Santa Barbra Burritos

 I have been on a quest to get out of the rut of cooking my favorite dishes and explore even more. This is really hard for me when I am craving something but I don't have the ingredient's I need to make it. I must admit I'm not a big fan of fruit in my savory but sometimes it is fun. Mango salsa is one of those things that can become very addicting, my friends all fell in love with way before I did but I must admit I have come around. 

This is a great way to celebrate spring and summer on it's way. You can use chicken, prawns, crab or lobster, your choice. I did create this recipe with chicken, so it is the one I am posting.

I have changed the name 3 times but Santa Barbra Burritos stuck because it was after all the salsa that started the whole idea.

Santa Barbra Burritos

Ingredients

4 chicken breast

2 cups of jasmine rice

3 ½ cups of water

2 cups of black beans

1 bunch of cilantro

2 cups of shredded Mexican blend cheese

8 thick slices of Monterey jack cut in ½

4 ¼ cups of Santa Barbra Mango Salsa

3-4 cups of sour cream

1 cup of chili Verde sauce

½ cup of E.D. Smith Peach mango spread or (Trader Joes apricot jam) less sugar

8  flour tortillas (I love Missions soft taco)

Directions

In a oven safe skillet  place boneless skinless breast of chicken and top with ¾ cups of mango salsa, cover and bake 350 for about 25 minutes until inner temp reaches 175. Let rest and cool for 10 to 15 minutes.

While chicken cooks

Make rice (I love my rice cooker for this dump press and go)

If cooking stove top place rice and water bring to a boil.

Now add ½ cup of mango salsa cover & simmer till rice is finished.

Next:

Mix sour cream, Verde,  and jam together, set aside

Preheat oven 375 to 400

Chop and mix chicken, cilantro, 3 cups of mango salsa

Put it all together:

In a casserole dish cover bottom with sour cream mixture

Lay down a tortilla and fill with chicken mixture, rice, sprinkle black beans and 2 slices of Monterey fold in the ends and roll seam side down…Repeat 7 to 9 times depending on how much you fill your tortillas. I get 8 fully loaded. Cover with rest of your sour cream mixture…sprinkle Mexican shredded cheese and bake uncovered for about 40 minutes. If cheese is melted and browning cover with foil till hot and bubbly. Bottoms will be crisp and chewy

almost like an enchilada….more like a burrito.

ENJOY! 

Ms. Foodie

From Practical Yoga

Trex Bars

Brown rice syrup is a liquid sweetener made from brown rice that has the consistency of honey. Since it is made from a whole grain it metabolizes more slowly and doesn’t send your blood sugar on a rollercoaster ride. This makes it an ideal treat, whether for kids or for yourself, during a mid-afternoon energy crash. These bars are easy to make and require no cooking.

Almonds contain the kind of good fat, monounsaturated fat, which studies have shown to reduce your risk for heart disease by 30-45%.

 I have modified this for myself~ Ms Foodie

1 1/2 cup brown rice syrup

1 cup almond butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups brown rice crispies cereal or any

2 cups rolled oats

1 cup Craisins or other dried fruit

1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

1/4 cup pecans, chopped or walnuts

1/2 cup almonds, chopped

Mix dry ingredients in large bowl. Set aside. Heat first 3 ingredients over low flame until well incorporated. Pour over dry ingredients and mix well. Using your hands works best. Pour into parchment-lined 8x8 casserole dish. Press down evenly into pan by lining with parchment paper to keep from sticking to your hands. Set aside to cool. Then cut to desired size.

Rachael Ray Rocks

Just when I thought I was rocken the baked steak fries on parchment paper Rachal comes up with 2 cooling racks.....that Rachael!

Rachael Ray's ~  "Twice Baked Fries"

• 6 starchy medium Idaho potatoes
• EVOO, for drizzling
• Salt and pepper

Optional flavorings:

• Minced garlic and lots of minced fresh rosemary – Rachael's favorite!
• Old Bay seasoning or Cajun Seasoning
• Chipotle chili powder
• Minced garlic, parmesan cheese and oregano

Preparation

Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.

Arrange cooling or wire racks over two baking sheets.

Peel the potatoes lengthwise, leaving a patch of the skin on each end of the potatoes. Cut each potato into very thin fries lengthwise, no more than a quarter-inch thick – the thinner they are, the crispier the end product will be.

In a large bowl, dress the fries very lightly with EVOO – a couple of turns of the bowl ought to do the trick. Season with salt and pepper, then arrange the fries in single layer without crowding either baking sheet.

Place the fries in the oven and roast for 30 minutes. Remove the fries and increase the heat to 425°F. Toss the fries in large bowl again with the seasonings, garlic and herbs of choice. Return the fries to the oven and bake for another 15-20 minutes, until very crisp and brown.

