 We are just starting to plant our peppers, tomatoes and such. Very soon we will have to harvest these veggies and after you give plenty to family and friends, the dilemma is what to cook with them. Ok, no problem, I was experimenting today with untraditional ingredients and the end result was really good. The combined flavors turned out right. Hope you like my crazy recipe as well. Approximate prep and cooking time: 20-30 Minutes Approximate Cost: $11.00 (or $5.50 per serving) Servings: 2 Ingredients 1 large red pepper (Charred and cut in half from the top down.) ($1.00) 1/2 cup of Orzo (.40) 2 cups beef broth ($1.20) 1/2 cup of mushrooms (I used dried porcini and shiitake) ($2.00) 1 cup of ground chicken ($2.50) 1 tbsp. Paprika (.25) 1 tsp. Adobo Goya (.25) 2 tbsp. Olive oil (.50) 1 tbsp. Dry chopped onions (.20) ½ cup of corn (.50) 1 cup broccoli ($1.00) 1/4 cup of shredded Mexican cheeses ($1.20) Directions Season the chicken with Paprika, 1 tbsp. Oil, chopped onion and Adobo. Set aside. Char the red pepper in an open flame. Once charred, put it in a brown bag to sweat for 10 minutes. Set aside. Meantime, cook Orzo in a saucepan, add the broth and mushrooms and bring it to a boil. Add the Orzo and stir well and bring the heat to med. low. In another pan, add 1 tbsp. oil, the chicken and stir constantly, cooking the chicken, but not well done. When the chicken is done, add it to the Orzo and stir until all mix. Back to the pepper, take it out of the bag, peel the charred skin, cut in 1/2 and clean well inside. Put them in a microwave safe glass mold and fill the peppers with the Orzo mix. Sprinkle with cheese on top and microwave until the cheese melts. HACK: Serve with steam broccoli florets and corn (I used frozen) microwave according to package instructions.
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 I have been told that I make a killer salsa. I find it totally flattering and I am appreciative of that. In reality my salsa is quite simple. I tend to be bold in flavor; therefore, do not expect 1 clove of garlic in the following 2 recipes. Beets are one of my favorite veggies and so healthy. Avocados, well, you know me, I love avocados so much that I could bath with them. Smile. Finally, chicken tenders. So let’s get cooking Approximate Prep and Cooking Time: 40-45 Minutes Approximate Total Cost: $ 10.30 (or $2.58/person) Servings: 4 Recipe # 1: Chicken with Beets and Avocado ($7.60) Ingredients (Prepare the Salsa before prep the chicken, the recipe is listed under Recipe #2) 2 chicken breasts cut in chicken tenders style ($2.00) 3 fresh beets and 2 red potatoes ($3.00) 1 avocado ($1.00) 8 large cloves of garlic (.50) 1 tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar (.35) 2 tbsp. olive oil (.50) ¼ cup of chopped flat parsley (.25) Directions Peel, cut the beets and potatoes in small bite size and bake in foil covered at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Cut and marinate the chicken tenders and add the chopped garlic. Set aside. When the beets and potatoes are done, add olive oil to a pan and sauté the chicken. You are done. Now just add some of the potatoes and beets to a dish, then the chicken, salsa and avocado and garnish with chopped parsley. Enjoy! Recipe # 2: my Salsa (Total: $2.70) Ingredients 3 Roma tomatoes ($1.00) ½ of a med. size onion (.25) 5 cloves of garlic (.30) 1 small Jalapeno seeds and white membrane removed (.20) 1 lime (.25) 2 tbsp. lemon juice (.35) ¼ cup chopped Cilantro (.35) Salt/Pepper to taste Directions for my Salsa I chop all the ingredients by hand since I do not like the texture food processor texture. Make sure that you keep the tomato juices when chopped. Add the lemon, lime, Cilantro and salt and pepper to taste and refrigerate.  