Sweet Potato Cakes with Black Bean and Corn Salsa

This recipe is quick and great for a party appetizer.  Since sweet potatoes are in season, I had a few on hand and thought I'd use em up.  You could totally make this a vegetarian meal by omitting the turkey bacon.  I love how cute this little appetizer is lol.

For the sweet potato cakes:
2 cups mashed sweet potatoes
2 eggs
1 cups flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tsp. baking powder
4 tbsp. butter
1 green onion stalk, sliced into thin rounds
1 pinch cumin
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. black pepper
salt to taste

Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees/ Combine all of the dry ingredients in a bowl.  Next add the mashed sweet potato to a deep mixing bowl.  Next add in the eggs, butter and green onions.  Combine all of the wet ingredients, before adding in the dry ingredients.  Once all of the ingredients are in the same bowl, combine well, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.  Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and place a dollop of the mix onto the surface of the cookie sheet- it should look like the size of a lemon (in diameter).  Flatten them down a little with your spatula and bake for 25-30 minutes.

 For the salsa:
1 can black beans, drained
1 cup corn kernels, thawed
5 strips turkey bacon, diced
1/4 cup red onion finely diced
1 tomato cubed
1 stalk  green onion, plus more for garnish
3 garlic cloves, grated
1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/8 tsp. cumin
salt to taste

Add the corn, tomatoes, black beans, onions, garlic and green onions into a bowl. Cook the bacon in the oven at 400 degrees until it is crispy.  Slice the bacon into thin pieces and add to the bowl.  Next add in the lime juice, olive oil, black pepper, cumin and salt and combine every thing well.

For the garlicky sauce:
2 tbsp light mayo
2 tbsp. light sour cream
1 garlic clove grated
1 tsp. fresh lime juice
salt to taste

Combine all of the ingredients well.  Making sure to remove any lumps- you want a velvety smooth cream.

Assemble  by placing a sweet potato cake down on a serving dish. Next spoon a dollop of the sauce, followed by a scoop of the salsa.  Garnish with some sliced green onions.

Perfect Home-made Popcorn!

I have said many a time here before how popcorn is my favorite snack.  Popcorn and frozen yogurt actually, I can't quite pick between the two, it really just depends on whether I want something sweet or savory.  Popcorn is one of those things, that no matter how full I am, if I smell it, I want it.  It makes watching movies so much more enjoyable, but after reading an article that named movie-theater popcorn as one of the worst foods of all time, I no longer treat myself to the buttery, crunchy delight.  This inspired me to make  delicious popcorn at home.  Microwave popcorn doesn't even count as far as I'm concerned.  But not all popcorn was created equal either.   There is a right way to enjoy popcorn in my opinion:  using only three ingredients and cooked on the stove.  Something else I'd like to point out is that there are all kinds of gourmet popcorn kernels available- the perfect gift for the popcorn lover in your family.  They range from the whitest of white all the way to  midnight black. Some yield fluffy large kernels and others yield crunchier smaller kernels.  Tastes also range from mild and crisp to nutty and buttery.  Today I'll show two varieties, and my favorite way make home-made popcorn.

The first variety I made was the standard golden Orville Redenbacher popping corn.  The actual corn kernel is large and plump, and has a beautiful golden color.  The popped kernel yields a mild flavor, pops really fluffy and large and has a slight yellowish hue to it.

The second batch I made is known as "black jewel" popcorn.  The description on the site says " black jewel kernels are smaller with a tender hull that shatters when it pops. This means you get fewer hulls in your teeth and gums. Fewer hulls mean black jewel popcorn is also easier to digest than yellow kernel popcorn. Black Jewel is a very flavorful, crunchy textured popcorn that pops snow white with black centers.  I found this description to be very accurate.  I will add that this variety has a much more noticeable "corn" flavor.  After trying them back to back, you realize how mild the standard variety is.  I personally like the black jewel variety better.  Also worth noting, the black jewel produces less volume than the standard yellow.  I had to use twice the amount of kernels to yield the same amount of popped corn that the yellow variety produced.  This is because the black kernel is smaller in size and not as fluffy.

Here is a picture of  the black jewel  kernels when they're un-popped and popped.

