Kale Lasagna Roll-Ups

I recently enrolled in Culinary School and am eagerly counting down the days until my first day of class. As a an amazing result of this eagerness, my desire to be in the kitchen has multiplied by 30000x. Almost every day since signing my enrollment papers I’ve been inspired to experiment with new ingredients and new techniques. One of these being this beautiful Kale Lasagna Roll-Up you see below:

Ingredients:

Rolls-Ups–

• 1 Lb uncooked lasagna noodles
• 32 oz Ricotta Cheese
• 1/2 C Mozzarella**Reserve additional to sprinkle on top
• 1/4 C Parmesan**Reserve additional to sprinkle on top
• 1 C Chopped frozen Kale

Meat Sauce–

• 1/4 C Olive Oil
• 1 tbs pepper
• 1 tbs salt
• 1 tbs oregano
• 3 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1/2 lb ground beef
• 64 oz Whole Plum tomatoes (canned)

Directions:

Meat Sauce

1. In a large sauce pan over med high heat: add olive oil, garlic, ground beef, pepper, salt, and oregano. Cook until meat is browned, stirring to ensure meat is browned evenly throughout.
2. When meat is browned add tomatoes, bring to a boil.
3. Once boiling, cover and turn to low heat. Allow to simmer for about 20-30 minutes.
4. (While simmering feel free to start on the roll-ups below)
5. After 20-30 minutes remove from heat and with a hand processor process the food until it is a “smooth” consistency.

Roll-Ups

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil (read instructions on box for instructions specific to your noodles). When at a boil, add noodles  and boil for 8 minutes.
2. After 8 minutes, strain noodles and rinse with cool water to help bring down the temperature of the noodles.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4. In a large mixing bowl, add cheeses and Kale and mix thoroughly.
5. On a large dry service, lay noodles flat ( I did one noodle at a time) and spread cheese mixture evenly across the noodle. (How cheesy you want it is up to you but if you like your noodles cheesy I would increase the ingredients accordingly.)
6. Roll the noodles slowly and place flat (noodle side down) in a pregreased baking dish.
7. Once all the noodles are in the baking dish, cover with liberally with meat sauce and place in the oven for 20 minutes.
8. After 20 minutes, remove dish from oven and sprinkle liberally with reserved mozzarella/parmesan. Place back in the oven for another 10 minutes.
9. Plate over a bed of warm meat sauce and enjoy!!

I hope you enjoy this delicious recipe, at first glance it may seem like a lot of work but I guarantee it is worth the effort!

Pulled “pinchos”

I was driving to get lunch with the husband, and this recipe hit me like a ton of bricks! I can’t say I’m ungrateful, as this recipe has turned out to be one of biggest hits.

Inspired by the roadside “pinchos” you’ll find near the beaches of Puerto Rico, this is island twist on the commonly known “pulled pork” bbq.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 lbs pork shoulder ** I would recommend trimming any fat.
• 2 packets of Sazon goya (con culantro y achiote )
• 4 C water
• 1 tbs oregano
• 2 tbs olive oil
• salt to taste
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tbs pepper
• 1-2 C BBQ sauce
• juice from 1 orange
• juice from 1 lime

Directions:

1. In a large slowcooker–add pork shoulder, seasoning and water.
2. Cook “low” for 13-16 hours, until pork can be shredded from the bone with fork.
3. When ready–turn off slowcooker, add orange and lime juice. Stir thoroughly and allow to sit for 30-45 min.
4. Try not to eat straight out of the crock pot and serve…some ideas for serving include:
   1. Pulled pork sando with slaw (as pictured)
   2. Over rice with a side of veggies.
   3. Pulled pork mac and cheese?!?
   4. Topping for nachos
   5. BBQ cheese fries
   6. Tacos
   7. Whatever your heart desires!!

 

This recipe is absolutely amazing, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Sweet and Spicy Hoisin Beef

So my grocery delivery company has had to take a hiatus for a couple weeks and I know it sounds incredibly spoiled but now knowing how great it is to have local, fresh produce and meat DELIVERED to your house I’m incredibly upset that I have to go back. In absolute refusal of accepting reality, I decided to research some alternatives in the meantime. This led me to discover that my local grocery store offers free delivery for first time buyers. While its not local and not entirely fresh, my laziness allowed it. Unfortunately delivery could not happen until later this evening (considerably after dinner should be made and eaten) so I decided to raid my fridge and see what I could throw together. Originally I was planning on making a Puerto Rican style beef plate but I did not have any sofrito on hand.  After digging through my cupboards and doing a little research on what I had, this beautiful plate emerged.

