Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

Make this and make it often, I'm in love.

Makes about 2 cups

1 pound tomatillos, 5 or 6

3 cloves garlic

1 jalapeno pepper

1 Serrano pepper

1 small white onion, cut in half

3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Kosher salt

1. Heat broiler to high

2. Remove husks from tomatillos and rinse well to get off the sticky stuff

3. Put tomatillos, garlic, peppers and 1/2 the onion on a baking sheet, drizzle lightly with oil and broil about 6 inches away from heat coils until beginning to start to blacken a bit - about 3 minutes

4. Flip over and repeat, let cool slightly

5. Put in a processor and whiz until nicely chunky, put in a bowl and add salt to taste, the other half of the onion finely diced and cilantro

6. Stir and serve

Mexican Salad with croutons

This is a simple bread salad, using one of my favorite cheeses, Cotija. Delicious!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 small can diced jalapenos, use 4 tablespoons 
• 3 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped  
• 1/2 cup, peeled cucumber, 1'' diced
• 1/2 cup skimmed milk cojita cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 cup mini baby tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup homemade croutons (see my recipe)

Dressing: 

• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lime, juice
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 tablespoon liquid from can jalapenos

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix dressing, give it a good shake for 1 minute to emulsify
2. Mix salad ingredients in large bowl
3. Thow in the croutons, coat with approx 4 tablespoons of dressing, and allow to soak in for 2-3 minutes, eat!

WATCH ME MAKE THIS >>>

Grilled Brussels Sprouts

So you hate brussels sprouts - I know. But when when you grill grill them like these, they're just kinda magical. Just keep an open mind, ok? And get a Grill Basket for this one (I got mine at Bed Bath & Beyond).

Serves 2-4

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups Brussels Sprouts, peeled and halved
• 1 cup water

Dressing:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• big pinch Kosher salt
• 6 grinds fresh black pepper
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat grill to high
2. In a medium microwave proof bowl add water and sprouts, cover with cling film, microwave 3 minutes
3. While this is happening, mix dressing in a small bowl
4. Drain sprouts, wrap in paper towels, remove water residue
5. Toss sprouts in the dressing, throw in the Grill Basket, keep moving, grill 2 minutes.

WATCH ME MAKE THIS...

Grilled asparagus

Super simple! Healthy grilling.

Serves 4 

INGREDIENTS

• 1lb asparagus 
• 3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 lemon
• 2-3 grinds fresh black pepper
• 1 big pinch Kosher salt

DIIRECTIONS

1. preheat your grill to high
2. Remove 1-2" bottom of the stalks
3. toss in 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
4. grill 3-4 minutes, keep turning
5. dress asparagus: squeeze of lemon juice, drizzle 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, pinch salt and fresh black pepper and grated Parmesan

RED WINE ONION GRAVY

INGREDIENTS

• 2 medium red onions, diced
• 1 tablespoon salted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1 cup goodquality beef broth
• 1 cup good red wine
• 1 pinch Kosher salt  
• 3 grinds Fresh black pepper
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce (or you can sub Worcestershire sauce)
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard

DIRECTIONS

• In large skillet, low/medium heat add oil and butter, cook onions 25 minutes until caramelized
• Add flour to onions, coat thoroughly, cook 2 minutes
• Add stock, wine, soy, mustard, salt and pepper, mix well, turn heat up to a simmer 4-5 minutes
• Enjoy with a good steak!

WATCH ME MAKE THIS

Onion Jelly

INGREDIENTS

• 2 big ass yellow onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• about 6 grinds fresh black pepper

DIRECTIONS

• In a large skillet on low heat, add butter oil and cook onions until caramelized 25 minutes
• Add rest of ingredients, stir, cook down 10 minutes, let it cool 
• Store in the fridge, then enjoy with grilled cheese sandwich!

