Chocolate Pear Tart

During my day of baking, I decided I wanted to have a little chocolate and fruit in my life, so I made a fancy tart. It sat in the fridge for until dinner the next day and still looked (and tasted) great. I made a 9 inch and a 5 inch, but would have made 2 9 inch tarts if I had the pans for it, because the crusts were a bit thicker than I wanted with the smaller second tart.

Chocolate Pear Tart
Makes 2 tarts in 9 inch pans
Prep time: 3 hours (most of it waiting for things to chill in the fridge)
Cook time: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients:
- 8 Tbs (1 stick) butter
- 3 Tbs evaporated cane juice (or sugar)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour (plus a couple pinches to dust pans)
- 2 ripe green pears (bartlett or anjou work well)
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or however much chocolate you want)
- 1/4 cup unsweetened greek yogurt (I used Fage 0%)

Tools:
- 2 tart or pie pans, 9 inches
- 1 large bowl
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 pastry cutter (or two knives)
- 1 fork
- 1 spreading utensil that won't melt (small silicone spatula or butter knife work fine)
- 1 small microwave safe bowl
- 1 sharp knife
- 1 veggie peeler (optional, can use the sharp knife in place)
- 1 cutting board
- 1 oven
- 1 refrigerator
- 1 microwave
- 1 timer

Directions:

Crust:
1. In large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and salt.
2. Chill butter mixture and flour in the fridge for 30 mins.
3. Add flour to butter mixture and cut the butter into the flour. At the side is a video on how to do it with a pastry cutter and another video on how to do it with two knives. You can also use your hands to smear the butter and flour together to get a really flakey crust.
4. Put a little flour in each pan and spread it around to give it a light dusting (this helps with release)
5. Put half of the dough in one pan and the other half in the other. Using your hands, press the dough into the pan so that it is an even thickness and the crust goes up the sides.
6. Place the unbaked crusts in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill.
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
8. Use a fork to poke holes in the crust so that it won't bubble (it will be difficult with the dough cold, so be careful).
9. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

Filling:
10. Melt the chocolate in the microwave on the lowest power setting, stirring every 15 seconds to get everything to melt evenly and prevent scorching. (Yeah, it's a pain, but chocolate is finicky and is ruined when it's burned). Optionally, use a double boiler to melt chocolate.
11. Spread melted chocolate in the bottom of the tart crust and up the sides. Try to get it even and smooth.
12. Chill chocolate for 30 minutes in the fridge until hard.
13. While waiting, cut pears into quarters, cut away the cores, and use the peeler to make thin slices of pear (leave on the skin because it's pretty). Alternately, use your sharp knife to very carefully cut thin slices of pear, take your time with this and keep all of your fingers.
14. Once chocolate is solid, apply a layer of yogurt over the chocolate, but leave the sides exposed.
15. Layer pear slices on top of yogurt in a circle with the small ends facing the center and the skins forming rays from the center (this looks best if the pears slices are all the same size. Optionally, layer pear slices starting at the outside and working inwards with the skins facing out (this works better if the pear slices are all different sizes so the big ones are at the outside and the little ones at the inside).
16. Serve tarte at room temperature or else the chocolate makes it difficult to cut the tart.

If not intending to serve immediately, cover with plastic wrap put tightly over the fruit and store in the fridge for 1 to 1.5 days (the pears will start to look bad after that). Remove from fridge 1 hour prior to serving to allow tart to come to room temp. The crust can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge (baked or unbaked) for up to a week or frozen for up to 6 months.

Chocolate Chip Orange Blossom Clove Cookies

Today I got a baking need and so I thought I would share what I made with you lovely people. Due to a lack of vanilla extract, I had to find some other fragrant potion to make my cookies have a little pizzaz, so I kicked them up a notch by adding ground clove and orange blossom water. These cookies would be great to make with kids because everything is mixed at room temp in bowls and then put in the oven, so they get to work on their math skills and hand-eye coordination. Enjoy.

Chocolate Chip Orange Blossom Clove Cookies
Makes 60 cookies (if you use a perfect Tbs ball for each one and don't eat any dough, but when does that ever happen?)
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 9-11 minutes per batch
Level: Easy

Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
- 1 1/2 cup evaporated cane juice
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 Tbs honey
- 1 Tbs orange blossom water
- 2 eggs
- 4 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate roughly chopped (I used the whole ar of baking chocolate)

Tools:
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 medium mixing bowl
- 1 wooden spoon
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- 1 cookie sheet (though more would be quicker)
- 1 oven
- a timer

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C).
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cloves. Set aside.
3. In a medium sized bowl, cream together butter, sugars, honey, and orange blossom water with a sturdy spoon (wooden spoons work best for this because butter is stubborn and the whole thing needs to be lump free).
4. To the butter mixture add eggs and mix until combined (be careful to not slosh any of the egg out of the bowl because at first it won't want to mix).
5. Add the dry ingredients into the wet a bit at a time, mixing in between each addition.
6. Once the dry and wet have all been combined, add the chocolate and stir it around until the chocolate is evenly distributed.
7. Use a tablespoon (or just a regular spoon you might eat cereal with) and scoop dollops of dough onto the cookie sheet approximately every 1.5 to 2 inches apart, so that you get individual cookies instead of one large cookie.
8. Bake for 9-11 minutes until golden brown (cooking time will vary depending on altitude, humidity, your stove, and how crispy you like your cookies, so keep an eye on those puppies).
9. Transfer to a plate and wait until cookies are no longer hot like lava before consuming. The waiting will be the most difficult part.

