Thirsty Thursday: Fresh Fruit in Foreign Places

 

Today’s Thirsty Thursday is again brought courtesy of one of my favorite watering holes: Ophelia’s Wine & Tapas.  We so rarely have hard alcohol around the house, and I can only post so many beer floats before you all think I’m loony.

So, here we have a DELICIOUS fruity cocktail entitled “Fresh Fruit in Foreign Places”, named after a Kid Creole & the Coconuts album:

 

With a name like “Kid Creole”, you’d suspect they were from New Orleans, amiright?  Well, you’d be wrong, as I was.  Kid Creole, aka August Darnell, grew up in the magical melting pot of the Bronx, though his parents were from South Carolina & Georgia.  Their sound mixes American Big Band w/Latin American, Caribbean, South American, et al.  In retrospect, “Fresh Fruit” is delightfully 80’s, but it was hailed at its release as a brilliant “musical travelogue”, with each song representing a journey to a foreign land.  I’ll stick with Deep Forest for my musical travelogues, but I still have an appreciation for a band that brings in a variety of sounds, pulling inspiration from all types of musical genres.

But enough history.  You want a cocktail.

Ingredients:

2 oz Pomegranate Vodka

2 oz Sour Apple Pucker

4 oz Cranberry juice

Combine & serve over ice; garnish with, what else—fresh fruit!

(for the record, I don’t actually have Ophelia’s recipe for this cocktail, but this is my best estimation based off taste & the menu.  It’s fantastic!)

Very light and summery—almost completely makes you forget about that cold @$$ weather outside, eh? 

MUahahahahHAhahahah, take THAT,  Gulf Coast!  Now you see what we have to deal with up here!  All joking aside…winter sucks.  Wherever you are, stay safe, stay warm, and of course, stay thirsty, my friends!

PS—The Hubs started brewing his own beer this past weekend—so stay tuned for that in a future Thirsty Thursday!!!

Andouille & Potato Soup

When the weather gets cold, my cravings for soup increase dramatically.  And no brothy-chickeny soups will suffice.  I want CARBS, dangit.  I want creamy, opaque, hearty chowder-y soup that I couldn’t see through if I tried.

And a few weeks ago, thankfully, my husband had the exact same craving & I came home from work to find this soup waiting for me.

Soooooo yum.  We are DEFINITELY making this again.  It’s a spin on a traditional “ham & potato” chowder, using some smoked andouille sausage we had in the fridge.

Ingredients:

3.5 cups peeled & cubed potatoes (Yukon Gold)

1/3 cup diced celery

1/2 onion, chopped

(1) 3-4 oz link of andouille sausage, diced

3.25 cups water

2 chicken bouillon cubes

1/2 tsp salt (or more to taste)

1 tsp black pepper

5 tbsp light margarine

5 tbsp flour

2 cups skim milk

 

Directions:

Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, sausage and water in a stockpot, add the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10-15 minutes.  

In a separate saucepan, melt the margarine over medium-low heat.  Whisk in four and cook, whisking constantly until thick.  Slowly stir in the milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added.  Continue whisking over medium-low heat until thick, about 4-5 minutes.

Add the milk mixture into the stockpot and cook until soup is heated through.  Serve with a slice of buttered bread (Because YAY more carbs!!!)  Makes 8 servings.

NutriFacts:

Calories 149.5

  Total Fat 6.7 g

  Saturated Fat 1.3 g

  Polyunsaturated Fat 2.0 g

  Monounsaturated Fat 0.9 g

  Cholesterol 6.2 mg

  Sodium 471.2 mg

  Potassium 374.4 mg

  Total Carbohydrate 17.4 g

  Dietary Fiber 1.1 g

  Sugars 3.6 g

  Protein 5.2 g

Fresh Avocado Salad

On a gray, murky day like today, when I’m trapped inside an office for 9 hours, there’s a good chance that any of the following could happen:

- I succumb to the Winter Blues & conk out at my desk

- I attempt to fight the Winter Blues with coffee, overcaffeinate myself, and subsequently chuck a stapler at a coworker due to Print Errors at the copier

- I pass out while working on invoicing & wake up to discover I accidentally emailed an itemized Excel spreadsheet detailing costs for operating a food blog to my boss

…or, I can stop after one cup of coffee, avoid printing anything all day, and make myself a bright, happy, delicious lunch that is so bursting with color that I think I’m in Playa del Carmen rather than Missouri.

 

And that’s what I opted for today.

