Making tortillas.

"Para Mi Hermanaita" Chicken Tortilla Soup

            My little sis (mi hermanita) lives in Chicago, and I've been told that their idea of Mexican grub is…well, different than it is here in Texas. Since it's getting colder up there, she asked for a good tortilla soup recipe, Texas-style. I hope that ya'll enjoy it! It looks complicated, but it isn't at all. You can make it chunky, or go ahead and blend it all together for a smooth and creamy soup if you have a hand blender.  And WOW, it's yummy!  (And my very first recipe with my new hand blender!  Thanks Wombat!)

"The Utz"

4 cups water

5 tsp picante chicken bullion (on the ethnic food aisle)

½ sm. Zucchini

2 tbsp vegetable oil, diced

½ red bell pepper, diced

½ green bell pepper, diced

1 carrot, peeled (or 6 baby carrots), diced

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

2 cans diced tomatoes

2 cans corn

1 green chile pepper, chopped

1 tbsp lime juice

1 cup masa harina (+ 2 cups water) (You can find masa with the baking stuff, or on the ethnic food aisle.)

2 tbs. minced garlic
1 tbsp butter

¼ cup cilantro (or 6 cubes cilantro bullion)

10 oz can enchilada sauce

1 tsp cumin

2 large chicken breasts

12 oz cheese, cubed

garlic salt (to taste)

"Prep Props"

Your favorite knife

Cutting board

Can opener

Thing for stirring

Large soup pot

Medium skillet

Hand blender (Optional)

"The Moves"

-Boil 4 cups water and all bullion in a soup-er large pot. (Yeah, I went there.)

-Dice zucchini, red and green bell peppers, carrot, onion, and chile. (If using hand blender, make sure your pieces are small.) Add it all to the pot.

-Add 2 cans of corn and 2 cans of diced tomatoes. If you have fresh cilantro, chop it and add.

-Add the garlic, lime juice, butter, and vegetable oil

-Let simmer on medium heat for about 40 minutes.

-Cube chicken, cook in a medium skillet, season to taste

-Combine 1 cup masa with 2 cups water, stir until blended
-After 40 minutes of simmering, add masa mixture and 1 can enchilada sauce to soup pot

-Stir in cheese cubes until melted

-Add garlic salt and cumin

A)    If you want chunky soup, add the chicken now, garnish with avocado or pico and cheese

B)     If you want creamy soup, use a hand blender to mix all ingredients. Add the chicken. Garnish.

"Conversation Points"

-         Tortillas have been made in the Americas since before Columbus came here. 

-         Traditional tortillas are made from maize, cured in lime water. This process is called nixtamalization.  

-         Nixtamalization helps to bring out the vitamin niacin and the essential amino acid tryptophan. In cultures relying heavily on corn for sustenance, this process is extremely important because of the risk of pellagra, a disease caused by the deficiency of niacin and tryptophan.

 
Soup without blending

 
Soup after being blended with hand blender.
 

Couscous Chicken Soup

I wasn't going to post this recipe until next week, but I've had requests for soup ideas, so ya'll get it early.  The thing I LOVE about this recipe is that nearly all the ingredients can be found at the dollar store.  My version makes a whole lot of soup, because I like to freeze the extra and break it out when I need a good nosh.  If you don't want soup taking up space in your freezer, just cut the recipe in half (and maybe have a friend over for dinner). 
This one has a very tiny zing on the tongue, and you may want to scale back the spices and herbs, depending on the bullion that you use. I like a lot of kick, but you may not.  So without further adieu....

...Couscous Chicken Soup!

"The Utz"

3 cups couscous

3 skinless boneless chicken breasts

2 cans diced tomatoes

2 cans corn

3 cans chicken broth

4 tbsp. tomato chicken bullion (from the international isle)

3 cloves garlic (or 3 tbsp. diced garlic from the jar)

Extra virgin olive oil

seasoned salt

thyme

rosemary

basil

"Prep Props"

Cutting Board

Large Soup Pot

Frying Pan

Can Opened

Medium Pot (for couscous)

"The Moves"

Step 1: Defrost chicken (This is the hardest thing to do, next to opening the cans with a dull can opener.)

Step 2: Dice the garlic and toss it in a frying pan with some olive oil. While it is heating, cut the chicken into ½ inch cubes and cook it in the olive oil and garlic, adding the thyme and basil. 

