Healthier Baked Buffalo Wings

I can't remember the last time I was this sick (fever, chills, sleeping until noon and the like), so I am going to keep this post short & sweet, actually, it's going to be a little more savory this time...

My dad told me I needed some "real food" on my blog.  Silly father, cheese puffs, brownies & cake are real food.  I mean, they may not be the healthiest thing ever, but they are real food!  Especially if you compare them to half of the things in the supermarket today - no artificial color, xanthan gum or Microcrystalline cellulose here!

So dad, here is some real food: Buffalo wings, adapted to be healthy.  They have protein, W sauce, hot sauce, love & deliciousness.  So I better not be getting a phone call later saying that I yet again didn't post real food.

As you probably guessed it, I made these for the Superbowl.  You'd also be correct if you guessed that I took this picture after I let all the vultures swoop in and take part in the wing feast.  I made somewhere in the ball park of 25 wings and 10 minutes later, these are all that were left.

For the actual cooking part, please make sure you have some jellyroll pans.  Aaron and his roommate somehow didn't own a single one and I had to jiffy-rig an aluminum foil covered oven rack in its place.  It worked, but not so well.  The chicken drippings dribbled all over the bottom of the oven, set off the fire alarm a few times (it's not good until the fire alarm goes off, am I right?) and had to crack every window in his apartment.  Even with all that drama, these turned out so well.  Aaron and his roommate made sure I talked them through the recipe and gave them a copy so they could make the wings again & again.

Best part, this was my first time ever making wings.  In the words of Charlie Sheen, WINNING!

Homemade Sriracha Sauce

I love all things spicy, but I think it comes with the territory of being a redhead.  I always order the hottest sauce possible at restaurants and Trader Joe's jalapeno hot sauce is drizzled on even the most inappropriate of foods.  To me, eggs are almost inedible without hot sauce.  I almost wonder why it took my so long to make my own hot sauce... especially because I have a strange love of making my own condiments.

To make this recipe even better, it is so easy to make.  Essentially all you need to do is let roughly chopped peppers sit overnight in a brine.  The hardest part is simmering the peppers and waiting for them to cool.  But that glorious moment that you get to taste your own hot sauce on a veggie burger (...well, that's what I did...) it's worth it.  I brought the sauce to a game/"make-your-own-pizza" night with some new friends here in Seattle and it worked well on most of the pizzas that we made!  I know I poured an obnoxious amount of it on the pizza I ate.  But please remember, I like hot sauce on everything.  There is definitely some heat to this sauce, but the actual flavor of the peppers and garlic is still able to shine through.

Homemade Sriracha Sauce
Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound red fresno chiles, coarsely chopped (I used 0.7 lb)
• 4 garlic cloves (5.6)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (I used 1 2/5 tsp)
• 1 cup distilled white vinegar (I used 1 2/5 cups)
• 2 tablespoons palm sugar (I used 2.8 TBSP)

Directions:

1. Place all the ingredients except the sugar in large glass bowl, loosely cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit overnight.  This brine helps mellow the heat of the peppers.
2. Place the mixture and sugar in small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.
3. Blend with an immersion blender (or a food processor/blender) until a smooth, orange-red mixture forms. Run through a strainer and smush out as much juice as possible.
4. Once refrigerated, the sauce should have the same consistency and texture as Sriracha, BUT I think it tastes better, is less salty and tastes much fresher.

Spinach Enchiladas with a Mexican Red Sauce

I made this for my dad and I one night for dinner a week or two ago. I don't have any pictures (I know, I know, a food blog post with NO pictures?!) because as soon as they came out of the oven my dad and I attacked them... and the remains were not pretty enough for pictures. These were so good that I'll be making them again when I get back from Europe (this time for my mom and sister), and I'll make sure to post a picture them. The backbone for these recipes again came from my favorite cookbook of all time, The New Moosewood Cookbook, but I changed them enough that I can almost confidently call the enchiladas 'my own.'

You'll want to make the Mexican Red Sauce ahead of time... (here comes the recipe)

Ingredients:

2 TBSP olive oil

1 cup minced onion

1 poblano chili, minced

1 tsp kosher salt

2 tsp ground cumin

1 TBSP chili powder

3 TBSP minced garlic

3 cups chopped tomatoes, peeled and seeded (directions how to do this at the bottom of the page)

1 cup tomato juice

Black pepper and cayenne to taste

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the onion, chili, and salt, and sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until the onion becomes transparent. Add cumin, chili powder and half the garlic, and sauté for about 3 minutes longer.
2. Add the tomatoes and tomato juice. Bring to a boil, partially cover, and turn the heat down as low as possible. Simmer for 30 minutes, adding the remaining garlic, and black pepper and cayenne to taste during the last 5 minutes or so.
3. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Set aside for enchiladas!

The Spinach Enchiladas!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup onion, minced

1 package of "no sauce" frozen spinach, thawed

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Black pepper to taste

2 TBSP minced garlic

1 medium-sized bell pepper, minced

1 packed cup grated jack cheese (or any mild white cheese)

12 corn tortillas

Mexican Red Sauce (the wonderful recipe above this one)

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven. Add onion, and sauté for about 5 minutes over medium heat.
2. Add thawed spinach, salt, and pepper, and mix well. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
3. Add garlic and bell pepper. Stir and cook 5 minutes longer, or until the pepper is tender. Taste to correct salt.
4. Remove from heat; stir in cheese.
5. Preheat oven to 350°F. Moisten each tortilla in water then place approximately 1/4 cup filling on one side and roll up. Gently place the filled enchiladas in a baking pan, and pour a full recipe of Mexican Red Sauce over the top. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes, or until heated through. Serve hot with beans and wild brown rice.