Philly Spring Roll

Well it looks like the Fried Caprese’s, the Hot Dawgs and the Pumpkin Risottos have really caught up with me.  But I’m really not looking to do a standard, bland diet that makes me actually feel like I’m on a diet.  So this week I’ve come up with a few recipes that are rich in flavor but light in calorie.  First up is my Philly Spring Roll.  This little rolled up package was inspired by one of my favorite sushi rolls and this great recipe I found on Foodgawker.  It’s simple, it’s yummy, it’s perfect.  I already feel my waste line shrinking.  

Ingredients

rice papers
smoked salmon
cucumber
½ avocado
4 oz reduced fat cream cheese (room temperature)
lime juice
cilantro
spinach leaves

1.  Process the avocado, cream cheese and juice of half a lime in a food processor until smooth.
2.  Remove skin and thinly slice the cucumber lengthwise.
3.  Follow directions for rice paper.  Next assemble all ingredients on the rice paper.  
**Tip:  Instead of spreading cream cheese mixture with a spoon onto the rice paper, put cream cheese in a plastic bag, cut the tip, and squeeze a nice line onto the paper.  This will prevent tearing of the paper.
4.  Roll the rice paper and dive in.  I chose wasabi and soy sauce as nice dipping sauce for the spring roll.

HOT DAWG!

I said it’s great, to be, a Tennessee Vol!”

Do you feel that?  That rumble in your seat, that rushing, “Ahhhhh” of a crowd ready for some TENNESSEE FOOTBALL?!?!?  If you didn’t know, it’s football season.  And for those of you just now stopping by BS, I’m a huge Tennessee football fan and UT alumna.  Saturday we play those Georgia Bulldogs and I needed something perfect for the occasion.  Clearly we’re gonna eat up the competition (probably not but it’s nice to dream) so what’s more fitting than a Hot Dawg?  And to add a little college nostalgia I’m topping my dog with some Petro's.  

For anybody who has ever been to Neyland Stadium knows you can’t leave without stopping by the Petro’s food stand.  Some may call Petro’s, Frito pie which consists of corn chips, chili and as many toppings as you like.  And my college throwback doesn’t just stop with Petro’s.  My chili also has a little Natty Light to give it that something extra.  I used the Texas Chili Recipe from my previous post but I’ve decided to outline exactly what chili’s I used since it's different from the original recipe.

Ingredients

hot dogs
buns
corn chips
tomato (chopped)
onion (chopped)
cheddar cheese (shredded)

2- Dump Chili (original inspiration here)

1 lb ground beef
½ can of Natural Light or Ice beer (or any other cheap beer not meant for human consumption)
1 can beef stock
½ large onion chopped
2-3 garlic cloves

1st dump
1 tbs paprika
1 packet Goya beef boullion
1 packet Sazon Goya
3 bay leaves
salt
1 tsp brown sugar

2nd dump
2 tbs De Arbol chili pepper
1 tbs New Mexico chili pepper
1 tbs paprika
½ tsp Ancho powder
¼ tsp cayenne

*****I highly recommend buying Dave’s Gourmet 6 Pure Dried Chile’s because most of these powders are in this 6 spiced seasoning shaker.  I don’t know about you but it hurts my pocket to pay 6 bucks for a tiny bottle of seasoning.  I found Dave’s 6 pack seasoning at World Market for a fraction of the cost.

1.  Brown beef in a large saucepan.  Once browned, drain chili in a colander and set aside in separate bowl.
2.  Saute onion in beef drippings for a minute and then add the garlic.
3.  Once onions are a little browned add the beef and the 1st dump of seasonings.
4.  Add enough beer to saturate the beef. Also add half of the can of broth.  Let simmer for about 30-45 minutes on medium-low heat.
5. After the meat has simmered, add the 2nd dump of chili, the rest of the beer and broth.  Really you can add as much beer as you like.  Just taste in between each spice dump and figure out how strong and intense you want that flavor to be.  This is cooking friends.  I told you I’m not precise in measurements at all.  Have fun with this.
6.  Let this mixture cook for another 30 minutes or so.  The longer this cooks the more intense and rich the flavor will become.

Putting it all together

1.  Have your dog in the bun.  
2.  Put the corn chips first
3.  Then the chili.
4. Then add your toppings.  I used onions, cheese and tomatoes.  You can use sour cream or jalapenos if you’d like.