Monday, December 17, 2012

Steak Stir Fry

Stir fry is a great way to stretch meat in a meal as well as use up all those leftover vegetables. I am convinced that you can’t really go wrong with the ingredients and leftovers can be used for fajitas.
 
Ingredients
·         1 lb top round steak (cut into thin strips)
·         1 small bell pepper, cut into thin strips
·         1 cup broccoli florets
·         1/2 cup chopped asparagus
·         2 stalks chopped green onion
·         2 cloves garlic, minced, divided
·         4 pieces of slice ginger
·         1 tablespoon Goya Adobo All Purpose Seasoning
·         2 tablespoon low sodium Soy Sauce
·         2 tablespoon brown sugar
·         1/4 teaspoon white pepper
·         1/4  teaspoon crushed red pepper
 
Instructions 
  1. Mix together soy sauce, brown sugar, Goya seasoning, and white pepper
  2. Add in steak strips and let marinate for 30mins – 1 hour  
  3. Add 2 tablespoon of olive oil to wok or skillet  
  4. On medium high heat, add steak strips to hot pan stirring for about 3 – 5 minutes. You don’t want to over cook the steak.
  5. Remove the steak from the wok and add vegetables, ginger and garlic, pepper flakes. You’ll want to cook the veggies in the steak juices.
  6. Cook the vegetables for about five minutes. Then add the steak back into the pan
  7. Add in any remaining sauce soy sauce marinade, and stir until sauce is to a think consistency  
  8. Garnish with green onions and Serve immediately with your favorite side.







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Friday, December 14, 2012

Chicken Marsala w/baby Portobellos



Chicken Marsala is a non-complex dish, so in less than 30 minutes you can use what you already have in your pantry to create a simple weeknight meal, packed with sophisticated taste, that everyone will enjoy.

Ingredients:
·         4 boneless chicken breast halves
·         1/4 cup all-purpose flour
·         1/2 teaspoon salt
·         1/4 teaspoon black pepper
·         1/2 teaspoon paprika
·         1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
·         3 tablespoons butter
·         3 tablespoons olive oil
·         4 to 8 ounces fresh portobello mushrooms, sliced
·         3/4 cup Marsala wine

Preparation:
1.    Split and pound chicken breast to 1/4" thickness between 2 sheets of plastic wrap.
2.    Sprinkle chicken with a pinch of salt pepper and paprika.
3.    Combine flour with remaining pepper, and paprika; mix well.
4.    Heat oil and butter in a heavy non-stick skillet over medium high heat.
5.    Dredge chicken in seasoned flour mixture.
6.    Cook on both sides until lightly browned, 3 minutes each side.
7.    Remove chicken and set aside, then add mushrooms to skillet, stir frequently for about 4 minutes. Once the mushrooms start to look translucent; Add Marsala wine to pan.
8.    Stir sauce and add in the chicken, sprinkle with cilantro pieces on top
9.    Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 8-10 minutes.
10.  Serve with pasta, mashed potatoes, or rice.
 

Buen Provecho J
 
 
 
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Thursday, December 13, 2012

Horizon Bay

 
 
Ingredients
3/4 oz Jamaican rum
1/4 oz grenadine syrup
6 oz orange juice


add ice, rum, orange juice, then slowly add in grenadine so it nestles to the bottom of the glass
It doesnt get any simplier than that..

Enjoy   :)
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Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Coconut Cream Pie


Ingredients:
1 can coconut milk
1 cup cream of coconut
1 cup half & half
¾ cup white sugar
½ cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
4 egg yolks
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoons coconut extract
1 cup flaked coconut
1 (9 inch) pie shell, baked





 

Home Made Whipped Cream
Carton of whipping cream
2 tablespoon confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla


Meringue Topping
4 egg whites
¼ cup sugar
Whip until soft foam peaks
Add to pie and put under the broiler for 2 minutes


Directions:

  1. Preheat oven 350 degrees
  2. Spread 1 cup of flaked coconut out on a ungreased baking sheet and toast for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Remove and set aside
  3. In a medium saucepan, combine milk, half & half, coconut cream, egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch & salt.
  4. Bring to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture is thick and bubbly.
  5. Remove from heat, and stir in ¾ cup of the toasted coconut and the coconut extract.
  6. Pour into pie shell and chill 2 to 4 hours, or until firm.
  7. Top with meringue or whipped topping, and garnish with the remaining ¼ cup of toasted coconut.
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Picadillo Puertorriqueño


In Puerto Rico, picadillo is used for stuffing, which needs to be moist but not runny, so not a lot of tomato sauce is used. But if you are serving it as a side dish use more tomato sauce. Usually a dish like this uses more sofrito, but I like to see the chopped spices so I reduce the amount of sofrito and add chopped ingredients.