Store any uneaten cookies in a ziplock baggie or tupperware (or cookie jar) on the counter overnight, in the fridge for up to a week, or the freezer for up to 2 months. Uncooked dough can be kept in the freezer for up to 6 months or fridge for up to a week. Raw eggs can cause food poisoning, but cookie dough is amazing, so eat raw cookie dough at your own risk because we both know that it's well worth it.

Purple Carrot Cake

Today I had a massive sweet tooth and was too lazy to go to the store to buy myself something sweet, so I decided to bake a cake. Since I happened to have a bunch a purple carrots in the fridge that needed to be eaten, so I used them in this recipe to give it some fun color, but you can use whatever color carrots you like. Also happened to have some vanilla buttercream frosting left over from a while ago, so I used that instead of making a new batch of frosting, so I have not included the recipe for that.

Cake or dinner, it's a tough call.

Purple Carrot Cake
Makes 1 - 9x13 inch cake

Prep time: 10 mins if using pre-shredded carrots, 1 hour if shredding carrots by hand.
Cook time: 40-50 mins

Ingredients:
Butter to grease pan with
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
2 cups evaporated cane juice (or white sugar can be substituted)
3 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour (I prefer unbleached)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp all spice
3 cups shredded purple carrots
Frosting of choice

Directions:
1. Grease pan with butter and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, cane juice/sugar, and vanilla until combined.
3. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices, stir until there are no lumps.
4. Mix in carrots until combined.
5. Pour batter into pan and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
7. Frost the cake before serving.

Cake in a mug that only takes 5 minutes total

5 Minute Chocolate Cake in a Mug

This is the most dangerous cake recipe in the world because you are only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake any time, day or night. 

Ingredients:

4 Tbs flour

4 Tbs sugar

2 Tbs coco powder

1 egg

3 Tbs milk

3 Tbs vegetable oil

A small splash of vanilla extract

1 large coffee mug

(Optional: 3 Tbs chocolate chips)

Preparation:

1. Mix well flour, sugar, and coco powder in mug.

2. Add egg and mix thoroughly, don't leave any dry powder in the edges.

3. Add milk, oil, and vanilla extract, mix well.

4. Optionally, add chocolate chips and mix again.

5. Place mug on a plate to catch any drips and microwave on high (1,000 watts) for 3 minutes. Note that the cake will rise above the top of the mug, this is fine, no panicking. 

6. Allow cake to cool a bit before eating because it will be like lava at first.

A Vacation Meal to Tide You Over

Thought that I would tantalize you with an easy meal that has become my "Breakfast of Champions", which I have repeatedly enjoyed during my time in Australia. The best part? It's easy enough to make when half asleep and only takes one pan to allow for easy cleanup. High in protein and vitamines, this meal will leave you feeling satisfied until lunch without skimping on big taste.

Breakfast of Champions with bok choy

Also, who says that breakfast is the only time to eat breakfast? This meal works well for lunch or dinner because of the rich flavors and lack of fillers. I love cooking foods without added oils and if your bacon is too fatty, simply drain some of the fat before cooking the other ingredients. Mmmm, just thinking about this hearty, yet surprisingly healthy, meal makes me hungry. Bon Apetite, until next time.

Breakfast of Champions
Serves 1

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 pieces of thick cut bacon, cut in half to fit easily into the pan
1/4 cup chopped mushrooms (get the pre-chopped to save on time)
5 oz baby spinach (that's half a bag) or chopped kale or chopped bok choy
sea salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. Heat a skillet over medium to low heat until warm. Add bacon.
2. When bacon has released some of the liquid fats and is sizzling, move bacon to the middle so that there is space to crack eggs into the pan on one side and cook the mushrooms on the other side.
3. When eggs start to solidify, add greens to mushroom side of pan and flip the bacon to prevent charring.
4. The meal is done when the whites of the eggs are completely solidified, the mushrooms are gray, the greens have turned a dark green and wilted without releasing too much water, and the bacon is cooked fully without being charred. Salt and pepper to taste.

