Braised Leeks

If the mere thought of turning on your oven this summer makes you cringe, then this recipe is for you! This vegetable dish can easily be tucked into your toaster oven and only takes 20 minutes to braise. And let me tell you, it is SO worth it. Leeks are usually hidden in soups, sauces, or casseroles. It has a milder onion flavor and is extremely versatile. This dish really showcases the leeks for who they are! Braising allows the leeks to breakdown and become sweet, smokey, and so tender you could eat with a spoon.

Braised Leeks

3 leeks

Kosher Salt, freshly ground pepper

olive oil

1/2 cup chicken stock (or vegetable stock)

Lemon zest of 1 lemon

1/2 tablespoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon breadcrumbs

1 Preheat oven to 425 degrees

2 Trim of the dark green stalks and the roots. Slice the leeks in half lengthwise.

3 Place leeks in a bowl of cold water, cut side down to release the dirt between the folds. Most of the dirt will collect at the bottom of the bowl. This will take about 10 minutes.

4 Dry the leeks with a paper towel and season, cut side up, with salt and pepper

5 Prepare a pan with some olive oil over medium heat. Place the leeks cut side down and let brown for 5 minutes. The leeks should sizzle when on the pan.

6 Transfer the browned leeks, cut-side up, to an oven-safe dish small enough to fit into your toaster oven.

7 Pour the stock over the leeks and top with thyme, lemon zest, a little more salt, and bread crumbs.

8 Braise for about 20 minutes until the leeks are tender.

If you are wondering what to serve the leeks with, it really can go with anything — chicken, fish, meat. Thats the beauty of leeks. Versatility. I served this veggie style with a hard boiled egg and some sauteed garlic spinach. It was oh so satisfying and delicious!

Cherry Tomato Bites

This weekend is finally supposed to be warm and sunny. It has been a dreadful couple of weeks here down south — rainy, muggy, and gray. Finally some sunshine! and with that a fresh and tasty appetizer. I challenge you this weekend to eat outside and make these tomato bites —a perfect bite of juicy tomato, dense mozzarella, basil, and olive oil. You won't regret it! Don't forget to chill before serving.

Cherry Tomato Bites

Cherry Tomatoes — as many as you like

Olive Oil

Kosher Salt, Pepper

Fresh Mozerella, cubed into small pieces

Basil, sliced

1 Cut a small slice off the end of each cherry tomato. This is so that the tomatoes will sit level when standing upright. (Make sure not to cut too big of a slice or else the cup wont have a bottom.)
2 Make another slice  on the opposite side of the tomato and scoop out the pulp inside using a mellon baller or small spoon. Be careful not to puncture the skin on the bottom. Don't worry about what it looks like because it will be stuffed.

3 Arrange tomatoes on aluminum foil, all standing upright and hollow. Sprinkle all the cups with kosher salt and pepper.
4 Place cubed mozerella in each cup.

You can experiment with the size of the mozerella but I prefer the tomatoes to be really stuffed!

5 Drizzle olive oil over all the stuffed cups.
6 Garnish each tomato bite with a basil slice

7 Transfer the bites onto a serving platter and chill until ready to serve.

Okra Curry

Not many think of okra when they think of spring, but it is a classic spring veggie. It is also surprisingly high in calcium, fiber, protein, and vitamin k! And low in calories! I picked up some okra at the market and wanted to do something different. It is a twist on okra and tomato stew. It has coconut milk, yogurt, curry, turmeric, and veggies. It is filling, healthy, and excellent over rice. Curried Okra 1 lb okra, washed with trimmed ends 1/4 cup onion, diced 1 Roma tomato, diced 1/4 teaspoon curry (I used yellow, but red would work too) 1/4 teaspoon turmeric pinch of chili pepper 1/2 cup coconut milk 1/2 cup plain yogurt (I used nonfat) salt and pepper 1 Wash and trim okra and slice into bite-size pieces. 2 Saute okra with a little olive oil over medium heat until lightly browned. Remove from pan and set aside. 3 In same pan, add diced onion and saute until translucent. Add diced tomatoes and mix with onion. 4 Add curry, turmeric, salt and pepper and mix until flavors are incorporated. 5 Mix in coconut milk and yogurt. Return okra to the pan and mix. Cover and let simmer until sauce is thickened. 6 Serve hot over rice.

