Chicken and Black Bean Burritos with Hummus

Not every recipe needs to be earthshattering to be delicious!  Sometimes you just need an idea to be motivated to eat something good.  It's a cold blustery day in San Diego, perfect hot lunch day.  Ellie and I are at home watching movies and playing games. When it comes to lunch, 99% of the time we have sandwiches, and the rest of the time we eat really good leftovers.  Today we made some delicious "left overs" burritos and whipped up some home made hummus on the side for some delicious dip.  (Ellie is 2, a "dip" of some sort is a meal requirement).

We wanted to share our simple recipe with you!

First we made some hummus:
Add the following to your food processor (and if you don't have one, try an electric mixer, or a good old fashioned potato smasher.)
1 can of garbanzo beans at room temp.
2 tsp Sesame seeds (also known as Tahini) (or some Pine Nuts)
1 clove of smashed garlic
1 tsp spices or herbs like cumin, parsley (you can add pretty much any spice)
Sea Salt to taste
Start whirling it all around in your processor, and gradually add the following:

1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil (more or less, you will be adding it as you blend) and keep processing until it all emulsifies and becomes "fluffy" and well mixed. 
It's really not an exact science, we just make it super simple.

For the Burritos:
Left over baked or bbq'd Spur Valley Ranch chicken
Can of Black Beans (rinsed and drained - one can will make about 4 burritos)
Wheat Tortillas
Plain Greek Yogurt
Shredded cheese
Add more veggies if you like!

Heat up the chicken, beans and tortillas.
To assemble the burritos, spread the hummus down the center, sprinkle on some cheese, add the chicken and beans, and finally a dollop of yogurt.  Fold in the ends of the tortilla and roll into a burrito. 
We ate ours with some steamed broccoli on the side and a little extra hummus for dip.  Top it off with a little delicious fresh squeezed lemonade from our friends at Polito Farms at the Little Italy Mercato.  And there you have a delicious hot lunch.

That's it! Simple lunch or dinner with delicious and healthy ingredients. 



Simple delicious lunch!




Ellie Loves her hummus dip



Mini chile Relleno Quiches

We love getting recipes from our customers and friends and this is a wonderfully delicious recipe from Mike Graves at Cafe Virtuoso San Diegos Finest Organic Coffee and Tea .  Not only is he a customer (he loves our delicious green chilis) but he is also a fellow vendor at the Little Italy Mercato and we look forward to having a delicious cup of his fresh coffee every Saturday morning at the market.  Thank you so much for your awesomely delicious cup of joe, AND for the amazing Chile Relleno recipe that you took the time to email to us. 

Appetizer: Mini Chile Relleno Quiches  

6-8 sheets of Fillo Factory pastry from an 8 oz. box, thawed if frozen

1/2-1 cup shredded mexican bend cheese
1 Tbs. chopped fresh Cilantro

2 green onions sliced thin

6-7 eggs

1 Avocado
1/2 cups milk
salt and pepper
4-6 small or 2-3 large poblano peppers

Aioli Sauce:

1 cup Non-fat greek yogurt

1 lime, juiced

1 Tbsp dried dill

2 tsp Olive Oil

Mix all ingredients together and let sit.

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Wash peppers and coat with vegetable oil.  Broil until blistered, turning after 4-8 minutes.  Place peppers in cold water or ice-water bath to cool; remove waxy skin, stem and seeds.  Cut into 1/4 in. pieces

Preheat oven to 350˚

Beat eggs, milk and salt/pepper together.

Take two fillo sheets and fold in half, then use a knife to cut the folded piece in half (this makes 2   4-sheet layers approximately 5 in. x 7 in.; you might need to adjust accordingly depending on the size and depth of your muffin pan).  Insert the folded and cut sheet into a hole in the muffin pan and press in to form a shell and allow excess to drape over the side, you may want to use non-stick spray before inserting fillo. 

Once all holes are filled, place a small amount of cheese, followed by chiles and egg mixture; repeat twice to ensure even distribution.

