​I decided to make some crab cakes today, on the other hand, I did not have crabmeat at home. The good news to me was that I purchased fresh cod fish yesterday. So, what a sweet girl like me got to do? Make Cod “No Crabs” Cakes, SMILE!
 
Category:  Entrée  
Approx. Prep and Cook Time:   1 Hour
Approximate Cost:    $6.50 or $2.16 per serving
Difficulty Level:  Intermediate
Allergens, Other:  For Gluten Free please use GF Panko   
Servings: 3
 
Ingredients to Season the Cod: (Approximately $1.00)
1 ½ tbsp. Olive oil, 1 tbsp. granulated garlic, 1 tbsp. Sriracha, 1 tsp. Turmeric, 1 tbsp. Mediterranean herbs
 
Ingredients to make the cod cakes (Approximately $3.00)
3 Cod fish filets cut into 1” chunks, previously seasoned and process, 1 unfroze sofrito disk,
¼ to ½ c. Panko, 1 tsp. Olive, ½ to 1 tsp. water.
 
Ingredients for Sides: (Approximately $2.50)
½ lb. asparagus, steamed then sautéed in 1 tsp. olive oil
1 ½ c. sliced white mushrooms, sautéed in 1 tbsp. of olive oil
1 med. size red onion, chopped med-size and sauté in 1 tsp. of olive oil
 
Directions
Season the cod, dice and refrigerate.
Steam the asparagus briefly until light green, & sauté all the sides, set aside.
Add the diced cod chunks, previously seasoned to a food processor and process with 1 unfroze sofrito disk, ¼ c. Panko, 1 tsp. Olive oil and ½ to 1 tsp. water as needed. The cakes can’t be soapy so eyeball the processor for the consistency needed, just similar to when you are making meatballs)
Make the cakes using an ice cream scoop (or your hands) and dip into ½ c. of Panko.
Fry until golden and serve with the sides. 

Yeah, I know what you are saying, salmon again? Of course, we should eat salmon at least once-a-week. The nutritional value is loaded for our healthy life. So, Since I make it weekly and sometimes twice-a-week, I love to create combinations that makes the dish exciting. Isn’t this plate appetizing? Yep, I heard you again, smile.
 
Category:  Entrée  
Approx. Prep and Cook Time:     Under 30 Minutes
Approximate Cost:    $16.80 or ($4.20 per serving)
Difficulty Level:  Easy
Allergens, Other:  Gluten Free    
Servings: 4
 
Ingredients
4 Salmon steaks ($5.00)
¼ c. Angie’s basting olive oil (to marinate & sauté salmon and all veggies ($1.00)
1 tsp. Roasted garlic and herbs seasoning (or to-taste) (.20)
1 tsp. Lemon pepper seasoning (or to-taste) (.20)
8 small Carrots, (peeled, ends cut and sliced lengthwise) (.80)
1 lb. Asparagus, rinsed, pat dry, bottoms remove ($2.90)
2 med-size sweet potatoes (rinsed, pat dry and sliced in 1” pieces ($1.10)
1 lemon (.60)
 
Directions
Clean, pat dry the salmon filets, season with 2 tbsp. of basting oil, roasted garlic and herbs, lemon pepper and refrigerate.
Wash well, pat dry and leave the skin on or peel the sweet potato, then cut it in 1” slices.
In a saucepan with little water, start cooking the sweet potato slices and carrots just briefly until somewhat tender. Remove from stove, drain the water and set aside, then, the carrots and the asparagus.
Add just a bit of basting oil to a skillet in med-high and sear the salmon filets in their own marinate. Remove from skillet when golden and allow to rest for about 10 minutes.
In the same skillet, sauté the carrots, asparagus and potatoes slices until golden and tender. Keep the lemon slices as is or brown them in the same skillet.
Assemble your plate and garnish with green onions. Done! Enjoy.
 
Angie’s Basting Olive Oil:  www.angieslifehacks.com/cuisine/the-flavor-series-recipe-2-angies-basting-olive-oil

​Croutons are the easiest thing to cook, especially when you have tons of bread and do not want it to go moldy. My recipe is tasty! You’ll not purchase croutons anymore, make them at home.
 
Category:  Side for Salads
Approx. Prep and Cook Time:  Under 30 Minutes
Approximate Cost:    $2.50
Difficulty Level:  Easy
Allergens, Other:  For Gluten Free Croutons, use GF bread   
Servings:5 to 6
 
Ingredients
2 to 3 cups of French, or baguette, homemade or any crusty bread cut at 1” cubes ($1.00)
3 tbsp. of olive oil (depending on your bread you may use more or less) (.30)
¾ tbsp. of Lemon Pepper seasoning (.10)
¾ tbsp. of granulated garlic (.10)
½ tsp. Sasonador Goya or Adobo (.10)
1 tsp. of Smoked Paprika (.10)
1 tbsp. of Sriracha Seasoning (in powder) (.10)
1 tbsp. of Parsley flakes (.10)
2 tbsp. shredded Parmigiano Reggiano (.60)
 
Directions
Preheat your oven at 350 degrees
Prep the bread by cutting the pieces in about 1”.
Also, mix all the seasonings in a small bowl and whisk to combine.
Oil spray a baking pan and place the bread chunks.
Add olive oil throughout and mix with your hands to cover all bread chunks.
Sprinkle the dry seasonings all over the cubes to make sure the seasoning is distributed evenly.
Place in the oven and cook for about 15 minutes until golden crispy brown. You will need to rotate the cubes a couple of times before done. It will all depend on the bread you are using and your oven calibration. Therefore, do not leave them unattended, since they may be done before 15 minutes or may take a bit longer.
Allow them to cool down and if not using immediately, place in a Ziploc bag. They may last a week, if not eaten before, smile!

This is not my traditional Puerto Rican beef stew. Of course, the main ingredient of that one is beef. So, as I always do, I said I’ll make it with pork tenderloin. Why? Why not? Contrary to regular beef, pork tenderloin cooks so fast, and is already tender. BOOM!
 
Category:  Entrée  
Approx. Prep and Cook Time:  40 to 45 Minutes (mostly prepping)
Approximate Cost:    $9.10 or $2.28 per serving
Difficulty Level:  Intermediate  
Allergens, Other:  Gluten Free   
Servings: 4
 
Ingredients
½ of 1 pork tenderloin cut in small chunks ($2.00)
1 med. onion, chopped (.30)
5 garlic cloves, chopped (.15)
1 tbsp. AdoboChon (or to-taste) (.10)
2 ½ tbsp. Angie’s basting olive oil to marinate (.40)
3 med size red potatoes, peeled and cut in chunks (1” approx.) ($1.20)
2 of my frozen Sofrito discs (or 2 tbsp. of your Sofrito) (.50)
1 envelope of Sazón (.30)
1 c. tomato sauce (.50)
1 c. diced tomatoes (.70)
2 ears of corn cut in 4 pieces ($1.45)
2 ½ c. (or less for thicker) of chicken stock or broth (or water if you don’t have it) ($1.50)
 
Directions
Clean the pork tenderloin of any fat and cut in approx. 1” chunks. Then season with 1 tbsp. AdoboChon and 1 ½ tbsp. of my basting olive oil. Refrigerate.
In a saucepan with a bit salted water, add the chunked potatoes, corn and cook until half way tender. Remove from the water. (do not discard the water, use if you don’t have broth.)
Sautee the pork chunks in its own basting oil marinate until a bit golden. Remove from skillet and refrigerate briefly until time to add them to the stew.
In the same skillet with 1 tbsp. of my basting olive oil Sautee the onion, then add the garlic and cook all until golden brown, finally, add the Sofrito. Then move to your stew pot.
At this point add the potatoes, 1 envelope of Sazón, 1 c. tomato sauce, 1 c. diced tomatoes, corn, 3 c. of chicken stock or broth (or water if you don’t have it). Cook in med. to med-low for about 10 minutes. Add the pork tenderloin chunks and cook for 5 minutes. If you prefer, adjust seasoning to-taste. Done! Allow to rest for few minutes, then time to start to plate.
 
