Smokin' chilies at the park

The Vore just got a new toy, a radio. So we took it with us to the park for our weekly BBQ. I knew we'd have plenty of time to kill before the Vore was bored with his new toy, so I decided to bring some chilies I had just gotten at the farmers market. The chilies grown in Kansas aren't as spicy as those I'm used to. The chilies grown in New Mexico are spicy, something to do with the dry climate ,according to the Vore. Regardless of the actual heat of the chili, I always loved them smoked. Well if I'm going to be accurate, grilled.

It's really easy if you have a grill. The Vore prefers grilling with a hardwood charcoal, it burns hotter and longer than the standard stuff, plus it adds the flavor you would get from a traditional smoking method with out the extra time. Just cook the chilies until the skin is charred. Put in a Ziplock bag to cool, this makes the skins easier to remove. When the chilies are cool enough to handle rub, or pull, the skin off. You now have chilies that are ready for any application you would like.

If you don't have a grill, or the time to grill. Put the chilies on a sheet pan in the oven for 5 min per side. The oven should be set to broil and the rack will need to be at it highest level. The skin will start to blister and turn black. It will look different from the char you get on the grill, the taste will be a little different too, not as smoky, be still delicious.

Later this week I'll be making Vegan Chili Rellanos. I'll probably also add them into my Vegan Corn Casserole. I think chilies make the world go round, so they tend to pop up everywhere in my cooking!

Note: (7/28/09) Chilies contain a chemical called capsaicin; it's what causes the heat. Different chilies contain different amounts of capsaicin; they are measured on the Scoville Scale. The bell pepper is a 0 on the Scoville scale, but a habenaros is near the top (just below police grade pepper spray.) Whatever the amount of capsaicin, if you are working with chilies you will want to wear latex gloves when you are working with them. The only way to effectively get rid of the capsaicin if you get it on your skin is by soaking in milk. Milk alternatives do not contain the ingredient that causes the chemical bond to break up so you'll need to use real dairy milk. So just wear gloves, especially if you're using chilies with a large amount of capsasin like habenaros.

The Vore eats Squash!

The Vore always says he HATES squash. I love it. I found some beautiful Patty Pan squash at the local farmers market that I wanted to use for lunch last week. I started looking around my favorite blogs and sites for inspiration when I found Sunny Summer Squash soup at Fat Free Vegan Kitchen. So a big thanks to Susan V the Vore now likes squash too!!!! WOOT, WOOT (as my little sister would say). I took a little creative liberty with the soup, I added a cup of soy milk to make is more bisque like; I was also out of fresh chilies so I used crushed red pepper flakes. I also used the optional ingredients. The tahini adds a mild nutty flavor and really helps attain the creaminess of good bisque. I LOVE the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen. I just need to get that out of the way. The following recipe is taken from her blog with a few changes I added. (http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2008/08/sunny-summer-squash-soup.html)

*Picture curtesy of Susan V, http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/