*Note: the directions for these eggs and bacon are for runny eggs and floppy bacon; if you want over-easy eggs, flip the egg and keep cooking; for crispy bacon, keep flipping bacon to prevent burning while cooking bacon to a crisp consistency. Don't over cook the mushrooms ro spinach.

Jessie's Last Day Before Hiatus

Good morning gentle readers. Today is my last lunch before I leave you for about three months. While I'm gone, Patricia will be cooking fantastic meals for you; please give her the consideration you have given me while she adjusts to the position. As a special treat, I will be making mussels in a white wine broth. To accompany the mussels I made broccolini, a mixed greens salad featuring dried cranberries, and sautéed chicken for those that don't enjoy shellfish. A nice french bread is perfect for sopping up the sauce. Enjoy.

Mussels in a White Wine Sauce
Serves 12

Ingredients:
1 stick of butter
6 shallots, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups white wine (choose something you would drink)
1 bunch parsley, chopped
6 lbs mussels, scrubbed and debearded
1/2 tsp salt
3 loaves french bread, sliced

Preparation:
1. In a large pot, melt the butter.
2. Add shallots and garlic, saute until things start to smell good.
3. Add wine, parsley, and salt, bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat to low and simmer until flavors have combined, about 5 minutes.
5. Add mussels, increase heat to high, and cover.
6. Cook until the mussels open, stirring a couple of times to get them even, about 5 minutes.
7. Serve mussels in a bowl with some of the broth and the bread. If you're gluten free, try sweet potato fries as a substitute.

Broccolini
Serves 12

Ingredients:
6 lbs broccolini
everyday seasoning, to taste

Preparation:
1. In a large pot heat a few inches of water and as much broccolini as will reasonably fit in the pot over high heat. Cover.
2. Steam the broccolini until it is a vibrant emerald green and they start to smell yummy.
3. Set aside broccolini and season with everyday seasoning.
4. If there is more broccolini, repeat steps 1-3 with the same water.

Sautéed Chicken
Serves 6

Ingredients:
4 lbs chicken breast tenders
2 Tbs olive oil
2-3 Tbs liquid aminos (I use Brags) or soy sauce.

Preparation:
1. Heat olive oil in a skillet over high heat until it starts to smell like olives but not smoking.
2. Carefully place the chicken into the pan so you don't splash yourself.
3. Cook chicken until it is turning white around the edges when looking down on it and the bottom has some browned bits.
4. Flip chicken and cover with aminos. Cook until no longer pink in middle of the thickest piece.

Mixed Greens Salad Featuring Dried Cranberries
Serves 12

Ingredients:
1 large box mixed herb salad
2 large handfuls dried cranberries
1 large handful roasted pumpkin seeds
1 large handful parmesan cheese
2-3 Tbs red wine rosemary dressing

Preparation:
1. Dress the greens so that the leaves are evenly covered but not drowning.
2. Layer toppings over the dressed greens.

London Broil with Mushrooms and Grilled Onions, Bell Peppers with Sautéed Greens, Brown Rice, Lemon Mustard Salad

London Broil with Mushrooms and Grilled Onions
Serves 12

Ingredients:
4 lbs London broil
1 package sliced cremini mushrooms
1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
olive oil
salt and pepper

Preparation:
1. Season meat with salt and pepper on both sides.
2. Heat 2 Tbs of olive oil in a pan over medium high heat until warm but not smoking.
3. Cook meat until browned on both sides.
4. Set aside meat to rest and heat 2 more Tbs oil int he pan.
5. Saute onions until golden brown and soft.
6. Set aside onions and cube the meat so that people can portion control better.
7. Heat 2 more Tbs oil in the pan and saute mushrooms until they are done on one side, flip, and return meat and onions to the pan.
8. Cook until the mushrooms are done and the meat is reheated.

Bell Peppers with Sautéed Greens
Serves 12

Ingredients:
4 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
3 orange bell peppers, seeded and chopped
4 bags super greens
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. Heat 2 Tbs oil in a large pot over high heat.
2. Saute peppers until fragrant, set aside.
3. Heat 2 Tbs oil the pot over high heat and saute the greens in batches so that nothing gets over cooked; for each batch use enough oil to coat the bottom to prevent sticking, about 2 Tbs oil, and stir constantly. Remove each batch once everything has changed a darker green.
4. Combine peppers and greens and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Lemon Mustard Salad
Serves 12

Ingredients:
juice of 1 1/2 lemons
2 Tbs honey
3 Tbs stone ground mustard
3-5 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs water
fresh ground pepper
1 large box spring greens
1 avocado, pitted and cubed
1 carton blackberries
2 Tbs mixed seeds
2 Tbs sliced almonds

Preparation:
1. Whisk together first 6 ingredients, adjusting until a fantastic dressing is achieved.
2. Dress the greens so that all of the leaves are covered but not drowning.
3. Layer toppings on the salad so that they don't all fall to the bottom.

