Summer Chop Salad

Summer Chop Salad

Serves 2

I’ve started to use Turkey sausage as a healthy option replacement in a number of recipes, but it pays off in a big way as a stand-alone ingredient in this salad.

6 cups baby spinach

 1 1/2 Cups chopped papaya

¼ Cup thinly sliced red onion

8 links of sliced turkey sausage
1 cup sliced cucumbers

Dressing

1 Tbl balsamic Vinegar

3 Tblsp seasoned sweet rice vinegar

3 Tblsp water

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

½ tsp brown sugar

3 Tblsp extra virgin olive oil

 These are approximate numbers. Actual amounts may vary.

Salad / Serves Two	Cal	Prot	Carb	Fat	Sod
6 C baby Spinach	80	8	12	0	0
¼ C red onion	27	1.5	3.5	.1	1
12 oz papaya	100	0	18	0	4
Turkey Sausage	196	17.5	9	11	392
Total	403	27	42.5	11.1	397
Dressing
1Tbls Balsamic Vin	30	0	9	0	0
3 Tbls Sweet Rice Vin	135	0	27	0	300
¼ tsp Salt	0	0	0	0	525
¼ Tsp Pepper	0	0	0	0	0
½ Tsp Brown Sugar	6	0	2	0	1
3 Tbls Olive Oil	360	0	0	42	0
Total	531	0	38	42	826

Mojadito Cocktail (mo-ha-deto)

A jalapeño martini of sorts:

The photo was taken at a friends birthday. She loves purple, so I used some of her gifts for props.

This makes 3 drinks.

The Mojadito is a great drink. It’s the jalapeño stepchild of a Mojito (Mo-hee-tow), which is a Cuban classic. A friend of mine showed me how to make them. Ubaldo Daniel Garza (Danny) had something like the Mojadito in a bar, and they called it a Jalapeño Martini. He went home and worked on it, improved it, and this is the result.

By the time I got around to taking this picture, we had run out of clear tequila, so this was made with the darker tequila. Use the clear if you have it.

3 shots tequila

1 shot Triple Sec

1 thin jalapeño slice

3 large mint leaves

1 Tablespoon of lime or lemon juice

1 cup of ice

Put ice in a Martini shaker. On top of it place the jalapeño slice, the mint leaves and muddle them thoroughly. Add the tequila, triple sec and lime (or lemon) juice. Put the lid on the cocktail shaker and shake vigorously. 

To prepare the glasses, you will want to rim them with sugar. When Danny taught me how to make these, he took a lemon and ran it around the edge of the glass, and then he dipped it in sugar.  I ran a jalapeño around the rim of the glass and then dipped it in sugar, which added a nice little bit of heat on the front. Take a slice of jalapeño and cut one side. Then rest it on the glass for garnish. 

Thai Trinity Soup

Thai Trinity - Chili, Citrus and Fish Sauce

There are three flavors ever present in a Thai recipe, and they would be some form of citrus (lime, lime kaffir leaves or lemon grass), fish sauce and hot chilies of some kind. Their presence in this soup gives it a flavor reminiscent of the Thai soups I’ve had. Cook this soup on a low heat, as not to boil and overcook some of the more delicate ingredients in it.

5    cups of chicken broth

2    Tbl fish sauce
3    lime kaffir leaves

6    1-inch pieces of lemon grass (use base)

1    serrano chili pepper finely chopped

1    juice from one Lime

2    small heads of bok choy (chop root end in ¼ inch  
      chunks and leaf end in larger chunks)

½   peeled Asian cucumber (cut in ¼ inch discs – then
      cut discs into quarters)

2    tomatoes med tomatoes (chop 1 tomato in large
      chunks and save 1 for garnish)

½  pound peeled  deveined shrimp (med size-30 to 40 count)

Place chicken broth, lime kaffir leaves, serrano pepper, fish sauce and lemon grass in pan, bring up to heat and cook on low heat for 30 minutes.

Add the lime juice, mushrooms and cook for 15 minutes.

Add bok choy, Asian cucumber, shrimp and 1 tomato chopped in large chunks. Cook for 15 minutes (low heat). Reserve one tomato.

While this soup has cooked tomatoes in it, I also like to add fresh tomatoes, so when you serve this, add fresh tomato wedges as an edible garnish. Remove lemon grass and lime kaffir leaves before eating.

Lemon Grass

Bok Choy

Lime Kaffir Leaves

Chorizo Frittata

Preheat oven to 350

For this dish use a pan that can go in the oven, as this is finished in the oven.

6     eggs

1     link of Chorizo sausage (approx 4 ounces)

1     red bell pepper (Chopped ¼ inch pieces)

½    serrano pepper (finely chopped/Minced)

3     Tbs chopped cilantro

1     the juice from 1 lime

2     cups sliced mushrooms

5     chopped green onions

The mixture should be dryer than this when done.

If the Chorizo is in a casing, take it out. Place in fry pan over medium heat to fry.

After about 5 minutes add the green onions, red bell pepper and mushrooms. You may need to add a little water to the pan to keep things from sticking. This will also deglaze the pan and keep all of the flavoring into the mixture.

In 5 more minutes add the juice from one lime and the Serrano pepper.

Let this mixture fry until it’s dry and chunky. Stir frequently. You don’t want a sauce in the bottom of the pan.

In a separate bowl wisk six eggs.

Turn heat off on the pan, add the eggs to the pan and stir mixture.

Put the pan into the 350-degree oven and bake for about 35 or 40 minutes. Put a tooth pick into the frittata, and if it comes out clean it’s done.

Remove from oven and let sit for about 10 minutes. Then cut and serve with Mango Lime Salsa below.

Mango Lime Salsa

1     mango (chopped small about ¼ inch pieces)

1     red bell pepper (chopped small about ¼ inch pieces)

1     green onion (white end only finely chopped/minced)

½   cup of finely chopped cilantro

1     the juice from 1 lime

1     serrano pepper

3     cloves of garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine mango, red bell pepper, green onion, cilantro and lime juice in a bowl. Cut Serrano pepper in half and finely chop one half, and add it to the mixture.

Puree the other half of the serrrano pepper and garlic in your mortar and pestle or blender, then add to the mixture. Combine salsa thoroughly.

This can be served right away, but it’s better to make it first so the flavors have a chance to combine.

Chicken Verde with Masa Cheddar Dumplings

My friends in Eastern Washington may remember Guajardo’s Café in Pasco. Guajardo’s opened in 1970, and I discovered it in about 1975.  My friend Sandy worked there for Joe Guajordo and was managed by his fourteen-year-old daughter Connie. I didn’t recognize half of the items on the menu, and the hot sauce was hotter than the hinges of hell, but this place became a second home to me as I discovered Mexican cuisine at it’s best. It would be a while before I would appreciate the various components that made up this dining experience I was so fond of. The hand made tortillas, the rich gravies and sauces and the love and care that went into the menu were things lost on an eighteen year old. I just knew what I liked.

Conne and granddaughter Crystal Rose

 Guajardo’s is no longer there, but I’ve kept track of Connie over the years. The other day as we gushed over her new granddaughter, I had to smile at how one never knows when and where we will meet the friends of our life, so it’s good to keep open. I mention Guajardo’s because my patronage there has certainly influenced my cooking. This dish is not a rendition of any specific dish from Mexico, but it’s certainly inspired by Mexican cuisine.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

10   ounces of cubed chicken (Approx ½ inch cubes). You can use what ever part of the chicken you like. I've even done this dish with pork chops.

1     cup of rice

1     14-ounce can of whole tomatillos (remove 2 ounces of liquid and blend)

2     Tbs cooking oil (Ghee if you have it)

1     Medium onion chopped 

4     Finely chopped cloves of garlic

3     Tbs chopped fresh cilantro
1     The juice from 1 lime

1     Heaping tsp of cumin

1     Finely chopped jalapeño pepper

In large deep fry pan, heat oil and brown chicken seasoned with salt and pepper. Remove chicken from pan.

Add onions, rice and chopped jalapeño pepper to the Chicken pan (add oil as needed). A few minutes later add garlic and cilantro cook until onions are translucent.

When onions are translucent add the chicken back into the pan with rice mixture.  Add cumin powder, lime juice and the blended tomatillos.

Cover pan and place in oven preheated to 350 degrees. Cook for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, take pan out of oven and remove lid. Add dumpling mixture on top, and add it in heaping teaspoons leaving space between. Make sure they sit on top of the mixture and do not submerge.  

Place back in oven for about 10 minutes, or when dumplings have browned.

Masa Cheedar Dumplings

¾ C Masa flour

¼ C Regular flour

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

¼ C cold butter

¾ C buttermilk

1 tsp each of finely chopped cilantro and green onions

3 Tbs of shredded cheddar cheese

Combine Masa flour, regular flour, soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Cut in butter and mix with hands or pastry cutter until mixture is blended into small chunks.

Add onions, cilantro and cheddar cheese and lightly stir.

Add buttermilk and stir in thoroughly.

