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.

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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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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

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Asian Rice Bowl

Not to sound like a broken record, but this is super easy and super delicious. And very likely different than your everyday stuff... #justsayin

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound ground beef
• Neutral oil, meaning non-flavored like canola, avocado, peanut etc
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 heaping teaspoon of Asian chili garlic sauce
• 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
• 2 cups cooked rice

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook ground beef with about ½ tablespoon oil in a large pan until just cooked through - remove excess fat
2. Add ginger, garlic and add a little more oil if needed, stir and cook until very fragrant - about a minute
3. In a small bowl combine brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil and chili garlic sauce - mix well
4. Add the sauce to the beef mixture, stir and let thicken a little
5. Add 1 tablespoon of green onion to the mixture
6. Spoon the beef mixture over rice and garnish with more green onions.

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Grilled Steak Sandwich

Is a simple and delicious thing to make - and the addition of pesto makes it even greater.

Makes 2

INGREDIENTS

• 1 boneless New York steak, at least 1 inch thick & room temperature
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• Kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper
• 2 cups baby spinach leaves
• 2 sandwich rolls, sliced in half & buttered
• 2 tablespoons mayo
• 2 tablespoons prepared basil pesto

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat cast iron pan or skillet until smoking hot
2. Lightly rub steak with a little oil and season well on both sides with salt & pepper
3. Cook steak for 3 minutes, flip & continue cooking for 2 minutes (for medium rare), remove from pan and place on a plate to rest
4. In the same pan, add spinach and cook until slightly wilted - about 2 minutes
5. While steak is resting, place buns cut-side down on a flat top or large non-stick pan until lightly toasted
6. Spread mayo and pesto on bottom half of each toasted bun and top with spinach
7. Slice the steak thinly and stack on the spinach - season steak with a little more salt and pepper and top with the other bun.

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Herbed Slow Scrambled Eggs

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 eggs
• Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon fresh curly parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon green onions, finely chopped
• 1 - 2 tablespoons shredded Monterey Jack cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt butter in a small skillet over low to medium heat, making sure it covers the bottom and sides
2. Add parsley, dill and green onions to melting butter - cook, stirring often about 2 minutes to really bring out the flavor of the herbs
3. Crack eggs into a small bowl, add salt & pepper, beat well and then add to the pan with the herbs
4. Cook slowly, stirring often making sure the eggs don’t stick to the bottom
5. When the eggs are about halfway done, add cheese - continue stirring until eggs are cooked through but still creamy
6. Serve

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Strawberry Cheesecake Milkshake

Three ingredients and so damn good.

Makes 1 serving

INGREDIENTS

• 1 slice frozen strawberry cheesecake, broken into chunks
• ⅓ cup vanilla ice cream
• ⅓ cup milk

DIRECTIONS

1. Put everything into a blender and blend for a couple of minutes, until smooth
2. And this next part should be really, really obvious: put in a glass and drink...unless you want to add a little rum - then you would blend it again and then drink

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Green Onion & Ginger Sauce

A classic Chinese oil based sauce - or more accurately a classic ‘Hainanese’ sauce - and it’s a simple and delicious add to almost any protein.

INGREDIENTS

• 2-3 tablespoons fresh ginger, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1 bunch green onions, white and light green parts only, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 1 cup any neutral oil

DIRECTIONS

1. Put ginger, garlic, onions and salt In a heat resistant bowl combine
2. Heat oil in a saucepan until hot but not boiling, and carefully pour on top of gingher combo (It’ll splatter a lot)
3. When it stops splattering, stir a couple times and then let it cool
4. At this point you can store it in a container in your fridge up to a couple weeks
5. Put on eggs, fish, shrimp, chicken, steak - almost anything

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Chicken Soup

There’s something truly wonderful about making your own chicken soup. I make it, eat some, eat some more, then freeze some – if there’s any left.

