by | July 2, 2012 · 12:39 pm

Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas

Awhile back when I made these Buffalo Chicken Poppers, I found myself with leftover chicken filling. Leftovers can be a dividing topic, however I happen to be a huge fan – especially of ones that can do double duty and transform into an entirely different dish.

Such is the case here. I converted my popper filling into tasty Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas to give us a break from the traditional Mexican flavors we usually use in quesadillas. They’re best served hot but can make a good portable lunch…if you’re into double leftovers. 🙂

Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas
serves 3-4
2 C shredded chicken
4 oz reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 tsp ranch dressing powder mix
3 Tbsp Franks Redhot Buffalo Wing sauce
3/4 C shredded sharp cheddar
3 large flour tortillas
1 Tbsp soft butter/margarine
2 stalks celery, trimmed and grated
Avocado Blue Cheese dip (optional)

Grate celery stalks using a cheese grater. Set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. In a medium bowl, combine shredded chicken, cream cheese, ranch powder and wing sauce until ingredients are well mixed and chicken is coated. Spread softened butter on one side of a large tortilla.  Fill half of the tortilla with chicken mixture and top with sharp cheddar.  Fold the unfilled half of the tortilla over the top of your chicken fillings to form a half moon and transfer to your skillet.

Cook for 3-4 minutes per side, or until golden brown, carefully flipping once the first side is crisped.  I find a large pancake spatula works well for flipping.

Top with grated celery and a drizzle of extra hot sauce. Serve with avocado dip or ranch dressing.

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by | June 29, 2012 · 8:00 am

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

As I mentioned last week, strawberries have been in full effect in our house. One of my favorite desserts (more than pie! shhh…) is a good, warm fruit crisp. I’ve yet to try a recipe that tops this one. The rhubarb and the orange flavoring perfectly balance out the sweet and tart of the strawberries. The top tastes like a warm crumbled oatmeal cookie. I found this recipe in Food Network Magazine awhile back and have adapted it a little bit to meet my taste buds. If you brave turning your oven on in this heat (it’s not too bad in the air conditioning), give this recipe a try! You won’t regret it.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
Adapted from Food Network Magazine

5 C hulled and quartered strawberries
3-4 stalks rhubarb, diced
1 1/4 C sugar
Zest of one medium sized orange
1 TBSP cornstarch
Juice of one medium sized orange
1 C all-purpose flour
1/2 C light brown sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 C quick cooking oats (not instant)
10 TBSP cold unsalted butter, diced
Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, add strawberries, rhubarb, 3/4 C sugar and orange zest. Stir until gently mixed together. In a small cup, dissolve the cornstarch into the orange juice. Add to the fruit mixture and stir. Pour mixture in an 8×8 square baking dish. Place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper in case of bubble over in the oven.

With an electric mixer, combine flour, remaining 1/2 C sugar, brown sugar, salt and oatmeal. With the mixer on low, add the butter and mix until the dry ingredients turn moist and the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle the topping over the fruit mixture, covering completely. Bake for 1 hour or until fruit is bubbling. Serve warm with a small scoop of ice cream.

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by | June 27, 2012 · 8:19 am

Taco Salad

My family loves taco night and we are usually left with a lot of leftover taco meat and crunchy taco shells to be used later in the week.  One of my favorite ways to use this up is to make a delicious taco salad.  It is quick and easy to make and just as satisfying as a taco itself!

Taco Salad

Left over taco meat, warmed
shredded lettuce
diced tomatoes
diced avocado
shredded cheese
corn, cooked and slightly cooled
chopped taco shells or tortilla chips
ranch dressing or sour cream

Place your lettuce on a plate and top with heated taco meat, tomatos, avacado, cheese, corn and chopped taco shells or tortilla chips.  Drizzle with rance dressing or sour cream.

It is so simple, but so delicious!

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by | June 22, 2012 · 8:00 am

{Skinny BBQ Series} Tropical Grilled Chicken with Spicy Strawberry Salsa

Just like Anne, I am no stranger to strawberries. The fam and I went on our second annual strawberry picking excursion out in Cedarburg, WI last weekend. We outdid ourselves this year. With over 20 lbs of strawberries, I’ve been looking for ways to incorporate these delectable juicy berries into every meal possible. I’ve made some less healthy (but delicious) strawberry almond muffins and strawberry rhubarb crisp, but I’ve also incorporated strawberries into fresh salads and this skinny BBQ recipe: tropical grilled chicken with spicy strawberry salsa.