 

 

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef (lowest fat content possible)
• 3 tbs hoisin sauce
• 3 tbs pineapple preserves
• 1 c frozen peas
• 2 tbs garlic salt
• salt/pepper to taste
• 2 tbs sriracha (or to taste)

Putting it together:

1. Over high heat, brown the meat.
2. Once browned, add hoisin sauce, preserves, garlic salt, salt and pepper. Stir together to ensure all meat is covered in the mixture. Allow to simmer for 3-4 minutes.
3. Add peas and sriracha sauce, stir together and allow to simmer 3-4 minutes more.
4. Serve over white rice and enjoy!!

 

Meatball Red Wine Stew

I bought this beautiful lb of ground goat from Rainbow Ranch Farms (support local farmers!) and had been brainstorming all week on what to make with it. I originally was thinking burgers, but I’ve never worked with ground goat before and I wanted my first time with it to be more creative. When I set out to make this dish I was intending to make a salisbury style plate with a red wine gravy. I looked up a red wine gravy recipe on pinterest and for one reason or another it just never thickened up on me so I had to improvise at the last minute. In the end I ended up with this beautiful meatball stew and all I can say is that I’m glad the gravy attempt did not work out because this recipe is going into my regular rotation.

 

 

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 2 cups water
• 1 vegetable bouillon cube (or beef if you prefer)
• 3 tablespoons tomato puree
• 1 teaspoon superfine sugar
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 black peppercorns (ground)
• 1 lb ground goat (formed into 9-12 meatballs)
• 1 cup chopped carrots (fresh)
• 3 cups chopped kale (fresh)
• 1 cup chopped parsley (fresh)
• sea salt

Cooking:

1. In a large saucepan over medium high heat, heat the oil. Once the oil begins to give off steam, add flour and stir until it begins to turn golden.
2.  Add bouillon cube, stir in red wine, water, tomato puree, sugar, ground peppercorns. Once fully stirred together, add bay leaves and bring mixture to a boil.
3. Once boiling, add meatballs and allow to boil for 3-5 more minutes or until meatballs appear solid enough to be turned over. ( I neatly arranged them throughout the pan so they didn’t overlap).
4. When meatballs are ready to be turned, you will begin adding kale and carrots. I did it in a way that whenever I picked up a meatball I placed a handful of kale and carrots in its place and turned the meatball over so that it sat on top of the veggies. Do this throughout until all veggies are added and all meatballs are turned over. Lower heat to medium low, cover and allow to simmer for about an hour. Keep an eye on your pan to ensure that mixture doesn’t dry out and cause anything to burn. I didn’t have this issue at all, but if you do I suggest lowering the heat and adding some water.
5. When ready to serve remove bay leaves and make sure to give a decent portion of veggies alongside each meatball. I served with a side of creamy whipped potatoes and warm garlic toast.
6. Enjoy! Let me know what you think and I would love to hear any tips or suggestions on improving this dish’s technique.

 

Spicy Kale Spread

I have had some cooked garbanzo beans in my fridge for a few days, and since I hate to waste food I decided I would make some hummus. When I did a mental check of what I needed I realized I was missing Tahini sauce. So I went on a google search to see what would be an acceptable replacement for Tahini sauce, on my search I realized that by even thinking a substitute was possible I proved I had no business making hummus in the first place. Not only did I not have Tahini sauce, but I also had the wrong type of bean!

Still bent on not having to throw away food, I decided to use hummus as an inspiration and make something more along the lines of a spread. When I opened my fridge for inspiration I decided I also had way too much Kale in the fridge and should probably find a way to sneak that in. After fighting with my horrible, awful, evil mini blender in getting all the ingredients smooth I ended up with this dangerously delicious Kale spread. Garlicky, spicy, fresh tasting…this spread is uh-mazing! Give it a try and let me know what you think!

 

Ingredients:

• 1 serrano chili, deseeded (unless you’re feeling adventerous)
• 5 garlic cloves (***This is def. not a valentine’s date recipe!)
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley
• 1 1/2 c garbanzo beans (I cooked them from dry)
• Juice from 1 large lemon
• Sea salt (to taste)
• 1/3 c olive oil
• 3-4 medium leaves of Kale

Putting it together:

1. Toss all your ingredients in a blender, blend! If your blender is as evil as mine, feel free to toss in some water to make it easier to blend through (don’t let it become too watery!)
2. Serve with chips as dip, on a sandwich as spread, or just spoon directly into your mouth!

