing and serve with with whole grain rolls.

Moroccan Chicken Tagine

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I first became enamored with Moroccan food about 12 years ago when I ate at Chef Karim’s in Santa Barbara with my husband Adrian and his parents. I had never eaten anything like it and loved being able to sit on a cozy couch at dinner where I could dive into a family platter with a piece of bread as my only utensil. While I enjoyed the entertainment of the belly dancing and the Moroccan decor, I really became fascinated with the food.

I’m so glad that Adrian’s mom gifted us a tagine and a cookbook by Chef Hassan M’Souli for Christmas several years ago so we could keep eating Moroccan food even after the locally famous Chef Karim closed down his restaurant in 2010. Chef Hassan’s recipes are fabulous, and from him we’ve learned how to make preserved lemons, several tagines, Rghaif del Ferran (a spicy bread), and an insanely awesome crepe dessert with dates and Kahlua. We’ve found that our favorite tagine is with chicken, but after exploring different recipes, we prefer one from the Boston Globe over Chef Hassan’s. It’s easier to make and just a little more delicious.

Below are the recipes we use to make our favorite tagine. I’ve adapted them where needed. We make our own preserved lemons to keep on hand, but you can easily purchase them at niche grocery stores like Whole Foods or online at Amazon.

Moroccan Chicken Tagine

Adapted from Sheryl Julian’s Boston Globe Recipe
Serves 4

Ingredients
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 preserved lemon
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 red onion, coarsely chopped
1 tomato, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon ghee or butter
1.5 lbs bone-in chicken thighs (skin on)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup water
1/2 cup pitted green olives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander

Directions
In a bowl, with your fingers, crush the saffron threads with the salt. Remove the lemon flesh from the rind. Chop the lemon flesh coarsely. Add the lemon flesh and a 2-inch piece of lemon rind (chopped) to the saffron with the garlic, turmeric, ginger, pepper, onion, tomato, and ghee or butter. Toss well. Reserve remaining pieces of the rind.

Sprinkle the saffron mixture on the chicken on both sides. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or for up to half a day.

In a tagine pan or large flameproof casserole, heat the oil. Add the chicken skin-side up and 2 tablespoons of the water. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, turning halfway through cooking.

Add the remaining water to the pan. Turn the chicken skin-side down. Add remaining pieces of lemon rind. Set on the cover askew. Continue cooking the chicken for 35 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through, about 45 minutes.

Turn the chicken skin side up. Sprinkle the chicken with olives, parsley, and coriander.

Moroccan Preserved Lemons

Adapted from Hassan M’Souli’s Moroccan Modern

Ingredients
10 thin-skinned lemons
1.5 cups coarse sea salt
4.25 cups boiling water
juice of 1 lemon
8 cardamom pods
2 small red chilis, optional
2 bay leaves, optional
Olive oil, to cover

Directions
Scrub the lemons well and soak in water for about 3 days, changing the water daily (this disperses the gas and acids contained in the fruit). Remove from the water and cut four pockets end to end into each lemon, being careful not to slice right through.

Holding a lemon over a bowl (to catch any juice and salt), fill the pockets generously with salt, and arrange in a half gallon preserving jar. Repeat with remaining lemons.

Cover the lemons with boiling water. Add the leftover salt and juice, lemon juice and cardamom pods. Chilis and bay leaves may also be added for flavor and decoration, if you like.

Leave the jar for a few minutes to ensure that most of the air bubbles are released. Pour over a thin layer of olive oil to cover the surface. Seal tightly, and store for at least 1 month prior to use.

If preserved correctly, preserved lemons can be stored for years. The flavors become more intense and a little more briney (not unlike olives)!

Hoisin Glazed Salmon with Shiitake Mushrooms and Asparagus

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This is probably the most simple fish recipe that my husband and I make. It’s one of those meals where if we haven’t planned what’s for dinner and we’re on our way home for work, we know we have half of the items on hand (hoisin and rice) and the rest we can grab in less than 10 minutes at the local market.

