Tag: cumin

Your guests will go hog wild for this amazing bean dip

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date May 14, 2026

Frijoles puercos, or “piggy beans,” are made with five pork products, along with some fresh veggies and plenty of cheese. It’s good on tacos or other dishes or just as a bean dip, served with tortilla chips.

It’s the time of year that Joey’s bowling team comes for their end-of-season cookout at our house.

That means Joey throws something on the grill or smoker, and I figure out some tasty sides and desserts to make them all happy.

The guys are always gracious enough to put up with new experiments from me every year, and when Joey decided he was going to do pulled pork tacos this year, I knew I had a bean dip that needed to be made.

It’s one of those recipes that is absolutely terrible for you, so you only make it when you can spread it out amongst a ton of people and spare yourself the leftovers.

This comes from creator Arnie “ArnieTex” Segovia. He has a cookbook out, and he makes his own seasonings, so you can buy his if you don’t want to measure out what I have below. You can find the video where he make it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18tlP5AM5YQ. I added chicken broth, sussed out the seasonings and added extra chipotle peppers to my version below.

Frijoles Puercos

Frijoles puercos, or “piggy beans,” are made with five pork products, along with some fresh veggies and plenty of cheese. It’s good on tacos or other dishes or just as a bean dip, served with tortilla chips.

Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snacks

Keyword bacon, bean dip, chicken broth, chicken stock, chili powder, chipotle peppers, chorizo, cumin, fresh jalapenos, garlic powder, hot dog, Monterrey jack cheese, onion, oregano, pickled jalapenos, pinto beans, pork rinds, restaurant bean dip, Roma tomatoes, salt pork, white onion, yellow onion

Ingredients

2 cups dry pinto beans rinsed
7 cups chicken stock or broth
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
10 ounces chorizo divided
4 ounces salt pork diced
2 strips bacon diced
1 hot dog diced
6 to 8 pork rinds broken into smaller pieces
1 small white or yellow onion roughly chopped
2 Roma tomatoes roughly chopped
2 fresh jalapenos roughly chopped
7 ounces chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
3 ounces pickled jalapenos
8 ounces Monterrey jack cheese freshly shredded

Instructions

Add the beans, chicken stock, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, oregano, salt and pepper to a large crockpot, and stir to combine.
Turn the heat on high and let cook for about 30 minutes.
Once the stock is heated through, add four ounces of the chorizo and all of the salt pork, bacon, hot dog and pork rinds to the crockpot, and give it another stir.
Cover and cook for another 30 minutes.
Add in the onion, tomatoes and fresh jalapenos and continue to cook on high for another three hours or until the beans, meat and vegetables are all cooked through.
When the beans are almost done, add the rest of the chorizo to a skillet and saute until it is cooked through, breaking it apart as you do. Add the cooked chorizo, along with the chipotle peppers in adobo and pickled jalapenos to the crockpot and stir. Turn the crockpot to low or warm.
Now, using an immersion blender (or a regular blender, going in batches), blend the entire mixture until it is completely smooth.
When no more chunks remain, stir in the cheese, and keep stirring until it is completely melted. Serve with tortilla chips or along with your favorite Mexican dishes.

I was told I made a friend look at restaurant bean dip totally differently after knowing what all was in these beans. That tells you two things: one, these were definitely restaurant-quality and super delicious, and two, bean dip is decidedly not a health food.

It’s not very spicy, despite including the jalapenos and chipotle peppers, and the combination of the fattiness of the pork, along with the fresh veggies and beans is fabulous. Frijoles puercos translates to “piggy beans,” and that’s pretty much what it’s made out of and how you feel when you enjoy it.

And, thank goodness, I was able to load up leftovers and send most of the remaining bean dip off with others to be enjoyed, so Joey and I didn’t have to worry about raising our collective cholesterol through the roof.

It’s great to have friends; it’s even better when they help you eat something that’s a bit over the top.

This first appeared in print May 14, 2026.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Crockpot

Get your mojo going with this citrus-forward pork recipe

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date April 28, 2026

Slow cooker mojo pork has a bright flavor, thanks to plenty of fresh citrus, that makes it the perfect dinner over some yellow rice and black beans.

I’ve said before that trying to figure out measurements while Joey cooks is pretty much a herculean feat.

