Fresh Natural Chili Recipe

Created this chili recipe using only real foods it makes a good size pot, great to take for lunch and a couple of dinners thru the week.

Fresh Natural Chili

4 C Pinto Beans Raw

1 lbs Hamburger

1 Bell Green Bell Pepper (Diced)

3 Cloves Fresh Garlic (Minced)

4 Roma Tomatoes Fresh (Pureed)

4 Roma Tomatoes Fresh (Diced)

4 Serrano Chilies Fresh (Diced)

2 Tbs Salt Plus some for boiling beans

3 Tbs Chili Powder

1 Tbs Cumon

2 tsp Pepper

5 C Chicken Stock

    In Large pot add beans, fill pot with water and add some salt. Cover and cook on med/high heat for 2 hours. Strain beans and set aside, in large pot brown hamburger. Stir all the remaining ingredients into the pot with the cooked hamburger, bring to a boil and cook for ½ hour. Last add the 5 cups chicken stock, stir and let cook on med heat for 1 hour.

This recipe takes a good amount of time to prepare, thats why its great to make the full batch. Have it ready for meals for a couple days thru the week. I also used all fresh ingredients for my diet to avoid any processed sugars and other added chemicals. If you have a great brand of canned beans or any other ingredient you would like to use just substitute them to speed up the process.

Seafood Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe

Day 57
15 Recipes
2 Projects in Progress
1 Restaurant Review
1 Ingredient Article


The Safeway grocery store I work at had scallops in the ad for 5 dollars a pound, after some confusion I walked away with 2 pounds for $3.42 don’t ask me how. I wanted to make something with them. Thinking back the most amazing dish I can remember with scallops is a fettuccine alfredo from a little steak house near by called the broiler. I figured I will kick it up a little by trying to replicate their dish with some extra added seafood.

Seafood Fettuccine Alfredo
¼ Cup Butter
1 ½ Cup Heavy Cream
¾ Pound shredded Parmesan
2 tsp salt
2 tsp garlic minced
¼ Cup onion minced

Seafood
½ Pound Clams
½ Pound Mussels
¾ Pound Baby scallops
½ Pound Shrimp (I used 26-30 Count)

1 Box Fettuccine Pasta

In Large saucepan add butter, garlic, and onion let cook on med high heat until onion turns translucent. Add the Clams, Mussels, and Shrimp cover and let sit for 6-7 min. As that sits start your fettuccine noodles boiling in some salt water. After the 6-7 min open the pot, the clams and mussels should have opened up. Pour in the heavy cream and salt, give it a few stirs and let it heat until it just starts to boil. Add the parmesan cheese and scallops, stir until the cheese has all melted and you have a creamy looking sauce. Continue stirring every min for about 5-6 min then turn to low and let sit uncovered. Strain the noodles when finished, place a few noodles on a plate. Top with a nice amount of the seafood and alfredo sauce. Serve right away.
 

Spicy Chicken Strip Recipe

Day 43
14 Recipes
2 Projects in Progress
1 Restaurant Review
1 Ingredient Article

I told myself I would not eat fast food for a year and I am sticking to that. On occasion I have a little deli food, I want to cut that out to. This does not mean I am eating very healthy it just means I have to fix everything myself, cutting out most preservatives, extra sugars, and chemicals. Since the beginning of the year just cutting fast food out I have lost 45 pounds. But I do have the cravings sometimes for KFC. The following recipe is of a slightly spicy chicken strips recipe I came up with as I was trying to copy their recipe.

Spicy Chicken Strips

3 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast (Cut into 1/3 inch thick strips diagonally across the grain)
1 Cup Flour
1 Cup Bread Crumbs
1 ¾ Cup Buttermilk
1 Tbs Cayenne Pepper
2 Tsp Black Pepper
2 Tsp Salt
1 Tbs Baking powder
2 Tsp Oragano
Enough oil to deep fry in

In large bowl add all ingredients except chicken, mix until you have a thin paste. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel, add to the mix. Stir the chicken in until it is completely coated. Bring the oil up to 325 degrees, with tongs add coated chicken strips one at a time making sure not to overcrowd the fryer. Fry for 5-6 min until nice and golden brown, remove and place on a paper towel.

Polenta Recipe

Day 25
14 Recipes
2 Projects in Progress
1 Restaurant Review
1 Ingredient Article

I am back sorry I was not feeling very good for a few days and did not want to focus on anything other than work and sleep. For this recipe I am making polenta, II never heard of polenta before a couple of years ago. It is a very simple dish to make and can be prepared hundreds of ways or just eaten as is. It's also a good dish if you are looking to save some money in the following recipe I use chicken stock but you can use any stock you would like or even just water.

Polenta was originally an Italian word, coming from the Latin for crushed grain. Until the 16th century when corn was introduced to Europe barley-meal and other grains were used for the dish. It was and still is classified as a peasant food. It was often served topped with a sauce, in the 1940's and 1950's it as eaten with just a little anchovy or herring.