Grilled Pork Chops with Asian Marinade

The new USDA guidelines state pork is safe when cooked to 145 degrees. This is 15 degrees lower than it used to be and makes all the difference in the world. This does not include ground pork. Ground pork should still be cooked to 160 degrees.

I like cooking chops with the bone in for the flavor. However, it takes longer for the bone to reach 145 degrees, so the meat around the bone will most likely be a lower temperature than what it is in the middle. Keep that in mind when you’re checking the temperature of your meat.

There are a couple of ways to approach it. You get them without the bone or take the bone off before cooking. If you do the latter, freeze it and save it for the next time you make broth. You could also cut the bone off after it’s cooked and remove the small amount of pink meat around it.

Pork Chop Marinade

Serves 2

3 cloves of chopped garlic

2 Tbs of finely chopped fresh sage

1Tbs miso

1 Tbs sesame oil

2 Tbs soy sauce

1 Tsp fish oil

Puree garlic, miso and sage with mortar and pestle or blender. 
Stir in sesame oil, soy sauce and fish oil.

Stack pork chops with generous amount of mixture in between. Place pork chops in a plastic bag and slather the rest of the marinade in around the pork chops. Wrap tightly and refrigerate. Pork chops are ready to grill after they have marinated at least 4 hours.

For Grilled Mango Chutney, see recipe on this blog.

Grilled Mango Chutney

This recipe could serve a group of 6 people. It can also be made the day before, which would give the flavors time to meld. This chutney would work well with pork or fish.

3 large finely chopped cloves of garlic

2 Tbs finely chopped fresh oregano (cut by half with dried oregano)

Juice from 2 limes

2 Tbs of apple cider vinegar

1 Tsp of Dijon mustard

1 Jalapeño pepper

    (roast the Jalapeño when you roast the fruit)
    (you can skip the pepper or take out the seeds for less heat)

2 grilled mangos

2 grilled pears

½ cup of finely chopped leeks

 Cut mangos and pears into 3/8 inch slabs (remove seeds).

Grill pears and mangos. This is best done on a stovetop, or an electric grill so they don’t get too overdone. They should not be mushy. When they're done, let them cool before you make your chutney.

After they have cooled, cut pears into ¼ inch cubes.

Puree Jalapeño and 1 clove of garlic with mortar and pestle or blender.
(reserve the other 2 cloves of garlic to add to chutney fresh)

Put grilled, cubed fruit into a bowl and add lime juice, apple cider vinegar and Dijon mustard. 

Salt mixture to taste and mix thoroughly.

Add the Jalapeño pepper/garlic puree and mix thoroughly.

Larb Dream Salad

This is my rendition of the Thai Larb salad. It’s always one of my favorites in a Thai restaurant, but it can be a bit of a pain to eat.  This is a great representation of the flavors and textures that is much easier to serve and eat.

See end of this post for dressing recipe and ingredients.

1 Lb of ground Chicken

1 oz olive oil

1/2 Tsp salt or more to taste

1/2 Tsp pepper

Juice from 1 large lime (approx. 3 Tbs)

1 med onion finely chopped

2 Tbs of finely chopped ginger

2 Serrano peppers finely chopped

1 cup rough chopped fresh basil

1 cup rough chopped fresh mint

1 cup rough chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 bunch of chopped green onions - ¼ inch lengths (the whole onion)

1/2 head romaine lettuce

Approx. 6 oz of cooked bean thread noodles (see package instructions)

In fry pan, warm olive oil and add onion, 1 finely chopped Serrano pepper and chopped ginger. 

When onions are translucent add the ground chicken, salt and pepper.

When chicken is half cooked add juice from 1 lime and 2 Tbs. each of chopped basil, mint, cilantro (reserve remaining herbs for final salad).

When chicken is done add the green onions and stir into the cooking chicken. Turn off heat and let sit until cool.

After meat mixture is cool, combine remaining basil, mint and cilantro and set aside.

To construct salad mixture put bean threads in the bottom of the dish, put cooled chicken/herb mixture on top of that.

To construct the salad, place torn lettuce in the bottom of a dish and add salad mixture. Then add dressing to taste.

Dressing for Larb Dream Salad

 

In a small sauce pan combine:

1 or 2 finely chopped Serrano peppers, 

½ cup of fish oil,

¼ cup of light soy sauce, 

1 Tbs finely chopped garlic,

1 Tbs finely chopped ginger,

1Tbs of garlic pepper paste,

salt to taste.

 Cook for approx. 4 min until combined. Pull from heat and let cool. Once cooled add the juice from one lime.