Roasted Leg of Lamb, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, and Tomato Salad

Today I was feeling like something a little special to end the week on, so I decided to roast a leg of lamb. To accompany the main meat dish, I decided to do a slight twist on the traditional mashed potatoes by making them with sweet potatoes instead of the typical russet. To lighten the dish up and help everyone get over the holiday gluttony, I made a mock caprese salad (I just dropped the mozzarella) with cherry tomatoes. Bon apetite.

Roasted Leg of Lamb
Serves 12

Ingredients:
4 lbs boneless leg of lamb
8 cloves garlic
4 sprigs mint, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Cut slits in the meat and stick in the garlic.
3. Cover with salt, pepper, and mint.
4. Roast in a deep baking pan until this interior is 140 degrees F, about 20 minutes per pound.
5. Let rest 10 minutes before carving.


Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Serves 12

Ingredients:
6 large sweet potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
2-3 cups lactose free milk
3 sprigs fresh rosemary, stem removed and minced
2 Tbs lactose free butter
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. Place potatoes into a large pot and fill with water until potatoes are just covered.
2. Boil potatoes until easily pierced with a fork, about 15 minutes.
3. Drain and return potatoes to pot.
4. Use a potato masher and mash potatoes, add other ingredients and continue mashing until desired consistency and flavor is achieved. The milk makes the potatoes fluffy, but too much makes them soupy, so add milk incrementally.

Tomato Salad
Serves 12

Ingredients:
4 cartons cherry tomatoes in various colors to add interest
1 package basil, stemmed and chopped
2-3 Tbs olive oil
2-3 Tbs balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. Combine tomatoes and basil.
2. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Toss to combine.
Optional: Add mozzarella cubes for more flavor and fill to this dish.

Patricia making lunch

Good morning gang. Patricia is, once again, gracing us with her delicious cooking to determine if she really wants to take over my position while I'm gone and if you guys really want her to be my replacement. I will be posting a picture of her lunch when she kindly brings me a plate after all of you have been fed and we will share her recipes here with you. Let us know what you think.

Pasta Salad and Prosciutto Wrapped Cantaloupe

Yesterday while I was shopping I came across a fantastic product: veggie pasta. What the heck is that, you might ask? Veggie pasta is regular pasta with concentrated veggies added to the dough, like tomato, spinach, mushrooms, and more. the picture on the box inspired me to make pasta salad, which I think is a great way to get in all the veggies that make this comfort food into something healthy too. For the gluten free and lactose free constituency I made quinoa pasta and just cut out the feta. To accompany the pasta I made prosciutto wrapped cantaloupe, a delicious blend of salty and sweet.

Pasta Salad
Serves 12

Ingredients:
3 12oz boxes of rotini veggie pasta (or other shaped pasta you have lying around)

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 Tbs water
1/2 cup olive oil

2 cucumbers, seeded and chopped
2 orange bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 jar julienned roasted red peppers, drained
2 cans of green olives, drained
1 bag of super greens, chopped
1 package of crumbled feta

Preparation:
1. Cook the pasta and drain it according to the directions on the box.
2. In a container with a lid combine vinegar, water, and oil. Place lid on and shake until emulsified.
3. Mix together all ingredients so that everything is evenly coated with vinaigrette. Serve cool or warm.


Prosciutto Wrapped Cantaloupe
Serves 12

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cantaloupes, seeded rind removed and chopped
3 packaged of prosciutto
Toothpicks

Preparation:
1. Wrap mellon in a small amount of prosciutto and skewer with a toothpick to hold meat in place.
2. Keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Simmered Chicken Breast, Sautéed Kale, Caramelized Onions, and Brown Rice

A request has been made for more meat heavy meals, so I made over 6 lbs of chicken. I'm not sure if you knew this, but a serving size of meat is 3 oz, or about the size of a deck of cards. At half a pound per person todays meal is almost three times the recommended serving of meat. To balance this abundance of meat I have paired the chicken with caramelized onions, sautéed kale and brown rice.

Simmered Chicken Breast
Makes 6 lbs

Ingredients:
6 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
2 Tbs olive oil
3 Tbs sweet and spicy marinade
2 Tbs liquid aminos
pepper to taste
1 Tbs cornstarch disolved in 1/4 cup cold water

Preparation:
1. Heat oil in a large pot over high heat.
2. Add chicken, marinade, and liquid aminos to the pot, stir frequently until there is no visible pink on the chicken.
3. Turn to low and cook until the largest piece is no longer pink in the middle.
4. Use a slotted spoon to remove chicken pieces from liquid.
5. Boil liquid stirring constantly until desired amount of sauce is reached, pepper to taste.
6. Add cornstarch slurry and stir over heat until sauce thickens, pour over chicken.


