Tag: Cook Once Eat Twice

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2024 Badass Black Eyed Peas

Photo by Monstera on Pexels.com

Is there anyone else out there besides me waking up on a Saturday morning thinking about making black eyed peas for good luck?   I didn’t think so. When I searched my own blog I was a bit surprised on how many versions of Badass I have.

Badass Black Eyed Peas

Black Eyed Peas – Pandemic Version 2021

and Vegetarian Badass Black Eyed Peas – 2022

I decided to make a no bacon version. Ground chicken because I found a source for good ground chicken at a reasonable price (hint, Aldi).

The beans needs to simmer for several hours. Give the beans an overnight soak in filtered water and change the water several times. Drain. Everyone in the pool.  I don’t cook the beans separately for this dish.

1 T extra virgin olive oil
1 medium sweet onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 large green pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp each smoked paprika, chili powder
1 T Mexican oregano
1 T cumin
1 qt low sodium chicken broth
2 T tomato paste and one 15 ounce can stewed tomatoes
1/2 lb black eyed peas (dried, see soaking instructions)
1 lb ground chicken
Salt & pepper to taste
Cayenne pepper to taste

  1. Place the dried beans into a stock pot large enough to hold the beans when fully plumped up.  Rinse the beans with water several times.  Fill the pot with fresh water and soak overnight.
  2. In the morning drain then add fresh water to the beans. Change the soaking water at least twice. Drain the beans again and set aside. Take the pot to the stove.
  3. Olive oil medium heat. Saute the onion, celery, and green pepper until softened about five minutes.  Add the garlic and saute another minute.
  4. Add the chicken and brown, breaking up the clumps as you go.
  5. Toss everything else into the pool.  Spices, tomato paste, broth, and beans.
  6. The black eyed peas (drained) with all ingredients needs enough chicken broth to barely cover everything. You may need more or less broth than one quart.
  7. Bring to a boil then simmer for several hours with the pot partially covered.
  8. Check the pot and stir occasionally.  Add more broth as the peas cook and the dish thickens.
  9. Serve with grated cheese, sour cream, and your favorite hot sauce.
  10. Yum.  Makes about 6-8 servings.

Odd Notes

This dish will taste better on day two. The chicken broth is a substitution for beef broth and results in a lighter dish.

The quantity of dried beans is no longer one pound because someone in the family (not me) claimed I put too much beans in my chili. This version has a ratio of beans to meat that hopefully meats her approval. Get it? Meats.

Texas Corn Bread of course.

Happy New Year! I hope this dish brings you much good luck in 2025 (and some tasty leftovers.

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Baked Chicken Thighs

I wanted something quick and tasty so I made some baked chicken thighs.

Here’s my inspiration. The recipe reminded me of a dish I used to make a long time ago .

For those who are visual learners…

At some point in the future I’ll properly create my own version but for now here are the changes I made:

  • I left the fat on the chicken thighs. Fat = flavor.
  • I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
  • Texas 1015 sweet onions instead of white onions.
  • Not as much herbs and spices as the original calls for. I lightly salted the thighs on one side before placing into the baking dish. Lightly coat each thigh with EVOO. I then dusted the thighs with sweet paprika, garlic powder and oregano.
  • Skipped the whole tomato and used a bunch of cherry tomatoes.
  • No white pepper. No lemons (I didn’t have any in the fridge).
  • Drizzle more EVOO over the top layer of sliced onions.
  • 375 degrees F for 45 minutes.

I made rice and some green peas for sides. We also topped our portions with a nice sprinkle of Feta cheese.

Turned out real tasty.

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Fresh or Frozen?

“When fresh spinach sits during transportation over long distances or stays in your refrigerator for a week, its folate content drops so much that frozen spinach becomes the better source,” Mary Ellen Phipps, MPH, RDN, LD, wrote for CNBC in 2022.

This is because frozen spinach often goes through a flash-freezing process just hours after it has been harvested, which helps to lock more of its nutrients in. “One cup of frozen spinach has more than four times the amount of nutrients, including iron, vitamin C, and calcium, compared to a cup of fresh spinach,” adds Phipps.

Fresh is Best? Not Always When It Comes to Spinach — https://vegnews.com/vegan-health-wellness/best-form-of-spinach

I was super proud of myself this past week when I bought a clam-shell of organic spinach and ate the entire tub. Now I know I would have been better off nutritionally with one of the many packages of frozen spinach in my freezer.

Guess I should make my world famous Potato Crusted Spinach Quiche more often.