This is one of my favorite lunch options—although I don’t make it too often because there’s so much avocado in it…not that I don’t LOVE avocado (because I SOOOOOOO do), but you can have too much of a good thing, especially when that good thing is the 13 grams of fat that accompanies half of an avocado.  Granted—it’s mostly unsaturated fats which works wonders for your cholesterol, and our creamy green friend is chockablock full of vitamins like A, B, C, D, E, K, and even a healthy dose of fiber.  And they have a NuVal score of 89 (which is definitely better than the “Angry Birds” gummy snacks that I’m currently snacking on while typing this blog).  This is almost a bit like a deconstructed guacamole—since I love the creamy & acidic flavors associated with guac, but I don’t love the texture.

Ingredients: (makes one salad)

1/2 avocado, cubed

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

About 10 cherry tomatoes, quartered

juice of 1/2 lime

dash of cracked black pepper (or Cajun seasoning, whatever’s handy)

NOTE: Sometimes I add diced purple onion or a wee bit of garlic powder when I make this—entirely up to you.

 

Directions:

Toss all of the ingredients together.  Nom to your heart’s content.

(JUST LOOK AT THOSE COLORS!!!)

I’m sure this goes without saying, but I’m a fan of fresh produce, and I’m a fan of jamming as much (natural) color into your food as possible (again, unlike these gummies sitting next to me…I know, I’m such a hypocrite).  And while this particular mix is a bit high on the fat content, it’s full of texture and the richness of the avocado is really filling & satisfying. And at under 180 calories, it’s a really reasonable, decadent side dish for a quick lunch.  (Another note:  Once I’ve juiced the lime, I throw the lime half in with a big glass of water—there’s usually just enough juice left in the wedge to give a nice hint of flavor to an otherwise boring cup o’ eau.)

I try to keep my meals at about 400 calories each (with 2-3 100-calorie snacks scattered between meals).  With the above salad, I had 3 oz of venison summer sausage (150 calories, 15g protein, 1.5g fat) and a 2% milk mozzarella string cheese (50 calories, 6g protein, 15% daily calcium).  If I had wanted a more substantial protein portion of my meal, or a starch, it would be very easy to only use 1/4 of an avocado, add 1/2 – 1 cup of mixed greens & the juice of a whole lime, and this salad would drop to about 100 calories. There’s so much flavor in the cilantro & lime juice that no real “salad dressing” is needed.

 

NutriFacts:

Calories 179.2

  Total Fat 13.4 g

  Saturated Fat 1.8 g

  Polyunsaturated Fat 1.6 g

  Monounsaturated Fat 8.5 g

  Cholesterol 0.0 mg

  Sodium 7.3 mg

  Potassium 880.8 mg

  Total Carbohydrate 15.9 g

  Dietary Fiber 8.0 g

  Sugars 5.1 g

  Protein 3.4 g

  Vitamin A 34.2 %

  Vitamin B-12 0.0 %

  Vitamin B-6 13.0 %

  Vitamin C 63.6 %

  Vitamin D 0.0 %

  Vitamin E 6.6 %

  Calcium 1.7 %

  Copper 8.4 %

  Folate 20.7 %

  Iron 3.7 %

  Magnesium 16.7 %

  Manganese 7.4 %

  Niacin 18.7 %

  Pantothenic Acid  13.4 %

  Phosphorus  4.9 %

  Riboflavin 8.1 %

  Selenium 0.5 %

  Thiamin 4.9 %

  Zinc 4.4 %

Kitchen Improv: Chicken Chili Bake

I was craving some Tex-Mex the other night so I threw this recipe together after work.  I originally wanted to make it with ground beef & a cornbread crust; however, I came home to discover that we had neither beef nor cornbread in our stockpile.  So…I improvised, and the result was this quick, delicious, and rather healthy two-pan dish:

Ingredients:

3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 tablespoon cajun seasoning

1/2 tablespoon Pampered Chef Chipotle Rub

1/2 cup dark beer (for steaming)

(1) 8oz can Zesty Rotel Tomato Sauce

(1) 8oz can mushroom pieces, drained

(1) 14 oz can Mexican style chili beans

(1) 14 oz can petite diced tomatoes & onions, partially drained

(1) 14oz can creamed corn (you can use regular canned corn if you prefer or don’t have creamed corn)

1/2 tablespoon dried onions

1/2 green bell pepper, diced

1 jalapeno, seeded & diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Seasonings to taste: chili powder, cayenne, cumin

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 package refrigerator biscuits

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

 

Directions:

Season the chicken with the cajun seasoning & chipotle rub, then place into a skillet over medium-high heat.  Once the chicken is browned on each side, cut a few slices into each breast, and then pour the beer into the skillet & cover with a lid, to allow the chicken to steam.  This will help the chicken to cook through thoroughly without drying out.  We used Leinenkugel’s Fireside Nut Brown Ale:

            

Once the chicken is cooked through, remove it from the pan & chop.  Add the canned ingredients, onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, and garlic to the skillet.  Re-add the chicken & stir thoroughly.  Cover & simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes.