Tzatziki Salmon Burgers

I truly believe tzatziki sauce is a gift to the world. If you have never had it, go out and buy a tub right now. Or better yet make it from scratch. I bought mine with dill and cucumber chunks and is tangy and absolutely delicious! I cant get enough! I used the tzatziki both as a binder for the burgers and as a sauce as well. There can never be enough tzatziki!

Tzatziki Salmon Burgers

2 6 oz cans of pink salmon

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

3 tablespoon tzatziki sauce

1 green onion, sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablspoon breadcrumbs

juice from half a lemon

1/2 teaspoon salt

ground pepper

1 Flake salmon into small even pieces in a large bowl using a fork. Add tzatziki sauce, green onion, minced garlic, bread crumbs, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and mix thoroughly.

2 Take a small amount of the salmon mixture and form a 1 inch ball in your hand and flatten down evenly, forming a patty. Continue forming patties with the rest of mixture and chill patties in the fridge for 15 minutes on parchment paper.

3 Heat oil over medium high heat on a pan (preferably with grill marks) and grill patties. Don't overcrowd the pan. Also, the patties should sizzle when you place them on the pan, if it doesn't it is not hot enough.

4 Serve with tzatziki sauce

German Pancake

I know this is late, but this is one of the dishes I made for my mom for mothers day. It was the first time I made it, so I was worried that it wouldn't rise and crisp like it should. But guess what? It worked perfectly. It was so easy, I swear. The oven does all the work. All you have to do is mix up the batter and it comes out thin, puffed, bubbly and crisp at the edges. Here is a short history on the German pancake if you're interested. Most people fill it with apple slices on top with powdered sugar. I squeezed lemon juice, then pear preserves, then powdered sugar. Amazing. Any topping would work though so feel free to be creative. Enjoy!

German Pancake

Recipe via Real Simple

3 eggs

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup milk (I used skim)

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (optional)

Fruit jam or jelly (any flavor will work, I used pear preserves)

Powdered sugar

1 Heat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs to combine. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Add milk, salt, and vanilla and mix through.

2 Add butter to a large cast-iron pan and place in middle rack in the oven until the butter has melted. Remove pan from the oven and immediately pour batter into the hot skillet. Return the pan into the oven and bake until puffed and golden, about 15 minutes.

3 Drizzle lemon juice over the pancake, spread the jam/jelly evenly and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Apple & Honey Red Cabbage Salad

Its grilling season! And that means in addition to tasty meat, you need some sides! This is a great side salad for a summer bbq. Its crunchy, sweet and tangy. Start with a head of red cabbage cut in half. Cut each half in half again and cut out the white bitter core. Then slice thinly and you have most of your salad done! How easy is that? You could also add grated carrot in the mix for added color.

Apple & Honey Red Cabbage Salad
1 head of red cabbage, chopped
1 apple, chopped
almonds, chopped (pre-sliced may work better but I didn't have any on hand)

Vinaigrette (same as the vinaigrette I used for the crunchy brown rice salad)
1/2 cup white balsamic
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

1 In a large mixing bowl, mix chopped cabbage with the chopped apple.
2 Whisk the white balsamic, mustard, honey, salt and pepper in a separate bowl.
3 Pour in the vinaigrette over the cabbage salad, just enough to coat.
4 Garnish with chopped almonds chill and serve.

Thrift find of the week: Monogrammed glasses

I got 6 of these beautiful etched monogrammed glasses at a local thrift store. They are so elegant and beautiful. Perfect for a morning mimosa! And if you're wondering, I have no idea what "C" stands for. But its still pretty!

Oven-Baked Mixed Seafood

Who loves seafood? I do! I love all types — mussels, shrimp, octopus, calamari, crab, scallops, you name it. This is a mix of mussels, shrimp, octopus, calamari, and small scallops. I bought it frozen at the farmers market and it is great. So easy to use. Just defrost, wash, season and cook. Although this dish looks fried, its not! It is oven-baked with panko bread crumbs. I also found panko at the market. It gives a crispier crunch than regular bread crumbs, so I highly recommend it for this seafood dish. These came out excellent, especially with a squeeze of lemon juice at the end to finish. Enjoy!

Oven-Baked Mixed Seafood

1 bag of frozen seafood, any type you like

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1 tablespoon parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon ground garlic

salt 'n' peppa

1 cup flour

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 Preheat oven to 450 degrees

2 Defrost and wash seafood under water. Pat dry with a paper towel.

3 Season seafood very well with salt 'n' peppa and throw a handful into a prepared bowl with flour.

4 Use a spoon to fish (pun intended) out the floured seafood and dip into another prepared bowl with the lightly beaten eggs.

