Kale Chips

Makes one bunch

Yum. Not enough? Ok...yum and healthy.

Ingredients

• 1 bunch kale
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, for sprinkling

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 275
2. Wash and pat dry kale
3. Remove any thick stems
4. Tear the leaves into 2 inch piece and place on a baking sheet
5. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and spread out evenly
6. Bake 20 minutes or until crisp - you don't want them brown
7. Remove, cool slightly and serve

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Serves 10-12

Use it for a sandwich, taco, quesadilla, benedict, nachos, on top of fries - basically everything.

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon each Kosher salt, cumin, chipotle (or regular) chili powder, garlic powder and brown sugar
• One 3 – 5 pound pork shoulder (also called a pork butt, though it doesn’t come from there)

Directions

1. Put onions and garlic in the bottom of a slow cooker pot, add chicken broth
2. Combine salt, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder and brown sugar – mix and rub into pork really well
3. Place pork on top of onions, put on lid & cook on low 8 to 10 hours, or on high 6 to 8 hours – or until pork is very tender
4. Remove, and use two forks to shred
5. Use on everything!

Grilled Halloumi Cheese Salad

Serves 2-4

Halloumi is a hearty Greek cheese you can pan fry, grill or broil. And it’s great in a salad, just watch.

Ingredients

• 2 hearts of Romaine lettuce, ends removed and roughly chopped

• 1 medium English cucumber, peeled and diced

• 2 tomatoes, diced

• 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved

• 1/2 cup red onion, diced

• Salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

• 1/2 cup olive oil, plus a little extra for the halloumi

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• 2 teaspoons oregano

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 1 block Halloumi Cheese, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices

Directions

1. Combine romaine, cucmber, tomatoes, olives and red onion in a bowl - toss to mix

2. Mix dressing ingredients and add to salad

3. Heat a skillet or cast iron pan on medium/high heat, lightly drizzle halloumi with a little olive oil and grill halloumi slices for 30-45 seconds on each side or just until brown

4. Lay the cheese on top of the salad and serve.

Salmon Chorizo & Hollandaise

Serves 3

I Had a Dream. I had a dream that one day, salmon, chorizo & hollandaise would live together all on a plate…in beautiful, blissful harmony…. and it worked, and it is bliss. So simple yet still so delicious.

Ingredients

• 1 pack mexican chorizo
• 3 fillets of salmon (skin removed)
• Pinch M salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Blender Hollandaise Sauce:
• 10 tablespoons butter
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne

Directions

1. Melt butter on low heat in a small pot - don't let it burn
2. Into the blender put egg yolks, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and cayenne
3. Blend on medium speed about 30 seconds
4. Once the yolks have lightened in color, turn the blender down to low and slowly drizzle in melted butter
5. Blend until everything is mixed
6. Turn off blender and taste - this is the time to add more lemon juice if necessary
7. Heat a skillet/wok on medium heat, and break up chorizo, cook for 5 minutes
8. Coat salmon with oil and sprinkle pinch of M salt, front and back
9. Heat a wok/skillet on high heat, add salmon face down, when it turns opaque a 1/4 of the way up, flip it, and do the same on the other side (should only take 2 minutes maximum each side)
10. Serve salmon on plate, layer on the Hollandaise and top with the chorizo

Scallops with Shiitake & Snow Peas

Serves 4

The title says it all so any more of a description would just make me sound like a pompous restaurant chef trying to showboat. Oh what the hell, let’s try it:

‘Hand caught local alabaster sea scallops served on a bed of forest shiitake mushrooms and Okinawan snow peas that have been delicately sautéed with fresh ginger, garlic and just a soupçon of aged tamari’

Damn I’m good.

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 big handfuls snow peas
• 10 shiitake mushroom, sliced (stems removed)
• fresh scallops
• 1 inch piece ginger, very finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons Soy sauce or aged tamari
• 1 teaspoon chili sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon Sesame seeds
• 1 green onion, chopped
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. You need 2 large skillets or woks, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in each
2. Sauté the snow peas in one and mushrooms in the other, stir regularly
3. After they have cooked for 6-8 minutes, add the snow peas to the mushroom pan, add the ginger and the garlic and stir for 1 minute
4. Throw in the soy sauce, cook for 2 minutes
5. Sit the scallops on paper towel to remove moisture, then coat them in 1 tablespoon of oil and season with salt and pepper on both sides
6. Heat the empty pan, until smoking hot, add the scallops cook for 2 minutes to sear on one side, then flip, brush on the chili sesame oil, cook for 2 minutes
7. Then serve the peas and mushroom and top with one scallop, and garnish with a sprinkle of green onion and sesame seeds

Kale Chips

Serves 2

Super healthy for you, not to mention super easy and quick to make.