Sautéed Kale
Serves 12

Ingredients:
5 lbs chopped kale
olive oil
everyday seasoning (can be found at Trader Joe's)

Preparation:
1. Heat 2 Tbs of olive oil in a large pot over high heat.
2. Add kale until pot is 3/4 full so there is still room to stir. Stir constantly.
3. When kale has become a more vibrant green and cooked down a bit, add a few grinds of everyday seasoning and set aside covered in tinfoil to keep warm.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 until all of the kale is used, serve warm.


Caramelized Onions
Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients:
4 sweet onions, peeled and thinly sliced
2 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs butter

Preparation:
1. Heat butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat until butter has all melted.
2. Add onion and stir occasionally until onions are glassy.
3. Reduce heat to low and stir occasionally until the onions turn a lovely caramel color and have become nice and sweet.

Roasted Root Veggies, Dandelion Blueberry Salad, Scrambled Eggs with Sun-Dried Tomatoes Roasted Garlic and Sautéed Leeks

This morning I had a case of the Mondays; though I hate this phrase, it feels apt to describe how I felt this morning. Getting out of bed was such a chore that I didn't have time to go shopping and so this lunch is more eclectic than usual because I had to make do with what I had in my fridge. The result turned out pleasantly delicious, but it means that portion control is even more important so that everyone gets to taste everything. If I were to make the eggs again, I would double or triple what I made, but I stretched the meal with the leeks, sun-dried tomatoes, and roasted garlic. Enjoy.

Roasted Alternate Root Veggies
Serves 12

Ingredients:
3 fennel bulbs, chopped
2 celery roots, peeled and chopped
1 lbs golden beets, peeled and chopped
2 cans quartered artichoke hearts
olive oil
salt and pepper

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Line three baking sheets with tinfoil and place one type of root veggie on each baking sheet so that they can be roasted separately.
3. Drizzle the root veggies with olive oil, about 2 Tbs per baking sheet, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Fresh ground tastes better.
4. Roast veggies, stirring about every 15 minutes, until they can be easily pierced with a fork, about 30 to 45 minutes depending on size of pieces.
5. Combine all of the roasted root veggies and the artichoke hearts, place back into oven for a few minutes so that the artichoke hearts heat up.


Dandelion Blueberry Salad
Serves 12

Ingredients:
3 bunches of dandelion greens, chopped
2 packages of blueberries
1 carton of heirloom cherry tomatoes, cut in half or quarters
1 handful sliced almonds
red wine vinaigrette

Preparation:
1. Dress the greens so that they have a light coating of vinaigrette.
2. Layer the topping over the greens so that they don't fall to the bottom.


Scrambled Eggs with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Roasted Garlic, and Sautéed Leeks
Serves 6 for just the eggs, with sides serves 12

Ingredients:
12 eggs
1/2 cup lactose free milk
2 leeks thinly sliced
4 heads roasted garlic
1 jar julienned sun-dried tomatoes
2 Tbs olive oil

Preparation:
1. In a large frying pan, heat 2 Tbs olive oil over high heat.
2. Saute leeks stirring constantly until they turn a more vibrant green and start to smell good. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk eggs and milk until a uniform yellow color with no variation.
4. Return empty pan to stove over medium heat, pour eggs into the pan.
5. Scrape the bottom of the pan to remove cooked eggs and allow still liquid eggs to get access to the bottom, continue doing this until eggs are no longer liquid, light and fluffy is the goal. Scrambled eggs are overcooked when they exude water, so cook eggs until just before they release water.
6. Serve eggs with leeks, sun-dried tomato, and a clove or two of roasted garlic.

Patricia's First Meal

Good morning gang. Today is a special treat: Patricia will be cooking her first meal for you guys and it smells fantastic. While I'm abroad there still needs to be someone to cook delicious and nutritious meals and Patricia is testing the waters to see if it will work out for you and for her. Today's meal is roasted chicken breasts with a wonderful spice rub, stir-fried veggies over jasmine rice, and a spinach salad. Let us know what you think.

Roasted chicken breasts
Serves 12

Ingredients:
5 lbs bone in skin on chicken breasts
1 Tbs ground black pepper
1 Tbs dried marjoram
1 Tbs lemon thyme
2 Tbs dried sage
1 poof garlic powder over each piece, top and bottom
1 poof sweet smoked paprika over each piece, top and bottom
juice of 1 lime
salt to taste

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven 425 degrees F.
2. Cover a baking sheet in tinfoil and place the chicken breasts on it, trim any large globs of fat.
3. Combine black pepper, marjoram, lemon thyme, and sage to make a rub and apply liberally to chicken on top, bottom, and under the skin. Apply poofs of garlic and paprika. Squeeze the lime over the chicken to add just a little extra zing.
4. Bake for 15 minutes to seal in juices.
5. Lower temperature to 350 and bake until no longer pink in the middle and juices run clear, about 1 hour.
6. Let rest for 5 minutes before carving.

