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Tastes like Homemade Baked Pasta

by The Chubby Cook on 24. Aug, 2010 in Dinner

Today I was rummaging around in the refrigerator and ran across some mild Italian sausage and some shredded mozzarella cheese. I started to think about the Rustic Baked Pasta dish that we made in January. Normally I wouldn’t make a dish like this in August, but today it is cool outside and tomorrow is supposed to be in the very low 60′s around dinner time. I don’t think that is grilled vegetable or cold soup weather, particularly when we are all used to temperatures in the high 80′s for the last several weeks. Maybe a baked pasta dish would be good.

The dish that I made today is different than the one made in January. This version is also semi-homemade but has less calories and is faster to make. When you serve this recipe, everyone will think that it took you hours to make the sauce alone but you can get all the prep work done in less than thirty minutes. The smell of the cooking garlic with fresh oregano, rosemary and sage will make your mouth water and your house smell like your grandmother was there cooking all day. For this recipe, we use a little wine so there will be a lot left in the bottle- be sure that you pour yourself a glass and enjoy making this baked pasta dish.

Makes enough for 8-10 large servings

Ingredients for the Sauce:

1 package of mild Italian Sausage (six links)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons minced garlic (about 6 medium cloves)
1 can (6 oz) large black olives
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1/4 cup red wine (Chianti or Merlot)
1 jar (24 oz) Four Cheese pasta sauce
1 jar (24 oz) Vodka pasta sauce
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
Salt and fresh cracked pepper

Note: To prepare the black olives, drain them and then chop them roughly.

Ingredients for the Pasta:

1 sprig of fresh Rosemary
1 box (16 oz) penne or other pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt

Additional Ingredients:

1 bag (2 cups) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

For this recipe you are going to need a few items at hand. The first is a large mixing bowl. This bowl will need to be large enough to hold all of the ingredients. You will also need either two 9-inch baking dishes or one 9X13 inch baking dish.

Start this recipe by heating the grill to high heat and preheating your oven to 400 degrees. You will also need to fill a large pot with hot water for the pasta. Salt the water until it tastes like sea water. Add the sprig of rosemary and the tablespoon of olive oil. Set this pot over high heat (covered) and bring to a boil.

When the grill is hot, cook the Italian Sausage for about 8 minutes, turning throughout the cooking process until cooked through. Allow the cooked sausage to rest for 4-5 minutes, then cut into 1/4 inch wide coins. Add to the large mixing bowl and set aside.

In a large sauce pan, heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the minced garlic. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes. Add the black olives and cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring to prevent burning. Add the red wine and tomato paste. Stir until the tomato paste has incorporated into the wine. You will know this has happened because the sauce will start to thicken.

Add the jars of pasta sauce to the pan. Stir for about a minute and then add the oregano, sage and rosemary. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes.

While the sauce is simmering, add the pasta to the salted water. Cook for about 9 minutes. You want slightly undercooked pasta for this recipe because we will be baking the dish. When the pasta is cooked, drain in a colander. Move the cooked pasta to the mixing bowl.

Pour the sauce over the pasta and cooked sausage in the mixing bowl. Mix together. Grab either you two 9 inch baking dishes or one 9X13 inch baking dish. Spray with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Spoon in about half of the pasta mixture. Use 1/2 of the shredded cheese and the parmesan, coating the pasta in the dish entirely. Spoon the remaining pasta mixture over the top of the cheese. Coat the pasta with the remaining shredded cheese and parmesan.

Place the dish, uncovered, in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown. Serve immediately.

I would serve this with some Chianti, Shiraz or Syrah. It goes great with some fresh made garlic bread as well, or take the faster route and heat up some premade Texas Toast. A nice side salad with Italian dressing would be a winner as well. However you serve it, this dish will taste like it took you all day. Your guests or family don’t need to know that it was ready in under an hour.

Wine and baked pasta make a great meal. Photo by Scott Groth

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Grilled Thick Cut Pork Chop with Balsamic Reduced Onions

by The Chubby Cook on 22. Aug, 2010 in Dinner

Last night it was hard to cook this meal because I was torn between eating what is good for me and what is bad for me. We had pork chops planned for this week, but Caroline wanted stromboli from Guppy’s Tavern instead, which is just plain delicious. I am trying to be more healthy and made the hard decision to make the dinner that was planned come hell or high water. When I picked up her stromboli from the restaurant, my plan was almost shot. The smell of the stromboli was intoxicating in the car for the drive home. Pork chops, I kept thinking, pork chops. After the fact, I am glad to have made the chops. They turned out really well, perfectly cooked and seasoned.

