EASY RECIPES AND STUFF

Easy Recipe

Its been cold and rainy the last few days, so I needed a nice warming soup dinner. I like Sue’s easy tortilla soup recipe, but I was feeling like something a littler creamier. I started mulling over modifying ingredients, while keeping the dish easy to make, and came up with my Easy Bean and Chicken Tortilla Soup.

serves 4

Ingredients:

0.80 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast.

1/2 medium size white onion – diced.

2 pods from can of chipotle chilies (or only 1 to reduce heat)- minced.

4 oz can of diced green chilies.

1 clove garlic – minced.

2 Tbsp fresh lime juice.

3 oz of 1/3 less fat cream cheese.

1 tsp dry cumin.

32 oz can chicken broth.

16 oz can reduced sodium pinto beans (pacing juices rinsed away).

14.5 oz can diced tomatoes.

8 oz can corn (with can juices).

1/4 cup dry sherry.

salt and peper to taste.

Preparation:

Fill large pot half full with water, bring to boil, and add chicken breast. Boil until chicken is white through center. Remove chicken set aside, drain water from pot.

To same large pot add chicken broth, onion, garlic, green chilies, cumin, stir and and simmer for ten minutes.

Add dry sherry, 1/2 of the pinto beans, stir and simmer for for a few minutes.  Use a submersible blender or potato masher to blend the ingredients in the pot to create a thick cream texture.

Use two forks to shreds the chicken breast meat.

Mince the chipotle pod(s).

Add the tomatoes, shredded chicken, corn, chipotle pod(s), lime juice stir and increase heat to bring to boil. Reduce heat to strong simmer/ low boil for 15 to 20 minutes. May need to add 4 0z or so of water if soup becomes too thick.

Add the cream cheese and stir to dissolve it into the soup.

Serve with chips or tortilla shells, and enjoy an easy, wonderfully warming homemade meal.

AND STUFF

DESERT ICE, the third in the Jack Fields and Amber Reyes adventure series is done. We hope to have it out for your summer read. In the meantime, if you haven’t done so already, get into the series by reading GOLDPLAY and VEYRON which are available in all e-book formats at most e-book retailers, and in good old fashion paper at http://www.rogerscouton.com.

VEYRON was reviewed By Eileen Johnson for Readers’ Favorite and awarded 5 stars

Good Eating and Table Talk,

Roger

EASY RECIPE

This week I wanted to do a fish dinner with a twist. I had read about a sweet potato recipe from Antigua called ducana. The recipe looked good but it had too many steps. And as my blog is all about easy recipes I decided to use the recipe as a starting point and then trim and modify until it arrived at easy street. So here is my awesome, but easy recipe for White Fish and Sweet Mashed Potatoes.

recipe serves 4

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 lbs. cod or other white fish.

4 sweet potatoes.

3 limes

3/4 cup coconut milk (or more).

1/2 maple syrup.

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice.

1 Tbsp canola oil.

1 Tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley.

1/4 tsp chili powder.

1 tsp cinnamon.

1 tsp allspice.

dash of salt and pepper.

Preparation:

Rinse fish and pat dry with paper towel.

In small bowl combine lemon juice, canola oil, Italian parsley, chili powder and salt and pepper to make marinade. Mix.

Place fish on plate and apply the marinade to both sides. Cover with wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Peal sweet potatoes, halve them and place in large pot and cover with water. Bring water to boil and after 20 minutes or when soft to fork poke, drain water. Mash the sweet potatoes lightly. Add coconut milk, cinnamon, allspice, and maple syrup and mash the potatoes again.

Create four aluminum foil squares each large enough to cover fish. Spray foil with canola oil place fish on each square and fold foil to cover. To get a good seal cover in another square of foil. BBQ them on medium heat 7 minutes per side.

Plate sweet mashed potatoes and white fish. Garnish with lime wedges and get ready for a great but easy fish dinner.

AND STUFF

DESERT ICE, the third in the Jack Fields and Amber Reyes adventure series is done. We hope to have it out for your summer read. In the meantime, if you haven’t done so already get into the series by reading GOLDPLAY and VEYRON. Available in all e-book formats at most e-book retailers, and in good old fashion paper at http://www.rogerscouton.com.