Now look at the difference side by-side:

Recipe for my favorite popcorn:

Ingredients:

3  tbsp.  popping corn kernels (double this amount if you're making the black jewel variety)

2 tbsp. coconut oil (not extra virgin or it will impart the coconut taste)

2 tsp. popcorn salt

Add the kernels and oil into a pot with a lid and turn the heat up to medium high.  Leave the lid off until you start to hear a slight sizzle.  Place the lid over the pot and when you hear the first few kernels pop, turn the heat down to medium.  Turn off the heat once you hear the popping slow down a bit- about 1-2 minutes.  Let the pot rest for about one minute before removing the lid.  Transfer the popcorn into a large bowl and sprinkle the popcorn salt over the first few ladle fulls of popcorn.  Continue to add the popcorn to the bowl and season the top with a little more popcorn salt before serving.

Side note: it is very important that you use popcorn salt.  Popcorn salt is just salt that is very fine, but because it is so fine, it sticks to the popcorn.  Regular salt won't stick to the kernel and you'll have bland popcorn. Also. good to know, this popcorn keeps well in a zip lock bag for about a week.  I usually make a big batch and then put them in individual bags to take to work.  I hope you'll enjoy this recipe as much as we do, all in all it is a healthy snack that is full of fiber, whole grains, and gluten free. Plus, your house will smell like the movies for a little while which makes it great for those cozy blockbuster nights with your honey.

Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Satay is one of my favorite Thai appetizers.  When we lived in Miami, our favorite Thai restaurant was called Tani Thai, and had the best chicken satay.  They brought the skewers on these mini hibachi grills where you'd place the skewers to keep them warm while you ate. Fast froward a few years later and we still haven't had satay as good as that one.  I tried making satay last night for dinner with a spicy peanut sauce.  This dish was easy and a great way to use up boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  Serve with some refreshing cucumber salad and some Thai fried rice and you'll have a great meal.

Ingredients for the Satay:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 shallots
5 garlic cloves
3 tbsp. palm sugar (you can use dark brown sugar as a substitute)
2 tsp.ground coriander seed
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cumin powder
2 tbsp. canola oil
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp. freshly grated ginger
2 kaffir lime leaves (If you can't find this, use some lime zest- about 1 tsp. You can also use lemongrass.  Just the tender stalk, minced)
1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 bird chilies (if you can't find this, you can substitute with your favorite red chili, just use about 1 tsp and remove the seeds.  You can also use chili paste)
2 tsp. salt

Add the shallots, ginger, garlic, chilies, kaffir lime leaves, and lemon juice to a mini food processor.  Transfer to a mixing bowl and then add in the turmeric, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, lime juice and sugar.  Whisk well and then add the oil and salt.  You should have a thick paste at this point.  Slice the chicken breasts horizontally to think out the slices.  You could also pound out the breast to make it thinner.  Begin cutting the chicken into long strips and adding it to a zip-lock bag with the marinade.  Refrigerate for one hour.  Skewer the chicken onto bamboo sticks.  Spray your grill with a little non-stick spray and turn the heat up to medium high.  Place the skewers down on the grill and let it cook undisturbed for about 5 minutes on each side, baste the chicken with any remaining marinade about halfway through the cooking process.

For the peanut sauce:
5 shallots
3 garlic cloves
2 bird chilies (red chilies)
1 tbsp. canola oil
2 tsp. freshly grated ginger
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 tsp. ground coriander
3 tbsp. palm sugar (or brown sugar)
1/4 cup boiling water
2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/4 cup coconut milk

First roughly chop the garlic, shallots and chilies and saute them in a non-stick pan on medium heat with the canola oil.  Add in the grated ginger and cook for about 2 minutes before adding in the peanut butter.  Using a spatula, begin stirring the peanut butter as it melts into the sauce. Next add in the coriander, lime juice, soy sauce , coconut milk and sugar.  Cook everything until the sugar dissolves. Transfer this sauce into a blender or food processor and add in the water.  Blend until you have a smooth and creamy consistency.  Serve with the satay.

