Mexican Chocolate Pistachio Fudge

It's Cinco de Mayo, and it's time for dessert! Well, actually, it might not really be time for dessert yet, depending on when you are reading this. But since I have already blogged about a starter, a beverage, and a main course this week, clearly at this point you need a little something sweet to wash it all down with!

So I made this wonderful Mexican Chocolate Pistachio Fudge. We're big fudge fans, the husband and I. But I usually stick to my tried-and-true fudge recipe, and rarely branch out from that. There have been some pretty interesting results the few times I have strayed from what I know works. A certain time I made bacon fudge comes to mind...

Anyway, this fudge is a snap to make. I did use my regular recipe as a base, but I expanded on it and I'm really happy with the results. I made the chocolate more "Mexican"-tasting by adding ground cinnamon and cayenne pepper. I thought pistachios would be great in there, so I mixed in a bunch and then scattered even more over the top. The fudge turned out creamy, rich-tasting, and so interesting with that little bit of spice and heat. You don't really taste the cayenne pepper, but you know it's there because you get a nice little burn at the back of your throat after you've eaten a piece. You could leave it out, and the fudge would still be great, but I think it's necessary in there. It's a fiesta in fudge form (sorry, I couldn't resist)!

Mexican Chocolate Pistachio Fudge
adapted from about.com
makes 36-40 squares, depending on the size you cut them

Ingredients
2 Tbsp. butter
2/3 cup fat-free evaporated milk
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups miniature marshmallows
12 oz. (1 bag) semisweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
6 oz. raw, shelled pistachios, divided

Directions
1. Line a square, 8x8 inch baking pan with nonstick foil, or regular foil that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. Combine the marshmallows and chocolate chips in a bowl and set aside.

2. In a medium, heavy saucepan, combine the butter, milk, sugar, cinnamon, cayenne, and salt. Turn the heat to medium-high, and stir until the sugar dissolves. Allow the mixture to come up to a boil. Continue to boil, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

3. Stir in the marshmallows, chocolate chips, and vanilla, and continue mixing until the marshmallows and chips have almost completely melted. Throw in about 3/4 of the pistachios and continue mixing well. Note: you should work quickly here, because the fudge starts to harden around this point and it becomes harder and harder to stir.

4. Spread the fudge into the prepared pan and even it out, smoothing the top. Before it has a chance to set, sprinkle the remaining pistachios over the top of the fudge and press down lightly so the nuts will stick. Place the pan in the fridge to allow the fudge to set completely before removing and cutting into squares.

Burritos (And They're Vegetarian!)

Our entree this week in our Cinco de Mayo fiesta was something I've never made before, but have wanted to for a while. Now that I eat (and love!) black beans, and have been working more with meatless dishes, I thought I would make a nice black bean burrito with some soy chorizo and corn.

I ate the most delicious vegetarian burrito at a Mexican restaurant a couple weeks back, and it inspired me to try making one of my own. The burrito that I ate before contained flavorful rice, corn, squash, and black beans, so mine is very loosely modeled on that one. I liked the idea of the meatless sausage for heat, and I figured I can always try making the squash variation later this summer, when Andy's parents start sharing their bumper crop of summer squash and zucchini with us!



For the rice, I simmered mine in some salsa and added onion and garlic to the pot for flavor. When it came time to cook my meat, I did half soyrizo and half non-spicy veggie crumbles. The soyrizo by itself would have been pretty spizy, so I wanted to cut it down a bit. After the meat had a chance to cook, I added some ground cumin, a can of black beans, and some thawed frozen corn.



I read somewhere that it makes the burrito-rolling process much easier if you warm the tortillas first in the oven, so I used that method and it worked beautifully. My rolling skills still leave an awful lot to be desired, but I was at least able to roll mine up so that nothing fell out and the sides were more or less tucked in. The burritos were baked in the oven for about 10 minutes, just enough to lightly crisp the tortillas and warm the filling through. These were so good dipped in some of my Salsa Verde, and Andy slathered sour cream all over his and loved it. He had cheese mixed in with his filling, but I did not. Try the cheese if you love it; I was just trying to cut down on my calories! And I loved these burritos, cheese or no cheese.