WATCH ME MAKE THIS

Baba Ghanoush

Baba Ghanoush Baba Ghanoush Baba Ghanoush! Sorry I just like the way it sounds, don't you? This is easy and packed full of flavor. No regrets here, just make it.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 2 eggplants
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• good pinch kosher salt
• freshly ground pepper
• pinch cayenne  
• 3 tablespoons fresh curly leaf parsley, finely chopped
• finely chopped 

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut eggplant lengthways, use 1 tablespoon olive oil to coat each side, cook 40 mins
2. Scrap out insides and discard the skin, chop pulp several times to break it up
3. mix everything in a bowl, and serve with grilled flatbread 

WATCH SAM MAKE THIS...

INSTANT CHICKEN SOUP WITH MATZO BALLS

This version is super quick quick and delicious. And wait – don’t forget about the matzo balls of which even your Bubbe (if you have one) would even approve. 

Serves 2-4

INGREDIENTS

• 1 carton Organic Chicken broth

• 1 large carrot, sliced

• 1/2 onion, roughly chopped large pieces

• 1 celery stalk, sliced

• 2 whole stalks fresh thyme, keep leaves on stem

• Chopped Parsley for garnish

Matzo balls:

• 2 eggs beaten

• 1/4 cup water

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1/2 cup matzo meal

• Big pinch kosher salt

• 6 grinds fresh black pepper

• 2 tablespoons curly leaf parsley, stalks removed, finely chopped

DIRECTIONS

1. In large bowl beat eggs, add water, oil and mix well

2. Then add matzo meal, kosher salt, pepper, parsley, mix well

3. Cover and refrigerate 30 mins

4. In medium pot heat broth, carrots, onion, celery, thyme – cook, lid on, low simmer 30 minutes

5. Boil large pot water

6. Form balls using a tablespoon of chilled matzo mix, drop them into boiling water, cook covered about 15 minutes

7. Serve, garnish with pinch parsley

WATCH SAM MAKE THIS...

HOT AND SOUR SOUP

Classic ‘hot & sour’ soup. Though you can certainly add chicken, pork or whatever you like, we’ve made this with only shiitakes & tofu…but you won’t miss the meat, trust me.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups chicken broth
• 8 ounces firm tofu, cubed into a medium dice
• 4 Shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
• 1-2 tablespoons chili paste
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 3 tablespoons corn starch
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 egg, beaten

DIRECTIONS

1. In medium saucepan bring chicken broth to a boil
2. Add mushrooms, tofu & chili paste - let boil a couple minutes
3. Stir in soy, vinegar and pepper - mix well
4. In small bowl mix corn starch & water until smooth, and stir into the broth
5. Simmer 5 minutes until broth thickens, then turn off heat
6. While stirring broth in a circular direction (take your pic) pour in the egg from several inches above the pot in a very slow stream to create ribbons
7. Serve - Gung Hay Fat Choy!

 WATCH ME MAKE THIS

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Baked Dills

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1 jar sliced dill pickles, drained 
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
•  3 eggs, beaten

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400  
2. Remove moisture from pickles with paper towels
3. In large bowl mix dry ingredients 
4. Coat pickles in beaten egg
5. Scoop pickles out (discard remaining eggs) add pickles to breadcrumb mix, coat well
6. Place single layer of pickles on large non stick baking sheet, cook for 10 minutes, flip and cook another 5 minutes

WATCH SAM MAKE THIS >>> 

Squash Ravioli

What do you get when you pair a Chinese wrapper, a garden vegetable and Italian style cheese? You get this!

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pack frozen wonton wrappers, defrost 4 hours in advance
• 1 cup cooked squash puree (I found this in freezer section, but you can make fresh)
• 1 cup ricotta
• 2oz spinach
• 1/4 cup fresh parmesan cheese, shredded
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1/8-1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Boil large pot water, add spinach cook 1 minute then scoop it out – keep water in pan
2. Remove water from spinach using sieve and back of a large spoon, dice finely
3. In large bowl mix ricotta, squash puree, spinach, cayenne, salt and pepper, parmesan – chill in fridge for 30 minutes
4. Lay out the wrappers, place generous teaspoon mixture in middle of each, fold in half, pinch edges to seal (push out the air bubbles)
5. Drop a batch of 8 raviolis, gently into boiling water, fish them out when float on the top – about 2 minutes
6. In medium skillet on low cook butter until nutty brow color, add ravioli to skillet, cook in butter on medium for 1 minute each side, serve!