Makes about 12 cups

1 whole chicken, uncooked (with bones & skin for flavor) cut into 8 parts

3 celery stalks, cut into 2 inch pieces

1 large onion, cut into slightly largish bite size pieces

4 carrots, cut into bite sized pieces

2 tablespoons garlic paste, or 4 cloves minced

2 tablespoons ginger paste, or 1 inch piece of ginger cut into thin strips

Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper

3 tablespoons ‘Better Than Bouillon’ chicken base, or 3 chicken bouillon cubes

• Put chicken in a large pot, cover with cold water by about 2 inches & bring to a boil

• Let boil 20 minutes, periodically skimming off the icky foam that floats to the top

• Turn down, cover and simmer for 90 minutes

• Remove from heat and remove chicken to a baking sheet to cool

• Add the celery, onion, carrots, garlic, ginger and bouillon to the broth, bring to a low simmer, and cover for another 30 minutes

• While it does, and once the chicken has cooled enough to handle, pull the chicken off the bones, remove skin then shred then add back into the soup with the vegetables

• Season to taste with salt & pepper – be aggressive, it’ll need it

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Pasta with Bacon and Brussels Sprouts

FEATURED ON MY TV EPISODE, "NOT SO HEALTHY DAY"

Even if you hate brussels sprouts, I think you’ll like this.

INGREDIENTS

• 6 ounces bacon, sliced widthwise
• 10 whole brussels sprouts, sliced thin
• 6 ounces pasta - your choice but Iike “Casarecce” for this one
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• ¼ cup parmesan cheese
• Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat a large frying pan, add bacon - cook until just the edge of crispy, take bacon out and drain on paper towels
2. Leave about 1 ½ tablespoons of grease in the pan discarding the rest and add brussel sprouts -  cook about 6-7 minutes
3. While it cooks, bring large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions
4. Add the bacon back in the brussel sprouts pan - then add garlic until fragrant and mix
5. When the pasta is ready, drain (keeping about a cup of the water) and add pasta to bacon and brussels sprouts mixture with parmesan
6. Stir to combine well and if it's too thick, add pasta water about a 1/4 cup at a time until it's where you like it
7. Season with salt & pepper
8. Add red pepper flakes - top with a little more parmesan and serve

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Zucchini Fritters

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups grated zucchini
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons bread crumbs
• 1 large egg
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• Pinch of Kosher salt
• Vegetable or canola oil
• Sour cream & diced green onions for serving
  
  

DIRECTIONS

• Put zucchini in the center of kitchen towel, fold up sides, twist at the top to make a tight package and then squeeze like crazy removing as much liquid as possible then put in a large bowl
• Add the flour, bread crumbs, egg, cheese, red pepper flakes, garlic powder and alt - mix really well to combine
• Heat pan and add a thin layer of oil
• Scoop a couple tablespoons of batter at a time and put into the pan - flatten out and cook about two minutes on each side until crispy and gorgeous
• Serve with sour cream and green onions to garnish
  

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Fresh Tomato Sauce

The only way this gets easier is if someone makes it for you.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ cup diced yellow onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 vine-ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
• ⅓ cup red wine (any wine you enjoy drinking will do)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 10 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade (stacked, roll like a cigar and then thinly sliced lengthwise)
• Kosher salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat and add onion - cook about 5 minutes
2. Add garlic and cook another minute or so - just until fragrant
3. Add tomatoes, turn heat up and let cook a minute or two
4. Next add wine and tomato paste, mix then bring sauce to a boil, turn down heat and let simmer about 10 minutes
5. Add the basil then season with salt and pepper to taste
6. Serve on everything - pasta (of course), toast, eggs, polenta, pizza, grilled bread, chicken... did I say on everything?

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GRILLED STUFFED TERIYAKI BURGER

Not to sound like a broken record, but it’s time to stop eating the same thing all the time. So for something a little different, I suggest trying a stuffed burger. And this one has sautéed onions, Swiss cheese and well, you’ll just have to watch, then make it.

Makes 2 burgers

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup red onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon butter
• Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper
• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 slices Swiss cheese
• 1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
• 4 pineapple rings
• Iceberg lettuce

Directions

1. Cook onions with butter in a non-stick pan until softened, season with salt & pepper and set aside.
2. Flatten beef into 4 patties, and using your hands or burger press, make a pocket in two of them. Put half the onion and one piece of cheese (folded to fit) into the pockets and top with second patty. Season each stuffed burger well with salt & pepper.
3. Preheat grill to medium high and put on the burgers and pineapple slices. Cook until done on one side, then flip them over, and begin brushing both with teriyaki. When both sides of burgers and pineapple are almost done, add more sauce, then toast buns on the grill.
4. Build burger: bun bottom, lettuce, burger, pineapple slices, bun top.

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Udon with Shrimp

Yes, I make a lot of Asian food. And so should you cuzit’sway better for you than fast food and certainly much faster.