Stir-Fried Veggies
Serves 12

Ingredients:
1 baby bok choy, bulbs and leaves separated and chopped
3 fist sized broccoli florets, chopped to bite size
1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 orange bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 bag baby carrots
2 bunches spring onion
1/2 inch finger of ginger, peeled and minced
1 bag spinach
1 bunch asparagus, wooden bits snapped off and chopped
2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 to 1/4 tsp ground pepper
3 Tbs Braggs Liquid Aminos (optionally replace with soy sauce)
4 cups jasmine rice, cooked according to package

Preparation:
1. In a large skillet heat 2 Tbs of olive oil over high heat.
2. Saute the chopped wooden bits of the asparagus to break them down.
3. Add the peppers, spring onions, and bok choy bulbs.
4. Grind pepper over cooking veggies to taste.
5. In a separate pot steam the broccoli and the main part of the asparagus by adding an inches of water to the bottom of the pot and heating over medium heat until the veggies have turned a richer green and become fragrant.
6. Wooden asparagus ends are done when able to be pierced by a fork.
7. Set aside cooked veggies and in the large skillet heat 2 Tbs of olive oil over high heat.
8. Saute the snow peas until they are slightly floppy yet still a little crunchy.
9. Combine rice, raw bok choy leaves, snow peas, and 2/3rds of the liquid aminos.

Spinach Salad
Served 12

Ingredients:
1 bag of spinach
1 head butter lettuce, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, stems removed and chopped
1 pear, cored and chopped
juice from 1.5 lemons
4 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs eucalyptus honey
1 Tbs Braggs Liquid Aminos
1/4 to 1/2 tsp ground black pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. In a jar with a lid, combine lemon juice, oil, honey, liquid aminos, and pepper.
2. Close jar and shake dressing to emulsify, adjust to taste.
3. Combine spinach, lettuce, and pear and serve with dressing on the side so that people can dress their own salads as they like.

Rare Steak, Brussels Sprouts, and Two Salads

Today I felt like salad, but I had the dilemma of wanting two different kinds. Suffice to say, I made them both. To try and make up for my salad mood, I made steak, which has been requested and since I had a little left over in the budget, I decided to splurge and got you guys $50 of meat. To accompany the steak is a mushroom gravy that I made from the reserved liquid from yesterdays meal and sauteed brussels sprouts. Enjoy!

Salad #1
Serves 12

Ingredients:
1 big box of spring mix
2 persimmons, peeled cored and chopped
2 handfulls of snap peas
white wine pear vinaigrette

Preparation:
1. Coat leaves with dressing in small batches.
2. Layer heavy items on top of dressed greens.

Salad #2

Serves 12

Ingredients:

1 big box of fresh herb mix

1 butternut squash, roasted peeled and chopped (left over from yesterday)

1 cup pomegranate seeds

1 cup roasted squash seeds (see recipe bellow)

sesame ginger vinaigrette

Preparation:

1. Coat leaves with dressing in small batches.

2. Layer heavy items on top of dressed greens.

Roasted Squash Seeds

Makes 1 cup

Ingredients:

1 cup raw acorn and butternut squash seeds

salt

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.

2. Wash and pat dry squash seeds, a colander is useful for this.

3. Line a baking sheet with tinfoil.

4. Lay out dry seeds so that none are overlapping, bake for 25 minutes or until the seeds puff up.

Rare Steak
Serves 12

Ingredients:
6 lbs of boneless New York steaks, thick cut
salt and pepper
2 Tbs olive oil

Preparation:
1. Season steaks with salt and pepper on both sides, with good quality meat that's all you need.
2. Heat oil in a skillet over high heat until fragrant.
3. Place the steaks in the skillet and leave them be until they start cooking up the side, it will change color about half way up.
4. Flip the steaks and cook until they have a good caramel build up on both sides (that means they have a nice brown crust instead of just the gray of cooked beef).
5. Let rest for at least 5 minutes to allow juices to settle into the flesh before slicing the steaks. Serve with gravy.

Mushroom Gravy
Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients:
juices from yesterdays chicken and mushroom dish
1/2 cup marsala cooking wine
1 Tbs cornstarch disolved in 1/2 cup of water
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. Heat juices over high heat, stir constantly.
2. Add wine and boil until the alcohol has all evaporated, salt and pepper to taste.
3. When the liquid is tasty, add the cornstarch slurry and stir to make everything equally thickened.
4. Remove from heat and serve with steak or other plain meats or mashed potatoes. 

Brussels Sprouts
Serves 12

Ingredients:
brussels sprouts, ends removed and quartered
2 Tbs olive oil

Preparation:
1. Heat oil over medium to high heat in a large pot.
2. Add the brussels sprouts and stir frequently until they turn a deeper color.