To make this meal a little more appealing, I thought that some reduced onions would be good. Then I thought that some balsamic reduced onions would be even better. I had a fresh zucchini from the farm stand staring me in the face, so I thought that would go well with the whole dish. A little balsamic on it would pair it well with the onion. With a plan formed, it was time to execute.

Remember that you really do need to let your meat proteins sit on the counter to come to room temperature so they cook all the way through, particularly if there is a bone in them. I can’t tell you how many times I have rushed this step and found that the meat around the bone was raw. It’s always a huge disappointment to have to put the uncooked portion of a dinner into the microwave to finish it off. I season the meat while it is coming to room temp which imparts good flavor as well.

Makes 2 thick cut chops and fixings

Ingredients:

2 thick cut, bone in pork chops
1 red onion, peeled and sliced crosswise very thin
1 zucchini, washed and sliced lengthwise into 4 slices
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Salt & Pepper
Fresh thyme leaves for garnish

Brush the zucchini on both sides with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle a sparse amount of balsamic vinegar on the zucchini. Set aside. Take the meat out of the fridge, rinse and pat dry. Brush with olive oil on both sides. Coat with a light dusting of salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder on both sides. Allow to come to room temperature. Turn on the grill to high heat. When the grill is hot, add the chops and zucchini. Grill each side about 4 minutes, turning at the 2 minute mark. When the pork is cooked, allow to sit for 5 minutes before eating to let the meat rest.

For the reduced onions, add 2 tbsp olive oil to a pan over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add the sliced onion. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Mix and cook for 5-7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low and continue to cook for another 5-7 minutes. Add 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, stir constantly for 1 minute. When absorbed, remove onions from heat.

Serve the pork chop over the sliced zucchini with reduced onions on top. Garnish with some thyme leaves.

You’re gonna love this pork chop. I enjoyed it with a glass of Michael Cosentino’s “The Zin.” It was pretty darn good.

Succulent pork chops with reduced onions and grilled zucchini. Photo by Scott Groth

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Grilled Vegetables & Hummus on Flatbread

Grilled Flatbread with Hummus & Summer Veggies

by The Chubby Cook on 20. Aug, 2010 in Dinner, Lunch

Last week I was working to figure out what to do with some left over vegetables from my Char Grilled Summer Vegetables over Penne Pasta recipe. I went through a bunch of ideas an ended up making a Soup of Pureed Summer Vegetables, which was really delicious. In the thought process, I came up with an idea of putting the vegetables with some hummus on a pita. We have vegetables with our Best Hummus Recipe all the time, so it seemed like a natural pairing to put some grilled veggies with it as well. It just seemed a little too blah for us though, so I thought that a sauce on top might be the differentiation factor that was needed.

Typically I would make a sauce for it with some cilantro since that is my favorite summer herb, but our cilantro in pots have bolted to seed and the cilantro we had inside was a little too passed its prime. Caroline suggested that we use some of the chives we had in pots, so that is what we made. A lemon, chive, shallot and caper sauce that really added a lot to the dish. It’s simple to make, just add lemon, chives, capers, shallots and some olive oil together and mix. Put in some salt and pepper for good measure and you’re off to the races.

We changed up the pita for some flatbread that we had in the freezer from when we made our Greek Flatbread Pizza recipe. If you haven’t tried that one, it is really delicious. I would call that a vegetarian delight. So full of flavor that it’s hard to stop with just one. The hummus flatbread that you are reading about today is really terrific, but on a more subtle level. The flavors don’t punch you in the face like they do with the Greek Flatbread. All told, either one is great. Try them both and you decide.

Makes enough for 4 flatbreads

Ingredients for the hummus:

2 cans garbanzo beans (chick peas) drained and rinsed
2 lemons, juiced
1 head roasted garlic
1 tsp ground cumin seed
1/3 cup good tahini paste
1/3 cup sour cream or plain greek yogurt
1/3 or more cups olive oil (more if the consistency is too thick. Or add water if you are avoiding adding more oil.)
Small handful of Italian flat-leaf parsley leaves
Salt & Fresh Cracked Pepper

Ingredients for the Summer Veggies

1 summer squash, washed and halved lengthwise
1 zucchini, washed and halved lengthwise
1 green or red pepper, washed and quartered
2-3 scallions, washed
Olive Oil
Salt & Fresh Cracked Pepper

1 large tomato, washed and sliced thin. Set aside.