Step 3: Combine 1 cup water, 2 cans chicken broth, 1 tbsp rosemary, 1 tbsp olive oil, and let boil to make couscous. When it boils, add the dry couscous and take it off the heat so it can set up and because you're going to need that burner.

Step 4: In a gigantic soup pot, boil 2 cups water. When it boils, add the 4 tbsp chicken tomato bullion and stir it. Then add the cans of corn, tomatoes, and the last can of chicken broth. Let it simmer on medium for a couple of minutes, and then add the fully cooked chicken.

Step 5: Don't forget to fluff your couscous with a fork! Fluff it as much as you can, otherwise it will be clumpy when you add it to the soup.

Step 6: Let the soup mixture simmer on medium for 5-10 minutes, giving it the occasional stir, and talking to it like you are (a) a witch with a cauldron, or (b) Julia Child. (Both make the soup taste better.) 

Step 7: Fluff your couscous again, and stir it into the mixture a little at a time. Then give the whole thing about 15 really good stirs, just to get everything all mixed up, and make sure the couscous isn't too clumpy. Then take the pot off the heat and enjoy! (Letting it sit for a bit brings out the flavor more, but it you're hungry NOW, dig in!)


"Conversation Pieces"

-Some have suggested that couscous was first eaten as far away as China, but the archaeology suggests it was actually Northwestern Africa in what is now Morocco.  Utensils thought to be for preparing couscous have been found in the region and dated to the 9^th century. *
-By the 11^th century, Islamic conquests had brought couscous into Mediterranean Europe, and from there its popularity traveled north into France.  When the Portuguese went exploring in South America, they brought couscous with them.  By the early 20^th century, the immigration wave brought couscous to America. *

-Couscous is wheat-based and similar to pasta. It is traditionally eaten with your fingers, and is usually mixed with meats, nuts, stewed vegetables, and chickpeas.  

I know my last few critiques have been a bit negative, but I’m really not a meanie. I know many of you may never set foot in Arlington, Texas, and if you do, it will most likely be because you are headed to one of the two larger cities that flank it. However, you just might find yourself headed to a Rangers home game, or checking out our Cowboys in their upcoming new stadium. Or maybe you’re taking your kid to college for the first time at the University of Texas at Arlington, and you want an inexpensive, but tasty final nosh before you rush back to your home, blissfully child-free for the first time in 18 years. 

If you do find yourself in Arlington, check out Prince Lebanese Grill. In my opinion, this little Mediterranean food joint is one of Arlington’s best kept secrets.

            As you pull in, you’ll notice that it looks a little like a drive-in. It isn’t anymore, but it used to be a Sonic. These days, even if you’re getting it to go, you have to go inside for your food, but that’s a good thing. Otherwise you couldn’t experience the friendly staff throughout your meal, or take advantage of the free refills on soda. The interior isn’t really anything special. The tables and chairs are of the utilitarian all-night diner variety, but the aroma of cooking food and the great service more than make up for it. 

            The menu is typical Mediterranean fare, but there is a decent selection. The hummus and baba ganoush make great appetizers with very generous portions and plenty of pita bread to go with them. One of my favorite foods in the entire world is the gyro, (properly pronounced, “meat-in-a-pita”). Prince has the best gyro around, hands down. It’s available as a sandwich, or on a platter. If gyros aren’t your thing, try the chicken shwarma. I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve tasted from Prince. 

            The prices are so reasonable, and the portions so large, dinner here is really a steal. I highly recommend Prince Lebanese Grill if you want good Mediterranean at a great price. I’m giving it 3.5 Smiles of Groovi-ness. 

Price - $

Ambiance- ☺☺ (out of 5)

Flavor - ☺☺☺☺

Selection - ☺☺☺

Service - ☺☺☺☺

I got very excited a few months ago when a McDonald's opened near my apartment with a McCafe in it. McCafe is the fast food answer to the ever-growing popularity of mainstream coffee shops, such as Starbucks. To Americans, this is a relatively new concept from the Big Mac folks. Amazingly enough, however, McCafes have been around since 1993, when the first opened in Melbourne, Australia. The US got our first taste in 2001, in Chicago. 