Mushroom Kale Chicken, Squash, and Quinoa

Happy New Year! Hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday break, I know I did. But it is back to work and back to cooking. Today I wanted to welcome people back from the holiday glut with something healthy. Everything is made with simple and healthy ingredients. The two dishes bellow are served with quinoa to round out the meal, but feel free to pair with brown rice, bulgar, orzo pasta, fresh baked bread, or any other grain.

Mushroom Kale Chicken
Serves 12

3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, cubed
3 bags of sliced cremini mushrooms
1 bag kale (this avoids having to wash and chop it)
2 Tbs olive oil

Preparation:
1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over high heat until it becomes fragrant.
2. Add chicken and saute until no pink is visible.
3. Add mushrooms and continue sautéing until the mushrooms start to change color.
4. Add kale and carefully stir contents of pot so that the kale is under the mushrooms and chicken.
5. When the kale has wilted and turned a brighter green, remove pot from heat and drain off liquid. (I'm reserving this for a mushroom gravy for another meal.)

Squash
Serves 12

2 acorn squash
1 butternut squash
Pinch everyday seasoning (from Trader Joe's) to taste.

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 370 degrees F.
2. Cut the squashes lengthwise.
3. Scoop out seeds and anything stringy. (I'm reserving the seeds for another meal.)
4. Cut squashes in half widthwise.
5. Place on a tray with 1/2 cup of water.
6. Bake until able to be easily pierced with a fork, 30-35 minutes.
7. Remove rind with a spoon after the squash has cooled enough to touch.
8. Chop squash and season with everyday seasoning to taste. Alternatively, use salt and pepper to taste.

Merry Christmas

Hope everyone is enjoying a day off of work, I know I am. Does this mean no cooking? Of course not, it just means that I'm whipping up a of baked pears for my friends and family. These go great in the cheese course or the desert course. Feliz Navidad!

Baked Pears
Serves 12

Ingredients:
12 bose pears (or other good baking pear), peeled cored and chopped
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground allspice
4 Tbs butter, chopped

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a large deep baking dish, coat pears with spices, dot with butter.
3. Bake pears until soft, about 2 hours, mixing every 15 minutes to coat with juices.

Asparagus Chicken and Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

This morning I was feeling like something warming and a bit on the healthy side. I was also really tired of rice. This lead me to make a sauteed chicken and asparagus dish with mashed potatoes. Feel free to substitute fresh peas or broccoli florets for the asparagus to change up the chicken dish. To do a twist on the expected, try a different kind of potato, like purple potatoes or sweet potatoes, and add fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme.

Asparagus Chicken
Serves 12

Ingredients:
6 lbs skinless boneless chicken thighs, cubed into bite sized pieces with fat removed
3 bunches asparagus, roughly chopped with wooden bits removed
1/2 cup white cooking wine
2 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs cornstarch dissolved in water
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation
1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium to high heat, whatever you're comfortable working with.
2. Add chicken and saute until the outside of all of the cubes are no longer pink.
3. Add asparagus and stir frequently.
4. When the asparagus has darkened in color and the scent of cooked asparagus is in the air, transfer solids to serving dish leaving liquids behind.
5. Add wine and stir constantly with a wooden spoon, making sure to scrape any good stuff off of the bottom of the pot. Salt and pepper to taste.
6. When all of the alcohol has evaporated (that means no head rush when you smell the steam) add the cornstarch and stir constantly.
7. Remove sauce from heat once it has thickened and toss the chicken and asparagus in the pot, return everything to serving dish for a delicious and healthy meal.


Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Serves 12

Ingredients:
1 head of garlic (I recommend making a few heads of roasted garlic at a time, I made 6 heads of roasted garlic, just store extra peeled and in an airtight container in the fridge)
olive oil
6 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
1/4 cup butter (I used a Earth Balance Butter Substitute to make these lactose free)
2-3 cups of milk (I used lactose free milk)
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Cut of the pointy bits of the head of garlic and brush with olive oil.
3. Bake garlic for 40-60 mins, until the garlic is soft.
4. While garlic is roasting, put potatoes into a pot and add water until just covered.
5. Bring potatoes to a boil and boil the potatoes until they break apart easily with a fork, about 15 minutes.
6. Drain potatoes and return to pot to keep them warm while you mash.
7. Mash potatoes with a potato masher or fork.
8. While mashing, add butter and mash until combined.
9. While mashing, add milk a bit at a time until desired consistency is achieved. Adding the milk while mashing makes potatoes fluffier.
10. Mash in roasted garlic, salt, and pepper to taste, this means that you should taste after you add a little of each item to see if you need to add more. Always remember that you can salt something more, but you can't un-salt something.

Potato Pancakes with Apple Sauce and Sour Creme, Bratwurst, Bockwurst, Sauerkraut

Germany is one of my favorite places that I have lived and I thought that I would share the typical german lunch with you. Kartoffelpuffer mit apfelmus is the german name for potato pancakes with apple sauce and they were my favorite thing to eat. Bratwurst and bockwurst are commonly served with sauerkraut and a potato side, simple and hearty traditional food, just what I was in the mood for. For those who are eating kosher, try a kosher jumbo frank instead of the sausages.