Black Bean and Soyrizo Burritos
recipe by Bri
makes about 10-12 burritos

Ingredients
1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 a red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups white rice
3 cups water (you can use vegetable broth)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. salsa (any variety, any heat level)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
4 oz. Soyrizo (vegetarian chorizo sausage), casings removed
4 oz. Morningstar Farms veggie crumbles (or any combination of meat/veggie meat that adds up to a total of 8 oz.)
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 1/3 cups frozen corn, thawed
10-12 (large or burrito-size) flour tortillas
Cheddar cheese, optional, for filling
Hot sauce, optional, for filling (we like Cholula)
Sour cream, optional, for serving
Salsa, optional, for serving

Directions
1. In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic; cook for another minute, stirring frequently. Add the rice and stir occasionally to toast the grains, about 2 minutes. Stir in the salsa until it coats the rice. Add the water (or broth), bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cover with a lid. Allow to cook, covered, for 20 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is fully cooked. Fluff with a fork and let stand 5 minutes before using.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet turned to a medium heat, heat the (frozen) veggie crumbles until hot, stirring frequently. After about the first 5 minutes of cooking, add in the soyrizo and continue to cook. Keep stirring; the meat mixture should take about 10 minutes until it reaches the fully cooked stage.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 and place the tortillas on a large piece of foil. Sprinkle the tortillas with just a few drops of water and cover completely with foil. Warm the tortillas in the oven for 10 minutes (this makes them pliable and easier to handle when filling).

4. After the meat mixture has had a chance to fully cook, add in the ground cumin, the black beans, and the corn. Cook just until the beans and corn are completely heated through, and remove from the heat.

5. To assemble the burritos, place a heated tortilla on a work surface. Add about 1/4 cup rice mixture and 1/4 cup meat mixture to the tortilla; top with cheese and/or hot sauce, if desired. Roll the tortilla over the filling, then tuck in the sides. Roll all the way up, and transfer to a greased bakin sheet, seam side down. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling.

5. Bake the burritos in a 350 degree oven for about 8-10 minutes, until the tops are starting to crisp and the filling is very hot. Note: this step is optional, but we really enjoyed the burritos warmed up this way. Serve with sour cream, salsa, or anything else you'd like!

Sangria

Next up in our week full of Cinco de Mayo recipes: Sangria! I haven't had that much Sangria in my life; in fact, I only just tried it recently for the very first time. However, I loved it at first sip. It's a red wine that has been steeping pretty much all day in fruit juices and sugar and, I am sure, a variety of other things depending on how it is made. Certainly, there are endless possibilities with Sangria.

I found a pretty basic, standard (I think!) recipe that I wanted to try out. I did not let it sit for 24 hours before serving, as the instructions indicated. I gave it over 8 hours, though, and there is still some left in the fridge, so we'll have to see if the extra day really makes a difference!

For our purposes, my husband and I bought both ginger ale and club soda as the carbonated portion of the beverage. I prefer to drink diet sodas normally, but I don't think that would have been very good in there. So, it was ginger ale for hubby, and club soda for me. I have to tell you, I really did not miss the sweetened ginger ale at all. The club soda worked out very well; it gave it fizz, and I thought the Sangria was just sweet enough. One final note, though; I do very much apologize for my lackluster photos! I really need to practice my beverage picture-taking; I just can't seem to figure out the best camera angles when it comes to drinks. Oh, well. Here's the recipe!

