While I was at the grocery store a few days ago, this gorgeous hunk of meat caught my eye from across the aisle.  It was big, beautiful, gleaming, and fresh.  It taunted me with its possibilities.  And, all things considered, it was a fairly cheap date.  It called itself “London Broil” and virtually begged me to take it home with me and have my way with it.  How could I resist?

I had to combine two of my favorite flavors in the world – coffee and chipotle – and do right by it.

Try this on the grill, or if it’s raining, under the broiler.  It’s so simple, don’t tell anyone how you did it – it’ll make you a grilling rock star!

Coffee & Chipotle Crusted London Broil

Ingredients:

3 Tbs. ground coffee (not instant!)
2 tsp. ground chipotle pepper
1 tsp. kosher salt

1 London Broil, 2-3 pounds and at least 1-1/2 – 2 inches thick

A little olive oil

Method:

Combine the coffee, ground chipotle pepper, and salt in a small dish and set aside.

Rinse the London Broil, pat dry with a paper towel, and rub or brush a bit of the olive oil onto the surface of the meat.

Sprinkle the seasoning onto the meat, pressing it into the surface with your hands.  Coat the entire steak well, including the sides.  Let sit for a minimum of 15 minutes and up to an hour.

Grill or broil to your preferred doneness (about 10 minutes per side for medium), at least six inches from the heat source, whether flame or broiler element.

Allow to rest about 5 – 10 minutes before slicing across the grain to serve.

Notes:

This is going to generate some smoke, so again, make sure to keep it a good six inches from the flame or broiler element, and if you’re doing this indoors, turn on your kitchen ventilation fan!

London Broil is not generally the most tender cut of beef, hence the lower price.  The keys to keeping it from turning into shoe-leather, are to allow it to rest well, once cooked, and slicing it thinly across the grain.

Do Ahead:

Want to have this during the week, but don’t have time to grill on your average weeknight?  Go ahead and grill this up when you’re grilling other things on the weekend and cut the cooking time by 2 minutes per side.  Remove from the heat, allow to cool, and wrap in foil and refrigerate whole.  Slice thinly while cold and lay the slices out on a baking pan.  Brush the exposed surfaces with a little cold coffee and cover with another sheet of foil.  Heat in a 350º F oven for about 15 minutes, or heated through.

Serve with your favorite sides or even a simple baked potato and pickles or tossed salad.

*We take a moment today to remember the sacrifices of our Service men and women, past and present.  To all members of the Armed Forces: Thank You For Your Service!

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It’s the Monday after Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday for you internet-savvy holiday shoppers. You’ve got two problems: You’ve got all this leftover turkey from last week, and you don’t have a lot of time to make supper tonight.

You know what? I’m with you. I’ve got at least 6 new posts in my head (one of which I actually started to write and never quite finished), and I’ve been baking cookies. And will continue to bake cookies for the foreseeable future.

The 12 Days of Cookies Project begins tomorrow (see that badge over there in the sidebar?), and that means that, beginning tomorrow, I’m going to be baking – and posting – a different cookie recipe from the 2008 Bon Appétit Holiday Cookie-a-Day collection, everyday from December 1st (yes, that’s tomorrow! can you believe it?!?) through December 12th, along with a bunch of other bloggers. At least I’m going to give it my best shot!

I’ve also got macarons (with feet!) due for Mac Tweets on December 10th, and a new bread for the Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day group due on December 15th. And oh, yeah. I’m expected to make regular appearances at my job, and get ready for Chanukah AND Christmas!

But no, you don’t care. You just want to know what to do with your leftover damn turkey. Well, you know what you’re getting? Reruns. Here are a few things from previous recipe posts to give you some ideas of what you can do with that turkey. And get your minds out of the gutter, thankyewverymuch!

The first suggestion that comes to mind is our favorite Chipotle Chicken Pizza. Simply substitute
1 1/2 – 2 cups of cooked, cut-up turkey for the chicken.

Give your leftovers an Indian flavor and try a modified version of American Chicken Curry Masala. Instead of the chicken, season approximately 3 cups of cooked turkey, saute for just a couple of minutes, and proceed with the recipe as indicated.

And here’s one that requires no modifications at all -Turkey Taco Salad!

Don’t forget – you can also slip some of that leftover turkey into your favorite pasta (try it with Roasted Garlic Spinach Pasta), or even in your favorite lasagna!