He’s a man who always measures with his heart. And, boy, does his heart love our spice cabinet.

That’s perfectly fine with me, though, because he is great at combining flavors, and he’s also the person you want in the kitchen when you know the dish you made still needs “something,” but you can’t quite figure out what that is.

That’s enough compliments for him, though, because as I mentioned last week, he and I decided to have a face-off on who could prepare the best pork butt, and the recipe I’m sharing this week is the one he decided to try.

The good news is I was hovering behind him, writing down measurements as he cooked so that you can re-create it, too.

This was a combination of a recipe from the website “AllRecipes.com,” which you can find at https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/281144/slow-cooker-mojo-pork/ and from an Instagram creator, Nicole Nelson McLaughlin, who posts under @nicolemcmom. Plus, Joey had some adjustments of his own, of course.

Slow Cooker Mojo Pork

Slow cooker mojo pork has a bright flavor, thanks to plenty of fresh citrus, that makes it the perfect dinner over some yellow rice and black beans.

Course Main Course

Keyword bay leaves, cilantro, cumin, fresh cilantro, fresh garlic, fresh lime, fresh oranges, garlic powder, lime juice, lime zest, minced garlic, orange juice, orange zest, oregano, pork butt, pork shoulder, yellow onion, yellow rice

Ingredients

4- pound pork butt roast
1 large yellow onion thinly sliced
zest from two large oranges
zest from two large limes
3/4 cup orange juice freshly squeezed
1/2 cup lime juice freshly squeezed
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped, plus more for serving
8 to 10 cloves garlic minced
2 bay leaves
4 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
prepared yellow rice for serving
15- ounce can black beans rinsed, for serving

Instructions

If there’s quite a bit of fat on your pork butt, you may want to trim and discard some of it (leave a little—fat is flavor).
Add the pork butt to a crockpot, and then sprinkle the rest of the ingredients around it. (You can stir a bit to combine things, if you want, but it’ll combine as it cooks, too.)
Cook, covered, in your crockpot for seven to eight hours on high or four to six on low until the pork is cooked through and easy to shred.
Discard the bay leaves.
Shred the pork in the crockpot, and serve the shredded pork and onions on top of the yellow rice and black beans. Top with some of the juice from the crockpot, as well as some fresh cilantro.

The delicious smell of this recipe just completely took over our kitchen. The citrus came through in a really pleasant way to highlight the pork and give it some brightness.

We just ate this in bowls over the rice and beans, but you could put this into tortillas, too, if you wanted to or scoop it up with tortillas chips.

So, I do think our pork butt competition fully ended in a tie. But the good news is that we ended up with two very different kinds of leftovers over the next week or so.

And I definitely had to refill several of my spice containers afterwards, but that’s the price of a great meal.

This piece first appeared in print April 30, 2026.

Main Dish

Give yourself the green light to make spicy chile verde

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date February 12, 2026

Chile verde spends a lot of time simmering in a pot, but putting it together is really easy. With plenty of fresh pepper and onion flavors, it’s a filling and excellent meal.

With the Chiefs out of the Super Bowl this year, it felt like there was a lot less pressure for Joey and I in hosting our annual party.

But that also meant a lot of hemming and hawing from our friends and family about attending.

It’s tough to commit to a Sunday night when you don’t really have a dog in the fight and Monday morning is looming.

We ended up with a great crew of four guests to watch the game and, thanks to our smaller contingent, a fridge full of leftovers to enjoy throughout the week.

The recipe I made for the group comes from the blog “Kevin is Cooking.” You can find the original recipe at https://keviniscooking.com/pork-chile-verde/. I added extra garlic in my version and added the optional potatoes.

Chile Verde

Chile verde spends a lot of time simmering in a pot, but putting it together is really easy. With plenty of fresh pepper and onion flavors, it’s a filling and excellent meal.