Sangria
adapted from about.com
makes about 12 or so cups (not including ice)

Ingredients
1 bottle red wine (any will work but I used a Garnacha)
1 lemon, cut into wedges
1 lime, cut into wedges
1 grapefruit, cut into wedges
2 Tbsp. sugar
Splash of lemonade (I used a mango lemonade, about 2 oz.)
2 shots of gin or triple sec (I used gin)
1 cup strawberries, sliced (thawed or frozen works; mine were fresh)
1 small can diced pineapples with juice
4 cups ginger ale or club soda

Directions
1. Pour the wine into a large pitcher and squeeze the juices of the lemon, lime, and grapefruit into the wine. Toss in the fruit wedges, leaving out the seeds if possible.

2. Add the pineapple, the sugar, lemonade, and gin. At this point, I also added my strawberries, then read that you're supposed to add them in at the end. I think my way was fine, but do whatever works!

3. Chill up to 8 hours or overnight (the longer this sits, the better it gets). Just before serving, add in ice and either ginger ale or club soda. We served ours with both (I used the club soda, and my husband used the ginger ale). So, I filled up each glass halfway with the sangria (I strained it first, since it does get gritty), then threw in the soda and the ice, and stirred well before serving.

Two Dips: Black Bean Hummus and Salsa Verde

This week, I'm going to be posting recipes that can be used for Cinco de Mayo. I've never really celebrated Cinco de Mayo, to be honest. However, I'll use just about any excuse to try out themed meals made from scratch, and Mexican was sounding really good. So, I present to you the first of my Mexican posts, and it's appetizer time!

I made two dips over this past weekend; the first was one I have made before, but loved so much that I was eager to make it again. It's a great, unique spin on hummus. Instead of the traditional chickpeas, you use black beans, and you add in jalapeno for heat, cilantro for brightness, and lime juice for a nice, south-of-the-border punch. It's a fantastic dip, equally good on pita bread and tortilla chips, wonderful on fresh, crisp veggies, and a zesty treat on a sandwich. I can't get enough of this stuff.

The second dip I made was a salsa verde. Now, let me preface this recipe by saying that I am not usually the salsa-maker in our house. My husband has been making and perfecting his salsa recipe for years now. His finished product is always fiery-hot and addictive. But I wanted to try my own hand at it for a change, and this is what I came up with. I totally made it up as I went along, so all the measurements can be tweaked to your own personal tastes. Also, I call it a salsa verde because the color and taste of the dip ring truer to a green salsa, but this does contain some tomatoes. It's funny, you can't see them in there, but they are necessary for sweetness and balance. At least I think so. I roasted all the peppers I used prior to adding them. I really love the extra level of smokiness the roasting gives them. That's an optional step, though; feel free to skip it and just throw the peppers in raw.

Black Bean Hummus
adapted from Cooking Light
makes about 3-3 1/2 cups

Ingredients
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed (this time, I used a can of black beans w/ diced jalapenos)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro (plus more for garnish, optional)
1 clove garlic, peeled
2 Tbsp. tahini (sesame seed paste)
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 lime, juiced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
1/4 tsp. kosher salt

Directions
1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine all the ingredients and process until smooth. Adjust the seasonings to taste. Serve with pita chips, fresh veggies, etc.

Salsa Verde
recipe by Bri
makes roughly 2 cups

Ingredients
1 poblano pepper
2 jalapeno peppers
4 medium vine-ripened tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 yellow onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place the poblano and jalapeno peppers on a baking sheet and roast in the oven, turning frequently, until all sides of the peppers are blackened (about 20 minutes or so). Remove to a heatproof bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to cool slightly, until you can handle them. Peel the skin from the peppers, remove the stems and seeds, and place in the bowl of a food processor.

2. Meanwhile, chop the tomatoes and onions and place in the food processor. Toss in the garlic, cilantro, some salt, and pepper, and then blend everything to combine. You can make this as coarse and chunky, or as smooth as you like it. Add extra salt and pepper, to taste.

