I have a confession. I’m probably not going to watch the Super Bowl. Sure, I had fantasies of having friends over for a big American Super Bowl party with lots of delicious food. But the game starts at 11:30pm. On a Sunday. When I have to work the next day. Also, I don’t care about either team – and usually that’s no problem – because of the commercials. But I won’t even get to see the commercials! And also, I like sleep, so I’ll probably do my usual and be in bed by 10:00pm.

But, my friend Rachel asked for a chili recipe and I thought, “oooo, sounds good.” So I decided I can still eat yummy Super Bowl foods without watching the game. And chili is so lovely this time of year when it’s cold and dreary outside. Also, I’ve never made chili before and it felt like it’s one of those things I should try out. I couldn’t find any Fritos, although I didn’t look too hard, so it might not be the most authentic American chili. Or as my friend Charlotte said, “chili without Fritos is just kind of pointless.” But, maybe Fritos are pointless. Do you ever eat them with anything besides chili? I don’t. I’m starting to get off topic. Let’s get back to chili. 

I decided to  forget the Fritos, and step my chili up to the next level by putting it in a bread bowl. Obviously, bread bowls are awesome. Unless you’re gluten in tolerant, and then I guess maybe not awesome. But I love bread bowls. It feels so decadent to have so much bread. It also reminds me of Panera, which I know isn’t fancy, but I still kind of love it. Chili is also great in a bread bowl because if you rip the bread too much the chili doesn’t flow all that fast, and so won’t get everywhere. To me, this was a perfect stick-to-your-ribs, cold-winter-night, eating-in-front-of-the-television-underneath-a-blanket sort of food. And there’s totally a market for that kind of meal right?

I also made tiny bread bowls and gigantic bread bowls, which was fun and sort of hilarious. It looks like mama and baby bread bowls. But, if you were ever having a party you could also make small individual bread bowls and use that as a way to serve chili or soup. Also the bread bowl is really easy to make, but somehow feels really fancy. Cut off the top, about 2 inches down. Set the top aside. Scoop out the middle of the bread leaving an edge about 3/4″ thick. You can scoop it out with a spoon, your hands, or get things started with a knife and then some combination of those utensils. Just don’t make the edges of the bread too thin. Eat the bread insides or let them get dried out and turn them into homemade bread crumbs.

And while we’re talking recipes and methods, I want to say, don’t take the recipe too seriously. Taste as you go and adjust as you like. The way I’ve made it, there’s a little bit of a lip-tingling heat, but it’s not too spicy. I’ve also added a bit of barbecue sauce to counteract the spice and add just a tang of sweetness. You want more sweetness, and more barbecue sauce. More spice? Add more chilies or chili powder. You can also add beer, salt, different beans, combinations of beans. The world is your oyster, do what you like.

Final thought: if you are watching the Super Bowl this weekend, I want to know about the commercials. I can find out the score from Google, but I can’t gossip about the best commercials without you. So, please be a dear, and come back to the blog and post below your favorite commercials. Link to a YouTube video if you like. I wanna know what was hilarious, or awkward, or smart. I also want to know how often Budweiser brought out the Clydesdales, because you can always count on that commercial. I’ll be sure to give a shout out to everyone who shares a commercial with me. Thanks!

This recipe was inspired by the Pioneer Woman Cooks’ Frito Chili Pie.

Messy level: So easy and clean! Everything is in one pot and you basically just heat it and let it simmer. And you can let it simmer for however long you want. Couldn’t be more hassle free.

Chili in a Bread Bowl

 

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Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ cup barbecue sauce
• 2 14-15oz can of diced tomatoes
• 2 green chilies, minced
• 2 14oz cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• grated cheddar cheese, optional for toppings
• 1 red onion, minced, optional for toppings
• a roll of bread for each person you're serving

Instructions

1. In a large pot, over medium high heat, saute the onion and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the onion starts to get soft and translucent.
2. Add the ground beef to the pot and cook until browned.
3. Add the diced oregano, cumin, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, barbecue sauce, diced tomatoes, and green chilies. Mix well, then cover and lower the heat. Let it all simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Now add the beans. Stir to combine. Let it simmer again for at least 30 minutes - or until you're happy with it and are ready to eat.
5. While the chili is simmering, prepare your bread bowl. Cut horizontally across the bread roll, about 2 inches down. This is your lid.
6. Then using a spoon, a knife, or your fingers, carve out the middle of the bread. Be sure to leave an edge of about ¾ inch so that you don't have any seepage.
7. When the chili is done, spoon it into the bread bowl. Top with cheddar cheese and raw onion, if using.
8. Serve and watch everyone be satisfied and happy.