Enjoy!

Teriyaki Chicken

So it’s been awhile since I posted anything, but I’ve officially entered crunch time for my wedding planning and have barely had a chance to cook nonetheless post anything. I’ve also decided to take a new turn on my little food blog and post the good, the bad, and the ugly. I’m not yet an actual professional chef and as such I’m still learning how to maneuver my way through the kitchen. As such, I feel like I’m misrepresenting myself a bit if I don’t post my failures alongside my successes. Please feel free to toss in your opinions, suggestions and overall comments.

Last night’s experiment was Chicken Teriyaki! I personally love chicken teriyaki, and I am always down for a late night drive to our local Yoshinoya. However, to save some costs and some calories I figured it was about time I learned how to make this dish at home.

After my first attempt at this dish last night, I deem it a B+. All the flavors of teriyaki were there, however I made the mistake of adding all the sauce onto the chicken while it baked so I was left with a more chickeny-watery teriyaki sauce rather than the sticky sweet version I was looking for. In the future I’m going to reserve a portion of the sauce to dress the plate once its ready for serving, this will keep it thick rather than watered down with the juices of the baking chicken.

See below for my recipe, let me know what you think:

Chicken Teriyaki

Ingredients:

• 6 chicken thighs
• salt to taste
• 1 tbsp corn starch
• 1/4 c cold water
• 1/2 c white sugar
• 1/2 c soy sauce
• 1/4 c red wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tbsp ginger, minced
• 1 tsp black pepper

Cooking:

1. Preheat oven to 425
2. In a saucepan, over medium high heat add all ingredients except salt and chicken thighs. Stir together, stirring constantly, and bring to a boil. Once at a boil, lower heat and continue stirring until the sauce is thick. (starts sticking to the whisk)
3. Place chicken thighs in a baking dish and salt to your preference. Coat the chicken thighs with the teriyaki sauce (I coated it enough so some sank underneath as well). Reserve some sauce to drizzle over the plated food before serving.
4. Bake for 40 minutes, applying a coat of sauce to the chicken every 10-15 minutes.

Serve over rice with a side of steamed veggies and drizzle with the reserved sauce and maybe some sriracha for a nice kick! Let me know what you think!

Sorry for the poor quality picture, see below for my plated dish.

 

Green Apple and Sweet Plantain Hash

Being Puerto Rican…I LOVE plantains. However, I only really know a few ways to eat them (tostones…platanos maduros…mofongo). Not that I’m complaining, I mean any of these three ways are just incredibly delicious! I only became really conscious of my limited uses of plantains this last time I bought them. I bought 5 very green plantains with the intention of making tostones with 2 of them and then making a mini pastelone with the other once they ripened. I don’t know if it was me not paying attention to time or if they just ripened alot faster than usual but I felt like I blinked and my very green plantains were no longer. They were not fully over ripened to make pastelone and they were too ripened to make tostones so I decided I would experiment and experiment I did!

For those who don’t know me, I kind of fly by the seat of my pants in the kitchen. I usually go in with some type of rough idea of what I want to do, but I don’t have a set plan I just toss things in the pan as they pop in my head. After doing a little research on flavor matches and cooking times, this is exactly what I did with this hash.

Unfortunately I did not have time to pop out my nice camera to take a picture of this delicious meal, so this phone pic will have to suffice. This recipe will only be for the hash but I matched it with some garlic and lime black rice and a perfectly fried egg sprinkled with pepper. Soooo good!! If you don’t typically use black rice…get on it! It has so much more flavor than white rice (cooks practically the same) and it (at least for me) is way more filling.

Ingredients: 

• 2 garlic cloves (smashed)
• 1 just ripe plantain (yellow with some black spots in this case); sliced and then sliced in half
• 2 green apples, peeled and diced
• 1 yellow onion, sliced and roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Lets do this!

1. Once you’ve prepped all your ingredients, in a pan (with a lid) over med heat add olive oil.
2. When the oil is hot (should be steaming) add garlic and plantains. Brown the plantains (stirring occasionally to avoid burning).
3. Once browned on both sides, add apples and onions. Continue browning (stirring occasionally) until onions are browned as well.
4. Turn down heat to medium/low; add sugar, salt and vinegar. Give one good stir and cover with a lid for a few minutes until the vinegar cooks out ( took about  5 minutes on my pan but can vary for yours)
5. Serve any way you like, I prepared this for breakfast but I would love to know if you have any suggestions of your own on how to serve!

