What's Football Without Nachos?

I have been on quite the hiatus, I know, but there is good reason.  I have gone through a diet transformation over the summer, and I haven't felt better in years!  Now, don't get confused between dieting, and changing one's diet -- totally different.  You will never, ever, see me diet, I promise you that.  The dieting craze is not a wagon I am able to hang on to, and I'm not one for starving/depriving myself in any way.  However, I have undergone a major change in my eating habits and selections, so I wanted to get a good grasp on my new relationship with food, before I came over here to share my opinions on food with you.  Don't worry, I'm not going all rabbit food and no-fun on you, I'll still be covering nachos and tailgating and restaurants,  I just may throw in some creative spins from time to time about how to eat/prepare better foods. But more on that later, we've got more important things to talk about today...

COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON HAD OFFICIALLY BEGUN!!!!!  WOOHOO!

Today is the day we've been waiting for, folks!  So pack up your grills, prep your goodies, and head on down to the stadium!  Or, if you are following the upswing trend of tailgating at home, get to decorating, chopping, simmering, or what-have-you.  You still have time to put up the canopy, fire up the grill, chill the beer, and decorate before your friends come over and the game starts!

Still need some ideas?  How about NACHOS?  I seriously love nachos, if you couldn't tell.  So I'm going to talk about nacho-related recipes in honor of the big day.

Do you have a copy of The Ohio State Cookbook?  Ok, turn to page 10 and find a mouthwatering recipe for Field Goal Nachos.  Or turn to page 44, for TBDBINL Taco Dip, good for dipping if your not into smothering your chips.

Field Goal Nachos

Got a copy of The University of Oklahoma Cookbook?  Page 11, OU Chili Pie, yum!  Or for dunking, try Sooner Nation Salsa on page 44.

Feel like trying something different?  How about some Baja Nachos?  This was a recipe I came up with based on that time I made my first fish tacos with Red Gold Lime Juice & Cilantro tomatoes. My Baja nacho recipe was first published in the Fall 2013 Healthy Sooner online newsletter, and can be found here.  However, I've tweeked it since then.  Here's the simpler version:

Baja Nachos

Baja Nachos

Ingredients:

3 or 4 tilapia fillets (or flounder will work too)

Melted butter (optional)

Creole seasoning (blackening seasoning)

7 oz. can (or fresh) pineapple chunks (drained)

14.5 oz. can of Red Gold Petite Diced Tomatoes w/Lime Juice & Cilantro (drained)

1 avocado (sliced)

8" flour tortillas

Cabbage

Monterey Jack cheese

Olive oil

Olive oil cooking spray

Instructions:

Ok, first, preheat the over to 375 degrees.  Use a pizza cutter to slice the flour tortillas into triangles (8 per tortilla).  Line a baking sheet with foil and use olive oil cooking spray to lightly coat the foil, then lay the triangles out in a single layer on the foil, and spray them with an even coat of the olive oil.  Put the tray in the oven for about 5 minutes, or until the tortillas begin to crisp.  Remove and set to the side.

In a medium bowl, mix the Red Gold tomatoes and pineapple together until evenly distributed and set aside.

Then, heat up about 1-2 TBLS. of olive oil on medium-high heat in a large skillet.  Rinse the fish and pat dry.  Coat the fillets in melted butter (or the olive oil- depending on if you are trying to save your calorie count for something else at the party), then coat them in the creole seasoning and fry the fish for about 3-4 minutes on each side.  Remove from heat and drain off any excess butter/oil on paper towels.  

Now, to put it all together -- Lay the baked tortilla chips out on a plate.  Break the fish fillets up into chunks and scatter them over the tortillas.  Top with cabbage, then salsa, then cheese.  Top it off with the slices of avocado and eat!

*****

Ok, that should get you started, at least in the nacho-type-stuff department.  So, enjoy today's games, friends, and food!  And have a very happy kick-off to the new football season!

Gumbo And Other Traditional Gameday Goodies

Ok, maybe gumbo isn't a "traditional" Superbowl snack, but here's your chance to add it to the usual suspect list of tailgating foods.  Just hear me out on this - read on.

Superbowl Sunday is upon us which is the perfect time to crack open either the Ohio State Cookbook or University of Oklahoma Cookbook, and make some great watch party treats!  Don't have hardback copies of these books on hand?  No worries, you can download digital copies of them to your Kindle right now at these links:  OSU Kindle Edition - OU Kindle Edition.  

I personally will be making either my chicken quasadillas, Landrun Casserole (OU Cookbook p. 20) Field Goal Nachos, or Championship Chicken Wings (both in the OSU Cookbook pp. 4 & 10), or all of the above - I haven't decided yet.