So, how does McCafe compare other, more gourmet coffee shacks? Truthfully? It doesn't. With Starbucks so recently losing customer loyalty in great part to the odor of their failed breakfast sandwiches, I'm really surprised that the McDonald's chiefs would even attempt to serve coffee in an environment reeking of cooking oil and low-quality meat. The concept of McCafe is based around the espresso machine. The only thing that makes your McCafe beverage any different from the swill that Mickey D's serves as fresh brew, is that machine. There is no skill involved, unless you pride yourself on your button-pushing talent. The "barista" doesn't steam the milk, doesn't pull the shot, doesn't do anything at all, except maybe add a flavored syrup and stir. Perhaps the only redeeming aspect of the process is that there were whole beans dispensed by a cone hopper into the machine. 

The menu is pretty standard. Mocha, latte, cappuccino, and brewed coffee, all of them available as iced drinks, except of course for the cappuccino. (No matter what some shops will advertise, it is pretty much impossible to make an iced cappuccino, as it is hot steam that causes the milk to form the foam that separates a cappuccino from a regular classic latte. Big pet peeve of mine.) The drink sizes are in English, and the prices are slightly cheaper than a standard coffee shop. 

Apparently, the regular McDonald's employees are called upon at great risk to their persons to be "baristas" when a "gourmet" beverage is ordered. I ordered a mocha, and watched while the servers behind the counter turned rather pale, and muttered a variety of "not me!" and "you do it" 's, trying to find anyone else to make my drink, as though it were one of the imaginary evils from an M. Night Shyamalan flick. ("What kind of latte can bend a stalk of corn without breaking it?") The spout of the machine was a four-hole set up that looked like a bionic cow udder. The front two holes dispensed hot milk, and the back two poured the shot at the push of a button. (Again, it's easy to see why this action was so clearly terrifying to the servers.) This was touted as "state-of-the-art".

 But the thing that got me was the cup, which lauded McDonald’s epicurean prowess at the art of specialty coffee. Fanfare about “hand-picked” beans (there aren’t any other kind) and their delicate roasting process (McDonald’s buys pre-roasted whole beans from a third party) was not even as laughable as the mystic assertion that their drinks are created using a traditional steam-pressured brewing process proven in Europe. Perhaps you, too, dear Reader have heard of this magical, mysterious traditional process. It’s called “espresso”. 

Maybe I'm being too biatchy, and not quite groovi. It is McDonald's after all, and perhaps I shouldn't expect so much from fast food, but I take my coffee very seriously. Good coffee comes from people who care about, and have created each individual beverage. So, when I see a dude dressed as Ronald McDonald roast, grind, and pull my shot, and hand it to me personally, then I'll consider a reevaluation of McCafe. Until then, if you want good coffee, go to your local mom-and-pop coffee house. And don't forget to buy Fair Trade!

Aloha Chip Chicken     

Welcome to the Groovi Foodi! If dinner time is closer than pay day, you’ve come to the right place. This month, we’re concentrating even more specifically on “mulligans”, meals made from things you have just lying around your kitchen. 

Our featured recipe for this series is Aloha Chip Chicken, a concoction that Wombat and I have come up with while we’re stretching the dime. It’s quick to prepare and just gol-durn easy and fun! 

To See A Prep Video, click here: Aloha!

 Prep Time: 10 minutes                                                                                               

Cook Time: 45min.

So here’s the utz:

“Chip Adhesive”

                ½ cup mayonnaise

                2 tsp. ketchup

                2 tbsp. horseradish

                ¼ tsp. paprika

                ¼ tsp. salt

                Smidge o’ oregano (How much do you love oregano?)

                Sprinkle o’ black pepper

                Hint o’ cayenne for the kick

                ***This mix also makes a super-awesome dip for parties. It’ll rock your onion rings or chip tray.  

“Macro-Utz” (Bigger stuff)

                2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (or one breast split length way if you’re stretching)

                1 ½ - 2 cups of crushed or pulverized Maui onion potato chips

                                (You can use any potato chips, but other flavors might not mesh well with your “chip adhesive”. Archer Farms (Target) and Lays Kettle Chips both offer Maui onion flavor, but if you can’t find them, try using any sweet onion or sour cream & onion chip. Just don’t call it “Aloha Chip Chicken” if you change it up, otherwise people may think you’re weird.)

                **Note: The more finely you can crush your chips, the better. I’ve found that larger bits of chip are just a pain to adhere to the chicken. If you don’t have a food processor, put them in a tough Ziploc bag, park your tush on the couch with a good episode of Ellen or a CSI rerun, and start crushing. It’s the same kind of therapeutic as popping those packing bubbles, and if you have cats, the sound will drive them crazy. It’s a groovi-good time. 