Course Main Course

Keyword anaheim peppers, chile verde, cilantro, cumin, fresh cilantro, fresh garlic, jalapeno peppers, minced garlic, pork butt, pork shoulder, Serrano, slow cooking, tomatillos, white onion

Ingredients

1.5 pounds boneless pork shoulder/pork butt
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1.5 pounds tomatillos
6 anaheim chile peppers
2 jalapeno peppers
2 serrano peppers
1 large white onion
8 to 10 cloves garlic minced
1 bunch fresh cilantro around 2 cups, stems included

Instructions

Prepare the pork shoulder by cutting it into one-inch cubes. Add them to a large bowl and season with the cumin, salt and pepper. Mix to coat the meat, and then set it aside. (I put mine in a covered container in the fridge over night.)
Husk the tomatillos and slice the stems off the peppers and give them all a good rinse. Also cut the onion in half, and add the tomatillos, peppers and onion to a large stockpot, covering them with water. Boil for about 8 minutes, and then remove them with a slotted spoon directly into a blender or food processor, along with the garlic and cilantro, blending until the mixture is smooth.
Set the sauce aside.
Heat the oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven with a lid, and saute the pork cubes on all sides (do this in batches), just until each side has some nice color on it.
Add all the pork back into the pot, along with all but one cup of the sauce, and stir to coat.
Bring the mixture to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Place the lid on the pot and cook for about three hours (stirring occasionally) or until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 180 to 190 degrees.
While the pork cooks, cube some Russet potatoes into one-inch pieces, and boil them until they are fork tender. Drain them and set them aside.
When the pork is done, add in the potatoes and the rest of the sauce, and stir to combine. Add more salt and pepper, to taste.
Serve with tortilla chips, with corn or flour tortillas or just in a bowl.

This was really, really good. It’s a bit spicy but not over the top. You could easily throw in a couple more anaheim peppers and skip the jalapenos and serranos, if you wanted to make it extremely mild.

We also threw a can of kidney beans in a few servings for leftovers, and that was great.

In the past, I made tomatillo sauces by roasting my vegetables under the broiler or in my air fryer and then blending them, and you could absolutely do that with this recipe, too.

The next time we make chile verde, if I decide to boil the veggies, I’m going to plan on making another soup at the same time to use the leftover water, because it smelled absolutely amazing.

And while I was bummed that we didn’t get to see some of our friends and family who didn’t get out on Sunday, at least I can drown my sorrows with some awesome food they didn’t get a chance to enjoy.

This piece first appeared in print Feb. 12, 2026.

Tags anaheim peppers, chile verde, cilantro, cumin, fresh cilantro, fresh garlic, jalapeno peppers, minced garlic, pork butt, pork shoulder, Serrano, slow cooking, tomatillos, white onion

Crockpot Main Dish

Easy crockpot dinner will make you think spice

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date November 20, 2025

Pollo in Valhalla is an easy crockpot meal that takes some spicy elements and combines them with chicken to create a hearty dinner. It can also easily be modified for those who prefer a milder meal.

I’ve read that one of the reasons podcast advertising tends to work well is because listeners grow to really trust hosts of those shows over time.

I have several shows I listen to regularly, and I refer to the hosts as “my friends I’ve never met.”

Having someone’s voice in your ear on a regular basis makes you feel like you know them.

Such is the case for one of Joey’s longtime listens, a show that started on the radio and has since transitioned to a podcast.

Over the years, even I have begun to recognize the cast of characters as they discuss everything from sports to the newest flavors of Oreos.

So it wasn’t much of a surprise when Joey recently sent me a recipe from the host of said podcast, and I will say, the guy apparently has good taste—at least when it comes to posting crockpot recipes.

This came from Chad Dukes. You can find him on Instagram @dukesthedj. I specified amounts on the seasonings and added black beans to my version.

Pollo in Valhalla

Pollo in Valhalla is an easy crockpot meal that takes some spicy elements and combines them with chicken to create a hearty dinner. It can also easily be modified for those who prefer a milder meal.

Course Main Course

Keyword black beans, chicken, chicken breasts, chili powder, crockpot, cumin, diced green chiles, easy meal, garlic powder, onion powder, pickled jalapenos, salsa, slow cooker

Ingredients

4 large chicken breasts
2 heaping teaspoons cumin
2 heaping teaspoons garlic powder
2 heaping teaspoons onion powder
2 heaping teaspoons chili powder
16 ounce jar spicy salsa
15.25 ounce can black beans drained and rinsed
2 cans diced chile peppers
1 cup pickled jalapenos drained
prepared Mexican rice for serving

Instructions

Add the chicken to the bottom of the crock pot and sprinkle the seasoning over top.
Pour in the entire jar of salsa, along with the black beans, diced chiles (you don’t need to drain them) and the jalapenos.
Cook on low for six hours.
Shred the chicken and mix into the sauce, and serve over Mexican rice.

