Tomatillo Sauce

Chicken can get boring fast. It is a bit of a blank canvas in that it doesn’t have a whole lot of fat or flavor like beef does. This is why changing up spices and sauces can be super important. There is a lot of wiggle room to play around with when it comes to chicken breast. It doesn’t have to be boring it just needs a bit of enhancement. Sauces are like the push-up bras for chicken breasts.

Ingredients

• 1 lb of tomatillos

• 2 onions, sliced

• 3 cloves of garlic

• cilantro

• juice from 1/2 lime

• 1/2 bunch of cilantro

Procedure

1. Remove skins from tomatillos and dice. Place on a sheet pan along with the sliced onion, garlic. ( I placed my chicken on top of this mixture because it is quicker and you get the the juices of the chicken in the sauce as well ).

2. Roast in the oven for about 25 minutes or until onions are sweet and caramelized.

3. Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse smooth.

4. Adjust seasonings and serve with whatever you desire.

Bean-less Chili

I am not from Texas, I just prefer not to fart as much. Hence— bean-less chili. I have however, substituted the beans for butternut squash because it is fall and winter squash is all the rage right now. Gives you a bit of the creamy texture you get from beans without having to blame it on the dog later. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash, diced

• 2 lbs grass fed ground beef

• 1 onion, diced

• 3 carrots, diced

• 3 stalks of celery, diced

• 2 Anaheim peppers, seeds removed, diced.

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 Tbs. Tomato paste

• 1 Tbs. ground Cumin

• 2 tsp. oregano

• 2 tsp. smoked paprika

• 1/3 cup chili powder

• 2 cans or jars of tomato sauce

• 1/2 cup beef broth

• salt to taste

• pepper to taste

• cilantro for garnish

Procedure

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

1. Peel and dice butternut squash, toss with oil, salt, pepper, and place in oven for about 25 minutes or until tender.

2. Sauté ground beef in a large pot over medium-high heat

3. add in onion, celery, carrots, peppers, and garlic. Stir.

4. Add the rest of the spices to the mixture and season with salt and pepper.

5. Add in tomato paste and sauté with the rest of the ingredients.

6. Stir in tomato sauce, and beef broth. ( You can add more or less depending on how thick you want your chili. ) Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in the roasted butternut squash. Serve garnished with fresh chopped cilantro.

Walnut Pesto ( Dairy Free )

Pesto tastes amazing with pretty much anything. If you are sensitive to dairy like me, then eating pesto can be a “worth it” experience. (When you have all the gas or shits but still find it worth the deliciousness. )

Pesto no longer has to be a worth it experience. You can get all the deliciousness without the upset stomach. This recipe is sans the parmesan cheese. If you really want it still, you can add it in but I suggest giving it a try without first. I use it on chicken, beef… etc. Basically whatever your heart desires. Enjoy!

Walnut Pesto Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of fresh Basil

• 4 cloves of garlic

• Juice of 1 lemon

• 1/2 cup of Walnuts ( raw/unsalted)

• about 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

• Salt

Directions:

Place Garlic and salt the food processor. Pulse until minced.

Add basil and walnuts. Pulse.

Stream in olive oil until it reaches a sauce like consistency

Add lemon juice. Pulse.

Season to taste. 

Welcome

Welcome to The Shit You Will Actually Cook blog.

Here is where I will be posting recipes from now on. And by recipes I don’t mean long blog posts about my kids, dogs, and laundry with a recipe hidden down at the bottom. I plan to just get to the point, skip the shit you don’t actually care about and give you the recipe you are looking for from the start. There is a time and a place for fluff but this ain’t it. I just want to give you easy straight forward recipes that you will actually cook. Hence the name of the blog and the book. Life is too short, cooking shouldn’t be that hard and finding and actual recipe without reading about someones kids and choice of laundry detergent shouldn’t be either.

If you are sensitive to cursing and an overall cynical outlook on life, this blog might not be for you. I am no doubt a cynical bastard and won’t waste your time romanticizing cooking unless cleaning up dishes after really turns you on. Dishes will be at a minimum here, ( at least that is the goal ) . We will focus less on how to make the perfect gnocchi, the perfect pie crust, the perfect fluffy pancakes and will focus more on throwing perfection out the fucking window and cooking what is quick and healthy. The lack of straight forward cooking is what sends people to Mcdonalds for dinner. It is time we get away from that shit. Let’s cook.