Simple Summer Comfort Food

Today there is a heat wave moving through the Southwest.  Even here at 7000 feet in elevation, it is warm at 90 degrees F.    I am thankful for the cool adobe walls of our home that require no air conditioning to keep us enjoying a comfortable 72 degrees F. indoors.  Salads and sandwich spreads have kept us fed for the past several days, but today I wanted something hot and nourishing.  I also did not want to heat up the kitchen!    

My answer is this super quick, convenient, and easy recipe, which also passed the Hungry Husband Happiness Test.


Here are the ingredients to gather:

Olive Oil

Add one large yellow squash and onion

Onion
Paprika
1 can Hominy
1 large yellow squash
1 ham steak

Makes four servings

In medium fry pan, heat 1 T olive oil; add 1/4 C diced onion (I used red onion)

Stir until onion is translucent, add 1 to 2 T of paprika and heat through for 30 seconds, stirring constantly

Add entire contents of one can of yellow or white hominy, stir, cover, keep heat at low simmer

Wash and slice one large yellow squash; I halved then quartered the squash for bite sized bits

Add squash to pan and cover, keep heat on low simmer

Cube Ham steak (easy to do when frozen) and fold into all other ingredients in pan.

Cover and let simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Serve in bowls,  with a side of toasted bread and chilled white wine.  

Kelly Ann Richard, June 17, 2017

What to do with Too Many Corn Tortillas

I like corn tortillas.  One of the many drawbacks of shopping Grocery stores is that while there is an abundance of food, one must buy, in abundance.  Two dozen tortillas to a package.

Since Corn Tortillas don't freeze well, i.e. they get crumbly and tear easily, they are best eaten fresh.

Two dozen is too many for the two of us to eat before five or more get tossed to the compost pile.   Good for the pigs, but not good for the food budget!

I also like pizza.  My sister recently posted a picture of a Chicago style pizza made somewhere near Lock and Dam 13.

Beautiful, and inspiring, mouth-watering deliciousness.

If I were to attempt one slice of that delicious appearing pizza, I would predictably be out of order for awhile.

But, what if I made use of the corn tortillas and the toppings that are on my safe to eat list?  

My mouth started watering as I thought of all of the foods and flavors that could possibly satisfy the craving brought on by that Chicago Style Pizza Picture.  

These are the ingredients that I used for the first effort and this is worth doing.  Again.
Paul's review:  Ooooh!  That's tasty!

Corn Tortillas (I used four or five per 'pizza')
Herdez Salsa Verde
Pork Roast
Tomato Paste
Hatch Green Chilies
Cumin
Smoked Chipotle Chile Powder (no garlic)
One onion
Shredded Goat Cheese (Trader Joes Sharp Goat Cheddar)
Black Olives
Corn

I used shredded pork.  I imagine Hamburger or chicken will work too.

Roast Pork is easy to prepare when cooked in the crock pot, shredded, then frozen.
It comes in handy for many last minute meals.

Put the shredded pork, about two cups, in a small saucepan.  Add one cube tomato paste (I freeze my tomato paste and hatch green chilies in ice cube trays then bag them for later use one cube at a time) and three cubes of hatch green chilies.

Add 1/2 tsp Cumin and 1 T Smoked Chipotle Chile Powder to the top and put the lid on.
Set to low heat for about 15 minutes then stir and take off the lid.
Cook until bubbly and juices are low, stir occasionally.  You want moist, a bit juicy, not dry.

Thinly slice one onion.  Heat a fry pan to medium and add oil of your choice (we use bacon drippings).  Saute the onion until it begins to caramelize.  Add 1/2 can of drained sweet corn and heat through.

Shred the block of cheese.

In an oven safe skillet, spread 2 or 3 T of Herdez Salsa
Place one corn tortilla over salsa, move it around to evenly coat bottom side of tortilla
Evenly layer some of pork mixture on top of corn tortilla - not too thick
Add a layer of corn onion mixture - not too thick
sprinkle with sliced black olives - a few here and a few there
add layer of shredded cheese - thick as you like, as it melts!
Add 2 or 3 T Herdez Salsa spooned across the cheese
Cover with corn tortilla and press gently to even out the 'pie'

Repeat process two or three more times or until pie reaches top of skillet
Last tortilla will have only salsa and grated cheese for topping

Cover with foil and bake in 350 oven for 35 - 40 minutes
Remove foil and broil until cheese on top is brown and bubbly

I assembled two pies and put one in the oven and the other in the refrigerator.

