cause i'm a fatty

Bacon Deviled Eggs 

Sayani’s Mussels 

The ingredient list is too long to include in the name of this dish, and this might just be one of the best ideas I’ve ever had, so I’m sticking my name in. I would like to start out by saying these heavenly mussels were inspired by Villa Mosconi’s ‘Oysters Rockefeller’ (NY), The Med’s ‘Almejas’ (CO), and Victoria’s boyfriend, Tony’s recipe. Thinking back to my first life changing experience with mussels and the variations we’ve come up with so far has been an amazing journey I’m really glad to share with you.

The recipe calls for 1 1/2 lbs of mussels, which is perfect as a dinner for two, or as an appetizer for 4-5 people. 

Toppings:

2 cups spinach
4 garlic cloves, crushed & chopped
1 jalapeno, finely chopped (optional, it packs a bit of heat) 
salt & pepper
3/4 cup of a shaved/shredded cheese of your choice*
2-3 slices of pancetta, thinly sliced into strips 
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped parsley 
olive oil 

*A note on the cheese: I used a Spanish Manchego, which has just the perfect amount of zip. Parmigiano-Reggiano would work very well here too. I have to admit, a creamier cheese would melt much better in the oven, but a slightly aged cheese gives more flavor to contrast the oceany flavor of mussels.  

Preheat your oven, or broiler to 550 degrees. 

Saute the garlic and pepper in 1-2 tbsps of olive oil for 1-2 minutes on medium heat. Add in the spinach leaves and cook until the spinach is completely wilted. Add salt and pepper, and set aside.

Steam your mussels any way you’d like. We used 1/2 cup chicken stock and a few splashes of beer. When that came to a boil we added the mussels and covered them until they all began to open (3 minutes or so). This made it very easy to to crack open the mussels and chuck one half of it away, so you can layer the mussels on a pan. 

After laying the mussels flat on a baking pan, start placing the spinach onto the mussels, one by one. Add the pancetta strips, then the cheese, and salt and pepper. I’m feigning a healthy diet so I didn’t use too much cheese, but this is one of those instances where copious amounts of cheese is welcome.

Finish with a generous sprinkle of bread crumbs and chopped parsley. 

Bake for 4 minutes, or until they are golden. Serve immediately! The mussels hold all of their moisture because the toppings provide a warm bed over them, making this super delicious with a toasted baguette. Give a squirt of lemon if you desire. This is the first of many ways to make baked mussels, and I hope you get to explore them too. 

Sriracha Chicken Tenders with Bleu Cheese Dressing

When it comes to late night dining, I’ve never been that fond of grilled cheese sandwiches or burgers. But if there is one thing I can’t resist, it’s perfectly golden chicken fingers with the perfect dipping sauce (honey mustard mixed with a little tabasco is my go to condiment). I might have mentioned before that Boulder does not have any diners that are open past 2 pm. We had chicken tenderloins in the fridge so I decided to take on the task of making chicken tenders from scratch. It isn’t too labor intensive, and the results are better than anything I’ve had in a diner.

Using 1 1/2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch wide strips, marinade them over night in a bowl containing 3/4 cup buttermilk and 1/8 cup sriracha, with a dash of pepper. Ideally you should marinade this over night, but a hour would do well also. If you don’t have buttermilk, mix 3/4 cup of regular milk with either 1 tbsp of cream of tartar, 1 tbsp of lemon juice, or 1 tbsp of white vinegar. Let the mixture stand for 15 minutes then stir to prevent any curdling. Your buttermilk can be refrigerated or used immediately.

To make your coating mix the following ingredients in a shallow bowl.

1 cup bread crumbs
1/3 cup flour
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper or paprika 
1 tsp salt & pepper
1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp cumin (optional)

Dip your marinated chicken tenders into the bread crumb mixture, pressing down on each side to make sure they are coated well.

Turn your oven to 350-365 degrees. In a large saute pan with 2 tbsp of olive oil, shallow fry the chicken tenders, 2 minutes each side, until both sides have crisped up and are golden. Place the tenders on a cookie sheet or baking pan. Once all the tenders are done, bake them for 7-10 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165 degrees. (You could also simply cut a tender up and check for doneness)

Every chicken tender needs something delicious and enticing to be dipped in. Since these are so spicy, a cream based dip seems best. You could liven up a ranch dressing with chopped up cilantro, or make a bleu cheese dip, which is even better when made with fresh bleu cheese crumbles. The portions are up to you, but I mixed up 1/4 cup of bleu cheese, 2-3 tbsp milk, 3 tbsp light mayo, 2 chopped green onions, and a clove of garlic, until a creamy consistency started to form. A sprinkle of dried dill weed on the dressing is one of many great finishing touches on this dish.

