peppers Archives | Stills and Spills

Shredded Pork Tacos with Pineapple Slaw

October 3, 2015
Allison
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Recipe
coconut rice, peppers, pineapplea, pork, rice, tacos, vocado

It has been a nutty past couple of weeks. I went back East for 10 days and travelled around four different states seeing friends and family. It was great to see everyone, but also quite exhausting. As soon as I got back to California, I went to Dreamforce. It’s a Salesforce conference in San Francisco that completely takes over the city. It’s a four day whirlwind of intensive training sessions, inspiring keynote speakers, Salesforce cheerleading, and concerts.

Needless to say, there hasn’t been much time for cooking. The next few posts are recipes I made before all of that running around. Looking through the pictures makes me want to eat this food all over again. When I made this recipe I was really craving tacos and this really hit the spot. I can’t believe how fantastic these came out. Jason said it’s one of the best tacos he’s ever had and I definitely agree. I also want to make this coconut rice with every meal because it is so flavorful and moist. Thank you Half Baked Harvest for this perfect taco recipe!

Shredded Pork Tacos with Pineapple Slaw and Coconut Rice

Shredded Pork
3 lb. pork shoulder, bone in
2 1/2 cups pineapple juice
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup soy sauce
2/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2-3 Tablespoons hot pepper and garlic paste
Corn or flour tortillas
Sharp cheddar cheese
Avocado

Pineapple Slaw
3 Tablespoons greek yogurt
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
2 Tablespoons pineapple juice
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon orange zest
Salt and pepper
2 cups shredded cabbage
1/3 cup green onions, chopped
1 cup fresh pineapple, diced
1 jalapeno, seeded + chopped

Coconut Rice
1 cup jasmine rice
1 cup light, canned coconut milk
3/4 cup coconut water
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons unsweetened flaked coconut
1 Tablespoon coconut oil

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Combine pineapple juice, ginger, garlic, brown sugar, soy sauce, ketchup, hot pepper paste and rice vinegar in 4-cup measuring cup. Whisk to combine.

3. Heat olive oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the pork all over with salt and pepper. Sear pork on all sides until golden (about 2 minutes per side).

4. Remove the whole pot from the heat and slowly pour in half of the marinade. Place a lid on the pot and place in the preheated oven. Roast the pork for 3-4 hours or until the pork is falling off the bone and shreds easily.

5. Shred the pork and add the remaining marinade to taste (I used about 3/4 of the remaining liquid). Heat on the stove until warm throughout.

6. In a medium size pot, combine the coconut milk and coconut water. Bring to a low boil and then mix in the rice, salt, unsweetened coconut and coconut oil. Turn the heat down to the lowest setting possible and cook for 10 minutes.

7. Remove rice from heat and let sit, covered, for 20 minutes. Then remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.

8. To make the slaw, combine the greek yogurt, rice vinegar, pineapple juice, brown sugar, orange zest, salt and pepper. Add the cabbage, green onions, cilantro, pineapple and jalapeño. Toss well.

9. To assemble the fajitas, sprinkle a tortilla with cheese, add some rice, the pork and then the pineapple slaw. Sprinkle on the diced avocados.

Vegas Recap + Chicken with Polenta

July 20, 2015
Allison
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Adventure, Recipe
chicken, chili, conor mcgregor, dinner, onions, peppers, polenta, ufc, vegas

Our Vegas trip last weekend was outrageous. It was a once in a lifetime chance to see such a historic UFC card and even better to have seen it with our friends Deana and Jimmy from NJ. I couldn’t have imagined a more flawless outcome. We went to the Fan Expo, Old Vegas, the Weigh Ins, and of course, the fights. On top of all that, all of the fighters we wanted to win, won!

UFC Fan Expo

The Weigh Ins Crowd

Sitting in front of the FOX Table at the Weigh Ins

Old Vegas

UFC 189 — “It’s Time”

Conor McGregor — Interim Featherweight Champion!

July has been unbelievably busy and exciting so far, which has in turn, limited my cooking time. I missed it a lot so it was nice to get in some kitchen time this weekend.

Chicken, Peppers, and Onions with Polenta
Olive oil
4 chicken thighs
Salt and pepper
1 yellow onion, cut in half and sliced
1 yellow pepper
1 orange pepper
1 red pepper
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup water
1 cup polenta
2 cups milk
2 cups water
2 Tablespoons of butter
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon parsley, chopped

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat a dash of olive oil in a heavy bottomed skillet. Brown chicken thighs on both sides then set aside on a plate.

2. In same skillet, sauté the peppers and onions for about six minutes until they’re almost caramelized then add garlic and cook down. Add the chicken back to the skillet with skin side up and heat for about five minutes.

3. Add chicken broth and a cup of water to the skillet and bring to a boil. Cover and cook for 10 minutes then uncover and cook for another 10 minutes until the liquid is reduced in half.