By now I am so done with all the rain, cold, and lack of sun. So, when the weather is this miserable I crave for “soupy” meals. Quickly and almost in panic, I sprint to my pantry and freezer, and thank God, I had my main ingredients at home. I must be creative though, since I am making this meal with what I have now, and NOOOO, I am not planning to go grocery shopping with this nasty rain. Smile. Decision made, I will make an “Asopao”, a soup with rice, of a thick consistency and very comparable to a Paella from Spain, however, without a great variety of seafood. So, this was the dish that I came with and trust me, it was yummmyyy! You can Try It at home! Approximate Prep and Cooking Time: 20-40 Minutes Approximate Total Cost: $11.25 (or $2.81/person) Servings: 4 Ingredients 8 large fresh shrimp ($2.80) (at .35 each) (2/person) 2 Salmon steaks ($2.50) ¼ cup Olive oil ($.70) 1/3 cup Goya Salad Olives (.50) 1 tsp. Goya Adobo (.30) 2 large Red Roasted Peppers cut in half (.50) 2 cups plus of Beef Stock ($1.15) 1 chopped onion (.45) 2 envelopes of Goya Sazon (.30) 6 large cloves of garlic, chopped (.25) ½ cup of large grain parboiled rice, add water to cover only and set aside. (.70) ¼ cup of chopped Italian Parsley (.25) ½ cup of inexpensive Chardonnay (.85) Directions Season the shrimp and salmon with Adobo. Measures the rice, add the warm water and set aside to get soft, about 10-15 minutes) In a saucepan with olive oil, sauté onions and garlic. Add 1 Sazon envelope and stir. Add the rice, that by now it has doubled in size and stir. Add the second Sazon envelope and stir. Add the beef stock and the Chardonnay and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 20-25 minutes until tender. If all the broth evaporated, add more stock and bring it to a light boil. Then, add the shrimp and salmon and cook just until the shrimp turns pink. Again, adjust the broth and add more stock if needed. Adjust saltiness with Adobo. Serve immediately with roasted peppers, flat parsley salad olives and lemon.  In a matter of minutes you can be enjoying this yummy dinner. Perhaps you already have these ingredients at home or may just have to purchase the meat and avocado. By now you know that I use avocado daily. It is one of the healthiest veggies that you can add to your diet. (I will have more avocado goodies and info in upcoming posts). Approximate Prep and Cooking Time: 20-30 Minutes Approximate Total Cost: $9.03 (or $4.52 per person) Servings: 2 (It actually serves 3 without a doubt) Ingredients ½ lb. Beef Sirloin Strips (approx. price $3.50) 6 Baby Bella mushrooms ($1.00) 1 med. size onion (.30) 10 cloves of garlic (.25) 1 tsp. adobo (to season the meat) (.15) ½ tsp. Adobo (to sprinkle over veggies while they are being sauté) (.15) ¼ c of olive oil (or less to add to the meat marinade and also, for the sauté pan) (.55) 1 Avocado ($1.00) 2 tbsp. of chopped Cilantro for garnish (.15) 1 box of Roasted Garlic Couscous cooked according to package instructions ($1.98) Directions Season your beef strips with olive oil and Adobo, set aside. Prep the onion and garlic and add to the beef, set aside. Clean and cut the mushrooms. Add olive oil to a pan, when hot, sauté the mushrooms, onion and garlic until golden. Sprinkle with ½ tsp. of adobo, remove from pan and set aside. Prepare Couscous according to the package instructions (it takes less than 7 minutes.) Bring the pan to med high and sauté the beef strips just until they begin to turn brown. Add the veggies that you sauté earlier and stir until they all mix. By now your Couscous is done. (Follow the package info for your cooked couscous) Plate and garnish with chopped cilantro and avocado. Drizzle with olive oil all over. HACK: You can also make this dish with chicken tenders or pork. Or if you are vegetarian, just use Tofu instead of beef or chicken and season well. Serve it with a salad of your choice.  Several months ago I saw a peanut butter recipe that caught my attention. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the name of the baker to give her credit. I kept it to try it at a later time, since I knew that I wanted to taste it at some point. The time came up this past weekend. Two of my granddaughters (13 and 14 years old) were staying over with us and I decided that it was a great opportunity to create memories, smile!!!! Therefore, I pulled out the recipe, they read it and loved it. In no time they got busy in the kitchen and before I knew it they created these master pieces. So, I want to thank Executive Chef’s Mara and Sascha for contributing this beautiful dessert so that I can post in my Blog. Approximate Prep time: (no baking needed) 30-35 minutes Approximate Cost: (12.00 or $2/serving) Servings: 6 There are 3 steps to complete this recipe:
