kbecker57

Smoky peanut chicken tacos

Who doesn’t love taco night? The sauce for these chicken tacos is super tasty, and easy! I prepped it ahead of time and blended it up in my single-serve Ninja cup. Since I stored it in the fridge overnight, I had to add a little extra water to thin it up a bit. The extra sauce made a pretty good dip for chips too!

Just add your favorite taco toppings – I used extra sharp cheddar, cilantro, and shredded red cabbage and dinner is d-o-n-e.

Pretty peanut chicken tacos

Smoky peanut chicken tacos
Serves: 4
Source: Good Housekeeping, November 2015

Ingredients
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 to 1/2 cup water
1 Tablespoon melted butter
2 cloves garlic
1 chipotle chile in adobo
1/4 cup adobo sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
Tortillas
Sharp cheddar, shredded
Cilantro leaves, washed
Red cabbage, shredded

Directions
1. Puree peanut butter, water, butter, garlic, chipotle chile, adobo sauce, and salt until smooth. Adjust water as necessary to achieve a sauce-like consistency.

2. Pour the sauce into a 2-quart baking dish and add chicken breast, turning to coat. Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked (165 degrees F).

3. Slice chicken then drizzle with 1 Tablespoon of lime juice. Serve with tortillas, cheese, cilantro, and red cabbage. Enjoy!

Beautycounter – upcoming events

Guys, I’m so excited to share with you two fun events that are coming up here in Boston…hope to see you there! Hope everyone has a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving!

Spin and sample – December 5

Photo credit: http://www.velo-citystudio.com

My colleague Robin and I are partnering up with our friends at Vélo-city for some spin and sample – come for a spin class and learn about and try Beautycounter!

Vélo is one of my favorite spin studios. It is conveniently located right near Copley Square and they have great playlists, great instructors, and it’s a great workout. I recently went to a Beyoncé, Bieber, and Britney class. So fun!

Walk-ins are welcome, but you will definitely want to reserve a spot in advance on their web site or via Class Pass! If you’ve never been to Vélo before, you can take advantage of their new rider special (single class $12, 3 classes for $30)…that is 50% off the regular price of a single ride, such an awesome deal.

The class schedule for Saturday, December 5 is:

8:15-9:15
9:30-10:15
10:45-11:30
12:00-12:45

Cocktails and Conversation – December 9, 7-8:30 PM

Photo credit: Beautycounter

Join the Beautycounter team, including Founder and CEO Gregg Renfrew, for an evening of cocktails and conversation, and experience our high-performing products firsthand. This event will be held at the Harborside Salon at the State Room (60 State Street, Boston, MA).

Space is limited, so RSVP today at www.beautycounter.com/events.

And in other news…
In the press
Today: 20 holiday gift ideas for under $20
Access Hollywood (video)

Beautycounter on Capitol Hill
CBS News (video): Congress fights to ensure safety of personal care products
PR Newswire: Beautycounter CEO Gregg Renfrew Heads to Capitol Hill to Expose the Ugly Truth About the Beauty Industry
Yahoo Beauty: Your Beauty Products May Not Be Safe and Congress is Finally Stepping In

The rundown
beautycounter.com/karabecker

November RC – Worden Hall

Wings!

I missed last month’s RC at T.W. Food, but I was back this month as we headed to Southie. I heard that the first choice for this month was Coppersmith, but since that is closed on Mondays we headed to Worden Hall, which opened at the end of the summer. Worden Hall is owned by the same folks who run Five Horses Tavern in Davis Square and the South End and it is named after a 19th century guest house in Saratoga Springs, NY.

‘za!

We had a cozy table for four and a very attentive server. The menu is “modern American cuisine” and the most delicious things we ordered were the wings, the pizza, and the curly fries. How very American and not very modern of us. The crispy chicken wings were oh so tasty, with Carolina-style BBQ, buttermilk ranch, and big chunks of blue cheese. The pizzas are deep dish, and not too greasy or cheesy or heavy. We got the one with soppressata, garlic sausage, sauteed broccoli rabe, and a yummy tomato sauce.

I think the other dishes we got were perfectly fine and tasty, but they just could not compete with those wings and that pizza. But I would skip the crispy chicken nuggets.