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New and Improved! Sour Cream Chicken Enchillada Casserole

Updated 11.05.13

The Boss:  “I’ll make the sauce.”

Me:    “Why?”

The Boss: “Because your sauce is too thin and the casserole gets too runny.”

Recipes change with time and repeated preparations.  But sometimes the changes you’ve made were not necessarily an improvement to the dish. Lesson learned. Time to update this family classic. You don’t want the original recipe.  Don’t use One Rotisserire Chicken, 50 Meals – #3 Sour Cream Chicken Enchillada Casserole. Make this one.

Sour Cream Chicken Enchilada Casserole

  • 8 ounces Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
  • 4 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1/4 C butter
  • 2 T. flour
  • 3/4 C. sour cream
  • 1 3/4 C. chicken broth
  • 1 small can mild green chiles
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • Two rotisserie  chickens, meat taken off the bones, cubed (yes two chickens)
  • 18 yellow corn tortillas
  1. Saute onions in butter, add flour then broth.  Cook over medium heat until thickened.  Add chiles and sour cream and heat.  Be careful to not let the sauce boil.  Set aside.
  2. Butter  a 9 x 12 casserole dish.
  3. Layer three corn tortillas.  Cover generously with chicken.  Add jack cheese.  Sauce.  Repeat.
  4. The final layer of corn tortillas is covered with sauce only, no cheese yet.
  5. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes covered until bubbly.  Remove cover, add cheddar cheese to the top.  Return to the oven for 10 minutes to allow cheese to melt.
  6. After cheese has melted, remove from the oven and allow to sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before serving.

This recipe started with a version from Delicioso! Cooking South Texas Style.  The original recipe from the cookbook has sour cream sauce quantities similar to the updated version and not the too thin, too runny, bad quantities I had been using. The original also called for a full pound of Monterrey Jack cheese, no cheddar. Uh, no. Also included were jalapenos which would be wicked good but by subbing mild green chilies you get a child friendly dish if you know what I mean and I think you do.

Tips – Cut up the chicken first and snack on those tiny tidbits of meat that you have to pick off the bones with your fingers.  Do not use pre-shredded cheese. Period.  Trust your significant other when she says your sauce is too thin and it makes the casserole too runny. Make some fresh Guacamole – Asian Inspired and Updated and serve with chips. Beans and rice for sides obviously. Don’t forget the beer.

The Two Chicken Change to the Recipe –

Two birds because all of the ones you find in the grocery stores (not Costco) are really small. We used to call them Cornish Hens. Seriously, pigeons are bigger than the rotisserie chickens nowadays.

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Simple Cornbread Dressing (or Stuffing if you stuff your bird)

One of the pleasures of writing this blog is documenting how recipes change over time. I’ve already gotten a Cracker Correction for Squash Casserole – The Final Update 2022. Here are links to ALL of the family’s Thanksgiving Dressing recipes claimed as “we’ve always made it this way”. Comments and corrections as always are welcome.

Your Grandmother’s Dressing (this is the real deal)

Aunt Charlene’s Cornbread Dressing

(Not) Your Grandmother’s Thanksgiving Dressing

(Not) Your Grandmother’s Dressing – the day after at 10pm

Note the recipe that everyone has eaten when I make dressing is made with Texas Corn Bread.

I win.

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Spinach, Mushrooms and Onion

OOPS

The past week has been one of those terrible horrible no-good weeks that hit the checking account hard. I won’t list all of the things that stopped working but one thing hurt the most.

The side by side refrigerator/freezer died. I think this appliance was over 30 years old. it functioned as our second unit, a place to keep drinks cold and to stock up on frozen foods to prepare for the future food shortages and higher costs. Buying mass quantities of frozen vegetables as a hedging strategy against higher prices works well until your freezer dies.

I managed to STUFF a large number of frozen bags into our primary freezer. But I have to cook and eat a large number of these frozen bags of goodness to make room. So I started with a bag of spinach.

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 large sweet onions sliced thin
  • 8 oz white button mushrooms sliced thick
  • 2-3 garlic cloves minced
  • 12 oz frozen cut leaf spinach
  • salt and black pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  1. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium high heat.
  2. Add mushrooms and saute for five minutes. When browned…
  3. Add onions. Reduce heat to medium. Saute for five minutes. When browned…
  4. Add garlic. Saute for one minute.
  5. Add frozen spinach (no need to defrost). Saute for 15-20 minutes. You want the spinach to be drier but not too dry.
  6. Add butter, salt and pepper to taste.
  7. You are done. Now decide what you’re going to do with this stuff.

What to do?

