And here's what I'm serving up this week…

I’ve recently uprooted my life from the south side of Chicago and transplanted it here in beautiful St. Joseph, Michigan. Being the somewhat opinionated foodie, I have lots to write about when it comes to cuisine here. My fellow south side Chicago friends will say that we have the best pizza, hot dogs and Italian Beef sandwiches, which is very close to the truth, but its not what makes Chicago cuisine unique. What makes Chicago cuisine unique is the diversity and cultural influence of its inhabitants. So with that being said, I hope to uncover some great cuisine here in St. Joe, because this town is more of a melting pot that I thought!

*Warning:
With any dish that has any level of heat, just remember that you can always add heat, but you can’t take it away. Use peppers conservatively in the beginning.

2 (32 ounce) boxes low sodium chicken broth
1 -2 tablespoon Knorr “Caldo de Tomate” (by the bouillon cubes)
1 regular sized can fire roasted diced tomatoes, lightly pulse in food processor
1 regular sized can hominy, rinsed
1 regular sized can black beans, rinsed
1- 2 tablespoons diced chipolte peppers in adobe sauce
4 gloves garlic, minced
½ cup onion
1 medium Idaho potato, cut into bite sized pieces
2-3 tablespoons tomato paste
Juice of ½ lime
1-2 cups cooked shredded chicken (optional)
Cilantro, as a garnish (optional)
Sour cream (optional)
Broken up Tortilla Chips

Heat up chicken broth with Caldo de Tomate. Add in onions and garlic once boiling, add in chipolte peppers (more can be added if you are looking for a spicier soup). Add in tomatoes and hominy and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Then add beans, potato and lime juice and season with more Caldo de Tomate if needed. Let simmer for an additional 20 to 30 minutes. The beans will start to split and the potatoes will start to fall apart. Add in tomato paste, turn off heat, let sit for 10 minutes and garnish with the above options.

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
8-12 ounces sweet Italian sausage cut into bit sized coins
½ cup diced (1/2-inch) eggplant
½ cup diced (1/2-inch) zucchini
½ cup diced (1/2-inch) red bell pepper
¼ cup chopped onion
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cans (28 ounces) Italian plum tomatoes, petite dice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or 1 tablespoon dried
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
Cayenne or black pepper, if you like heat
½ cup grated mozzarella cheese
¼ cup Parmesan cheese

1. Melt the butter with the oil in a nonstick pan over medium-low heat. Add the sausage meat and warm for 5 minutes, reserve in a separate dish, leaving fat in pan.

2. To the same pot, add the eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper, onion and garlic. Stirring occasionally, cook until softened, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the reserved sausage, the tomatoes, parsley, basil and cayenne. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

3. Spoon the mixture into an 8×9-inch, oven-to-table baking dish to fit and sprinkle with the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Bake in a 350°F preheated oven until the cheese melts, about 15 to 20 minutes.

I came across this classic dish while reading a magazine. It’s so simple, but so delicious. Try it out tonight. The key here is quality ingredients. So please, NO CHEESE OUT OF A GREEN CAN.

3/4 pound linguine
1 cup grated pecorino cheese
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons coarsely ground smoked or regular peppercorns
Salt

In a pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain, reserving 2/3 cup of the cooking water; return the pasta to the pot. Add the cheese, butter, pepper and cooking water and toss. Season with salt and serve.

Recipe is courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine, June 2009.

Try these out this Labor Day. It may be the last time you fire up the grill for the season. Though we haven’t had much heat this summer, this recipe will heat up your senses!

The three-cheese filling is a nice complement for the spicy peppers. You can also use a milder Chile, such as a cherry pepper. Shredded cheddar cheese can take the place of Parmesan, if you like.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (4 ounces) soft goat cheese
1/2 cup (4 ounces) fat-free cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped seeded tomato
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
16 jalapeño peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded (about 1 1/2 pounds)
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation:

1. Prepare grill to medium-high heat.

2. Combine first 7 ingredients in a bowl, stirring well. Spoon about 2 teaspoons cheese mixture into each pepper half. Place pepper halves, cheese side up, on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill peppers 5 minutes or until bottoms of peppers are charred and cheese mixture is lightly browned. Carefully place peppers on a serving platter. Sprinkle with cilantro.

Yield
16 servings (serving size: 2 pepper halves)

Nutritional Information
Calories: 84 Fat: 4.8g (sat 3.1g, mono 1.2g, poly 0.2g) Protein: 7.1g Carbohydrate: 3.5g
Fiber: 0.9g Cholesterol: 11mg Iron: 0.6mg Sodium: 334mg Calcium: 117mg

Jill Hough, Cooking Light, JUNE 2009

This is another recipe courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine June 2009.