Enjoy,
Ms. Foodie

Food Videos I Like to Watch

I have been in the test kitchen creating some amazing homemade dog biscuits & gluten free  cupcakes.
I am having a blast but I have not been very constant on blogging or even tweeting. I still find time to watch a few "you tube" videos at about 3am, because everyone has to eat!

I love Capers & Salmon! 


So I thought I would share  a fun quick tip from videos I like to watch...

Where Have I Been?

I have been on a quest to start my online business of sweets for the humans & treats for the pups!

I do however have a quick and simple recipe to chill you out for these last few days and years to come. My favorite ....what else soup!

I'm no really into chilled soup but this was so great I really did lick the bowl!

Chilled Apple Soup

4 Apples I used pink lady & golden delicious

6 oz white wine love the pinot grigio

2 oz Apple juice (please use 100% real juice)

8 oz of Sugar I used raw

1 cinnamon stick

1 slice of fresh ginger (you can skip but I love it!)

add this all to a pot & simmer till soft, the pull out the ginger & cinn stick.

run through a food mill or blender to pruree'

blend in:

2 oz of Sour Cream or Creme Fresh

2 oz of heavy whipping cream (do not cut the fat!)

YUMMMMY!
you can garnish with:
fresh mint
nutmeg
star anis
5 spice
cinnamon
or a dollop of whipped cream or creme fresh

Gulf of Mexico Prayer!

Dr. Masaru Emoto, the scientist from Japan who has done all the research and publications about the characteristics of water and how, among other things, water physically responds to emotions, has proposed a prayer for the Gulf situation.

Right now, most of us have the predominantly angry emotion when we consider what is happening in the Gulf. And while certainly we are justified in that emotion, we may be of greater assistance to our planet and its life forms, if we sincerely, powerfully and humbly pray the prayer that Dr Emoto, himself, has proposed.
"I send the energy of love and gratitude to the water and all the living creatures in the Gulf of Mexico and its surroundings. To the whales, dolphins, pelicans, fish, shellfish, plankton's, corals, algae and all living creatures.....I am sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you. I love you."

We are not powerless. We are powerful. Our united energy, speaking this prayer daily...multiple times daily....can literally shift the balance of destruction that is happening.

We don't have to know how......we just have to recognize that the power of love is greater than any power active in the Universe today.

Vegetarian Lentil Soup

I like to go on soup kicks and for some reason in June it has been realllllly cold at night. Lentil soup has always hit my spot of comfort healthy. I love meat but I also love really good vegetarian, what I have problems with is I don't like most veggie broths out there on the market shelves. I went to the kitchen and this is what I came up with.

Vegetarian Lentil Soup

I literally chop & toss....even the onions don't always have off their skin

Broth:

fill a stock pot with spring water

Blentec 1 red pepper....or puree it

Quarter 3 boiler onions or yellow

add 4 carrots w/skin

whole head of celery leaves and all

chopped mushrooms

1 large russet chopped with skin on

1/2 Thai chili chopped

sea salt & ground pepper to taste

4 bay leaves

1 tsp of thyme leaves

boil for 45 mins….simmer for 30 mins let cool on stove for 1 hour or so……pull out all chunky stuff & I like to feed this to my dogs…of course all dogs are different

go through it with a hand held strainer but I like the pepper & potato pulp left in my broth if it’s for lentil soup.

Toss in order……

5 cups vegetable broth

1 cup dry lentils that have been washed

1 onion, diced

1 large russet, I rough peel it but leave about 50% of the skin on, chop in nice size cubes

1-2 celery sliced

1 carrot sliced

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tsp dried thyme

boil for about 45 mins or until lentils get soft

Cooking with Heather Valentine on OWN

Vote for me:  http://myown.oprah.com/audition/index.html?request=video_details&response_id=3620&promo_id=1

Please share this with friends :) Thank you!!!!

A Little About Cinnamon

So now I'm on a spice kick or should I say all things that flavor. Herbs, butters, vanillas, spices.

This was in a "Ask Martha" news clip from Detroit



You might be surprised to learn that the reddish, woody, aromatic spice you sprinkle on toast and use to flavor dishes such as applesauce and pumpkin pie most likely isn't true cinnamon at all. In the United States, most products sold as cinnamon are actually cassia.
True cinnamon and cassia are cousins; both are made of the dried bark of species of Cinnamomum evergreen trees. Cassia originated in the country now called Myanmar. There are three distinct types available today: Indonesian cassia -- the familiar kind mass-produced as cinnamon for the North American market; Chinese cassia -- a rarer version that is both sweeter and more peppery and is ideal for baked goods; and Vietnamese cassia -- a type only recently available in North America, with an intense flavor and aroma (only about two-thirds the amount of cinnamon called for in recipes is necessary with this variety).
All cassia is a dark, reddish brown and has a stronger, somewhat harsher flavor than its cousin, true, or Ceylon, cinnamon. True cinnamon originated from Sri Lanka. It has a paler tan color, a softer, more crumbly texture and a more delicate flavor than cassia. It also contains a chemical compound called eugenol, the same one that gives cloves their distinctive aroma, which makes it more fragrant.