This was really good, and if you’re not much for spicy foods, I’d recommend you try it anyway. Just leave out the jalapenos and choose a milder salsa. It was really easy for a quick dinner.

We’ve actually made it twice already. One of the times, Joey threw in some bone-in chicken thighs instead, and he deboned them when everything was ready. It made for a tasty meal.

So, I guess there’s something to trusting those podcast hosts out there, although I’m not sure Joey would be enthusiastic to try out food recommended on one of my regular true crime listens.

He’s convinced I listen to them for research purposes—and not the kind that includes finding recipes.

This piece first appeared in print Nov. 20, 2025.

Tags black beans, chicken, chicken breasts, chili powder, crockpot, cumin, diced green chiles, easy meal, garlic powder, onion powder, pickled jalapenos, salsa, slow cooker

Main Dish Soup

Think you can’t eat chili in summer? That’s your ‘poblano’

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date May 22, 2025

Chorizo poblano chili is a great meal year round. Featuring some robust spices like chili powder and paprika, along with a combination of chorizo, ground beef and fresh peppers, this chili is a hearty dish that is a real crowd pleaser.

There is really only one part of winter that I like: getting to eat soup.

But then I realized one day that you really don’t have to reserve having a big bowl of soup, stew or chili to the cold months. Honestly, despite being a warm food, it’s not an awful summer meal.

You don’t have to heat up the kitchen with the oven, you generally get leftovers to put in the fridge for those days you spend all day in the yard and don’t want to cook, and there are plenty of fresh garden veggies around to include.

So, yeah, I’m on board with eating a hot bowl of deliciousness any time of the year.

Obviously, what I’m really after is justifying the fact that I’m sharing a traditionally warm-weather recipe with you in May, but I figure this is my column, and if you’re not impressed, you can just put it in your recipe box to try in the fall.

This comes from the blog “Abras Kitchen” by Abra Pappa. You can find the original recipe at https://abraskitchen.com/chorizo-poblano-chili/. I added extra spices in my version below.

Chorizo Poblano Chili

Chorizo poblano chili is a great meal year round. Featuring some robust spices like chili powder and paprika, along with a combination of chorizo, ground beef and fresh peppers, this chili is a hearty dish that is a real crowd pleaser.

Course Main Course

Keyword chicken stock, chili powder, chorizo, cumin, diced tomatoes, fresh garlic, ground beef, jalapeno peppers, kidney beans, minced garlic, onion, oregano, paprika, poblano peppers, vegetable stock

Ingredients

1 pound chorizo
1 pound ground beef
1 large onion diced
6 to 8 cloves garlic minced
3 poblano peppers diced
1 jalapeno pepper diced (remove ribs and seeds for a milder taste)
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons paprika
salt and pepper to taste
15- ounce can kidney beans drained and rinsed
2 15- ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock

Instructions

Heat a large pot over medium-high heat.
Add the chorizo and ground beef, cooking until it’s browned and cooked through, and breaking it apart as you go.
Remove the meat with a slotted spoon to a plate over to the side.
Remove all but two tablespoons of fat from the pot. Add in the onions and peppers, and saute until they are softened. Add in the garlic and saute for a couple minutes until the garlic just starts to brown.
Pour in the beans and spices. Stir well, letting the spices toast a bit (about two minutes).
Add in the diced tomatoes, cooked chorizo and beef, and the chicken stock, and scrape the bottom of the pot to incorporate any stuck-on bits.
Bring the mixture to a boil, and then turn the heat down to a simmer, and let the chili cook for one hour, stirring regularly, until the liquid reduces to a consistency you like. Add more spices, as needed, and serve.

This was not nearly as spicy as I thought it would be. When I did the “add more spices” step, I added quite a bit more to really punch up the spice level, but it was probably perfect for quite a few folks’ palates.

Combining the chorizo with the ground beef gave this chili a bit more of a robust flavor that we really enjoyed.