Basic Polenta Recipe
6 Cups chicken stock
2 Cups yellow cornmeal
2 tsp Salt
3 Tbs Butter

In large pot add chicken stock and salt and bring to a boil. As soon as water begins to boil slowly add cornmeal making sure to stir constantly, once all the cornmeal is in continue to stir. It should begin to get thick within seconds, continue to stir until you can move your spoon across the bottom and it takes a few sec to fill back in. At this point add butter stir until melted and mixed in completely. Quickly transfer the polenta mix to a buttered dish of sort, it will take the shape of this dish I use a glass pie pan. Let cool for several hours if you would like to cut.

Takeing a few days off to rest

Day 22
13 Recipes
2 Projects in Progress
1 Restaurant Review
1 Ingredient Article

I am starting to catch a cold or something, I am going to take a few days off from posting and get some rest. I will have a new Post by sat night. Check back for the new post. Also check my website www.cookwithnick.com and my facebook page Here.

Creamed Spinach Recipe

Day 20
13 Recipes
2 Projects in Progress
1 Restaurant Review
1 Ingredient Article

After yesterdays article on spinach I realized I really like learning about the history of food. It is safe to say I will be doing more articles in the near future. I could not help my self from making a spinach dish after all the research yesterday. Cream spinach is one of my favorite sides, unfortunately most places do not serve it.

Creamed Spinach
2 10oz packages chopped spinach
8oz sour cream
2 Tbs butter
1/2 Pound Cheddar Cheese
½ Cup Shredded Parmesan
3 Tbs Minced Onion
1 Tbs Minced Garlic

In med size pot on med high heat add chopped spinach, Onion, Garlic, and butter stir until onions become soft and transparent. Add sour cream and both cheeses, continue to stirring until all the cheese has melted. Serve hot, goes great with steak

If you have any questions or would like to share your recipe please share it in the comments bellow.

Article on Spinach

Day 19
12 Recipes
2 Projects in Progress
1 Restaurant Review
1 Ingredient Article

    I been wanting to learn a little more about the food I eat then just cooking with it. So once or twice a week I plan on giving a break to cooking and focus on researching and learning about different ingredients. I am focusing on spinach this time as its a ingredient I use quite often. 

Spinach 

History

Spinach was first referenced in persia about 226-640 A.D. and was first documented in 647 A.D. as it was introduced to China from Nepal. It was called and still referred to as the "Persian Green." By the 13th century spinach was used throughout the Mediterranean, by the 15th century it had become a major part of the diet in Mediterranean countries. It picked up its popularity quickly due to it being harvested in early spring when many other vegetables where hard to come by.
     
     Varieties
 Spinach comes in 3 variety Savoy, Semi-Savoy and Flat Leafed. Spinach true name is (spinacea oleracia) and grows best in the cooler temperatures of spring and fall, some varieties can extend into the summer and winter seasons.

Savoy Spinach grows quickly and can take cold better than most types. It has very crinkled leaves that makes cleaning the leaves difficult. A couple types of savoy spinach are Regiment and Bloomsdale.

Semi-Savoy Spinach are usually the best choice to grow at home they have a better disease resistance, the leaves are less crinkly, therefor wash better. The three types of

Semi-Savoy Spinach are Tyee, Catalina, and Teton.

Smooth-Leaf Spinach are the most popular for processed spinach for there flat leaves are easier to clean. The types of smooth-leafed spinach are Space, and Red Cardinal.

     Buying, Storing and Preparing Spinach
When your buying spinach look for crisp, Fresh and green leaves. Try to avoid any spinach that looks like it has insect damage or wilting. Best time to buy is in Spring, Summer and Fall.

You can store spinach by loosely wrapping it is a damp paper towel and placing in fridge for up to 5 days.
There are countless ways to preparing spinach, before you start any of them you should wash the leaves under cold water and remove any excess moisture before serving or cooking.

Nutrition

Spinach is low in saturated fats and cholesterol. It is a great source for niacin, Zinc, Dietary Fiber, Protein along with vitamins A, C, E, K and B6, Spinach is also is a very good source for calcium, Iron Magnesium and Potassium. The only down fall is it is High in Sodium.

A few fun facts about spinach

1. It grows very quickly, it can be harvested and eaten within 37 to 45 days.
2. California and Texas produce the most spinach in the United States.
3. Popeye was created do to a German scientist misplacing a decimal point in the spinach's iron content making it 10 times higher than it should have been. The mistake was not found for 60 years.

Ref:
http://www.grow-it-organically.com/spinach-varieties.html
http://www.cliffordawright.com/caw/food/entries/display.php/id/15/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinach
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/perfect_prod_detail.asp?ppid=89
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2626/2






If you have any questions or would like to give me your input please share it in the comments bellow.