Ingredients and Directions for Step 1: The Brittle ½ cup Roasted Peanuts ($1.50) ¾ cups of sugar (.50) 1 tbsp. butter at room temperature (.25) To make the peanut brittle, melt the sugar in a small saucepan over med high until it all melt, you are basically making caramel. Add the peanuts and stir well so they are all covered. Add the butter and stir and immediately, pour onto a baking pan previously lined with parchment paper. Set aside. Ingredients and Directions for Step 2: The Melted Chocolate ¼ cup chocolate chips (1.50) Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl, one minute at a time. Have your glasses ready and drizzle melted chocolate onto them with a spoon. When done, place in the fridge if it’s too hot in your kitchen. Ingredients and Directions for Step 3: The Peanut Butter Mousse 2/3 cups of creamy peanut butter ($2.50) 1 ½ cups of powdered sugar (.75) ¼ cup of whole milk (the girls used Carnation) (.1.00) One 8oz. package of cream cheese at room temperature ($ 2.00) 1 ¼ cups of heavy cream (must be real cold) ($2.00) In a standing mixer with the paddle attachment add your peanut butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar and milk. (in that order and small portions of sugar at a time.) The dough will feel hard but try to mix well until everything blends. In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream until it form peaks. (Looks like frosting) Fold the cream into your peanut butter mix with a spatula. You are creating air into the mousse. HACK: The girl’s recommends that you use smaller glasses, since this mousse is very rich and fills you up fast. You can use martini, margarita or wine glasses, even small ice cream ones.  You are super busy with kids and work. In the mornings you juggle getting the kids ready for school, getting to work on time, and don’t forget the chores before you go. The challenge is how you can make a substantial and nutritious breakfast to eat in the car while driving the kids to school or on your way to work and furthermore, that it’s not messy? You got this under control; make my frittatas for the road. Bring some crackers, fruits, and juice and you are done. I usually make my frittatas directly in the mold without the paper or foil cups. However, I am using the foil in this recipe so that you can put them in a ziplog bag to eat in the car or better yet, at the office. As you can see, I kept my yesterday promise to give you this recipe today! Approximate prep and cook time: 25-30 Minutes Approximate. Cost: $6.00 (or $1.50/serving) Servings: Renders 12 individual frittatas 3/serving total) Ingredients: 6 large eggs ($1.00) ½ cup of 2% milk or fat free or Carnation milk (whatever you have at home) ($1.00) ½ cup of season croutons (.50) Chorizos (leftover from your yesterday BBQ sandwiches) ($2.00) 3 tbsp. Feta cheese & sprinkle of Mexican cheeses blend ($1.50) ¼ tsp. salt ¼ tsp. pepper Directions Preheat oven at 350 and place paper foils in the molds. Whisk the eggs, milk, Feta, salt and pepper in a medium size bowl. Add the croutons and let them absorb some of the mix. Add the sliced Chorizos, sprinkle the Mexican cheese and Bake for 15-20 minutes until done. HACK: If you don’t have chorizo, use ham, bacon or leftover chicken breast, etc..  Chorizos are super delicious and perfect for a quick meal. They come from all over; Spain, Mexico, Argentina and many other places in South America. They are made with a blend of meats or pork, spices, lots of Paprika and peppers. Some are mild and others spicy hot. They can be fully cooked, smoked, dry-cured or fresh and ready to cook. Chorizos are like sausages and every country has their favorite sausage. For instance; Germans have Bratwurst, in USA we have Hot Dogs, Spain has cantípalo, there is a popular one called chistorra, which is of Basque origin. Finally, butifarra, and salchichón are popular in South America and the Caribbean. The ones in today’s recipe are Argentinian, (the thick ones) and Chistorra (the thin ones) and they are the fresh uncooked