This dish features a Vietnamese-style sauce known as “nuoc cham” [noo-ahk CHAHM] that traditionally includes fish sauce, lime juice, chiles, and sugar. Your avocados should be ripe but still slightly firm so they’ll slice easily and not break apart as they grill. Leaving the skin on helps them maintain their shape-remove skin before serving, if you like.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
6 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 3 limes)
2 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon finely grated carrot
1 tablespoon thinly sliced Serrano Chile (about 1 Chile)
36 large shrimp (about 2 pounds)
Cooking spray
2 ripe unpeeled avocados, halved
2 peeled mangoes, each cut into 6 wedges
12 lime wedges
6 large Bibb lettuce leaves
Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Preparation:

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Reserve 3/4 cup juice mixture. Stir carrot and Chile into remaining 1/2 cup juice mixture, and set aside.
2. Peel shrimp, leaving tails intact. Starting at tail end, butterfly each shrimp, cutting to, but not through, backside of shrimp. Combine reserved 3/4 cup juice mixture and shrimp in a large bowl, tossing to coat; cover and marinate in refrigerator 1 hour, tossing occasionally. Remove shrimp from bowl, reserving marinade.
3. Prepare grill for medium-high heat.
4. Place reserved marinade in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Cool slightly.
5. Thread 3 shrimp onto each of 12 (10-inch) skewers. Place shrimp on a grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill shrimp 2 1/2 minutes on each side or until done, basting frequently with cooked marinade.
6. Cut 3 avocado halves in half lengthwise; peel and dice remaining avocado half. Brush cooked marinade over mango and avocado wedges; coat with cooking spray. Arrange in a single layer on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Coat lime wedges with cooking spray; place on grill rack. Grill fruit 2 minutes on each side or until marked but not soft, basting frequently with marinade.
7. Place 1 lettuce leaf on each of 6 salad plates; top each leaf with 2 mango slices, 2 lime wedges, and 1 avocado wedge. Place 2 skewers on each plate; sprinkle evenly with diced avocado. Sprinkle with cilantro, if desired. Serve with carrot mixture.

Yield
6 servings

Nutritional Information
Calories: 324 Fat: 11.8g (sat 1.8g, mono 6.1g, poly 2.1g) Protein: 33.1g Carbohydrate: 23.7g Fiber: 5.9g Cholesterol: 230mg Iron: 4.5mg Sodium: 811mg Calcium: 109mg

Bill and Cheryl Jamison, Cooking Light, JUNE 2009

This recipe below is courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine June 2009.

The vitamin C from lemon juice aids iron absorption. Round out the meal with grilled chicken, lemony hummus, and toasted 100 percent whole-wheat pita wedges. Substitute fresh shelled fava beans for edamame, if you like. Fava beans also supply protein, fiber, and B vitamins.

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked bulgur
1 cup boiling water
1 cup frozen shelled edamame (green soybeans)
1 pound yellow and red cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:
1. Combine bulgur and 1 cup boiling water in a large bowl. Cover and let stand 1 hour or until bulgur is tender.

2. Cook edamame in boiling water 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain. Add edamame, tomatoes, and remaining ingredients to bulgur; toss well. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 208 Fat: 10.5g (sat 1.3g,mono 6.7g,poly 1.2g) Protein: 6.3g Carbohydrate: 25.4g Fiber: 7.1g Cholesterol: 0.0mg Iron: 2.2mg Sodium: 332mg
Calcium: 59mg

Yield
6 servings (serving size: 1 1/4 cups)

2 tablespoons Flour
3 tablespoons Sugar
2 tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa
1 large egg
2 tablespoons Milk
2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
2 tablespoons Chocolate Chips
Small splash of Vanilla Extract

Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips and vanilla extract and mix again. Put the mug in the microwave and cook on high for 2 minutes. The cake may rise over the top of the mug, but don’t be alarmed!  Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.

A friend of mine has passed this recipe along to me.  It sounds absolutely wonderful…enjoy!

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 Lg white onions-sliced thin
1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless Chicken breast-diced
1 Lg carrot finely shreadded
4 Lg cloves garlic-minced
1 jalapeno pepper-with seeds-minced
2 tsp. minced fresh thyme or oregano or 1tsp dried
8 cups fat-free natural ckn broth
1 can (15oz) Black beans-drained and rinsed
6 cups (packed) fresh baby spinach
1 Lg Tomato-finely diced
salt & pepper to taste
grated parmesan cheese
lemon wedges

Heat oil in large stockpot over med. heat. Add onions, stirring occasionally for 10min.
Add chicken, stir occasionally until chicken is cooked through and onions are lightly browned.
Add carrot,garlic,jalapeno and thyme/oregano and cook another 2 min.
Stir in chicken broth and increase to high heat, bring to boil.
Add beans, spinach, bring back to boil and then turn off heat.
Add salt/pepper to taste.
Sprinkle each bowl/serving w/1Tbsp. parmesan cheese and enjoy w/squirt of lemon!

This is another one of my favorite soup recipes. I saw Giada De Laurentiis (Food Network) make this a few years ago and knew that it would be awesome. So I made it for my parents and it was a huge success. I tried variations of this recipe as well, but none of them were as good as this recipe. Follow this recipe exactly, down to the endive or escarole and I promise you will not be disappointed. This soup with warm your soul!

1 small onion, grated
1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 large egg
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 slice fresh white bread, crust trimmed, bread torn into small pieces
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
8 ounces ground beef
8 ounces ground pork
Freshly ground black pepper
Soup:
12 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 pound curly endive, coarsely chopped (1 pound of escarole would be a good substitution)
2 large eggs
2 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
To make the meatballs: Stir the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the cheese, beef and pork. Using 1 1/2 teaspoons for each, shape the meat mixture into 1-inch-diameter meatballs. Place on a baking sheet.

To make the soup: Bring the broth to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and curly endive and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through and the curly endive is tender, about 8 minutes. Whisk the eggs and cheese in a medium bowl to blend. Stir the soup in a circular motion. Gradually drizzle the egg mixture into the moving broth, stirring gently with a fork to form thin stands of egg, about 1 minute. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle the soup into bowls and serve. Finish soup with parmesan cheese if desired.