Falafel, and curly fries

Brussels sprouts salad

Raw and roasted Brussels sprouts salad with crispy chorizo, toasted sunflower seeds, aged sheep’s milk cheese, and orange-fennel vinaigrette
Red lentil and chickpea falafel with garbanzo hummus, greens, pickled cucumber and red onion, cilantro relish, tahini dressing, naan

Baked delicata squash with sugar pumpkin and toasted pepita quinoa, sage and dried currants, gingered carrot, apple puree

For dessert, our server told us the chocolate cake was “amazing” and that it “puts a smile on everyone’s face.” How could you not order it after that recommendation? Well unfortunately it did not bring smiles to our faces…we all agreed that it was not our favorite, but all in all it was another fun and successful RC. Great pick Lorelei!

The damage
$55 per person

The rundown
Worden Hall
22 West Broadway, South Boston
@WordenHall

Pumpkin ricotta stuffed shells

Roasting party with sugar pumpkin, turnips, and beets

I know this recipe is going to sound kind of fussy…I won’t lie, it kind of is, but it is also worth it! Stuffed shells are always a bit time-consuming because you have to parboil the pasta. But there are shortcuts! Since the point of this recipe (for me) was to use a cute lil’ sugar pumpkin from the end of my CSA, alas there were no shortcuts for me. But I broke it down over the course of three days:

Day 1: roasted pumpkin, made sauce, and chopped Swiss chard (shortcut: use canned pumpkin [not pumpkin pie filling] and pre-made sauce)
Day 2: parboil shells, stuff, and prepare pan; cover with foil and store in refrigerator overnight
Day 3: bake and eat

I cooked the whole box (12 ounces) of jumbo pasta shells and made enough filling to fill them all. Once I filled my 13″ x 9″-inch baking pan, I froze the rest without baking them (placed on a cookie sheet in a single layer, then transferred to a ziploc bag once frozen to prevent the from sticking together).

As you’ll see below, I like simple sauces. And I like to use whole peeled tomatoes because it’s fun to get your hands a little dirty. The sauce recipe is enough for the 13″ x 9″-inch pan…though if you like a lot of sauce (like my dad), it might not be enough.

This recipe was taste-tested by two guinea pigs…I mean friends. They both gave it a thumbs up (not sure if that would be one thumb or two), but then again they may have just been excited for a free meal. And one of my favorite new moms will get to try it out too.

Pumpkin ricotta stuffed shells
Serves: 6-8

Stuffed shells, almost ready to be baked

Ingredients
Sauce
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 can (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes, chopped or broken up
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste + 1 can water

Filling
1 container (15 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese
2 1/2 cups roasted and mashed sugar pumpkin, or pumpkin puree

Dinner is served!

2 cups finely chopped Swiss chard
1 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Other ingredients
1 box (12 ounces) jumbo shells
Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. To make the sauce, heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onion, and pepper, and saute 3-4 minutes or until they start to soften. Add crushed red pepper, oregano, and Italian seasoning, and cook for another minute or so. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, and 6 ounces of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until ready to use. [If making this ahead of time, simmer for about 15 minutes, then cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator]

3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the stuffed shells for about 8 minutes (you want them to be undercooked at this point), then drain. To prevent them from sticking together, lay them on a cookie sheet that has a piece of nonstick foil or parchment paper on it.

4. To prepare the filling, mix together all of the filling ingredients in a large bowl. Once the shells are cooked, carefully fill the shells with the pumpkin mixture.

5. To assemble the dish, spread about half the sauce in a 13″ x 9″-inch baking pan. Add the shells (open side up) and then spoon the remaining sauce over each of the shells. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Boston magazine’s 25 best new restaurants

The November issue of Boston magazine is one of my favorites, because it features “the list.” In the past it’s been a top 50 list and this year they cut it in half and christened it the “25 best new restaurants in Boston 2015: the list,” aka their list of Boston’s most exciting dining destinations. And just like that, my numbers went wayyyy down. I finally got myself to O Ya and I don’t even get “credit” for it this year. Such a bummer.