But if you want something a little different that will feed a house full of rowdy guests and leave them feeling satisfied, I recommend gumbo.  Good, hearty gumbo will go a long way and it definitely warms you up on cold days - especially the ones this winter season has been doling out lately.

This recipe is a variation of the amazing gumbo recipe given to me by my friend Rachel.  I had never eaten gumbo before I had hers, and after one awesome party at her house with this dish served, I was hooked!  Gumbo is a great recipe for trying out new things.  You can play with the ingredients and add or take away whatever tickles your fancy.  So, I am going to give you my version of Rachel's recipe, then add your own variations.  Also, this is a one pan dish, so less cleanup (Hooray!).  Have fun and be creative! 

This is how this gumbo starts off - you know you want to try it!

Ingredients:

5 or 6 Tbls. of olive oil

1/4 c of flour

1 onion (chopped)

2 ribs of celery (chopped)

2 green bell peppers (chopped)

5 cloves of garlic (minced)

1 box of chicken broth

1 lg can of chopped tomatoes

1-10 oz pkg of frozen sliced okra

1 bay leaf

6 tsp. of Tabasco sauce

4 tsp. Cholula sauce

2 boneless, skinless, and cooked chicken breasts (chunked)

1 pkg frozen shrimp (shelled and deveined)

3-4 flounder fillets (chunked)

2 cups of cooked rice

1/2 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp basil

Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

Heat 3 Tbls. of oil in a large cooking pot on med-high.  Add onions, celery, bell pepper, and garlic and sauté for about 5-7 minutes, or until the veggies are tender.  Add in the rest of the oil and the flour.  Stir until the mixture starts to thicken. Gradually add the broth, stirring constantly.  Add tomatoes, okra, bay leaf, Tobasco, Cholula sauce, and spices.  Bring the mixture to a boil then add the pre-cooked chicken. Cover and let it simmer for about 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove the lid and add in the shrimp, fish, and rice.  Stir it all together and let it cook for another 10-15 minutes, or until the shrimp are heated through.  Serve with oyster crackers.  Don't forget, you can add a whole plethora of other ingredients like spicy sausage, crawdads, oysters, etc.  Just do what you like.

And this is how this gumbo looks when it's done - nomnom!

UPDATE:  For those of you following my Facebook page, you know that I decided to try my hand at making turnovers for the first time this morning.  Most of this comes from an array of pie and pastry recipes, plus theories in my head - this is what I came up with...

Cherry & Cream Cheese Turnovers

Ingredients:

14.5 oz. can pitted red tart cherries in water

1/4 c sugar

1-1/2 Tbsl cornstarch

1 tsp. vanilla extract (separated)

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

2 sheets puff pastry (17.3 oz. box of frozen)

1/2 block cream cheese (softened)

1 c powdered sugar

3-4 Tbls. water (for desired icing thickness)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Get the puff pastry out of the freezer, unwrap and set to thaw on lightly floured wax paper (for about 45 min.).  In a small sauce pan, drain the cherry juice from the can and set cherries to the side.  Add cornstarch and sugar to the cherry juice and heat on medium stirring continuously until mixture is thick and goopy (mmmm).  Remove from heat and add the cherries, 1/2 tsp. of vanilla, and cinnamon. Blend thoroughly and set to the side.

In a small bowl, add remaining 1/2 tsp. of vanilla to the cream cheese and stir until blended smooth. Set aside.

I made triangular traditional turnovers as well as turnover bites to try out some things.  For the triangles, roll out one sheet and cut into four equal pieces starting at one corner and slicing to the one opposite. Repeat.  For the bites, I just cut along the 2 lines left by the folds of the second pastry sheet - giving me 3 wide strips.  Each strip I then cut in half.

Ok, for the turnovers, I put a litte more filling in than it would hold, so it got messy, so after recalculating, I would say put about 1 Tbls. of cherry filling on one half of each triangle, then top the filling with about 1/2 Tbsl. of cream cheese mixture.  Wet the edges of the pastry with water. Take one corner and fold it over the mixture to meet the opposite corner, encasing the cherry mixture.  Use a fork around the edges to seal.  Do the same with the bites, only use about 1 tsp. of cherry filling and 1/2 tsp. of cream cheese.  Fold into a square instead of a triangle.

Transfer to parchment paper on a baking sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes, then remove and let cool for about 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix the powdered sugar and water until thick and smooth.  Transfer to a ziplock bag and snip off a tiny bit of corner of the bag.  Pipe the icing over the turnovers in a zig zag pattern and enjoy!