Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Recipe: Brown Rice and Black Bean Casserole

I have been looking for a good casserole dish to make because I never really make casseroles, and I thought it'd be something good to make one night and have for lunch or leftovers another night.  While browsing allrecipes.com I came across this casserole dish that sounded just up my alley.  I looked at the ingredients and was drawn to it because it is Mexican inspired, and I love almost anything with black beans.  I also found the list of ingredients easy to come by and not lengthy.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup brown rice
1 cup vegetable broth
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/3 cup diced onion
1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
2 cooked skinless boneless chicken breast halves, chopped
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 tsp. cumin
salt to taste
ground cayenne pepper to taste
1 (15 oz) can of black beans, drained
1 (4 oz.) can of diced green chile peppers, drained
1/3 cup shredded carrots
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

1.  Mix the rice and vegetable broth in a pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes or until rice is tender.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a large casserole dish.
3. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook the onion until tender.  Mix in the zucchini, chicken, and mushrooms.  Season with cumin, salt, and ground cayenne pepper.  Cook and stir until zucchini is lightly browned and chicken is heated through.

4. In a large bowl, mix the cooked rice, onion, zucchini, chicken, mushrooms, beans, chiles, carrots, and 1/2 the Swiss cheese. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish, and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

5. Cover casserole loosely with foil, bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking for another 10 minutes.

So, this sounds somewhat complicated and timely, which I will say it was not complicated at all, but it was a bit timely.  However, I think it was worth it! This turned out even better than I had expected.  All these ingredients went very well together, but I have to share some of my changes that I had made:

For one, I couldn't find zucchini at the grocery store! Seriously, I looked everyone, so I substituted red pepper instead.  I actually think this may have been a good choice.  Secondly, I prefer shredded chicken that I boil opposed to sauteeing the chicken with the veggies. I also didn't have enough Swiss, but I had some cheddar on hand, so I just tossed some of that on with the Swiss.  I used extra cayenne because I love spicy food and I also tossed a little bit of salsa I had on hand with the mixture, it appeared a bit dry to me...but I think it would have been just as good without it.  Lastly, this really does make quite a bit, so use a BIG bowl to mix everything together.  I underestimated and had to switch bowls, which is a pain to clean up.
This really came out very flavorful and yummy.  I had a couple tortilla chips with it, but I didn't need those.  I also had a little side of sour cream, but I didn't really need that either!  Of course,  I did toss a bit of hot sauce in though to spice it up even more!

Word of caution, this takes about an hour and 15 minutes or so with cook time.  I think it would be faster my second time making it, but I think it's worth a try and it would serve at least 6 people.
~Kate

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Review: Daveed's at 934

During Restaurant Week this Fall, Kris, me and 2 of our friends decided to do our Wine Wednesday at a restaurant for a change.  After looking at some of the menus online, we decided to try Daveed's at 934 in Mt. Adams. Kris had been there before and raved about it, and 3 of us had never gone, so we thought it was a good choice. We made a reservation, but after arriving, I'm not sure if we would have needed one.  It wasn't too busy, but there were about 5 other tables seated.

The inside of Daveed's is really unique.  There is really vibrant, colorful artwork along the walls in the main room with some mirrors along one side as well.  It felt very modern but not "stuffy".  The tables had wine linens but the restaurant didn't feel too fancy.  I didn't go out back, but apparently there is an outdoor area as well.

Since we went for Restaurant Week, we ordered off that menu, but their regular menu seems to be "American with a twist".  Some restaurants give you a variety of choices for their Restaurant Week menu, but Daveed's had a soup, salad, and a choice of 2 for an entree.  Kris also said the truffle fries here are awesome, so we ordered a side of those to start with.

Our server was great.  He was talkative and a nice sense of humor too.  As we were enjoying our wine and talking, our server brought us some warm bread served with a spread.  The bread was nice!  I liked the spread, it was a nice change from original butter.  We were also brought an amuse bouche.  None of us really cared for this.  It didn't really have any taste to it all. Very bland.

The fries came out, and Kris was right.  These were delicious!  Very crispy and warm.  The truffle oil was light but added just enough flavor with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.  These was served with a "merlot" ketchup (I think that's what it was called), but most of us liked the fries better without it. I would definitely order these again.

Our soup arrived first which was a roasted tomato bisque with a homemade crouton and artichoke tapanade. This was fantastic!  Very creamy with great flavors of the tomatoes.  It wasn't too creamy though, it was more of a puree consistency.  This was one of the best soups I have had.  I would love to go back and get this again.

Next was our salad.  It was a romaine salad with feta and cucumbers tossed in a sherry vinaigrette.  I don't typically like cucumbers in my salad, but these were chopped fine and added a nice coolness.  I didn't LOVE this, but it was a good enough salad.

