Black Bean Chorizo Subs and Roasted Pepitas

I found this recipe for Black Bean Chorizo Subs around the time that Rick Bayless cooked a state dinner. The recipe sounded strange, but I trusted the POTUS and FLOTUS' taste in chefs. I really liked the sandwiches, but Ilya thought they were disgusting because of the texture so if you're not a fan of smashed beans + meat, you might want to skip this one. It was a great idea to hollow out the bread so the beans/meat would have a place to fill instead of squishing out the sides- I might use that more often.



I've also been experimenting with nuts because I'm trying to eat more of them. Right now I have a big bag of pepitas from Trader Joes and while they're tasty on their own, they are also boring. This recipe for sugar and spice roasted pepitas makes a super flavorful nut mix? bar? I don't know what to call these, but they are super tasty. I would use a ltitle less cumin and chili because it was a bit too much. I really liked the sugar + salt + chile combination though. I might try this with some other nuts.

Croque Monsieur

Mmmm this is like a fancy grilled cheese. The sweet, salty ham, the gooey grueyere, crisp buttery bread and the the nutty sauce. SO GOOD! I had a croque madame (a croque monsieur with a fried egg on top) at Morels at the Grove. It was good, but they put a LOT of sauce on so it was soggy. I didn't make as much sauce as the recipe called for so that the bread would still be crisp. I also substituted thyme for nutmeg and the bay leaf because that's what I had on hand. Also... no chives, but they would be great the next time I make them. I used the Trader Joe's 4 cheese sour dough bread because I love sour dough.


This is like my 10th time making a roux so I'm starting to get the hang of it. The first time I made it was for a mac and cheese and I was not sure what the hell flour + butter was going to taste like. For this one, I let it cook for awhile (on accident) so it had a nuttier taste. I'm going to experiment more with the roux and see how it affects the recipe.

All in all, a very very good sandwich. But then again, where can you go wrong with cheese + ham + butter + bread?

The Ultimate Reuben Sandwich

In celebration of St. Patrick's Day, I bought some corned beef with a mission in mind: the ultimate Reuben sandwich. Unfortunately I couldn't find corned beef in the deli-sliced meat section, so I thought, well why not make it "from scratch"? Cheers to first-times; it turned out DELICIOUS. Feast your eyes:




















If only I could transmit smells through pictures... the aroma of corned beef is heavenly. It's also surprisingly simple to make, inexpensive, and yummy! Impress your friends; here's a try-it-yourself recipe:

Ingredients (Makes about 8 servings.)

• 1 package (3 lb.) corned beef brisket
• 1 loaf sliced Russian rye bread (or any variation of rye)
• 1 16 oz. jar sauerkraut, drained
• thousand island dressing (or substitute with mayonnaise)
• 2 tbsp butter, or to taste
• 1 package sliced swiss cheese (muenster cheese works well too)

Directions

1. Place corned beef in a pot, submerge with water. Bring to a boil.
2. Turn down heat to low-medium and cover with lid. Let simmer for another 3 hours. This will make the meat very tender. Add water as necessary to keep meat submerged.
3. When done, the meat should come apart very easily/should be able to easily poke into the meat with a butter knife. Remove from water and let drain and set/cool for 20 minutes. This will help the meat solidify and make it easier to cut thin slices.
4. Heat a pan to medium heat, and melt butter. Place two slices of bread onto buttered pan, and place cheese on bread to melt while over heat. Heat until bread is toasty and browned.
5. Assemble sandwich with sliced meat, thousand island, and sauerkraut to your liking!

For the budget-conscious: all the ingredients cost a little under $25. A Reuben sandwich ranges from $6-$10 (save two to three times the eating-out cost!), and deli-sliced meat will probably cost you at least $15 more.

What's more: save the broth you cooked the corned beef in and use it to make SOUP!

Ingredients

• 5 potatoes
  
• 3 carrots
• 1 cabbage head
  
• 1 onion

Peel, wash, and dice ingredients to your liking and toss it in the broth. Add water and salt as necessary. Voila!--a hearty soup to serve with your sandwich.