Sunny Summer Squash Soup 1 large onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 2t crushed red pepper flakes, (use less if you'd like, but we like it spicy) 2 ribs celery, strings removed and chopped 2 medium (12-14 ounces) gold potatoes, peeled and cut into small dice 1 1/2 pounds small yellow squash, chopped (or young zucchini) 1 pinch white pepper 4 cups vegetable broth 1 teaspoon oregano 1C Plain light soy milk 1/2 teaspoon turmeric (optional, for color) 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional) 1 tablespoon tahini (optional) salt and white pepper, to taste (optional) Serve with: Roasted Red Pepper Bruschetta on toasted French Bread (recipe follows) Heat a large non-stick or enamel-coated pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, reduce the heat to medium, and cook, covered but stirring every minute or so, until it begins to brown, about 5 minutes (add a little water if it tends to stick). Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and cook for another minute. Add all remaining ingredients except the optional ones. Cover and cook until the potatoes are completely tender (they will mash if lightly pressed with a spoon), about 25-40 minutes. Remove half of the soup and put it into a blender* and puree at high speed until completely smooth. (Be careful--hot liquids can erupt from your blender; I always remove the center cup from the lid and cover the opening with a kitchen towel.) Once it's blended, pour the soup into another pot. Add the remaining soup to the blender, along with any optional ingredients you choose to use, and blend well. Add to the other half of the soup, the soy milk, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Ladle into bowls, garnish with slices of red bell pepper, and serve. Susan V recommends garnishing your soup with roasted red pepper slivers; I prefer to use the bruschetta. I always want something crunchy with my soup so I don't feel like I'm drinking my dinner! :) However you decide to garnish, the flavor of roasted red peppers add a nice smoky sweetness that amazing with the soup. Roasted Red Pepper Bruschetta 1 jar roasted red peppers* 1 large tomato 3 cloves garlic Heat oven to 350. Put tomato and garlic on a cookie sheet, drizzle with any good oil (I like canola oil). Bake for 30 min, or until garlic is med gold. Allow to cool to a temp your comfortable handling. Cut the roasted red pepper and the tomato into larger chunks. You should be able to smush the garlic out of the casings, add this to the tomatoes and peppers. Smear onto the waiting toasted bread. *If you'd like to roast your own pepper, use 4 or 5 and roast at 500 for about 5 min per side. You'll want the skin to char. When all sides are near charred put in a waiting Ziploc bag and allow to cool. When the peppers a still warm but cool enough to handle remove the skin. They are now ready for what ever you'd like to use them for. Susan Thanks again for letting me post your recipe! You rock!

Here goes...

I'm a vegan, most of the time, my husband is not. Trying to cook for two very different diets can be a struggle. I know there have to be more families like our out there, so I thought I'd volunteer as the public Guinea pig! I'll include pictures when I can remember them, though they might not be very good. I only have a camera phone right now. Tonight's dinner is the (belated) birthday dinner the Vore begged for. Bar-B-Que! Well really it's grilled hamburgers, grilled corn on the cob and baked beans. We went to the local park and used their grill, it's been really cool this week. Vore forgot the camera and the charcoal. I was hungry so I wasn't to worried about the missing camera, the charcoal was a different story! The only picture I have is of the grill we used, taken by my camera phone! It does little justice to the beauty of the park. The Vore is picker than any toddler I've met (though truth be told I haven't met many), he wants baked beans out of the can, no "funny" flavors. Luckily he's rather health conscious so he always wants the vegetarian baked beans since they're fat free. The local farmers market is pretty good, and sweet corn abounds! The meat we buy Vore is ground turkey from Phil's Farm (http://www.philsfarm.com/), his animals are hormone free, antibiotic free, treated humanely and the chickens and turkeys really are free range. If Vore's gonna get meat, it's meat I approve! Dinner for me, grilled portabella. There really isn't anything else out there that works well on the grill and subs for a good juicy burger, so many of the meat subs are dry and grainy. The main formula of my favorite marinade is below. Use it as is, or use what ever herbs and spices you like. I've added a little cinnamon before with good results. GRILLED PORTABELLA Large Portabella Mushrooms (s) Buns, 1 per mushroom Oil, I prefer canola, 2T per Mushroom salt, to taste pepper, to taste cumin, 1/4 t per mushroom ground chipotle pepper, 1/4t per mushroom (I always add more chipotle, it all depends on your spice tolerance) fresh minced garlic, 1 clove per mushroom In a small mixing bowl add oil, garlic, chipotle, salt and pepper. Remove the stems and veins from the mushrooms. Rub generously with the oil mixture and let sit for 20 min or so. I usually do this as Vore is getting the fire started. Depending on your grill and charcoal, the mushrooms will be perfect after about 15 min on each side. Remove from grill and enjoy with your favorite hamburger topping. Tonight I had guacamole, pepper jack Veggie Slices, and Morningstar Farms bacon.