Bake 25-40 minutes or until filling is set and golden. Carefully remove from muffin pan and garnish with avocado, sauce, cilantro and green onion.

Enjoy!

If you try this recipe don't forget to leave us a comment and let us know how much you loved it!

See you at the market!

Quail Eggs Benedict

We always have questions about quail eggs.  They are so beautiful they don't look edible.  But, they are and so good for you too! 
We've had some of our market friends take wonderful pictures of them!


Cass Greene Photography




photo by Jim Singh - Little Italy Mercato

 Quail Eggs have wonderful nutritional value, especially hand raised, well fed birds like the ones at Spur Valley Ranch.  I encourage you to research their value for yourself and you will be amazed at what you learn!

Here is a wondeful colorful recipe that is great for an appetizer, brunch, breakfast or any time meal.  Light and simple and oh so beautiful!

Quail Eggs Benedict (or Green Eggs and Ham at our house ;) )
a creation by our very own Alex Castillo

Spur Valley Ranch Quail Eggs - one for each appetizer
Bread (we used whole wheat toast cut into circles)
Canadian Bacon (or other thin sliced meat)

Pesto sauce:
1/4 c. Fresh Cilantro
1 Anaheim (or other mild) Chili
1tbs Olive Oil
1 lime, juiced.

Equipment:
blender/food processor

To make the Cilantro Lime pesto, add cilantro, chili (cut in half with seeds removed), olive oil and juice from one lime (no seeds).  Blend with a food processor (we used a stick blender) until smooth about 1 minute.  Set aside.

Toast or warm your bread.  We chose regular wheat toast cut into 3" circles with a cookie cutter.  But you can use english muffin, tortillas, pita bread, french bread, crackers etc.

Prepare your quail eggs by carefully cracking the contents out of the shell.  We chose to fry them sunny side up, but you can choose your favorite method such as poaching or scrambling.  At the same time you can heat up your Canadian bacon (or other meat or tofu, bacon, avocado, cheese etc. ).

Assemble your Quail Eggs benedict by layering a piece of toast, canadian bacon, egg and drizzling with the pesto sauce.  Serve with fresh fruit and veggies and garnish with a sprig of cilantro.

Enjoy and let us know if you try our recipe!

Harvest Festival 2011

Spur Valley Ranch is announcing our 2nd Annual Harvest Festival and Ellie's Pumpkin Patch!  We welcome our friends and family to join us in learning more about our family farm and how we raise your food!
 We hope to see you all there!

Pumpkins hiding in the vines



A GIANT pumpkin!




A large sized pumpkin





Itsy Bitsy pumpkins!



Ellie LOVES her pumpkin patch!

Grilled Greek-like Chicken Pita with Yogurt Sauce

I love the flavor of the chicken cooked with Old Bay, one of my favorite spices!

Chicken Rub:
4 pound Spur Valley Ranch Pasture Raised Chicken
Old Bay seasoning (or make up your own cajun style)
Olive Oil
Black Pepper
Lemon
(you can marinate the chicken too if you like)
Cut Chicken in half lengthwise (for faster cooking time).  Sprinkle with Old bay, drizzle on some Olive Oil, grind up some fresh pepper and squeeze juice from one lemon onto the chicken and give it a good rub.  Notice that our fresh chicken isn't greasy or smelly, or fatty...just an observation.

Edith Says: "When we opened the wrapping there was no weird smell.  The chicken looked clean and no bruising.  And best of all, I would have touched the chicken without donning gloves first if my husband hadn't been in charge of preparing it."

Grill Chicken on the BBQ or Gas Grill for about forty five minutes - be sure to check the temp before you remove it.  All chicken should be cooked to an internal temp of 185*F.

Meanwhile, prepare the Yogurt sauce.  This is my favorite recipe, but you can add and mix and match ingredients depending on what you have available.