Anyway, it looks like I have some work to do before next November! RC friends take note:

Fave issue

1. Tasting Counter

4. Study

5. Hojoko

7. Select Oyster Bar

8. The Backroom at Moody’s

9. Brewer’s Fork

11. Centre Street Cafe

12. The Bancroft

13. Chef Chang’s on Back Bay

16. Cafe ArtScience

17. Liquid Art House

18. Dumpling Palace

21. Rosebud American Kitchen & Bar

22. Woods Hill Table

23. Comedor

24. Josephine

Where I’ve been (asterisk indicates an RC pick):

2. Shepard

3. Banyan Bar + Refuge

6. La Brasa*

10. BISq*

14. Loyal Nine*

15. Babbo

19. Boston Public Market (well technically I haven’t eaten here, but I’m still counting it)

20. Santouka Ramen

25. Committee*

Corned beef hash

Hello and good morning Saturday! I thought I’d share this corned beef hash recipe in case you are looking for a good brunch idea and you just happen to have some leftover corned beef hanging around. I can’t even begin to predict what the chances of that might be, but hey, you never know.

I have recently re-discovered my cast iron skillet, which was actually my grandmother’s cast iron skillet, so I’ve been trying to think of fun things to make in it. Unfortunately, this was a semi-failed attempt because it got kinda burned and I was not able to flip it as a patty, per the recipe instructions. My advice, don’t skimp on the butter. Next time I might try half butter, half canola or olive oil since it is hard for me to use that much butter in anything other than baked goods.

Mise en place

Corned beef hash
Source: adapted from Saveur
Serves: 6

Ingredients
2 cups roughly chopped boiled potatoes (Yukon gold or red skin)
1 1/2 cups finely chopped cooked corned beef
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 Tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1 Tablespoon whole grain mustard
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 small yellow onion, grated

Before the failed attempt to flip

1/2 bell pepper, diced small
1 clove garlic, minced
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions
1. Mash half of the potatoes with a fork in a large bowl until smooth; add the remaining potatoes and all of the rest of the ingredients. Mix until evenly combined.

2. Heat the butter in a 12″ cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the corned beef mixture, and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Press the corned beef mixture into a flat cake, and cook until the mixture is browned and crusty on the bottom, about 10 minutes. Flip the cake, and continue cooking until the mixture is browned and crusty on the other side, about 8 minutes.

3. Transfer to a serving plate and cut hash into wedges to serve.

Chicken quinoa kale casserole

I’m still looking for and finding new ways to use kale (and Swiss chard and collard greens)…in this case it subbed in for broccoli. Apparently I’m also eating a lot of chicken lately. I made this for my friends Claire and Keith, who are navigating the joys (and screams) of being new parents, and we all thought it was pretty darn tasty. Or maybe they’re just sleep deprived and appreciative of anyone who shows up in their kitchen to take care of dinner. I think it’s probably all of the above.

Poultry seasoning…apparently that’s a thing? I substituted a “poultry rub” that Claire had on hand, but next time I might try to make it myself, with this recipe from allrecipes, or this one.

Chicken quinoa kale casserole
Serves: 6

Chicken prep

Adapted from Pinch of Yum, via Pinterest

Ingredients
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk, divided
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 cup flour
1 cup water
1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
1/4 cup cooked, crumbled bacon
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
Kale, lots and lots of kale (or greens)
1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and generously grease a 13- x 9-inch baking dish.

Casserole!

2. In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken broth and 1/2 cup of the milk to a low boil. In a measuring cup, whisk together the other 1/2 cup of milk with the poultry seasoning and flour. Add the mixture to the boiling liquid, lower heat, and whisk until a smooth, creamy sauce forms.

3. Remove the sauce from the stove top and stir in 1 cup of water, quinoa, and bacon until combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Lay the strips of chicken breast on top of the quinoa mixture. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes.

4. Remove the casserole from the oven, and stir in the kale. Bake for additional 20-30 minutes, or until the kale is cooked and the quinoa has popped. Top with Gruyere cheese and bake for 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Chicken sweet potato and kale soup

Another Sunday funday of chopping veggies to make this yummy soup. And I was able to put my CSA kale and sweet potato to good use (and an onion and some garlic too)!