While that’s going, preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Once your peppers start to soften, taste test the chili to determine if you need to add any additional seasonings.  Then transfer the mixture to a glass 9x13 baking dish.  Cover with the shredded cheese and drop the biscuits evenly across the top.  Bake for 10 minutes.

When it comes out of the oven, sprinkle the top with cilantro and serve!

 

 

NutriFacts: (Makes about 8 servings)

Calories 453.8

  Total Fat 13.2 g

  Saturated Fat 4.3 g

  Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4 g

  Monounsaturated Fat 0.3 g

  Cholesterol 64.4 mg

  Sodium 1,535.4 mg

  Potassium 402.9 mg

  Total Carbohydrate 47.5 g

  Dietary Fiber 5.5 g

  Sugars 5.8 g

  Protein 35.4 g

Shared on 33 Shades of Green's Tasty Tuesday and The Sweet Spot.

Thirsty Thursday: Brandy & Herbsaint Milk Punch.

Thirsty Thursday: well, as an alliteration, it had to be done, am I right? And it's appropriate, because one thing Louisianians love to do, in addition to eating, is have a good drink. Whether it's watching a Mardi Gras parade pass by, or sitting a 200 year old pub in The Quarter, or tailgating at a LSU Tigers game, or simply having a crawfish/crab/shrimp boil with friends, there will be drinks involved. So that's what Thursdays are about: the drinks of Louisiana.

And I'm not just talking about alcoholic drinks, because Lord knows Louisianians aren't drunk 24/7--so please don't interpret the above paragraph as such. People in the Bayou State just know how to pass a good time, and find the joie de vivre in every aspect of their lives. Time runs a little slower south of I-10, especially if you're sipping a perfect cup of cafe au lait or enjoying an Abita root beer.

Also, I have to state here that I am no booze-hound myself--my college years are far behind me and my liver pitches a fit if I ever dare forget that. But while working at a New Orleans wine store/gourmet deli during grad school, I learned to love trying new things, whether it be microbrews or local wineries or specialty cocktails. My husband & I frequently like to pick up mixed 6-packs of new & interesting brews from the store & split each of them, just so we can say we've tried it.

That disclaimer being made, let's move on to the drink of the day.

--

I don't know about where you are, but here, it has recently turned cold. Stupid cold. They were actually talking about the possibility of SNOW this morning on the radio. This is NOT my favorite time of year. This is the time just AFTER my favorite time of year, when the weather is "room temperature" outside and in, with just a slight crispness in the breeze, and the trees---thank the heavens for the trees.



But then THIS time of year shows up, and all those gorgeous leaves turn brown and end up in my back yard, on the ground for our dog to wallow in.

Eventually, I get over the death of my beautiful leaves, because it's still the time of year when nearly everything is "spiced". Spice cake, spice cookies, spiced cider, pumpkin spice lattes...I could go on, in true Bubba Gump flair. I am a pushover for all things "spice".

So much so, that I actually broke down & tried a "brandy milk punch", all because of some "spice".

Chef Susan Spicer, to be exact. (I mean, don't you just love that name? How could someone named "Spicer" NOT be a chef?) Chef Spicer is the mastermind behind the famous Bayona restaurant in New Orleans, as well as the creator of the Brandy & Herbsaint Milk Punch, which is just a kicked up version of the regular brandy milk punch, which is popular all over New Orleans, all times of the year. The Herbsaint version is noted for increasing in popularity when the weather starts to cool down a bit (in New Orleans, that's all of a what--balmy 60 degrees?).

I live in Louisiana for 6 years, and avoided the milk punch for most of those years, primarily because in my head, it just SOUNDED wrong. I've never been huge on the idea of milk with booze, despite regularly making White Russians when I tended bar back in college. It just feels WRONG. I make an exception for eggnog, just because it's so thick & spicy that I forget there's booze in there (though I usually drink the non-boozy version anyway, because a lot of people just add TOO much booze, which kills the beauty of the eggnog). So as far as "milk punch" goes, I pictured red Kool-Aid and 2% mixed together in some horrid pink concoction, and the thought curdled my brain.

But then, someone actually showed me a PICTURE of one while we were at Bayona for dinner one evening:



And I said, "Oh...that looks like eggnog! I like eggnog! And it's got NUTMEG on it! I love nutmeg!"