I’ve found pairing strawberries with different flavors (spicy, tangy, etc.) really balances out flavors and brings the strawberries to life in a different way. This strawberry salsa would also be great on grilled fish or fish tacos. Chicken breast is always an alternative for skinny BBQ but so often it comes out over cooked, dry and bland. This simple marinade brings sweet and tropical flavors and keeps the chicken nice and juicy.

Tropical Grilled Chicken with Spicy Strawberry Salsa

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6 oz. pineapple juice
1/4 C low-sodium soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 C fresh strawberries, diced
1/2 large jalapeño pepper, diced
1/4 C cilantro, chopped
cracked black pepper
salt

In a shallow dish, mix pineapple juice, soy sauce, garlic, cumin and onion powder. Place chicken breasts in the dish, coating in the mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Preheat grill to high.

In a small bowl, mix together strawberries, jalapeño and cilantro. Add a pinch of coarse black pepper and salt to taste. Set aside.

Reduce grill to medium high heat. Place chicken breasts on grill. Cook for 7-8 minutes on each side. Do NOT keep moving and turning the chicken. Remove chicken from grill.

Place chicken breast on plate and top with heaping spoonful of strawberry salsa.

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by | June 20, 2012 · 10:11 am

Strawberry Shortcake with Toasted Coconut

With strawberry season in full swing, I have been finding ways to sneak strawberries into everything lately.  I recently made this delicious bunt cake and dressed it up with sliced strawberries, whipped cream and toasted coconut.  The coconut adds an nice crunch to this traditional dessert and another delicious layer of flavor.

Strawberry Shortcake with Toasted Coconut

Cake:
8 oz brick of room temperature Cream Cheese
1/2 cup warm water
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup oil
1 box white cake mix, butter recipe
1/2 cup sugar
4 eggs

Toppings:
Sliced Strawberries
Whipped Cream
Toasted Coconut

Cream the cream cheese, butter and water until soft and fluffy.  Add the cake mix and beat well.  Then add the oil and sugar and stir until combined.  Add one egg at a time and beat until fully mixed.  Spray a bunt pan and pour batter into pan.  Bake at 325 for 45 -50 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let cool slightly ans turn onto a plate.

Slice and top with strawberries, whipped cream and toasted coconut.

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by | June 18, 2012 · 7:39 am

Pork Chops with Cherry Saison Relish

It’s hard for me to resist the bags of ruby red cherries that abound this time of year. Even though they can be a pain to eat, I’m a sucker for the sweet-tart flavor. To amp up our standard grilled pork chops over the weekend, I put together this easy but complex cherry saison relish using items I had on hand, including a home brewed Belgian saison ale. Sweet, tart, savory and a touch spicy thanks to a sprinkle of chipotle, it has everything you could want in a summer sauce.

Pork Chops with Cherry Saison Relish
serves 2
1/3 C chicken stock
1/3 C Belgian saison ale (or wheat beer)
2 Tbsp stone ground mustard
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp corn starch
small pinch chipotle powder (optional)
kosher salt
fresh cracked black pepper

Remove stems and pits from cherries. Roughly chop cherries and transfer to a saute pan. Begin to heat on medium heat. Add chicken stock and saison ale to cherries, whisking to combine. Whisk in corn starch, brown sugar and mustard so that there are no clumps and let simmer until mixture reduces and begins to thicken, about 5-7 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add chipotle powder. Whisk well and let mixture continue to reduce and stay warm while your chops are being grilled.

Season chops on both sides with kosher salt and black pepper. Grill chops on raised rack of grill at 400 degrees for about 5-6 minutes per side based on thickness. Top chops with cherry sauce.

Recipe for sauce can be increased to support more chops and could also be paired with chicken.

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by | June 15, 2012 · 8:13 am

And the winner is…

Thanks to everyone for entering our Father’s Day Howling Wolf BBQ giveaway!