Roasted Garlic and Pepperoni Pasta

I'm excited about this one! I'm excited because I made it without a recipe, and I was trying something for purely experimental purposes, and it totally worked! I wasn't even sure it would work, but I was willing to allow my family to be the guinea pigs in this particular experiment. You see, I had several heads of garlic, and I really wanted to roast some up. With that as my starting point, this whole meal was born.

I decided to build upon my roasted garlic idea with things I had around the house that I wanted to use up. I was feeling like creating a roasted garlic sauce, but I wanted it to be creamy and not fattening. A tall order, right? Well, wait a minute. Get this: if you put ricotta cheese in the food processor with a touch of olive oil, the whole head of roasted garlic, and some reserved pasta cooking liquid, you get a nice, healthier, creamy sauce! I'm sure somebody out there has already thought of this, and I just caught on to it late. But I was pretty proud of myself, considering I just came up with it on the fly.

I sauteed a red onion, added a huge pile of spinach and a huge pile of Swiss chard to the skillet, and wilted the greens down. Next, I added some turkey pepperoni. Now, this is the part of the recipe where I would have done it differently if I had to go back and redo it. But lucky for you, I have learned from my mistake and I wrote out the instructions to include the change. Why, you may ask? Well, because the pepperoni just ended up getting a bit droopy and limp as a result of adding it in after the veggies. It was still okay, but just a bit tasteless. Next time, I would cook the pepperoni first, until it became crispy, and then I would take it out and reserve it to throw on top of the pasta at the end. Oh well, I'm learning!

Since the sauce I created did turn out a bit thin, I thought fast and added it to the skillet that contained the veggies. By simmering it for just a few minutes, I was able to thicken it up and turn it into a nice, alfredo-y sauce. If you wanted to, you could add some Parmesan cheese to the sauce and really take it over the top. I liked it as is. Best of all, the family liked it too! My husband was none the wiser about me creating this dish, and he started raving about it over dinner. When I told him that I hadn't even used a recipe, he was pretty impressed. That made me feel good; I find that some of my favorite moments in the kitchen come when I am able to "invent." So it's great when the invention works out well!

Roasted Garlic and Pepperoni Pasta
recipe by Bri
makes 6-8 servings

Ingredients
5 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 whole head of garlic, outer papery skin removed and top 1/4 cut off
1 lb. pasta, any shape will do
1 medium red onion, sliced
4 cups fresh baby spinach
3-4 cups Swiss chard, stemmed and chopped
1/2 cup (it's actually 34 slices, but in case you don't feel like counting!) turkey pepperoni, halved
1/2 cup ricotta cheese (I used part-skim)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Drizzle about 1/2 tsp. olive oil over the head of garlic, wrap it tightly in foil, and roast in the oven for about 45-50 minutes. Remove from oven and allow it to cool slightly.

2. Heat a large pot of water to a boil on the stove. Add the pasta to the pot and cook according to the package directions. Reserve at least 1 cup of the cooking liquid to make the sauce.

3. In a medium nonstick skillet, heat 1 1/2 tsp. oil over a medium heat. Add the pepperoni and cook until just heated through and slightly crispy, about 5 minutes or so. Remove the pepperoni to a plate. To the skillet, add the red onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add in the spinach and Swiss chard gradually, allowing it to wilt some before adding more.

4. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a food processor, add the head of roasted garlic, the 1 cup reserved cooking liquid, the remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil, and the 1/2 cup ricotta cheese. Puree the mixture until it is smoth and resembles a thin sauce. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

5. Pour the sauce into the wilted greens and allow the mixture to come to a simmer. Turn the heat back and continue to cook at a low simmer until the sauce has thickened some, about 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat and combine the sauce with the pasta and pepperoni (I added everything back into the pasta pot after the pasta had been drained), tossing well to coat the pasta with sauce. Divide into shallow bowls and serve.

