 Friends, its summer time. When the temperature reads 90 plus we all crave for a light yet nutritious lunch and ice-cold lemonade. We also don’t want to spend much time in the kitchen preparing it. So this is a good idea to get out of the kitchen quickly. Approximate Prep Time: 15 Minutes Approximate Cost: $7.00 (or $1.75/serving) Servings: 4 Ingredients I Rotisserie chicken breast cut in cube ($2.00) 3 stalks of celery, chopped (.75) 1 shallot (or onion) (.50) 2 avocados ($2.00) 1 tbsp. olive oil (.40) 1 tsp. Angie’s Dry Seasoning or the one of your choice (.35) 2-3 tbsp. of Tzatziki (or if you don’t have it, use mayo) (. 50) 1 tbsp. of Feta cheese (.50) 1 tbsp. hot sauce Directions Cut the chicken breast in small cubes add to a bowl. Chop the celery and shallot and add to the cubed chicken. Add the olive oil, seasoning, Tzatziki and hot sauce and mix well. Slice the avocados in half, peel them and make a flat cut in the bottom to stabilize them. Use an ice cream scooper to place a ball on top of each half and garnish with feta. DONE!
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 I always, with few exceptions, make my own chicken and beef broth and stock. I add what I want, not what the companies that produce them want. Is so easy, cost almost nothing and the flavors are off the hook. This is what you need to do if you want to try it: 1. Purchase a rotisserie chicken. I love Lemon Pepper from Walmart. 2. Remove all the meat to eat for dinner or use in salads, sandwiches, soups, etc. 3. NOTE: keep the carcass and few charred skin to make our delicious chicken stock. Category: HACK Approx. Prep and Cook Time: 20 Minutes Approximate Cost: $3.55 or .59 cents per container Difficulty Level: Easy Allergens, Other: Gluten Free Servings: 6 med size containers (APPROX. 1 1/2 to 2 C. ea.) Ingredients Bones/carcass and few charred skin pieces from the rotisserie chicken (0) 2 carrots, peeled, cut in half (. 25) 8 to 10 cloves of garlic, smashed, peels on (.50) 1 large onion with the skin on, ends removed and cut in cubes (.50) 2 celery ribs with the leaves, rinsed, cut in 4-5 pieces (.20) ½ bunch of fresh Cilantro (.50) If you can find, add some Culantro leaves (.50) 1 tbsp. Dried oregano (.25) 1 tbsp. Dried parsley (.25) 1 tbsp. Dried thyme (.50) 1 tsp. Cumin (.15) 1 tsp. Black pepper (.10) Directions Brown the rotisserie chicken bones in 2 tsps. of olive oil in med high. Chop a large onion in cube pieces, no need to peel it add it to the pot. Add 10 cloves of smacked garlic, no need to peel them, keep browning these ingredients. Add the dried spices, (I always use dried because the flavor is more intense). Then add the fresh herbs and the water. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 more minutes. Wait until it cools down, then strain to remove the ingredients and obtain the liquid stock. Refrigerate until use is separate containers. Before using your rotisserie chicken stock, remove the fat that built up on top of the stock and discard. 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 Angie’s Homemade Pesto http://www.angieslifehacks.com/cuisine/angies-homemade-basil-pesto-sauce  I love to make this cake because it reminds me so much of my roots. As a Puerto Rican girl, I made this cake in my island a zillion times and never once disappointed me. Why? because its simplicity and of course, the flavors. Today, I was excited, because I made it to share with my loving friends. A long time group of people that although not family, I love them and consider them as if they were. Category: Dessert Approx. Prep and Cook Time: under 40 Minutes Approximate Cost: $7 to $8 or under $1.00 per serving Difficulty Level: Easy Allergens, Other: NOT Gluten Free Servings: 10 Ingredients to make my DRY HOMEMADE CAKE MIX (or use a box cake mix.) 1 ¼ c. all-purpose flour 1 ¼ tsp. baking powder ½ tsp. baking soda ½ tsp. of salt (Kosher, or regular) ¾ c. organic white/blonde sugar 1 tbsp. Pure Vanilla Powder 1- quart size Mason Jar (These mix ingredients amount will render approx. 2 cups of dry mix DIRECTIONS: In a med-size bowl, mix all the ingredients listed above, make sure they are well combined. Move to a Mason Jar of your preference, that seal perfectly, so that the mix can be stored for several months, (if it last that long since you will be making cakes often, smile.) The dry mix render a bit over 2cups. RECIPE TO MAKE MY GUAVA-CHEESE CAKE WITH MY DRY MIX EXTRA INGREDIENTS to cover half the cake batter before pouring the second half just before it goes in the oven: ½ pk. of Guava Paste, thinly SLICED and ½ pk. of cream cheese thinly sliced as well. PREHEAT YOUR OVER TO 350 DEGREES F. For this recipe, oil spray a Bundt cake pan with olive oil spray and set aside. In a med-size mixing bowl, add all the wet ingredients listed below, whisk well to combine.