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When I made Greek salad, I told you that I’ve finally decided to use Twitter. I’ve been skeptical about using Twitter, but then I saw someone tweeted about starting a Cookbook Club and I thought, “what a good idea, I guess Twitter is useful.”

The method behind a cookbook club is that the group picks a book and throughout the month, or two, or whatever the time period is, the group cooks a few things from the book. Then on the meeting day everyone in the club has a potluck and brings a dish using a recipe from the book. I think this is awesome because it would force me to cook a few things from the book and it would also allow me to try other dishes without having to do the work. Sounds like perfection. Also, when I’ve done normal book clubs, we never talk about the book anyway.

The most recent addition to my cookbook collection, and the one I’m itching to cook through is the Thug Kitchen: The Official Cookbook. It was given to me as a Christmas present by my wonderful friend Charlotte. She is the kind of amazing and thoughtful friend who sends me flowers on my birthday and also when I’m having nervous breakdowns about being an adult. She sends me care packages with American candies and tiny models of ramen noodles. And I in turn, I send her boxes with no card inside and I buy British sweets and leave them in the bottom of my closet and forget to mail them. Anyway, when I got this book I was so excited and sent Charlotte this crazy picture.

This book is awesome. I’ve literally snuggled up in bed and poured through the book as my bed time reading. The writing is funny and they don’t take themselves too seriously. The recipes tell you when you can make substitutions, when to be precise, and when you can be a little messy. All the recipes are healthy and vegetarian – but they never come off snobby for being healthy or too much like hippies for adding chia seeds or tofu. The authors are really encouraging that anyone can eat healthy, they recognize when they’re asking you to use “scary” ingredients, and the recipes are so full of flavor you won’t miss meat.

Seriously. For example, today’s soup packs a real kick. It has a tomato based and chickpeas to cool it down, but there’s a kick of garlic, chili powder, and jalapenos. It’s a nice soup on to warm you up on a cold winter day. It would be even better for when you’re sick because it would clear your sinuses right out. You can definitely turn down the spice if you prefer, but as written – it’s really spicy. All in all, it’s packed with veggies and you won’t need unusual ingredients. Pair it with a corn tortilla on the side, and you’ve got a meal with some zip.

Messy level: This recipe is a hard one to rate. You’ll need one big soup pot, a knife, and a cutting board. If you have an immersion blender this is a lot easier, and cleaner. If you don’t, you’ll have to use a blender which takes more time and there might be spills.

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

 

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Author: Thug Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 bell pepper (I used red), chopped
• 1-2 jalapenos, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2½ teaspoons ground cumin
• 2½ teaspoons dried oregano
• 2½ teaspoons chili powder
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 1 14.5 oz (400g) can diced tomatoes
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 5 cups vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 4-8 corn tortillas, cut into 1 inch squares (the more you use, the thicker the soup)
• 1½ cups cooked chickpeas or 1, 14oz/400g can of chickpeas
• chopped cilantro for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, cook the onion in the olive oil. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until the onion is a little bit translucent.
2. Add the carrot and bell pepper to the pot. Cook for another 3 minutes, until everything started to get golden.
3. Add the jalapenos, garlic, cumin, oregano, chili powder, and salt to the pot. Stir for about 30 seconds. Everything will get pretty fragrant now!
4. Add the diced tomatoes and tomato paste to the pot and stir so that everything is well mixed.
5. Pour in the broth and bring everything to a simmer.
6. Once it is simmering, add the lime juice and tortilla squares. Let everything simmer for about 10 minutes to soften the tortillas. Stir occasionally.
7. Remove the soup from the heat. If you have an immersion blender, blend everything until smooth. If you don't, then use a regular blender and blend the soup in batches.
8. Pour some soup in a bowl, spoon some chickpeas in the center of the bowl, and sprinkle cilantro on top if you're using. Serve.