Steak and Mushroom Flatbread with Spinach and Horseradish Cream

That title was a mouthful huh? I didn't want to leave out any part of the dish, but truly, I think this is one of those instances where the picture speaks a 1000 words. There are a lot of things going on in this dish, but they work beautifully together.  The warm and delicate dough, the smooth and creamy sauce that has just the right amount of kick, and the sweetness of the onions and mushrooms just melt in your mouth along with the steak- get ready to experience bliss in one bite.  If you're vegetarian or aren't into steak, you really could just omit it altogether- just bump up the the onions and mushrooms.

For the onions and mushrooms:
5 medium onions
3 cups button or cremini mushrooms
1/3 cup whiskey ( I used Dewar's 12)
3 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
2 tbsp. olive oil or butter

Begin by slicing the onions into rounds. Not too thick or not too thin- about a 1/4" thick.  Add the butter or oil to a non-stick skillet and turn the heat up to medium high.  Place the onions in the pan and saute, stirring periodically to make sure the browning is somewhat even.  The onions will go from being crunchy, to soft and translucent, to brown, soft and sweet but it will take about 25 minutes for them to cook down to this level.  Once the onions are soft but not fully browned, add in the Worcestershire sauce, the whiskey and the salt and pepper and stir around.  This will aid the caramelization process. Continue to cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and set aside until you're ready to assemble the flatbread.

Repeat the same process for the mushrooms.

Side note: I made the onions and mushrooms separately, but they're made exactly the same way.  You could save time by doing them all in one shot, but I was scared that they'd stew (since mushrooms release so much water when cooked) instead of saute nicely.  If  you do make both at the same time, just make sure to keep you heat up high and stir around constantly to avoid stewing.  Add the butter or oil to a non-stick skillet and turn the heat up to high.

Ingredients for the steak:
2 lbs. beef tenderloin
1 tbsp.  oil or butter
2 tsp. herbs de Provence
salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

First, start out by trimming the tenderloin of any visible fat.  I ended up cutting the tenderloin into steaks about 3/4" thick. Add the oil or butter to a non-stick skillet and turn the heat up to high.  Let the pan get really hot while you season up the tenderloin with the salt, pepper and herbs de Provence. It's important to get the pan really hot in order to achieve that nice sear on the outside.  Add the steak to the skillet and cook about 2 minutes on each side.  Transfer to a holding plate and cover with foil.

For the horseradish cream:
2 tbsp.  grated horseradish
1/2 cup mayo
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, grated
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt

Blend the horseradish and the mayo until it's well combined.  Next add the lemon juice, garlic, sugar and salt and whisk well.

To assemble the flatbread:

Bake the dough until it's nice and tender, but has a bit of firmness to it.  I used this recipe for the dough which I had frozen from the last time I made the California Flatbread.  If you don't have dough already made you could buy the pizza dough that comes in the tube or go to your local pizzeria and buy the raw dough there.

Once the dough is cooked, spread a layer of the horseradish cream on the bottom.  Next place some fresh baby spinach leaves or arugula all over the top of the dough.  Then top the dough with the mush rooms and onions.  Slice the steak into strips and place over the top of the flatbread.  Season with a little freshly cracked pepper serve hot.

Enjoy!

Sweet Tamale Cakes

Have you ever been to a restaurant and ordered something you loved and thought to yourself, '"I bet I can make this at home"?  One of the dishes I've been meaning to try my hand at is the Sweet Corn Tamale Cake from Cheesecake Factory.  I finally got around to making these this weekend and thought they came out EXACTLY like the real thing.  This was probably the closest I've ever come to recreating a restaurant dish at home.  I looked online for a few recipes and modified one that I thought sounded like it would turn out well, and I was not let down.  All in all, it was a pretty simple dish, but a little tedious since you have to make three separate sauces.  Totally worth the effort in my opinion.

For the Tomatillo Salsa:
4 tomatillos, diced
2 tbsp. green bell pepper, minced
2 green onion stalks, minced
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced
1  tsp. granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt

Chop up the tomatillo, pepper, green onion and cilantro.   Dump all of the ingredients into a food processor and gently pulse to get a smoother consistency.  Place the contents into a bowl and begin adding cumin, sugar and salt.   Stir well, cover with plastic wrap and place the bowl in the fridge to chill until you're ready to assemble the cakes.

