Roasted Poblano & Corn Grits w/ Chorizo

Remember when I mentioned that my eyes have been bothering me? Well, I ended up going to the optometrist later that day. After my exam I found out that I still have 20/20 vision but since I have to read a lot in graduate school and am on the computer ALL the time-- the muscles in my eyes have become very strained. So I was given a prescription for glasses-- a "stress relieving" lens. The optometrist said that they would magnify what I see so that my eye muscles could rest. I am a bit split on glasses, really I feel like a 8th grader who just found out they need glasses and is attempting to deal with it in the most dramatic way possible ;)

On one hand, I am excited to get glasses and pretty darn eager, because my eyes have only gotten worse since then. I cannot even be on the computer for 5 minutes before my eyes starting hurting and if I continue I will get a horrible headache :/ Which in grad school, is no bueno. Thankfully my new Ultrabook lets me magnify the screen, which has helped a little, but I really need to be able to work again with no looming headache. But on the other hand, although I am a huge nerd and have accepted that fact-- glasses epitomizes and solidifies my status as extra nerdy AND I don't even know if I look nice in them. Taking the hubby did not really help- I definitely need a girl's opinion. The hubby kept saying "nice" to everything :/ I'll post pictures when they come in-- hopefully they look good. Though, I guess if they do not-- I only have to wear them for reading and when on the computer.

I never heard of grits until I started dating the hubby. He would always get oatmeal. I wanted to get into breakfast but did not want something sweet- and one day when we were at the grocery store together, he suggested that I try grits. I had not tried them before, so I was willing to try something new. I really liked it! And later, when we went to Houston's famous Breakfast Klub, I had catfish and grits. I realized that grits does not necessarily have to be a breakfast food (ironic since we had it at the Breakfast Klub ;). Since I'm still on this kick to try really different things and I had not had grits in awhile-- I thought I would try this recipe. Plus, I really like chorizo, so this recipe was really calling my name ;) It ended up being a fantastic recipe-- super yummy-- the hubby ate it up! 

ROASTED POBLANO & CORN GRITS W/ CHORIZO

Adapted slightly from Budget Bytes

INGREDIENTS

Preheat Oven to 400F Degrees

2 medium poblano peppers
Olive oil (for brushing)
1 c. milk
3 c. water
1 tbsp. garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
1 c. quick cooking grits (not instant)
1 c. frozen corn, thawed
2 tbsp. butter
2 links, Mexican chorizo

DIRECTIONS

Before baking, remove stem, seed pod and remaining seeds from the poblano peppers. Brush the outside of the poblano peppers with olive oil. Place the peppers on a baking sheet lined with a baking mat, aluminum foil or parchment paper. Bake for 30 minutes (until tender). Allow poblano peppers to cool for a few minutes. Once slightly cooled, gently peel away as much of the thick skin as possible. The steam from the baking will cause some of the skin to already begins separating from the flesh. Once peeled, dice the peppers into small chunks. Set aside.

When poblano peppers are baking-- in a medium sauce pot over medium-high heat, saute garlic until golden brown and fragrant. Then add in milk, water, salt, and pepper. Bring the contents to a boil. Once boiling, stir in grits and chopped poblano peppers. Bring grits to a boil again, and then reduce heat to a medium-low-- simmering, with the lid on, for 5-7 minutes or until grits have thickened. While grits are simmering, microwave thawed corn for about 2 minutes. Then stir corn into grits, until evenly distributed. Add in butter and continue mixing until completely melted.

While cooking the grits, you can also prepare the chorizo. Slice chorizo into medallions. Then in a skillet over medium heat, saute the chorizo until cooked through (chorizo will appear more "brown" in color), aproximately 7-10 minutes.

In a bowl, scoop out approximately one cup of grits and top with sliced chorizo. 

I served this dish with a side of sweet potato fries :)

Enjoy,
Chika

Black Bean, Corn, & Chicken Enchiladas

Happy Friday! One of the best days of the week :) A whole weekend to look forward to! Freedom!! Hahaha...NOT! I still have a ton to do. But most importantly, it is Ashley's wedding this Saturday (tomorrow)!!! So the hubby and I are heading up to Dallas tomorrow morning with Mike and his girlfriend.  We are car pooling because we both have adorable pups that we do not want to leave for too long-- so we are driving up in the morning and coming back that evening. Thankfully, I have a friend from the dog park that is going to come and dog sit Ninja! Though, I still get pretty sad when I have to leave his wrinkle face. I like to think that he has separation anxiety, BUT I think it is me who has it :)

I am sad to say, but today I must head off to see the optometrist and maybe the ophthalmologist. My eyes have been really bothering me lately. My family has a history of good eye sight, and both my parents did not start wearing glasses till they were much older, and only for reading. But I have found that even if on the computer for just a few short minutes or watching TV, my eyes begin to feel really strained. My mom (yes, a twenty-something year old, who goes straight to her mom when something is wrong :)...said that it could also be allergies, but for my piece of mind, I want to know if I am in need of glasses. Hopefully, it's something simple, because I would really appreciate my eyes not feeling so strained, since I am a blog-a-holic ;)

Remember when I confessed my love for Mexican Food?!? Well, there are three foods that top my favorite Mexican food list: Tamales, Flautas, and Enchiladas. Of course, I had to make these foods for my blog, because my wallet is not going to support my habit ;) So far I have made Tamale Cups (hopefully in the future, making actual tamales) and Flautas, but not Enchiladas. And who does not love that red sauce covered in a gooey layer of cheese? Challenge accepted! So last night I decided that for dinner, I would make the hubby enchiladas. A bit of a theme, as he decided to eat tacos for lunch with his co-workers. I knew it, I'm psychic. He really enjoyed it, and so did I....soo...sooo yummy. And the best part: it makes enough for left overs (if, your a family of two like us ;)!