Ingredients for the Caper Sauce

1 tbsp chopped chive
1 heaping tbsp capers, drained
Zest from 1 lemon
Juice from 1 lemon
1 shallot, minced

The first thing to do is roast the garlic for the hummus. Turn a toaster oven or oven to 400 degrees. Trim the top off a head of garlic and place in a ramekin. Coat in oil and sprinkle some salt and pepper on. Cover with aluminum foil and make a tight seal. Put in the oven for 40 minutes to an hour. If you choose, skip this step and use 4 cloves of minced fresh garlic instead. If you roasted the garlic, when it is done squeeze the cloves from the head into a food processor.

To the food processor, add in all remaining ingredients for the hummus with the exception of the olive oil. Start to process and drizzle the olive oil into the hummus. Allow to process for 4-5 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. If it is too thick, add some water or some more Greek yogurt. Too thin, add some more tahini as it is a thickener. The hummus is ready to go!

For the vegetables, turn on the grill to medium high heat. Coat the vegetables in olive oil, but leave the tomato set aside. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill the vegetables for about 4 minutes a side or until cooked through. Remove from the heat. Place the flatbread on the grill and turn every 20-30 seconds until both sides are slightly crisp. Remove from the heat. With the vegetables, slice thin, half-moon coins from the squash and zucchini and slice the pepper thin. Set aside.

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients for the Caper Sauce. Set aside.

Spoon some hummus on each flatbread and spread evenly. Layer the thin tomato slices over the hummus. Add on the sliced grilled vegetables and spoon some of the sauce over the top. This dish has it all- great flavor as well as tons of proteins and vitamins. It’s a great lunch or dinner option. Chow down on this grilled flatbread pizza recipe as soon as possible.

Grilled veggies over some hummus makes a great meal. Photo by Scott Groth

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cabrilla in lime sauce with grilled corn

Spotted Cabrilla (Mexican Sea Bass) with Cilantro Lime Sauce and Grilled Corn

by The Chubby Cook on 18. Aug, 2010 in Dinner

When I was at our local Wegmans grocery last week, I took a swing through the seafood department to see what was available. They had this pale pink fish that I have never seen before. It looked really tasty and you could tell it was fresh just by looking at it. I asked the fishmonger what this Cabrilla was all about. He didn’t have a whole lot of answers, but said that they had it earlier in the week and sold out within hours. I asked how it was best prepared and he told me however, but don’t go overboard because the fish is delicate and flaky. He suggested that I put some salt and pepper on it and make a sauce. Sounded like a good plan so I bought two fillets and thanked him as I walked away.

Cabrilla is typically found in all Mexican waters and can grow as large as 50-60lbs. It looks like a grouper which means that it is just ugly. Unfortunately, I did not realize that this striped fish is not on the shelves mainly because it has historically been heavily fished. I can understand why, it is absolutely delicious. It is also known as Pinto Bass or Spotted Grouper in the event that you see it on the shelves somewhere.

I love cilantro with fish. I don’t know why, it just tastes good to me. Add in some lime, lime zest and olive oil and I think you have a pretty good and quick sauce. The dish needs something to give it some body, so I tossed on some grilled corn. The cilantro and corn combination is killer, particularly when you add in some lime. For the topping on a delicate and sweet fish, I thought it would be a winner that wasn’t overpowering. Caroline said it best, “The fish tastes great, you can still taste the flavor of it even with the lime sauce. The corn gives it a nice crunch.” We enjoyed this delicious fish with a fresh side salad with garden tomatoes and a homemade Dijon vinaigrette. Just delicious.

Makes enough for 4 entrees

Ingredients:

4 fillets of Spotted Cabrilla or other flaky, thick white fish
Zest from 1 lime
Juice from 1 lime
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 bunch of cilantro
2 ears of corn, shucked
Salt & Fresh Cracked Pepper

Light the grill and set to high heat. Lightly coat the corn with olive oil or cooking spray. Place on the grill and cook about 5-7 minutes, turning occasionally. Bring inside and slice off the kernels. Break up the kernels in a large bowl and set aside.

In a small food processor or a blender, combine the lime zest, lime juice and cilantro. While the machine is running, drizzle in the olive oil until the sauce emulsifies. Keep the machine running and add a pinch of salt and some fresh ground pepper. Set the sauce aside.

