TOMORROW, I’ll give you a recipe to use some of this marvelous veggie as a side.
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 I love Cuban picadillo. However, I decided to make my own version today by using one of my favorite Puerto Rican veggie, as we call it MAPÉN, (since I am from Ponce, Smile!) Also, where can you eat this healthy beautiful $8.29 dish for 2 people? Only at home. Smile! Category: Entrée Approx. Prep and Cook Time: 20 Minutes Approximate Cost: $8.29 or $4.15 per serving Difficulty Level: Easy Allergens, Other: Gluten Free Servings: 2 Ingredients ½ lb. 98% fat free ground chicken ($2.50) 1 tbsp. Angie’s basting olive oil (see my link below for the recipe (.40) 1 tbsp. Roasted Garlic and Herbs (.20) 1 tsp. curry powder (.10) 1 tbsp. drained salad olives (.20) 3 large mapén tostones cut in small squares (.50) 1 c. chicken stock (.65) 2 tbsp. chopped cilantro (.20) 1 bag of ready Seven Grains rice (or you can make rice from scratch) ($2.29) 1 avocado (($1.25) Directions Season the ground chicken with the basting olive oil, Roasted Garlic and Herbs and curry powder. Refrigerate. Cut the mapén tostones cut in small squares and chop the cilantro. Set aside. In a skillet over medium, briefly sauté the ground chicken until pale color. Add the salad olives, the mapén tostones cut in small squares, and 1 c. chicken stock. Simmer for about 4 minutes to soften the tostones and make the broth thicker. When ready, microwave the cook the rice as directed, 1 minute 30 seconds. To plate, add the rice to a soup bowl, top with the chicken and sprinkle cilantro. Enjoy! My Link: Angie’s Basting Oil: www.angieslifehacks.com/cuisine/the-flavor-series-recipe-2-angies-basting-olive-oil  Have you seen such a colorful salad served in this kind of transparent bowl lately? No you have not. Therefore, it is time for you to make it now and surprise your family. Perhaps, you are like my twin daughter Suzy and can go to your backyard garden to pick organic kale, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers or zucchini and make a colorful one. If not, just use what you have at home or go to the grocery store, but either way make it this week, it is so healthy! Category: Side-Salad Approx. Prep and Cook Time: Under 20 Minutes Approximate Cost: $4.80 or $1.20 per serving Difficulty Level: Easy Allergens, Other: Gluten Free __√__ Vegetarian __√__ Servings: 3 to 4 Ingredients ½ Chinese cucumber (.50) 1 large tomato (.40) 1 large red pepper (.50) 1 c. Broccoli ($1.00) ½ med-size Red onion (.30) ½ Red cabbage, shredded (.50) 1 c. Kale (.50) 1 tbsp. Angie’s basting olive oil (.40) 1 tbsp. Tzatziki (.20) 1 Lemon (juice) (.40) Salt and pepper to taste (.10) OPTIONAL: grapes, avocado, carrots, corn, the sky is the limit as long as it is colorful. Directions Rinse and pat dry all the veggies, chop at your desired bite size and shred the cabbage. Start assembling them in any order, I prefer the kale greens at the bottom. When done piling the veggies, prepare the salad dressing with the last 4 ingredients and pour it just before serving it.  It really doesn’t matter when you want to serve this salad. The way I see it, it can go either way, lunch or dinner. It has the protein and all the necessary veggies. If you want to make a hefty portion, just add some rice, pasta, couscous or orzo. Or, you can have a basket with buns and people can make their own sandwiches. This salad will rock! Category: Entrée Approx. Prep and Cook Time: 30 Minutes Approximate Cost: $15.95 or $7.98 per serving Difficulty Level: Easy Allergens, Other: Gluten Free Servings: 2+ Ingredients 2 thick sirloin steaks cut across to get 4. ($8.35) 1 tsp. of each: Adobochón, Roasted Garlic and Herbs and Angie’s Dry seasoning (.60) ¼ c. Angie’s basting olive oil ($1.20) 1 cup of cherry tomatoes, sliced ($1.70) 1 small onion, sliced (.40) 1 jalapeno, sliced (.30) 1 c. asparagus, blanched briefly, drained and cut on a diagonal ($1.00) 1 c. chopped cilantro (.35) 2 limes cut in half (.80) 1 avocado cut in bite size cubes ($1.25) Directions Pat dry the steaks and cut them across. Season with Adobochón, Roasted Garlic and Herbs, Angie’s Dry seasoning, and my basting olive oil. Refrigerate. Blanch the asparagus, rinse, pat dry and cut all the other veggies. Refrigerate. In a skillet, on med-high, sauté the steaks until golden brown outside and pink inside. Allow the steaks to rest for 3 -4 minutes before slicing them to keep the juices inside. Now you are ready to plate. Enjoy. My Link: Angie’s Basting Oil: www.angieslifehacks.com/cuisine/the-flavor-series-recipe-2-angies-basting-olive-oil  One of the easiest and quickest meals to prepare during a week-night with the bonus of deliciousness and enjoyment. Category: Entrée Approx. Prep and Cook Time: under 40 Minutes Approximate Cost: $12.85 or $4.28 per serving Difficulty Level: Easy Allergens, Other: (for Gluten Free please use GF pasta) Servings: 3 Ingredients 2 to 3 c. of cauliflower florets ($1.95) ½ box of thin spaghetti (.90) 3 large (or 4 small) lean pork chops ($4.90) 2 tbsp. Olive oil (.70) 2 tsp. Adobo with Achiote seasoning (or Sazón) (.15) 2 ½ tsp. Garlic and Herbs (.25) 3 tbsp. Basil Pesto (either homemade or purchased) ($1.00) 2 c. Spinach ($1.50) 1 c. Cherry tomatoes ($1.50) Directions Clean all fat, pat dry and season the chops with 1 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tsp. Adobo and 1 tsp garlic and herbs. Refrigerate. Clean and cut the cauliflower into small florets, add 1 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tsp. Adobo and 1 tsp garlic and herbs. Rub well to incorporate the seasonings and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Meantime, bring a pot of water to a boil, add the pasta and cook according to the pack directions. Drain and stir in 2 tbsp. of Pesto, leaving one to just drop some over the dish at final plating. Make a simple salad and season with olive oil and roasted garlic and herbs. DONE! Enjoy! My Link: Angie's Pesto http://www.angieslifehacks.com/cuisine/angies-homemade-basil-pesto-sauce  Seriously, not only purple is a beautiful color but in these ingredients, it is also super healthy. You just need to select a small red cabbage and decide if you will eat it raw or cooked. This type of cabbage is high in vitamin C. According to EAT THE 80, it contains 10x more vitamins and cancer fighting nutrients, with a huge number of antioxidants to improve eye, teeth, bone and immune health. What about purple eggplant? Well here we go: They are a great source of vitamin C, K, B6, thiamine, niacin, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, copper, fiber, folic acid and potassium. These two guys are big winners to me!  You don’t need to use a couple of pots and pans to make this meal. Once you sauté the sirloin cubes, the rest is just as easy as 1-2-3. Just add the cauli-rice and stir until obtaining that golden color. Category: Entrée Approx. Prep and Cook Time: under 20 Minutes Approximate Cost: $10.20 or $5.10 per serving Difficulty Level: Easy Allergens, Other: Gluten Free Servings: 2 Ingredients 1 large sirloin steak approx. (1 lb.) cut in 1” cubes ($7.00) 1 tbsp. Angie’s dry seasoning (.15) 2 tbsp. dry onion flakes (.10) 2 tbsp. Angie’s basting olive oil (.50) 3 to 4 c. cauliflower rice (homemade or purchased but not frozen) ($1.00) *** 1 tsp. Roasted Garlic and Herbs (.10) 1 tbsp. chopped fresh sage leaves (.10) 1 avocado ($1.25) Directions Clean, pat dry the sirloin, cut in cubes and season with my dry seasoning, onion flakes and my basting olive oil. In a wok or skillet over med high, sauté the sirloin until golden in its own marinade. Add the cauliflower rice, Roasted Garlic and Herbs, chopped sage and stir continuously until the rice is cooked and get a golden color. Adjust the flavor as needed with my dry seasoning for deeper color. Serve immediately and enjoy! *** Cauliflower Head Cost: $2.49 divided in 3 meals = .83/meal My