Peruvian Chicken "Seco"

Ingredients (serves 4)
4 skinless and boneless chicken thighs
Canola Oil
1 cup cilantro puree (recipe follows)
1 medium yellow onion chopped finely
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup lager beer (heineken will do)
1/2 cup frozen peas
S & P
1 tablespoon aji panca
1 sweet potato
2 cups white rice

DIrections
1. In a medium pot on medium high, drizzle some oil, add onion, cook for 2 min stirring constantly, add garlic and cumin, cook for another minute, add aji panca,  adjust s&p. Separate half the mixture for the cilantro puree. Add chicken, let cook for two minutes.

2. Add cilantro puree, beer and chicken stock, let reduce for 15-20 minutes, or until sauce thickens up. Adjust s&p. Add frozen peas 3 minutes before turning off the heat.

3. Pinch the sweet potato with a fork 5 times. Wrap in towel paper. Cook in microwave for 3 min in high.
Enjoy!

Cilantro Puree
1. In a blender, add two cilantro bunches, 1/2 cup chicken stock, 1/2 cup onion mixture of step 1 above, 1 teaspoon salt. Blend until pureed.

Seared glazed pork chop with cinnamon-ginger apples, white rice

Ingredients (serves 2)
2 pork chops
1 granny smith apple
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cloves
S&P
Canola oil
White Rice (click for recipe)


Directions
1. In a pan on medium heat, melt butter, add brown sugar and combine. Cook for 2 minutes, add cinnamon, ginger, cloves and water. Let reduce until it thickens and a glaze is formed. Season with S & P.Add apples and cook for 3-4 minutes or until tender.

2. Season pork chops with a generous pinch of kosher salt and black pepper. In a pan on medium-high put a drizzle of canola oil, and sear pork chops 2-3 min per side (cooking time depends on the thickness of the meat). Reduce heat to medium, brush some of the glaze on them and let cook for another minute, or until caramelized a bit.
Enjoy!

The perfect white, grainy rice

Ingredients (serves2)
1 1/2 cups Jasmine Rice (this the best rice if you like it grainy)
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher Salt


Directions
1. In a small pot on medium, heat the oil. When is hot, add the minced garlic and cook for 1 min until it gets fragrant.

2. Add rice and coat with the oil and garlic. Raise the temperature to high. Add water and salt. Let it come to a boil and bring it down to low temperature. Now stay away! Do not touch for the next 18 minutes. Fluff with a fork
Enjoy!

Linguine in clam sauce

Ingredients (serves 4)
1 package linguine whole grain
1 pound little neck clams, scrubbed and purged in water
1 can minced clams 
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup white wine (chardonnay suggested)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
S & P


Directions
1. In a pan on medium-high, add oil and butter, after butter has melted, add shallots, cook for a minute, then add garlic, cook for another minute. Add little neck clams and coat with mixture. Season with s&p.

2. Cook linguine in separate pot following package instructions.

3. Add white wine to clams, letting it cook for a couple of minutes so alcohol can evaporate. Add lemon zest, can of clams (including juice) and red pepper flakes. Cook until clams open. Add parsley and parmesan cheese. Toss well. Discard any clams that do not open.

4. Transfer pasta to the pan, mix in with sauce. Serve with crusty bread to mop the juices.
Enjoy!

Mexican Trio Dip

Ingredients (serves 6)
Blue and yellow corn chips
Chipotle Mayonnaise
Small can of chipotle peppers in adobo
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
4 tablespoons sour cream
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
S & P
Salsa
4 roma tomatoes
1/2 jalapeno pepper
1/4 red onion
2 tablespoons cilantro
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon canola oil
S & P
1 teaspoon hot sauce (optional)
Guacamole
2 ripe avocados
2 tablespoons cilantro
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 jalapeno pepper
1/4 red onion
S & P


Directions
Chipotle Mayonnaise
1. In a food processor put mayonnaise, sour cream, S & P, two of the chipotle peppers (these are smoked-dried jalapeno peppers, so based on your likeness of heat you can add or take), a teaspoon of the adobo sauce. Start processing and slowly drizzle the oil so you can create emulsion, this will give the creamy texture you want. Adjust seasoning.

Salsa
1. Combine all ingredients in food processor, process until desired consistency is accomplished (if you like chunky salsa, a couple of pulses will do). Adjust seasoning.