For the Pico de Gallo:
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 tbsp. minced Spanish onions
1 tbsp. fresh cilantro, minced
1 tsp. fresh lime juice
1 tbsp. green bell pepper or mild chili like pasilla, seeds removed and minced
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. light olive oil

Dice up the tomatoes and add to a small bowl.  Mince the onions and peppers and add to the bowl.  Next, finely chop the cilantro and add to the bowl along with the rest of the ingredients.  Stir well, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to cool until you're ready to assemble the dish.

For Southwestern Sauce:
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used light)
2 tbsp. ketchup
1 tsp. white vinegar
1 tsp.water
1 tsp.  granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 garlic clove, grated
1/2 tsp.  salt

Add the mayo, ketchup, water and vinegar to a bowl.  Whisk well to combine the sauces and remove any lumps.  Next add in the paprika, cayenne powder, chili powder, salt and garlic clove and whisk to combine all of the ingredients. Cover and put in the fridge to chill.

 For  the Cakes:
3 cups frozen sweet corn
1 1/2 sticks butter, melted
2 tbsp. water
6 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 cup corn flour (masa harina)
1/4 cup regular flour

Start out by pre-heating your oven to 400 degrees.  Thaw out  the corn kernels.  They don't have to be completely thawed, just tender enough to where they'll blend in the food processor.  Add the corn and the water to a food processor and pulse until you have a coarse chop.  Transfer the corn to a large mixing bowl and add in the butter.  Blend well with a spatula.  Next add in the corn flour and the regular flour, the salt and sugar and blend well.  You should have a sticky consistency.  If it feels too dry, add a little water.  Spray a non-stick cookie sheet with cooking spray and begin forming the cakes.  You should have a  shape similar to a crab cake.  Place the cakes down on the cookie sheet.  Bake for 15 minutes and remove the tray from the oven to flip the cakes.  Bake for another 10-15 minutes.

For the Garnish:
1 hass avocado
6 tbsp. sour cream
3 tbsp. finely chopped cilantro

To Assemble:
Spoon the tomatillo salsa along the bottom of your serving platter.  Place the cakes over the tomatillo salsa and then top with the pico de gallo.  Next drizzle a little of the southwestern sauce over the top of the cake.  Cut the avocado into small chunks and place on top of the cakes.  Dollop one tbsp. over each of the cakes and sprinkle the top with some fresh chopped cilantro.

California Grilled Chicken Flatbread

Something about this flat bread just says "California" to me. I don't know what it is, maybe contrasting flavors and textures of the veggies and chicken with the spicy sauce.  Something I really liked about this dish is that it's a great way to not make the same ol' boring chicken.  Chicken breast is by far the protein I use the most and I am always thinking of new ways to re-invent it.  This flatbread is also topped with lots of fresh veggies like avocado and tomatoes which are great for you.  In fact, you could easily make this dish vegetarian by omitting the chicken breast and bacon.  It's also quite healthy in terms of fat content, the chicken is simply grilled  and the cheese and sauce were made using reduced fat ingredients- you'll feel like you're eating something really indulgent, but it's actually good for you too! I know I'm a little late for the party, but shoot, this would have been good for the super bowl! Oh well, summer is right around the corner.  I can just imagine serving this at a casual summer get together- I think it'd be a hit. I can always test out this hypothesis- any takers?

Ingredients:
4 lemon- size balls of pizza dough (I used this recipe, but if you were in a hurry you could use the store bought kind that comes in a tube or even buy the raw dough  from your local pizzeria.)
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp. canola oil
1 tbsp. herbs de Provence
6 slices bacon (I used turkey bacon)
1/2 a red onion
1 ripe tomato
1-2 ripe hass avocados
2 tbsp. shredded mozzarella cheese (I used the reduced fat kind)
salt and pepper to taste

First, pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.  While the oven gets hot, butterfly your chicken breasts and sprinkle them with a little salt, pepper and some herbs de Provence. Take out your grill pan and turn the heat up to medium high.  Don't oil the grill pan because it will only collect the oil in the grooves.  Instead, brush the chicken breasts with a tiny amount of oil and transfer them to the grill pan once it's hot.  Grill the chicken for about 4 minutes on each side.  It shouldn't take very long since you'll cut the cooking time by butterflying the breasts.