This recipe will work with other fatty fish like black cod, which means that you’re going to get one of your two servings of fatty fish a week recommended by the American Heart Association. If you make extra and eat this for lunch the next day, you’ve already met that goal! How simple is that?

Hoisin Glazed Salmon with Shiitake Mushrooms and Asparagus

Serves 4
Total Time 20 Minutes

Ingredients
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
4 (4 oz) salmon filets
1 large bunch asparagus, trimmed
4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and pepper
Steamed rice (short or medium-grain), to serve

Directions
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat broiler.

Mix hoisin sauce and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl. Place fish, skin-side down, on a foil-lined baking pan and spread sauce over the top.

Toss asparagus, mushrooms, oil, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Scatter vegetables evenly around fish.

Broil, stirring vegetables once, until they are tender and fish is cooked through and opaque, 6 to 8 minutes, depending on thickness.

Slide a spatula between the skin and the fish; discard skin. Divide fish among individual plates. Serve with vegetables and steamed rice.

Spring Greens & Lima Bean Soup (The Fast Recipe)

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I’ve been making a Spring Greens and Lima Bean Soup recipe from Epicurious for years. There’s nothing quite like it. The flavors and textures in this soup compliment each other so well from the umami of the chicken broth and tomato combination to the texture of the swiss chard and little bites of carrots and celery. When I have time, I prefer to go by the original Epicurious recipe and utilize dried heirloom lima beans. When I’ve forgotten to soak my beans overnight, I’ve made them a little faster with a quick boil and allow them to sit for an hour. But what about when I want this delicious soup in less than 45 minutes with little preparation or planning ahead? Below is my cheat to the original recipe.

Spring Greens and Lima Bean Soup

Serves 8

Ingredients
2 15-oz cans lima beans
2 bunches dandelion greens, Swiss chard, or mustard greens (1 1/2 pounds total), tough bottom stems removed, leaves cut into 2-inch pieces
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
8 cups low-salt chicken broth
1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice, drained
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add celery, carrots, and onion. Sauté until onion is translucent, about 6 minutes. Add broth and tomatoes. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Add chard and beans and simmer for 5 more minutes to allow flavors to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper, cover and let soup rest 15 minutes. Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with cheese and drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Serve with a side of crusty bread, drizzled on both sides with olive oil and toasted under the broiler for 3-5 minutes.

One-Pot Indonesian Curry in less than 25 Minutes

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My husband and I became acquainted with Indonesian food when we were students at UC Santa Barbara. We used to go out to brunch at a restaurant called Blue Dolphin, circa 2003-2005, which is now closed. Fortunately for us, when we arrived late for brunch one day, we discovered their Indonesian lunch menu and never turned back. This was our favorite menu item, erroneously called Goreng Ayam. After the restaurant closed down, we were surprised to learn that there is a dish called Ayam Goreng, a fried chicken dish, and that it is not this one. We were actually laughed at by several grocery store merchants who had no idea what we were talking about when we were searching for recipe tips. It took us a little while, but we finally found a way to replicate it when we came across a seasoning mix at Indochina Market in Goleta called Ayam Goreng by Kokita.

While we now know how to make the simmer sauce from scratch, we tend to still use the seasoning mix more often than not because it’s such a quick dinner and it’s so easy that we could make it in our sleep. If you’re interested in purchasing it, we purchase ours from Indo Food Store’s website, but if you’re lucky enough, you might be able to find it at a local market. Here’s our recipe below:

Indonesian-Style Chicken Curry

Serves 4

Ingredients
3 oz Ayam Goreng Seasoning Mix (about 1/4 jar)
1 cup water
2-3 sliced chili peppers (jalapeno and/or birdseye chiles)
1.5 lb chicken thighs
Cabbage, ½ head
Steamed rice, to serve

Directions
Add seasoning mix to a medium  saucepan and stir in water to thin. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add chilies and chicken and lower heat to medium. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Serve with steamed rice and garnish with sliced cabbage.

