Vegetable Risotto

Hello Blog, I've missed you!  I thought about writing once or twice, but between being out of town from Christmas to New Years, and then getting going with 2011 at work, there wasn't time to cook, let alone write.  It's seems as though it's taken me a while to get into the swing of 2011, but thankfully, it looks like I am finally cruising along in some semblance of a normal schedule.  Time to get back to cooking, and blogging.

I love the smell of fresh starts in the air during the early part of January.  Like many people, I am big on resolutions, although I don't necessarily call them resolutions.  For me, the new year is just a chance to reset and re-invest in some personal goals I'd like to work on.  I even made a vision board- images & words that will help remind me where I would like to be going this year.  One big goal I've had for a while now- get my foot in the door of the wine industry, just might be realized next week.  I have an interview at a winery here in Alameda for a part time job in their tasting room.  I love my current job, and have no intention of leaving any time soon, but it will be nice to build some contacts in a new industry and explore what types of options might be available down the road.  I've built my career on the philosophy that if you find something you are passionate about, the money will follow.  It's worked so far, and hopefully getting my foot in the door at a winery will give me whole new road to go down some day.  I'll keep you posted on how it turns out.

One of the other things I would like to work on in 2011 is eating less meat.  It's a struggle in the Munoz house to come up with vegetarian dinners because my husband doesn't really believe it's dinner unless there is meat involved.  I personally would have a pretty easy time going mostly vegetarian.  In fact I was a vegetarian for a few years after college.  So far, I have 2 vegetarian recipes he will eat, both involving black beans.  For 2011 I plan on finding a lot more to add to his "approved" list. The trick is to come up with something that is ridiculously good & incredibly filling, so he doesn't miss the meat.  Risotto was a good place to start.  He loves it, and I figured if I sautéed some of his favorite veggies and tossed them in, he might just be ok with it.  Luckily, it worked and this recipe has been approved by the husband.  It's delicious, and hearty, yet still pretty easy on the waistline.  Success on the first try!

Vegetable Risotto
For the veggies:

1/2 large yellow onion, sliced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 portabella mushroom caps, gills removed & chopped into 1" pieces

1 small yellow squash, quartered & then cut into 1/2" pieces
1 small white zucchini, quartered & then cut into 1/2" pieces
1 small regular zucchini, quartered & then cute into 1/2" pieces
3/4 cup small grape tomatoes, sliced in half
Olive Oil
Salt & pepper
2 tsp Oregano
1/2 tsp Hot Pepper Flakes
1/4 cup white wine vinegar

For the risotto:
Olive Oil
1 shallot, finely diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine (like chardonnay)
4 to 5 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
Salt & pepper

1. Heat up the chicken broth.  Put the chicken broth in a small pot and heat until it is just barely simmering.  Keep the broth just barely simmering while you are making the risotto.  
2. Start the Risotto.  In a medium sized deep-sided pot heat up some olive oil over medium heat.  Add in the shallots and cook for about 3 or 4 minutes, until they are just starting to soften.  Add in the garlic and cook for another minute.  Add in the rice and stir for another minute or two.
3. Slowly add Liquid to the Rice.  Pour the cup of wine into the rice pot.  Stir occasionally until all the wine has been absorbed.  Once the wine has been absorbed, start adding the chicken broth, a  half-cup at a time, stirring occasionally and making sure all the liquid has been absorbed before you add more. 
4. Saute the Veggies.  While the risotto is cooking, heat up some olive oil over medium heat in a large sauté pan.  Add in the onions & cook for a few minutes, add in the garlic, cook for another minute, then add the mushrooms & zucchini's.  Season with salt, pepper, oregano & the hot pepper flakes.  Continue cooking over medium heat until the zucchini is cooked through and starting to soften, about 10 minutes.  Add in the tomatoes and cook for another 2 minutes, then add the white wine vinegar and stir.  Let cook one more minute and then remove from heat.
5. Finish the Risotto.  It should take about 20 to 25 minutes for the risotto to finish.  You'll know it is done when the risotto gets creamy looking and the grains are soft but still just a little firm when you bite one (al dente).  When it's reached that point, turn off the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese.  Season with salt & pepper and then stir in the sautéed veggies.
6. Serve!  Serve the risotto immediately, preferably with some delicious wine.  We drank a 2009 St Francis Chardonnay with ours.