While the chicken is cooking, begin rolling out the dough into rectangular shapes using a rolling pin. I like my flatbread a little on the thin side, so I rolled it out quite a bit, but you can roll it out depending on how thick you like your dough. Using a pastry brush, brush a little bit of oil on the flatbread and place it on a cookie sheet.  Now would be a good time to place the strips of bacon on another cookie sheet.  Transfer the cookie sheets to the oven and allow the flatbread to cook until it's nice and golden brown, about 10-12 minutes.  The bacon should be done about the same time too.  Remove the trays from the oven and transfer the flatbread to your platter.   While the flatbread cooks, make sure to keep an eye on your chicken breast, turning it once to cook on the other side.  Once the chicken is cooked, transfer to a plate, and allow it to rest for about 4 minutes before slicing into thin strips. While you're waiting on the chicken to rest, and the flatbread to cook, let's begin cutting up our veggies.  Dice the tomatoes, thinly slice your onion and slice your avocado.  When the bacon is cooked, dice that up too.  Now let's begin assembling the flatbread.  Place the chicken over the flatbread, then top with your veggies and bacon.  Sprinkle a little bit of shredded cheese over the top, and drizzle with the spicy sauce, (recipe below)

For the spicy sauce:
1/3 cup plain- non-fat yogurt
2 tbsp. reduced fat mayo
2 tbsp. ketchup
2 tbsp. water
1 small garlic clove (or half a big one), grated
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. hot sauce
a pinch of salt

Add the yogurt, mayo, ketchup, hot sauce and water to a little mixing bowl.  Whisk it well, removing any clumps, you'll want a velvety smooth sauce.  Next, sprinkle in the cayenne pepper, salt, lemon juice and the grated garlic clove and whisk once again until all of the ingredients are evenly combined.

Zucchini Carpaccio

You know what I love about this dish? The texture of the super ultra thin zucchini and onions and the tang of the lemon juice.  I love how simple this dish is too. Not too much going on and the vegetable is the star of the show here.  The next time you want to make an elegant appetizer that is also healthy, this is an excellent option.

Ingredients:
1 large zucchini
1/4  of a small onion
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. capers
juice of about half a lemon
lots of fresh cracked pepper and a little sea salt

Wash the zucchini well and dry it.  Using a mandolin, begin thinly slicing the zucchini.  Assemble the zucchini on a platter gently laying one slice over the other, overlapping the zucchini in a pretty pattern.  Slice the onion into really really thin slices and sprinkle over the zucchini.  Next sprinkle the capers over the platter.  Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil, squeeze a little lemon juice over the top and season everything with some fresh cracked pepper and sea salt. Voila... there you have a beautifully appetizing dish that took about 10 minutes to make.

Also, I noticed when I was looking at the shots, that in the picture below, it looks like there is a sad zucchini face.

Easy Parmesan Veggie Dip

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups roughly chopped spinach
1 cup shredded carrots (I used a julienne tool, but a box grate would work too)
1 cup broccoli florets cut into small pieces
4 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg
1 tbsp. dry white wine like sherry
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1/3 cup half &half

The first thing to do is to wash your veggies and cut them up as directed in the ingredient list and set aside.  Begin to melt the butter in a non-stick pan and add the flour once it's melted to make a roux.  Next add the chicken stock and half and half, and wine and blend well, making sure to dissolve the flour into the liquid.  Grate the garlic and add it into the sauce along with the nutmeg and salt, making sure to combine well.  Add in the cheeses and allow them to melt.  Using a spatula, stir this mixture to make sure the cheese is well incorporated before tossing in the veggies.  Coat all the veggies with the sauce and allow them to cook until they're tender but still retain a bit of their bite.  Transfer to a serving dish and serve with crusty garlic bread or crudites.

