Main Course: Polenta with Melissa's Tomatillo Sauce & Shrimps

Last week i was thinking of what to add to our weekly menu - the "Menu" is mentioned in an earlier post. i always try to keep within a few parameters: 1. Always Fresh, 2. Budget, 3. Diverse - as long as i stick to this formula i hope to never get bored. i think if i had to chose one cuisine to have for the rest of my life, it would have to be Mexican. i really enjoy making Mexican food, although my type of Mexican is more Tex-Mex, i still try to find some fun sauces and flavors while keeping it authentic.

My friend Melissa makes the BEST Mexican dishes, and rightly so, she grew up eating and learning how to prepare authentic family recipe's. When i asked her to help me with an enchilada sauce, she was happy to assist. Melissa really took the time to teach me not only the proper steps of how to prepare the sauce, but how to properly pick out the vegetables. Thanks to Melissa for her help, and i hope i didn't let you down!

Polenta w/ Melissa's Tomatillo Sauce & Shrimp

Step 1: Ingredients: 5 Med. Tomatillos, 1/2 Lime (juice), 1 Jalapeno, 1 Clove Garlic, 1/2 Med. Onion, Handful of Cilantro, 8 Shrimp (cleaned)

Step 2: Remove Tomatillo's from husk and wash,
wash rest of vegtables (removing stems etc.)

Step 3: Place Tomatillo's, and Jalapeno in pre-heated cast iron skillet
over Med. High Heat (you want to lightly blister them)
*you will hear them popping

Step 4: Once blistered, transfer them to a pot and cover with water.
Let veggies simmer in water until just before boiling. Once the water
comes to a boil remove and transfer to blender.

Step 5: Place Tomatillo's, Jalapeno, Garlic, Cilantro,
Onion, Lime Juice and a 1/2 cup of hot water in Blender and Puree.

Step 6: Transfer back to skillet over Med. Heat placing Shrimp
in Sauce to cook. Once finished serve over Polenta and Garnish with
Green Garlic.

ENJOY!

megan: sweet-and-spicy meatballs

happy spring!

(well, i for one am insisting on it being spring despite the cold day and snowflakes in the forecast.)

it has come to be routine, over the past three years, that when new year's eve hats are thrown out, empty champagne bottles are recycled and the last bits of crunchy evergreen are cast to the curb, a new running season commences! don't stop reading. i am certainly not one of those annoyingly athletic types, but i do run. and i like it -- quite a bit, actually.

this hasn't always been the case. it all started in october of 2008. i was tired of the routine gym workouts and so was my bank account. with the holidays looming before me, i had two choices 1. eat all that amazing food and get pudgy around the middle. or 2. eat all that amazing food and run. outside. in ny winter weather.

sigh...the scales were tipped, all puns intended. my fate had been decided. i would become a runner. my 2009 resolution was to run a half marathon by the end of the year (that's 13.1 miles for you non-runners). so, my first winter training began. to date, i happily have 3 half marathons and a myriad other, smaller triumphs under my brooks. currently, i am preparing for my 4th half marathon, taking place in two weeks!

how does this have anything to do with food? running, or more specifically, training, makes a runner incredibly, non-stop hungry! and when logging 20-30 miles a week, a girl needs to make sure she is getting enough protein for muscle rebuilding, not to mention plenty of carbs to fuel you up the harlem hills and down the hudson river. last week i went on a quest for meals that would do just that. i discovered (and slightly tweaked) this great sweet-and-spicy meatball recipe. it involves fresh pineapple, crunchy green veggies and really easy meatballs.

while you may not be registering for a half marathon anytime soon, this will keep you moving! stay tuned for next month's easter post!

ingredients:

1-1/2 pound ground beef

1/2 whole onion, diced very finely

1 whole egg

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 teaspoon kosher salt

freshly ground pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (more to taste)

1/4 cups all-purpose flour )

oil for frying

2 whole green bell peppers, seeded and chopped roughly

1-1/4 cup fresh pineapple chunks

2 cups beef stock or broth

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 cups sherry (or white vinegar)