Apricot Salsa

A delicious tangy salsa that is perfect for any occasion!

 

I woke up this morning with the intention of making some apricot oatmeal but after I chopping up all the apricots I came to realize that I was completely out of oats. Since I absolutely hate to waste food, I brainstormed some ways I could use up the fruit. I typically tend to stay away from fruit based salsas (not usually a fan of cilantro and fruit) but I decided that maybe if I threw one together I could get myself to finally like it. This ended up being a very great decision as the result was fantastic!

 

For this salsa I stayed in line with my typical recipe for salsa, except I subbed in apricot for jalapeno and shallots for garlic/onion. My hubby-to-be is not too keen on spicy food or else I would have left the jalapeno in, but I kept some of the heat by pairing the salsa with some kettle cooked jalapeno chips.

 

Recipe: (Makes a decent serving size, enough for several people)

• 5 small ripe apricots, chopped
• 5 small vine ripened tomatoes, chopped
• 2 shallot cloves, minced
• 1/4 c cilantro, minced
• 2 large limes

Cooking:

1. Removed the seeds and chop the apricots.
2. Chop the tomatoes.
3. Peel and minced the shallots.
4. Mince the cilantro.
5. Mix all the ingredients above in a medium size mixing bowl. Add the juice from the two limes, stir and make sure ingredients are mixed well.
6. Chill and serve with any chips of your flavor.

Like I said above, feel free to add some jalapenos to kick up the heat. If you have any leftover salsa, use it as a marinade for some chicken.

 

Frozen Salted Caramel Banana Bited

These make a tasty summer treat to help you beat the heat!

In our recent move, while packing up our kitchen I decided to take stock of all the various ingredients I had hiding away in the cupboard. I hate having to throw food away so I wanted to be sure to use up all my goods well before their expiration dates. This again has fueled some recent kitchen experiments; some successful and some very not! Hopefully you’ll agree that this recipe was one of the successful ones.

Recipe:

• 2 ripe bananas
• 1/4 c old fashioned caramel (I used tub o’caramel from Parrish Pioneer Ranch)
• 1/8 c whole plain yogurt
• 1/2 tsp salt (or less if you like less salty)
• wax paper

Cooking:

1. In a small pan, over low heat, add caramel and salt. Heat until it is almost at a boil (stirring often).
2. Once at the correct heat, stir in plain yogurt (stir quickly!)
3. Peel and slice bananas into thin slices, place slices onto a sheet of wax paper (over a baking pan to help transfer to the freezer).
4. Drizzle caramel sauce over the banana slices and place tray in the freezer.
5. Allow to freeze for a couple hours, enjoy!

I did add a pinch of graham cracker dust over all the bananas, this is definitely up to you  I just happen to have some sitting around in a jar from the last time I made pie. Feel free to play around with the recipe and let me know what you think! I’m thinking of using the leftover caramel sauce to make some salted caramel cupcakes, yum!

Cilantro Lemon Vinaigrette

Zesty dressing that’s easy and quick to make!

 

So cilantro was on sale this week and like always I bought way too much! When this happens I usually make a stock pile of sofrito for my puerto rican recipes, but I already have two bags full in the freezer so I had to brainstorm some other ideas. I’ve also been trying to incorporate more salads into my diet (my 1/2 effort at a diet), so I decided merge my cilantro with my salad eating. After a little thinking, I threw together this very zesty and flavorful recipe. It seriously only took me about 5 minutes to make, so if you’re in a pinch definitely give this a try!

 

Recipe: (makes 1 mason jar)

• 1/3 c olive oil
• 1/3 c plain whole milk yogurt (feel free to sub with any other plain yogurt)
• 1 tbs salt
• 1 tbs pepper
• 2 garlic cloves (small)
• 1/2 yellow onion (small)
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 bunch cilantro
• 2 lemons (large)

Cooking:

1. After peeling garlic cloves, peeling onion and halving the cilantro bunch, toss all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Allow to chill in the fridge for about 30-60 minutes, toss with a salad.

This dressing is very flavorful, so make sure to taste test as you add it into your salad to avoid the flavor becoming overpowering. I still have about half the jar left so I’m debating using it as a marinade for some chicken tomorrow! Give it a try and let me know what you think.