  • Quesadillas
  • Omelette
  • side dish
  • mix with ricotta and Parmesan cheeses for stuffed shells
  • or lasagna
  • melt some cheddar for a quick sandwich/tortilla filling
  • toss with pasta for a quick meal
  • open a can of white beans, drain/rinse and mix with broth for a quick soup

Welcome to my world.

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How To Decide if It’s a Lentil Soup Day

It’s a lentil soup day.

A lot of readers liked Spanish Style Lentils and so do I. But today I’m making my time tested lentil soup recipe which you can find here The Pandemic Pantry -Lentil Soup. Or if you’re feeling adventurous try one of the Lentil Recipes – The First Mess which to be honest I haven’t tried yet.

I’m glad I don’t need mushrooms because I used the one I bought recently in another dish.

Absolutely not an altered photo. Just one very large button mushroom.

I added more carrots and so far at the 30 minute mark I’ve used the entire quart of organic low sodium chicken broth. I did not use the mutant carrot because it went bad before I could use it.

You’re starting to see some interesting produce nowadays.

Today’s post was for the critic who complained about the lack of pictures in this blog.

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White Bean and Sweet Potato Stew

Sunday is a good Beanday. A day of rest. Maybe a few, but not too many errands. Hang out the rest of the day at home and make a pot of beans for the week.

This morning I was compiling a dried bean inventory so that I wouldn’t buy more of what I already have on hand. My beans are in various containers in the pantry and on the kitchen counter. Some packages of dried beans are unopened. My quick inventory told me I had green split peas, adzuki, black beans, black eyed peas, red and brown lentils, chickpeas, pinto, mayacabo, white beans, and an unidentified variety which I had to research to figure out I had Cranberry beans!

The white beans were stored in a plastic baggie and fearing they may have been in the pantry since the last time I made Wing and Leg Navy Bean Soup I thought I would cook them. After a triple rinse I quick soaked them (rinse, drain, pour boiling water over all and cover for one hour). Drain again, cover with fresh filtered water, a little onion powder, garlic powder, one bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to super low, and simmer for several hours.

Now I had a pot of beans before deciding what dish to make. After exhausting the possibilities I decided upon a White Bean and Sweet Potato Stew. My inspiration came from the same source as Spanish Style Lentils. So if you’re a visual learner, here you go:

Here’s a link to the original recipe – https://spainonafork.com/spanish-white-bean-and-sweet-potato-stew-recipe/

Here’s what I’ll eating all week.

  • 2 T olive oil
  • 1/2 large sweet onion, diced
  • 1 green pepper, diced
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 carrots peeled and cut into chunks
  • 1 cup canned stewed tomatoes
  • dash apple cider vinegar
  • 3 cups cooked white beans
  • 1 large sweet potato peeled and cut into chunks
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2-3 cups organic vegetable stock
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika and 1/2 tsp regular sweet paprika
  • freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste
  1. Heat the olive oil in a medium sized stock pot
  2. Add the onion, bell pepper and carrot. Saute until the onion is translucent. Add garlic and both paprika powders. Saute briefly for about a minute.
  3. Add the tomatoes, vinegar and simmer for five minutes. Break up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Continue to simmer until the mixture thickens.
  4. Add the beans, sweet potato, and two cups of broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer covered for around 30 minutes. Check and stir throughout this process and add more broth to desired thickness and to prevent sticking/burning of the stew.
  5. When the potatoes are tender the stew is done. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper and salt.
  6. Makes approximately six large servings.

Now I need to figure out what to make with the butternut squash I baked in the oven.

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Spanish Style Lentils

I always wondered how they make lentils in Spain. So I went You Tubing.

Then my mind wandered and thought “I wonder if this chef has a website?”

Of course he does. https://spainonafork.com/classic-spanish-lentil-stew-recipe/

And since I’m feeling lazy today (while giving credit where credit is due) check out either the video or website for ingredients and instructions for the Classic Spanish Lentil Stew, known in Spain as Lentejas.

My tweaks:

  • no red pepper because I didn’t have one in the fridge
  • only two cloves of garlic plus granulated garlic to taste
  • 1/2 cup canned stewed tomatoes instead of tomato sauce (adds sweetness)
  • 2 carrots instead of one (because I like carrots)
  • 2 bay leaves instead of one
  • One quart organic vegetable stock instead of five cups (thicker stew, less soupy)
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika and 1/2 tsp regular sweet paprika (watch that smokey paprika because it can be quite strong and overpowering)
  • no added salt

This is an excellent recipe if you are gradually adding vegan dishes into your diet.

The Boss liked it.

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