1/3 cups sugar

1 tablespoon flour/cornstarch (or more to thicken to desirable consistency)

salt to taste

*serve over brown rice, noodles or quinoa

combine ground beef, diced onion, egg, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs, and crushed red pepper. mix with hands until combined. roll meat mixture into small balls (walnut sized) and place on a cookie sheet. freeze on the pan for 15 minutes to firm.

mix together beef stock, soy sauce, sherry (or vinegar), sugar, and flour. set aside.

heat canola oil over medium-high heat. roll meatballs in flour, then fry in two batches until nice and brown, about two minutes per batch.

remove meatballs and set aside on a separate plate.

pour off oil from pan and return pan to medium high heat. when pan is hot, throw in the chopped green peppers and cook for one minute. add pineapple to pan and cook for one minute, stirring gently. add snap peas to pan for one minute more.

pour in stock/soy sauce mixture, then add meatballs. stir gently to combine and allow to cook and bubble for a few minutes, or until sauce is thickened. add salt and crushed red peppers to taste -the more the better in my opinion!

serve over steamed brown rice or quinoa. enjoy!

Snack: Herban Guacamole

we try to have something green with every meal we prepare, infact we try to stick to a vegetarian diet most nights, and if we have meat it's usually just to enhance. i try to plan a special dinner one night out of the week, a night where we can be Bad with our diet (i hate diets, but found out that after this night i was being put on one). This week the Special night was Appetizer Night - i prepared a couple of things from my favorite blog The Pioneer Woman: Potato Skins, Jalapeno Poppers, and my very own Guacamole.

i never can seem to make her recipe's come out perfect - her's are made with such ease, and the presentation is Beautiful. Mine came out alright, good enough for us to finish it all....but i wanted to share with you my recipe for Guacamole:

Herban Guacamole

Step 1: 2 Ripe Avocado's, 1 Med. Tomato, 1 Jalapeno (Seeded), 2 Green Onions,
1 Handful of Cilantro, and 1/2 Fresh Lime, 1 lg Clove Garlic, Pinch of Salt.

Step 2: Remove Avocados from their skin & discard seeds, 1/2 the lime,
and chop all the rest of the veggies.

Step 3: Place all ingredients in bowl

Step 4: (optional) Handful of Flax Seed

Step 5: Mash well (i like mine chunky)

Step 6: Enjoy!

Snack: Herban Popcorn

after a long day at work and hectic subway ride home, it's nice to come home to a home cooked meal. we do our best to eat healthy, and keep in mind portion control..... i don't usually succeed, but never the less we get it done. afterwards it's the same ole story, take a shower to wash off the day, and then chill in bed with either a book, or to watch a movie. Normally we watch a movie...

in my opinion, no movie is worth watching without a nice bowl of popcorn - and there is no better way to prepare it, than on a stove top. My cousin Russ used to prepare the BEST popcorn when we were growing up. He had a special science and ratio of seeds per oil, and afterwards he would melt butter for the top. Today, it's not so good for me to have butter, but i can have a good seasoning, and nothing top's Bragg: Nutritional Yeast Seasoning.

Nutritional Yeast Seasoning is a live yeast that is easily added to your everyday life. it's cheese like flavor carries several of the B vitamins your body usually misses within a normal diet. Besides all that, it tastes Amazing - i swear it is like having a cheese popcorn, and to know it's healthy is even better. so without rambling on, here is my recipe for Herban Popcorn.

Herban Popcorn

Step 1: The Supplies: Dutch Oven, Sea Salt (Himalayan), Bragg Seasoning,

Organic Popcorn Kernels, Organic Olive Oil

Step 2: Put a single layer of Kernels along the bottom of Dutch Oven -

Cover with a thin layer of Olive Oil

Step 3: Cover

Step 4: Crank up the heat to High - Let pop till there is about 5 seconds between popping

Step 5: Uncover and let steam escape

Step 6: Season with Salt, and Plenty of Bragg's (i usually shake it up so it will spread)

Enjoy!

* i normally buy my kernels in bulk from Perelandra (Brooklyn Heights) &

transfer them to a glass jar for safe keeping.