Yogurt Sauce

1/2 cup plain greek style yogurt
handful of chopped cilantro
2 green onions chopped
1 tsp of minced garlic
1 tbs lemon juice
Season with any combo of the following: salt, pepper, old bay, cayenne, chili powder, cumin, dill, oregano, taco seasoning, onion, parsley, rosemary etc.

Mix and let it set in the fridge until it's serving time.

Don't forget to warm up some Pita bread, or naan, or french bread!

You can serve it up with some fresh veggies, like tomatoes, broccoli and avocado! 

ENJOY!!!

Beer Can Chicken Recipe

FATHERS DAY BEER CAN CHICKEN RECIPEThis is Alex's favorite way to cook a chicken at our house.  Sure to be a hit at your Father's Day gathering on Sunday!  Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there even the ones that call themselves dad to fur, feather, and Scale kids.

One Spur Valley Ranch Pasture Raised Chicken (4-5 pounds)
Olive Oil
Dry Spice Rub (your favorite one, or see below for suggestions)
Salt
Pepper
one beer (you only need half of it, so go ahead take a few sips :) )
shallow pan for roasting (disposable works best)

Rub outside of chicken with olive oil to moisten skin.  Rub your favorite spice mixture on the outside and add garlic, salt and pepper if needed.

Open one can of beer and drink it until it's half full...
Place the beer can in the middle of a small shallow baking sheet and place the chicken (legs down) ontop of the beer can, fold back wings and adjust legs so that it creates a tripod, and balances evently.  It should remain standing on the BBQ or in the oven. Use medium/high heat (do not use direct flame or heat. Grill or bake for 1-1/2 hours or until a thermometer inserted in the chicken breast area reads at least 165º.
Let the chicken rest for at least 10 minutes before carving.

Serve with pasta salad, potato salad, baked potatoes, steamed veggies, corn on the cob, baked beans etc.

**Alex's Favorite Chicken Rub idea***: mix together in any combination, or all of them if you've got them, either way it will be delicious!

1 tsp:Sage,
Rosemarythyme,
oreganofennel,
red pepper flakes or cayenne (for spicy)

2 tsp:
Cumin,
dried Garlic,
dried Onion
coriander
red chile powder or paprika,
mesquite flavor (or jerk flavor)

3 tsp:
ginger
pepper,
Kosher salt.

Sauteed Rabbit with Mustard and Rosemary Sauce

A Tested recipe from one of our customers!
Michael Whitfield from the UTC Market - Thank you!!
 

Sautéed Rabbit with Mustard and Rosemary Sauce 

This recipe is for a serving of 6. I only used one rabbit but it was more than adequate for 2 people. If you use one rabbit, you can half the recipe.

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 rabbits (2 ½ pounds each), cut into serving pieces

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 shallots, finely chopped

1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon cognac

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup chicken stock

3 teaspoons rosemary, fresh if available

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon Glace de Viande (reduced chicken or meat stock)

1 cup heavy cream

6 sprigs parsley, chopped

1. In a large skillet, heat the oil over high heat. Add the rabbit pieces and brown lightly, 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Season with the salt and pepper.
2. Pour off the excess oil and add the onion, garlic, and shallots to the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 2 minutes without browning.
3. Remove the pan from the heat, add the ¼ cup Cognac, and flame. When the flames die, add the wine, stock, and 2 teaspoons of the rosemary. Cover and simmer until the rabbit is tender, 30 to 40 minutes, turning the pieces halfway through the cooking.
4. Remove the rabbit pieces to a serving platter and keep warm. Reduce the liquid in the skillet over high heat to about ¾ cup, about 10 minutes.
5. Whisk in the mustard and the glace de viande. Add the cream and the remaining 1 teaspoon rosemary, and boil the sauce until it thickens enough to lightly coat a spoon.
6. To serve: Stir the 1 teaspoon Cognac and three-fourths of the chopped parsley into the sauce and pour it over the rabbit. Sprinkle with the remaining parsley.

From Richard Grausman’s, “At Home with the French Classics”.