Bon Appetit!

Spicy Black Bean Soup

I studied Equine Science in College, which was basically a way for me to hang out in a barn and still go to school.  I grew up riding horses, and being a horse nut, so when I found out there were actual programs at real universities devoted to the 4 legged creatures I was obsessed with, it sounded like a dream come true.  What I didn't learn until I got there was that the Equine Science program, at least at Colorado State University where I ended up going to school (Go Rams!), was part of a larger Agriculture Department, and, that I would be required to take several "meat science" classes, in addition to all the horse related stuff.

Meat Science classes were not something I had signed up for.  To this day I wish I couldn't look into a field of cattle and name the breed I am looking at, and I really wish I couldn't tell you how to slaughter those same steers.  I wish I didn't know how to "estimate" the degree of marbling and amount of back fat on a cute little lamb, and what that lamb looks like underneath it's fluffy coat & skin.  I would pay good money, no, GREAT money, to forget the smell of a large working pig farm.  I have serious issues with factory farmed poultry- Poultry Science may have been the most disturbing class I ever took, and I took some disturbing classes, including one called Live Animal & Carcass Evaluation, or, "Alive & Dead" as we affectionately called it.  That class didn't even come close to Poultry Science.  For years after I finished with school I was a vegetarian.

The lure of the humble burger eventually pulled me back into the meat-eating world, there really is nothing quite like a big, juicy, hot off the grill cheeseburger.  I think it might qualify as my favorite food.  I eventually made my peace with what I know about the meat industry, and now I make consumer choices I can live with- about where I buy my meat and from whom. I share all this with you because while I am still quite content to eat vegetarian meals on a very regular basis my husband is not.  I am always trying to find meat-free options that he will like and will satisfy my conscience.  I know I've mentioned it before, but he thinks dinner without some sort of cooked animal is just not dinner.  I once tried to pass off a portabella mushroom as a "burger".  After just one bite the gig was up and he wanted to know where the burger was.

I have found one thing that he will eat for dinner without caring that there are no animals involved- Spicy Black Bean Soup.  It's one of the most simple soups to make, it's rich & delicious, and incredibly healthy, plus meat free.  Since it was raining off and on all day today, a hearty soup was the perfect choice for dinner.  I chopped up some avocado, along with a little swirl of non-fat greek yogurt to top it off and had a yummy vegetarian dinner that even my carnivorous husband loved.

Spicy Black Bean Soup
Olive Oil
2 15oz cans black beans (undrained)
1 10oz can diced tomatoes with chilies (like Ro-Tel)
1 red pepper, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
7 to 8 cloves of garlic, minced
1 to 2 Tbsps cumin
1  to 2 tsp chipotle powder
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 avocado, cut into chunks
Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream

1. Saute the Veggies.  Heat up some olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy bottom pot.  Add in the onions and cook for about 5 minutes.  Add in the garlic and cook for another minute.  Add the green & red peppers, season with salt & pepper and continue to cook until the veggies have all softened, about 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Add the Beans, Tomatoes and Spices.  Add the 2 cans of black beans and the can of diced tomatoes with chilies to the soup pot.  Add the cumin & chipotle powder.  We really like the flavor of cumin, so I tend to add a lot of that.  We like the soup medium spicy, so I generally add only about a tsp of chipotle powder.
3. Add the Chicken Broth and Puree.  Add a cup of the chicken broth and let the soup simmer, covered, over medium low heat for about 15 minutes.  Remove the pot from the heat and using an immersion blender puree the soup until smooth.  If you don't have an immersion blender, well. just get one, they are the best.  But seriously, if you don't have an immersion blender you can puree the soup in a food processor or regular blender, it's just much faster and easier to do it right in the soup pot with an immersion blender.  Add up to an additional 1/2 cup of chicken broth, if desired, to thin out the soup after it's been pureed.
4. Serve!  I chop up a fresh avocado to serve in the soup, and add a dollop of fat-free greek yogurt, which is my standard substitution for sour cream.  For a Latin twist on Grill Cheese & Tomato Soup, serve the Black Bean Soup with a cheese quesadilla on the side! 