And I tried it. And, while I wouldn't want one every day, it was still pretty darn delicious. The brandy is warming, the nutmeg is spicy, it's just sweet enough, and then the Herbsaint adds a hint of anise that goes so well with the nutmeg.

So--here is Chef Spicer's recipe. I hope you try it & enjoy!

1-1/2 ounces brandy or bourbon (note: I have also had this made with Southern Comfort & it worked quite well)
1/4 ounce Herbsaint Original (if you can find it, though I'm told you can use absinthe, Pernod's, Anisette instead, if that's more convenient)
1/4 ounce simple syrup
4 ounces whole milk or half-and-half (very important. If you try to use 2% or skim, it's just NOT going to look or taste right. The thicker milk is important for the texture.)

Shake with ice and strain into a punch cup, and garnish generously with nutmeg

Reduced Calorie Crab & Corn Bisque

This is one of my all-time favorite dishes. And one of the first "cajun" dishes I ever attempted cooking. However, it was certainly NOT "healthed-up" the first time I made it. I don't even want to attempt to fathom the calories that were in that version. So, I've tweaked it over the years, and now it's equally delicious, but much lower in fat (thanks to the many Lower Fat versions of ingredients that are currently available).

Please note that this recipe calls for imitation crab meat...yes, the real stuff is infinitely fabulous, however, a) most of us don't have ready access to fresh crab, b) the frozen real stuff is rather pricey, compared to it's surimi counterpart, and c) the imitation stuff is quite good for you! I will issue fair warning--I use Louis Kemp Crab Delights, and it doesn't flake extremely well when you're breaking it apart for the soup. In fact, it looks a little like noodles. But delicious crab-esque noodles in a rich & creamy soup. So it's all good. :)

This recipe will make 8-10 servings; each serving is less than 300 calories, and approximately 6g of fat. And if you're living just about anywhere other than Louisiana right now, you're probably experiencing this same wicked El Nino winter we are here in Missouri, so it should go without saying (but I'll say it anyway, because I'm obnoxious like that) that this makes a fabulous winter meal alternative to chili or your other winter staples.



Is your mouth watering? It should be. ;)

Ingredients:
2 medium onions chopped
2 tbs. olive oil (Extra Virgin)
1/4 large red bell pepper chopped
2 ribs celery, finely chopped
1 - 16oz. can whole kernel corn, undrained
8oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced (or you can use canned sliced mushrooms, undrained)
1 - 16oz. can Italian style tomatoes coarsely diced
1 tsp. sugar
1 - 10 3/4oz. can 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup
1 - 16oz. can cream style corn
1 lb. Louis Kemp Crab Delights imitation crab, flaked
1 tsp. dried and crushed sweet basil
3 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
4 tsp cajun seasoning (as usual, I have to throw in my plug for Fontenot & A Half right here. It's lower sodium than most of the cajun seasonings around, and is made by two very good friends of mine down in Louisiana, so it's about as authentic as you can get. And it's now available for purchase online!)
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 - tsp. liquid crab boil (not dried)
1 cup fat free Half-N-Half cream
2 tbs. fresh parsley chopped
1/2 lb. light Velveeta
Salt and Pepper to taste
Thinly sliced green onion tops
Your favorite crackers (I get the "Buttery Smooth" club-style crackers)

Directions::
In a 6 - quart dutch oven (or your largest pot), over medium heat, heat the olive oil, then sauté the onion until transparent. Add bell pepper and celery, sauté until just tender. (I use red bell pepper for the added color, and because for some reason, right now they're the same price as green bells). Season vegetables with a pinch of salt & pepper as they saute.

Stir in the whole kernel corn, mushrooms, tomatoes and sugar. Bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes. Add mushroom soup, cream style corn and half of the crab meat mixing well after each addition.

Add the sweet basil, bay leaves, thyme, garlic powder, 2 tsp of the cajun seasoning, and the liquid crab boil.

Lower heat to medium and cook 15 minutes, stirring often to prevent scorching. Turn heat to low and blend in the Half-N-Half, parsley and remaining crab meat. Simmer 5 minutes, then remove the bay leaves (because they're nearly impossible to find in the pot if you do it after you add the Velveeta), then stir in cheese until melted. (I cube up the Velveeta in order to speed up the melting.)

Season to taste with more cajun seasoning, salt, & pepper. Serve nice-n-warm, garnished with green onions. BE SURE TO SERVE WITH CRACKERS, as this is a very rich dish; the crackers help balance everything out nicely.

Nutritional Info:
* Calories: 279.7
* Total Fat: 6.0 g
* Cholesterol: 11.9 mg
* Total Carbs: 47.5 g
* Dietary Fiber: 4.1 g
* Protein: 11.8 g

Enjoy!