Garlic Bean Steak Sandwich

This was immediately voted into regular meal rotation. It's delicious, it's filling, it's packed with protein and iron, and it's super easy to make.

All good things.

Looks like a lot, but really was not

This came about because I got a hanger steak (from my food delivery service) and it was barely .65lb of beef, which was just not going to be enough for the steak dinner for 2 I had planned. I had to come up with some way to stretch it out, and a peek in the fridge for leftovers was my answer.

Once again, the Garlic White Beans came to the rescue. I layered those on a toasted ciabatta roll (par-baked and kept in the freezer, they are ready to use in 20 minutes whenever I need them) and then layered the steak on top.

If you want to make this sandwich easier to eat you could mash or purée the white beans before slathering them on the toasted ciabatta.

The steak was cooked to medium rare in a hot pan with a touch of olive oil,  seasoned with salt (and pepper if you like) and allowed to rest 5 minutes before carving. 

The tender chewiness of the hanger steak, the garlicky creaminess of the beans, and the crunch from the roll made a fantastic and filling sandwich.

Try this the next time you need a quick yet filling meal.

Note: This also makes an easily portable picnic or lunch item, still delicious at room temperature.

Quick Chicken Soft Tacos

I've been doing a lot of variations on salsa this summer. In the winter I sometimes find salsa to be too light and unsatisfying, but in the hotter months I find I'm using it left and right, on eggs, on top of fish, and this time, to fill a soft taco.

For this dish I used a little leftover basmati rice for The Hubs, as he likes more of a burrito than a soft taco, but I made mine using just the chicken and Corn & Black Bean Salsa.

First I took two chicken breasts and cut them into bite-sized pieces. I sprinkled them with salt, ground cumin, and chili powder and rolled them around until evenly coated. (About 1/2 tsp each.)

Then in a non-stick pan on medium-high heat and with a bit of olive oil, I cooked the chicken until opaque, about 5-7 minutes.

This salsa is really the clincher of the dish, as it has the most flavor.

A little sautéed shallot, corn, 1 pat of butter, black beans (from soup), and a heap of fresh cilantro.

Sweet, savory, and bright all at once.

This would also taste fabulous with some of my Avocado Purée slathered on the tortilla before filling it (which is how I ate the leftovers for lunch the next day!) but all told this dinner took under 20 minutes start to finish. 

And The Hubs had seconds, so you know it was pretty good.

Black Bean & Corn Salsa

I think I selectively forget how delicious black beans and corn can be, as corn is technically a carb and not the healthy vegetable we all wish it to be.

The side dish is really the star of this meal, so forgive me if I glaze over the chicken a bit.

Well, I guess I should tell you something.

I took three (rather small) chicken breasts and seasoned them with a bit of ground cumin, chili powder, salt, and a very small dusting of ground cinnamon. 

Sauté in olive oil until opaque in the middle and remove. Optional spritz of fresh lime juice once off the heat.

Toss in some diced shallot and garlic, deglaze the pan with some chicken stock, increase the heat to reduce and form a quick pan gravy.

Some of the seasoning from the chicken should be left in the pan to flavor the gravy, so just a little salt should round it out.

Spoon a little over each breast and the chicken is done.

Now for the good stuff.

Now I know a proper cook would use dried beans and soak them and then cook them and season them accordingly, but frankly, there's a reason there's a market for canned beans.

We're in a rush!

Also, it's summer in New York and we've had almost a solid week above 90º and no one wants to be cooking anything for more than five minutes.

As it is summer while I am typing this, you can find lovely fresh corn everywhere.

However, should you be making this in the dead of winter and the bag of frozen corn you found on the door has serious freezer burn, fear not. There's a way to resuscitate your desiccated corn.

Simply place it in a hot pan with a pat of melted butter and a splash or two of water, season with a pinch of salt, and bring the whole mess up to a simmer. Allow the corn to cook in the buttery liquid until it has largely been absorbed, 2-3 minutes, and you should have sweet and plump kernels once more.

For THIS dish tho, I used half a medium shallot, diced and lightly cooked in a bit of olive oil.

Next I threw in the corn and a pat of butter.

My SUPER cheat for this recipe, and I feel no shame in it, is that I use Goya black bean soup instead of regular black beans. I just strain (and reserve) the soup liquids and throw the already cooked and seasoned black beans into my dish, and I'm DONE!

Well, a few tablespoons of chopped fresh cilantro, taste for salt, and then I'm done.

And it is delicious!

Sweet and savory and bright and perfectly balanced.

This by itself would make a great picnic side, or even a vegetarian lunch by itself, as it works just fine at room temperature.

The Hubs greatly approved of this meal as corn is one of his favorite foods, but I don't serve it that often as it is largely devoid of nutrition, so he gobbled this down in no time.

If you want to be a bit healthier, go 2-1 beans to corn for more protein and fiber. I went about 1-1 because that's just how much I had on hand.

Also, the leftovers when it hits 96º tomorrow will be delicious and completely effortless!

Scallops on White Bean Purée

As per my current norm, I had these delicious Garlic White Beans made and in my fridge for snacking and side-dish purposes. 

