Brussels Sprout & Bacon Flatbread

If you're a Brussels sprouts hater, there's a very good chance this could change your mind.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 bacon strips, sliced widthwise
• 3-4 whole brussels sprouts, sliced thin
• ⅓ cup ricotta cheese
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• ½ teaspoon each Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 pita bread
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• ¼ cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
• ½ cup fresh baby arugula

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven 425 degrees
2. Heat a medium frying pan, add bacon - cook until just the edge of crispy, leave about ½ tablespoon of grease in the pan discarding the rest and add Brussels sprouts -  cook about 6-7 minutes and set aside
3. In a small bowl, combine ricotta, olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic - mix well
4. Spread ricotta mixture evenly on pita, add bacon/Brussels mixture and top with Monterey Jack cheese
5. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until cheese melts and pita is slightly crispy
6. While flatbread is in the oven, mix arugula with a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper
7. Remove flatbread, top with arugula and serve.

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Grilled Scrambled Egg Sandwich

How have I not done this before?

Makes 1 sandwich

INGREDIENTS

• 2 strips bacon, sliced thin
• 4 cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1 egg
• 2 slices of bread (any you like)
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 slice cheese (any you like, I used Jack)
• Kosher salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. In small skillet on medium heat cook bacon until almost crispy, remove excess bacon fat and add mushrooms – cook until nicely softened, about 5 minutes
2. Add butter to the bacon mixture then the egg – scramble in the pan until egg cooked through and set aside
3. Spread 1 tablespoon mayonnaise on one side of bread, then cheese and the egg mixture, season with salt and pepper to taste – top with 2nd slice of bread
4. Spread top slice with ½ tablespoon mayonnaise, and grill in a non-stick pan until nicely browned – repeat with 2nd sid.

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One Pot Mac

INGREDIENTS

• ⅓ lb bacon, sliced thin widthwise
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 8 ounces macaroni-type pasta (I used orecchiette in this recipe)
• 2 cups milk
• ½ teaspoon mustard powder
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup chicken broth
• ½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• ½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Using a large pan with high sides, cook bacon on medium heat just until almost crisp and mix in garlic until fragrant - remove bacon in a small bowl
2. Lightly rinse and drain the uncooked pasta to get some of the starch out - set aside
3. Put the same pan back on medium heat - add milk, pasta, mustard powder, butter, ½ cup chicken broth and pepper - give it a little stir to loosen the pasta
4. Bring to a boil, then turn it down and let simmer until milk has reduced into thick sauce; about 10 minutes or so
5. Stir in cheese and bacon - if sauce is too thick, add a little more broth to thin sauce out.

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The Best Deep Fried Shrimp...Ever

INGREDIENTS

• 6 cups canola or vegetable oil to fry
• ¼ cup mayonnaise- I used Kewpie (Japanese mayo), but regular mayo can work too
• 2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
• 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
• ½ lb (21/25 size) raw shrimp-peeled and deveined (dried really well)
• 2-3 tablespoons cornstarch
• Chopped green onions, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oil in wide deep pot to 350 degrees
2. In small bowl mix mayo, sweet chili sauce and chili garlic sauce; set aside
3. In medium bowl add shrimp and cornstarch, lightly coat shrimp well but shake off excess - set aside.
4. Gently place shrimp in oil, cook about 30 seconds or until shrimp gets slightly crispy; remove from oil
5. Coat shrimp with a little sauce at a time to your liking, place on serving plate, garnish with green onions.

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Deep Fried Pizza with Ricotta & Onions

Pizza Fritta is a tad more work but super good and way fun.