Heat a large non-stick frying pan. Add a four count of olive oil. Salt and pepper the fish. Add to the pan and cook, without moving, about 3-4 minutes depending on the thickness of the fillet. Carefully flip with a spatula and cook to desired temperature. I like my fish more well done, so would cook for another 3-4 minutes. Most people would probably cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Plate the fish. Spoon some of the lime sauce over the fish and top with the grilled corn kernels and a piece of cilantro for color. The pan searing should have made a crisp exterior to the fish and the corn adds a nice sweetness and crunch. The cilantro lime sauce ties everything together for a great main dish. This would be wonderful with some grilled asparagus or some sautéed green beans with garlic and lemon zest. It went great with our salads and come to think of it, would probably have gone great with some fresh tomato topped iwth a pinch of salt and cilantro. Whatever you pair this with, keep it light and fresh.

Pour some of your favorite Chenin Blanc or a Viognier in a wine glass and enjoy. I know we did.

Delicious. Photo by Scott Groth

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Char Grilled Summer Vegetables over Penne Pasta in Tomato Jus

Char Grilled Summer Vegetables over Penne Pasta with Whole Wheat Garlic Bread

by The Chubby Cook on 15. Aug, 2010 in Dinner

Over the weekend, we had some guests up to the house who have less than carnivorous tendencies. What exactly does that mean? No meat, fish or eggs. I learned this weekend that milk is typically off the list as well, but cheese is given the green light. At first I was thinking that a salad would be the easiest way to achieve mealtime nirvana. I was thinking that we would get some fresh greens and have it salad bar style where you pile on what you would like. Caroline gave the idea two big thumbs down saying that I had more imagination and creativity for our good friends than to make a salad bar. She’s right, I do. Time for some thinking. Next idea: ratatouille with a fresh crumb topping. Then I thought about the house and how hot it gets with the oven going, so that idea went out the window. Maybe I could make a swanky salad like fennel with watercress and a light lemon vinaigrette dressing. Make some fresh croutons which I would coat with fresh herbs from the container garden. Problem is that we are at the lake and watercress is really hard to find up here.

So, I thought that we would make up some penne pasta in a tomato jus topped with some grilled fresh garden vegetables. I decided that I would wait to see what looked the most fresh at the store and road side markets and work from there. On my trip for groceries, I was extremely fortunate. I found mini-plum tomatoes, fresh summer squash, zucchini still warm from being in the field and local red peppers that just looked amazing. For the finishing touch, I found some huge local beefsteak tomatoes which I would have to figure out what I was going to do. At the grocery I picked up some fennel because it was still on my brain from the salad idea and some organic scallions.

The colors in this dish are vibrant and it is extremely easy to make. I went a little overboard purchasing the vegetables simply because they were so fresh. It worked out in our favor though when I whipped them up into a delicious soup the following night- that recipe will be posted up soon as well. I made three medium zucchini, three bell peppers, three summer squash, one fennel bulb and an entire bunch of scallions. I could have made one of each and we would have had plenty of food. For this recipe, I have scaled the amounts back from what I made in the event you aren’t interested in making something from the leftovers.

The key to this dish is appropriate prep. Just because the veggies are fresh doesn’t mean they don’t need to be washed. I say wash them all first, then slice. After they are sliced, you can oil and salt them and leave them on the counter until needed. They don’t need to go on the grill right away.

Summer squash and scallions ready to grill. Photo by Jamie Ginsberg

Makes enough for 4 people

Ingredients for the Penne with Tomato Jus

1 box of penne pasta
3 cups of cherry or other small tomatoes, sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced and crushed with salt
1/2 tsp fresh lemon zest
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese (optional)
Salt & Fresh cracked pepper

Ingredients for the Char Grilled Summer Vegetables

2 summer squash, washed and sliced lengthwise
2 zucchini, washed and sliced lengthwise
2 red bell peppers, washed, cored and quartered
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and quartered
1 bunch of scallions, washed
Salt & Fresh cracked pepper

Ingredients for Whole Wheat Garlic Bread

1 loaf rustic whole wheat bread (hard crusted)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp garlic paste from ingredients for the Tomato Jus (robbing Peter to pay Paul?)

Salt a large pot of water and get it heating up to a boil. Remember that it should taste like sea water. Fire up the grill to medium-high heat. Wash all the vegetables and get to slicing. Once they are all sliced, you can either use a basting brush to oil them up or put about 1/2 cup of olive oil into the bottom of a work bowl. Hold the vegetable over the bowl and use your hand to coat. Once the veggies are oiled, make sure they are laid flat on a work surface and sprinkle salt and fresh cracked pepper over them. You do not need to take the roots off of the scallions- they can go on the grill just as they are.