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For Christmas my sister-in-law bought me a box of conversation cards with questions all about food. Some of the questions are a little bit silly like, “has our love of bacon gone too far?” (Yes, bacon is nice, but bacon maple frosting is too far) Some are really fun to think about like, “what would you serve if Julia Child came to diner?” (Probably something Puerto Rican since maybe she wouldn’t have eaten much of that before)

One question I really like is, “what do you eat when you’re alone?” I like this question because the answer encompasses a whole range of foods. When I’m lazy, I like popcorn, a spoonful of Nutella, and cheese and crackers. Sometimes when I’m alone I like to try something really difficult to make because then if it comes out badly, no one else knows. But my favorite thing to eat when I’m on my own is Greek salad. I love Greek salad. It’s crunchy and salty. It’s pretty healthy, but it’s got some indulgences with the olives and cheese. And I just love all the flavors and I eat it whenever I can. When I was in grad school writing my thesis, I’d run down to the deli beneath my apartment and grab a salad on a break. When, it was too loud and crazy at when I worked at Ford’s Theatre, I’d run to Cosi for lunch and get one. And now I always search for it on takeaway menus.

And also, I eat Greek salad when I’m alone because Ryan doesn’t like olives and feta. But sometimes I can’t resist, and I make it for dinner anyway. I wanted to make it a little heartier, so I decided to substitute the greens for bulgur, but still keep all the yummy other vegetables. This was the first time I ever had bulgur and it was so good! It’s small like quinoa, but chewier like rice. Also I like that it’s got an uneven shape.

To be honest, although it’s a straightforward salad recipe, I feel a little nervous sharing this! I have two Greek coworkers who sometimes ready this blog, and I’m changing up a traditional dish. That feels somewhat taboo. But in truth, this recipe is like tabbouleh and regular Greek salad fell in love and had a delicious hybrid child. So it’s like two wonderful Greek recipes in one. This is yummy, a nice side dish, and Ryan even liked it (without the feta and olives).

One last thing before the recipe – I have a tip on cutting cherry tomatoes. Cutting a lot of small circular foods is kind of annoying and time consuming. To speed up the process, take two lids from food storage containers. Put your tomatoes (or grapes or pitted cherries or your circular whatever) between the two container lids. Make sure your knife is sharp, then carefully cut horizontally between the two lids. Then boom, you’ve got lots of tomato halves in one slice. Some might be a little uneven, but for a salad that’s not really important. I really like this trick because I think it makes preparing a salad less tedious and it’s a fun trick. Sorry, I don’t have a trick for cutting tomatoes into quarters.

Unrelated to this post, after three years of having a Twitter account, I’ve decided to finally start using it. For real, I’m going to start tweeting and stuff. Help me get up and running! You can follow me @mariel621. Thanks!

Messy level: Salad is so easy and neat – if you plan it properly. You’ll need a cutting board, knife, and a saucepan for the bulgur. You could use a separate bowl to mix it all together and serve, but if you have a large enough saucepan you can do it in there. I didn’t have a large enough saucepan, then I transferred it to a mixing bowl that was too small, and then I finally got it right and put it in a big enough bowl. Don’t make my mistakes, and it’s a one spoon recipe.

Bulgur Greek Salad

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Serves: 6 large servings

Ingredients

• 1½ cups bulgur
• 3 cups water
• ½ cup cherry tomatoes in quarters
• ½ cup cubed cucumber
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped (or in strips if you prefer)
• ½ red onion, cut into matchsticks
• ⅓ cup pitted kalamata olives
• ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• oregano (optional)

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the bulgur and water. Bring it to boil.
2. Once the water has come to a boil, cover, and lower the heat. Simmer until all the water is absorbed. It should take about 15-20 minutes, but check what the package says.
3. While the bulgur is cooking is cooking chop up all of your vegetables
4. When the bulger is finished, fluff it with a fork and let cool to room temperature (or just slightly warm).
5. Stir the vegetables into the bulgur.
6. Pour the olive oil and balsamic over the bulgur and vegetables. Taste and adjust as you prefer. I like only a little balsamic to give it a nice tang, but not over power the dish.
7. Serve and sprinkle with a little oregano (dried or fresh) for garnish.

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The post Bulgur Greek Salad appeared first on Cooking is Messy.