And I’m sorry if I was too harsh with those of you who are in the “soup is only for winter camp” earlier. I was probably hungry. But after a big bowl of chili, I am definitely feeling much better.

This piece first appeared in print May 22, 2025.

Tags chicken stock, chili powder, chorizo, cumin, diced tomatoes, fresh garlic, ground beef, jalapeno peppers, kidney beans, minced garlic, onion, oregano, paprika, poblano peppers, vegetable stock

Main Dish

You ‘nita’ stop what you’re doing and try this pressure cooker recipe

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date May 8, 2025

Pork carnitas can be made in a pressure cooker and yield flavorful, delicious pulled pork that is especially delicious in a taco.

Any time I find pork shoulder at a great price at our local grocery store, it’s a no-brainer for me to put it in the cart and let Joey know that I wouldn’t mind if he threw it on his smoker over the weekend.

That’s why it was a little weird last week when Joey put one in the cart and asked if I would prepare it instead.

He found a recipe for carnitas made in a pressure cooker, and of course, we had to give it a try.

This comes from the blog “Platings and Pairings.” You can find the original post at https://www.platingsandpairings.com/best-instant-pot-pork-carnitas/. I added extra seasoning in my version and added a step to the preparation.

Pressure Cooker Pork Carnitas

Pork carnitas can be made in a pressure cooker and yield flavorful, delicious pulled pork that is especially delicious in a taco.

Course Main Course

Keyword basil, brown sugar, carnitas, chili powder, coriander, cumin, fresh lime, fresh oranges, garlic salt, Instantpot, oregano, paprika, pork butt, pork shoulder, pressure cooker, smoked paprika, tacos

Ingredients

4 to 6 pounds pork shoulder
1 1/2 tablespoon garlic salt
1 1/2 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon basil
1 1/2 teaspoon coriander
1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoon paprika or smoked paprika
1 cup water
2 oranges
1 lime

Instructions

Trim most of the fat off the pork shoulder and cut the meat into two-inch cubes.
Combine the garlic salt, cumin, oregano, brown sugar, basil, coriander, chili powder and paprika in a bowl and stir to combine. Reserve about 2 tablespoons, plus 2 teaspoons, of the mixture.
With the rest of the spice rub, pour it over the pork, coating it as evenly as possible.
Add the pork to your pressure cooker, along with one cup of water.
Cut your oranges and lime in half. Squeeze as much juice out of each half as you can into the pressure cooker, and then place the fruit, cut side down, into the pressure cooker, as well.
Seal the pressure cooker and cook on high pressure for 40 minutes, and then let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before opening the cooker.
While the pork cooks, prepare a rimmed baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
When the pork is done, remove it with a slotted spoon and shred it with two forks. Put the shredded pork on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle the reserved seasoning over top of the pork and give it a stir, spreading it out evenly on the sheet.
Preheat the broiler in your oven to high and place the baking sheet under it. Let the pork crisp for around three minutes, checking regularly. Remove the pork when it’s just starting to crisp up along the edges.
Serve the pork as a taco, sandwich, or however you like it.

This was delicious. Joey graciously acted as my sous chef, trimming and breaking down the pork shoulder while I prepared the spices. We enjoyed the pork in some corn tortillas, along with avocado, fresh spinach and some hot sauce.

The leftovers reheated very nicely, too.

The next time we find a good deal on a large piece of pork, Joey and I may have to thumb wrestle to see who will be the one to cook it.

The good news is that no matter who wins, there won’t be any losers.

This piece first appeared in print May 8, 2025.

Tags basil, brown sugar, carnitas, chili powder, coriander, cumin, fresh lime, fresh oranges, garlic salt, Instantpot, oregano, paprika, pork butt, pork shoulder, pressure cooker, smoked paprika, tacos

Main Dish

Keep ‘arayes’ open for a delicious Lebanese dish

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date September 19, 2024

These are called almost arayes because they weren’t cooked inside the pita like the traditional Lebanese dish, but they are still jam-packed with flavor from Middle Eastern spices, fresh herbs and a zingy sauce on the side.

With Internet shopping, pretty much any ingredient can be at our fingertips in a matter of days. That being said, my goal when choosing recipes is to try to stay away from exotic items that can’t be purchased locally.

We have to support our local grocery stores if we want them to continue to be a part of our communities.