Ingredients

• 15 kale leaves, stalks removed
• 1/4 teaspoon Chipotle Chili powder
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• big pinch Kosher Salt

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350
2. Wash the kale and remove any moisture with paper towels
3. Tear into roughly 4'' inch pieces (it doesn't matter up to you)
4. Throw everything in a bowl and toss leaves thoroughly coat everything
5. Spread them out over two greased baking sheets, arrange so no leaves are overlapping (otherwise they will not get crunchy)
6. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until edges are slightly brown
7. Serve and enjoy

Simple Roasted Chicken

Makes one

A simple roast chicken is one of the great joys in life - and the perfect day to make one (or two) is a Sunday. Because then you have leftovers to use in so many ways all week.

Ingredients

• 1 roasting chicken

• 2 medium onions

• 2 carrots

• 2 sticks celery

• 1 whole head garlic, cloves peeled

• Olive oil

• Kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper

• 1 large bunch fresh thyme

• 1 lemon, halved

Directions

1. Remove chicken from fridge about 45 minutes before cooking - dry inside & out really well with paper towels

2. Preheat oven to 475

3. Roughly chop onions, carrots & celery - add garlic and most of the thyme and put on the bottom of a roasting pan - drizzle with olive oil

4. Drizzle the chicken with olive oil and season really well with salt and pepper, rubbing it all over

5. Put both halves of lemon inside the chicken along with remaining thyme

6. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken - place chicken on top of the vegetables

7. Put chicken into the preheated oven and immediately turn down to 400

8. Cook the chicken about an hour and 15 minutes

9. Baste chicken halfway through and if the vegetables look a little dry, add some chicken stock or broth to the pan

10. When done, remove chicken and place on a cutting board loosely covered with foil for 15 minutes

11. Carve and enjoy

Cool Asian Tots

Serves 4

Not sure what it is about tots, but they're one of the best things ever – and at times maybe THE best thing ever. And these ones are ridiculous.

Ingredients

• 1 bag tater tots
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 4 tablespoons sweet chili sauce (I use Mae Ploy)
• 2 green onions, diced fine

Directions

1. Cook tots according to package directions
2. Top with sour cream and drizzle with sweet chili sauce
3. Garnish with green onions

Ginger Beef Stir Fry

Serves 2

A stir fry is one of my favorite things – because with only a few ingredients they’re easy & they’re quick. And when you add a ton of fresh ginger – they’re also fricking delicious. But heed my warning – making this with powdered ginger is not an acceptable alternative.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 tablespoons fresh ginger, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1lb lean steak, finely sliced, across the grain
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon chili sauce
• kosher salt and pepper
• 1 green onion, finely sliced
• 4 cups of cooked steam wgite rice

Directions

1. Heat a wok with the oil on medium heat add the celery and onions and cook for 5 minutes
2. Then add the ginger and garlic and cook for 5 more minutes, remove from the wok and put to one side
3. Don't wash the wok, put it back on high heat, throw in the beef - keep it moving and make sure they are not all stuck together, cook for 2 minutes or until the pink is just leaving the meat, then throw the veg back in the wok, right at the end of cooking
4. Stir in the soy and chili sauce, stir
5. Serve on top of steamed white rice and garnish with kosher salt, pepper and green onions.

Asparagus and Pea Pasta

Serves 4

Quick, fresh, light and delicious - make it, so easy.

Ingredients

• 1 pack Penne pasta
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 10 asparagus spears, 1'' pieces
• 2 leeks, finely sliced
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1/2 cup fresh or defrosted frozen peas
• 1/4 cup cream
• zest 1/2 a lemon
• 1/4 teaspoon finely crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 tablespoons parmesan cheese
• Kosher salt and pepper to season

Directions

1. Boil salted water in medium pan, add pasta cook for 7-9 minutes
2. Heat oil in a skillet on medium heat, throw in the leeks and asparagus, cook for 4 minutes
3. Add the peas and garlic cook for 2 minutes
4. Add the cream, parmesan, zest and stir
5. Add the drained pasta to the skillet and coat with the sauce
6. Season with Kosher salt and pepper, eat!

Tequila Lime Shrimp and Scallops

Serves 4

This is totally delicious and totally gluten free, with thanks to chef Danna Korn.

