Month: July 2016

Twisted Tuna Salad Sandwich

Summer heat. A perfect excuse to give your stove/ oven a rest and stay in front of an opened fridge a little longer than usual (don’t waste energy now). To the people like me who don’t have A.C., try your best to control your hanger! This heat can get out of hand and so can you. So what can you make that’s effortless, cool, quick and filling?

I had been snacking on some amazing Muscato Grapes from Melissa’s produce that I had in the freezer. They’re super sweet and delicious to add to any summer salad or just eat right away, and trust, they’re super addicting. I occasionally pop them in glasses of wine. They’re perfect to keep the glass chilled without watering down the wine, think of it like adding grapes to grapes, cant hurt right?! Well let’s move on to the sandwich, shall we?

Ingredients: (serves 2-3 sandwiches)

  • Muscato Grapes 
  • 2 cans of Tuna
  • 4-5oz of hummus (I used caramelized onion hummus but you can choose any flavor of your liking).
  • handful of cilantro (chopped fine).
  • wheat bread
  • spices: black pepper, garlic salt, ms. dash’s all purpose salt-free seasoning.

Directions:

  1. I pulled 20 grapes out of the freezer and cut them in half, set them to the side.
  2. I opened two cans of tuna, drained them and set them in a mixing bowl.
  3. empty your hummus in the mixing bowl
  4. include your chopped cilantro and spices and mix thoroughly.
  5. Now add in your grapes and mix again.
  6. toast your bread to your liking and grab a spoon so you can spread about your delicious tuna salad. For an even more simple way, grab a bag of pita chips and enjoy, super yum!

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Sweet + Spicy Volcano Bites

Throwing a party this summer or just in the mood for a quick island getaway? These toasted coconut ahi poke tostadas are to die for! The volcano in the title comes from the uber spicy, hotter than a jalapeno, too hot to cut without gloves on, chile. Especially with a super spicy and flavorful habanero chili from Melissa’s Produce. Trust me, it’s the perfect amount of heat to balance the sweet of the coconut, a perfect fusion treat.

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Lets get to the kitchen, this 5 step appetizer is easy and inexpensive. Shall we?

Ingredients: (6-9 servings, prep time  30min)

  • 2 large sashimi grade Ahi tuna steaks (about 2 pounds)
  • 1 shallot (small onion, chopped fine)
  • 1/2 cup chopped green onion
  • 3-4 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 cup toasted coconut
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
  • 1 pack of gyoza wonton papers (raw)
  • 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds

Directions:

  1. Rinse and paper towel dry your tuna steak. Cut it into small 1/2 inch cubes and set in a mixing bowl.
  2. Add the shallots, coconut, chopped green onion, soy sauce, sesame oil, chili garlic sauce, and sesame seeds and toss.
  3. Cover with saran wrap (plastic) and refrigerate.
  4. In a small frying pan set olive oil to heat at medium. Grab a gyoza paper and slowly drop in in the oil to brown each side, flipping often to evenly cook and not burn. Remove them from the oil and place them on a paper towel to pick up the excess oil.
  5. Carefully slice your habanero chiles. Plate your tostada with a spoonful of deliciousness and set on top of your volcano roll a sliver of habanero heat. Trust me its the perfect balance you wont be upset. Sprinkle some sesame seeds and enjoy!

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Olive Garden’s at home Zuppa Toscana

A hearty yet simple Italian soup dish becomes the perfect meal. Its creamy potato comfort keeps you warm and cozy while the spice of the sausage and crispness of the kale with the saltiness of the browned bacon for the complete table-side, easy and affordable dish. Can you tell I love it?

Olive Garden which is in every major mall and city around the U.S. is commonly known for their all you can eat pasta and soup/ salad for the price of the lint in your pocket. Although the deals are good, I’m personally indifferent about their pasta, all of it. Personally it’s just bland and very basic to have to leave the house for. It’s just that one menu item that by far stands out, and it’s their Zuppa Toscana. So i brought it home! Nope, not to-go, but straight in the pot, in my kitchen, and so can you! So let’s get to it!