Chipotle Chicken Tacos

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In California, tacos are fundamental to our cuisine. That’s why I’m constantly in search of amazing taco recipes to make at home for friends and family. Let me tell you, these chipotle chicken tacos are the best I’ve ever made. Not only is this recipe from the New York Times delicious, it’s pretty darn healthy too. Just look at the nutrition analysis for two tacos below. Not bad, right?

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I know several people who think that tacos are a guilty pleasure and that they’re inherently unhealthy. But in reality, they can be quite the opposite. Here you can see that my suggested serving size of two tacos has enough fat to keep you satiated while the saturated fat is kept in check, and the sodium is acceptable unless you’re on a low-salt diet. I even included 1/4 tsp of added salt in my analysis.

What is really great about these tacos, though, is that while they have a good amount of vitamin C and calcium, the fiber is outstanding. Hint: in addition to the vegetables, each tortilla has 2g of fiber. If you double up on your tortillas like I did, you’re well on your way to meeting your fiber needs for the day. Are you convinced that tacos can be a part of a healthy diet yet?

Some tips for tacos in general:

1). Keep your portion size in check. If you’re consuming 6-inch tortillas, I recommend about two tacos. If you’re a tall athlete, sure, you can have more. But if you’re shorter and trying to lose weight, you may want to fill the tacos with more vegetables than meat. For 3-inch tortillas (street taco style), you’re likely safe with three.

2). Vegetarian, seafood, and chicken tacos are all great choices unless any components are fried. Pork and beef can be acceptable, but keep in mind that the less red meat you eat throughout the week, the lower your risk for cardiovascular disease and cancer.

3). Load up on vegetables for fiber because they are low in calories and contribute to fullness. Salsa can be a low-calorie addition, but it can also be salty, so if you have hypertension, you may want to avoid it altogether.

4). If adding beans: choose pinto or black beans instead of refried as refried beans at restaurants can pack in a lot of calories. If you’re cooking at home, there are several varieties of canned refried beans that are low in fat and also a good choice. However, keep in mind that if you’re salt sensitive, many canned beans contain a fair amount of sodium, so look at your labels!

5). Enjoy! Eating tacos is what’s best about tacos, right?

Chipotle Chicken Tacos

Click HERE for original NYT Recipe
Serves 4

Ingredients
4 large bone-in chicken thighs, about 1 1/2 pounds
3 scallions, left whole
1 bay leaf
1 thyme branch
3 black peppercorns
1 allspice berry (or a pinch of ground allspice)
2 cloves
Kosher salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon ground cumin
2 or 3 chipotle chiles in adobo, chopped
3 tablespoons adobo sauce, from the can
½ cup broth (use broth from simmered chicken)
16 fresh corn tortillas

To Garnish
1 small white onion, finely chopped
2 thinly sliced serrano chiles
4 thinly sliced radishes
1/2 sliced avocado
Crumbled queso fresco or mild feta cheese
Crème fraîche or Mexican crema
Cilantro sprigs
Dried oregano
Lime wedges

Directions
Put chicken thighs in a saucepan and cover with 3 cups water. Add scallions, bay leaf, thyme, peppercorns, allspice, cloves and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Simmer for 30 minutes, then remove chicken and cool. Shred chicken with your fingers, discarding chicken skin and bone. Strain broth and reserve. You should have about 2 cups shredded chicken.

Put olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add diced yellow onion, season with salt and cook until softened and a bit browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cumin and cook for 1 minute more. Add chopped chipotle chile and adobo sauce and stir to combine. Add shredded chicken, salt lightly and stir to coat. Add 1/2 cup of the chicken broth and simmer for 2 or 3 minutes, until sauce has thickened somewhat. Keep warm.

Heat the tortillas over steam or by your favorite method, keeping them soft and pliable.

Build the tacos quickly: Put a spoonful of the saucy chicken in the center of each tortilla. Top with a teaspoon of chopped white onion, a few slivers of serrano chile, some radish and avocado slices, a teaspoon of queso fresco and a teaspoon of crème fraîche. Add a few cilantro springs and a small pinch of oregano. Serve immediately with lime wedges on the side.