WATCH SAM MAKE THIS >>>

Spaghetti Frittata

If you’ve ever wondered what to do with leftover spaghetti besides eating it as is, here’s your answer. And before you laugh…just know this is really good. Stupidly good in fact.

Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS

• 3 eggs

• 1  1/2 cup cooked, leftover spaghetti

• 1/4 cup marinara sauce (or use my EVERYDAY TOMATO SAUCE recipe) 

• 2 tablespoons butter

• Kosher salt

• Freshly ground pepper

• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan  

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Beat eggs, season with salt and pepper 

3. Melt butter on medium heat in non-stick medium sized skillet, add spaghetti and sauce, heat through, about 1 minute

4. Turn heat down to low, pour in the beaten eggs and stir well to make sure everything is evenly combined

5. Top with Parmesan and leave alone to the bottom set, like making an omelet - cook about 2 minutes

6. Put on the middle shelf of the oven and cook for 10 minutes or until fully set and firm

WATCH SAM MAKE THIS >>> 

Resto style Edamame

Here's how to prep edamame like at a Japanese resto, dead easy.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1 bag frozen edamame
• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1/8 teaspoon Nanami Togarashi seasoning (or you can sub this for pinch cayenne or paprika and then pinch chili pepper)

DIRECTIONS

1. Boil edamame, to pack cooking instructions, drain
2. Season with salt and Togarahi, mix and eat.

WATCH SAM MAKE THIS >>>

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YOU CAN FIND TOGARASHI SEASONING IN MOST ASIAN SUPERMARKETS

MAC N GOAT CHEESE

Who says you need cheddar to make mac & cheese – cuz we certainly don’t. In an attempt to use up some leftover crumbled goat cheese, we create a super delicious mac that hopefully you’ll love – cuz we certainly did.

Serves 4 

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 lb Macaroni
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup All purpose flour
• 3 cups milk
• 1 cup crumbly goat cheese, not the log type (keep few crumbles for topping)
• Good pinch Kosher salt
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon fresh black pepper  
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper  
• 1/2 small bag spinach
• 3 tablespoons breadcrumbs

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven 350
2. In medium pan on low/medium heat, melt butter (don't let it color), add flour, mix well to make a roux, continuously whisk in milk gradually
3. Add goat cheese to sauce, add black pepper and cayenne pepper
4. Boil large pot salted water, cook until "al dente", for the last minute add the spinach, stir, then drain
5. Stir cooked pasta and spinach to sauce, decant into 8x8 casserole dish or deep cast iron skillet like me
6. Top with bread crumbs and remaining goat cheese crumbles, cook for 35 minutes and eat!

TIP:  you could throw in a handful bacon pieces!

BAKED PENNE

Dear Hungry family, fear not, this recipe is super easy and made from basic pantry ingredients, so you can whip this up and have it on the table in under 30 minutes.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb penne pasta, cooked al dente
• 1- 28oz can San Marzano tomatoes, crushed
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 12oz can tuna in oil, drained
• pinch Kosher salt
• few grinds freshly ground pepper
• 5oz ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In large pot on medium heat, add tomatoes, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, cook for 5-7 minutes
3. Mix ricotta and tuna into sauce, cook for 2 minutes, stir in cooked pasta
4. Add this to oven proof dish, sprinkle over parmesan, cook for 30 minutes

WATCH SAM MAKE THIS >>>

GRILLED HALLOUMI CHEESE & TOMATOES

Serves 3-4

I love this simple appetizer: grilled cheese, literally. You’d seldom think to use an outside grill for cheese because it would just melt all over, but Halloumi is a super hearty Greek cheese that’s just perfect for grilling. And served alongside some grilled tomatoes it’s even better.  