Slice the rustic whole wheat loaf on the bias, about 3/4 inch slices. Brush with the olive oil on both sides. I don’t have a brush at the lake, so I drizzle some oil on each and spread around with the back of a spoon. On one side, smear some garlic paste. Remember that a little goes a long way! You’re ready to grill after the veggies are done.

When the water is boiling, toss in the pasta and cook according to the instructions. About 2-3 minutes after the pasta has gone in the boiling water (unless you are using fresh pasta, in which case you should cook that AFTER you have taken the veggies completely off the grill) put your vegetables on the grill. My suggestion is to put the red peppers on a shelf if you have one because their skins burn so quickly. Cook the vegetables about 5-7 minutes, turning and rotating throughout the cooking process. When the veggies are done, put them on a large platter.

Char grilled squash and zucchini. Delicious. Photo by Scott Groth

Reduce the heat to low and begin grilling the whole wheat garlic bread. Grill each side about 1 minute or until perfectly toasted. I start grilling with the garlic side up. You will like this garlic bread for sure.

To make the tomato jus, once the pasta is done cooking be sure that you reserve 1 cup of cooking liquid (pasta water). Pour off the pasta into a colander. Return the pasta pot to medium heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes. As they begin to break down, add in the garlic paste and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Return the pasta to the pot and stir. Add in the lemon zest and goat cheese if you are using. Pour in 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid and stir. If the pasta looks dry, add more cooking liquid. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a warm serving platter.

Slice the vegetables crosswise so they are in large sized chunks. I say mix the chunks all together, but you could keep them separate if you wanted. Move to a platter and serve family style alongside the pasta.

We served this meal in bowls that were layered first with the pasta, then the veggies and topped with the garlic bread. Everyone loved the dish and left the table completely satisfied, which is always a good thing. Upon reflection, I agree with Caroline that a salad bar would have been kinda lame. Thanks for pushing me a little bit- we got some great meals out of it!

Who says vegetarian can't be delicious? These are good eats. Photo by Scott Groth

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Lemon Chicken over Goat Cheese and Tomato Pasta

by The Chubby Cook on 12. Aug, 2010 in Dinner

In this dish, we cheated a little bit by using chicken breasts that were marinated from the grocery store. Typically I would not do this, but they were from Wegmans so they just had to be good, and they were. If you don’t have a Wegmans around, I’ll see if I can unearth a good lemon marinade to post up for this recipe in the next week or so. Until then, this one is a little semi-homemade.

This dish is best made in August and September when the tomatoes are at their peak. We visited a market in Canada just north of the border which was really incredible. I was completely shocked at the depth of the market for kinda being in the middle of nowhere. The people there were extremely nice and the produce was just fantastic. We made our way around the entire market sampling as we went. Here’s a shot of one portion of the market. Reminded me just a little bit of the Marché Provençale- just a wee little bit. It was a nice feeling to be there, that’s for sure.

Tons of fresh produce at this Farmer's Market. Photo by Scott Groth

So the key to making this dish is to let the goat cheese and the juices from the tomatoes do their work on the pasta. It’s critical that you reserve some of the pasta water- you will be amazed at just how much liquid the cooked pasta will soak up. The one thing you don’t want to have is dry pasta- trust me on this one. This recipe comes together quickly and is best served family style in shallow bowls. It’s really delicious, so just give it a shot.

Makes enough for 4 hungry people

Ingredients:

1 box penne pasta
3 cups yellow or red cherry tomatoes (or get a mix)
1/2 cup crumbled semi-soft goat cheese
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp lemon zest
About 20 good sized basil leaves
3 tbsp good olive oil
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
fresh cracked pepper
4 chicken breasts, preferably lemon marinated

Start the water boiling on the stove- make sure that the water is nice and salty. It should taste like ocean water. Fire up the grill after you have the water on the stove and let the grill get good and hot. While you are waiting, slice all the cherry tomatoes in half and set aside. Mince the garlic and prepare the lemon zest. Be sure that you have cleaned the lemons really well. Don’t cut the basil until everything else is done- it should be added at the absolute last minute.

When the water is boiling, toss in the pasta and give it a quick stir. Take the chicken breasts out to the grill and cook them for 10-12 minutes or until cooked through. They should be done about the same time the pasta is done. When they are cooked, bring them inside and let them rest while you are prepping the pasta.