Black Bean & Squash Tacos

I can't quite figure out when "Taco Tuesday" became a thing, and I don't know if it is a nationwide phenomenon, but here in the Bay Area, everyone I know seems to participate in "Taco Tuesday".  So, since it's Tuesday, dinner at the Munoz's is of course Tacos.  Although, these aren't your standard tacos.  As much as I love the old seasoned meat, cheese, tomato & lettuce in a crispy corn shell combination, I've eaten enough of those in my lifetime where it just seems so boring.  These tacos, with smoky black beans and spicy roasted squash have a ton of flavor, can be made in no time flat, and combine 2 of my favorite ingredients- black beans & butternut squash.

Today is also Election Tuesday, and all I will say on this subject is Go Vote.  I could say a lot more, but I don't think I want to use this blog to jump up on a political soap box.  I could go on about how I am a die-hard democrat.  About how I believe in universal health care, in social security & medicare & even welfare, although I do feel that the current welfare system needs a really good tune-up.  About how I have liberal social views- I firmly believe in gay marriage, women rights, abortion rights, a strong separation of Church & State.  About how I am pro-military, I believe choosing to serve your country in the armed forces is one of the greatest things someone can choose to do, or about how I believe we need to stop the current tax & spend system and learn to live within our national budget.  Or about how I believe in a persons right to bear arms, although, why someone needs a machine gun to defend their home or practice their sharpshooting skills escapes me.  I could go on about all these things, but instead of getting into a political debate on a blog, I went to the polls and voted for the candidates that best supported my ideals.  And whatever you believe in, whether you agree or disagree with me, you too can go to the polls and vote for the person that you feel best represents your ideals.  That's how it works in this democracy and it's just one of the things that make our country great.

Anyway, enough of that, I am stepping down from the political soap box I had no intention of stepping up on and getting back to something that everyone can agree on- the awesomeness of tacos.    And these tacos, while far from traditional, are seriously, seriously delicious.  No matter if you are a Democrat, a Republican, a Libertarian or even a sign carrying member of that wacky Tea Party, I guarantee you will agree.

Black Bean & Roasted Butternut Squash Tacos

1/2 cup 2% plain greek yogurt*

Lime juice

fresh cilantro

Chili powder
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 or 4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can seasoned black beans (I like Bush's)
1 cup fresh or frozen sweet corn
1/2 can of Mexican style stewed tomatoes
1 small Jalapeño, seeded & diced
2 1/2 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Chipotle powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Spicy roasted squash cubes (I used the extra's I made from last night's Squash & Sausage Risotto)
Cotija Cheese*, crumbled
Corn Tortillas

*You can use sour cream instead of the Greek Yogurt, but the yogurt really gives the sauce a great flavor and is much healthier than sour cream.  Cotija cheese is basically the Mexican version of Feta so if you can't find Cotija you can substitute with Feta.

1. Make the Cilantro Lime Sauce.  In a small bowl mix together the yogurt, lime juice, some finely chopped fresh cilantro and a little chili powder in a small bowl.  Season with some salt & pepper.  How much cilantro, lime juice and chili powder you use is really up to you.  I like a lot of lime (the juice from 1/2 of a big lime), not a lot of cilantro and just enough chili powder to give it a small kick.  Keep the sauce refrigerated until ready to use. 
2. Prepare the Beans.  In a saute pan cook the onions in a little olive oil, over medium heat, for about 5 minutes.  Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute.  Add in the corn & jalapeno and cook for about 2 minutes.  Add the can of seasoned black beans (undrained) and the stewed tomatoes.  Add the chipotle powder, cumin, salt & pepper and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
3. Heat up the squash.  If you are using previously prepared roasted squash, pop them in the microwave for a minute or so to heat up
4. Assemble the Tacos.  Warm up the soft corn tortillas and fill with the black beans and the squash.  Top with the cilantro lime sauce and a little bit of cotija cheese.
5. Serve!  I usually make some Spanish rice to go along with the tacos, and to drink, some cold Mexican beer, Negra Modelo or Pacifico are always good.

In the interest of full disclosure, I do have one confession to make.  While this is a vegetarian dinner, my husband thinks that a dinner without cooked animal meat is an abomination.  To satisfy him, I just brown a package of ground turkey with a packet of store bought taco seasoning.  When I assemble the tacos I put a layer of the Turkey in the bottom of his taco.  He's happy and I can have my vegetarian variety.  

Bon Appetit!