For our last course, I chose the flank steak.  Abby and Kris did as well.  This was served on a risotto cake, with spinach, and a honey truffle aioli.  They were cooked medium rare, which I like for flank steak.  This was great! I thought it was cooked perfectly.  The biggest surprise was the risotto cake, this was awesome! It had a nice crispy outside and warm and soft in the middle.  A nice addition to the steak.

Peppy got the other option of Grilled Chicken Pasta minus the chicken because she is a veggie.  This was a penne pasta with broccoli in a cheese-type sauce.  She really liked this!  I tried a bite and thought it was good as well.  I thought it'd be a bit boring without any meat, but it was pretty good!

I was overall really pleased with Daveed's.  The service was great.  All our courses were brought out together by an individual person which adds a nice touch.  The only complaint I would have was that it took awhile to get our checks and pay, but overall great!  Definitely give this place a try, on Thursdays they have burger and beer night, and starting October 1st, they are starting a pasta night special on Wednesdays as well.
~Kate

Food: 4
Service: 4
Overall Experience: 4

Daveed's at 934 on Urbanspoon

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Recipe: Fish Tacos

Recently, I have been craving really good fish tacos, so this week I finally decided to make them. I looked up a few recipes online and combined several of them that I thought sounded best - keeping the ingredients that sounded good and eliminating a few others. The experiment was a complete success! They were deeeeelicious and definitely worth trying!

Ingredients:

MARINADE:
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp honey
Juice from 1 lime
Green hot sauce, a few dashes  (like at Chipotle)
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
Salt and pepper
2-3 tilapia filets, cubed (or halibut also works well)

DRESSING:
3/4 cup sour cream
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
Juice from 1/2 of a lime
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
Salt and pepper
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

TOPPINGS:
Mango, diced
Shredded red cabbage
Cilantro, chopped
Corn tortillas (2-3 per person)

Start by whisking together all the ingredients for the marinade and refrigerate for at least a few hours if time allows. I marinated mine for about 8 hours while I was at work, so it was nice and flavorful.
Next, combine all the ingredients for the dressing. I'd recommend doing this before cooking the fish, since it cooks so quickly. Once it's prepared, taste the dressing and adjust the seasoning as needed. You may want more or less chili powder, cumin, etc. to your taste preference.
Now you can start cooking the fish. Place the chunks of tilapia in a skillet over medium heat for several minutes until the fish is flaky, making sure to stir occasionally. While the fish is cooking, I baked a few corn tortillas in the toaster oven for about 2-3 minutes, chopped the mangos and prepared a "taco bar" for my toppings and dressing.



All that's left to do is assemble! Place the cooked pieces of tilapia in the corn torillas, drizzle with the dressing and toppings of your choice. I like a lot of cilantro on mine, and I also squeeze a little lime over the assembled tacos. So simple, fresh and delicious! I hope you enjoy!



~Kris

Monday, September 19, 2011

Recipe: Spicy Cheeseburger Soup

Don't let the title of this recipe scare you off.  When I first heard it, I was very unsure, but this soup is fantastic!! It is a recipe my mom gave me, and it is one of my favorite things she makes.  I don't make a ton of different soups, but it was a rainy day this day and soup sounded perfect.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup of water
2 cups cubed peeled potatoes
2 small carrots, grated
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp. beef bouillon granules
1/2 tsp. salt
1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained
2 1/2 cup milk, divided
3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
8 oz. processed American cheese, cubed
1/4 to 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
Bacon pieces (optional)

1. In a large saucepan, combine the first 9 ingredients, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat;  cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.


My husband browned the beef while I chopped everything up!  Don't forget to drain the meat after it's browned.

2. Stir in beef and 2 cups of milk; heat through.
3. Combine flour and remaining milk until smooth; gradually stir into soup.  Bring to a boil, cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thick and bubbly.
4. Stir in cheese until melted.  Add cayenne. Top with bacon if desired.

This recipe could easily be modified to your liking.  I didn't quite measure out the pepper, I just used the whole green pepper, I used three carrots, 2 jalapenos, and I added some hot sauce because I like it extra spicy.  I haven't tried this before, but you could try using ground turkey if you prefer that.  If you want to make it a bit easier, you could also pick up the carrots from the salad bar to save a step from shredding carrots.  It turned out delicious, and I highly recommend trying it as it gets a bit chilly out!
We had this wine while cooking dinner and I just wanted to share because it was a nice cheaper wine!
~Kate

Monday, September 12, 2011

Review: Dancing Wasabi

We LOVE sushi and getting sushi together is one of our favorite things to do.  Kris and I are good at sharing food.  Some people hate sharing, my husband being one of them, which is why I love going out with Kris.  We often will order two things and share them because we want to try more than one thing!  So getting sushi together is great for us.  We order a lot of it and we have our "routine" when eating sushi too.  Dancing Wasabi is probably our favorite place to go for sushi.  It's awesome because all the rolls are half off all the time, you can't beat that.  Dancing Wasabi just opened a new location in Hyde Park on Edwards in the old Beluga location.  The location in Mt. Lookout just recently changed names to Cloud Nine Sushi, but I read that the food and the specials are the same there.  Kris, our friend Peppy, and I decided to try out the new location a couple weeks back.