Ingredients

• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled, and deveined
• 1/2 pound scallops
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/4 cup tequila
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 large onion, cut into thin wedges
• 1 green bell pepper, cut into bite-sized strips
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into bite-sized strips
• 4 lime wedges (for garnish)

Directions

1. If your shrimp or scallops are frozen, thaw and rinse them. If the scallops are as large as an egg or larger, cut them in half and set them aside
2. In a large glass, ceramic, or stainless steel mixing bowl, stir together the lime juice, lemon juice, cilantro, 1 tablespoon oil, tequila, garlic, hot sauce, cumin, and oregano
3. Add the shrimp and scallops
4. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the onion, green bell pepper, and red bell pepper in the remaining tablespoon of oil until they begin to get soft, about 4 minutes
5. Add the shrimp-scallop mixture to the skillet, and bring everything to a boil
6. Cook and stir the mixture for about 3 minutes, until some of the liquid has burned off and the scallops are cooked
7. Garnish with lime wedges
8. Serve alone, with rice, quinoa or whatever makes you happy

Cereal Crusted Chicken Tenders - Gluten Free

Serves 4

If you have a gluten allergy, this little wonder allows you and your kids to enjoy breaded chicken again, by switching out the panko or breadcrumbs for Rice cereal, just trust me try it.

Ingredients

• 3 cups buttermilk
• 12 chicken tenders
• 2 cups rice cereal (like Rice Pockets), crushed
• Kosher salt & freshly milled black pepper
• Canola oil spray
• SAUCE:
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1-2 teaspoon Sriracha
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1/2 lime, juice
• 1 pinch Kosher Salt
• 2 green onions, finely sliced
• 3 tablespoons buttermilk

Directions

1. Tenders: Marinade the uncooked chicken tenders in buttermilk in the fridge for 30 minutes, or overnight if you have the time
2. Pre-heat oven to 400
3. Mix rice cereal crumbs seasoning, spread out on a large plate
4. Generously coat the tenders in the crumb mixture
5. Layout evenly in a large greased baking sheet
6. Spray with oil and throw in the oven for 10 minutes, then flip and cook for further 10 minutes
7. Sauce: Mix everything in a bowl, serve on the side and start dipping.

Chorizo Breakfast Tots

Serves 4

This is awesome, just try it.

Ingredients

• 1 28 ounce bag Tots
• 10 ounces Mexican Pork Chorizo
• 6 green onions, diced
• 1 cup Monterey jack cheese
• Eggs - poached, fried whatever for the top

Directions

1. Cook tots according to package directions
2. Put chorizo in a pan over medium heat and cook until cooked through, 5-7 minutes
3. When it's almost done, add in the green onion
4. Place cooked tots in an ovenproof dish - top with some chorizo then cheese and throw under the broiler until cheese melts
5. Remove from oven, top with more green onions, the egg...and enjoy

Buffalo Tots

Serves 4-6

Mental, ridiculous, so good...I'm almost speechless - though I can still eat.

Ingredients

• 28 ounce bag of tater tots
• 1 cup cup Franks Red Hot Wings Sauce or the regular - both are great
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup Ken's Chunky blue cheese dressing
• 1 cup pre-cooked deli chicken, shredded
• celery leaves, chopped for garnish

Directions

1. Cook tots according to package directions - but get 'em extra crispy
2. While they cook, combine hot sauce, honey and butter over low heat - stir to combine
3. Toss tots a portion at a time in some of the sauce (don't over sauce though), plate, add some chicken, drizzle with blue cheese dressing and top with celery leaves

Chicken, Bacon & Tot Hot Dish

Serves 6-8

Think of this as a cross between a casserole and a chicken pot pie, only with tots instead of pie dough. And how can that be bad?

Ingredients

• 1 yellow onion, diced

• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

• 1/2 pound uncooked bacon, chopped

• 2 tablespoons dry vermouth

• 2 cups cooked chicken - shredded or chopped, either is fine

• 1/4 cup flour

• 1/2 cup chicken broth

• 1/2 cup milk

• 1/2 cup frozen peas

• 1/2 teaspoon each dried thyme & sage

• Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper

• 1-2 tablespoons Sriracha

• One 26 ounce bag Tater Tots

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Cook bacon in a large pan until about halfway cooked - then add onions