Makes 1 individual pizza

INGREDIENTS

• 1 quarter of the 3 minute pizza dough
• 1/2 medium size red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ½ cup ricotta cheese
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• Neutral oil (like vegetable or canola) to fry dough
• Kosher salt
• Crushed red pepper flakes
• ¼ cup shredded Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese - whatever you have is good
• ½ cup fresh baby arugula
• Extra virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS

1. Make pizza dough according to recipe directions
2. While dough is “resting” make the pizza toppings
3. In a nonstick medium skillet on medium/low heat, add olive oil, butter and onions; cook 8-10 minutes until golden brown - remove from heat; set aside
4. In a small bowl mix ricotta and garlic well and set aside
5. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
6. Pour about ½ inch of oil into a large heavy pan (cast iron would be ideal) and heat to approx 350-375 degrees
7. Sprinkle a little flour on a working surface and roll out dough into a circle 6- 8 inches in diameter
8. Carefully put the dough into the hot pan - lay it down facing away from you
9. Cook about 1-½ minute on each side until golden brown - flip over carefully using tongs
10. Drain fried dough on paper towels, then place the crust on a baking sheet
11. Spread ricotta mixture evenly over the crust, top with caramelized onion, pinch of salt, red pepper flakes and shredded cheese
12. Bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes or until cheese melts
13. While pizza is baking, mix arugula with a drizzle of olive oil and pinch of salt
14. Take pizza out of the oven, top with arugula, slice and serve...

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FEATURED ON MY TV SHOW

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PICKLED RED ONIONS

Whether for a taco, a sandwich or even on top of a few slices of brisket for a little acidic crunch - these are tremendous. And they make an easy, great gift when going to someone’s for dinner.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 1   1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 6-10 black peppercorns
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 medium red onion, sliced into thin semi circles

 DIRECTIONS

1. Combine everything except onion in a small bowl and stir well to dissolve the sugar & salt
2. Put sliced onions in a large bowl and cover with boiling water - let sit about a minute then drain well
3. When the onions are cool enough to handle, put as many as you can into a sterilized pint mason jar, and cover with the brine liquid
4. Screw on the lid and when it’s cool, refrigerate
5. They’ll start being good tomorrow, but great after 3 days or so days 

LEMON SHORTBREAD COOKIES

These lemon shortbread are ridiculous – and I mean that in the most delicious way possible.

Makes an 8x8 pan

 INGREDIENTS

2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

Zest of one lemon

1 cup salted butter, cold and cut into cubes

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees

• Put flour, sugar, salt and lemon zest in the bowl of a processor and pulse 3 or 4 times to mix

• Add butter and continue to pulse until still crumbly, but you’re able to squeeze a handful together and it will stick

• Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper – enough so it sticks a couple inches past the sides, and press dough evenly into pan

• Lightly score with a knife into the size cookies you want when it’s done

• Bake 45-55 minutes or until just starting to get brown around the edges - you might need to re-score about the 3/4 point

• Remove from oven, and use parchment to remove cookie block from pan

• Cut through score lines to separate cookies, then place on a cooling rack and wait

• And if you can wait more than 3 or 4 minutes…you’re better than me

Greek Salad with Grilled Chicken

Featured on my TV episode, Mediterranean Day.

Serves 2-4

Ingredients

For the salad:

• 2 roma tomatoes, diced small
• 1 cup English cucumber, diced small
• ¼ cup red onions, diced small
• ¼ cup sliced Kalamata olives
• ¼ cup each of fresh parsley, fresh basil and fresh mint; roughly chopped
• ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese

For the dressing:

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Grilled Chicken:

• 1 chicken breast, flattened out to about ½ inch thick
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Fresh ground pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large mixing bowl combine all the ingredients for the salad
2. Mix all the ingredients for the dressing, set aside
3. Preheat grill or grill pan on high heat
4. Lightly oil chicken and season with salt and pepper
5. Cook chicken until grilled beautifully - about 3 to minutes a side
6. Add dressing to salad, slice chicken and put on top of salad with a little bit more dressing.

WATCH HOW I MAKE THIS... FULL TV EPSIODE

Shakshuka

Featured on my TV episode, Mediterranean Day.

