Recipe: Garlic-Lovers Pot Roast with Root Vegetables

Ingredients:

3 1/2 lb. chuck roast

2 1/2 cups of red wine

2 1/2 cups of beef stock

6 tbsp. minced garlic

1 large sweet onion, diced

2 tsp. sea salt

2 tsp. black pepper

2 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 tsp. dried ground sage

2 tsp. cumin

2 tsp. onion powder

2 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. dried oregano

2 tsp. dried basil

3 large carrots, diced

2 large beets, diced

4 large potatoes, diced

1/4 cup olive oil

2 - 3 tbsp. of Wondra flour

Directions:

You're going to need a large dutch oven and a large roasting pan. Preheat the oven to 325.

Mix the dry spices all together to make a spice rub. Use 1/2 of the rub to coat the roast on all sides. Lightly coat the bottom of a roasting pan with olive oil, throw in the diced carrots, beets, and potatoes, spray the vegetables on the top with cooking spray, and then sprinkle the remaining 1/2 of the spice rub over the vegetables. Place the remaining vegetable oil into the dutch oven and put the dutch oven on the stove over medium-high heat. Place the diced onion and garlic into the hot oil. Cook until the onion becomes translucent, stirring frequently, about 6 minutes. Place the roast in the hot oil with the onions and garlic and sear on all sides, about 2 - 3 minutes on each side. Add in the red wine and beef stock and stir it up. Put cover on the dutch oven and place into the oven for 3 - 3 1/2 hours.

Place the roasting pan with the vegetables into the oven separately with 1 hour of cooking time left. Once the roast is done, carefully take it out of the dutch oven (it'll be very tender!!!) and set aside. Skim any excess fat off the top. Place the dutch oven back on the stove over medium heat and add the Wondra flour. Stir frequently until a nice gravy forms. Turn off the heat, place the roast back into the gravy, and serve with the vegetables.

Makes 6 servings.

Recipe: Spiced Sea Scallops with Soy/Scallion Reduction

It's been a while since my last post, so I thought I'd come back with a recipe that was just outstanding. I made this tonight, although I have made this exact same recipe before.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. of sea scallops

2 1/2 tsp. of Chinese Five Spice powder (contains ground cinnamon, anise seed, cloves, ginger, and fennel seed)

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 cup chopped scallions

3 tbsp. olive oil

Directions:

Mix all of the dry spice ingredients together to make a spice rub. Coat the scallops with the spice rub. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Place the scallops in the pan and sear for approximately 2 minutes on each side. Remove the scallops from the pan. Drain off all but about 1 tsp. of the oil in the pan. Add the scallions. Saute the scallions for about 2 minutes then add the soy sauce. Stir vigorously for about 3 - 4 minutes as the sauce reduces. Poor the sauce over the scallops. Serve immediately with sticky jasmine rice.

Makes 4 servings.

Recipe: Slow Roasted Chicken with Eggplant and Tomatoes

Ingredients:

2 lbs. of chicken thighs

2 1/2 cups of red wine

2 1/2 cups of chicken broth

3 tbsp. minced garlic

3 tsp. herbs de provence

4 jalapeno peppers

2 small sweet onions

4 small Italian eggplant

6 large heirloom tomatoes

5 tbsp. olive oil

Sea salt

Black pepper

Directions:

Dice eggplant into small cubes. Place into a colander and sprinkle sea salt generously over the pieces. Let sit and wilt for 30 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees.

Dice the tomatoes, onions, and jalapenos into small pieces and place into a large dutch oven. Add the eggplant pieces, minced garlic, and herbs de provence. Add about 2 tsp. each of sea salt and black pepper. Drizzle 2 tbsp. of the olive oil over the vegetable mixture. Place on the stove on medium heat. Once the veggies begin to sizzle, add the red wine and chicken broth. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer for approximately 30 minutes.

Heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet. Sprinkle salt and pepper generously over the chicken thighs. Sear the chicken thighs in the oil for approximately 4 minutes on each side. Add the chicken thighs to the dutch oven making sure they are submerged in the liquid. Cover the dutch oven and place into the oven. Bake for 2 hours. Serve over angel hair pasta dressed with either butter or olive oil.

Makes 6 servings.

Cocktail Recipe: Margarita

Ingredients:

5 oz. blanco tequila

2 tbsp. fresh lime juice

2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

2 tbsp. Cointreau orange liqueur

2 tsp. of sugar

Directions:

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add all of the ingredients to the shaker, shake vigorously. Let stand for 90 seconds. Strain either into a glass filled with ice or into a martini glass and serve up. Garnish with a lime wedge.

(p.s. I don't like my rim salted... but do so if you must :P)

Recipe: Easy Fried Okra

Don't cut up the pods like almost every other recipe for this does. They get gooey and force more of the batter than you want to stick to the vegetable and also cause the pieces to stick together. It's so much easier to do it "tempura style" like I recommend here.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. of fresh okra pods

1 cup of all-purpose flour

1 cup of corn meal

4 cups of lowfat buttermilk

1 tbsp. cayenne pepper

1 tbsp. garlic powder

1 tbsp. onion powder

Sea salt to taste

4 cups of canola or other neutral oil for frying

Directions:

Mix the flour, corn meal, buttermilk, and spices together well to create a batter a little thicker than the consistency of pancake batter (add more flour/corn meal or buttermilk in equal parts to get the right consistency). Put all the okra pods in the batter and allow to sit for about 30 minutes.

Use a wok for the frying. Heat the oil in the wok over high heat. Working in batches, place the battered pods into the oil one at a time. Cook until the crust turns lightly brown. Scoop the okra out with a wire strainer and place onto a brown paper sack or paper towels to drain off excess oil. Season generously with salt. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Cocktail Recipe: Deep French Kiss

The title may be what you end up with if you enjoy this in the company of others ;)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 parts premium vodka
1 fresh shot of espresso
Splash of Cointreau or other orange-flavored liqueur
Splash of half-n-half

Directions:

Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously for a few moments. Let sit for a few more moments. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Serve immediately.

Recipe: My Ultimate Burger

Ingredients:

Burger
3/4 lb. lean ground beef (< 7% fat)
3/4 lb. ground veal
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. nuoc cham (Vietnamese fish sauce)
1 tsp. onion powder
1 1/2 tsp. dried chives
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. white pepper
1 tsp. sweet paprika
1 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. bread crumbs

Sauce
1 bunch scallions, loosely chopped
3 jalapeno peppers, loosely chopped
2 medium heirloom tomatoes, loosely chopped
2 tbsp. minced garlic

6 brioche buns
6 thick slices of sharp cheddar
12 thick slices of applewood smoked bacon

Directions:

Place sauce ingredients into a food processor and pulse until fully chopped and blended together. Set aside.

Place 12 slices of bacon on a baking sheet and place into a 450 degree pre-heated oven for 12 minutes or until crispy.

Heat grill to medium-high heat. Mix all ingredients for the burger together with your hands and form 6 equal patties. Place on the hot grill and grill for 4-5 minutes on each side for medium-well, the lid closed for each period. Add the cheese slices to each burger and continue on the heat with the lid closed for about 2 minutes. Remove the burgers from the grill. Cut the brioche buns in half and place white side down on the grill. Close the lid for about 2 minutes to toast. Remove the buns from the grill. Place the burgers on the buns. Top with 2 bacon slices each. Top with 2 - 3 tbsp. each of the sauce mixture. Serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings.