Jumbo Shrimp Stack with Mango Salsa Stack, Avocado Salad and Cocktail Sauce

Here's a Christmas dinner appitizer almost too beautiful to eat. This consists of layers of jumbo shrimp with avaocado, mango salsa, salsa fresca drisseled with cilantro oil and cocktail sauce. I was fortunate enough to be served this wonderful dish at Phyllis's house and thought it was so amazing I would post on the blog.

Recipe on request.

Tofu and Mushroom Udon Noodle Soup

I love udon noodles and they're great for a dish just like this one. Udon noodles are Japanese wheat noodles that have a great texture and can stand up to being in a soup without becoming mushy. This udon noodle soup is easy and fast to make and can be made with whatever vegetables you have on hand. The key to this dish's wonderful flavor and texture is the soy sauce and sesame oil in the broth and the green onions, cilantro and crunched nuts tossed on top.

Ingredients:

32 oz low sodium chicken stock
18 oz firm tofu
1/2 pound Udon noodles
1/2 pound sliced mushrooms
1/2 red bell pepper
2 tablespoons lite soy sauce
1tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon corn starch
Green onions
Cilantro
Crushed nuts

Preparation:

Cook the udon noodles according to the directions on the package and set a side. The noodles I use take 5 minutes and they're done.

Pour the chicken stock in to a large 3 quart sauce pan reserving 1/4 cup of the stock. Add the cubed tofu, sliced mushrooms, diced bell pepper, soy sauce and sesame oil. Bring the soup to a boil and and then simmer for 5 minutes.

Take the reserved chicken stock and mix in the corn starch. Add the mixture to the soup and this should thicken up the soup a little. Lastly, add the udon noodles to the soup.

To serve, ladle some soup into a bowl and top with green onions, cilantro and crushed nuts.

Grilled Salmon Served on Mashed Potatoes with Cilantro Oil

What I like about this dish is that the flavors all work so well together. Grilling salmon has always been my favorite way to cook salmon. The addition of the cilantro oil takes the dish to the next level and I would highly recommend making this dish for your next dinner party.



Ingredients:
2 8oz salmon filets
2 large russet potato's
1/2 cup 1% milk
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper
1 cup canola oil
1 cup packed cilantro
1/2 romaine lettuce leaf

Preparation: Cilantro Oil

Add the canola oil, cilantro and romaine lettuce to a small blender and blend for 5 minutes. Take the mixture and pour into and small fine mesh strainer. Let the mixture drain into a small bowl while you prepare the rest of the dish. You should end up with a couple of tablespoons of clear green cilantro infused oil.

Preparation: Potato

Peel the russet potatoes, cut into pieces and boil for 15 to 20 minutes until completely cooked, no lumps. Remove the water and use a potato masher and mix until creamy smooth. Stir the milk, butter, salt and pepper to the potatoes. Cover the potatoes and set a side while  you cook the salmon.

Preparation: Salmon

Preheat a stove top grill pan to medium high. I use the stove top grill pan from Scanpan, see image. Brush a little olive oil on each piece of salmon and cook skin side up on the grill for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes turn the salmon 45 degrees and cook another 3 minutes. After the second 3 minutes of cooking, turn the fish over so the skin side is down and finish cooking, about 6 minutes. When cooking is complete, remove the salmon from the grill pan leaving the cooked skin behind. 




Scanpan Stove Top Grill

To plate, place a helping of the mashed potato's on a plate. Top the potato's with the salmon and drizzle a teaspoon of the cilantro oil over the salmon and on the plate. Serve the dish with your choice of vegetable.

Side Dish Suggestion:
Sautéed Asparagus

Garlic and Herbed Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast with Israeli Mushroom Couscous

I know, chicken chicken chicken, but this chicken is really something else. The chicken is so flavorful from the garlic and herbed goat cheese and moist as can be because it's cooked with the skin on. I top the chicken breast with some gravy I make from the pan drippings and chicken stock. This is a new favorite for sure.

Ingredients: Chicken
2 bone in chicken breasts with skin in tact
Trader Joe's garlic and herbed goat cheese

Ingredients: Couscouse
Israeli couscouse
Crimini mushrooms
Olive oil

Ingredients: Gravy
1/2 cup chicken stock
Pan drippings
2 teaspoons corn starch

Preparation:

Take the goat chesse and put into the freezer for 10 minutes. The reason you want the goat cheese really cold is that you are able to cut into slices, otherwise it would be too soft and crumbly and very difficult to stuff the chicken breasts.

