Slow Cooker Short Ribs

After recently eating grilled beef ribs and wanting more more more and then peeking at Pioneer Woman's blog this last week, I knew I was done for. Not to mention, the grocery store had a special on short ribs, so I think it was a message from the universe saying go for it, Gail, eat some short ribs this week.

Short ribs are hearty, delicious, and perfect for the pre-holidays in the fall.

Because I've spent the past few hours hemming and hawing over which version of short ribs tickles me the most, I've decided to give you all of my versions because they are all sooooo good and soooooo easy. Like, sad easy. Like, you will have a moment of panic when you are finished assembling everything because you'll think that you forgot half the recipe. It just makes these short ribs that much more glorious, in my book.
 

Ingredients:
4 short ribs
2 cups of sauce

Sauces:

• Peanut sauce (Thai style)
• Barbeque sauce
• Enchilada sauce
• Green chile sauce
• White wine + 2 tablespoons each butter/flour
• Red wine + 2 tablespoons each butter/flour
• Cream + beef stock, equal parts

Directions:
Put the ribs in the slow cooker, top with sauce, and cook on high heat for 5 1/2 hours, flipping the ribs and stirring the sauce halfway through.

Enjoy!

What to serve with the ribs:

• Sauteed mushrooms
• Roasted Asparagus with garlic and lemon
• Roasted squash
• Stuffing
• Creamed spinach
• Rice/Quinoa
• Mashed taters
• Green bean casserole

Stuffed Poblanos with Slaw

Here in Victoria, poblanos are a bit like best-meal-of-my-life-why-can't-I-remember-that-restaurants'-name-or-place? moments.. You know they're out there, somewhere, and you've tasted it before and you want more of it... but you can't seem to find it. I have been trying to make stuffed poblanos for my bf's familia since last summer, but each time I peruse the pepper section the poblanos are gone. I was beginning to wonder if they even stocked poblanos until the other day... I know, I know, I should have just titled this "Spoiler Alert" because obviously I found a poblano to stuff and devour, which is exactly what I'm having for dinner tonight.

My sister is a genius and she mentioned that hot sauce (specifically, Chipotle hot sauce) on coleslaw is divine, and it's been my new obsession of late. Tonight I tried something different yet equally simple, I mixed my slaw with salsa, and it was the perfect side to the stuffed pepper. I am not putting an actual recipe for the slaw because it would be exactly what I just described, but with to taste written next to the coleslaw and salsa... not really a recipe.

Anywho, enjoy the poblano!

Serves 1
Ingredients:

• 1 poblano
• 3 large white mushrooms
• 2 green onions
• 1 cup spinach
• 3 tablespoons shredded cheddar
• spices (ground garlic, salt, pepper, cayenne, cumin, etc.)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Cut a circle around the top of the poblano and tug to remove the stem. If there are still seeds and membrane attached inside, use a skinny knife to slice them off, taking care not to puncture the pepper. 
2. Heat a small pan to medium and chop the onions and mushrooms into small pieces. Add to the pan with canola oil and saute the veggies for 3 minutes. Add the spinach and continue cooking until it's wilted.Set the pan aside to cool. 
3. Once the mushroom mix is cooled, spoon it carefully into the poblano (I like to use a little spoon so that I can tamp it down inside!) until it's full to the brim.
4. Wrap the stuffed poblano tightly in foil, and bake on a cookie sheet for 25 minutes. 
5. Open the foil, let the pepper sit for 5 minutes, then serve with the slaw (or Mexican rice, guacamole, beans, squash, or a salad!).

Enjoy!

Tips/Suggestions:
- Poblanos are yummy with any stuffing, so feel free to try out as many variations as you want. Here are some iedas for stuffing combinations:

• Roasted squash, pumpkin seeds, rice, cheese
• Corn, tomatoes, lean ground beef
• Rice, beans, cheese, tomatoes
• Cilantro, garlic, caramelized onions, cheese
• Ground pork, pine nuts, cream cheese, spinach

Liver and Cheese Sandwich

Liver pâté is one of those food items that either makes you squeal in delight, or squirm with, well, no delight. For those who fall under the first category of delight, like me, this is the ultimate sandwich to satisfy your liver cravings. It is simple and delicious. The combination of the cheese, pickles, and liver is perfection! If you haven't tried liver pâté, trust me in saying it's not as scary as it sounds. 




Makes 1 sandwich


Ingredients:

• 2 slices sourdough
• 2 tablespoons liver pâté (I prefer the one with herbs)
• 6 very thin slices of cheddar cheese (about 1 oz. total)
• 2 small dill pickles

Directions:

1. Toast the sourdough if desired. Slice the pickles lengthwise. 
2. Spread on the pâté, 1 tablespoon per slice. Top one slice with pickles  and the other with cheese. Assemble the sandwich (ingredients in, this ain't no croque monsieur), cut in half and serve.

Enjoy!
You can also add things like capers, lemon zest, red onion, hot sauce, spinach, tomatoes, etc. to this sandwich, but I prefer the unadulterated version above!

Easy Salmon Spread

Whenever there is a deal on for smoked salmon fingers at the grocery store, I take advantage just so I can have one thing: this salmon spread. It is amazingly flavorful and if you're like me, you'll be sneaking to the fridge every hour just to try a spoonful. All in the name of taste-testing, of course. Best of all, it's easy, it keeps for 4-5 days (if you can resist it that long), and it's relatively low-cal if you use lite cream cheese!

Ingredients:

• 1 smoked salmon finger (around 120 g)
• 3 green onions
• 4 tablespoons cream cheese
• salt/pepper to taste (plus any other spices you might want!)

