 Yes, I do my best to cook salmon weekly, since it’s so rich in omega-3. However, one must be creative to come up with different ways to cook this amazing fish. Therefore, today, I decided to make it in salmon-balls. I somewhat mimic what I do when I make crab cakes and they turned out wonderful. It takes a bit more time but is worth it! Category: Entree Approximate Prep and Cooking Time: 45 minutes. Approximate Cost: $16.38 or $5.46 per serving Difficulty Level: Intermediate Servings: 3 or approx. 4 salmon balls per serving INGREDIENTS for the SALMON-BALLS ($6.96) 2 salmon filet, skinned (cut in cubes) ($4.50) 3 tbsp. Panko bread crumbs (.25) 1 egg (.16) 1 tsp. chopped dry onion (.25) 3 large green onions, chopped (.25) 1 tbsp. Roasted Garlic and Herbs (.25) 1 tsp. smoked paprika (.20) 1 lemon (.40) 2 tbsp. olive oil (to sauté them) (.70) INGREDIENTS for my SPICY TZATZIKI SAUCE ($1.30) 4 tablespoons Tzatziki (.35) 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice (.30) 1 tsp. hot sauce (.15) ½ tsp. Roasted Garlic and Herbs (.20) ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped (.30) Directions In a food processor, add cubed salmon and pulse until coarsely ground. Add to the ground salmon, panko bread crumbs, green onions, egg, chopped dry onion green onion, Roasted Garlic and Herbs and smoked paprika. Mix thoroughly. With a small size ice cream scooper, scoop the mixture into small 1” balls and place them on a dish. You should have approximately 10 to 15 salmon balls. Sauté the balls in a skillet with olive oil until no longer look pink. Remove your salmon balls from the skillet. Serve with my spicy Tzatziki sauce, couscous, avocado cubed and a salad. Enjoy! Spicy Tzatziki Sauce Directions Into a small bowl add the hot sauce, Tzatziki, lemon juice, roasted garlic and herbs, chopped parsley and green onions and stir until smooth. If it’s too thick for you add few drops of olive oil or more lemon juice. EXTRAS…$8.12
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 We all love bananas with peanut butter. However, when they are combine in a cupcake is simply fantastic. Recently, I was looking at my banana cupcake recipe and my daughters Neshy and Suzy recipes and decided to do a test to make the cupcakes texture more cake-like. Therefore, I used cake flour instead of all-purpose flour for a soft texture. I used peanut oil instead of butter for a super moist cupcake. Finally, I added Banana Liquor instead of vanilla. (After all, vanilla is 35% (70 proof) alcohol. I researched it, and this amount is 5 times an average beer and over twice what most wines have. (But most, if not all of the alcohol is gone once you cook it.) My peanut butter banana cupcakes came out moist and delicious. The texture was soft and you could feel the banana chunks. My perfect peanut butter and banana combination cupcakes. Then, I gave them to people that I love. Boom! Category: Dessert Prep Time and Cooking Time: Under 45 minutes Approximate Cost: $6.12 or .36 cents per cupcake Difficulty: Easy Allergens: Contains wheat, eggs, peanuts, milk Servings: Approx. 17 cupcakes Ingredients for the Cupcakes ($4.32) 1 ½ c. + 2 tbsp. of Swans Cake Flour (.90) ½ tsp baking powder (.10) ½ tsp baking soda (.10) ¼ tsp salt (10) 1/3 c. peanut oil (.31) ½ c. granulated sugar (.25) ¼ c. brown sugar (.30) 2 eggs (.32) 1 tbsp. Banana liquor (I used BOLS Crème De Bananes Liqueur from Holland) ($1.00) 1/3 cup milk (.20) ¾ c. mashed bananas (its approx. between 2-3 brown bananas) (.75) Ingredients for the Peanut Butter Frosting ($1.80) ½ c. unsalted butter, at room temperature totally softened (1 stick) ($1.10) ½ c. peanut butter (you can also use super crunchy for more texture) (.50) 3 cups powdered sugar ($1.50) 2-3 tbsp. evaporated milk (add as much as you need based on the consistency you like) (.20) Directions for the Cupcakes
Directions for the Peanut Butter Frosting