“Prep Props”

                8X8 Pyrex cooking dish

                Your favorite rubber spatula

                Medium mixing bowl

                A plate (for chips)

“The Moves”

-Turn up your cooking tunes. 

-Preheat your oven to 325°

-Mix all “chip adhesive” ingredients in the medium mixing bowl. 

-Rinse and shake off your chicken.

-Coat chicken in “chip adhesive”. (For even more flavor, marinate the chicken in the utz for about 30 minutes.)

-Coat chicken in the chip crumbs and lay in dish

-Bake for 45 minutes – 1 hour

                (Depending on the thickness of your chicken breast)

“Extras”

                        Ø Melt your favorite cheese on top of the final product

Ø Add some shredded coconut to the chip crumbs or a dash of pineapple juice to the “chip adhesive” for even more Aloha.

“Conversation Pieces”

                Even though the onion in this recipe is more of a…suggestion than an actual ingredient, it’s always important to know about the taste you’re serving. 

                Maui onions are also called Kula onions. They can be grown in any temperate or tropical zone, but a true Maui onion comes from the slopes of Haleakala, a dormant volcano on the island of Maui. They are very similar to the mainland Vidalia onion in that they lack sulfur, which makes them sweet and juicy.

                Every summer since 1990, Whalers Village on Maui has hosted the Maui Onion Festival, dedicated to preserving and promoting this awesome crop. There are many activities, including recipe contests and a raw onion-eating challenge. 

Greetings my fine-feathered Foodies!

Today, we will take an adventure down that paradoxical lane to the feebly disguised intersection where Fast Food Avenue attempts to cross over Good-For-You-Food Boulevard…and of course fails.  Those of us who have traversed this path, thinking desperately that Ol' McDonald's and Friends have finally served up something our doctors would approve of find that alas!  Fast Food Avenue is still merely a one-way street to Big Buttsville.

"What the heck are you talking about, Foodi?" you ask.  I speak to you today of my experience this week with Popp Cuisine.  Now I sense that you are even more confused.  "What the deuce is Popp Cuisine?!"  This is the name that I am giving all of those little chickeny-type offerings brought forth by the Dukes of Drive-Thrus that we buy en masse, trying to convince ourselves that "it's chicken, it must be good for me!" though we know, not-so-deep-down that we are totally kidding ourselves.  They are the General Tso's of the fast food world, if you would.  "Popp" refers to popcorn chicken, one of the culprits, as well as to the feeling in your stomach after consuming one of these goodies.  Not to be confused with "Pop(ular) Cuisine, which is of course, a legitimate category.

I ventured to Kentucky Fried Might-Have-Been Chicken tonight in the hopes of finding something light to munch whilst I enjoyed a novel and some quiet time.  I brought home the Queen of the Deceptive Popp Offerings, the chicken wrap.  Chicken wraps are truly evil entities, because our culture has nudged us into the mind-set that "wrap" means "healthy".  Um, not so much.  For just shy of four bucks, I got lettuce, tomato, and chicken (the salmonella roulette wheel) wrapped rather loosely in a flour tortilla slathered with a pepper mayo sauce.  I'm told there was cheese, as well, but it must have been rend from Crystal Pepsi, because I didn't see it.

The first thing I noticed was that I could taste each of the ingredients separately.  (Except the Crystal Pepsi cheese.)  They didn't meld into one overall taste. It was like eating lettuce.  And tomato.  And chicken.  The chicken was so deep-fried, it was like eating one tiny tendril of chicken encased in a loaf of bread.  About the only thing the wrap had going for it was the pepper mayo sauce. 

However, while chewing thoughtfully on the Breaded Beast O' the Colonel, I noticed a little speckle of the sauce on my shoulder.  Since the only souls around were of the feline variety, I nipped that little spot up with the tip of my tongue…only to find that it was a speck of the medicated formula that I had anointed myself with earlier.  The wrap ended up in the trash, and the cats won't even touch it. 

The moral of the story is, don't eat anything that looks like your body care products.  (Actually, white condiments, such as mayonnaise are said to be horrible for you by the people who deem things "good" and "bad".)  And, of course, beware the Popp Cuisine!