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

• 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 green bell, thinly sliced
• ½ of a yellow onion, thinly sliced
• Neutral oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1½ teaspoons cumin
• One 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
• 6 ounces baby spinach
• 6 large eggs
• 1/4 cup each finely chopped parsley & green onion

DIRECTIONS

1. Put the peppers, onions and a tablespoon of oil in a large pan (with at least 2 inch sides) over medium heat and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes

2. Add the garlic with a little bit more oil and cook until very fragrant – about a minute

3. Add paprika and cumin – mix well and let toast slightly

4. Squish each tomato to break up and dd to the pan along with any juices from the can and let the whole thing simmer 15 minutes

5. Add spinach, stir to combine and continue to cook until spinach has completely wilted and is well incorporated

6. Carefully crack eggs on top of the sauce, cover with a lid or a double piece of foil and cook until the whites are set but the yolks still runny

7. Top with green onion & parsley – serve.

WATCH HOW I MAKE THIS... FULL TV EPISODE

REFRIED BEANS / FRIJOLES

Great when you buy them, but amazing when you make them. My favorite.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups dry pinto beans
• 3 tablespoons bacon fat, or
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil
• 1/2 white onion, cut into a small dice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• Kosher salt

DIRECTIONS 

1. Pick through beans and remove anything not bean-like: little stones, gross ones whatever
2. Put beans into a pot and cover well with water – like at least 3 inches
3. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer, cover and let cook until tender and the skins begin to split open - 2 to 2 ½ hours
4. While they simmer, cook onion in bacon fat (or oil)until softened – 3-5 minutes
5. Stir in garlic and cumin to the onion & cook until fragrant, about a minute
6. Then add drained beans – reserving some of the cooking water
7. Using a hand blender, potato masher or even the back of a large spoon (just not a processor) mash the beans to your desired consistency adding as much reserved water as necessary – you’ll likely use 1/3 to ½ a cup
8. Season to taste with salt and serve

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Yellowtail Collar

FEATURED RECIPE FROM FISH DAY
SAM THE COOKING GUY TV EPISODE

INGREDIENTS

• Yellowtail collars, split into two pieces
• High heat oil, like avocado
• Salt
• Teriyaki sauce, any will do

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat grill to medium/high
2. Brush each side of the collar lightly with a little oil, sand season with salt & pepper on both sides
3. Place flesh down first on grill and cook 5-7 minutes on each side or until just done
4. Towards the end, lightly brush with teriyaki & grill another minute or so until sauce caramelizes a little

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Crispy Asian Fish Banh Mi

FEATURED RECIPE FROM FISH DAY
SAM THE COOKING GUY TV EPISODE

Makes 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound ground Opa
• 6 sprigs green onion, (white and light green parts only) chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Sambal garlic chili paste
• 1-½ cup Panko crumbs
• High heat oil, like avocado oil
• 4 french baguette rolls

Sauce

• ¼ cup Kewpie mayo
• 1 tablespoon Hoisin

BaNH-mi toppings:

• 1 bunch fresh cilantro
• 1 Persian cucumber, thinly sliced
• ½ cup shredded carrots
• 2-3 sprigs green onion, cut thinly lengthwise

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl put fish, green onion, ginger, garlic, soy, chili paste and ½ cup of Panko - mix until until just combined
2. Form all the fish mixture into 10-12 patties, brush each side with a little oil -  then press into remaining panko to coat lightly
3. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a non-stick pan on medium-high heat, cook patties each side about 4 minutes or until cooked through
4. While fish patties are cooking, make the sauce - In a separate small bowl mix mayonnaise and hoisin; set aside
5. Cut the baguettes in half lengthwise and toast/grill lightly
6. Now let’s build the banh-mi: spread sauce on the insides of the rolls, add some carrots and green onion, some cucumber, cilantro and the fish
7. Close, cut in half and eat

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Pesto Pizza

So fricking simple and delicious – a great reason to keep pesto in the fridge. It's super easy and quick, and by quick, I mean in about a minute.