Croquetas

Croquetas originated from Spain and are often served as part of a tapas menu.  Although I never knew that, I always just assumed they were Cuban. Partially because they're available at every Cuban bakery in Miami.  They're the quintessential snack food that seemed to always be present at parties, get-togethers, and Sunday breakfasts.  My brother inspired this post.  He said it best with his twitter update of a few weeks ago. "Nothing cures a hang-over like a croqueta preparada". What is a croqueta preparada you say?  It's a sandwich made with Cuban bread (much like French bread, only not as crusty, more on the soft side) two croquetas, (ham and cheese- but I skip this part) and ketchup.  Some add onions or even lime juice. Wash that baby down with a Jupiña and you'll be good to go till dinner time.  The most common variety of croquetas are the ones made of ham (I used turkey ham for these since I follow Kosher laws), but really any ground up protein will work.  When I was little, my family used to make croquetas out of the leftover turkey at thanksgiving.  The croqueta made of chicken are probably the next most common version.  I've seen them made of cod, spinach, all sorts of things- really the sky's the limit.  So go on... make one. You'll be glad you did.

Ingredients:

5 tbsp. butter
1 cup flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tbsp. dry white wine
1/3 cup onion very finely diced
2 cups ground up ham (I used turkey ham)
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
canola oil for frying

For the breading:
2 eggs
2 cups plain bread crumbs

 First thing to do is add the butter to a non-stick pan.

Let it melt and then add the flour.  With a silicone whisk or spatula, begin combining the flour and butter.
Let it cook a little bit on medium heat so that the raw flour taste cooks out.  Finely dice your onion and toss it into the pan to cook with the flour and butter mixture.

Next add the milk and chicken stock and begin whisking vigorously to incorporate the flour well into the milk. Add the wine at this point. Make sure to dissolve any clumps- and turn the heat down to medium low.

Add the ground nutmeg and salt and combine well.  The sauce will thicken considerably.  But that's the way it's supposed to be for this  particular dish.

Turn the heat off at this point. Chop up the ham into cubes and toss into the food processor.  Run the processor for about 30 seconds.

Now add the ham to the bechamel sauce, making sure to incorporate well.Make sure you let this mixture cool completely before moving on to the breading.  I transferred this mixture to a pan and put it in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Once you can touch the mixture without burning yourself, begin forming the croquetas and then passing them through the egg and bread crumb mix.  You'll want to repeat the process twice for each croqueta.  Transfer to a plate and let them just hang out there.

 Put the canola oil into a non-stick pan and turn the heat up to medium.  Once the oil is hot, transfer the croquetas to the pan.  Making sure to turn them on every side to make sure you get a nice even golden color throughout.

                                      

Serve with some ketchup.  If you've had a long night and want a "stick to your ribs" meal, slap two croquetas in between some Cuban or French bread, squeeze some ketchup and enjoy the "croqueta preparada".

Tostones

As you may have seen in my previous post, there were other things on the plate besides black beans.  One of the sides is called "Tostones".  They're made with green (un-ripe) plantains.  There's another kind of plantain which is sweet and sticky and delicious too- and that's made with the same plantain, just when it's really ripe. Tostones are crunchy, slightly salty and the perfect accompaniment to any meal or alone as an appetizer.  I rarely fry food, but every once in a while, I'll give in and usually it's to make these.

For the Tostones:

2 green plantains (buy them as green as you can find them)
unflavored coconut oil for frying or other neutral tasting oil
salt to taste

First cut the plantain into about 1/2" thick segments and remove the peel around the outside.  Add the oil to a frying pan and turn the heat up to medium high.  Once the oil is hot, add the pieces of plantain and fry until the first side is golden.  Flip each piece and allow for it to cook on the other side.  Next remove the pieces of plantain from the oil and set them on a plate or flat surface.  To form the disks you will need something flat to smoosh the pieces down until you have a flat, thin, disc.  Add the discs back into the oil and fry until both sides are golden brown and crunchy.  Remove from the oil, season with salt and serve.   You can serve this with mojo sauce if you're serving as an appetizer.  Enjoy!

For the mojo sauce:
2 limes (juice only)
4 large garlic cloves
1/3 cup light olive oil
pinch of salt

Grate the garlic and add to a bowl.  Squeeze the lime juice into the bowl and add the oil.  Using a whisk, blend vigorously until it's slightly emulsified.  Make sure to stir before spooning over your food.