The winner of our contest is HAP reader…Bonnita Denson! Bonnita wrote: “I’m definitely with the Blood Mary peeps! My husband, who is a dad and his dad and my own dad like experimenting with different kinds of sauces. We havent tried these!! Also, I’ve “liked” HAP for a while now!! Thank you!!”

We hope you all enjoy your weekends, celebrating dads every where!

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by | June 13, 2012 · 7:45 am

Bacon & Grilled Garlic Scape Risotto

Every year at the spring farmer’s markets I see the baskets of the quirky, curly garlic scapes. I’ve always been curious but with such a short season of availability, the opportunity to try them is fleeting. Last weekend I finally decided to give them a whirl.

If you’ve never had them, garlic scapes taste like garlic mixed with a green onion. Raw they are a bit pungent however, when cooked any sharpness mellows out to a more delicate and balanced garlic-onion flavor. I made this risotto to let the flavor of the scapes shine and paired it with salty bacon to add a bit of richness. Just the first hint of the loveliness to come from the farmer’s markets this year!
scapes
bacon scape risotto

Bacon & Grilled Scape Risotto
1 1/2 C arborio rice
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 C white wine
4-5 C chicken stock
6 pieces bacon
7-8 garlic scapes
1 Tbsp butter
1/3 C grated parmesan cheese
cracked black pepper
salt

In a large sauce pan, add olive oil and arborio rice and begin to toast over medium heat for about 1 minute. Add in white wine and cook, stirring occasionally until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice. Add 1 C stock, continuing to stir until liquid is again absorbed. Repeat process, continually adding stock and stirring until it is absorbed. When most of the liquid is gone, test rice. It should be slightly al dente and creamy.

Place scapes in a grill pan and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Cook over medium heat until scapes have light grill marks. Meanwhile, cook bacon according to your favorite method. When I have multiple pans going, I like to microwave my bacon. To do so, place 2 paper towels on a plate and cover with bacon. Place one paper towel on top. Cook for about 7 minutes.

Transfer scapes and bacon to a cutting board and let sit until they’re cool enough to touch. Dice both. Reduce heat to very low. Stir in bacon and scapes. Fold in parmesan until it melts. Cut butter into four small squares and fold into risotto. Season with salt and cracked pepper.

Top with sprinkle of parmesan and diced raw garlic scape.
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by | June 11, 2012 · 8:00 am

{GIVEAWAY} Howling Wolf BBQ

This week we are celebrating dads by giving away what dad loves most – BBQ! We have had the honor and privilege of interviewing Ken Wolfe from Howling Wolf Gourmet Foods, who has enlightened us on us culinary BBQ perspective. If reading his story doesn’t make your mouth water for some delicious Father’s Day grilling, we aren’t sure what would! Please take the time to read about Howling Wolf and have the chance to win a BBQ combo pack with a bottle of the Howling Wolf Original BBQ sauce, Land & Sea Rub, and Dry Rub. Giveaway details are below.

Give us the one-minute bio of yourself.

I am a classically trained chef who has always had a passion for sauces, smoked foods, and BBQ. I started my career with a 3 1/2 year culinary apprenticeship in southern California, followed by two years of working as a chef in France. I spent most of my early career as a saucier, before moving up the ranks. Eventually I opened my own restaurant, Cafe Wyoming, in Dubois, Wyoming. At the Cafe, I featured my BBQ sauces and perfected my style of barbecuing. My ribs and sauce were mentioned in Jane & Michael Stern’s Roadfood 2005 edition. After six successful years, I sold the Cafe to focus on my sauces full time. I moved to Wisconsin five years ago and have been in the stores four years.

Tell us a little bit about how Howling Wolf BBQ got started?

I have always had a passion for BBQ growing up and as I progressed in the culinary field I was continually thinking of the possibility of starting a food line to eventually free me from the restaurant business. That line naturally became my own gourmet take on BBQ.

What inspires your BBQ flavors?

I love the diversity of flavors that the spice world offer. Combined with my passion for BBQ, I have been able to create some extra ordinary flavors that are both flavorful and very versatile. For example, My Cranberry Orange BBQ can be used as a glaze for Asian sweet and sour, and my original can be mixed with yogurt and takes on a middle eastern flavor.