INGREDIENTS

• 8 ounce block Halloumi cheese
• 6 roma tomatoes, halved
• Extra virgin live oil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Fresh ground pepper
• Baguette, grilled for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat grill to medium
2. Slice cheese in half to make 2 half inch thick pieces
3. Brush both sides of each cheese and grill until well marked on all sides
4. When you flip the cheese, oil tomatoes and add to grill cut side down
5. Cook tomatoes until softened and marked – remove to serving plate with cheese
6. Sprinkle cheese & tomatoes with oregano, drizzle with a little extra oil and serve with bread

Beef and snow peas

Serves 4

This reminds me of home (Vancouver)... Chinese food, yep! And, this dish is so amazing and so quick to knock together, the cooking time is just a few minutes.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 large Skirt Steak, leave the fat, cut bite sized pieces against the grain
• 1/2 yellow onion, sliced
• 1 cup snow peas, whole
• 2 tablespoons Chill Paste (I used Garlic Sambal)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce (I used House Wife Soy)
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons corn starch (to thicken)
• 4 Ready-cooked rice packs

DIRECTIONS

1. In a bowl mix the chili paste, soy, honey, sesame oil and corn starch
2. Make sure everything is prepped and ready
3. Heat carbon steel wok or large skillet to smoking hot, add 2 tablespoons oil, cook beef for 2 minutes then remove
4. Using same pan, add 2 tablespoons oil, throw in onion and snow peas, cook for 2 minutes maximum (keep it moving)
5. Add sauce and cooked beef, coat everything well, cook for one more minute
6. Heat rice in microwave
7. Eat!

Black Eyed Pea Salad

Serves 4

This culinarily ambiguous healthy salad…dip... side dish…or, as the south call it, "Cowboy Caviar" (which was highly recommended to me by my SIL, Danna) is so versatile, it's perfect for any potluck party.

INGREDIENTS

• 2/3 cup green onion, sliced
• 2/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 15 oz can black eyed peas, drained
• 11 oz can White Shoepeg Corn (or reg corn), drained
• 2 avocados, diced
• 1/2 cup tomato, de-seeded, diced
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix everything up in a big bowl, eat!

TIP: Make a bunch, keep it in the fridge, it'll be good for 4-5 days. I would serve this with a burger, steak or grilled Tuna. If you don't have BEPeas just use cannellini beans.

WATCH SAM MAKE THIS>>>

VEGETABLE CHILAQUILES

Serves 6

Stupidly good all veggie version of chilaquiles. But trust me – it’s so good even your carnivore friends will eat the hell out of it.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 red pepper, diced small
• 1 small leek (white & light green parts only) thinly sliced
• 1  15 oz can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 large or 2 small zucchini, diced medium
• 1  15 ounce can black beans, drained
• ½ teaspoon each garlic powder, cayenne, Kosher salt and cumin
• 1 cup green enchilada sauce
• 6 cups, or 6 big handfuls tortilla chips
• 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 6 eggs

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and cook pepper, leek and corn until just beginning to soften
3. Add zucchini & black beans – mix well and cook about 2 minutes
4. Put ½ cup enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9 inch cast iron pan or an 8x8 Pyrex dish
5. Top with ½ the tortilla chips, half the veggie mixture and ½ of the cheese - repeat layering
6. Bake in oven until top is melty, bubbly and delicious
7. When ready, fry eggs and serve chiliquiles with an egg on top

TIP: this mix could be used for a veggie fajita, enchilada or veggie tacos.

WANNA SEE SAM MAKE THIS?

RED PEPPER & TOFU STIR FRY

Serves 2 as main

Perfect for meatless monday – fast and healthy dish I love any day of the week.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• 1lb firm tofu, drained, 1/2'' cubes
• 2 teaspoons sesame chili oil
• 1 red pepper, 1/4'' strips
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced 
• 1 teaspoon arrowroot or corn starch
• 1/4 cup hot water
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 garlic clove, diced
• 1-2 teaspoons fresh ginger, finely diced
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 1 green onion, finely diced

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat wok on high, until smoking, add peanut oil
2. Add tofu, let it brown then flip and brown for another minute then keep moving cooking for 5-6 minutes
3. Add sesame chili oil, red pepper and red onion, cook for 4 minutes
4. In small bowl mix corn starch, hot water, soy, sugar and chicken broth – keep to one side
5. Add to wok, garlic and ginger fry for a minute
6. Pour in sauce, cook for 2 minutes to thicken
7. Serve over rice, garnish with green onion