Then, there was a special on diver scallops, which are always good for a meal since they cook in under 5 minutes.

You can see where I'm going with this...

Hot pan with a bit of olive oil, add lightly seasoned scallops.

(Do not rush the pan. Wait until it has gotten fully hot, or you will not get a nice crust on your scallops!)

2-3 minutes on the first side, and flip.

About a minute into cooking the second side, add a pat of butter to the hot pan.

Swirl/spoon the melted butter over and around the scallops for another minute.

Done.

Place on a plate with puréed garlic white beans, drizzle the now browned butter from the pan on top, and call it an appetizer.

Of course, the dish above has WAY more bean purée than you would normally serve with 3 scallops, but as this comprised the entirety of my lunch, I needed more beans to round out the meal.

But throw in a nice crisp baby-greens salad with a lemony vinaigrette and you might have a lovely light dinner for a hot night.

Garlic White Beans

Have you ever eaten something that was so incredibly simple, and yet so very tasty and addictive?

Well, this is one of those dishes.

I was having dinner at Supper in the East Village a couple of weeks ago, and instead of butter or even a bowl of olive oil for dipping, the bread basket came with this delicious pile of garlicky, slightly spicy white beans, slightly drenched in olive oil and speckled with parsley.

It was delicious, and I decided immediately that I had to recreate it at home for both snacking and entertaining purposes.

I started by sautéing 4-5 cloves of grated garlic on medium-low heat in regular olive oil with a healthy pinch of red pepper flakes. (Go with your comfort level of heat. I like things with only a slight warmth in the back of the throat so I probably only use about 2 pinches. If you like spicy, this dish can take it.)

Cook for 2 minutes, or until the garlic is fragrant and slightly golden.

Drain and rinse two cans of white beans.

You can use whatever beans you prefer: cannellini, northern beans, navy beans... as long as they are a mild white bean, it should be fine.

I place them in the pan with the garlic and red pepper flakes and add a splash of water to help cook and soften the beans for another 3-4 minutes.

(I don't like too much bite in my beans. If you prefer a firm texture, skip this step.)

Wash some fresh parsley and finely chop it, about 1/3-1/2 a cup as you prefer.

I went with about 1/3 of a cup.

Add to the pot of beans, salt to taste, and stir to combine.

Off the heat, finish the beans with a few glugs of good fruity olive oil.

Optional: a spritz of lemon right before serving perks up the dish as well.

This is delicious on its own, or on toasted ciabatta for crostini for a dinner or party. 

You could also purée this before adding the parsley (but with the good olive oil) and use it as a dip.

It's very versatile, very healthy (packed with protein and fiber and only good fat!) and VERY addictive.

It also goes brilliantly with prosecco!

Spanican Chicken

First full day of Fall in NYC and the weather is still hitting 80º for the high. Tomorrow* it's supposed to be 85º!!! Apparently, what with the killer heat all Summer and tornado last week, Mother Nature is still miffed at us. And again, I don't really blame her, but it remains confusing. 

*Hey, Sassy. I know I'm seeing you tonight, but now you know what the weather will be like tomorrow, so ditch the sweater dresses until you're back from Italy! (Ya lucky stinker...)

After our delicious Mexican meal at El Vez the hubs and I were craving those fabulous flavors again. So, I tried to make a rub for our chicken that would in some way satisfy our taste buds with what I already had in my spice cabinet.

Remember: the hubs will not eat avocado, sour cream, cold tomato salsa, etc., so I couldn't make this all that authentic of a meal. However, the finished product would have gone brilliantly with some guacamole.

I have no idea if I was making something that was more Mexican or more Spanish in style, so, this is Spanican Chicken!

Please, no one be offended by my attempts outside my comfort zone of cooking.

I mixed the following herbs and spices together in various pinches:

chili powder, cumin, dried oregano, coriander, smoked spanish paprika, and ground cloves.

Once I was happy with that mixture I added one large grated clove of garlic, and just enough olive oil to make it into a paste with which to paint the chicken.

Is that a beautiful color or what?

Let the chicken marinate for a couple hours so the flavors can really infuse the chicken.

Also, I did not salt the chicken until right before cooking.

While I was cooking the chicken I decided that a side of black beans would go brilliantly with the dish, so once the chicken was done, I added half a can of drained black bean soup. (Yes, Goya's black bean soup. Not just canned black beans. I sifted the beans out. I did not dump the soup liquid. That is some tasty stuff! Also, it is what I had when I looked in my pantry... it's a TOTAL cheat, but a really delicious one.) I heated the black beans through in the flavorful oil left after cooking the chicken, and added about a tablespoon of dry sherry to the pan for an extra kick. 

Note: If using canned black beans (and thereby also cooking with onion, garlic, seasonings, etc) I would definitely do this again. However, if using black bean soup, I'd skip it as it is already quite flavorful.

Top with minced raw onion or shallot when serving.

A side of roasted potatoes, and dinner was well rounded and very tasty.

No where NEAR as tasty as the meal at El Vez, but it was a valiant effort, if I do say so myself.

And, obviously, I do.