Sides are critical to complete a meal. However, often times we opt for the unhealthy ones, with lots of salt and or sugar. This side however, is loaded with nutrients instead, to make us healthier every time we chose to eat it. Therefore, time to go to the grocery store to make this sweet, yet no sugar/salt added tasty side.
 
Category:  SIDE
Approx. Prep and Cook Time:    35 to 40 Minutes
Approximate Cost: ($1.15) or .38 cents per serving.
Difficulty Level:  Easy
Allergens, Other:  Gluten Free   __√__   Vegetarian __√__ 
Servings: 3 TO 4
 
Ingredients
1 large sweet potato
¼ c. Olive oil (or my basting oil, see link below)
 
Directions
Rinse the sweet potato, pat dry, peel it and slice it, either my way or how you like it.
Place in a baking pan, add the oil, cover, cook for 30 minutes, uncover and cook until golden brown 10 to 15 more minutes.  Done.
 
Angie’s Basting Olive Oil:  www.angieslifehacks.com/cuisine/the-flavor-series-recipe-2-angies-basting-olive-oi

Blackeye Peas are not your everyday beans to cook for whatever reasons. I cook beans often, however, I keep forgetting them simply because you cannot find them in every store you shop. So when I find them, I purchase several cans to keep in stock. They are real comfort food! Smile.
 
Category:  Entrée  
Approx. Prep and Cook Time: Under 30 Minutes
Approximate Cost: $9.40 or $4.70 per serving
Difficulty Level:  Easy
Allergens, Other:  Gluten Free   
Servings: 2+
 
Ingredients
1 (15oz.) can of Blackeye Peas, drained and rinsed. ($1.20)
1 tsp. Angie’s dray seasoning (.20)
2 tbsp. Angie’s basting olive oil (.60)
1 tbsp. Roasted Garlic and Herbs (.15)
2 frozen sofrito cubes (.35)
½ a med-size onion, chopped (.20)
4 cloves of garlic (.20)
½ bag of cubed or chopped ham ($2.00)
2 c. Chicken stock (or more as needed) ($1.25)
4 breadfruit tostones cut in strips ($2.00)
Chopped chives to garnish
1 avocado ($1.25)
 
Directions
Add to a small size pot or saucepan with the basting oil, the ½ a chopped onion, garlic and ½ bag of cubed or chopped ham. Sauté until golden.
Defrost the 4 breadfruit tostones and cut in strips.
Drain and rinse the beans.
Add the beans, sofrito and tostones strip to the pot where you Sautéed the onion and garlic.
Add the chicken stock, my dry seasoning and Roasted Garlic and Herbs. Stir and cook over med-low until the stock is reduced and thickened.
The breadfruit tostones will thicken the beans sauce and stock. At this point you will decide how thick do you like your stew by cooking it for 10 or 20 minutes.
Slice the avocado and start plating.
 
My Links:
Angie’s Dry Seasonings: http://www.angieslifehacks.com/family-life/oven-roasted-bacon-chicken-and-angies-seasonings
Angie’s Basting Olive Oil:  www.angieslifehacks.com/cuisine/the-flavor-series-recipe-2-angies-basting-olive-oil

Yes, I know, you have seen plenty of my roasted beets. However, today, I am roasting these beauties as the side dish for whatever I will be cooking, today… not, smile, I know exactly what I will be cooking for dinner; oven roasted pork tenderloin with a mushrooms sauce, couscous and of course, these beauties. Yesss! 
 
Category:  VEGETABLE SIDE DISH
Approx. Prep and Cook Time:  35 minutes
Approximate Cost:    $3.00 or $.75 cents per serving
Difficulty Level:  Easy
Allergens, Other:  Gluten Free   __√__   Vegetarian ___√_ 
Servings: 3 to 4
 
Ingredients
3 large beets, washed, pat dry, peeled and cut in 1” cubes ($2.50)
2 ½ tbsp. Angie’s basting olive oil (.40)
1 tsp. roasted garlic and herbs seasoning (.10)

Directions
Washed, pat dry, peeled and cut the beets in 1” cubes. (Leave one beet cut in half place in aluminum foil with a bit of basting oil, roast and set aside in the fridge to use as a side dish later this week.)

Place the beets in an oven safe baking pan, add the basting olive oil and garlic seasoning, rub well, cover and roast at 375 to 400 degrees for about 35 minutes. (remember, they are cut in 1" cubes and every oven is calibrated differently). Now you are ahead of tonight's meal.

My Link:
Angie’s Basting Olive Oil:  www.angieslifehacks.com/cuisine/the-flavor-series-recipe-2-angies-basting-olive-oil

Recently, I posted the recipe for my COD PICCATA. Today, I am happy to post a similar recipe, however, with chicken. Either way my friends, it does tastes amazing and interesting enough, different, since one was done with fish and this one with poultry.
 
Category:  Entrée  
Approx. Prep and Cook Time:   30 Minutes
Approximate Cost:    $8.14 or $2.71 per serving
Difficulty Level:  Easy
Allergens, Other:   
Servings: 3
 
Ingredients for the chicken
2 large chicken breasts, pat dry, sliced lengthwise and whack it to tenderize it. ($3.69)
1 ½ tbsp. Angie’s dry seasoning (.30)
3 tbsp. Angie’s basting olive oil (1 tbsp. to marinate, 2 tbsps. for the skillet (.70)
1/3 c. all-purpose flour or GF flour (.30)
2 tbsp. capers, drained, rinsed and drained again (.50)
1 lemon (.60)
 
Ingredients for my Orzotto
2 c. Orzo (.50)
2 c. beef broth ($1.25)
½ tbsp. Angie’s dry seasoning (.15)
1 tbsp. Angie’s basting olive oil (.25)
 
Directions
Add the flour to a shallow plate, follow with ½ tbsp. of my seasoning and mix well.
Season the chicken with 1 tbsp. of my seasoning and 1 tbsp. of basting olive oil.
Refrigerate until time to use.

