EASY RECIPES AND STUFF

EASY RECIPE

Here’s a super easy meatless Monday Three Bean Chili recipe that is great any day.

recipe serves four to six.

Ingredients:

28 oz can crushed tomatoes.

16 oz can vegetarian refried beans (gives the chili texture).

15 oz can black beans (rinsed).

15 oz can red kidney beans (rinsed).

1 cup vegetable broth.

1 avocado – cubed.

1 cup beer.

1 clove garlic-minced.

1/2 jalapeno pepper  (seeds removed) – diced.

1/2 sweet yellow onion – diced.

1/2 green bell pepper – diced.

1 Tbsp olive oil.

1 Tbsp chopped cilantro.

1 tsp chili powder.

1/2 tsp cumin.

shredded cheddar cheese.

“0” salt – there is plenty in the canned goods.

Preparation:

In large pot heat olive oil and then add onion and sauté.

To onions add green bell pepper, jalapeño, garlic stir and sweat for a couple minutes.

Add tomatoes, cilantro, beer, vegetable broth and stir as it is brought to boil. Reduce to strong simmer.

Add chili powder and cumin. Stir to mix. Let mixture simmer for five minutes.

Add refried beans and stir into mixture. Add black beans and red beans and stir.

Bring to boil and then reduce to strong simmer until beans are soft. Stir occasionally and may need to add more broth or beer if the chili becomes too thick.

Add three bean chili to bowls, top with cheese and avocado. That’s all there is to it! Enjoy a wonderful meatless dinner that you made!

AND STUFF

I actually put this recipe together and prepared the dinner while killing time and pacing back and forth as the hour hand on the kitchen clock slowly crept toward 9:00 p.m. last Friday.

Why?

Because the Friday before I tapped my interview with Gary and Sara on Foodblogradio.com. The interview felt good, and both Gary and Sara told me it was fun; but then as the days passed and the broadcast was looming I no longer believed my ears or their kind words. It was time to cook and pace and pace and cook.

I placed my laptop on the couch, and served the chili bowls on the coffee table by the fireplace. She Who Must Be Obeyed, my son, and I nervously listened to the introduction and then … the interview started … and to my relief it was fun!

If you have the time, checkout my interview at http://www.foodblogradio.com

Good Eating and Table Talk,

Roger

My action novels Goldplay and Veyron are available in select bookstores, and in all e-book formats. Signed copies available through http://www.rogerscouton.com

EASY RECIPE

I saw a TV show featuring deep fried corn flake coated chicken and thought it sounded good except for the deep fry part. So, I put my thinking cap on and started working on my take on the corn flake concept.  I also put together a tasty sweet and tart carrot side dish. The resulting easy Corn Flakes Crusted chicken dinner was a huge success with my son and She Who Must Be Obeyed!

Recipe serves 4

Ingredients:

2 one pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (halves).

2 cups crushed corn flakes.

1/4 cup minced raw almonds.

2 Tbsp fresh parsley – chopped.

1 Tbsp dried red chili pepper.

1 tsp salt.

1/2 tsp black pepper.

2 Tbsp olive oil.

3 eggs.

1/2 cup fat free milk.

2 Tbsp soy sauce.

Carrot side dish:

six slender carrots – sliced into 2 inch pieces on a diagonal.

1 Tbsp olive oil.

1/4 white onion – chopped.

1 clove garlic – minced.

1 Tbsp brown sugar.

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar.

1 tsp dry rosemary.

Preparation:

Rinse and pat dry chicken and let air for twenty minutes.

To a large bowl add: corn flakes, almonds, red chili pepper flakes, parsley, salt, pepper. Stir to mix. 

To smaller bowl add eggs, milk, and soy sauce. Stir to blend.

Halve the chicken breasts lengthwise, and place in plastic bag. Pound on chicken to get a uniform thickness.

Dip chicken one by one into the the egg wash and then corn flakes making sure to cover chicken generously.

Heat olive oil in large oven safe fry pan. To medium high heated pan add chicken smooth side down and brown for about 3 minutes until golden brown color achieved. Flip chicken over and place fry pan in oven pre-heated to 450 degrees. Bake for eight to ten minutes (make certain chicken meat is white through center).

For carrot side dish, heat olive oil in fry pan at medium low to low heat, add onion, garlic and sauté for a minute. Add carrots and cook for couple minutes, stirring occasionally. Add balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, rosemary and stir to mix in flavor.

Plate chicken and carrots, along with potato or pasta and enjoy a super easy, no deep frying, crunchy chicken dinner.

AND STUFF

I don’t remember the specific year I started skiing, but I was in my early 20’s. It all started in the mid 1970’s when two entrepreneurs decided to open a ski resort in….wait for it …..Minot, North Dakota. What could go wrong, no mountains, no population base to speak of, and bone cracking cold weather during the entirety of the ski season.

Undaunted by the limitations of the area, the entrepreneurs opened Trestle Valley Ski Resort which was near a train trestle spanning the valley between two large hills. Trestle Valley Ski Resort offered a warming hut, 1 chair lift and a T-Bar. The vertical drop was 100 feet. And you know what, it was fun.

I bought my first set of skis and in no time at all I was charging the 100 foot vert! Sadly for the investors, the novelty of the ski resort could not conquer the areas limitations, and as a result the venture failed.

In law school my roommate Larry, in his prior life had been a bartender in Vail, Colorado. He and I, along with other law school friends went day skiing in Minnesota. But, the vertical was only slightly more than Trestle Valley.

So, we needed to find a mountain on a budget. Colorado was too far away for a quick trip and a little pricy for college kids. The solution was, drive to Bozeman, Montana and ski the close by Big Sky Resort. Off we went over a winter break. Following the initial excitement of a roadtrip we settled into the boredom of driving 500 miles over pool table flat terrain that never changed.

Finally, as we neared Livingston, Montana we finally saw, off in the distance, what we were searching for … mountains.

We checked into an inexpensive motel, and made our first discovery, Bozeman was a college/ski town with a great night life. But I digress. The next morning we drove the 30 miles or so up to Big Sky Resort and then I discovered what a ski mountain looks like. The top of Big Sky is Lone Peak and it is 11,166 feet high. The vertical drop at Big Sky is 4,350 feet. So roughly calculating, I found myself about to ski a vertical drop of 4,250 feet more than Trestle. We had definitely found a mountain, and at least in my case it was time to let the carnage begin. By the end of the day, there was only a little blood spilled, and I had survived my first day skiing a mountain.

While out in the bars that night we made our third discovery, there was another, lesser known, ski resort in the area which was owned by the locals. And, the locals were kind enough to direct us to it. Day 3 we left Bozeman and drove 16 or so miles in the opposite direction of Big Sky and found Bridger Bowl Ski Resort. The locals were right. Bridger Bowl is a gem. The top of the mountain is 8,800 feet. The highest lift at that time did not go quite to the top of the mountain. But, if you wanted to wear a locating device you could tow rope or hike to the top and ski where very few ventured. I did not think it wise to venture to the top, thanks just the same.

By the end of our ski adventure in Montana, I knew two things, I could ski a real mountain (ok, ok, poorly), and I loved skiing.

Good Eating and Table Talk,

Roger