Are you a gas or charcoal man?

At times gas is convenient but not only do I prefer charcoal but I prefer to make my own.

Describe your perfect BBQ meal.

I am always happy to devour a rack of perfectly smoked pork spare ribs but nothing beats a beautifully seasoned and smoked pork shoulder sandwich on a homemade roll topped with my homemade aged slaw and a good I.P.A.

How will you be spending your Father’s Day?

I will be doing something outside with my family most likely in the garden and it will most certainly end up with a nice dinner off the grill.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

In order to win the Howling Wolf BBQ Combo Pack, visit the Howling Wolf website and check out the different products and recipes. Leave us a comment on this post telling us how you would like to use a Howling Wolf product to put a smile on dad’s face this Father’s Day.

For an extra vote – like Haute Apple Pie on Facebook and let us know you did!

You must enter your comment by Thursday, June 14, 2012 at 11 p.m. CST. The winner of the giveaway will be announced Friday, June 15, 2012 and will be chosen at random. You must be over the age of 18 to vote and live in the Continental United States.

Happy Father’s Day to all those awesome dads out there!

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by | June 8, 2012 · 8:00 am

{Skinny BBQ Series} Tortilla Chicken Brats with Southwestern Sauerkraut

The grills have been rolled out and dusted off. The propane tanks filled. The charcoals are burning. It is grilling season again. Great news for the taste buds, bad news for the waistline. Enjoying a good brat or burger off the grill is a Midwesterners favorite pastime, but it can wreak havoc on your summer weight loss routine. This summer, we are running Skinny BBQ Series, lots of great grilled recipes from apps, to entrees, to desserts that you will not need to feel guilty about.

My good friend from college hails from the great state of New Mexico. If there are two things he has taught me, they are: tortillas and green chilies. We often grilled in college and never seemed to scrape enough money together to have buns lying around, so we would wrap our hot dogs and brats in tortillas. It cuts back on the carbs and calories and is surprisingly delicious! Now the chilies we are able to buy in cans here in the Midwest pale in comparison to the ones mailed straight from New Mexico, but they still get the flavor across.

When the lovely people at Gold’n Plump sent us some of their new chicken sausages, I was excited to create a meal that mixed my Germanic routes with my taste for Southwestern cuisine. Using Gold’n Plump’s new chicken bratwurst, I made a lean and spicy new twist on an old Wisconsin favorite.

Tortilla Chicken Brats with Southwestern Sauerkraut
1 package Gold’n Plump Chicken Bratwurst
5 Flour or Corn Tortillas (Use whole wheat for an added health bonus)
1 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
1 jar green chilies
1 16 oz. jar of sauerkraut, rinsed, drained and squeezed dry
1/2 tsp chipolte powder
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cumin
BBQ sauce (optional)

Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil. At a medium-high heat, sauté garlic for one minute, stirring constantly. Add onion and jalapeño. Sauté for 4-5 minutes, until softened. Add green chilies and reduce heat to medium. Stir in sauerkraut. Mix throughly. Add chipolte powder, pepper, paprika and cumin. Simmer at medium to low heat until ready to serve.

Add bratwurst to grill. Grill for 15-18 minutes, turning on all sides to cook evenly at even intervals. In the last 2 minutes of grilling, add tortillas to the grill. Heat until slightly crisp edges form, watching closely to make sure they do not burn.

Lay tortilla flat. Add bratwurst and large spoonful of sauerkraut. Drizzle about 1 TBSP of your favorite BBQ sauce (I love Saz’s!) and wrap.

These chicken brats only have 7 G of fat and 150 calories. If I did not know it was chicken, I would never have guessed. Sauerkraut may add a little extra sodium but no fat and virtually no calories. The extra tablespoon of BBQ sauce may add about 20 calories or so, but I think it is well worth it. This meal tastes sinfully bad for you, but packs in at less than 500 calories! Now that is what I call skinny BBQ!

*Disclaimer: Gold’n Plump provided Haute Apple Pie with the products utilized in this post, however the content, images, recipes and opinions are all our own.

 

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