Sunday, May 29, 2011

Beef Kebabs with Chimichurri Sauce


Hey, you know what?  Father's day is coming up, and everyone know's the guys (and gals!) like grilled carne!  Kebabs are such an easy thing to make, this dinner came together in no time flat. 

Chimichurri is a condiment that is from Argentina or Uruguay and is totally yummy and flavorful on meat.  It has a variety of options, so you can add, or subtract things to yours to make it your own. It's very easy to make in a food processor, but if you don't have one... it might be more labor intensive.  Once I had the food processor dirty from chopping up the chimichurri, I made a quick rough chopped salsa and then a chipotle bean dip.  Hey, as long as you've got it out, and dirty, think of what else you can make!

I served the kebabs & chimichurri over tomato couscous (which is so pretty).  Check your bulk food sections, I like to buy my couscous in bulk, because it's about half the price of the 'packaged' stuff.... but the same product.  It was fun to see other kinds, they also had spinach couscous and a tri-color.  Fun!

I had masses of leftovers, meat, couscous and sauce, so I mixed some leftover couscous with some cut up grilled meat and added the chimchurri sauce for an incredible 'pasta' salad. 





Serves 6-8

Ingredients for kebabs and marinade
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for brushing
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
4-5 cloves garlic, crushed
Kosher salt & fresh pepper
3 pounds beef tri-tip, cut into large chunks 1 1/2"

For the Chimichurri:
1 cup fresh parsley
1 cup fresh cilantro
½ bunch green onions, cut into 2" lengths
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Make the marinade for the beef in a large bowl, adding the chunks of meat and tossing to coat completely.  This should marinate for at least 2 hours.

In a food processor, add the parsley, cilantro, green onions and garlic.  Pulse until you have a small mince, but not so fine that it starts to become a paste. 


Remove the green mixture to a bowl and add the olive oil, lemon juice and lemon zest. Add salt and fresh pepper.




Preheat a grill to high. Thread the beef onto skewers, leaving a bit of space between each piece. Brush the grill with olive oil. Grill the kebabs, turning, until charred and cooked through, 6 to 10 minutes for the beef. Transfer to a platter and let rest 5 minutes. Serve with chimichurri.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Apricot, Cherry, Almond Muffins- Basic "Add in" recipe


This is a great basic recipe for muffins any time... you can make it your own, to match your pantry contents, or whatever flavors you are wanting that day!

One of the things I like best about this recipe is that it makes a decent size batch for a small family... of course, I can eat more muffins than this, but really, I should not!


Makes 12 muffins
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (3/4 white flour & 3/4 cup wheat flour works too)
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 cup plain yogurt, or sour cream
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla (or other flavor extract, I used almond for this recipe!)

"Add in" items, go ahead and personalize your muffins
1/4 cup chopped apricots
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup dried cherries, or Craisins


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.
Mix all the dry ingredients. In another small bowl whisk together with sour cream, egg, and vanilla.


Stir butter mixture (and additional ingredients; *see note, below) into flour mixture until just combined. It's a very thick batter!


Divide the batter among muffin cups and bake in middle of oven until golden and a tester comes out clean, about 20 minutes.



Here's some great ideas for YOUR muffins:
  • 1 chopped banana, 1/2 cup chocolate chips
  • 1 cup chopped drained canned pineapple and 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
  • 1/4 cup orange juice concentrate and 1-2 tablespoon poppy seeds.
  • 3/4 cup macadamia nuts and 3/4 cup white chocolate chips
  • 3/4 cup Heath toffee brittle chips and 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/2 cup fresh, or frozen blueberries plus streusel topping.  (Streusel topping is equal parts butter, brown sugar, flour- rubbed together into a crumbly topping and put on top of your muffins!)