Mise en place

The original recipe called for 2 chicken breasts (about 26 ounces), which I did, but then decided to just add one back to the soup. I shredded the other one to use later in the week…and then the little light bulb went off above my head. This could be a great way to cook extra chicken in the future!

Chicken sweet potato and kale soup
Serves: 6
Adapted from Skinnytaste.com

Ingredients
1 bone-in chicken breast
Salt and pepper
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced

Adding in the kale

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 fresh jalapeno, sliced in half lengthwise (discard ribs and seeds)
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced into 1-inch cubes
1 bunch kale, chopped

Directions
1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and set aside while you prep the vegetables.

Homemade soup!

2. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breast to the pot, skin side down and cook for 5-7 minutes until the skin is brown and releases from the bottom. Remove from pot and set aside.

3. Add the onions, celery, and garlic and cook for 3-5 minutes until softened. Stir in the oregano, thyme, and cumin, and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken broth, chicken (skin side up), and jalapeno. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the sweet potato and kale, then cover and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender and the chicken is cooked, about 25-30 minutes.

4. Remove the chicken, then remove the skin and bones and shred. Return the chicken to the pot and stir to combine. Discard the jalapeno, then serve and enjoy!

Hasselback apples

This recipe is hot off the press, aka hot out of the oven post Sunday dinner chez Kara. My friend Ruthie suggested this dessert, and it was perfect since I recently read about the Hasselback technique and I have *plenty* of apples…it was just meant to be (in my belly).

You might be wondering what the heck Hasselback means. From what I can ascertain from my friend Google, this is traditionally a potato dish that originated from Restaurant Hasselbacken in Stockholm, Sweden. The potatoes are sliced thinly, but not all the way through, so they look like an accordian. They are then brushed with butter and roasted.

This was definitely a dessert success, and now that I’ve read more about it, I think I would like to try this with potatoes too (also something I have *plenty* of).

Hasselback apples

Hasselback apples after step 3

Serves: 3-6 (depends how hungry you are!)
Source: adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients
3 medium-sized, firm apples
Cooking spray
3 Tablespoons brown sugar, divided
2 1/2 Tablespoons butter, melted and divided
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
2 Tablespoons old-fashioned rolled oats
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Vanilla ice cream

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Just add ice cream!

2. Peel and core apples, then slice in half vertically. Place each apple half flat side down and slice crosswise most (but not all) the way through each half at 1/8-inch intervals. Place apple halves, flat side down, in an 8-inch broiler-safe baking dish coated with cooking spray. In a small bowl, mix together 1 Tablespoon brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon melted butter, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Brush mixture evenly over apples.

3. Cover pan with foil; bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes. Remove foil, then bake for an additional 10 minutes or until apples are tender. Remove pan from oven and cool for 10 minutes.

4. In another small bowl, mix together 2 Tablespoons brown sugar, 1 1/2 Tablespoons melted butter, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, oats, flour, and salt. Carefully fan open apple halves and spoon oat mixture evenly over the apples. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn oven to broil and broil for 2 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Butternut squash and kale pasta bake

I am in full-on fall food mode, and I think butternut squash and kale go together kind of like peanut butter and jelly. I was inspired by Jamie Oliver’s recipe for a squash and ricotta bake, and decided to make a version that included more veggies (Tuscan kale!) and less pasta. The result? Pretty tasty, and makes for great leftovers too.

Butternut squash and kale pasta bake

Serves: 4

Butternut squash, kale, tomato mixture

Adapted from Jamie Oliver

Ingredients

1 butternut squash, peeled, deseeded, and cut into small cubes

2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch Tuscan kale, chopped

1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

8 ounces penne pasta

1/4 cup ricotta cheese

Dinner is served!

1 cup vegetable stock

4 ounces fresh mozzarella

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix the squash with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, or until tender. Keep oven on.

2. Heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and saute for a few minutes, then add kale and saute for a few more minutes. Add tomatoes and roasted squash to the pan, bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the ricotta and the vegetable stock and bring back to a boil.

3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, and cook the penne for a couple minutes less than the directions on the package. Drain, then toss with the sauce.

4. Spray a square baking pan with cooking spray, then spoon in the pasta and sauce. Tear or shred the mozzarella and spread on top. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes or until golden and bubbly.