Of course, sometimes that means taking a left turn on a recipe, and that happened this week when I tried a recipe for arayes, a Lebanese dish that features lamb cooked inside of pita. Well, unfortunately, the pita bread I found locally wasn’t thick enough to hold up to the traditional cooking method, so I decided to keep the spirit of the dish without actually doing it quite the right way.

So I’m giving you “almost arayes,” made with a recipe from Chef Derek Chen from his Instagram page @derekkchen. Like I said, I changed the way this dish was cooked from the original. If you want to do it his way, please check out his Instagram page. I also added extra garlic and substituted for baharat, because I couldn’t find that locally, either.

Almost Arayes

These are called almost arayes because they weren’t cooked inside the pita like the traditional Lebanese dish, but they are still jam-packed with flavor from Middle Eastern spices, fresh herbs and a zingy sauce on the side.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Lebanese

Keyword allspice, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, fresh cilantro, fresh garlic, fresh parsley, Greek yogurt, ground lamb, lemon juice, minced garlic, olive oil, onion, paprika, pita bread, pita pocket, tahini

Ingredients

Arayes Ingredients

1 pound ground lamb
1/2 large onion grated (I used a vidalia)
1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
4 to 6 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons olive oil divided
salt and pepper to taste
4 to 5 thick small pita

Sauce Ingredients

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons parsley chopped
2 tablespoons cilantro chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup tahini
4 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

For the meat mixture, grate the onion and then squeeze it out really well with a clean kitchen towel.
Add the onion, parsley, cilantro, garlic, coriander, allspice, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, one tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper, and give it a good stir to combine.
Add in the ground lamb and mix with a spoon or your hands until everything is very well combined.
Heat the last two tablespoons of olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add the meat and saute, breaking it into large pieces as you go. Cook it until the largest piece registers 160 degrees in the middle, and remove it from the heat.
While the lamb mixture cooks, make the sauce by mixing all of the ingredients together until it is smooth.
Cut the pita into halves so you have pockets for the meat, and serve the lamb stuffed in the pita bread with the sauce on the side for dipping.

This was so good, and the sauce was phenomenal, too. I immediately tried to think of ways to use the leftovers on other dishes. This has a great depth of flavor, and it pulls in some spices we don’t normally see in Western dishes.

And now I need to learn how to bake nice, thick pita bread, too, for the next time I try this. If you have a good recipe, let me know.

This piece first appeared in print Sept. 19, 2024.

Main Dish

Bored with dinner? End your ‘saffron’ with something totally different

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date September 5, 2024

Moroccan lamb meatballs are made with an earthy, spicy mix of herbs and spices and served doused in a delicious tomato sauce that pairs perfectly with couscous and some plain Greek yogurt on the side.

For a couple months now, every time I open the pantry, I glance at this tiny canister of saffron I managed to buy on an extreme clearance.

The Britannica Encyclopedia explains that saffron is the most expensive herb because it has to be hand harvested from the tiny stigmas in the center of a particular crocus flower. It goes on to say that if you wanted to have a whole pound of saffron, you’d end up harvesting from about 75,000 flowers.

So I’ve also been slightly terrified of trying any of my small bunch of saffron in a recipe that doesn’t hold up.

I finally took the plunge, though, thanks to finding another generally expensive ingredient on sale: ground lamb. And boy, oh, boy, was it good.

Now, let me preface this recipe by saying that you don’t have to include saffron in it. It’s just a little flavor enhancer, but it’s not critical. I would be sure to use the lamb, though. It paired so beautifully with the spices and sauce, I just couldn’t imagine doing it any other way.

The recipe I tried comes from the blog “Moorlands Eater.” You can find the original post at https://moorlandseater.com/moroccan-lamb-meatballs-in-spicy-tomato-sauce/. I added extra garlic, lamb and a few other ingredients in my version.