Note: You can make some rice to go with my dish.
Angie’s Basting Olive Oil:  www.angieslifehacks.com/cuisine/the-flavor-series-recipe-2-angies-basting-olive-oil

Simple meal for weekdays when you come from work to deal with chores, etc., no brainer. Just season the cod, refrigerate. Boil the veggies until tender and throw the walnut pesto (or any other sauce you have in the fridge) and boom, dinner is ready.
 
Category:  Entrée 
Approx. Prep and Cook Time:   20 to 25 Minutes
Approximate Cost:    $6.40 or $3.20 per serving
Difficulty Level:  Easy
Allergens, Other:  Gluten Free   
Servings: 2
 
Ingredients
2 cod filets ($4.00)
2 tsps. of Angie’s basting olive oil (or the one of your choice) (.40)
2 tbsp. Angie’s dry seasoning (or the one of your choice) (.30)
2 small purple carrots and 2 yellow cut diagonally/slanted (.70)
4 red baby potatoes, rinsed (.50)
2 tbsp. of my walnut pesto (or the one of your choice) ($1.00)
 
Directions
Season de fish with 1 tsp. of my dry seasoning and 1 tbsp. of my basting olive oil. Refrigerate.
In a saucepan with lightly salted water, cook the veggies until tender (10-15 minutes), then drain the water and season to-taste with my dry seasoning and 1 tbsp. of my basting olive oil.
Sear the fish and when done, add a spoon of the pesto over it. Done!

Bonus: Here is my Walnut Pesto previously posted.
Servings: 5 to 6 servings by tbsps.
 
1 small Bunch of cilantro, rinsed (about 1 c.) (USE THE LEAVES ONLY= ($2.00)
3 cloves of Garlic, large, peeled (.40)
Juice of 1 lemon (.50)
½ cup parmesan cheese OPTIONAL (I did not use cheese this time and it was delicious)
¼ c. chopped unsalted walnuts (If you are allergic Nuts are optional) (I used them) (.30)
Salt & Pepper to Taste (you should have this at home and less salt is better) (you should
 have this at home= (if not add.20)
¼ c. 100% Avocado Oil, add more as needed for smoothness ($1.00)
 
Directions
In a food processor (or blender) process (pulse) the first 5 ingredients listed, then add the last ingredient, avocado oil, slowly. (You can add more avocado oil to taste as needed.) Refrigerate any leftover pesto for about a couple of weeks for later use. Or, you can also freeze it in ice trays and when frozen, place in Ziploc bags. (I am sure that you will use it all before, smile.)
 
HACK: You can also make Pesto by using basil or parsley instead of cilantro. Serve it with any type of pasta, or crostini or as a side dipping sauce for any meat, pork or chicken dish. YUMMMM!
 
 
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

Nothing beats the taste of Escabeche. The onions, garlic, vinegars, etc. such a unique flavor. Try my recipe, you’ll love it.
 
Category:  VEGETABLE/SIDE
Approx. Prep and Cook Time:   35 Minutes
Approximate Cost:    $5.95 or under $1. Per serving
Difficulty Level:  Easy
Allergens, Other:  Gluten Free   __X__   Vegetarian _X___ 
Servings: 6+
 
 Ingredients
1 bag of frozen yucca, boiled & stems removed ($1.30)
6 red baby potatoes, rinsed ($1.00)
1 pot with salted water (0)
4 to 5 bay leaves (.10)
1 large roasted pimento sliced (.50)
1 c. olive oil or more to-taste (.80)
6 to 9 large Garlic cloves, peeled, lightly chopped (.40)
1 med. size Onion, peeled, sliced and cut each slice in half (.40)
½ c. Apple cider vinegar (.15)
2 tbsp. white vinegar (.15)
Salt & pepper to-taste (.15)
3 tbsp. drained capers ($1.00)
 
Directions
Boil the yucca and potatoes in salted water until tender, drain, set aside.
Prepare all the other ingredients as indicated above.
To cook the Escabeche sauce add to a saucepan over med-heat, the oil, garlic and onion. When golden brown, add everything else, except the yucca and potatoes and cook briefly.
Finally, add the softened yucca and potatoes to the sauce and cook in med-low for about 15 minutes. They can be eaten cold or warm. If you like, allow to cool and refrigerate until the following day. Taste even better