Beef-Chipotle Chili

Beef-Chipotle Chili

Ingredients:

Flour,  ¼ cup (1½ oz/45 g) Salt and freshly ground pepper Boneless beef chuck, 3 lb (1.5 kg), trimmed of excess fat and cut into chunks Olive oil, 4-6  tablespoons (2-3 fl oz/60-90 ml) Dried oregano, 1½  teaspoons Garlic, 4 cloves, minced Red onions, 2, finely chopped Beef broth, 2 cups (16  fl oz/500 ml) Chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, 1 can (7 oz/220 g)

Serves  6 - 8

1. Brown the beef

In a resealable plastic bag, combine the flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Add the beef chunks and shake to coat evenly with the flour mixture; reserve the excess flour mixture. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm 4 tablespoons (2  fl oz/60 ml) of the  oil. Add half of the beef chunks and cook, turning as needed, until evenly browned on all sides, 10-12 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain briefly, and then transfer to the slow cooker. Repeat with the remaining beef chunks, adding the remaining 2 tablespoons oil if needed. Sprinkle the oregano over the meat.

2. Sauté the vegetables

Return the pan to medium-high heat. Add the garlic and all but about  ½ cup (2½ oz/75 g) of the  onions and  sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with the reserved flour mixture and sauté for about 1 minute longer. Pour in the broth and add the chipotle chiles with their sauce, breaking up the chiles coarsely with your fingers. Raise the heat to high, bring to a boil, and deglaze the pan,  stirring to scrape  up the browned bits on the pan  bottom.  Pour over the beef.

3. Cook the chili

Cover and cook on the high-heat setting for 3-4 hours or the low-heat setting for 6-8 hours. The beef should be very tender. Spoon the chili into bowls, sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup chopped onion, and serve.

BBQ style brisket

Ingredients:

Flour,  ¼ cup (1½ oz/45 g) black pepper Beef brisket, 3½-4 lb (1.75-2 kg), trimmed of excess fat Olive oil, ¼ cup (2 fl oz/60 ml) Yellow onions, 2, thinly sliced Garlic, 2 cloves, minced Cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon Beef broth, 1 cup (8 fl oz/250  ml) Red wine vinegar,½ cup (4 fl oz/125 ml) Sugar, cup (3 oz/90 g) Tomato paste, 2 tablespoons

Serves 6-8 

1. Brown the brisket

On a large plate, stir together the flour, 1 teaspoon  salt, and  ½ teaspoon black pepper. Coat the brisket evenly with the flour mixture, shaking off the excess; reserve the remaining flour mixture. In a large frying pan over high heat, warm the oil. Add the brisket, fattier side down, and cook until browned on the bottom, about 7 minutes. Turn the brisket over and brown the second side, about 7 minutes longer. Transfer the brisket, fat side up, to the slow cooker.

2. Sauté the vegetables

Pour off all but about 1 tablespoon fat from the frying pan and return the pan to medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, and cayenne and sauté until the onions begin to turn translucent, 2-3 minutes. Stir in the reserved flour mixture and cook for 1 minute longer. Pour in the broth and vinegar. Raise the heat to high, bring to a boil, and deglaze the pan, stirring to scrape up the browned bits on the pan bottom. Add the sugar and tomato paste and stir until evenly blended. Pour over the brisket.

3. Cook the brisket

Cover and cook on the high-heat setting for 3-4 hours or the low-heat setting for 6-8 hours.  The meat should be very tender when pierced with a fork. Transfer the brisket to a cutting board. Cover with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, skim off the excess fat from the surface of the sauce. Slice the meat across the grain. Spoon the sauce over the meat and serve.

Vegan chocolate cupcakes with strawberry filling

Ingredients for the cupcakes (makes 2 1/2 dozen):

3 cups flour
6 Tablespoon's cocoa powder
2 teaspoon's baking soda
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons vegetable oil (I recommend you substitute this with applesauce for a healthier version. If you care only about the taste, however, then use the oil for a darker chocolate flavor, and use the applesauce for added sweetness.)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups cold water

© Jaymi Heimbuch
Ingredients for the strawberry filling (makes enough to fill about 2 dozen cupcakes):
2 cups of fresh diced strawberries
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons of corn starch (and maybe 1 extra teaspoon depending on total thickness)
Making the cupcakes:
1. Preheat your oven to 350. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, sugar and salt until thoroughly mixed.

© Jaymi Heimbuch
2. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the vegetable oil, vanilla extract, lemon juice and cold water. Stir until completely combined and free of lumps.

© Jaymi Heimbuch
3. Grease your muffin tins with oil or nonstick spray. Fill cupcake tins to about three quarters full. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

© Jaymi Heimbuch
Making the filling:
1. While the cupcakes are baking, start your strawberry filling. Add strawberries to a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly as they heat up and begin to soften.

© Jaymi Heimbuch
2. When the strawberries are mostly liquid, add the sugar and corn starts and continue to stir constantly for a few minutes more as the mixture thickens. Stir until the sauce is almost jelly-like in consistency.
3. Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl and allow to cool.
How to get the strawberry filling into the cupcakes:
1. Using a paring knife, cut a cone out of the top of each cupcake, going deep enough to allow plenty of filling but not so deep that you cut through to the bottom.

© Jaymi Heimbuch
2. Remove the cone and fill the space with the strawberry mix almost to the top but not quite.

© Jaymi Heimbuch
3. Cut the "iceberg" portion off the cone you pulled from the cupcake so you have just the thin disk for the top and replace the "lid" over the strawberry filling. (Pop the remaining portion of the cone in your mouth because it's so perfectly bite-sized!)

© Jaymi Heimbuch
Decorate and serve! One thing to note: These cupcakes aren't as good hot as they are cooled off, so wait to dive in until they're at least room temperature. And they're really best the next day. I don't know why this is, but they seem to get sweeter and more chocolate-y over the course of a day or two (if they last that long).

© Jaymi Heimbuch