For this recipe, you want your pasta cooked pretty well through. When the pasta is ready, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta but do not run cold water over. Put the pasta pot back on the burner and turn to medium-high heat. Add the olive oil. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute. Add the cherry tomatoes and salt. Stir for 1 additional minute. Remove from the heat and toss the pasta back in the pot. Add the goat cheese crumbles and lemon zest. Stir. If the pasta looks dry, add in the pasta water in quarter cup increments while stirring until it looks as though the pasta has a light coating on it. Adjust seasoning to taste. When it tastes right, move the pasta to a serving bowl.

Slice the chicken into rough strips. Chiffonade the basil quickly and mix into the pasta with a couple stirs. Lay the chicken strips on top of the pasta and serve family style. This is light and tastes fresh. You can lighten the dish by using whole wheat pasta or other types of pasta (for example Soba noodles would be great). I like this recipe simply because it shows you don’t need to have tons of oil or fat to make a dish taste great. I hope that you guys enjoy it as well.

Family style is the only way to serve this meal. Photo by Scott Groth

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Grilled, Dry Rubbed Pork Loin

by The Chubby Cook on 16. Jul, 2010 in Dinner

For some reason this past week I have had this nagging urge to purchase paprika. Not sure why or where the urge came from, but it was definitely there. At Whole Foods I picked up some organic paprika and at Miles Farmers Market some Hungarian Paprika. Mind you, I have not used paprika in probably five years and the canister that I had in my spice cabinet was probably 25 years old. Yes, when I left home twelve or thirteen years ago some spices came with me. My guess is at the time there was a lot of cottage cheese being eaten. Just a guess though.

With 2 kinds of paprika in my grocery bags, something was needed to put it on. Well, since paprika hasn’t been in the rotation for so long my mind was drawing a blank. Oh well, I thought, it’ll come to me eventually. That night I pulled out a 2lb pork loin from the fridge. I thought it would taste good on the rotisserie over the grill. Great idea, but then I couldn’t find the rotisserie forks. What next? Dry rub with paprika. Yeah baby.

So the amounts are not exact in this recipe because I didn’t measure. A regular dinner plate was used as the base to create the spice rub on. So, a light dusting would be just that, a light dusting all over the plate. A medium dusting is slightly more than a light dusting and so on. A pinch is still a pinch- capiche?

Lastly, before we get to the meat of this post, I have no idea if this is how you are supposed to prepare a loin on the grill. I have always either indirectly grilled and basted them or prepared them on the rotisserie. What can be said is that the loin came out perfectly moist inside with a nice crust on the outside with this preparation. There may be other, more proper, ways to make this dish but you should have success with this recipe.

Makes one 2lb loin enough for about 4 people with sides.

Ingredients:

2lb pork loin at room temperature
paprika- Hungarian, Spanish- whatever you have on hand
ground white pepper
mustard flour (ground mustard seeds)
ground cumin
cayenne powder
onion powder
garlic powder
Salt & Fresh Cracked Pepper

If you are using a gas grill, turn on only one side of it. We will be cooking mainly over indirect heat. For you charcoal grillers out there, heat up your briquette pile until smoldering and then move them to one side to create your indirect heat zone. You are going to want the temperature between 275 and 300 degrees inside the grill. Remember that if you have the thermometer on the hood that the actual temperature on the grill surface will be higher.

On a plate, dust the paprika, lightly dust the ground white pepper and cumin. Medium dust on the mustard flour, onion and garlic powders. Toss on a pinch or two of cayenne powder. Mix around on the plate with a fork. Take the room temperature loin and coat on all sides with salt and pepper. Roll the loin through the spices on the dish until it is completely coated.

Place a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil on the counter. Put the loin on the foil. Wrap the foil half way up the loin. Pour in the 3 tbsp of oil (can be canola, olive- whatever). Wrap the loin up allowing some room near the top for steam, but making sure that the loin is completely enclosed. We wrapped the top of ours down like a brown lunch bag.

Slap the loin on the part of the grill with no heat under it. It should cook here for about 45 minutes like this. After that time, open it up and give it a poke. It should still feel a bit rare, but not too rare. You will see a lot of liquid in the foil, save that for now. Remove the loin and move the foil over the direct heat and let it come to a quick boil to cook off any nasties that might be in there. It is pork, so we have to be careful. Move the foil with the liquid in it either off the grill or back to the indirect heat zone.

Now place the loin over the direct, medium heat. Give turn the loin every 2-3 minutes and give a quick baste with the juice from the foil. Poke the meat, it should still have some give but not feel mushy. Take the loin off the grill and cover with a piece of foil for 5 minutes to let the meat rest. It should have a nice crust and be ready for eating. Slice however thick you like it and serve with the juice. If you want, you could make the juice into a quick brown gravy or increase the volume by adding either pork or vegetable stock and reducing. That’s up to you and however much time you have on your hands.