Next, prepare the chicken breasts by cutting off the ribs. This makes a more narrow cut of meat and generally better a plate presentation.

On the thick end of the chicken breast take your finger and run it under the skin of the chicken breast making a pocket. Take the goat cheese which is really cold from the freezer and cut into 1/2" thick slices. You should be able fit 3 pieces of the sliced goat cheese under the skin.

Take the stuffed chicken breasts and place on a roasting pan. I like to spray a little canola oil on the chicken as it creates a more even browning while baking. Bake the chicken at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. When cooked remove from the pan, cover with aluminum foil and let rest 5 minutes.

Make the couscouse according to directions. Slice 1/2 to 3/4 pound crimini mushrooms and cook in a 10" saute pan. When thourowly cooked drain any water from the mushrooms and mix in with the couscouse. Add salt and pepper to taste and top with a drizzel of olive oil.

To make the gravy, mix up 1/2 cup chicken stock with the pan dripping from the chicken and 2 teaspoons cornstarch. Heat in a small saute pan until thick and serve.

Side Dish Suggestion:
Zucchini Especial

Beef Stroganoff

Straight up comfort food for sure. Typically beef stroganoff would be made with some sort of steak, but the steak always seems tough to me. I like to use beef stew meat and cook in a crock pot for 4 or 5 hours which makes a really tender piece of meat and a rich beefy broth.

Ingredients:
2 pounds cubed beef stew meat
 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 - 32oz low sodium beef stock
1 yellow onion
4 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 cup light sour cream
1 pound egg noodles cooked

Preparation:

Take a large sauce pan and add the beef stock and bring to a boil. Once boiling transfer the beef stock to the crock pot. You never want to start with room temp stock in a crock pot because it can take an hour and a half just to get to a boil.

Take the cubed stew meat and toss on the flour and mix. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a 12" saute pan and brown the meat on all sides. Tranfer the meat to the crock pot. Dice the onion and garlic and add to the crock pot. Cook the beef for 4 hours.

When the beef is close to the 4 hour mark, take a cup of the broth out of the crock pot and let cool to room temp. When cool, add the corn starch and mix well. Add the broth and corn starch mix to the crock pot. This will thicken up the broth making a better stroganoff.

Cook the egg noodles according to the package. Place the egg noodles in a 12" saute pan and add the beef and broth from the crock pot. Mix in the sour cream, heat thoughowly and plate.

Side Dish Suggestion:
White Balsamic and Olive Oil Roasted Broccolini

Asian Style Eggplant

I was at the fair one year when our kids were young and we were looking at the animals. We came across a pot belly pig and I'll never forget what the guy next to me said. He said, you're the ugliest dam thing I ever saw, but you sure taste good. I think eggplant isn't far off that description, it's not an attractive dish, but it tastes so good.

If you're a fan of eggplant then you'll love this dish. Always buy eggplant when they're around $1.79 each. Never buy eggplant by the pound, it's way to expensive. The key to this dish is to cook the eggplant in a covered sauté pan, if you don't cover while cooking the eggplant will dry out and burn.

Ingredients:
 

2 large eggplants
2 tablespoon canola oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon crushed garlic
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
Pinch red pepper flakes

Preparation:

Peel the eggplant and cut in half lengthwise, into 1/4's and then into 2" pieces . The eggplant really cooks down so you need to start with big chunks. Place the eggplant in a 12" sauté pan and add the canola oil, water and salt. Cover and cook the eggplant on medium to medium low, stirring every few minutes. As the eggplant cooks add a tablespoon of water if the eggplants looks like it's starting to burn and turn down the heat. The eggplant actually takes longer than you think cook, about 30 minutes.

After 25 minutes, add the crushed garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil and pepper flakes. Cover and continue to cook the eggplant for another 5 minutes till done and you're ready to serve.

Main Course Suggestion:
Grilled Garlic and Ginger Marinated Pork Chop



Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

This is a wonderful easy to make soup that tastes so good and fresh. The beauty of this soup is that it only has two ingredients, butternut squash and organic chicken broth. Don't let winter pass you by without trying this great tasting soup.

Ingredients:
1 package cut up butternut squash
32oz organic chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste

Take the package of cut up butternut squash, add to a baking sheet with some olive oil and salt and pepper and roast at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Remove from the oven when cooked and set aside while you take the chicken stock and put into a blender. Add the roasted butternut squash and blend until silky smooth. Lastly, add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with crusty bread.







Side Dish Suggestion:
Tuscan Toast



Olive Oil Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan and Fresh Squeezed Lemon

This is my favorite way to cook asparagus, lightly roasted in olive oil and served with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and a squeeze of fresh lemon.

The key to this dish is to take a vegetable peeler and peel an 1 1/2" off the thick end. By doing this you allow the asparagus to cook quickly and evenly and tender from tip to tail.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds asparagus
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese
Lemon wedges

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Take a large baking pan and spray with olive oil. Place the asparagus on the baking pan in one layer and spray with olive oil. Lightly salt and pepper the asparagus and place in the oven for 7 - 8 minutes.

Place the cooked asparagus on a serving dish. Finish the dish with a grind of salt, pepper and a sprinkle of  Parmesan cheese. Place lemon wedges on the plate because some people like a lot of lemon and others not so much.

Main Course Suggestion:
Grilled Tri Tip with Chimichuri Sauce

Oven Baked Steak Fries with Organic Catsup

I was watching football over the weekend and saw a commercial that made me crave french fries, it' s not just me..is it? I don't typically eat fast food, let alone french fries so I made some of my own baked steak fries.

The key to making your own baked fries is that you have to coat them in corn starch right after you cut the fries. Second, you use just a touch of spray canola oil during the cooking process. The combination of the corn starch and spray canola oil is what makes these baked fries crispy on the outside and perfectly cooked on the inside. Yumm!

Ingredients:
Large russet potato's

Canola spray oil
2 tablespoons corn starch

Preparation:

Peel and cut the potato's into 1/2" x 1/2" thick and whatever the length of the potato happens to be. Take the cut potato's and put into a large bowl and sprinkle with the corn starch. All to the potato sides should be well covered with corn starch, if not add more corn starch until well coated.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat the baking pan with a thin layer of spray canola oil and then add the cut potato's to the baking pan in a single layer.

Lightly spray a coat of canola oil on the fries. Place in the oven and bake until some of the potato's start to turn a golden brown color. If they're not cooked enough, they're likely going to be sticking to the baking pan. Give the fries a little more time to cook and they'll release from the pan. Turn the fies a couple of time and each time spray a thin layer of canola oil, it doesn't take much

 The fries are done when they are golden brown on all sides. Remove from the baking pan to a plate, salt and serve with organic catsup.

Main Course Suggestion:
Santa Fe Chicken Sandwich

Sweet Ginger Garlic Marinated Grilled Chicken and Sesame Noodles

This may be the best dang things I've ever made. I found a new spice mix called Sweet Ginger Garlic from Simply Asia. I bought it at Costco, though I'm sure it's available at grocery stores.

I marinated the chicken thighs for about 4 hours in the sweet ginger garlic seasoning and then grilled over super hot grill charring the chicken really well which is the way I like it. The flavor combination of the chicken, sesame noodles and then the Sriracha is out of this world.

I'm really glad to have documented this because I want to make this exactly the same way next time.

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs

Simply Asia sweet ginger garlic seasoning

1 package Japanese Udon noodles

1/8 cup chicken stock

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon lite soy sauce

Green onions
Chopped cilantro

Chopped nuts                                                            

Sriracha sauce or teriyaki sauce

Preparation: Chicken

Sprinkle the sweet ginger garlic seasoning on both sides of the chicken thighs and place in a large plastic bag and set in the refrigerator for 4 hours. To cook, preheat the grill to maximum heat and cook about 5 minutes per side and your done.

Preparation: Sesame Noodles

Prepare the Japanese Udon noodles according to the directions on the package. Generally, the noodles will cook in a large pot of non salted boiling water for 4 - 5 minutes. When cooked, rinse the noodles and place in a 12" sauté pan. Heat the noodles on medium heat. Add the sesame oil, soy sauce, green onions, chopped nuts and chicken stock. When the noodles are heated through it's ready to serve.

To serve, place the sesame noodles into a serving plate. Cut the chicken into strips and place on top of the noodles. Garnish the dish with chopped green onions, chopped cilantro, chopped nuts and drizzle with Sriracha sauce or teriyaki sauce
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