make this tonight

Do me a favor and stop by the grocery store on your way home to make these Beef & Goat Cheese Enchiladas.

I had a dish of the same name at a restaurant recently and, while I was satisfied, I felt that I could improve upon the dish. By using steak instead of ground beef and by using more goat cheese — because who doesn’t want more goat cheese? — I exceeded even my own expectations.

The other night, my friend Emilie texted me that she had some steak she needed to use and invited me over for dinner. I knew that it was the perfect opportunity to make my dish! I swung by the grocery store and made an impromptu dish that was spicy, comforting, cheesy, and satisfying.

That picture may not be the prettiest, but I promise they’re delicious — even if you’re spatula-impaired.

Beef & Goat Cheese Enchiladas (serves 2-3)
1 cup tomato sauce, canned
3 T sauce from can of chipotle peppers (add the peppers for more spice)
1 tsp garlic powder
6 tortilla shells (I prefer flour!)
1/2 medium white onion
2 sirloin steaks (approximately .75-1 lb in total weight)
salt & pepper
1 T chili powder
1 T olive oil
4 oz fresh goat cheese
Thirty minutes to an hour before cooking, slice steak into bite-sized pieces and marinate with salt, pepper, chili powder, and olive oil. To make the enchilada sauce, mix together canned tomato, sauce from chipotle peppers, and garlic powder. Set aside. Slice the onion into strips. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the onion, stirring occasionally for about 4 minutes or until the onions begin to become tender and more transparent. Add in the marinated steak and stir occasionally, allowing the meat to brown and cook mostly through — it is okay if meat is not all the way cooked as it will finish in the oven. When the onion and meat mixture is done, turn off the heat and set aside. In a baking dish, spread some of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of the dish. laying the tortillas out, spoon out a portion of meat and onions onto the tortillas. Divide the goat cheese among the tortillas, reserving a portion to put on top if desired. Once each tortilla has meat and goat cheese, roll up and place seam-side down onto the enchilada sauce. Repeat with each tortilla. Coat each enchilada with the sauce made earlier. Divide the remaining goat cheese and spread on top of the enchiladas. Bake for 20 minutes at 350* and enjoy!

Single Gal Survival: Cupcakes

Missed the previous Single Gal Survival posts? Check them out here!
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Yes, you’re right. I’m not technically a single gal. But I may as well be since Rahul is now 1,526 miles from me. Distance makes me bored and lonely. And sometimes, as you may well know, a girl can’t help but need a cupcake.

And while these days there are cupcakes galore available from fancy bakeries and food trucks here in Austin, some days I am far too weepy and/or lazy to put on real clothes and interact with human beings. And Lord knows I don’t need to go to the grocery store and buy a dozen of their pre-made, generic cupcakes. Because then who would be forced to eat all 12 of them? Me. And my stretchy pants are enjoying their summer off.

So, single gals everywhere, I have found the solution to your cupcake woes. Cupcakes for 1 (or 2 if you’re feeling generous and not hormonal).

I researched proportions of ingredients and came up with a basic cupcake recipe, to which I personally added peanut butter and topped with chocolate chip butter cream. But you can feel free to make any flavor cupcake that floats your boat!

Cupcakes for 1 (makes 2 cupcakes)
2 T butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg white
2 T brown sugar
1 pinch salt
1/4 heaping cup all purpose flour
1/4 heaping tsp baking powder
~1 T milk
In a mixing bowl, combine melted butter, vanilla, egg white, and brown sugar. Whisk thoroughly until fully incorporated and slightly bubbly. In a separate bowl, combine salt, flour, and baking powder. Once mixed, slowly incorporate into butter mixture, forming a thick batter. Mix in milk, starting with 1/2 T and adding more to get it to a cake batter consistency. Spoon into greased muffin papers in a muffin pan. Bake at 350* for 20 minutes or until a knife comes out cleanly from the middle. Top with your favorite icing and go to town!

I did it all for the cookie

I think that, without a doubt, my two favorite cookies are sugar cookies (try these!) and oatmeal raisin cookies. But I’m very picky about both. They have to be soft and chewy, but obviously completely cooked. And when it comes to oatmeal raisin cookies, specifically, I prefer them to be as healthy as possible.

For the following cookies, you could make them even healthier by cutting down on the butter, but why would you? When the cookies are already filled with goodness — raisins, oats, whole wheat flour — a little butter never hurt. And when you consider how many cookies are made with that butter, it seems like a lot less. In fact, there’s about 3g fat per cookie depending on how big or small you make them. I can deal with that.

So I ventured out to make my favorite cookie, and then spent the subsequent week trying to give away as many as possible.

But, I tell ya… with a cold glass of skim milk, two of these babies make the perfect mid-day treat to brighten anyone’s spirits!

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (makes 24 cookies)
1 stick salted butter, softened
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg white
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 pinch salt
1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup seedless raisins (add more or less depending on your preference!)
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter with both sugars until smooth.  Then, add in the egg white and vanilla, beating until well combined. In a small mixing bowl, thoroughly combine whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Using a mixer, slowly incorporate the flour mixture into the butter mixture until fully combined. Using a large spoon, fold in the oats and raisins into the mixture until just combined. Drop onto a greased cookie sheet in large spoonfuls and place about 2 inches apart. Bake at 350* for 12-13 minutes until just done and lightly brown around the edges. Remove from oven and let cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then place on cooling racks (this makes them optimally chewy).

independence

Well hello there. It looks like I’m back.

In the 2 months of my blogging hiatus, a lot has happened in my life! Allow me to catch you up to speed…

In June, I started working 2 summer jobs. It was a pretty boring month.

In July, we attempted to go camping with friends for the 4th of July (and quit while we were ahead). Cooking dinner resulted in admiring the manliness of my boyfriend as he opened a can with a knife and a hammer…

The rest of July was quite eventful, as I turned 23 and at the end of the month, Rahul and I took a vacation to Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, and Sedona, AZ.

Just 3 days after our vacation, we packed Rahul up and started the roadtrip from Austin, TX to Washington DC for his new job, where the first days of August saw us finding him an apartment and having a tearful goodbye at the airport. But I know it is just temporary.

Back in Austin, I’ve spent the past week packing up my own apartment and moving from a place with a roommate to my very own, tiny apartment. I feel so independent and grown up in my own place.

Coincidentally, today is Independence Day for India (Rahul’s native land), and I felt it appropriate to share with you one of my favorite dishes that Rahul makes for me. I made it all by myself in my very own apartment and I feel that this dish is the perfect celebration of India’s Independence and my new apartment.

Rahul’s Channa Masala (serves 3-4)
1/4 large white onion, sliced
2 T vegetable oil
3 cups crushed tomato
3 cups chickpeas (if using dried chickpeas, measure after soaking overnight)
2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (adjust to taste)
2 T fresh lime juice
In a deep skillet, wok, or (in a pinch) Dutch oven, heat the vegetable oil and toss in the onions when it is hot. Sauté the onions briefly, 2-3 minutes. Add in the chick peas, stirring well, and then reduce the heat to medium-low and add in the crushed tomato. Mix in the spices and the lime juice, cover, and simmer over medium-low or low heat for 30-40 minutes. Serve with rice and a bit of plain yogurt if it is too spicy — the yogurt will cool your mouth down a bit!