Simple Summer Sandwich

Sometimes the most delicious meals consist of only a few ingredients and not very much time to prepare.  I remember sitting in my grandparent’s kitchen eating this with my best friend, grandma and grandpa.  "Pan con tomate" (bread with tomatoes) is still one of my favorite things to eat.  I jazzed this version up by adding sliced avocado, but it's just as good with just tomatoes- in fact, that's how I usually eat this, but had a few avocados that were going to spoil if not eaten.  The only kicker with this meal is that the tomatoes have to be good... no mealy, tasteless tomatoes allowed!

Ingredients:
4 slices bread (you can use any you like including gluten free)
3 large ripe tomatoes (green tomatoes are lovely in this too)
1 sliced avocado
1 small red onion
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of garlic powder
Sea salt to taste

First drizzle the bread with a little olive oil and toast until the bread is crunchy.  While the bread is toasting, start slicing the tomatoes.  Now would be a good time to sharpen your knife... I personally like paper-thin tomato slices and to achieve that goal, you need a really sharp knife.  Put the tomatoes in a bowl and season with sea salt and olive oil.  Slice the avocado and onions.   Then just assemble each toast.  I started with the tomatoes, then avocado, then onions, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt and garlic powder.   My mouth is watering... especially since I am NOT feeling my peanut butter and jelly sandwich I brought for lunch today.  Oh well there's always dinner right?

Asian Lettuce Wraps- like P.F. Changs!

Let me just start my saying how surprised I was at how close this turned out to the real deal. Especially since I made this with ground turkey. It tasted just like the famous P.F. Chang’s appetizer. This recipe yields a lot more than the appetizer would, but I was making it as a main course. Needless to say we have enough leftovers for the following day too which was nice. So here’s my recipe.

For the Filling:
2.5 lb package of ground turkey or ground chicken
1 small onion
1 large or 2 small cans water chestnuts (drained and diced)
1 bunch scallions
1 tsp. sesame oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp. rice wine vinegar
2 cups fried cellophane noodles (just add them to hot canola oil and they'll instantly puff up)
1 tsp hot Asian mustard
1 tsp. light olive oil
1 head bibb or butter lettuce. Iceberg works fine too- just make sure its really fresh and cold.

For the dipping sauce:
1/2 cup regular soy sauce
2 tbsp water
1/2 tsp. hot Asian mustard
1/4 tsp. hot chili sauce (I used Siracha)

First remove the ground turkey or chicken from the package and transfer to a wok or deep non-stick pan. I think the original P.F. Chang’s recipe uses chicken breasts but I felt this would work nicely too and it did! But feel free to substitute. I've even had them made with tofu and they're not bad either. Using a spatula break up any large pieces of turkey. You want this to be a finer crumble. Remove any excess liquid that the turkey renders. Drizzle a little oil into the pan. Next dice up the onion and garlic and sauteed in the pan with the turkey . While the onions, garlic and turkey are cooking open and drain the water chestnuts. Toss into the pan. In a separate bowl, whisk the sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, mustard, and rice wine vinegar. Add this mixture to the turkey and allow it to cook for about 10 minutes on med. low heat. At the very end, chop up the scallion and fold into the mix along with half of the cellophane noodles. Reserve the other half to garnish the top of the filling. Serve with lettuce and dipping sauce.

Buffalo Chicken Wings

Ingredients:
3 lbs. organic, free range chicken wings
1 stick butter
1 cup hot sauce
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. blue agave nectar
oil for frying

Plain non-fat yogurt for marinating

Clean the wings well and put them in a bowl. Add the container of yogurt and cover. Let the wings marinate overnight. When ready for frying, add oil to a pop (preferably non-stick) and fry the wings at 350 degrees until the wings are cooked. About 10 minutes. While the wings are cooking, create buffalo sauce by melting the butter in a sauce pan. Add the hot sauce, agave nectar and garlic powder and whisk well. Toss the wings in the sauce and serve with celery stalks and bleu cheese dressing. Make sure you have lots of towelettes for this meal!

Steak, Spinach, and Onion Crostini with Lemon-herb Aioli

 

I must say this dish is not only delicious, but is perfect for a "cocktails and hors d'oeuvres" party. It's substantial enough to serve a a super bowl party just the same with an ice cold beer. How ever you serve them, I am sure they will be a hit. The recipe for the flank steak was meant to be as a stand alone item, but morphed into the crostini at the last minute. You can serve the flank steak with some roasted potatoes and a nice crisp salad and that would be a great meal too. My only complaint is that I had to take these pictures at night, and did not get very clear images- they looked a lot better in person.