Moroccan Lamb Meatballs

Moroccan lamb meatballs are made with an earthy, spicy mix of herbs and spices and served doused in a delicious tomato sauce that pairs perfectly with couscous and some plain Greek yogurt on the side.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Moroccan

Keyword allspice, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, diced tomatoes, fresh garlic, ginger, ground lamb, honey, minced garlic, minced lamb, onion, paprika, red pepper flakes, saffron, spicy, tomato puree, tomatoes, turmeric

Ingredients

Spice Mix Ingredients

3 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ginger
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Meatball Ingredients

1 pound ground/minced lamb
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil

Tomato Sauce Ingredients

1 medium onion diced (I used yellow)
8 to 10 cloves garlic minced
14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
a small pinch of saffron strands soaked in 1 tablespoon warm water
1 tablespoon tomato puree
1 teaspoon honey
2 teaspoon ground coriander
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients for the spice mix in a bowl, stir it well, and set it aside.
For the meatballs, add the lamb to a mixing bowl along with about one-third of the spice mixture, salt and pepper. Mix well with a spoon or your hands until everything is well incorporated.
Roll the lamb into about one-inch balls.
In a large skillet with a lid, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the meatballs, in batches, and brown on all sides (don’t worry if they’re cooked through yet). Once they’re browned, remove them from the pan and place them to the side on a plate.
Start building the sauce by adding the onions to the skillet, sauteing until they are cooked through. Add in the garlic. Let it saute for one to two minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant.
Add the rest of the spice mixture, and saute for a couple minutes, letting it soak up any remaining oil or juices in the pan.
Add the diced tomatoes. Pour three-fourths cup of water into the empty can, and swirl it around to catch any remaining juices, and then pour that into the skillet, too. Also add in the saffron/water mixture, tomato puree, honey, coriander, salt and pepper. Stir well to combine.
Raise the heat a bit to bring the mixture to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer the sauce without a lid on the pan for 10 minutes.
Put the meatballs into the pan, stirring them to make sure they’re coated in the sauce. Add the lid and simmer for another 10 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through. (Lamb should be cooked to 160 degrees. Be careful not to go far past that. It can dry out very quickly.)
Remove the skillet from the heat and serve immediately. We had ours with couscous with peas and a big dollop of plain Greek yogurt.

These were absolutely delicious, and it reheated well as leftovers, too. This is definitely a spicy dish, but it’s not overly scary, and if you serve it with some yogurt, not only do the flavors meld really well, but it also helps cool your tongue a bit.

This was earthy and full of great spices, many of which I don’t get to use off my spice rack very often.

Plus, the added bonus was I finally got to use my saffron, which made me feel quite fancy, to say the least. Now I just have to figure out how I will use the rest of it.

This piece first appeared in print Sept. 5, 2024.

Side Dish

You have my ‘parmesan’ to treat yourself to potatoes this weekend

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date July 20, 2023

Crispy Mexican potatoes feature lots of traditional Mexican flavors, making them just a little spicy with a crispy, cheesy bottom and a creamy interior. They are a great side dish for a variety of meals.

“What makes them Mexican potatoes?” a friend asked as he scooped my latest food experiment onto his paper plate in our backyard.

“I think it’s just the spices that put it in that category,” I told him.

He looked at me quizzically and only grabbed a few.

But after finishing off that first spoonful and going in for a second, I think it was safe to say he didn’t really care if there was a national origin to this side dish or not—they were a hit.

It was a couple weekends ago that Joey fired up his smoker and we invited some people over to eat with us and enjoy the truckload of food we prepared. It’s always more fun to enjoy meals like that with friends, and this one was no exception.

And this potato side dish was a great addition to the meal.

The recipe I tried comes from the blog, “Bites with Bri” by Brianna May. You can find the original post at https://biteswithbri.com/mexican-potato-recipe/. I added extra spices in my version below.

Crispy Mexican Potatoes

Crispy Mexican potatoes feature lots of traditional Mexican flavors, making them just a little spicy with a crispy, cheesy bottom and a creamy interior. They are a great side dish for a variety of meals.

Course Side Dish

Keyword barbecue side dish, black pepper, chili powder, cumin, easy side dish, garlic powder, Mexican, onion powder, oregano, paprika, parmesan cheese, yellow potatoes

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds small yellow potatoes halved
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese use the real stuff, not the stuff in a can

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside (I tried using foil, and it was tough to remove the potatoes. I think parchment is a better way to go.)
Make sure the potato skins are dry after washing them before proceeding with coating them in seasonings. Just pat them with a paper towel.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the potatoes, oil and spices. Stir well to completely coat the potatoes.
Press the cut side of each potato into the shredded parmesan and place it, cut side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat, spacing the potatoes just slightly apart.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
Transfer hot potatoes to a serving dish and serve immediately.

