NFL Championship Weekend

Good day, Loki’s Kitchen fans. I’ve been MIA for a month, for no good reason. There was travel, then there was the flu (my first and last ever, as I will be refusing to leave the house between december and march from here on out), there was some really nerdy things I had to do I won’t actually admit to, and then there was a mild lack of motivation.

However, I have some great recipes to bring you over the next few weeks, but let’s start with a quick review of some excellent NFL game day appetizers for your upcoming Superbowl party. I grew up in a family that watched a lot of football. We were an NFL family for sure, and extreme Redskins fans. Since they’re, well, terrible, I’ve watched a lot of different teams these past few years (plus I live in Michigan, so I only get the rare game anyway). I’m very excited about this years playoffs, and I’ve got my eye on a Green Bay Packers victory in the Superbowl. Think I’m crazy? You’re probably right. I’ll stick with the food.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

This is a creamy yet spicy dip served with chips and celery. Trust me, it is a crowd pleaser. I really just want to have a party so I can make this.

Cheese Plate

Who doesn’t love cheese? Go to the store, grab a few interesting and different cheeses, some crackers and thinly sliced apples and you’re good to go! Another fun tip: Get some fresh mozzarella and slice it and lay it on a plate. Drizzle with some balsamic vinegar and serve with thinly sliced French bread. It is delicious!

Zucchini Crab Cakes

Make the mixture for this ahead of time and make them during the party or right before hand for a warm appetizer with a crisp and a zing to it.

Sausage Stuffed Peppers

Make and cook these ahead of time, then throw them in the oven and serve warm (add the feta before serving). They are a bit messy, so have napkins available.

Cookie Dough Dip

This is a total crowd pleaser as well, serve it with graham crackers. Let this sit out for a bit before serving (keep it covered!) so it softens a touch. If there’s any of this leftover after any party, I’d be shocked.

Happy Playoffs!

Sausage Stuffed Peppers

This recipe was inspired by an appetizer on the menu at Roast here in Detroit. We had this dish on my birthday and I’ve been kind of dreaming about it since. This is my best attempt at a copy, but it isn’t perfect by any means! I hope you like this. Remember, you can change the peppers for something with less of a kick and still get great flavors.

Sausage Stuffed Peppers with feta cheese and yia yia sauce

Ingredients

Sauce –
4 fresh roma tomatoes finely chopped or 1 can crushed tomatoes
1 small onion, quartered
1 tsp fresh garlic
1 bay leaf
1.5 tbsp butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions for the sauce – Throw this all in a sauce pan and simmer for at least an hour. Remove the onion and bay leaf before serving.

Chopped tomatoes with a bit of chopped onion, because I had extra and I like onions and I put a bit in the sauce, not necessary!

Peppers –
2 pork sausage links
6 banana peppers or similar pepper, medium to large sized (I had 5 smallish banana peppers and 1 large poblano pepper to use tonight)
Crushed red pepper

Feta cheese

Directions

Carefully remove the stems from the peppers and gently scrape out the seeds from the inside. Set aside.

Cut the sausage casing and remove the meat. Mix with a bit of spices, of your choice. My sausages were mild, so I added a bit of crushed red pepper, but you’re welcome to add anything… garlic would be great, but you knew I’d say that.

Gently stuff each pepper with sausage.

Heat the indoor grill on the stovetop on medium high heat. Place the peppers on the grill pan and cover with aluminum foil. Turn every 3-4 minutes and cook until 165 degrees, which is a safe cooking temperature for sausage.

Serve the peppers immediately with sauce and feta cheese.

Palak Paneer

I did it! I finally, FINALLY did it. I figured out how to make an amazingly flavorful Indian dish without just piling on the spices, ruining the texture. The key, you absolutely must get real Indian spices. Go get the red chili powder, corriander, caramom pods, cumin seeds, and garam masala that they sell at your local Indian grocery store, if you can. But find the real thing. They make all the difference in the world.

Here are some of the most recent spices I picked up:

Now, I’m going to admit that this entire recipe was dictated to me step by step by my coworker, who happens to be from India. I’m now planning to move in with her to be her sous chef, she just doesn’t know it yet.

Palak Paneer

Ingredients:

EVOO
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped, made into a paste
2 tsp ginger paste or roughly chopped fresh ginger, made into a paste
2 whole tomato, roughly chopped
1/4 tsp tumeric
1 tsp ground corriander
2 tsp garam masala (divided)
1 tsp red chili powder
1/4 tsp hot chili powder
3/4 cup water
1 bunch spinach
Salt, pepper to taste
Paneer
Rice or nan

Directions:

Boil water and blanche the spinach, drain.

Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds and heat until they start to pop.

Add onions and cook for a few minutes, then add the garlic and ginger, cook until golden brown. Add tomatoes and spices, cook until the tomatoes are mostly dried out. Add water and allow the water to cook off. Add blanched spinach.

Place all contents into a blender or use immersion blender to break down the spinach and sauce. Add back to the pan along with oil and second half of garam masala. Taste and adjust spices as necessary.

Cut paneer into small pieces and add, serve immediately with warm nann or rice.

Street-Style Tacos

What are street-style tacos? They’re also known as cantina tacos, or some know them as just plain tacos. They are a little more “authentic” Mexican, or at least that is what I am told. Every Friday, my department at work goes to Mexican Town, which is an area of Detroit near the Canadian border where there are countless Mexican restaurants. We’ve really discovered 2 styles. The first is what I’d term a more “common” Mexican food. Enchiladas, tacos, burritos, all with cheese and rice and beans on the side. Then there are the smaller, hole-in-the-wall places that serve al la carte tacos. For $1.25 you can get a taco with meat, onions, cilantro, and salsa. That’s it. We’ve seen a lot of meat, ranging from chicken, beef, and pork to tripe and cow tongue!

Now, I am not very brave. Plus, I don’t like cilantro (my boss calls me the worst foodie ever, which is probably true). Nonetheless, I absolutely love this style of taco. The onions and salsa have a totally different flavor than a taco with lettuce, tomato, and cheese. The other primary difference is that these tacos tend to be served on smaller, corn tortillas.

This is my take on the style. My husband loved them, though he did cheat and add a little sour cream. We served the tacos with corn on the cob from our organic delivery, and the sour cream is from our local farm.

Street-Style Chicken Tacos

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, cut into very small pieces
1 medium onion, chopped roughly
Salsa of your choice, though I recommend a thinner salsa like a picante
Corn tortillas
Fresh Cilantro, chopped (just don’t bring it to my house)
Cumin
Chili powder
Cayenne pepper
Garlic powder
Salt, pepper
EVOO

Directions:
Mix the spices and the raw chicken in a bowl, allow to marinate for about 30 minutes. Heat the olive oil until spitting, then add the chicken. Cook until done completely.

While the chicken is cooking, heat a flat griddle pan and coat in olive oil. Place the tortillas on the heated pan. Serve the hot tortillas with the chicken, fresh onion and cilantro, top with salsa.

Chicken Tikka Masala

This was my second attempt at homemade Indian food. If you remember last time, the dish came out super bland, and I had to go back and re-spice to make it edible. Well, it looks like this time I used a bit too much of a heavy-hand… the final dish ended up about a medium plus! OOPS! Now, we tend to like things at a medium, so it was still edible, we just need to supplement the meal with milk.

I did not love the textures in this dish, it felt to creamy and with no real feel to it besides the chicken. I’d substitute the tomato puree with diced tomatoes instead.

Enjoy!

Chicken Tikka Masala

Ingredients:
1 cup plain yogurt
3 chicken thighs, bone and skin removed
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp chili pwoder
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp corriander
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp cayenne
8oz can tomato puree
1 medium onion, cut julienne
4 cloves garlic
2 tbsp fresh ginger
1 cup cream
2 tsp mustard seed
More spices (chili powder, garam masala, corrainder, cardamom, tumeric, cayenne, salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin)
Fresh Cilantro (omitted)
EVOO
Cooked rice or nan

Directions:
Cut the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces. You really want to use thighs here, the meat is more tender and absorbs the flavor better. Every Indian person will tell you that. Marinate the chicken in the yogurt and the spices listed and the lemon juice. Leave for at least 2 hours, though overnight is best.

In a deep saute pan, heat about 3 tbsp oil until hot. Add the mustard seed and some crushed black peppercorns. Heat 3-5 minutes or until the seeds start to pop, much like popcorn. Add the onions, garlic, and ginger, then heat until the onions are carmalized and brown.

Add the tomato puree (if you’re using the diced tomatoes, let them saute for about 5 minutes for canned, 10 for fresh). Then add the marinated chicken and all of the yogurt. Additionally, add more spices at this time. Use your discretion as to how much, but the rule of thumb is:

For more flavor overall, use cumin, garam masala, corriander, cumin, salt, garlic
For more spice, use cayenne, chili powder, black pepper

Heat for 20-30 minutes on med-low until the chicken is cooked through. Use a meat thermometer if you’re not sure. Add the cream and allow to cook for 10 more minutes. Check the spices again and adjust as necessary.

Serve over rice or with nan. Top with fresh cilantro.