Serve this dish with a light red, perhaps a Malbec. We enjoyed it with a Bordeau that was not really any good and completely overpowered the meat. Oh well, there is always next time. Hope that you guys like this one.

Tender, juicy and delicious with a nice crust. Photo by Scott Groth

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Black Bean Enchilada’s with Flank Steak

by The Chubby Cook on 13. Jul, 2010 in Dinner

Every Mexican restaurant that we have ever visited has some type of enchilada on the menu. After making them for the first time, I now know why. It is because they are cheap, easy and can pack a lot of flavor. You can make an entire meal to serve four people for under ten dollars, and that is using all organic ingredients. If you go with conventional ingredients, I bet that it would be under seven dollars. An onion, some garlic and a couple cans of beans is really all you need. For this recipe, there are a few additions made to really pack in some flavor, but you can make this without all the bells and whistles and still have a very satisfying meal.

The enchilada has everything that you need in it as well. You have protein and folate in the beans, starch and thiamin in the tortilla, calcium in the cheese- it’s a power packed meal. When you add in the flank steak, you get more proteins plus iron, magnesium, vitamins B-6 and B-12 as well as some zinc. Top it off with the Super Green Guacamole with avocados that are packed with Vitamins A, B and C and the tomatillos which are chock full of Vitamin D and your meal is turning into a real nutritional powerhouse.

Please keep in mind that this meal can be made to all go together or separately as their own components. The enchiladas would be great just with a dollop of sour cream. The flank steak can stand on its own with a few potatoes if that is all you have on hand. The Super Green Guacamole can go on just about anything, or served with some tortilla chips or fresh sliced green or red peppers for a refreshing snack. Whatever you decide to do, it’s going to taste great.

Now since this meal does take a little time, I always suggest finding some good music and opening up your beverage of choice. For this meal, I was drinking my No Hangover Margarita which really made the prep and cooking of this meal an absolute pleasure. Nothing wrong with having a really good time while you cook, and for me that includes some music and a good beverage. On with the recipe.

Makes enough for 4 large people, or 4 regular people with some leftovers.

Ingredients for the Enchiladas:

1 red onion, peeled, medium dice
3 cloves garlic, diced fine
1 poblano, seeded, medium dice
1 jalapeno, seeded, medium dice
2 cans black beans (preferably organic)- 15oz each
1/2 cup vegetable or chicken stock (preferably organic)
6 oz goat cheese (1/2 of a Silver Goat log- you can get at Trader Joe’s really cheap)
1 bag of shredded Mexican cheese
1 package of flour tortillas

Ingredients for the Flank Steak:

1.5 Lbs Flank Steak, brought to room temperature
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped
Salt & Fresh Cracked Pepper
Cayenne Powder
Garlic Powder

Click here for the Super Green Guacamole.

Okay, so let’s start by turning the oven on to 425. Then turn your grill on high heat. Next, get out a large plastic ziplock bag and pour in the lime and orange juice, the brown sugar and cilantro. Let’s go ahead and trim up the flank steak and score it in a diamond pattern on both sides. Liberally apply salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add cayenne powder to accommodate your palette. Let sit for 3 minutes and then put into the bag to marinate. Allow 15 minutes to marinate.

While the beef is marinating, let’s get to gettin on the enchiladas. In a pot, heat about 2 tbsp canola oil over high heat. Drop in the red onions and cook for about five minutes. I like to get just a little brown on the onions to add some flavor. Next, reduce the heat to medium and add in the garlic and the peppers. Let these cook for about 3 minutes. While these are cooking, drain the beans in a colander and rinse.

Add the beans to the onion mixture and heat for about 2 minutes. Using a potato masher, mash up the beans to a rustic texture. Add the stock and stir. Reduce heat to simmer and cook until the bean mixture is thickened, about 8 minutes. Once it is thickened, add the goat cheese and stir until fully incorporated. Take the beans off the heat.

Spray a 9X13 baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon some of the bean mixture into a tortilla shell, roll and place in the dish. You should be able to fit between six and eight in the dish dependent on how big you make them. Cover the whole shootin match with the shredded Mexican cheese and toss into the oven for about 15 minutes.

While the enchiladas are cooking, you can start the flank steak on the grill. Take the meat out of the marinade and place on the hot grill. Pour some marinade on the meat and come back in about two minutes. Flip the meat and pour the rest of the marinade on. Come back in 2 minutes. Flip twice more until the meat is medium rare. Remove from the heat, place on a cutting board and let rest for at least five minutes.