5 Take the egg'd seafood and dredge in prepared panko bread crumb bowl.

6 Spread seafood on aluminum foil, drizzle with olive oil and bake until golden. Mine took about 15 minutes.

Don't judge a book by its cover

I know this isn't the prettiest looking chicken, but let me tell you, it has SO much flavor and is delicious! The secret ingredient is course ground mustard (the kind that has very large grains in it). It packs more flavor and adds a nice texture. This recipe is adapted from Kalyn's kitchen who has a great tutorial on grilling juicy chicken breasts, too. This recipe will surely become one of your favorites! 

Rosemary and mustard grilled chicken

8-10 boneless chicken breasts (I used tenders)

1/2 cup coarse ground mustard

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons garlic, minced

2 tablespoons rosemary, finely chopped

1 teaspoon ground pepper

1 Clean and trim chicken. Cut slits crosswise down the length of each side. This is so that the marinade will flavor the meat better.

2 Prepare marinade and pour into large ziplock back. Place chicken into the ziplock back and mash around, covering all the chicken with the marinade. Let marinade 6 hours up to over night in the fridge.

3 When done marinating, grill chicken over medium heat until well browned. Time depends on how big your chicken pieces are. My tenders only took about 5 minutes each side, but breasts will take longer.

Kale mashed potatoes

This past weekend was my dad's birthday. My mom and sister and I cooked him lunch. My assignment was the mashed potatoes. Its dads favorite. At first, I was disappointed with a boring side dish, but I decided to change it up and find an interesting recipe. I found this one over at 101cookbooks. Thankfully I had all the ingredients at home, so I gave it a try and it was really good! Dad loved it and it was healthy. (No butter or cream! But that will be our little secret)

Kale Mashed Potatoes

5 potatoes, yukon gold works best, peeled and cut into quarters

4 tablespoon olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch kale, chopped

3/4 cup warm milk (I used skim)

pepper

5 scallions, chopped

1/4 cup parmesan (optional)

1 Put chopped potatoes in large pot and cover with water. Add a pinch of salt and bring to a boil, until tender. About 20 minutes.

2 While the potatoes are boiling, heat two tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a saucepan. Add the kale and minced garlic and a pinch of salt. Saute until softened.

3 Remove tender potatoes and drain. Mash with a potato masher, fork or a hand mixer.

Slowly stir in the warm milk, a little at a time until desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

4 Pour the kale over the mashed potatoes and stir.

5 Make a well at the top of the mashed potatoes and pour remaining two tablespoons of olive oil. Top with scallions and parmesan cheese.

My new favorite snack

I had a vision at the grocery store yesterday. A utopia of creamy chocolate, salt, and crunch. And this is what happened.

I had a (too big) bag of bagel chips (I don't really know why I bought it, but it seemed like a good idea at the time) and instead of using it as a real bagel and spread cream cheese or some other dip, I wanted to make it a sweet snack. Enter Nutella! I loooove it. It goes with everything (especially a spoon). The combination of sweet and salty is my favorite. If you like chocolate covered pretzels, then you will love this. It has even a bigger crunch and you can control the chocolate/salt ratio. I like a lot of sea salt so I sprinkled a bunch. 

So, bagel chip + nutella + sea salt= a perfect salted chocolate snack. Nutella can also be spread on any type of crunchy surface, like pita chips or saltines. If you use salted saltines, then you can forego the sea salt. But if using unsalted, you gotta sprinkle on the sea salt! Trust me.

Crunchy brown rice salad with dill

I took a cooking class the other week and it was so much fun! I learned a lot of great tips and recipes. I even bought a micro plane at the store section of where the class was (amazing by the way) The chef was Gena Berry who was very funny and entertaining. It was a healthy cooking class, specifically for weight watchers. Im not on weight watchers, but it was open for anyone who likes to eat well. One of the recipes that Gena prepared that I loved was this brown rice salad. It is served cold and is a great side dish to any meal. She served it beside marinated flank steak (which was also fantastic). Try it and you'll be glad you did! And it has a great crunch, just like the previous post!