Makes 1 Pizza

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Pizza Dough (store bought or homemade)
• All-purpose flour
• 2-3 tablespoons cornmeal
• One 7 oz container pesto sauce (you'll use about half)
• ¼ -½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 fresh mozzarella cheese ball (broken up in smallish pieces)
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees (unless you are using a pizza oven like Uuni)
2. Sprinkle just enough flour to prevent sticking on dough and working surface. Use your hands or a rolling pin to flatten the dough until it is 1/4-inch thick or less
3. Spread cornmeal on baking sheet and lay the pizza dough on top
4. Spoon a few tablespoons of sauce into the center of the pizza and use the back of a spoon to spread it out to the edges.
5. Next sprinkle red pepper and top with mozzarella
6. Drizzle a little olive oil on top, season with salt and pepper to taste
7. Bake 8 to 12 minutes, depending on the thickness, or until the crust is crisp and golden in a regular oven - but in a pizza oven only as long as needed
8. Slice, eat & repeat!

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Cold Asian Noodle Salad

A simple and delicious way of eating without cranking up the oven.

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

• 4 ounces soba noodles
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon sesame oil
• ½ teaspoon white granulated sugar
• ½ tablespoon Sriracha
• ½ cup carrots, julienned (matchstick size)
• ½ cup sugar snap peas sliced diagonally
• ¼ cup radish sliced thin in half circles
• 1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup English cucumbers sliced thin in half circles
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil (like avocado)
• 10 peeled, deveined tail-on shrimp (I used 16/20’s in this recipe)
• Kosher salt
• Sesame seeds
• Thinly sliced green onions and chopped cilantro for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook noodles according to package directions - do not overcook, drain, rinse well with cold water, drain again and transfer to a bowl
2. While noodles are cooking, in a small bowl combine vinegar, soy, sesame oil, sugar and sriracha - stir well and set aside
3. To the noodles add carrots, peas, radishes, celery and cucumber - mix and add a little sauce (adding more sauce as needed)
4. Heat a pan over medium/high, add oil and justvwhen it’s about to smoke add the shrimp and cook about 1 minute - season with Kosher salt, add splash of ½ tablespoon soy and 1 tablespoon Sriracha; mix well and cook until done, remove shrimp from heat
5. Place the noodles/vegetables on serving plate, top with shrimp and garnish with green onions, cilantro and sesame seeds

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Buffalo Chicken Burger

Makes 3

Who says ground chicken is dry?  This is moist, messy and stupid good.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound ground chicken
• 1/3 cup finely diced celery
• 1/3 cup finely diced green onion
• ¼ cup finely chopped curly parsley
• Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
• Franks Red Hot
• 1/3 cup panko crumbs
• 2 tablespoons each mayo & sour cream
• ¼ cup blue cheese crumbles
• 3 buns – and make good ones like brioche
• Shredded lettuce for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. In a bowl put chicken, celery, green onion, parsley, salt, pepper, 2 teaspoons Franksand panko – mix well
2. Shape into 3 patties, put on a wax paper or a parchment lined plate and refrigerate at least 30 minutes
3. Meanwhile combine mayo, sour cream & blue cheese – mix really well and set aside
4. Cook burgers any way you like (but a cast iron pan is always a good thought)
5. Once you flip them over, brush the tops with more Franks and cook until done
6. Grill or toast buns
7. Build burgers: bun, sauce, lettuce, burger, bun

WATCH ME MAKE THIS... 

5 Spice Apple Hand Pies

Think light, delicious, crispy little individual apples you can hold in your hands.  

INGREDIENTS

• 2 sheets puff pastry, defrosted
• 1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced small
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon Chinese 5 spice powder – go with me on this
• Pinch Kosher salt 
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/3 cup caramel sauce
• Turbinado sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Put apples, lemon juice, sugar 5 spice & salt in a bowl – mix well to combine
3. Breathe it in, it smells uhmazing
4. Unfold pastry and roll out until slightly larger all around 
5. Using a cooking cutter or a glass, cut out an even amount of 4 inch circles - you should get 8-10 from each sheet
6. Line a baking tray with parchment or use a silpat and lay down ½ of the circles
7. Top with a some of the apple, being sure to leave a border at the edges
8. Add about a teaspoon of caramel to each pile of apples, and top with remaining pastry
9. Use a fork to seal the edges, brush top with beaten egg and sprinkle with turbinado sugar
10. Bake until gorgeous, golden brown and crispy.

