Serrano Chili & Cilantro Cornbread Muffins

Serrano Chili and Cilantro Cornbread Muffins

Description
These muffins are moist and chewy, spicy and sweet. When you make them, they won't last long! They are excellent eaten alone warmed with some butter, or as a side dish to a Southwestern entree.

Ingredients
2 small Serrano chilies (or 2 ounces canned green roasted chilies)
1 ½ cups unbleached white flour
½ cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Pinch cayenne
⅔ cup low-fat milk or soy milk
2 large eggs
½ cup expeller-pressed canola or grape seed oil or softened butter
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup or sugar
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

HONEY BUTTER TOPPING(Optional)
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons soft butter

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
2. Put the chilies on a baking pan on the top rack under the broiler until they blister and turn black. Turn them over and repeat. Remove them from the broiler and drop them into a brown bag to cool. The skin will become loose and flaky as they cool.
3. Mix together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk together the milk, eggs, oil or butter, maple syrup or sugar, and the cilantro in a separate bowl.
4. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon until thoroughly mixed.
5. Take the chilies out of the bag and slice them in half, directly down the middle. Open them up, and remove the seeds and discard. Peel the skin off and discard. Cut the chilies into small pieces and stir them into the batter until they are completely mixed in.
6. Smear a little butter or oil on the bottoms and sides of a 9-inch square baking pan or 12 muffin molds and pour the batter in. Bake 20 minutes if using a muffin pan, or 25 minutes if you're using a baking pan. Remove from the oven and let cool.
7. Make the Honey Butter: Simply blend the softened honey and butter together in a bowl with a fork, whipping lightly to create a creamy spread. Scoop the spread into a ramekin and serve along with the cornbread.
8. Make 1 slice directly down the middle of the baking pan and 4 slices across to make 10 rectangular pieces.

Tips from Rosie's Kitchen:The indigenous people of the Southwest used to roast their chili peppers over an open fire. If you're feeling really motivated and have the time to do it, you, too, can roast the chilies over a flame or over a barbecue grill, instead of broiling them. Hold the chilies 4 inches away from the flame and rotate until all sides of the pepper turn black. If you'd like to use an alternative to chili peppers, just sauté? 1/2 cup onions in a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil and use them in place. When handling Serrano chilies, do not touch your eyes, because these chilies will sting.

Pork Loin with Citrus Glaze

Pork Loin
This citrus glaze is superb!
Ingredients:
GLAZE

2 ounces canola oil

1 large onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped1 chipotle pepper, chopped

1 Arbol chili, stem removed (usually find dried in produce section)

1 tablespoon cracked black pepper

2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 cups orange juice

2 cups gluten free barbecue sauce

6 dashes Tabasco style hot sauce

2 lemons juiced

Kosher salt to taste

PORK LOIN

3 pounds pork loin

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons kosher salt

2 tablespoons cracked black pepper

Directions: Preheat oven to 350°F.

GLAZE

In a small saucepot add canola oil and sauté onions and garlic until translucent. Then add chipotle and Arbol chilies and continue to cook until chilies start to toast. Then add cracked black pepper, Worcestershire sauce and orange juice. Reduce heat when orange juice starts to thicken. Then add in your favorite barbecue sauce and reduce to low heat. Continue cooking for about 15 minutes. Season with hot sauce, lemon juice and to taste with salt. Strain barbecue sauce and set aside.

PORK LOIN

Place pork loin in a roasting pan and rub the pork loin with olive oil and season with salt and cracked pepper. Roast in the oven (basting with the citrus glaze about every 15 minutes) until the internal temperature is about 140 degrees. Let meat set up for about 5 minutes and slice.

Anna's Birthday Chicken (and Pork)

I am so glad you could come celebrate Anna's birthday with us. Just in case you want to relive the night, here is a super complicated recipe for the tasty meal we ate:

Place three boneless skinless chicken breasts in a crock pot, cover with your favorite salsa. Cook on low for 6-8 hours (or on high for about 2-2 1/2). Shred the chicken. Enjoy with your favorite fixings.

Variation: cut a pork tenderloin into three shorter hunks. cover with green salsa and proceed as above.

Happy cooking!

BANANA CAKE

I found this recipe on "I Heart Food" (I added a link on the side) & it won us over. I've been getting bananas in the Co-Op basket lately & we just don't eat them. I had some very ripe bananas sitting on my counter & wanted to try something different rather than banana bread. Made this yesterday (Monday) & it will easily be gone by tonight. It is DELISH!!

Recipe:

1/2 cup butter

2 beaten eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 cup mashed bananas

2 cup flour

1/2 cup milk

Pre-heat your over to 350 degrees.

Start by creaming the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl

Add eggs and vanilla and beat well

Now add your mashed bananas to the mix. Our bananas were already very soft so we just added them whole.

After the bananas are added the mixture will look pretty runny... that's when you add the dry ingredients.

Sift dry ingredients together. Alternate between adding the dry ingredients and milk

Grease a 13X9 pan and pour in the batter

Place pan in the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes. Use the toothpick trick to determine when the cake is done

Once the cake is cooled, sprinkle powdered sugar on top. (**We didn't add the powdered sugar & it was still WONDERFUL!!**)

egg-cellent dinner

wish i had a picture! {although, i'm sure i will make it again real soon}
this was one of the easiest, tastiest dinners ever!

1 small eggplant (46 calories)
1/8 cup mozzarella cheese (45 calories)
1/4 cup trader joes pizza sauce (or use marinana sauce) (80 calories)


chop eggplant into small pieces. saute in skillet for about 5 minutes on high.
put on plate. add cheese. add sauce.

salt, pepper to taste.

so good and so HEALTHY!

serves: 1
total calories: 171