Brown rice salad with dill

(points value: 2 Servings: 7 for those of you on weight watchers)

1/2 cup vinegar, white balsamic (I didn't have any on hand so I mixed white vinegar with a bit of honey)

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup red onion, chopped

2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped

1/2 cup edamame, shelled (I used frozen)

2 cups cooked brown rice (I used brown basmati rice)

1/4 cups almonds, chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

1 In a large bowl whisk vinegar, mustard, oil, salt and pepper together.

2 In a separate large bowl, mix the onion, dill, and edamame together Toss in the rice into the onion/dill/edamame mixture and combine.

3 Fold in just enough dressing to coat.

4 Chop almonds and garnish. Chill and serve.

Note: Gena added 1/2 cup diced water chestnuts to the mix, but I didn't have any on hand, but feel free to use it!

Green Beans with Dill and Lemon zest

I like eating crunchy veggies better than soft or roasted ones. Actually, I take that back. I do love me some sauteed soft spinach..mmm...But for green beans or asparagus, I'd rather saute them in the pan than roast them. I like to feel and hear the crunch of my greens. This side dish is crunchy and flavorful. You could also garnish with some sliced almonds for added crunch.

Green beans with dill and lemon zest

1 lb green beans, washed and trimmed

1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped

zest of one lemon

sea salt

1 Heat oil over medium heat and saute green beans. Add pinch of sea salt.

2 While the green beans are sauteing, add chopped dill and shake pan to mix.

3 Grate lemon zest over pan and shake to mix with green beans.

4 After a few minutes, test green bean for desired level of crunch.

Seafood paella

Seafood paella is one of my favorite comfort foods, but I only use to order it in restaurants. I decided to take a stab at it and try to make homemade paella for the first time. My mother warned me that it is a lot of work, but I thought I was up for the challenge.  After about an hour and a half, I couldn't believe I finished it. It was very grueling and time consuming, definitely not a mid-week meal. But the good thing is, it turned out wonderful! the flavors and texture were just right. I served it in a pan with two forks. A perfect sunday night dinner.

Seafood Paella

This recipe was adapted by mediterrasian.com.

1 wide shallow pan

1 red onion, finely chopped

1 red pepper, finely chopped

4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons of flat-leaf parsley

2 vine ripened tomatoes, or a can of crushed tomatoes

1 lb of fresh seafood of your choice (I bought a mix of frozen seafood from the market)

Extra Virgin Olive oil

2 teaspoons paprika, or smoked paprika (I only had paprika on hand)

1.5 cups of medium grain rice (I used brown basmati rice)

3 cups Chicken Stock

Saffron Threads, or a saffron seasoning mixture by Goya

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup peas, frozen worked fine

Lemon wedges, optional

1 Finely chop red onion, red pepper, garlic cloves and parsley.

2 Puree 2 tomatoes using a box grater, leaving the skin behind. You can also use a can of crushed tomatoes.

3 Clean your seafood so it will be ready for cooking. Cover and refrigerate until it is time to cook.

4 This step makes the sofrito, a tomato and onion sauce that smells amazing. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and cook the red onion, parsley and 3 of the 4 garlic cloves until softened. Add the pureed tomatoes and 2 teaspoons paprika. Cook until all liquid has evaporated and it has the consistency of a jam.

5 Transfer the sofrito to a small bowl and wipe your pan clean.

6 Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and add your seafood mixture (shrimp, calamari, mussels, squid, etc.) and cook, tossing continuously for even cooking. Add the 1 chopped garlic. Remove the seafood and transfer to a small bowl, season with salt and pepper and cover.

7 Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat and cook red peppers until softened.

8 Add the sofrito back to the pan along with the 1.5 cups rice (uncooked) and stir to coat the grains.

9 Add 3 cups of heated chicken stock, a pinch of saffron, sea salt, and pepper.

10 Stir to combine and bring to a rolling simmer. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes. You will have to move the pan around the stove burner for even cooking.

11 Lower the heat and cook for another 15 minutes. Then, turn up the heat to medium to toast the bottom of the rice (the toasted rice bottom is called socorrat)

12 Lastly, add the seafood and push into rice mixture, scatter half a cup of peas and cover for 5 minutes to rest.

I used brown basmati rice for this paella and had to cook it longer than the recipe called for and increase the amount of chicken stock because brown rice takes longer to cook. Now that Ive had it both ways, regular white rice and brown rice, I can safely say that I couldn't tell the difference! I swear. So for a healthier route, try it with brown rice and cook a good 20 minutes longer. You will have to keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn't overcook. Also, this recipe called for green peppers, but Im not a fan so I left it out.