Guacamole
1. Combine all ingredients in food processor, process until desired consistency is accomplished (you can save some avocado pieces to give it a more chunky texture).
Enjoy!

Sirloin Burger w/ sweet potato fries, garlic aioli and maple sauce

Ingredients (serves 2).
Half pound ground sirloin
2 Portobello mushrooms 
1 Yellow onion
Provolone cheese
Romaine lettuce
S&P
1 large sweet potato
2 whole wheat buns
Garlic Aioli
1 tablespoon mayonnaise 
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 clove garlic
Parsley
S&P
3 tablespoon canola oil
Maple Sauce
2 tablespoons Maple sryup
2 tablespoons Agave nectar (any honey will do)
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon 


Directions
1.Start by caramelizing the onion. Preheat a pan on medium, drizzle of oil, and cook onions for 20 min, until they turned slightly brown and become sweet and tender. Set aside.

2.In a separate bowl, combine sirloin, generous pinch of s&p. Form two patties.

3.In the same pan you cooked the onions, on medium, drizzle some olive oil and cook the portobello mushrooms, until you see they release their juice and become tender, approximately 5 minutes. Set aside.

4.In the same pan (save yourself some cleaning) on medium high, cook hamburgers for 3-4 min per side for medium rare. Top with cheese, onions, and mushrooms, cover for 1 minute until cheese melts.

Garlic Aioli
Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, parsley and s&p in food processor. Process on slow speed adding oil in a really tiny drizzle to create emulsification.

Maple Sauce
Combine maple syrup, agave nectar, cayenne and cinnamon, whisk with a fork.

Sweet Potato fries
Wash and peel. Cut in french fry shape (doesn't have to be perfect, you just want same sizes so they cook even). Preheat a cup of canola oil in a pan on medium high. Cook for 3 min, remove from pan, let rest for 1 min and then cook for another minute. This adds a great crunch to your fries.
Enjoy!

Tarragon Chicken.

Ingredients (serves 2)
2 Chicken Breasts
1 tablespoon of Dry Tarragon
Beer can (any lager, Heineken, Budweiser, etc)
1 cube of chicken bouillon 
Heavy cream
Minced garlic
1 teaspoon of flour or cornstarch
S & P


Directions
1. Preheat oven at 350. In an 8x8 pyrex combine beer, chicken bouillon, tarragon, minced garlic and S&P. Whisk to combine, then add the chicken breasts. Cook in the oven for 30-35 min (depends on the size of the breasts.)
At this stage, your pirex should look like this:

2. Set breasts aside after cooking, transfer the remaining broth into a small pot. Dissolve one teaspoon of cornstarch in half a cup of heavy cream (this will help to thicken the sauce). Add that mix and another half a cup of cream into the pot. Let it come to a boil and simmer for about 6-8 minutes until desired consistency (if you like your sauce thicker, you can add a little more cornstarch but dissolve it first, otherwise you will get lumps). Adjust S&P.


3. Transfer the breasts back to the sauce, coat them, and serve with sweet pea rice or your choice of side.


4. Enjoy!

Blackened salmon, seared scallops, grilled asparagus.

Ingredients (serves 2)
Salmon fillets (2)
Scallops (big if possible)
Asparagus
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Shaved parmesan cheese
Blackened rub
Paprika (1 tablespoon)
Garlic Powder (1 tablespoon)
Onion Powder (1 tablespoon)
Chili Powder (1/2 tablespoon)
S & P
Cumin (1/2 tablespoon)


Directions
1. Cover the fillets with the rub. Let rest for 10 min. In a medium hot pan, put some olive oil and cook fillets 4-5 min per side. 


2. In a high heat pan, sear the scallops with a little olive oil, only 1 min per side, otherwise they will get tough and rubbery.


3. Toss the asparagus in some olive oil and garlic powder, put in an indoor grill (pan will do fine). Cook 2 min per side.
Serve with shaved parmesan on top of the asparagus.

Simple Banana Walnut bread.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 1/3 cups mashed ripe bananas
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup of walnuts
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions

1. Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Grease a 9x5 loaf pan with some butter.

2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, mixed the brown sugar and butter until blended. Stir in the eggs, mashed bananas, vanilla, walnuts and nutmeg into flour mixture. Stir in until moist. Don't overmix or it will get dense and tough. Put batter into loaf pan.

3. Bake for 60 min, or until toothpick comes out clean from the center. Let cool for 10 min and transfer to a plate. Enjoy!