Something else to do with scallops-

At $14.99 a pound at Wholefoods, even frozen scallops don’t come cheap. You can make the most of a handful of scallops (6-8) by pan searing them and cutting them up into bite sized pieces. In this scenario I had some fresh rosemary, so I chopped it up and mixed in a little bit of basil and salt and pepper. The scallops were then turned into a type of bruschetta when matched with some toasted Italian bread drizzled with olive oil and garlic. I didn’t have any tomatoes around the house, but adding a fruit or vegetable to this would give you even more bang for your buck.

Bacon & Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

Stuffed mushrooms are an incredibly easy appetizer to make that is perfect for a sit down dinner with friends. The stuffing can also be made with anything you have leftover in the fridge. I generally prefer to use medium sized crimini mushrooms because of their flavorful woodsy nature. 

Ingredients:

15 medium sized crimini mushrooms
8 oz. softened cream cheese
2 slices center cut bacon
2 tbs chopped parsley
1 shallot (or 1 clove of a milder garlic (such as elephant)  
2-3 whole green onions chopped
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. First thing’s first: preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Now to make this specific filling I heated up two pieces of center cut bacon in a skillet until they were crispy, and reserved the bacon fat to saute the mushroom caps in. The bacon should then be cut up into little pieces and placed aside.

2. To prep the mushrooms first wash them in water, making sure all of the dirt is rinsed off. Dry them with paper towels and then slowly take off the stems and throw them away. (You could also chop up the stems and saute them in butter for use in the filling)

3. Heat up the reserved bacon grease (or use 1-2 tbs of butter) and saute the mushroom caps in the butter for 2 minutes tops. Place the mushroom caps in a baking dish. (It’s okay if they touch)

4. In the same pan saute the shallots until they are translucent and slightly crispy.

5. Mix the cream cheese with the shallots, crumbled bacon, chopped parsley, and a pinch of salt and pepper.

6. Scoop of spoonfuls of filling into each mushroom and then sprinkle the green onion all over. You could also grate some cheese or put some bread crumbs on the mushrooms to get a crispy topping. Stick into the oven and take out when the cheese begins to golden.

7. Serve immediately! If you’re short on time a great filling is a simple wedge of brie. Just cut the cheese up in little pieces and fill into each mushroom cap. You can just sprinkle some pepper onto the mushrooms or even some green onions/parsley/chives/rosemary whatever herb is closest in reach.

Bolon de Verde (Fried Green Plantain Dumplings)

I have a huge blog crush on an Ecuadorian woman named Laylita, who makes the most delicious Latin American dishes I’ve ever seen. The presentations are beautiful, and the ingredients are simple, while all the dishes are fragrant with spice. Above is a picture of one of my most successful dishes, taken from a recipe of hers (which is provided below): 

The only difference I made was to use riper plantains and more chilli peppers in the filling, so the dumplings would be sweet and spicy at the same time. 

Ingredients:

4 green plantains, peeled and cut in medium sized chunks
4-5 tbs butter or lard
2 tbs oil, canola or sunflower
1 tbs hot pepper or chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 cup grated cheese and/or 1 cup cooked chorizo 
Salt to taste

Preparation:

1. Melt the butter or lard over medium heat in large sauté pan
2. Add the plantain chunks and cook for about 40 minutes or until they are very soft, turn them about every 10 minutes, they should be slightly golden but not too crispy. *If you use riper plantains like I did, you can decrease the cooking time in half. *
3. Sprinkle the cooked plantains with the chili powder, cumin and salt.
4. Transfer the plantain pieces to a bowl, do this while they are still hot (but be careful not to burn yourself).
5. Mash the plantains using a wood masher - or just a regular potato masher – until you obtain chunky dough like consistency.
6. Form balls slightly smaller than the size of a tennis ball with the dough.
7. Make a hole in the middle of each ball and fill it with the cheese or chorizo or chicharrones, gently press the filling into the hole, cover the filling and reshape it back into a ball shape.
8. Heat the oil over high heat, add the stuffed plantain dumplings and fry them until they are golden and crispy on each side.
9. Transfer to plate lined with paper towels to drain the grease and serve immediately.

For more easy and exotic dishes, check out her blog at: http://laylita.com/recipes/