3. Cook a couple more minutes and add mushrooms - continue until mushrooms are softened and bacon just getting done

4. Add vermouth and cook for 2 minutes

5. Sprinkle in flour and stir until everything is coated

6. Stir in chicken stock and milk, mix well

7. Add peas, thyme, sage & season generously with salt & pepper

8. Add Sriracha to taste, stir thoroughly

9. Pour mixture into a greased 9x9 baking dish and top lovingly with frozen tots

10. Bake for 30 minutes or until tots are crispy

Meat Jun

Serves 4-6

Essentially a Hawaiian/Korean mashup that to me should be called Hawaiian Meat Candy - but that sounds gross, so forget it. It's just crispy, super delicious thin slices of well marinated beef -that's better

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound very thinly sliced (as in paper-ish thin) beef - rib eye or cross rib
• 3/4 cup soy sauce
• ¾ cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons sesame oil
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped super fine
• Flour
• 4 eggs, beaten
• Oil for frying, anything but a flavored oil

Directions

1. In a medium bowl combine soy, sugar, sesame oil & garlic - mix well
2. Add thinly sliced meat, making sure it's covered and refrigerate about an hour
3. Heat pan with 1/8 inch of oil to medium high
4. Remove beef from marinade, shaking off excess, dip both sides in flour so well covered, shake off excess, dip in egg then put slices into the pan
5. Cook until done, about a minute a side, remove to paper towels, then cut into strips and eat

Orecchiette with Tuna & Arugula

Serves 8

Quit looking down ur nose at tuna - it's not a junky ingredient. And when it's this delicious, you'll want it all the time.

Ingredients

• 1 pound orecchiette pasta (little ear shape)
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 4 large cloves garlic, minced
• 2 - 6 ounces cans albacore tuna, drained
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 bunch arugula
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions
2. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat and add garlic - heat but don't let it brown
3. Add tuna & red pepper to garlic & oil, stir well and heat through
4. Put arugula on top of garlic & oil
5. Drain pasta and add to arugula pan - mix well until arugula wilts
6. Add lemon zest and season with salt & pepper - mix well and serve

Spicy Ahi Poke

If it's me - it's serves one (kidding)

I am a huge fan of poke and we make this often. You should too.

Ingredients

• 1 pound sushi grade ahi tuna, cut into a 1/2 inch dice

• 1 tablespoon soy

• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

• 2 tablespoons Kewpie, Japanese mayo

• 1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons Sriracha

• 4 green onions, white and light green parts diced fine

• Something crunchy to serve

Directions

1. Put all ingredients (but only half the onions) in a large bowl and mix gently

2. Plate & top with remaining green onion

3. Serve with something crunchy - and btw good potato chips are 100% ok...

Crab & Avo Grilled Cheese

Makes 2

I am most certainly a fan of crab. Whole, in parts or just the meat in a can - I love it all. But if buying in a can, get the pasteurized kind that's refrigerated - cuz the 'on-the-shelf' kind blows and pretty much anything you make with it will blow too.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise

• 1 large clove garlic

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

• Pinch kosher salt

• 4 slices sourdough bread

• softened butter

• 1/2 pound crab meat

• 1 avocado, sliced thin

• 8 slices jack cheese, sliced thin

Directions

1. Put mayo, garlic, parsley, lemon juice and salt in a small bowl - mix well

2. Top 2 slices of bread with some garlic mayo, then with 2 slices of cheese each, half the crab, half the avocado, remaining cheese and remaining bread

3. Butter one side of each sandwich and cook butter side down in a heated non-stick plan until golden brown (pushing down slightly with a spatula during cooking)

4. Butter top, flip over and cook again till golden

5. Remove, slice and eat :)

Thai Fish Curry

Serves 4-6

I love a simple curry, and this certainly fits the bill. The fish is added right near the end and stays super moist.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 14 ounce can coconut milk
• ½ cup milk
• 1 tablespoon Sriracha
• 1 pound snapper...grouper...basically any white fish - sliced in bite size pieces
• 1/3 - ½ large red pepper, diced small
• Chopped green onions & cilantro for garnish

Directions

1. Cook onion and garlic in oil until softened - but not too soft
2. Add flour and curry powder to onion mixture
3. Stir well for a minute, add coconut milk and reg milk to your preferred thickness
4. Stir in Sriracha - let thicken and come to a simmer
5. Add snapper (or whatever you're using) and simmer until fish is cooked – about 10 minutes
6. While it finishes, cook red pepper in a little olive oil until slightly blackened and softened
7. Serve on rice and garnish with green onion, cilantro and some of the red pepper