Next, add the dry cake mix to the wet gradually, not all at once, and whisk just until all ingredients are combined. Also, never ever over beat your mixes once you add the flour. Beat/mix only until all the ingredients are soft & combined. Pour HALF of the batter into the baking pan, then cover completely with cream cheese slices and guava paste slices on top. Pour the other half of the batter to cover the cream cheese and guava paste slices. Bake the cake for 20 to 30 min. depending on your oven calibration. A toothpick should come out clean. Allow the cake to cool down first and then sprinkle powder sugar on top. ENJOY!!!  Growing up in Puerto Rico, an island in the Caribbean, I was very familiar with the starch that I am using today. In the south (in Ponce) we call it Mapén and it is a veggie similar to a potato, however, more flavorful. It is so good that now you can find it in the freezer section at most Walmart stores. Category: Entrée Approx. Prep and Cook Time: under 40 Minutes Approximate Cost: $6.25 or ($1.56 per serving) Difficulty Level: Easy Allergens, Other: Gluten Free Servings: 4 Ingredients 1 bag of dry lentils, softened, you’ll use about 2 ½ cups and freeze the rest ($1.80) 1 ½ c. of bite size pork tenderloin chunk pieces ($1.25) 1 tbsp. Angie’s dry seasoning (.25) 1 ½ tbsp. Angie’s basting olive oil (.45) 1 tbsp. Granulated garlic (.15) 1 tbsp. Granulated onion (.15) 1 tsp. granulated Curry powder (.15) 1 packet (1 unit) of Sazón with Annanato and Coriander (culantro y achióte) (.15) 2 frozen Sofrito cubes (.35) 2 fresh corn cleaned and sliced in 2” pieces ($1.00) 3 breadfruit Tostones (.55) 1 ½ to 2 cups of Rotisserie chicken stock (0) I made my own. Directions Sort and rinse the lentils. In a large stock pot, add the 8 cups of water or use chicken stock instead. Add one bouillon, the lentils and corn. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low cover with the lid tilted for about 20 minutes or just until tender. Meantime, season the pork chunks with my dry seasoning, my basting olive oil, granulated garlic, granulated onion, granulated Curry powder, 1 packet (1 unit) of Sazón with Annanato and Coriander (culantro y achióte) and add them to the lentils pot. Also, add any other ingredient as well. Bring it to a boil for few minutes. At this point taste to adjust the salt, you may keep it as is, or add bouillon powder to taste. Reduce the heat to low for few more minutes and when the lentils and small tenderloin chunks are tender to your like, you are ready to plate. 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 Angie’s Homemade Pesto http://www.angieslifehacks.com/cuisine/angies-homemade-basil-pesto-sauce  This is just a simple, yet healthy recipe that I cooked in few minutes. I love the zucchini spirals from Wegman’s. Then, you add few more ingredients that possibly you already have at home and boom, dinner will be ready in a few. Category: Entrée Approx. Prep and Cook Time: 35 Minutes Approximate Cost: $10.95 or $5.48 per serving Difficulty Level: Easy Allergens, Other: Gluten Free Servings: 2+ Ingredients 1 lb. 90% fat free ground chicken, season to-taste and shaped in meatballs ($5.50) 10 garlic cloves, chopped (5 for the meatballs and 5 for the zucchini pasta) (.90) 1 large onion, cut in half, chopped (1/2 for the meatballs and ½ for the zucchini pasta) (.50) 2 large celery stalks, chopped (1/2 for the meatballs and ½ for the zucchini pasta) (.40) 2 tbsp. Angie’s basting olive oil (.40) 1 ½ c. of beef stock (.60) 1 tbsp. cornstarch (.10) Sazón seasoning to-taste (.10) 2 corn ears, boil in lightly salted water until tender ($1.20) 1 avocado ($1.25) Directions Prepare all the ingredients as listed under the ingredients list. Start boiling the corn until tender. Remove and drain. Season the ground chicken with Sazón, ½ tsp. basting oil, some garlic, onion, celery and make small size balls. Next, add 1 tbsp. of my basting olive oil to a skillet and sauté the chicken meatballs briefly until golden brown and almost done. Remove set aside. Make a sauce, by dissolving 1 tbsp. of cornstarch in 1 ½ to 2 c. of beef stock or broth, add ½ tsp. of Sazón seasoning and cook over med stirring until the liquid thickens into a nice looking gravy. Add the chicken balls and simmer for about 4 minutes. Next, add some of my basting oil to a skillet and when warm enough, sauté the onion, garlic, and celery until golden. Then add the zucchini spirals and continue sautéing until a bit translucent. Slice the avocado, drain the corn and start plating by adding some of the zucchini to a plate, top with the meatballs and gravy, add the corn and avocado sides and boom, dinner is ready. 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 Angie’s Homemade Pesto http://www.angieslifehacks.com/cuisine/angies-homemade-basil-pesto-sauce  This is such an easy and quick salad that you can make it in a flash. I prefer to use the fresh corn; however, if you don’t have it or want to make it fast, just use a small can of corn, drained and rinsed. Only thing is that it will not taste the same, smile. There you have it, a salad so delicious and super healthy. Category: SALAD or SIDE Approx. Prep and Cook Time: 15 to 30 Minutes (if using fresh corn) Approximate Cost: $5.80 or $1.16 per (5) serving Difficulty Level: Easy Allergens, Other: Gluten Free and Vegetarian Servings: 2 lunch salads (or) approx. 3 small sides Ingredients 1 can black beans, drained, rinsed and spin dry ($1.25) 1 fresh corn ear cooked and detach from the husk (.45) ½ a mild jalapeno rinsed, seeds and veins removed (.15) 3 garlic cloves, chopped (.10) ½ small onion, finely chopped (.25) 3 tbsp. lemon juice (.50) 1 Roma tomato (.30) 1 c. chopped cilantro leaves (.50) 3 tbsp. Avocado Olive Oil ($1.00) 1 tbsp. roasted garlic salad dressing (.15) Directions Prep all the ingredients, as indicated under the ingredients list. Cook the corn for about 10 to 15 minutes in high, when done, drain, detach the kernels from the corn, and extract the lemon juice. In a med-size bowl, mix all the chopped ingredients. Add the lemon juice, garlic salad dressing and avocado olive oil. Stir well and refrigerate until time to serve it. Done! |
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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