Done! MY SUPER DELICIOUS and EASY ORANGE ROUGHY RECIPE, OVER A BED OF COUSCOUS, with AVOCADO! YUMM!8/15/2019  Ever wonder about the best thing of the flaky Orange Roughy? It absorbs the seasonings well and cooks real fast. I decided to cut my filet in small rectangles to serve as a fish tower over a bed of roasted garlic and olive oil couscous, which incidentally, cooks in 5 minutes. You could have a whole dinner ready in 15 to 20 minutes. Impressive right? smile. Category: Entree Approx. Prep and Cook Time: 15 Minutes Approximate Cost: $9.04 or $4.52 per serving) Difficulty Level: Easy Allergens, Other: Gluten Free Servings: 2 Ingredients 1 large Orange Roughy file cut in rectangles ($20.00/per 5 frozen filet) ($4.00) 1 tbsp. Roasted Garlic and Herbs (.30) 2 tbsp. Angie’s Basting Oil (for the fish marinade) (.60) 2 tsp. Angie’s Basting Oil (for the couscous) (.45) 1 box of couscous ($1.99) 1 avocado ($1.25) 1 lemon (.45) Directions Cut the filet in small rectangles, you should get between 6 and 7 good size rectangles. Season with my basting oil and Roasted Garlic and Herbs. Refrigerate. Prepare the couscous according to the instructions in the box. (very simple) Sauté the fish in its own marinade oils until cooked and lightly golden. Slice your avocado and lemon. DONE!  No, this is not my daughter’s recipe. However, she found it on-line, loved it and made it for me. The cookies are delicious, nutritious and gluten free. Better yet, she recorded the process so that I can share it with all of you today. Incidentally, the ASL logo on the coffee mug next to the cookies shows the sign for Starbucks in American Sign Language. I am so happy that the company decided to open the only Starbucks Signing Store, near Gallaudet University in Washington, DC and staffed it with 25 employees from across the country, who are partially or fully deaf and who communicate in American Sign Language with all customers. BRAVO STARBUCKS! Category: Dessert Approx. Prep and Cook Time: Under 30 Minutes Approximate Cost: $3.00 Difficulty Level: Easy Allergens, Other: Gluten Free Servings: 12 cookies (or 4 servings of 3 cookies each) Ingredients 1 lemon (for the juice and zest) (.50) ¼ c. Maple syrup ($1.00) 1 c. almond flour ($1.50) Directions Rinse, pat dry, zest the whole lemon and extract the juice. Set both aside. Measure the flour and add to a med-size bowl. Add the lemon juice, zest and maple syrup. Whisk by hand until all ingredients blend together and are well incorporated. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and place in your freezer for about 10 minutes to get a bit firm. Preheat oven at 350 degrees. With an ice cream scooper, scoop the dough into a cookie sheet (approx.12 balls) By using a fork slightly dipped into water, press the cookie down as you would a peanut butter cookie, in a criss-cross pattern. Place in a lightly greases cookie sheet. Bake between 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to rest to cool down before removing them from the cookie sheet. When totally cold, sprinkle powder sugar all over. Enjoy!  One of my favorites, or perhaps, my favorite cake. I have been making this cake for so many years that it is now a member of my family, smile. Ponqué is such a moist, sweet and flexible nice cake to make. You can eat it right after baking it without icing or soaking it with your favorite flavor simple syrup. Or, you can make it as fancy as a wedding cake in tiers. Approximate Prep and Cooking Time: 45 minutes to 1 hour Approximate Cost: $11.16 or $1.12 per serving Difficulty Level: X Easy ____ Intermediate ____ Advanced Servings: 10 Ingredients for the Cake 1 ½ c. organic sugar (.60) 2 ¼ sticks of unsalted butter at room temperature ($2.25) 6 egg yolks (.96) 2 c. self-rising flour or cake flour (.75) 1 tbsp. Sweet Chocolate Almond liquor ($1.00) 1 container Whipped Cream ($1.85) 1 lb. fresh strawberries ($1.45) Ingredients for the Sweet