Ingredients:

  •  White potatoes

  • Italian sausage (I used ground turkey).

  • 2-3 strips of bacon

  • 4-6 large leaves of kale

  • 1 cup cream

  • Italian parsley (fine chopped and/ or for garnish).

  • Chicken stock (broth).

  • White onion (fine chopped for browning)

  • 2 Garlic cloves ( fine chopped)

  • mini Thai chili peppers (the thinner the less spicy)

  • spices: red pepper flakes, salt, pepper oregano (Italian seasoning).

 

Directions: (serves 4-6)

  1. sauté fine chopped bacon, onions, red thai chilis and garlic in a pot to brown. Add in ground turkey and plenty or red pepper flakes, Italian parsley, salt and pepper and cook thoroughly. Once all meat is browned, fill the pot with 8-10 cups of chicken broth.

  2. Thin slice your potatoes and set in the soup to boil. This process shouldn’t take long because you cut thin round slices that should cook fast.

  3. Chop up your kale and add it in at the very end once the potatoes are al dente.

  4. Lastly, you will add in your 1-2cups of cream, stirring as you add and setting your temperatures down to medium-low to simmer for 10 minutes. I added more red pepper flakes since I added cream to up the spice but I recommend tasting as you go so you don’t over season.

  5. Let the soup cool in the pot for at least 5 min before serving. This will ensure all the flavors and seasonings are combined so you can pack each spoonful with delightful taste. Now you’re Italian, now you’re Olive Garden. Look what you just did! Enjoy!

 

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The Hangover Cure

The Latin-American in me is always torn when I’m at the grocery store. Maybe its that or that fact that I’m still drunk from the night before but meals such as “Chicken Noodle Soup” or latin comforting “Chicken Pozole” were circling my mind. I stood staring down the middle of isle 7 hungry and confused. Until the sober in me came out and asked, “why don’t you make them both??” After being mind blown for 10 seconds, my brain started to create the best recipe I could for a struggling lush (like myself). Something warm, slightly spicy and nutritious that would bring me and my life back to normal with little to no effort! I Hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Here we go!

30 minutes, $20 dollars, and 10 easy steps! Easy as 3-2-1! 

Ingredients:

  • 2 Bone in Chicken Breasts
  • 1/2 Sweet red onion
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 3 Peeled carrots
  • 1 Yellow Squash
  • 2 stick of Celery
  • 1 Lime
  • 1 bundle of Cilantro
  • 2TbSp Salt and Pepper
  • 1TbSp Crushed red chili flakes
  • 1 medium can of White Hominy (can sub out for noodles but Hominy makes the fusion!)

Directions:

  1. In a large pot fill it with water to a half way mark and set it to boil on high heat.
  2. While the water is warming up, cut your half of sweet onion in half (two 1/4 pieces) and smash you garlic cloves (3) still keeping them whole. Drop both onions and garlic into boiling water when done.
  3. Now that the water is boiling, drop both bone in chicken breasts into the water, be careful not to splash yourself, its hot! With one table spoon each of salt and pepper. While your chicken is cooking, its veggie prep time.
  4. Cut/ dice/ slice your carrots, squash, limes, celery and de-stem your cilantro. (Tip: if you put everything into a bowl once its cut its easier to drop into the soup to avoid burns). img_1705-1
  5. Once the chicken looks almost done remove them from the stock and set them on the cutting board to cool. This is very important since we’ll be hand shredding our chicken and you don’t want your fingertips to fall off from the heat.
  6. While the chicken is cooling this is when you will drop in the chopped veggies and 6-8 leaves of cilantro, reducing the heat to a medium temperature. You don’t want your veggies to be too hard or too mushy so a slow cooking temp is ideal.
  7. Once the chicken has cooled down you can start to shred it to spoon size pieces. If not all of the chicken is cooked don’t worry, its going back in to the pot to cook more 🙂 img_1706
  8. Once its all shredded, drop the chicken slowly back in, now you can add your hominy (strained and rinsed) into the soup as well as another tablespoon of salt and pepper and now add your chili flakes.
  9. Reducing the heat to medium-low and gradually stirring the soup for the next 10-15 minutes. This will allow all the flavors to lock in and gives your soup that homestyle taste.
  10. Plate your soup and garnish with a few lime squeezes, some fresh cilantro and a few shakes of chili flakes and voila!