CEIMB: Asian Noodle Bowl

This week we had the pleasure of making Ellie's Asian Noodle Bowl for Craving Ellie in My Belly. This was chosen by Margaret of Tea and Scones, and it was the absolute perfect weeknight meal for my family. I'm not sure how this recipe escaped my notice for so long, but I'm sure glad Margaret put it on my radar!

I love the ease and freshness of a stir fry. This is one of the first things I ever learned how to make, and we never seem to tire of them. This one, while similar to others I've made in the past, was different and delicious. I realized, this may be the first stir fry I've ever prepared without garlic! I have to say, we didn't really miss it all that much, but it would have been good in there, too.

The ingredients list included fresh broccoli florets, shiitake mushrooms (my first time using them), red bell pepper, canned baby corn, scallions, chicken, and soba noodles. Once everything is stir-frying away, you pour in some low-sodium soy sauce and chicken broth and let it all absorb. The dish is finished with a bit of sesame oil and a few reserved scallions on top.

I was faithful to this recipe, for the most part. I did add one jalapeno pepper to the ginger and scallions that are added to the skillet at the beginning of the recipe, and I was glad I did. It gave the dish just the right amount of heat. Also, I had just 5 oz. of mushrooms, instead of the 8 oz. that were called for, but I just added in extra broccoli and it all worked out okay. My husband called this dish "extra delightful," which I can only take to mean that this one was a big winner!

Thank you to Margaret for choosing this one; it's simple but so delicious! To view the recipe, you can click here. And to see the CEIMB blogroll, you can click here.

Black Bean Falafel

I thought it would be fun to make falafel again; I believe this is my third time now! Since I've already done the more traditional type of falafel, as well as a creative, fun pea-lafel, I thought this time I'd try a variation with black beans. I found a pretty cool recipe that was pretty much exactly what I was looking for. It worked out so well that I already want to make these again, and I'm eager to share it with you.



It's very, very easy to assemble the falafel. You basically throw all your ingredients in the food processor and blend it up, and then you add the black beans in last so that they are not quite as ground up as everything else. You toss your falafel balls in some cornmeal, which really gives them a nice, crunchy exterior. I thought that was a great touch; it really contrasted well with the softer interior of the falafel. The flavors were great, although I think the recommended 1 jalapeno could have been increased by one or two. I improvised just slightly (the original recipe called for fresh cilantro; I didn't have any, so I used ground coriander and ground fenugreek) but otherwise stayed pretty true to the recipe. I think it's a great "starter" falafel, because it lends itself to so many different uses. These would be equally delicious in a pita pocket, or tossed with salsa and served in a Mexican salad. I think I'm turning into a falafel-holic!

Black Bean Falafel
adapted from Everything's Eventful
makes 12 patties

Ingredients
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
4 scallions, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
1/2 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground fenugreek
1 egg
1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed, seeded, and coarsely chopped (I think I could have used 2)
2 Tbsp. plus 1/2 cup cornmeal, divided
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions
1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the garbanzo beans, scallions, garlic, cumin, coriander, fenugreek, the egg, jalapeno, 2 Tbsp. of cornmeal, and salt and pepper. Process the mixture until nearly smooth, then add the black beans. Pulse the mixture until the black beans are chopped pretty fine, but not completely blended in. You want it to be slightly chunky.

2. Pour the remaining 1/2 cup cornmeal into a shallow bowl. Using a scoop or your hands, form falafel balls by using 1/3 cup of the mixture at a time. Slightly flatten the balls, and then roll each in the cornmeal, gently shaking off any excess. Transfer the balls to a plate as you go. You should be able to get 12 balls.

3. Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat it to medium heat (you can also bake these, or use a bit of canola oil to shallow-fry the balls). Working in batches, add three or four falafel balls at a time to the skillet. Fry for about 3-4 minutes per side, until nice and brown on both sides. Remove the balls from the skillet and serve. Some serving suggestions: over a bed of spinach, stuffed in a pita pocket with some hummus, cucumber, and sprouts, or inside an English muffin.