type. You can find them in many grocery stores or Latin Markets in the meats department. Approximate prep and cooking time: 20 minutes Approximate Cost: $8.25 (or $2.06 per serving) Servings: 4 Ingredients 1 pack of fresh chorizos ($5.45) (most grocery stores have then in the refrigerator near the ground chicken, turkey, etc.) 2 loafs of French Baguette bread ($2.50) Butter for the bread (.30) 1 bag of your favorite potato or multicolor veggies chips Directions BBQ the chorizos until golden and cooked ( or you can pan fry them indoors) Slice the bread to fit the size of the chorizos that you purchased, add butter and BBQ them until toasty crunchy. Make lemonade, open a bag of chips and you are done. Enjoy. HACK: Save 2 chorizos for day after tomorrow breakfast, I'll give you the recipe tomorrow.   Prep and Cooking Time: Under 15 minutes Approximate Cost: Under $4.00 Render: ¾ cup Ingredients ½ cup chopped Parsley ½ cup chopped Cilantro 5 cloves of chopped Garlic 3 tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar 2 teaspoons of Lemon Juice ½ cup Olive Oil 1 tsp. Salt 1/4 tsp. fresh grind Pepper Pinch of red pepper flakes (Optional) Directions Chop the first three ingredients, and then add the liquid ingredients, salt, pepper and pepper flakes. I usually eyeball the liquids to ensure they are not overpowered by the dry ingredients. Remember, it is a sauce, however, if you want to cut down the oil a bit, do it. Use at room temperature and refrigerate leftovers to use with beef, chicken, etc.  I want you to take about 10 minutes of your time to work with me. We are going to make your own salad dressing for this week. It will taste amazing, it will be fresh, natural with no preservatives and hey, you made it yourself! Let’s do this now! Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cost: Under $5.00 Render: ¾ cup Ingredients 1 lemon 1/2 orange 3/4 c. Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1/4 tsp. Salt (you can add more salt if you prefer) 1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper 1/4 tsp. Spanish paprika 5 tbsp. parmesan cheese 1-2 med. size garlic cloves chopped (if your prefer less garlic flavor, just cut in half) 1 tbsp. capers Chopped chives to taste Directions In a glass jar with lid, mix all the above listed ingredients. Shake real well to allow the ingredients to release the favors. You will get an emulsion of all these ingredients, but they will separate again. Therefore, shake well before using all the time. Refrigerate for at least 8 hour. (I usually make it the day before) Before using it let it rest on your counter top for up to15 minutes. When ready to serve, shake it well again and you are done.  Today, I want to share with you one of my favorite recipes, my own dry rub seasoning. I have been cooking since I was a little girl. It is not a burden for me, but rather a time to relax, be creative and forget about the stress of the day. The one thing that I learned early on in my life was that food tastes better when seasoned well. That is the reason why I am bold when it comes to marinates, seasonings and salad dressing, among other things. I occasionally use salt and pepper but that is on filet mignon and grill steaks only. This is one of my favorite seasoning combinations. You can try to make your own as well. Enjoy it. Ingredients: In a glass jar with a lid mix the following spices: 1 tsp. ground pepper 1 tsp. cumin 1 tsp. sweet paprika 1 tsp. ground dry rosemary 1 tsp. dry thyme 1 tsp. dry oregano 1 tsp. onion powder 1 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning ½ tsp. chili powder ½ tsp. turmeric powder 1 tsp. chopped dry basil leaves 1 tbsp. garlic powder 1 tbsp. kosher salt HACK: Use it with Chicken, Meat, Pork and Seafood by following this steps: Clean by removing all visible fat and pat dry with a paper towel. Move to a glass container, add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and rub well. Sprinkle a generous amount of seasoning on meat. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer and your meat will be ready to cook. |
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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