Fettuccini carbonara, con pollo

1 lb fettuccini pasta, cooked al dente
1/4 lb. bacon or pancetta, chopped
3 shallots minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 C frozen peas
1 lb chicken breasts grilled
1/4 lb butter
1 C half and half
1 C grated Romano cheese

Sautée bacon in large skillet. Add shallot, cook till translucent. Add garlic, peas, chicken, butter, half and half and cheese. Stir and heat through. Add pasta. Toss to coat. Serve with salad and garlic bread.
This recipe is not low fat, nor vegan. Happy cooking! Thanks for your support!

Mango Salsa

Mango Salsa

I especially love this dish with Fish Tacos. Just Grill your favorite fish, steam a corn tortilla, add some shredded cabbage, a slice of avocado,  a squeeze of lime and this salsa! A vegan alternative would be just to leave out the fish. You can add some grilled veggies instead!

1 Mango diced

1/4 small red onion diced

1/2 lime, juiced

1/4 t salt

1/4 pepper

2 small red serrano peppers diced

1/2 c cilantro chopped

Combine all ingredients, let set for about 30 minutes to allow the flavors to mingle! Enjoy! Happy Cooking! 

Panuchos

Panuchos

In honor of my recent trip to Los Cabos, MX

This is a wonderful delight adapted from the pages of Sunset Magazine,

by Chef Gilberto Cetina!

1 lb chicken breast

1T vinegar

4 t achoite paste

3 T Olive oil, evoo

2 t  kosher salt, divided

1 Can black beans, drained. reserve liquid

1/2 C minced onion

2 1/3 C masa, corn prepared

Toppings:

1/4 C vinegar

1/2 Medium red onion diced

2 green lettuces leaves

1 plum tomato

1 ripe avocado

Habanero sauce

Marinade chicken in a mixture of 1T vinegar, 4 t achoite  paste, 2t evoo, 1/4 t salt. Coat chicken well, then grill over medium heat until throughly cooked. Let cool, shred chicken. Puree black beans with liquid until creamy consistency. Stir fry 1/4 C onion in 1 T evoo until golden, stir in beans, heating thru. Turn off heat set aside. Meanwhile, Marinade remaining onion in vinegar, drain when ready to assemble Panuchos.

With a tortilla press, or rolling pin, roll small dough balls of masa into 4 inch tortillas. Cook on hot griddle about 1 min each side, pressing tortilla down to force it to puff up. Create a pocket in the tortilla, then fill with 1 spoonful of beans, chicken, lettuce, tomato, avocado,  drained onion, and habanero sauce! Enjoy!

Happy Cooking!

Cassoulet

This is a wonderful winter dish.

French Country cooking, one of my favs!

Enjoy! Happy Cooking!

1 lb dried Northern Beans, or you can use canned, rinsed about 2 -3 cans.

1/2 C Fat, I prefer Bacon, but you can use duck fat or olive oil

1 fist of garlic, minced

2 onions diced, I prefer purple

3 carrots chopped

2 large ham hocks

1/2 lb pork shoulder or butt, cubed

1/2 lb panchetta cubed, or bacon

1 t oregano and thyme

2 bay leaves

1 can tomatoes, diced

1 C white wine

3 C chicken broth

4 Duck legs , or chicken legs

1 lb pork sausage

 Soak beans in a 4-qt. bowl in 7 1⁄2 cups water overnight. Heat 2 tbsp. duck fat in a 6-qt. pot over medium-high heat. Add half the garlic, onions, and carrots and cook until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add ham hocks along with beans and their water and boil. Reduce heat and simmer beans until tender, about 1 1⁄2 hours.

2. Transfer ham hocks to a plate, let cool. Pull off meat, discard skin, bone, and gristle. Chop meat, add to beans. Set aside.