I love that the new location has more seating.  Previously, there always seemed to be a wait at the Mt. Lookout location, but I really liked the coziness of the smaller location as well.  The new Dancing Wasabi has a front patio that has about 10 tables and the inside is very modern and clean.  There was a large bar in the center of the restaurant and long tables throughout the other rooms.  We sat in the front room right by the window which was nice.  We started with an order of edamame as we decided which rolls to order.

Dancing Wasabi has a nice selection of specialty rolls as well as more traditional rolls too.  We have been many times, so we had an idea of what we wanted.  We opted to share 6 rolls between the three of us and we went with Crunch Munch, Hot Mama Roll, Red Double Roll, Dynamite Roll, I think Spicy Tuna, and a spin on a Philadelphia roll that was topped with salmon with cream cheese, and asparagus for a nice crunch. My husband hates sushi with cream cheese, so I was excited to have something different since he wasn't there. This was delicious.

We all like a mix of spicy rolls and refreshing rolls with either salmon, tuna, crab, or yellowtail....we aren't into the eel.  It is really hard to say what was our favorite because they were honestly all delicious!!  Some of them seemed to have somewhat similar ingredients with just a bit different touch.   I loved the Crunch Munch  because of the tempura flakes sprinkled on top.  A table favorite were the Red Double Roll and Dynamite Roll.  I probably should have written down what was in all the rolls, but I didn't! Take a look at the picture and just know they were all delicious!

A small note about the service: it was fine but nothing special.  At Dancing Wasabi's Mt. Lookout location we always had the same servers who were great, but the service here didn't compare. Our waitress had to run and move her car and had asked other workers to keep an eye on us, which they hadn't.  So, we went awhile without refills, and when you're eating spicy sushi with ginger and wasabi, it can get kind of hot!  She did apologize though!

I haven't been to Cloud Nine yet, but I would like to go just to see if it's the same, and I do like the building it is in.  Many people feel it's tiny, but I like it!  We were all very happy, and stuffed, from our sushi.  It was all fantastic in my opinion.  Dancing Wasabi is a great place to go because all the rolls are half-off! It's a great place to go try sushi maybe if you have never had it before because you can get more specialty rolls and try a variety of items--plus they are open until 2am on the weekends.

~Kate

Food: 4
Service: 3
Overall Experience: 4

Dancing Wasabi on Urbanspoon

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Fall Restaurant Week

One of our favorite events of the year is almost here, Fall Restaurant Week in Cincinnati.  Restaurant Week features 25 local restaurants offering 3 course menus for only $26.11 and is running September 9-18th.  This is a great time to experience a variety of dining options at a reasonable price.  Check out the website for menus, information, and to make reservations.  Tell us where you're headed or what you think sounds good!

Friday, September 2, 2011

Recipe: Taco Roll-Ups


A week ago, I had plans to go to the Jimmy Buffet concert with a group of friends.  We decided to meet up our friend Dan's house beforehand to get the party started off right.  Now Dan is always a great host and has everything we need, but I was feeling like making an appetizer.  For whatever reason, Jimmy Buffet music reminds me of margaritas and Mexican food, so I had the perfect appetizer in mind.  This recipe is a family favorite, particularly my sister's favorite.  I believe my mom found it somewhere a long time ago, or made it up herself, I'm not quite sure, but we have been making and eating it for years!

Ingredients:

1 package of flour tortillas
1 can of refried beans
1 8 oz. package of cream cheese, room temperature
1 package of dry taco seasoning mix
about 4-6 green onions chopped
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1 jar of salsa

This is extremely easy to make.  First, mix refried beans, cream cheese, taco seasoning, onions, and cheese together.  I somewhat eyeball the onions and cheese, you can put as much as you like of those items in the mix.

Take out a tortilla and spoon some mix on.

Spread it on the tortilla evenly then roll it up.  Extremely easy!!

Before serving, I like to have had these chill in the refrigerator for a little bit, they are easier to slice that way.  Take them out of the fridge and slice into about a half inch pieces, place on a dish, and serve with salsa.

These were definitely a crowd pleaser, everyone seemed to enjoy them, and they are easy to take with you somewhere also!
~Kate