 
Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground beef
¼ cup ready made sofrito
½ onion (diced)
½ bell pepper (any color, diced)
3 tablespoon chopped cilantro
2 recao leaves
¼ cup pitted sliced or whole spanish olives
2 teaspoon adobo seasoning
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon pepper flakes
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 packet sazon seasoning  
4 oz tomato sauce





 
Directions:
  1. Heat a skillet on medium heat
  2. Add ground beef and let it brown a few minutes
  3. Using a spoon, drain or skim any excessive amount of oil from the pot
  4. Stir in sofrito, onions, peppers, cilantro, and recao, cover pot and let cook for 3-5 minutes
  5. Add olives, tomato sauce and the other seasoning and spices.
  6. Cover and cook another 10 minutes or so to cook down any extra liquids.

         Enjoy stuffed in empanadas or served on the side of rice.

 
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Saturday, September 8, 2012

Honey Garlic Chicken Wings




These homemade honey chicken wings are so easy to make, the entire family will be pleased.

 

Ingredients:
  • 2-1/2 pounds chicken wings, split and tips discarded
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 tablespoon chicken seasoning
  • 5 tablespoon honey
  • 1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 2 teaspoon minced ginger
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 4 tablespoon vegetable oil


Directions:
1.      Season wings with garlic powder, paprika and chicken seasoning
2.      In a bowl, combine the honey, brown sugar and soy sauce with water
3.      Heat a wok over medium heat and add oil
4.      Stir-fry the garlic and ginger for 30 seconds (taking care not to burn them)
5.      Add the wings and cook until they are to your desired crispness and brown, about 5 minutes on each side. Add a little more oil if necessary
6.      Slowly pour in the soy mixture, and turn down the heat to simmer
7.      Cover and cook 15-20 minutes, or until wings are cooked through. Stir occasionally
8.       Remove lid, turn up heat and stir-fry the wings while the sauce is reduced to a glaze


Makes 4 servings
 
 
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Thursday, September 6, 2012

Pecan Crusted Tilapia


 
1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (optional)
4 (6 ounce) tilapia fillets
1 tablespoon oil, divided
Lemon wedges

  

Directions: 

1.Combine breadcrumbs, and seasoning together in a shallow dish.
2.Combine buttermilk and hot sauce (Tabasco) in a medium bowl.
3.Dip 1 fillet into buttermilk mixture, then into breadcrumb mixture. Repeat with remaining fillets.
4.Heat 1 1/2 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
5.Cook 2 fillets for 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily.
6.Add more oil if necessary and cook additional fillets.
7.Serve with lemon

 


 
*For the perfect healthy version:

1.Omit the buttermilk and breadcrumbs
2.Sprinkle fish with seasoning and dip in finely chopped pecans
3.Heat skillet on medium heat and spray with a light canola cooking spray
4.Then pan fry fish 3-4 minutes on each side
5.Remove and serve with your favorite side salad & a lemon wedge
 
 
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Thursday, August 30, 2012

Zucchini Cakes




Zucchini cakes are very light and has a slight taste to crab cakes without the crab meat, its perfect for a meatless weeknight dinner of served on the side of a salad. 



Ingredients:
 2 ½ cups grated zucchini
 1 egg, beaten
 2 tablespoons butter, melted
 ¾ cup bread crumbs
 ¼ cup minced onion
 1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper corns
1 teaspoon pepper flakes
1 teaspoon garlic powder
 ¼ cup all-purpose flour (for dredging)
 ½ cup vegetable oil for frying

 
Directions:
  1. Peel and Prep zucchini, using a grater or food processor
  2. To get rid of the excess water, I squeezed the zucchini in batches through a cheese cloth (if you don’t have a cheese cloth, any clean piece of fabric can be used to get the water out.
  3. In a large bowl, combine, egg, melted butter or margarine, all seasonings, minced onion and mix well
  4. Add in zucchini and breadcrumbs and combine thoroughly
  5. Shape mixture into patties and dredge in flour
  6. In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium high heat until hot.
  7. Fry patties in oil until golden brown on both sides.
  8. Remove and place on paper towels to drain
Serve with your favorite sauce

 
**Heath wise:
I scaled the recipe down abit, I omitted dredging the patties with flour, only added ¼ cup of wholewheat breadcrumbs , 1 tablespoon of smart butter and used a coconut spray to grease my frying pan instead of frying n oil.  Either way both versions taste amazing J
 
 
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Guava Pastry (Pastelitos de Guayaba)