There! Are you happy now? Don’t forget to stop by tomorrow for the first installment of The 12 Days of Cookies!

Continuing my love affair with chipotle chili anything, and looking for a quick, easy, and inexpensive weeknight supper, I bring you the humble pizza.

I love making pizza at home. You can slap pretty much anything you like on a pizza crust, and you’ve got a meal that appeals to everyone! And when you make your own pizza, you’ve got control over the fat, calories and every ingredient.

Who says it has to be Italian, anyway? Coming soon: Hummus Pizza. Really. You will love it.

Chipotle Chicken Pizza

1 12″ pizza crust (either homemade or store-bought)

2 Tbs. olive oil or grapeseed oil

1 medium onion, sliced in half-rings

2-3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. chipotle chili powder, or to taste

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1 large (about 10 oz.) boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into small pieces

1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

Several pinches of dried cilantro

Optional: 1/4 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, jack, or mozzarella)

Preheat oven to 450º F.

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large, non-stick skillet. Add the onions, garlic, and salt. Reduce heat to medium and sauteé until onions are soft. Add the chili powder, cumin, and pepper, stir, and cook for an additional minute.

Add the chicken, stir to combine, and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the chicken pieces are white. Pour in the tomatoes and their liquid, stir.

Turn up the heat to medium-high, and cook until the liquid is reduced to a thick sauce, about 10 minutes.

Spread the chicken mixture over the prepared pizza crust, sprinkle with dried cilantro. Top with cheese, if using. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Notes:

Using a pizza/baking stone will enhance the flavor and give you a nice, crispy crust. If you don’t have a pizza stone, you can bake this directly on the oven rack, placed in the lowest position. Alternatively, you can use a baking sheet.

I didn’t use cheese because I have a kosher kitchen and therefore don’t mix meat with dairy in my home. Ultimately, MJ said he missed the melty, stretchy fun of the cheese that makes it pizza. I liked the flavors and textures, as is. Your choice.

Enjoy!

I am an absolute fiend for Chipotle. Chipotle anything. As one of my birthday gifts, last year, MJ went online to one of our favorite exotic spice purveyors and, among other things (like Szechuan peppercorns and turmeric fingers!), got me some dried chipotle peppers and chipotle chili powder. Mmmmm!

Saturday was rainy and stormy, and when I woke up from my nap, I had a yen to create something chipotle. I love meatloaf – it’s one of the perfect comfort foods – but the real star here is the sauce. You can use your own favorite meatloaf recipe – just add 1/2 – 1 teaspoon of chipotle powder, or you can use mine. But the sauce is what makes this, and as a bonus, it’s fat-free and vegan. So you can use it on anything you want to pep up with a little smoky chipotle zip!

Chipotle Sauced Meatloaf

For the Sauce:

1 26.5 oz. Pkg. Pomi Chopped Tomatoes or 2 cans of any chopped tomatoes
2 – 3 dried Chipotle peppers (depending on your heat preference)
1/2 cup boiling water
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1 tsp. Garlic powder
1 Tbs. dried chopped onion
2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup black coffee (prepared) – because, well, I like coffee.
4 Tbs. honey

In a small dish, soak the peppers in the boiling water for about 15 minutes. Saving the water, remove the peppers and chop finely.

Put all ingredients, including the pepper soaking water, into a medium saucepan (preferably non-stick) over medium heat. Stir occasionally until it begins to boil, reduce heat to low. Allow to simmer slowly while making your meatloaf, about 1-1/2 hours.

For the Meatloaf:

2 pounds ground beef
3/4 cup oatmeal
2 eggs or 1/2 cup liquid egg substitute
4 Tbs. Ketchup
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1 – 2 tsp. Chipotle chili powder (to taste)
2 tsp. Garlic powder
2 Tbs. dried chopped onion

Preheat oven to 375°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. If using a higher fat-content ground beef, place a rack on top.

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients (come on, use your hands!) completely. Shape into a loaf and place it on the prepared baking pan. Bake for one hour, or until it reaches 165° internal temperature. Let rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.

You can make the sauce ahead of time – just let it cool, pour it into an airtight container and refrigerate. You can reheat it on top of the stove or in the microwave, or serve it at room temperature, too.

And don’t forget to save any leftover sauce, ’cause it would also be awesome on grilled or baked chicken, grilled tofu, or even as a dipping sauce. Use your imaginations!