We ate one for dinner and had the next one for lunch the next day with a cold gluten free beer.

Things I would try:  Black beans with the corn;  mushrooms instead of corn; Paul can't eat bell peppers but I think they would be good to try too.

We ate this too fast for me to take any pictures....

Attempting Cinnamon Rolls -

Yesterday I tried a recipe for cinnamon rolls that I found online.

Naturally the original recipe called for eggs and butter, two ingredients that cause me digestive distress, so I used substitutes.

The rolls turned out 'okay'.  That means we ate them, and had a second one. We critiqued this first batch as we nibbled, and thought up possibilities for improving the next batch.

This photo shows one cinnamon roll, halved.

First Attempt Recipe ~ with notes on what I will try Next Time

Wet ingredients:

2T Coconut Oil - either cut in half or eliminate altogether, or use Ghee/Earth Balance soy free margarine
1 T Chia mixed with 1 T goat milk yogurt and 2 T oat milk - set aside for 15 minutes to congeal (grind the 1T of Chia in a spice or coffee grinder before adding to wet ingredients to reduce seed stuck in teeth syndrome)
1T honey (light clover honey)
2 tsp vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients:  Blend first, then fold into wet ingredients, dough will be stiff

1 1/2 C Almond Flour
2 T coconut flour (try GF AP Flour?)
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt

Take two long sheets of wax paper and place one flat on the counter.
Put dough into center of wax paper and put second sheet of wax paper on top.
Roll the dough evenly between the wax paper until you have a nice rectangular shape between the two sheets.
Remove top sheet of wax paper and spread the filling from the center out toward the edges, or evenly distribute in loose crumbles
Gently roll the wax paper to lift and move the dough forward to form a swiss or jelly roll
Wrap waxed paper filled roll in a kitchen towel and freeze overnight if possible, or 20 minutes until firm if baking the same day

Filling mixed in food chopper/processor

4 dates pitted
1/4 Cup dark rum soaked dark raisins (soak raisins days ahead of time for best results, or quick soak by pouring boiling water over raisins, then let set in water for 10 minutes and drain)
1/2 Cup toasted pine nuts
1 T roasted cinnamon
dash of salt

Spread evenly onto rolled dough and freeze

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 325

Slice log into 9 or ten rolls, reshape as needed.



Glaze:

2T coconut oil - use soft soy free Earth balance instead, or eliminate and use more ghee
3T Ghee
2 tsp vanilla extract (use clear vanilla if you don't want tan colored frosting)
1 cup sifted confectioners sugar

This made MORE than enough glaze, so I was generous spreading the glaze over the rolls.  Halving this would be sensible for the waistline in the long run.

This made nine cinnamon rolls.

What I would do differently:

Use less oil or no coconut oil or substitute Earth Balance soy free margarine.  The rolls seemed too oily and crumbly.

Try the addition of some xanthan gum, maybe 1/4 tsp blended with the almond flour before mixing in wet ingredients.  Hoping for more cohesive final product.

Freeze the roll a bit longer, and try cutting the rolls with dental floss instead of a knife which tended to flatten the rolls

Cut a slightly narrower roll.  I like even numbers when the rolls come out of the oven.  Of course I could always eat one....

Sprinkle cinnamon on the dough instead of incorporating it into the date/raisin/pine nut mixture in the food processor

Try with just raisins, and try agave or maple syrup in place of the honey.

I'm always happy when the attempt is edible.  I'm even happier when Paul enjoys the food with me.

These cinnamon rolls could become a go to travel food, baked ahead of time and packed ready to eat. The dough can be frozen and then baked when we get to where we are going.  I will see how the next batch improves, and try freezing half the batch.  To be continued....

Update number One:  A night in the refrigerator helped these cinnamon rolls set up nicely.  Paul and I split one for dessert.  What a difference a day makes.  Gluten free baked goods often require additional set up time.  We agree that the rolls are better after a day in the fridge, and that we will still give the suggested changes a try next go around.

The original recipe can be found on paleogrubs.com, Sticky, Ooey, Gooey Paleo Cinnamon Rolls by Rebecca Bohl in Baking http://paleogrubs.com/cinnamon-roll-recipe