 
1 Pkg. Pepperidge Farm Pastry Sheets
1 can Goya Guava Paste
Water
1 Egg
  
Preheat oven at 425 degrees F.
 Pastry Prep:
1.       Remove Pastry sheets from freezer.
2.       Remove them from the bags and let it thaw for 20 or 30 minutes.
3.       (Shouldn’t be totally thawed, should be good to handle but on the cold side)
4.       Layer a cookie sheet with parchment paper (easy clean up and no guava sticking)
5.       Place one of the pastry sheets flat on the parchment lined cookie tray
 Guava Prep: (hot guava can cause severe burns, please use caution when doing this step)
1.       Cut the guava in two and place only a half in a microwave safe container
2.       Add 3 tablespoon of water and microwave on high 1 minute at a time until soft
3.       Remove from microwave and mix thoroughly to slightly thin the mixture to a spreadable consistency. (You will have to move quickly or guava will get cold and harden again)
Putting Together:
1.       Spread guava puree on pastry sheet
2.       Once the entire sheet is covered with guava puree, carefully layer another pastry sheet on top to make a sandwich
3.       Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut up the entire pastry sheet into small squares, the sheet is already divided in 3 sections; you can cut the 3 columns lengthwise and then 4 or 5 rows across
4.       At this point guava should already be cooled enough to handle, make sure to add alil bit of space in between each square.
 
Note: I used a fork to slightly crimp the edges (optional)
5.       Make an egg wash by beating the egg with 2 tablespoons of water
6.       Lightly brush each pastry square with egg wash.
7.       Bake at 425 degrees F for 10 - 15 minutes, or until they begin to brown.
8.       Remove and let cool for about 20 minutes. 
 
They will be puffy and oh so Yumm!





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Friday, August 24, 2012

Ensalada de Pulpo (Octopus Salad)




Ingredients:

1 small Octopus
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
¼  teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon adobo seasoning
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
½ chopped onion (red can be used)
½  chopped green bell pepper
½ chopped red bell pepper
1 medium diced tomato
8-12 sliced olives (calamata & Spanish)
1 tablespoons each of chopped fresh parsley & cilantro



 

Note: I picked up this little tip along the way (if you put a cork in the pot with the octopus it will help with tenderizing, crazy but it works)


 
Directions:

1.       Rinse the octopus, place in a large pot and cover with cold water.

2.       Add salt (and a cork if you like) and simmer for 45 minutes or until tender when pierced with a knife. Drain in a colander.

3.       With the octopus still warm, under running water, rub the dark skin off the tentacles and discard along with the gut and beak.

4.       When cleaned, cut into largish pieces

5.       Place in a bowl and in olive oil and the rest of the ingredients

6.       Top with parsley and cilantro, then toss to combine.

7.       Cover and refrigerate for couple hour to chill or even overnight

 

 
 


 
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Thursday, August 23, 2012

Salted Mackerel (Jamaican Style)


 

 
Ingredients:

2 cup water
2 lbs pickled boneless mackerel
1 large onion, chopped
3 stalks scallion, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon Black pepper
1 teaspoon Paprika
1 level teaspoon dried time leaves
1 Scotch Bonnet pepper (keep whole to get the best flavor, then remove after cooking or use a third of a pepper chopped finely without the seeds)  OPTIONAL
 

 
 
 

Directions:
Soak the mackerel in water overnight to remove the salt.
If the mackerel is still very salty, boil in a pot of water for about 20 minutes.
Drain the mackerel and cut it into small pieces.
Heat 3 tablespoon of oil in a skillet on medium heat
Add the onion, garlic, and let cook for a few minutes
Add tomatoes, scallion, scotch bonnet pepper, thyme and stir letting it simmer for 3 minutes
Add in the mackerel pieces, black pepper and paprika
Toss to combine with other ingredients
Lower the heat and simmer for 10 more minutes.

Best served with boiled green bananas, yam, cassava, sweet potatoes and cassava or just dumplings.
 
(perfect saturday morning breakfast)
 
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Thursday, August 9, 2012

Feta & Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast




Ingredients
 
3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoon lemon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
A sprinkle of sazon (for color on top)
1 ounce feta cheese
 
 
 2 cup Frozen Spinach (thawed)
1 teaspoon black pepper
Dash of pepper flakes
2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoon all-purpose seasoning
1 teaspoon of salt
 
 
Non stick cooking spray
 
 
Directions:
 
 
1.       Using a nonstick spray; evenly coat a skillet and place on medium heat.

2.       Add thawed spinach, black pepper, paprika, pepper flakes, minced garlic and salt, cover and let it cook on medium heat for 5 minutes, turn off stove and in feta cheese, toss and remove skillet from heat and let cool down enough to handle

3.       Wash and dry chicken and trim off any fat. Lay one of the chicken breast at the edge of a cutting board. Cut a horizontal pocket in the breast, splitting it open, taking care not to pierce through it too much. Do this with all 3 pieces.

4.       Add all the seasoning in a small container and mix thoroughly.

5.       Sprinkle chicken on both sides with the seasoning mix

6.       Place enough of the spinach and cheese mixture unto the chicken and carefully roll it up, lay it seem side down in a glass or ceramic baking dish coated with nonstick spray, cover with aluminum foil.

7.       Preheat oven to 370 degrees.

8.       Place baking dish in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until desired doneness
 










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