January | 2014 | An Inspired Cook

Monthly Archives: January 2014
- Hummus and a Layered Mediterranean Dip
  
  Posted at 9:23 am by NativeNM, on January 31, 2014
  I’ve never been a huge hummus fan but my guys all seem to love it. They are always picking up a tub of hummus and pairing it with pita chips or crackers and they always pack a tub of it on their backpacking trips. They say it’s healthy and is rich in good fats and protein so who am I to deny them this healthy snack. Since I’m trying to be a little more health conscience I thought I might try to make some homemade. It was such an easy process, just load all your ingredients into a food processor and pulse until you get the right consistency. It turned out really good but I had way more hummus than I had expected so I scooped out about a cup of the hummus and made a layered Mediterranean dip.
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  Posted in Condiments and Sauces, Recipes, Salsa, Guacamole and Dips, Snack | 0 Comments | Tagged Garbanzo Beans, Hummus, Layered Mediterranean Dip, Tahini Paste
- Roasted Eggplant Salsa
  
  Posted at 10:58 am by NativeNM, on January 28, 2014
  This year one of my goals is to try to incorporate more vegetables into our diet. Over the summer I found that I could get the guys to eat more veggies by roasting or grilling them. The key was to season or pair them with a pesto or sauce to make the flavors more appealing. Some years ago we had a Turkish roasted eggplant dip that everyone enjoyed, but no one can seem to remember what it was called other than it had eggplant, chiles and tomatoes. When I started researching it the first thing that came up was Baba Ghanouj which clearly wasn’t what we had in mind. Josh thought it might be Ezme but it is described as a tomato and pepper salad or condiment. So in the end, I made up a roasted eggplant salsa with chiles, tomato and garlic. It didn’t taste the same as the Turkish dip we remembered but it was very good with pita chips. Also try it with some flatbread and grilled chicken, it is fantastic!
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  Posted in Recipes, Salsa, Guacamole and Dips | 2 Comments | Tagged Anaheim Chiles, Eggplant, Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Roasted Eggplant Salsa, Roasted Garlic
- Thai Noodles with Curry Peanut Sauce
  
  Posted at 9:00 am by NativeNM, on January 24, 2014
  I have been looking for a curry dish to try out and found a great soup recipe that sounded like it would fit all our taste buds. In full disclosure, my soup turned into a noodle bowl as I made it up ahead of time and let the noodles sit in the broth for about an hour before serving. The noodles absorbed most of the liquids to make a thick saucy noodle bowl. So if you want a soup dish, serve immediately. In the end I learned that even though my dish didn’t turn out as expected, the flavors remained intact and it made a most delicious bowl.
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  Posted in Entree, Recipes, Soups, Stews and Chili | 0 Comments | Tagged Bean Sprouts, Coconut Milk, Fresno Red Peppers, Red Curry Paste, Rice Noodles, Thai Noodles with Curry and Peanut Sauce
- Pan Seared Scallops
  
  Posted at 11:52 am by NativeNM, on January 21, 2014
  Scallops rate pretty high on my favorite foods list. They tend to be pricey so we don’t have them all that often. I love the succulent sweet meat that practically melts in your mouth when cooked to perfection. Pan searing can be one of the easiest and tastiest ways to serve them but it’s important to pat them as dry as possible to get that beautiful sear that holds so much flavor. Once you have a hot skillet in place they take only a few minutes to prepare. A rice pilaf with dried cherries is a tasty side dish to go alongside.
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  Posted in Dutch Oven and Cast Iron, Entree, Recipes | 2 Comments | Tagged Pan Seared Scallops, Sea Scallops
- Kale Stir Fry with Bacon
  