Reviewed By Eileen Johnson for Readers’ Favorite – 5 stars

In Veyron by Roger Scouton, Jack Fields and Amber Reyes are a high powered team hired to oversee a security job at the Marine Corps Warrior’s Hospice Car Rally, a rally of classic cars in Arizona. The most classic and most expensive of the cars in the rally is a Bugatti Veyron owned by Prince Ahmed. Jack and Amber are ex-military and clandestine operatives hired by the insurance firm in London to work with Colonel Day, whose organization is providing security for the event. Of course, the event does not proceed as planned, as priceless cars are stolen, owners are killed, and the Prince is kidnapped during the rally. Now, Jack and Amber are required to use their considerable skills and connections to solve the mystery and bring the perpetrators to justice.Veyron is a sequel to Roger Scouton’s book Goldplay in which readers were first introduced to Jack and Amber, the team of protagonists in his new novel. Not having read the first novel, I am sure there is some back story that describes how Jack and Amber ended up being a couple and a team. However, Veyron definitely stands on its own and the reader should not feel compelled to read Goldplay first. Having said that, the energy, characters, and plot line in Veyron were so interesting that I intend to go back and read Goldplay, too! The best part about Veyron is that the reader essentially gets three stories in one book. The characters are the glue that holds the book together – and the primary and secondary characters are wonderful. I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes action, adventure, and mystery.

Good Eating and Table Talk,

Roger

EASY RECIPE

Need a super easy kinda classy dinner recipe? Okay, here’s my Chicken with Wine and Mushroom Sauce recipe. To save a little money and get a more flavorful chicken I chose boneless, skinless thigh rather than breast. As a pre-Thanksgiving menu test I also prepared the Brussels Sprouts with Bacon recipe that can be found in the November 2015 InStyle magazine.  The Brussels Sprout dish was easy to make and great!

Ingredients:

1.5 lb of boneless, skinless chicken thigh.

1.5 cup mushroom – sliced thickly.

24 pearl onions (frozen type, just need to be thawed).

14 oz can chicken broth.

1/2 cup red wine (fruity).

3 cloves garlic – minced.

2 Tbsp flour.

1 tsp green peppercorn.

2 Tbsp or so olive oil.

Preparation:

Heat large fry pan to medium and add one Tbsp of olive oil.

Add chicken thighs and cook for 6 minutes until brown (may want to flip them to sear other side as well. Remove thighs for later use.

In same fry pan add 1 Tbsp of olive oil, and then the garlic and flour. Stir to deglaze the pan and then add wine, chicken stock, and stir to eliminate any clumps. Add mushrooms, pearl onions, green peppercorn, and stir.

When sauce is at light boil add chicken and then cook until the sauce thickens (about ten minutes).

Plate chicken and top with the wonderful wine and mushroom sauce. Add a side dish and you are ready to enjoy a super easy candlelight meal.

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’m liking the cooler weather of the past week. Perfect for stews and such.  This week the recipe is perfect for the busy mom or dad who wants to make a fast easy meal. I have aptly named the dish ‘Stupid Easy hot Link and Shrimp Gumbo’. It is not purist, but it is easy, fast, and good!

recipe serves 4

Ingredients

14 oz package hot Louisiana Smoked Sausage – fully cooked.

1/2 lb. shrimp (41 count or smaller) – fully cooked.

1/2 large onion – chopped.

1/2 cup red bell pepper – diced.

3 cloves garlic – minced.

1 quart Better Than Bouillon Clam Base (or lobster base) per package directions.

14 oz can diced tomatoes.

15 oz can black beans – drained and rinsed.

3/4 cup white rice.

1/2 cup green onions – chopped.

3 Tbsp butter.

1 tsp dry rosemary.

1/4 tsp thyme.

1/4 tsp celery seed.

1/8 tsp dried red pepper.

Preparation

Saute onion in tablespoon of olive oil.

To large pot add clam base and stir on low heat. Add butter and melt. Add tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, garlic stir and raise heat to bring to low boil.

Add all spices and stir.

Slice hot links into 1/2 inch rounds and add to pot.

Add green onion, rice, and black beans to pot and stir. Cover and keep at slow boil for  30 minutes (or until rice is soft) stirring occassionally.

Thaw shrimp under faucet water. Remove tail shell if on, and add shrimp to pot for the last ten minutes or so before serving.

And there you have, a wonderful easy home made dinner after a long day at work.

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