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, break up the salmon finger with a spoon (make sure there aren't any tiny bones!). Chop the green onions and add them to the bowl. Add the cream cheese and mix it in until everything is evenly coated. Add the seasonings, mix, then cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors soak into each other. 
2. Serve it however you like: on a slice of sourdough, on top of plain noodles, stuffed into chicken... anything!

Enjoy!

Tip: If you want to use it as a dip, you can add a teeny bit of mayo or plan yogurt to thin it out, bake it at 350 F for 20 minutes and voila!

Lazy Chilaquiles

I have this constant need for Mexican food in my life, and it was quite the shock when I moved to Canada's pacific northwest and discovered that Mexican up here is what Chinatown is to Boulder, Colorado. It doesn't exist.

I love love love all types of Mexican dishes, from microwaved quesadillas to chilaquiles.Last weekend I schlepped my Mexican goodies (courtesy of my sister, who sends care packages filled with green chiles and cumin to keep me sane up here) over to the bf's house and we had a fiesta.
I was originally going to make authentic chilaquiles, where you fry up corn tortillas for fresh chips and you top the dish with poached eggs... but I couldn't bring myself to fry anything in someone's own kitchen, so we threw it in a casserole dish and baked it instead. You can always add the poached eggs on top, but we decided to skip it!

Serves 4-6


Ingredients:

• 1 bag corn tortilla chips
• 1 small can enchilada sauce
• 4 wholegreen chiles, canned
• 1 cup cheese (cheddar, etc.)
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 jar green salsa

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F and grease a medium-large casserole dish.
2. Chop the garlic and green chiles. Add to a large skillet over medium heat. Once you can smell the garlic cooking, add the green salsa and let it cook over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes.
3. Add the chips a few handfuls at a time to the pan and toss to coat with the green sauce, working quickly. Once coated, place them in the prepared casserole dish. You should have roughly three batches of chips to fill a medium-large casserole.
4. Top the coated chips with one layer of fresh chips, then pour the enchilada sauce evenly over the chips. Top with the cheese, and bake for 15-25 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and golden. 
5. Serve with your favorite Mexican sides, such a refried beans, corn, sour cream, salsa, and guacamole.

Enjoy!

Quinoa with Pine Nuts and Spinach

Quinoa is a delicious little grain, packed with protein and wholesome goodness. Healthy food doesn't have to be bland or yucky, it can be delicious and addictive! It's just about how you make it...
Here is my favorite quinoa side dish, with some other tips and suggestions at the end for other ways to spice it up!

Serves 2


Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups packed fresh spinach
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, raw
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Place the pine nuts on a baking sheet and set aside. 
2. Rinse the quinoa then add it with the water to a small pot and bring to a full boil. Cover with a lid, turn the heat to low and let it cook for 15 minutes. 
3. Place the pine nuts in the center of the oven, and toast them for 10 minutes, shaking them halfway through to ensure even toasting. 
4. Meanwhile, chop the spinach and mince the garlic. Saute them in a medium skillet over low heat so that the spinach wilts and the garlic gets fairly translucent. 
5. Once the quinoa is finished cooking, mix it into the spinach and garlic mixture. Add the toasted pine nuts and lemon juice to the quinoa mix, toss to combine, and serve.  Serve with salt and pepper so each person can season to taste.

Enjoy!

Tips and Suggestions:
-You will know that the quinoa is done cooking when the little germ thread detaches from the grain.
-Be sure to rinse your quinoa! It has a natural bitter coating so rinsing it will ensure that your dish does not taste off!
-Quinoa is great topped with salsa, soy sauce, chopped herbs, toasted nuts, pesto, lemon juice, raisins, cream cheese dips, anything! My personal favorite is the recipe posted above because it goes with pretty much any cuisine with a little tweaking in the spice department.
-Quinoa has a bit of crunch to it, so simply seasoning it with your favorite spices can be delicious and easy, too!

Pasta with Prosciutto, Peas and Alfredo

My bf's mom makes prosciutto-wrapped asparagus that is to die for, so on a recent trip to the grocery store I was determined to make some for myself because I was craving it like no other. Seriously, it's one of those foods like corn dogs or peanut m&ms where it cannot be substituted for anything else. I was on a mission. And then the grocery store had no asparagus left! I decided to just throw together a quick pasta because I was starving and the bf texted to say he was starving... I thought I was just going to have a basic meal with some prosciutto mixed in (to get my fix, of course) but I was wrong, oh baby I was sooo wrong! And that is a good thing.

The combination of the intense prosciutto, green peas that pop between your teeth, and Alfredo sauce is divine. And guess what? It's easy as all get out.

Here is the recipe, try not to drool too much when you serve this dish!

Ingredients:
2 servings pasta - shells, rigatoni, etc. (8 oz per person)
2 cups frozen peas
8 slices prosciutto
Alfredo sauce (you can whip it up yourself or use store-bought, your choice!)


Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to instructions, meanwhile let the peas sit at room temperature while you slice up the prosciutto. I like to cut thin strips, about 1 inch long, but whatever size you desire is fine. 
2. Once the pasta is done cooking, pour the pasta into a strainer and put the pot back on the stove over medium heat. Add the prosciutto, then after it has crisped up a bit (2-4 minutes) add the peas and Alfredo sauce. Stir for 2 minutes, then turn the heat to low and add in the pasta. 
3. Mix until each noodle has been coated by the sauce, remove from the heat and serve.

Enjoy!

Suggestions:
Additions such as spinach, sauteed mushrooms, garlic, onion, and even pine nuts are fantastic! This is also great kept for leftovers!
You can use long noodles like spaghetti or angel hair, but small ones that can act as little vessels for the sauce are ideal!