  Posted at 10:08 am by NativeNM, on January 17, 2014
  We have a new market in town called “Sprouts Farmers Market”. Some of you may know this chain since there are many locations across the country but it’s a first for us here in Kansas. It seemed like the whole city diverged on this market on opening weekend. It was packed and hard to maneuver through the crowd of people but I did manage to get to the produce area and picked out some fruits and veggies to take home. I found some gorgeous red peppers, a bunch of kale and baby portabellas that I thought would go together for a healthy stir fry. To that I added some bacon and onion with a drizzle of balsamic glaze to finish it off. The time it took to prep the veggies took far more than the actual cook time. It’s amazing how fast and easy it is to fire up the wok and cook a meal. Enhancing the flavors of meats and veggies in the wok can be as simple as a drizzle of olive oil with salt and pepper or you can create a fragrant sauce. It’s quickly becoming one of my favorite things to cook with.
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  Posted in Recipes, Side Dishes | 0 Comments | Tagged Baby Portabella Mushrooms, Balsamic Glaze, Kale Stir Fry, Kale Stir Fry with Bacon, Onion, Red Bell Pepper
- Chorizo and Egg Skillet Dish
  
  Posted at 10:40 am by NativeNM, on January 14, 2014
  Ever had one of those cute little skillet breakfasts at “Le Peeps” or “First Watch”? They serve up an individual skillet layered with country potatoes or hash browns, topped with cheese and your favorite breakfast toppings. Then they add some cracked eggs over top and bake to perfection. It’s a great dish to make at home and would be perfect for a brunch or casual get together. Since I was going for easy, I pulled out a box of dehydrated hash browns. I actually like these better than frozen hash browns, they cook up quick and crisp nicely. And I picked up some spicy Chorizo from our local smoke house which is much leaner and wasn’t as greasy. How I managed to crack 8 eggs without breaking one is a wonder! I tried to space them out evenly so that it would be easier to serve but raw eggs slip and slide where they want. Even so, I think this skillet dish is quite appealing.
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  Posted in Breakfast, Dutch Oven and Cast Iron, Recipes | 2 Comments | Tagged Chorizo, Chorizo and Egg Skillet Breakfast, Chorizo and Egg Skilllet Supper, Chorizo Sausage, Dehydrated Hash Browns
- Banana Bread French Toast
  
  Posted at 9:07 am by NativeNM, on January 10, 2014
  What an Arctic blast we’ve had this week! With the drastic cold temps outside I feel fortunate to be inside keeping warm. The ironic thing is that both Josh and Cameron are off on their own adventures this week and my hyperactive Mom senses have kicked in, worrying about them in this wicked weather. Hopefully by the time I have posted this they will both be back home and my worries will have been for naught. With only Joe and I home this week, I’ve been using up what’s left in the fridge and pantry. I had a few bananas getting overly ripe and needed to be used pronto so I made a loaf of banana bread. A slice of banana bread is so good toasted for breakfast and as it turns out it makes a great french toast. It’s a sweet treat for breakfast or in our case a quick dinner.
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  Posted in Bread, Breakfast, Recipes | 0 Comments | Tagged Banana Bread, Banana Bread French Toast
- Eggs Benedict with Colorado Hash Browns
  
  Posted at 12:05 pm by NativeNM, on January 7, 2014
  I hope you all had a joyous holiday season! I loved the holidays but at the same time glad to start a new year and get back into my routine. After so many holiday treats and birthday sweets we were due for something more basic like a good breakfast. I recently came across a new product for poaching the perfect eggs at Sur la table. And honestly, since I’m not very good at poaching eggs, I was happy to give these little poaching bags a try. So I had a plan for some Eggs Benedict but I needed something else to round out the meal so I fried up some Colorado Hash Browns which are crisp and pan fried potatoes with some onion, red chile flakes and spices. What a great meal to start off the New Year!
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  Posted in Breakfast, Recipes, Side Dishes | 0 Comments | Tagged Colorado Hash Browns, Eggs Benedict, Hollandaise Sauce, Perfect Poach Egg Poaching Bags, Poached Eggs
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Monthly Archives: January 2014

Posted at 9:23 am by NativeNM, on January 31, 2014

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Posted at 10:58 am by NativeNM, on January 28, 2014

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Posted at 9:00 am by NativeNM, on January 24, 2014

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Posted at 11:52 am by NativeNM, on January 21, 2014

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Posted at 10:08 am by NativeNM, on January 17, 2014

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Posted at 10:40 am by NativeNM, on January 14, 2014

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Posted at 9:07 am by NativeNM, on January 10, 2014

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Posted at 12:05 pm by NativeNM, on January 7, 2014

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