4. While the chicken is braising, make the polenta. Bring 2 cups of milk and 2 cups of water to a boil then slowly whisk in the corn meal. Bring back to a boil and continue to whisk. Once the meal starts to thicken, add the butter and reduce heat to low. Stir frequently and add a dash more milk if the polenta starts to harden too much. The polenta should take about 15 minutes to become tender. Add parmesan cheese right before serving.

… Also, Jason was craving chili and we needed to use leftover ground beef.

Quick Dutch Oven Chili
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground beef
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 Tablespoon cumin
1 Tablespoon oregano
3 Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
1 6-ounce can of tomato paste
1 6-ounces of hard cider
1 28-ounce can of whole tomatoes, crushed by hand
1 15-ounce can cannelloni beans
1 15-ounce can kidney beans
1 6-ounce can of green chilis

1. Saute onions, peppers and garlic together. Add beef. Stir in everything else except beans and bring to boil. Add beans and let simmer for 2 hours. Serve with sour cream and cheese.

Beet Salad and Chicken Fajitas

April 16, 2015
Allison
No comments
Recipe
beets, black beans, chicken, corn on the cob, dinner, fajitas, gorgonzola, hot sauce, onions, peppers, prep, recipe, salad, sour cream, walnuts

Food Prep Sundays yielded great results this week. This is what everything looked like after prepping: carrots/celery, cheese cubes, veggie frittatas, hardboiled eggs, tangos, sweet potatoes, chicken, broccoli, peppers and onions, beets, and black beans with garlic and chili.

Tuesday night dinner was chicken and beet salad with gorgonzola and walnuts. Pre-cooking the beets on the weekend was such a time saver. It’s not ideal to come home from a long day of work and have to wait on beets cooking in the oven for almost an hour before you can eat dinner. Just had to heat everything up, cook the chicken, and devour.

Chicken and Beet Salads
4 beets, medium sized
2 chicken breasts
6 cups mixed greens
1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese
1/4 cup chopped red onions
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

1. Skin beets, chop off tops and bottoms and wrap in tin foil. Cook in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes.
2. Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, paprika, thyme. Place them in a greased baking dish and cover with tinfoil. Cook for 30 minutes, untouched.
3. Place mixed greens in a bowl and top with chicken, quartered beets, cheese, onions, and walnuts.

Wednesday night dinner was chicken fajitas with corn on the cob. I used the pre-chopped veggies from Sunday and cooked them Tuesday night while we were eating our salads. Again, great time saver so that when we’re both ravenously hungry when we get home from work dinner isn’t that far away. Just had to heat everything up, cook the corn, and assemble!

Chicken Fajitas
2 chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
2 Tablespoons canola oil
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper

1 red pepper, julienned
1 green pepper, julienned
1 onion, 1/4 inch thick rounds
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Salt and pepper

1 can black beans
3 garlic cloves
1 Tablespoon choice hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Lime juice

Hot sauce
Sour Cream
Corn tortillas
Corn on the cob

1. Combine canola oil, lemon juice, salt, oregano, cumin, chili powder, paprika, pepper flakes, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Place cut chicken in a resealable bag and pour in marinade. Let sit overnight.
2. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap each corn on the cob in tin foil, with a dash of olive oil inside. Place on a cooking sheet and cook for 30 minutes.
3. Place can of beans in a saucepan and heat with sliced garlic and spices. Add a dash of hot sauce for more heat if desired.
4. Heat a large skillet with 1 Tablespoon of oil, on medium high heat, cook peppers and onions until they begin to soften. Sprinkle cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper and continue heating until slightly charred and cooked through.

5. Heat oil in another skillet and cook chicken until done, should only be approximately 5-6 minutes.

5. Place corn tortillas on the cooking sheet with the corn on the cob. Heat for a couple minutes on each side. Plate with the fajitas with peppers, beans, chicken, and top with sour cream and hot sauce!

Slow Cooker Chili

April 4, 2015
Allison
One Comment
Recipe
beans, beef, dinner, ground beef, peppers, scallion pancakes, slow cooker, slow cooker chili, tortilla chips

This recipe was Jason’s meaty chili from dinner last weekend. He absolutely loved it and my favorite part of it was how easy it was to make. I used vegetables and beef we got at the weekly farmers market in Jack London Square in Oakland. That market is on the smaller side, but they had all the fresh produce we needed and the ground beef came from Casa Rosa Farms.

Slow Cooker Chili
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 lbs ground beef
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
3-4 stalks celery, diced
1 can (15-ounce) red kidney beans
1 can (15-ounce) cannelloni beans
1 (24-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (10-ounce) can of tomato puree
1 (4-ounce) can of chopped green chiles
2 chipotle chilis in adobo sauce, plus Tablespoon of sauce
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon parlsey
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Shredded cheese, tortilla chips, scallion pancakes, and sour cream

1. Place beef, onion, and garlic in a skillet over medium heat and cook until brown. Drain half of the grease.

2. Put beef on the bottom of the slow cooker and top with peppers, celery, beans, diced tomatoes, tomato puree, chiles, chipotle chilis, and spices. Mix until combined.

3. Cover and cook on HIGH for four hours.

Tag - peppers