Chocolate Almond liquor syrup ½ c. granulated sugar (.30) ½ c. water (0) 2 tbsp. Sweet Chocolate Almond liquor ($2.00) Directions Preheat the oven at 235 degrees. Butter the baking mold you will use. Set aside. Shift the flour. Separate the yolks from the whites. In a med. size bowl beat the butter and sugar, then add the yolks one at a time. Add 1 tbsp. of Sweet Chocolate Almond liquor. Add the flour and mix just enough to blend. Beat the egg whites in high for about 4 minutes. Then fold them into the flour mix until blend. Pour into the baking mold, tap it several times to remove any air bubbles. Bake at 325 degrees for about 40 to 45 minutes, until the center of the cake is done. Then remove from oven and let it cool before pouring the Sweet Chocolate Almond liquor syrup. The syrup renders about ¾ c. While the cake bakes, prepare the Sweet Chocolate Almond liquor simple syrup by combining ½ c. of water and ½ c. sugar in a saucepan over med heat. Sir until sugar dissolves and cool completely before you add the liquor and pour it over the cake. Let it sit for about 20 minutes before Serve with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. YUMMMMM!  I was so excited to come back home from a trip, went to my veggies garden and found these beauties waiting for me. They are 100% organic, since after I begin the season with a great garden top soil, I only need to water them daily. Tomatoes drink water like there’s no tomorrow! So, I decided to make a fresh simple salad using my garden tomatoes, my banana peppers, my jalapeno peppers my basil and a purchased onion. Then, I just drizzle balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Done. Category: Salad-Side dish Approx. Prep and Cook Time: 10 minutes Approximate Cost: .95 cents Difficulty Level: Easy Allergens, Other… Gluten Free, Vegetarian Servings: 2 Ingredients 3 garden tomatoes (0) 1 banana pepper (0) 1 jalapeno pepper (0) Fresh basil leaves (0) Juice of ½ lemon (.20) 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (.50) 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar (.45) Salt and pepper to taste (0) Directions Rinse all the veggies, pat dry and slice to your liking. Combine the lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, whisk and drizzle all over. Refrigerate until serving time. Done!  I love scallops and who wouldn’t. They cook fast and taste amazing. They are not cheap though. The positive side is that you do not need to buy a lot to feed your family. Three scallops per serving is more than enough in a plate, if you accompany them with nice vegetables and of course, the all-mighty avocado. Category: Seafood - Entree Approximate Prep and Cooking Time: Under 20 minutes Approximate Cost: $13.50 or $6.75 per serving Allergenic: Gluten Free Difficulty Level: X Easy Servings: 2 Ingredients 6 large scallops (@$1.50 ea. =$9) ½ lb. fresh asparagus ($1.50) 5 large organic rainbow carrots ($1.00) 2 tbsp. Angie’s basting oil (.45) 1 tsp. Angie’s dry seasoning (.30) 1 large avocado ($ 1.25) Salt and pepper to taste for the avocado (0) Directions
Enjoy!  Calabaza is the Spanish name used in the Caribbean for hard squashes. The nutritional value of this veggie is off the hook. Not only that, you can use it mashed instead of potatoes or as a stand-alone side veggie, you can boil it or oven roast it with my basting oil or olive oil. Furthermore, you can add it to stews and soups instead of potatoes and it will enhance the flavors and texture. Time to go to the grocery store to get some serious CALABAZA! Category: Side dish Approximate Prep and Cooking Time: About 25 to 30 minutes Approximate Cost: $ 1.38 or .69 cents per serving Allergens, etc.: Gluten Free and vegetarian Difficulty Level: X Easy ____ Intermediate ____ Advanced Servings: 2 + Ingredients 2 lb. squash pumpkin (at .69 cents per lb. Boiling water (0) Directions Carefully, remove both ends if it is a whole pumpkin, cut it in half, remove the seeds and the fibrous fibers completely. Carefully, peel the pumpkin with a sturdy knife, since the skin is real tough. (You can remove the peel after you cook it if you prefer, its easier.) Cut it in 1” cubes. Bring water to a boil, add the pumpkin cubes and cook like you would potatoes, however, until tender. Drain when tender, ready to serve. You can drizzle my basting oil or olive oil as needed now. Done!  