This reminded me of the movie "Chocolate"

Mexican Hot Chocolate
Mexican chocolate is flavored with Ceylon cinnamon, almonds and vanilla. It is available in Mexican markets and some supermarkets.
1 quart milk
2 3-inch cinnamon sticks
10 ounces Ibarra or other Mexican chocolate, finely chopped
Whipped cream, for serving
Pinch of ground cinnamon, for serving
Place the milk and the cinnamon sticks in a heavy medium saucepan. Bring just to a boil, reduce heat and add chocolate. Let the mixture stand until the chocolate melts, about 3 minutes. Whisk until combined.
Serve immediately, topped with a dollop of whipped cream and a pinch of ground cinnamon. Makes 6-8 servings. 

Ms. Foodie

Vanilla is Not a Spice!

The other day I heard from this person whom claims to know more then most......I have never claimed that but I was happy to find out that I actually knew something he was clueless about.

To me Vanilla has never been a spice, it has been a flavoring. I started making my own vanilla a few years back and wanted to know what the vanilla tree or bush looked like.........it was a flower. That made sense to me but I was shocked to learn that not just any flower but that Vanilla was in the Orchid family. I thought for sure it would look more like an avocado tree with it's big flowers. I later found this little story on the www from the books of UCLA and I loved it, not to long but full of fun facts if you are a foodie like me!

Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia)

ORCHIDACEAE, Orchid Family

Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia) is a tropical, herbaceous vine, an orchid, that is native to the humid coastal rain forest of Central America and possibly to northern South America. Vanilla now occurs in the wild in the West Indies, where is may have been introduced. In the wild a plant is commonly 10-15 meters long, but in cultivation plants are kept shorter for easier handling. Adventitious roots produced along the stem permit the vine to cling to a tree.

Vanilla was first introduced to Europeans in 1520, when Diaz, an officer of Cortes, noted its use by the Aztecs in southern Mexico to flavor their chocolatl (Montezuma was served chocolatl in golden goblets!). By the end of the 16th century, the Spaniards had established factories to manufacture chocolate with vanilla flavoring, and for many years the Spaniards had control of vanilla production. A plant was successfully grown in England in 1807. From this, plant cuttings were given to botanical gardens in Paris and Antwerp. In 1819, two vanilla plants were sent to Java from Antwerp, and one survived but did not fruit. Finally in 1827, a plant from Paris was taken to Mauritius that did survive and fruit, giving rise to the vanilla industry centered around the Indian Ocean. Madagascar, which received a plant in 1840, now produces 90% of all the natural vanilla extract in the world. Vanilla can be cultivated around the world in the tropics wherever mean temperatures range between 21 and 32 degrees C.

Vanilla is typically planted with coffee, cashews, avocados, and other tropical tree crops. The relatively large, beautiful flowers later form long "beans" (capsular fruits), but this occurs naturally only in the New World. As it turns out, a special bee or hummingbird is needed to cross pollinate this orchid, so vanilla flowers in the Old World must be hand pollinated. This was first discovered by a Belgian botanist in 1836, and an effective production method was invented by a former slave on Madagascar in 1841 (Edmond Albius and his bamboo splinter), which was then introduced by Charles Morren. This is an expensive method; therefore, vanilla production requires inexpensive labor.

When the capsules are still immature and green, they are harvested in the early morning, spread on woolen blankets in the sun all morning, and then midday wrapped in the blankets for fermentation. They are stored overnight in metal-lined, air-tight boxes. This sweating process continues for weeks, until a substance in the bean, a glucoside, is changed into vanillin because the glucose is removed and replaced with a hydrogen. Alternative methods include the use of warm-water scalding and ovens. Vanilla is typically extracted in 35% ethanol, and sugar or glycerin is added to preserve flavor and aroma. A kilogram of beans produces about 1.5 gallons of extract. About 170 chemicals have been isolated from vanilla extract. Imitation vanilla (vanillin) is manufactured either from clove oil (eugenol) or as a breakdown product of lignin from a conifer (e.g., spruce, Picea). 

I hope you loved this as much as I did and I hope you now know....Vanilla is not a spice.

Ms. Foodie