Recipe: Patriotic Nachos

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Patriotic Nachos
The Better Chip provided me with product and/or compensation for this post, however the opinions I shared are my own.


Have you caught World Cup fever? If you’ll be cheering on Team USA this week, here’s some awesome game day grub for you to cook up: Patriotic Nachos! These nachos are unique, easy to make, and feature The Better Chip, a delicious line of chips that are gluten free, non-GMO and vegan-friendly – well, until you cover them in cheese to make nachos, but just omit that part to keep them vegan. 😉

The Better Chip
I received a fun World Cup package from The Better Chip, containing bags of their chip flavors along with a caxirola, which is the official noisemaker of the World Cup. Good thing it’s not a vuvuzela, right? 😉 The flavors included Fresh Corn, a classic, tasty chip; Spinach & Kale, a different, green kind of chip that was nice; Beet Chips, which might be the best beet has ever tasted; Chipotles, a super spicy and smoky chip, and Jalapenos, which has a slightly milder spicy kick to it. I nibbled on each flavor while preparing my nachos and thought they were super yum!

Better Chips
To create my original nacho recipe, I wanted something that would work for both Team USA and the 4th of July this week: Hence, Patriotic Nachos were born! What makes them patriotic, you ask? Because they are red, white and blue!

Nachos
Red: Kidney beans, salad tomatoes
White: White beans, white onion, mozzarella cheese
Blue: Blue cheese

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Patriotic Nachos

Patriotic Nachos

Ingredients

  • 2 oz bag The Better Chip Corn Chips
  • 2 oz bag The Better Chip Jalapenos Chips
  • 2 oz bag The Better Chip Spinach & Kale Chips
  • 2 oz bag The Better Chip Beets Chips
  • 2 oz bag The Better Chip Chipotles Chips
  • 1 can kidney beans
  • 1 can white beans
  • White onion, peeled & chopped
  • Package of salad tomatoes
  • Bag of mozzarella cheese
  • Package of blue cheese

Instructions

  • Layer all chips in a large, foil-lined pan, arranging in strips by color.
  • Rinse kidney & white beans, layer over chips.
  • Peel & chop a white onion, sprinkle over the chip & bean layer.
  • Rinse salad tomatoes and add to nachos.
  • Cover nachos with mozzarella cheese, then sprinkle with blue cheese as the finishing touch.
  • Cook at 350 degrees until cheese begins to lightly brown around the edges - roughly 20 minutes.
  • Note: These ingredients aren't listed in specific quantities, because nachos are best made to taste - add as much of each item as you want!
https://www.cookingcatastrophe.com/recipe-patriotic-nachos/

I cooked up a tray of these nachos for my family tonight, and it was a big success! Everyone loved it – they thought the dish was really good, and quite different from what you usually think of when you make nachos, making it a simple recipe to prepare yet still unique. My family also noted that they really liked all the different flavors of chips.

Enter to win your own nacho kit!

TWO readers will win the following:

  • An assortment of chips from The Better Chip
  • Your very own caxirola
  • “Nachos Around the World” recipe sheet
  • A coupon for more product
  • And a chip clip!

To enter, use the Rafflecopter widget below to get your entries in before July 1st, 2014 at 11:00 PM PST. This giveaway has a very quick turnaround, so make sure to read the rules in the Rafflecopter widget regarding how to claim the prize if you are the lucky winner!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
What recipe would you create with The Better Chip?

Recipe: Scalloped Potatoes For Foodies

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I used to think that I hated scalloped potatoes. Growing up, my mom always made the boxed kind, and I always thought they were super gross. But then a few years ago, one of my aunts made scalloped potatoes from scratch and they were delicious. I realized it wasn’t the dish, it was just those odd boxes of instant potatoes that my mom would buy because she got a good deal on them with coupons – which I completely respect, because as an adult I would do the same thing myself. 😉 Also, as you grow up, you realize that those easy meals may be more bland, but they are so much easier to deal with than cooking every single thing from scratch. I find as I get older I make a lot of the same food I used to think was kind of dull as a kid because I don’t want to deal with cooking!!