Yeah, s’mores are a must when we go camping. There’s nothing better than roasting marshmallows in an open fire and combine it with chocolate, graham crackers, family and friends. However, my s’mores fudge cake is just as awesome, even though I am using a cake from a box. The only difference is that it is served more elegantly than the traditional s’mores, smile! Better yet, my Isabelita help me to make it. Priceless! Category: Dessert X Approx. Prep and Cook Time: 45 Minutes Approximate Cost: $14.16 or $1.42 per serving Difficulty Level: Intermediate Servings: 10 Ingredients for the Frosting ($6.63) 2/3 cups Hershey’s Dark Cocoa ($1.80) 1/3 cup Evaporated milk (.33) 3 cups Powdered sugar ($1.25) 1 stick of unsalted butter – melted ($1.25) 1 tbsp. Pure Vanilla ($2.00) Directions for the Frosting Follow the icing recipe in the back of the Hershey’s cocoa powder box. Ingredients for the Cake ($3.28) 1 box of chocolate fudge cake ($1.50) 3 eggs (.48) 1 c. evaporated milk (.70) 1/3 c. peanut oil (.50) Oil or butter to grease the baking pan (.10) Directions for the Cake Follow the instruction in the back of the cake box, and use my listed ingredients instead. Extras ($4.25) 1 c. Strawberries ($1.15) ½ c. blueberries ($1.15) 1 bag of mini marshmallow’s ($1.95) Once the cake is done, remove from mold and slice it across to fill it with frosting. Place the cake back together after filling it and then spread more frosting on the top. Place all the marshmallows to cover as much as you can. Heat your broil until ready and then place the cake with the marshmallow’s inside. WARNING! IT TAKES JUST SECONDS TO GET GOLDEN. SO, PUT THE CAKE IN, LOOK THROUGH THE OVEN GLASS AND IN NO TIME, (perhaps 4 to 5 seconds) TAKE IT OUT OR IT WILL BURN. Alright, once the cake is out of the oven and the marshmallows are beautifully golden and a bit charred, melt some of the leftover frosting in the microwave and drizzle it all over the top. Time to enjoy this beauty! MORE of my ROTISSERIE CHICKEN in RED ENCHILADA SAUCE, this time with COUSCOUS, KALE and AVOCADO!7/19/2019  Yes, my friends, this is my lean and simple idea of enchiladas, with the flavors; however, without the extra calories that we don’t need. Is just my variation to a nice dish that you can go back next time and make it the traditional way, with the corn or flour tortillas and the cheeses. Category: Entree Approximate Prep and Cooking Time: Under 30 minutes Approximate Cost: $7.82 or $3.91 per serving Difficulty Level: X Easy ____ Intermediate ____ Advanced Servings: 2 Ingredients 1 box of Parmesan couscous ($1.99) 1 large rotisserie chicken breast, skin removed ($1.25) 1 10 oz. can of mild red enchilada sauce ($1.48) 2 cups of organic kale ($1.50) 2 springs of flat parsley, chopped (0) 2 tsp. olive oil (.35) 1 avocado ($1.25) Directions Prepare the couscous according to the instructions in the back of the box. (Is very simple and takes no time.) Slice the chicken breast diagonally and add to a cooking pan. Pour the enchilada sauce and chopped kale, and mix well. Cook in med-low until the kale wilts in the sauce, about 3 to 4 minutes. To plate, slice the avocado and follow my slide presentation. |
ABOUT THE AuthorI am a blogger, a photographer, a jewelry designer, a gourmet cook, and a recipe book writer. I am also a flea market flipper, an avid gardener, an interior/ outdoors designer, an avid golfer and traveler. Categories |
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