Roasted Garlic

Simple food. Simply delicious. I saw someone on tv, probably on food network, roasting a whole head of garlic and it looked so good and easy that I wanted to try it as a snack. Let me tell you, it is awesome! I crushed the garlic onto a crusty baguette and it was heaven on my tongue. You can also use it in cooking whenever it calls for garlic. I bet it would be great in soups, too. Yum.

Roasted Garlic

1 head of garlic

olive oil

kosher salt

1 Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2 Peel outer papery skins of garlic, but keep skin on individual cloves.

3 Cut top 1/2 inch of the garlic cloves, exposing the individual cloves of garlic.

4 Drizzle olive oil and salt on the tops of the cloves, making sure all cloves are covered in oil and salt.

5 Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 30 minutes.

Wait until cool enough to handle and carefully cut around each clove with a knife and squeeze out the soft cloves with your fingers. Either mash with fork and spread on warm crusty bread or eat as is.

I am submitting this photo to click photo contest.

Bok Choy with Radish

I kind of made this spur of the moment side dish that turned out quite nicely. To be honest, I just wanted to make it because it would look pretty but it actually tasted great! It is very simple and easy. Next time, I think I will toast the sesame seeds just to add another depth of flavor. Enjoy! Bok Choy with Radish and sesame seeds 3 bunches bok choy, cut diagonally 3 radishes, sliced thin 2 cloves garlic, sliced sesame seeds

1 Wash bok choy leaves (especially in between the leaves, there is dirt that gets trapped in there) and slice 1.5 inch slices on the diagonal.

2 Wash and slice radishes

3 Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat and saute the bok choy for about 3 minutes until wilted.

4 Throw in sliced radishes and garlic in the same pan with the bok choy and saute until flavors meld and radishes are slightly softened. About 5 minutes.

5 Salt 'n' peppa as needed and serve with sesame seeds.

Thrift finds of the week: Milk Glass

I love milk glass. It is white, pristine and can have some lovely detail. I figured this compote could have several purposes: to hold lemons? mixed nuts? little soaps for the bathroom? fruit salad? Anything goes! I had to have it. Price: $3 Note: The different blue bottles and vases behind the compote are from thrift stores as well ;) Including the wine decanter!

Orange Cranberry Drumsticks

Drumsticks are the easiest part of the chicken to cook. hmm..maybe breasts are easy too. Unless they are stuffed, that could get tricky. Ok, let me start again— Drumsticks are one of the easiest parts of the chicken to cook. Why? because all you have to do is marinate them (very important) and stick them in the oven. Thats it. And they come out so delicious. Also, Drumsticks can be made into any flavor you fancy: Apricot drumsticks. Pear drumsticks. Fig drumsticks. Tangerine drumsticks. I think I like just saying the word drumstick. Its fun, try it! Oh! maybe because it has the same name as a certain frozen dessert with ice cream and nuts and a crunchy cone with dense chocolate at the bottom. I have to get some of those into my freezer. And then into my mouth. Anyways, back to chicken drumsticks, I made orange cranberry drumsticks this time.

I found this sauce at trader joe's a while ago and thought I could use it somehow. It had the same consistency as other preserves I've used for drumsticks so I figured it would work. It has a tartness from the cranberry yet a sweetness from the orange. Delicious!

This is the "before shot" of the drumsticks after they were marinated overnight, right before they were going into the oven.

And this is the "after shot" of the drumsticks after about 45 min in the oven. Don't they look golden and delicious? I served this with roasted artichokes (post coming soon) and baked beans (because adam loves 'em :)

Orange Cranberry Drumsticks

10-16 drumsticks, skin on

1/2 cup shallots, finely chopped

1/4 cup ginger, finely chopped

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1/4 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

2/3 cup soy sauce

1 cup sauce/preserves (any flavor would work)

1 Saute the shallots and ginger over medium heat in the sesame oil and chicken broth until softened.

2 Stir in vinegar and bring to a boil. Reduce by half.

3 Add soy sauce and preserves and simmer uncovered on low for about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

4 Place drumsticks into a large ziplock bag and pour cooled marinade all over the chicken. Seal and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or over night. Turn bag over once.

5 Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking pan (I used a disposable aluminum pan) with the chicken in a single layer and pour marinade over entire pan.

6 Roast chicken for about 40-45 minutes. Be sure to watch it and make sure it doesn't overcook. You can test this by cutting unto the deepest part of the meat and checking its rawness. Roast, turning once, until deep brown and glazed.