So while I may not be motivated enough to make a full dish of homemade scalloped potatoes myself, I can certainly appreciate the work that went into this delicious recipe inspired by The Hundred Foot Journey. This is definitely the “Foodie” version that puts those boxed 1990s dinners to shame with its fancy cheese and dash of nutmeg. Yum! Hey…maybe I should give this to my aunt and see if she’ll make it for us again! 😉

Scalloped Potatoes

Omelette Aux Fines Herbs Recipe

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Cooking Catastrophe confession time: I stink at making omelettes. Oh, sure, they taste good, but what I really end up with is just scrambled eggs with sundry fillings. I’ve given up even trying to flip them because I always just mangle it, so maybe I should take this advice about using a cloth:

Omelette aux fines herbs

Click on the image to view the full-size version. Recipe courtesy The Hundred-Foot Journey!

Quiche Lorraine Recipe

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I had a lot of culinary adventures during my second trip to France in 2005, but not the kind you’d imagine. Traveling with a frugal mindset on a 21-year-old’s budget, my resourcefulness is what allowed me to finance the trip, so instead of going to 5-star French restaurants, I opted for more cost-effective dining. I’ll never forget eating le cheeseburger at a McDonald’s on the Champs-Élysées near the Arc de Triomphe, looking out of a huge glass window at the bustling traffic below.

During my time in Paris, I stayed at a hostel which had a shared kitchen area with a microwave. I stopped by a nearby grocery store to get something for dinner, and ended up with a microwavable quiche. It wasn’t the greatest-tasting meal, but the experience was all part of the adventure and something I’ll always remember! So when I got an email with this Quiche Lorraine recipe, it brought back those memories. I’m sure it tastes miles better than the quiche I ate in that dingy hostel! 😀

Quiche Lorraine

Do you have any special memories of food eaten during travels?

Paleo Brunch Recipes

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Paleo Brunch Recipes

Food, recipes & goodie bags provided by Natural Grocers.

Jai and I were recently introduced to some new paleo brunch recipes during a sampling event at Natural Grocers in Gresham. Although neither of us follow the paleo diet, we’re always up for trying new food, and I did spend some time looking up paleo freezer recipes last summer just for something quick and easy to make. I wanted to share the recipes for the paleo brunch with you if you’d like to try something different for yourself!

This paleo brunch menu has been designed to feed 6 people for around $7.55 per person.

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Prosciutto-Wrapped Mini Frittata Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients

  • 2 TBSP coconut oil or ghee
  • 1/4 C plus 2 TBSP olive oil
  • 1/2 medium onion, finely diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 lb. cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • 1 package Organic Girl Baby Kale
  • 8 eggs
  • 1 large tomato, thinly sliced into rounds
  • Two 4 oz. packages of Applegate Natural Prosciutto
  • Sea salt to taste
  • Cherry tomatoes for garnish

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin and set aside.
  • Heat the coconut oil or ghee in a medium sized skillet, add the onion and saute until translucent. Add the garlic and mushrooms, cook until the mushrooms are soft and moisture has evaporated. Lightly salt the mushroom-onion mixture; spoon mixture into a bowl and set aside.
  • Line the muffin tins with prosciutto, covering the bottom and sides completely.
  • In a large bowl, beat the eggs and olive oil together. Add the kale and salt to taste, then stir in the mushroom mixture.
  • Spoon the frittata batter into each muffin cup and top with halved cherry tomatoes.
  • Bake for approximately 20 minutes - allow muffins to cool in tin for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Notes

Recipe by Karen Falbo.

https://www.cookingcatastrophe.com/paleo-brunch-recipes/

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Turkey Bacon Sauteed in Coconut Oil

Ingredients

  • 2 packages turkey bacon
  • 4 TBSP coconut oil

Instructions

  • In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of coconut oil. Open one package of turkey bacon, separate bacon strips, and lay each in the pan. While cooking, turn bacon often, moving the pieces around to support even browning. As bacon becomes lightly browned, remove strips from the pan and set aside on a plate. Cover with foil to keep warm and cook the second batch.
  • NOTE: Turkey bacon can be prepared a day or two before the brunch and warmed in the oven.