 

 

Thats my recipe for a perfect fusion of Chicken Noodle soup and Chicken Pozole! If you have any other hangover cure remedies, send them over or let me know your experience in the comments below!

Enjoy!

Black Garlic Shrimp + Noodles

Although a trip to Crustacean’s in Malibu is a dream come true on the daily, sometimes you just have to bring it on home to you; and by bring it, I mean make it. Yup! It’s that easy and did I mention: Cheap? Time efficient? Delicious? Well, the list goes on. So let’s jump right in!

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Ingredients: (serves 3-4)

  • Black Garlic (from Melissa’s Produce, see previous post how I used black garlic with another dish. As well as your local Trader Joe’s).
  • Minced garlic
  • Large/ Jumbo Shrimp (about 15)
  • Spaghetti noodles (wheat noodles seen here)
  • 1 stick of butter
  • 2oz Chives (green onion)
  • 2oz Fine chopped parsley
  • 1/2 cup EVOO
  • Spices: fresh ground seasoned pepper, sea salt, red pepper flakes, ground ginger (start off with a table spoon each then continue to taste to add more of whatever to your liking).

Directions:

  1. In a large pot heat water to a boil. Once the water is boiling add in your noodles.
  2. While your water is heating up, grab a sauté pan and coat it with olive oil. Then peel, devein and rinse your shrimp.
  3. In the sauté pan with EVOO, heat it to medium heat. Place your garlic, both minced and black and rinsed shrimp and half of your spices each inside.
  4. Flip shrimp occasionally to make sure they are cooking evenly. This should take about the same time as it would to boil the noodles to al dente perfection and thats no more than 10min.
  5. Once the noodles are done cooking, remove them from the water and strain under cold water thoroghly, set aside for a short while.
  6. In that same (empty) pot used for noodles, heat your stick of butter, more delicious black garlic (chopped down) as you want, 1 table spoon olive oil and all spices plus chopped chives stirring until melted down. Try to avoid this melt down at high heat so that you butter stays light and doesn’t caramelize.
  7. Add your noodles back in and mix well to coat them evenly.
  8. Plate your food immediately its time to bring the 5-star dish to the dinner table!
  9. Top your noodles with your sautéed shrimp and garnish with parsley and chives, add some more chili flakes if you’re feeling spicy.
  10. Thank me later 😉

Move over Jamba Juice!

Anytime I have a food filled, three day weekend, I always get back to my work week feeling guilty. 

“Hamburgers? hotlinks? Ok, wait, I had a few beers, potato salad, chips, BBQ beans, does the lettuce in my burger count?” Just all bad. 

So I needed a detox and I needed it fast. What better way than a homemade fruit filled pitaya (also known as dragon fruit) bowl.

Finding dragon fruit can be tricky. It’s found more in the summer seasons and isn’t available in all grocery stores but it is so good and good for you! The fruit is an exotic cactus exterior with a watermelon kiwi-esque inside. Its flesh is more melon like which is ideal for blending drinks or in this case, a nutri-packed bowl. I got my dragon fruit from Melissa’s Produce. It came next day and I couldn’t wait to bust out the blender and get my sanity back from eating like a piggy. Here we go!

Ingredients:

  • 1 dragon fruit
  • 1 mango
  • case of raspberries and blackberries
  • 1 cup of granola
  • 1/4 cup of coconut (shredded)
  • 1 kiwi
  • 1/3 cup of orange juice

Directions:

  1. Peel dragon fruit and cut into fourths. Place in the blender with sliced mangoes (about half of one), ice, and 1/3 cup of Orange juice. Blend.
  2. Cut up your kiwis and dice more mangoes
  3. Pour your blend into a bowl and get fancy with your ingredients lol.