BLACK BEAN, CORN, CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

Adapted from Culinary.net

INGREDIENTS

Preheat Oven to 350F Degrees

2 large chicken breasts*
3 (10oz.) cans of red enchilada sauce
1 (15.25 oz.) can of black beans, drained
1 (10 oz.) can of Rotel
1 1/4 c. frozen corn, thawed
10-13 medium tortillas (Mission Artisan Soft Tortillas: Corn & Whole Wheat Blend)
2-3 c. shredded Mexican blend cheese

Optional Toppings: Sour Cream and Diced green onions

*Chicken breasts were cooked via the Crockpot. If you do not have a Crockpot, substitute with cooked ground meat (see Culinary.net for cooking instructions).

DIRECTIONS

For the filling:
In a large Crockpot, cover 2 large chicken breasts with one can of enchilada sauce. Cook on low for 8 hours (recommended) or on high for 4 hours (if in a rush). Once chicken is done cooking, using two forks, shred chicken apart. Allow chicken to sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour, to allow chicken to absorb enchilada sauce.

Once chicken has absorbed most of the sauce, in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat-- saute chicken, beans, tomatoes, and corn until warm and fragrant, approximately 5-8 minutes. Make sure no moisture remains at the bottom.

Assembling the Enchilada:
Grease a casserole dish with nonstick spray. Next pour a layer (just enough to cover the bottom of the dish) with enchilada sauce.

Then, coat each tortilla completely with enchilada sauce. You can do this two ways:

1. Fill a small, shallow bowl with one can of enchilada sauce and dip (completely submerge) each tortilla in the enchilada sauce. 
2. (what I did because I did not want soggy tortillas)-- using a pastry brush, brush a coat of enchilada sauce on each side of the tortilla. 

Then, line the center of the tortilla with 1 1/2 tbsp. of shredded cheese and 2-3 tbsp. of meat mixture. Roll tortilla up and place seam side down in casserole dish. Repeat until all of the meat mixture is used. Using the remaining enchilada sauce that was used to coat the tortillas and one additional can, cover enchiladas with sauce. Sprinkle shredded cheese over enchiladas, to desired amount (mine was clearly to completely cover them, I mean who doesn't love cheese?!?).

Bake for 5-10 minutes until cheese is completely melted. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before serving. I garnished the enchiladas with a dollop of sour cream and some green onions. And served Spanish rice and refried beans as sides.

Enjoy,
Chika

Cheesy Corn Cakes with Guacamole

Happy Sunday! This weekend was an interesting one. We finally set the date for Ninja's CCL (ACL) and Patella surgery- December 17th, 2012. My little baby is such a tropper- the vet said that seeing Ninja walk, he would never have guessed he has a torn ACL- and that Ninja must have a high tolerance for pain. Well- I know he is not going to like getting surgery and seeing him at the vet always breaks my heart- but I am hoping for a healthy and speedy recovery for my baby. I picked that surgery date so I could stay home with him for a month- to make sure I can take very good care of him. So that was a sad point for me- but thankfully the hubby came with me to the vet- becuase he knew it would be hard for me.

But thankful I have wonderful friends who invited Beau and I over for dinner and game night- for some good old fashion cheering up. I really need to host a dinner to thank them for that- because it meant a lot to me-- but now I have to find the perfect recipes (dinner + dessert). Then, I spent more of today baking and cooking away. I wanted to make a ton of sweets for my sister and brother-in-law for Thanksgiving. My sister let me know that my brother-in-law is a fan of cookies, so I am going to have a fun-filled Thanksgiving cookie post series. I am really excited to share some of those recipes with you all. I am also really excited because I finally got to go back to my "roots"- in that I spent the day making a lot of desserts :) My true love and the reason I started this blog.

Although there are only two days in this week before Beau and I get to take off and have 5 days of freedom :) (not really...as I have a TON of grading and writing)...but at least a break...I have a feeling those two days are going to crawl by. Does that ever happen to you- where you are so so so excited for something and times seems to go backwards as you are waiting? Well- as I am waiting- I made these Corn Cakes and they are DELICIOUS! I really love corm and Guacamole- and I could not get enough of this recipe!

CHEESY CORN CAKES WITH AVOCADO CREAM SAUCE

Adapted from Simply Delicious

INGREDIENTS

CORN CAKES
2 cans of corn (unsweetened)- drained
1 can of creamed corn- not drained
1/2 c. of milk
2 eggs
1 tbsp. paprika
1 1/2 c. of cheese
1 1/2 c. of flour
1/2 c. of bread crumbs
1 tsp. baking soda
Olive oil for frying

Guacamole
3 large avocadoes
3 tbsp. onions
2 tbsp. green onions
2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

Combine corn, milk, eggs, and paprika- mix well. Then add cheese, followed by flour, bread crumbs and baking soda. Make sure the mixture is not too watery- you want it to be thick consistency to be able to scoop spoonfuls. Set aside.

On the stove top, heat a large frying pan on medium heat and add some oil so bottom of pan is covered. Once oil is hot- drop spoonful of mixture (I would drop a spoonful and use the tip of the spoon to spread into pancake likes shapes). Once the top begins to bubble (about 1-2 minutes each side)- flip and fry the other side. The goal is to get a nice golden brown crust on each side. Place ontop of napkin to soak up excess oil. Repeat- until all of the corn mixture is used.

For the avocado cream sauce or gaucamole- mash up three ripe avocadoes. Then add in remainder of ingredients- onions, salt and lemon juice and mix well. Serve either on top or to the side of the corn cakes.

Enjoy,
Chika