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Air Fried Tofu

As much as I love tofu, I know people who don’t. That being said – they need to get over it cuz tofu is fricking amazing.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 block firm tofu

• ¼ cup sweet chili sauce

• 1 teaspoon soy sauce

• 1 lime wedge

• 2 teaspoons sesame chili oil

• ½ cup cornstarch

• Kosher salt

• Diced green onions for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Drain tofu, place block on a couple sheets of paper towels, top with more paper towels and put a couple plates on top to weight it down, this will help rid the block of excess moisture - let sit about 20 minutes

2. Combine sweet chili sauce, soy & lime wedge – set aside

3. Cut tofu into bite sized pieces, put in a large bowl, drizzle with chili oil and salt - mix well… carefully so you don’t break the pieces

4. Shake cornstarch over the top of tofu and put piece in a colander and shake off excess cornstarch

5. Place tofu into air fryer basket and cook at 370 for 20 minutes, shaking after 10 minutes

6. Serve topped with green onions and with sweet chili dipping sauce.

Sea Bass with Parsley Cream Sauce

...and horseradish - did I mention that?

Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 2 tablespoons flour

• 1 ¼ cup milk

• ⅓ cup chopped curly parsley

• 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish

• 4 -6oz Seabass fillets, at room temperature

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• Kosher salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan on medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste cooks and bubbles a bit, but don't let it brown - about 2 minutes.

2. Add milk in small amounts, continuing to stir as the sauce thickens. Add pinch of salt and pepper to taste, lower the heat, and cook, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes until smooth. Remove from the heat - stir in parsley and horseradish

3. Drizzle each seabass fillet with olive oil and season with salt & pepper on both sides

4. Place seasoned fish fillets in a hot pan face down and sear for about 3 minutes on each side, until opaque

5. Plate fish and top with 2-3 tablespoons of the horseradish sauce

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Best Crab Sandwich

Makes 4 sandwiches

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound cooked crab meat
• 2 celery stalks, diced small
• ¼-⅓  cup bread crumbs
• 2-4 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 4 English muffins
• Canola oil
• 4 slices Swiss cheese
• ½ cup shredded romaine lettuce
• Fry sauce, see recipe

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix crab, celery, ¼ cup bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, salt and pepper well in a bowl - add more mayonnaise or bread crumbs if needed to shape into shape into 4 patties, the size of English muffins - refrigerate 15 to 30 minutes
2. Heat a non-stick pan on medium high heat and add a thin layer of oil to the pan
3. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the patties and cook until the bottom is golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes
4. Flip and add 1 slice of cheese to each patty add cook an additional 2-3 minutes, until cheese is melted
5. Meanwhile toast English muffin halves, or oil lightly and cook until just golden in a  non-stick pan
6. Spread fry sauce on 4 of the muffins, add lettuce, a patty and then the  remaining muffin

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Brown Rice Shrimp Pita

So I was just in Israel and want to re-live the flavors…what’s the big deal?

Makes 2 - 3 pitas

INGREDIENTS

• ½ pound peeled and deveined large shrimp, cut into smallish pieces
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• ¼ teaspoon cumin
• ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• ⅓ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• juice of  ¼  lemon
• Kosher salt
• 1 small tomato, seeded and diced small
• 1 Persian cucumber, diced small
• ½ cup cooked brown rice
• 2 -3 small pitas

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl combine shrimp with oil, garlic, turmeric, cumin, red pepper flakes and pinch of salt - mix well and set aside
2. In a separate bowl mix yogurt, curry, lemon and pinch of salt -  set sauce aside
3. Heat a nonstick pan on high, cook shrimp until done (if your pan is hot enough this should be a couple minutes max) remove from heat
4. Spread sauce in the pita pocket, then fill with rice, shrimp, tomatoes and cucumbers

WATCH ME MAKE THIS

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