Links: Angie’s Dry Seasonings: http://www.angieslifehacks.com/family-life/oven-roasted-bacon-chicken-and-angies-seasonings Angie’s Basting Oil: www.angieslifehacks.com/cuisine/the-flavor-series-recipe-2-angies-basting-olive-oil  Again today, I was in a hurry running errands and while I was out, I decided to stop by one of my favorite store, Wegman’s, purchased crab cakes, went to the Latino area and got a box of ripe baked plantains and last, stopped by the produce department to get fresh asparagus. Then I hurry home and made the whole meal in 20 minutes. Sweet! Category: Entrée Approx. Prep and Cook Time: under 20 Minutes Approximate Cost: $22.45 or $11.23 per serving Difficulty Level: Easy Servings: 2 Ingredients 2 crab cakes ($18.00) ½ lb. Asparagus ($1.45) 1 tbsp. Angie’s basting olive oil (.40) 1 tsp. roasted garlic and herbs (.15) 2 ripe oven baked plantains ($1.20) 1 avocado ($1.25) Directions Clean, cut the ends and steam the asparagus until tender but still with the bright green color. When done, drain, season with my basting olive oil and 1 tsp. roasted garlic and herbs. Cook the plantains according to package directions, about 3 ½ minutes in microwave. Sear the crab cakes until done and golden over med high and allow to rest before serving. Meantime, slice the avocado. Done! Time to plate your meals. Angie’s Basting Oil: www.angieslifehacks.com/cuisine/the-flavor-series-recipe-2-angies-basting-olive-oil  Someone contacted me recently and asked me if I could post my homemade chicken stock again. So, here I go! This is the recipe of the one that I made last week. My recipe changes often, depending on which aromatics, herbs, etc., that I have at home or in my garden at the time. I make fresh chicken stock every time that I purchase a rotisserie chicken. Why? Because most of the time I remove the bones and skinned the chicken to make the best rotisserie chicken stock that one can have. Then I use the shredded chicken in chili’s bowls, soups, enchiladas, tacos, well, you get the idea. Therefore, these are the ingredients that I had available when I made this batch. Enjoy! INGREDIENTS (Approx. Total Cost: $3.60) All the bones and skinned parts of 1 Lemon Pepper Rotisserie Chicken ($2.00 4 to 5 stems of Italian Oregano (.10) 6 to 8 large Cuban Oregano leaves (.10) 6 to 8 Culantro leaves (.10) 1 large Onion chopped (.45) 8 Garlic cloves (.40) 3 Celery stalks with leaves, chopped (.25) 2 large Rosemary stems (.10) 1 large spring of Sage (.10) 1 gal. Water (0) Directions Debone and skinned the rotisserie chicken and remove all fat. I only use super roasted brown skin for less fat and more flavor. Sauté in olive oil the onion, celery and garlic until golden, then add the bones and skin. Carefully add the water, all the herbs, bring it to a boil and then bring the heat to low to simmer covered for 30 minutes. Allow the stock to cool and then strain to obtain your golden flavorful stock. Divide into several containers and freeze what you are not using that day.  Yes, what a delicious mess of good stuff. When the chocolate syrup mix with the melt ice cream and then you experience the crunch of the cookie, well, is just to die for. Category: Dessert Approx. Prep and Cook Time: 30 Minutes Approximate Cost: $8.45 or $1.40 per sandwich Difficulty Level: Easy Allergens, Other: USE GLUTEN FREE FLOUR FOR GF COOKIES Servings: 6 Ingredients 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (.95) ½ tsp. baking powder (.15) ½ tsp. baking soda (.15) ½ tsp. regular salt (I use Kosher) (.10) 2 stick of unsalted butter (make sure is at room temp. before using it) ($1.31) ½ cup brown sugar (.30) ½ cup granulated white sugar (.30) 2 tbsp. Good vanilla ($1.98) 2 large egg (.16) 1 cup milk chocolate chips ($1.35) Ice cream scoops (1.00) Chocolate syrup (.70) Directions
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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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