Serves 1

INGREDIENTS 

• 1/3 cup oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon sesame oil
• ½ pound peeled, deveined shrimp (31-40 size)
• 2 small bunches baby bok choy
• 1 package udon noodles – frozen noodles work too
• 1 tablespoon vegetable/canola oil
• Sesame seeds to garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine oyster sauce, soy and sesame oil in a small bowl – mix well
2. Add half the sauce to the shrimp and let marinate
3. Prepare bok choy-cut the ends to separate individual leaves
4. Cooking noodles according to package directions – adding bokchoy after about a minute
5. Heat a pan or wok over medium/high, add oil and marinated shrimp, cook until done - about 3 minutes
6. Drain noodles & bokchoy, put back in pot and mix with remaining sauce
7. Place the noodles/bok choy in a bowl and top with shrimp, garnish with sesame seeds

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Hasselback Sweet Potatoes

Regular sweet potatoes-good. Hasselback sweet potatoes brushed with curry and cumin butter sauce – mental.

Make 2 potatoes

INGREDIENTS

• 2 medium size sweet potatoes

• ¼ cup butter

• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

• ½ teaspoon ground cumin

• ½ teaspoon curry powder

• ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt

• ¼ cup sour cream

• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees

2. Cut a slice from bottom of potato so it will sit flat and set between two chopsticks 

3. Using a sharp knife, make cuts across the potato (the short way) down to the sticks 1/8 to 1/4 inch which will prevent you from cutting all the way through the potatoes

4. Repeat with 2nd potato and place on parchment lined baking sheet

5. Melt butter in small saucepan, add red pepper flakes, cumin, curry and salt - mix well

6. Brush potatoes with the butter mixture, getting in between the layers

7. Bake 50 min-1hour or until potatoes are tender on the inside and crispy on the outside

8. Add a little sour cream and garnish with cilantro to serve.

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Joe’s Special

I know eggs, ground beef and spinach may not sound like a winner, but his old-school San Fran restaurant item is ridiculous. And by ridiculous I mean effing great.

Makes 1-2

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• ½ cup white onion, diced
• ¼ pound ground beef
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 4 ounces cooked chopped spinach (squeeze out liquid)
• Kosher salt and pepper
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons grated parmesan
• Baguette or any bread of your choice

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in a small skillet over low to medium heat, add onions and cook until soften about 5 minutes
2. Add the beef, breaking it up along the way
3. Just when beef is almost done, add the garlic, cook until fragrant
4. Add the spinach and mix in well, season with salt and pepper
5. Add the eggs to the pan, cook slowly, stirring often making sure the eggs don’t stick to the pan
6. When the eggs are about halfway done, mix in parmesan and continue stirring until eggs are cooked though but still creamy
7. Serve with baguette.

FEATURED RECIPE ON STCG "ONLINE" SHOW

FEATURED RECIPE ON MY TV SHOW

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Chili Tots

Makes 2

INGREDIENTS

• 15 oz can of chili, heated
• 16 oz frozen tater tots
• ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook tots according to package directions
2. Top with chili and cheese

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Turkey Chili Enchiladas

Makes 8

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound ground turkey, cooked and crumbled
• 1 cup chili 
• ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 cups whipping cream
• 8 small flour tortillas
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix first 3 ingredients in bowl, set aside
2. Pour 1/2 the whipping cream in the bottom of a 9x13-baking dish
3. Pour chicken broth in bowl and one by one submerge each tortilla
4. Place approximately 1/8 turkey mixture in the center of each moistened tortilla and roll up
5. Place all 8 side by side in dish seam down in baking dish, sprinkle with Monterey jack cheese and pour remaining whipping cream over top
6. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly and gorgeous

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Chili Cheese Omelet

Makes 1

INGREDIENTS

• 15 oz can of chili, heated
• ½ tablespoon butter
• 3 eggs
• 1 slice Kraft American cheese (you can use any kind you like, but this kinda makes it)
• ¼ cup green onions, chopped for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Beat the eggs well in a bowl
2. Melt butter in a non-stick pan over medium heat, and add eggs.
3. If making a true omelet, allow the eggs to set - add chili to one half, cover with cheese and flip side with no chili over making a half moon - cook to desired doneness (which for me is not too dry)
4. Put on a plate, add a little more chili and garnish with green onions

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