Ingredients for the steak:

2 lbs flank steak
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tbsp. herbs de Provence
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. pepper

In a food processor, blend the garlic and onion until a paste is formed. Take a gallon size zip block bag and add the paste. To this add the lemon juice, canola oil, herbs, salt and pepper and combine well. lastly, add the flank steak to the bag and coat well. Make sure to press out the excess air from the bag, and allow the meat to marinade for at least 4 hours. If you can leave it overnight, that's even better. Turn on the grill to high and place the flank steak on it. Allow the pieces to brown a bit before turning. Save the marinating liquid. Transfer the meat to a roasting pan and pour the marinating liquid into it. Cover tightly with foil and cook the meat for 3 hours on 300 degrees. At the end of the three hours, the meat should be super tender and falling apart. While the meat is still intact, transfer to a cutting board and slice against the grain to form strips. Transfer back into the pan with the juices.


Ingredients for the Aioli:
1 cup low-fat mayo
1 clove garlic
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp fresh parsley
2 tsp fresh tarragon
2 leaves fresh basil
1 tsp salt

Roughly chop the garlic and herbs and run in the food processor until the bits are small. Add the mayonnaise, lemon juice and salt until all of the herbs are blended well.

Ingredients for the Crostini:
2 lbs flank steak (cooked according to above method)
2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
1 large red onion
1 loaf French bread
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup lemon-herb aioli

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice the bread into rounds and place on a cookie sheet. Spray each piece with a little Pam. Bake until the bread is a little bit toasty, but don't toast all the way, because we will assemble the crostini and put them back in the oven for a few minutes. Next take the bread and spread with the aioli. Place a few spinach leaves on the crostini, and add a strip or two of the flank steak. Sprinkle a little bit of mozzarella cheese on top. Repeat this until all the crostini are assembled, and put in the oven for about 5-7 minutes. While that is crisping, begin to slice your red onion in very very thin rounds then cut them into quarter strips. Remove the crostini tray from the oven, and top each piece with some sliced raw red onion.

Salmon Canapes: My Favorite Dish I've Blogged So Far

 Of all the dishes I've posted... this is my favorite. Unfortunately, when I posted the original recipe, I still had my old camera which took sub-mediocre pictures on a good day. I made the dish again tonight and decided to post the recipe again with new, clearer images. This time I made the canape bread from scratch and topped it with the same ingredients listed in the original recipe. I hope you enjoy this dish as much as Brandon and I have. A chilled glass of Prosecco pairs beautifully with this.

Smoked salmon platter with creamy dill spread

I absolutely love smoked salmon.  Usually if there is an item on the menu with this ingredient I will order it. It is one of the reasons I came up with this dish. The saltiness of the capers, combined with the cool touch of the dilled cream cheese spread, and the crunch of the fresh greens and red onion allow for the perfect balance of flavors, not to mention, really stand up to the pungent taste of the salmon. So here's how you make it.


Ingredients:
1 package smoked salmon
1/4 cup freshly chopped dill
1 lemon (juice)
1/4 cup sliced red onion
1 garlic clove, grated
1 tbsp. capers (with brine)
1 1/2 cups spring greens
2 tbsp. light tasting olive oil

For the Spread
4 oz. cream cheese
1 handful of  fresh dill, chopped
3 tbsp. lemon juice


Take the package of salmon and thinly slice it.


Peel the red onion, and grab a large handful of dill and finely chop. Next using your microplane finely grate the garlic clove. Add all of the ingredients to a bowl.


Take the juice of a lemon and squeeze into the mixture. With your microplane, zest a quarter of the lemon and combine with the ingredients


Add two tablespoons of olive oil and mix with the rest of the ingredients.The next thing you do is add the salmon to this mixture and let it marinade while you make the spread.

For the spread:
Add the cream cheese and a handful of dill and run through the food processor. Mix well until the dill is finely chopped and the mixture is nice and creamy. Serve on a platter with the salmon and greens and flatbread. Enjoy!