Potato Pancakes
Makes about 6 latkas, I made 2 batches gluten free and 3 batches with regular flour

Ingredients:
2 lbs potatoes, peeled and shredded
1 egg
1/2 sweet onion, shredded
2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup all purpose gluten free flour + 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
(or 1/2 cup flour to make with gluten)
Vegetable oil

Preparation:
1. Drain shredded potatoes and shredded onion, squeeze out as much liquid as possible either using your hands and a sieve or cheese cloth.
2. Combine potatoes, egg, onion, salt, baking powder, and flour (with xanthan gum) in a large bowl.
3. In a large skillet, heat a few tablespoons of oil over medium high flame.
4. Spoon 1/4 cup sized dollops of batter into the pan and cook until browned on both sides, checking often to avoid burning.
5. Serve warm with sour cream (lactose free sour cream if you're lactose intolerant) and apple sauce.
*Always remember that when cooking with large amounts of oil to have a fire extinguisher that is compatible with grease fires at the ready.

Ratatouille over Brown Rice with Heart Salad

Last night I had a dream that had a rat running around the kitchen in it and when I woke up I was inspired by the Disney movie involving an adorable rat who loves to cook. I went for one that has a bit more cohesion than some of the super stewed versions because that was what I was in the mood for. The thing I really like about ratatouille is that it is a one pot meal, plus a large bowl, and you just keep reusing the pot over and over. Be prepared to do quite a bit of chopping to prepare this dish on your own. At the store I decided that there needed to be some sort of side salad in case someone didn't like ratatouille, so I made a heart salad.

Ratatouille over Brown Rice
Serves 12

Ingredients:
Olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced into half rings
1 clove garlic, minced
4 large chinese eggplants (or japanese eggplants), sliced
5 zucchinis, sliced
6 yellow squashes, sliced
6 grey squash, sliced
1 cup white wine
2 large cans chopped tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. In a large pot, heat 2 Tbs of olive oil over high heat. Saute onions and garlic until they smell really good and the onions have changed from opaque to semi-transparent, stir constantly with a wooden spoon to avoid burning and things sticking to the bottom.
2. Set aside onions.
3. Return pot to heat, if there is anything a medium brown color stuck to the bottom, deglaze with 1/4 cup of wine (that's just a fancy word for scraping off the good stuff on the bottom of a pan using a liquid, like wine, over heat; you'll know you're done deglazing when all of the stuff has come up and the alcohol has evaporated, which means you no longer get a buzz when you slick your head over the pot) and pour deglaze over cooked veggies. If anything has burned, turn down the heat on the next batch and wash out the pot before cooking in it again.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 for each of the fresh veggie individually, setting them all aside together.
5. Return everything to pot and add tomatoes, reduce heat and let simmer until things start to smell and taste fantastic, about 30 minutes; salt and pepper to taste. Optionally, add herbs like rosemary, sage, or thyme to give it a more rounded taste.

Heart Salad
Serves 12

Ingredients:
3 cartons of grape tomatoes (I had one carton yellow cherry tomatoes and 2 grape tomatoes, mix it up with pretty colored tomatoes of you can), cut in half
2 cans of heart of palm, drained and sliced
2 cans of quartered artichoke hearts in water, drained and chopped
4 Tbs pear vinaigrette

Preparation:
1. Combine all ingredients and toss to combine thoroughly.

Sausages with Veggies, Sunflower Seed Rice, Steamed Green Beans, Crunchy Roasted Carrots

Sausages with Veggies
Serves 12

Ingredients:
3 packages mini sausages
2 packages cremini mushrooms
3 ears of corn
1 bag of super greens minus 1 large handful
1/2 cup white wine
1 Tbs cornstarch disolved in 1/4 cup water

Preparation:
1.

Chicken Meatballs with Veggies
(gluten free, kosher, dairy free, no onions)
Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

Preparation:
1.

Sunflower Seed Rice
Serves 12

Ingredients:
4 cups brown rice
1 package roasted shelled sunflower seeds

Preparation:
1.

Steamed Green Beans
Serves 12

Ingredients:
3 packages of green beans in steaming bags
Salt and pepper

Preparation:
1. Follow directions on the package for steaming the beans in the microwave or steam in a large pot with 2 inches of water at the bottom until the beans turn an emerald green and become fragrant.
2. Salt and pepper to taste.

Crunchy Roasted Carrots
Serves 12

Ingredients:
1 large bag of baby carrots
2-3 Tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Put all ingredients in a plastic bag, shake to evenly coat.
3. Place carrots on a baking sheet lined with tinfoil and bake until able to be easily pierced by a fork, about 1 hour.