A Carrot Salad to Perk You Up

Tags

carrots, chipotle, cumin, gluten free, raisins, salad, side dish, vegetarian

From now on, let the winter of 2013-14 be known as the “Unending Winter.” It has made me blue and miserable. Oddly enough, it has even put a damper on my desire to cook. I just want to hibernate under the covers with a good book. After a week of my pouting, it is clear Mother Nature just doesn’t care that I am sad. So I will shake the dust snow off of my feet and keep going.

The first recipe in my recovery is bright, flavorful, and easy to construct. I love the contrast of the spice with the sweetness of the carrots and raisins.

Chipotle Carrot Salad

• Servings: 4
• Time: 10 minutes
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp chipotle powder
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tbsp honey
• 8 oz shredded carrots
• Raisins to taste

In a small bowl, combine first six ingredients. Pour over carrots and raisins. Stir to coat. Refrigerate until serving. 

 

Chipotle-Rubbed Flank Steak with Lime Butter

Tags

butter, chipotle, citrus, flank, food, grilled, steak

I love flank steak. It is quick, tasty, and one of the cheaper cuts of steak. My brother endorsed this meal stating “I normally don’t like steak because it doesn’t have much flavor but this sure does!” And the leftovers will be a tasty lunch with the Southwestern Quinoa Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette I also prepared. 

Chipotle-Rubbed Flank Steak with Lime Butter

• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1 small garlic clove, microplaned
• 1/4 tsp finely grated zest
• 1 tbsp fresh juice
• Kosher salt
• 1 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 chipotle pepper with adobo sauce
• 1 (2lb) flank steak

In a small bowl, combine the butter with the garlic, lime zest and juice. Salt to taste.

Finely mince the chipotle pepper. Rub 1/2 of the paprika, cumin, and chipotle pepper into each side of the steak. Grill steak to desired donennes. Slice against the grain. Top your slices with the lime butter. Enjoy!

 

Spicy Chipotle Chicken Burgers (and some Thoughts)

Tags

burger, chicken, chipotle, food, grill, Mexican, summer

I dislike blogs that typically feature food or DIY or any other topic but suddenly veer off into political rambling/dogma. You read my blog because you want to see what recipe I post next. Despite my dislike for our society’s tendency to politicize of nearly everything, I am going to break from my typical food discussion to highlight something I think is important.

Compassion for all.

Not- Agreement with all. Not- I want to do it all. Not- You are right in all your decisions. Not- I support everything you do.

Rather- Regardless of my disagreement of your choices, I will recognize that you are a person with feelings and who has value. I will disagree with your choice in love and kindness, not blasting my opinion into your life (recognizing that most of the time, you didn’t ask for my opinion in the first place).

Please read this recently Freshly Pressed blog post by evoL= You don’t have to support something. Please just don’t be hateful! It hurts real people and it doesn’t help your cause at all.

And now back to your your regularly scheduled programming…. I promise I won’t digress again in the future. 

Spicy Chipotle Chicken Burgers

• 1 pound ground chicken
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, finely chopped (I would probably increase to 2)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Cheese of your choice
• Toppings of choice (avocado, arugula, onion, mayo, etc)

Combine the chicken, onion, cilantro, chile, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Form into 4 patties. Grill on medium heat until the chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear (about 3 to 4 minutes per side). On a bun, top the burger with cheese and your choice of toppings. Enjoy!!!