I wish I could tell you how these reheated for leftovers, but we didn’t have any of those. These taters went quickly, and if I do this side for another barbecue where we’re expecting more people, I will definitely double the recipe.

These were just a little spicy. You can always decrease or cut out the chili powder if that’s not your thing, but we really enjoyed them. The crispy cheese, creamy potato and Mexican spices all go together perfectly and were perfect along with the smoked chicken Joey made as the main course.

I still can’t tell you if they really qualify as a “Mexican” dish, but I can tell you nobody will care much once their mouths are full.

This piece first appeared in print on July 20, 2023.

Tags barbecue side dish, black pepper, chili powder, cumin, easy side dish, garlic powder, Mexican, onion powder, oregano, paprika, parmesan cheese, yellow potatoes

Main Dish

Try to wrap your mind around enchilada meatballs for dinner

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date March 9, 2023

Enchilada meatballs take all the wonderful flavors from the classic Mexican dish and serve them up in meatball form. They are great for dinner with a side of rice.

I’ll admit it. We’ve been in a bit of a meal rut lately.

Joey and I have fallen into a pattern of three to five dishes that we make every week, and while our meals are never bad or disappointing, they have been lacking a little excitement.

So I decided to pull out a kind of strange recipe I saw online recently to create some enchilada meatballs. (Yes, that’s what passes for excitement at our house.)

I have had enchiladas. I have had meatballs. Heck, I’ve even had enchilada casseroles, but it’s such a simple dish that there aren’t a lot of ways to be creative with it. So I thought I really needed to see what enchilada meatballs were all about.

This comes from the blog “The Weary Chef.” You can find the original post at https://wearychef.com/recipe/cheesy-mexican-meatballs/. I doubled nearly all of the seasonings in my version below.

Enchilada Meatballs

Enchilada meatballs take all the wonderful flavors from the classicMexican dish and serve them up in meatball form. They are great for dinner with a side of rice.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword chili powder, cumin, easy dinner, enchilada sauce, enchiladas, garlic powder, ground beef, hot sauce, kid-friendly, meatballs, onion powder, oregano, quick oats, shredded cheese

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef leaner is better
10 ounces red enchilada sauce divided
3/4 cup quick oats
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon hot sauce I used chipotle Tabasco
2 cups shredded cheese I used Mexican blend

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a nine-by-13-inch baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray.
In a bowl, combine the ground beef, 1/4 cup enchilada sauce, oats, eggs, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, oregano, cumin, chili powder and hot sauce. Using a spoon or your hands, mix everything together until it’s well combined.
Using a one-inch scoop or just a spoon to portion, roll the mixture into meatballs about the size of a ping-pong ball. Place them in the prepared baking dish. They don’t need to be very far apart.
Once all the meatballs are in the dish, pour the rest of the enchilada sauce over the top of them. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, remove the foil and sprinkle the cheese over top of the meatballs. Bake, uncovered, for 10 more minutes, or until the cheese is melted and just a little browned. Serve immediately with your favorite Mexican sides.

We ate these with some Mexican rice and rolled them up in tortillas, kind of like a meatball sub. This was absolutely delicious, but it was also extremely filling. Those meatballs are deceptively dense but also really good, so be careful when filling your plate.

As far as the spice level, this was incredibly kid friendly. If I were to make this again just for Joey and me, I would buy spicier enchilada sauce and maybe use a spicier hot sauce in the mix, too. Just as is, though, it was very mild, and you could always back off on adding the hot sauce or even cutting back on the chili powder for your pickier eaters.

It’s fun to take traditional flavors and mix them up a bit by serving them in a new way every once in awhile, and this recipe was no exception.

Of course, now that our meatball leftovers are gone, we are slowly falling back into our normal rut. I guess I need to hop back online for something new.

This piece first appeared in print on March 9, 2023.

Tags chili powder, crowd-pleaser, cumin, easy dinner, enchilada sauce, enchiladas, garlic powder, ground beef, hot sauce, kid-friendly, meatballs, onion powder, oregano, quick oats, shredded cheese