3. Heat 2 tbsp. duck fat in a 5-qt. dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pork and brown for 8 minutes. Add pancetta, cook for 5 minutes. Add remaining garlic, onions, and carrots, cook until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Tie together oregano, thyme, and bay leaves with twine, add to pan with tomatoes, cook until liquid thickens, 8–10 minutes. Add wine, reduce by half. Add broth, boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, uncovered, until liquid has thickened, about 1 hour. Discard herbs, set dutch oven aside.

4. Meanwhile, sear duck legs in 2 tbsp. duck fat in a 12" skillet over medium-high heat for 8 minutes, transfer to a plate. Brown sausages in the fat, about 8 minutes. Cut sausages into 1⁄2" slices. Pull duck meat off bones. Discard fat and bones. Stir duck and sausages into pork stew.

5. Heat oven to 300˚. Mix beans and pork stew in a 4-qt. casserole, drizzle with remaining duck fat. Bake   covered, for  1.5  hours. Remove cover and bake an additional 1.5 hours.

SERVES 6 – 8

This is an adaptation from Savour.com!

Quinoa Salad

Quinoa Salad

This vegan salad is very healthy and healing!!!
1 C quinoa
3 C water
1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
1/2 Red Onion diced
1 Can Black Beans
1 C Corn Blackened
1 Rib Celery Chopped
1/2 C Cilantro Lime dressing

Cook quinoa according to package directions. Blacken corn on stovetop, in cast iron skillet. Toss all ingredients in large bowl and top with dressing. Chill before serving.

Cilantro lime dressing: juice of 1 lime, 1t honey, 1/4 C olive oil. 1/2 C chopped cilantro, 1/4 C red wine vinegar, or white balsamic vinegar. 1 t salt and fresh ground pepper. Whisk all ingredients together and pour over quinoa! Add sliced cherry tomatoes optional!
Happy Cooking!

Gado gado, from Indonesia

In honor of my Son, Jason's friend, Joe Brazell who will be moving to Indonesia to teach.

Gado Gado
This adapted recipe came from the book Recipes from the garden from Rosalind Creasy

For the sauce,

1 C peanut butter

3 cloves garlic minced

5 Thai chiles minced

2 inches ginger root grated

1/3 C soy sauce, or tamari

1 t salt and sugar

2 kaffir lime leaves

4 T lime juice

For the vegetables

3 C green beans, cut into 2 inch lengths

3 medium carrots julieanned

3 C spinach

3C Chinese cabbage, chopped
1 red bell pepper sliced
1 Cup Soy beans, shelled

2 C  bean sprouts

3T veg oil, olive oil or better yet coconut oil

1/2 onion sliced

4 hard boiled eggs 

To make the sauce, simmer all sauce ingredients, except lime juice,  over medium heat for 15 minutes. Turn off heat add lime juice.

In large pan, bring 2 quarts of salted water to a boil, cook beans and carrots 2-3 minutes until soft. Remove from pan, add cabbage, spinach and sprouts, stir just to wilt.

In frying pan add oil, heat and fry cubed tofu until brown. Remove and add onions, cook thoroughly.

In serving bowl, add vegetables, and sauce, toss to coat. Serve on plate with sliced eggs. I like to garnish with cilantro and chopped peanuts. This dish is like pad Thai without the noodles! Omit the egg to make it vegan! You can of course make some rice noodles or serve this rice! I prefer black rice, or even Quinoa! 
 Happy Cooking!

Super easy stuffed mushrooms

These are a wonderful and quick appetizer! Happy Thanksgiving!!!


Estimate about 4 mushrooms per person.
Serves 10
40 mushrooms, either large white button or baby Bella's
3 C bread Crumbs or stuffing mix
1 C butter
2 cloves garlic crushed
1/2 c shredded Romano cheese
1 1/2 c chicken broth, or more just to moisten the stuffing.

Remove stems from mushrooms,  sautée caps in melted butter, leave caps whole, remove caps, place in oven proof dish. Sautee chopped stems in melted butter, add garlic, bread crumbs, and broth just to moisten. Stuff mushroom caps with mixture and top with grated Romano cheese, bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes!!!!