Using one chicken breast at a time, add them to the flour mix and cover well on both sides. Remove excess flour and place on a plastic or foil paper until ready to cook.
Add at least 2 tbsp. of olive oil at a time to a skillet on med high, place one chicken and cook until golden brown. Remove and let them rest on paper towel.

Meanwhile, Cook the Orzotto by adding 2 c. of broth to a saucepan, ½ tbsp. my dry seasoning and 1 tbsp. of my basting olive oil. Bring to a boil, add the orzo and cook until the grain is tender. For about 15 minutes. Add more broth if needed to keep it moist.

After you remove the chicken from the skillet, add more basting oil to the skillet (if needed). The skillet oil will look cloudy because the flour is already working to thicken the sauce.
Then add a couple of tbsp. of broth, couple tsp. lemon juice and capers.
Cook until the sauce is just a bit reduced and it starts to get thick.
Add the chicken back to the skillet, baste it in the sauce and you are ready to plate.
Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
 
Angie’s Dry Seasonings: http://www.angieslifehacks.com/family-life/oven-roasted-bacon-chicken-and-angies-seasonings
Angie’s Basting Olive Oil:  www.angieslifehacks.com/cuisine/the-flavor-series-recipe-2-angies-basting-olive-oil

I always purchase the Swift pork tenderloin packs for two primary reasons:

​Reason #1: Quality: To-date, they haven’t failed me.  (Oh and so that you know, I don’t get any money from this or any other company, smile.)   
 
Reason #2: Price Fairness: As you know, pork tenderloin is basically the filet mignon of the pork; and it is super tender. The pack comes with 4 tenderloins. This pack cost me $12.62 and I was able to turn it into 7 to 8 servings, which was about $1.80 per serving. The similar amount of beef filet would cost way more.
 
However, the problem with this and most meats is that they are sold loaded with animal fat. Since I care about my health and my family, I take my time to clear all the fat that I can possibly can. Either way, when it is time to season, marinate and cook, I only use extra virgin olive oil, which is 100% better than any animal fat. To me, it is the perfect way to cook.
 
Take a couple of minutes to see how I turned these 2 tenderloins into: Pork beefsteaks, pork mignon and pork bites to either stir fry them, market pork chili or
 
Ingredients
2 pork tenderloins ($3.30 per filet) ($6.31)
 
Directions
Clean all the fat and cut the filets in whichever meals you will decide to cook within a week.
 
Enjoy!

I am a believer that food tastes great based on what ingredients or techniques you use to cook. This week I decided to share my Paprika Infused Olive Oil with you because I simply love it.
 
You can use it to cook anything you wish, like omelets. You can drizzle it over raw seafood, pork, poultry for flavor, and then add the seasoning of your choice, or salt and pepper.
 
Also, I use it to drizzle over cooked meals to give them that amazing amber color and of course, the paprika flavor. Finally, you can garnish a meal by drizzling this oil over. The sky is the limit and the best part is that you only need 2 ingredients to make it. I make it weekly, and I make a small amount to keep it at room temperature.
 
There are two ways to make it. To keep it longer and not refrigerated, simmer it shortly, do not boil it. If you do not simmer it, just make a small amount to use within a week, which is the method that I use. These are your ingredients:
 
1 c. extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. of Spanish Paprika
Then whisk it all well. Then whisk again each time before using it to get it combined.
 
Paprika is not soluble in water, however, it is soluble in oil. Therefore, you will not have any issues trying to mix it. Again, if you are planning to use it all the time while you cook, make a small amount like I do, and you do not need to refrigerate it, as long as you keep it in a pantry, a dark place or your counter top at normal room temperature.

This is your weekday comfort food. It is simple, tastes amazing and if you have leftover oven roasted veggies or Couscous or rice, add to this dish as a side and boom, yummy time!  
 
Category:  Entrée  
Approx. Prep and Cook Time:  45 minutes
Approximate Cost:    $6.95 OR $3.48 per serving.
Difficulty Level:  Easy
Allergens, Other:  Gluten Free  
Servings: 2+
 
Ingredients
1 large eggplant (rinsed, pat dry, sliced lengthwise, salted to let it sweat, rinsed & dry again) ($1.75)
½ lb. 99% fat free ground turkey ($2.75)
1 frozen sofrito molido (.25)
2 tbsp. Angie’s basting olive oil (.50)
1 tsp. Angie’s dry seasoning (.20)
4 cloves of garlic, chopped (.10)
Few cilantro or cilantro leaves, chopped (.15)
1 large avocado ($1.25)
 
Directions
Season the turkey. Refrigerate.
Sauté the garlic in basting oil, then add the seasoned turkey. Stir well.
Add the frozen sofrito and the chopped cilantro or cilantro. Stir.
Slice and salt the eggplant half, allow to sweat, rinse, pat dry and rub in my basting oil.
Bake them at 350 for about 30 minutes until tender. Then flip them to brown on the meat size.
To plate them, top with the cooked turkey, garnish with avocado, scallions, thyme, anything you have. As well as any leftover Couscous and or oven roasted veggies as sides.
Bon Appetite!
 
My Links:
Angie’s Dry Seasonings: http://www.angieslifehacks.com/family-life/oven-roasted-bacon-chicken-and-angies-seasonings
Angie’s Basting Olive Oil:  www.angieslifehacks.com/cuisine/the-flavor-series-recipe-2-angies-basting-olive-oil