Notes

Recipe by Karen Falbo.

https://www.cookingcatastrophe.com/paleo-brunch-recipes/

Paleo Yogurt

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Yogurt-Berry Parfait

Yogurt-Berry Parfait

Ingredients

  • 4 cups plain full-fat yogurt
  • 2 1/2 C fresh or frozen berries
  • 1 C toasted pecans, chopped
  • 4 TSP vanilla extract or flavor
  • 1 full dropper stevia

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, stir together yogurt, stevia, and vanilla. Using 8 small wine or parfait glasses, spoon in a layer of yogurt, top with berries, then add toasted pecans. Continue alternating layers to fill glasses.
  • NOTE: Stevia can be used in place of sweeteners for things like tea, lemonade, plain yogurt, smoothies and baked goods. Oftentimes the licorice aftertaste of the whole herb as well as the bitter aftertaste of the steviosides disappears when used in the proper amounts. Although stevia can enhance flavors in some dishes (Like yogurt), it may not work at all in others.

Notes

Recipe by Karen Falbo.

https://www.cookingcatastrophe.com/paleo-brunch-recipes/

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Green Tea-Coconut Water Lemonade

Ingredients

  • 1/2 C hot water
  • 3 green tea bags
  • 10 drops stevia
  • 1/4 C lemon juice
  • 3 1/2 C cold water
  • 1 can coconut water

Instructions

  • Steep tea bags in hot water for 3-5 minutes. Add all other ingredients, stir and serve over ice.

Notes

Recipe by Karen Falbo.

https://www.cookingcatastrophe.com/paleo-brunch-recipes/

We also enjoyed Vegetable Latkes with this brunch – you can find the recipe for that by clicking here to visit MarksDailyApple.com! You can also find a ton of paleo and other recipes on NaturalGrocers.com.

Have you ever tried a paleo recipe before? What did you think?

Where will you go with Bibigo?

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bibigo-authentic 

Samples provided for review. This post contains an Amazon Associates link.

Ever read a book that changes your life?

I did, and mine was about dumplings.

The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken is a memoir by food writer Laura Schenone, who decides one Christmas to make an authentic family ravioli recipe. When she finds an ingredient on her grandmother’s recipe card that seems out of place — where in northern Italy would you find Philadelphia cream cheese? — she begins a search that makes her learn more about dumplings, Italian cooking, and her own family than she ever thought possible. It’s a really well-written food history that’s also a family history, that’s stayed with me for several years..

There’s one passage in particular where she talks about all the countries that have their own dumplings, and how universally loved they are: no matter what country you’re in, they taste like home, and like love. After all, dumplings are tricky to make, and take time and care to prepare. Dumplings are a special-occasion food.

Having lived in Ukraine and South Korea, I have tried many different kinds of dumplings, each delicious in their own way. When Bibigo offered to send me samples of their dumplings — ready-made Korean food for a Western audience — I wanted to see how their potstickers compared with the mandu I remembered from street vendors in Korea.

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Unlike the dumplings I had in Korea — which were usually filled with things like kimchi, rice noodles, meat, ginger, and green onions — these were adapted to Western tastes. They come in Pork and Vegetable, Chicken and Vegetable, Chicken and Cilantro, and BBQ Chicken flavors.

Despite the difference in fillings, seeing the charming little dumpling shapes took me back nearly a decade, to my travels through Asia.

bibigo (1)

The potstickers and wontons are fully cooked, can be found in the frozen food section of select supermarkets, and are ridiculously easy to prepare: just microwave, boil, or fry them for less than 10 minutes. Here are some potstickers I microwaved for a quick lunch, with a side of dipping sauce.

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If you want to get a bit more greens with your dumplings, try adding chopped scallions, along with Sriracha and oyster sauce, for additional flavor. You could also serve them with a side of fried garlic and bok choy in soy sauce, to get your vegetables.

bibigo (4)

However you prepare them, Bibigo wontons and potstickers are delicious, filling, and easy to cook — all the taste of a special treat, without all the fuss and hard work. I highly recommend them!

Look for Bibigo products in select supermarkets — and at your local Asian market. You can also follow them on Facebook and YouTube!