During the resting period, make the Super Green Guacamole. If you made it earlier, make another batch of the No Hangover Margarita or just enjoy the music and your beverage. When the cheese on the enchiladas is golden brown and crusty, it is time to take them out of the oven.

Slice the flank steak on the bias, against the grain. Your slices should be pretty thin. Plate the enchilada, cover with some Super Green Guacamole, top with some flank steak and a dollop of sour cream. You’re off to an excellent start for the evening. I guarantee that you will feel satisfied after this meal. Enjoy.

enchilada recipe with flank steak and guacamole

This Mexican feast is a vitamin packed powerhouse. Photo by Scott Groth

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Seasoned Pork Steak with Grilled Onion and Tomatillo Salsa

by The Chubby Cook on 09. Jul, 2010 in Dinner

Before today, I have never eaten a pork steak. To be honest, I didn’t even know that one existed. When shopping at Wegman’s Grocery in Lakewood, NY I was checking out the packaged meats and came across a bone-in pork steak. This thing is huge and only cost about four bucks. It looked a bit fatty and I was concerned that the meat might be tough. I was right on the fatty and wrong on the tough part. I think that the fat made the meat incredibly juicy.

I wouldn’t go out and get a bunch of these pork steaks to serve to company, however, because there is a little trimming that needs to be done when you are eating this giant hunk of meat. It shouldn’t be describe it as sinew, but there are some parts that are a little tricky to eat. The bone itself (at least on the two that we cooked) is in the shape of a wishbone at one end. The meat between these bones was a bit on the rare side due to being between two bones. To cook it longer might make the rest of the steak overdone. It’s a tricky one to cook, to say the least. But, being so cheap, I say toss it on the grill and see what happens. Live and learn, right?

The steak itself doesn’t have a ton of flavor, so you need to add it. You can smack this pig around with some big seasoning, so don’t be shy. Since we made it in the summer, it was very simply prepared with a little lime, basic seasonings and some heat. No need to go marinating forever on this cut, it is tender enough on its own. After it is cooked, smother it in the tomatillo salsa and add in some of the grilled onions for a really good bite. Here’s how to do it:

Makes 2 big ass steaks and fixens

Ingredients for the steak

2 bone-in pork steaks, brought to room temperature
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Cayenne powder
Chile powder
1 lime, juiced
Salt & Fresh cracked pepper

Ingredients for the grilled onions

4 bamboo skewers, soaked in water
2-3 sweet field onions or small vidalia onions

Make 1 recipe of Tomatillo Salsa

Turn your grill to high heat.

After washing and drying the pork steaks, coat them with the lime juice. Salt and pepper the steaks. Next, season the pork steaks liberally with the onion, garlic and chile powders. Sprinkle the cayenne powder on to your liking. I spray the steaks with olive oil just before I toss them on the grill as well.

Cut the onion into 1/2 to 3/4 inch disks. Put them on a skewer to prevent the onion from falling apart on the grill. Spray with olive oil on both sides and add salt and pepper. Put these on the grill now as they will take longer to cook than the pork steaks. This is a great time to make the tomatillo salsa.

After about 10 minutes of cooking, it is time to add the pork steaks to the grill. Cook them for a total of 12 minutes, flipping and turning every 2-3 minutes for nice grill marks. Turn the onions every now and again as well. When the pork is finished, make sure that it rests for about 5 minutes to unlock the juices.

Put the steak on a plate, top with the onions and tomatillo salsa for a really unique flavor experience. This recipe would go great with some grilled corn on the cob or even some grilled zucchini. We enjoyed it with a couple Tecate’s with lime because it is that kinda summer. Hope that you enjoy it as well.

Smack this pig around with some serious flavor. Photo by Scott Groth

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Italian Strip Steak

by The Chubby Cook on 27. Jun, 2010 in Dinner

Today’s post will be a quick one. This is my version of an Italian Strip Steak, mainly because Caroline thought that the ingredients were very Italian. The recipe is fairly simple and the results are really quite delicious. The medium-rare herb-encrusted steak dipped in the warm yolk from the egg with the saltiness of prosciutto makes almost a perfect bite. If you don’t like the consistency of strip, this can be made with a Delmonico or even a filet very nicely.

I made some potatoes with a new preparation. I dry seared quartered red-skins before adding any oil to the pan. The result was a very crisp potato, but I went overboard with the fresh garlic which I managed to slightly overcook, resulting in a hint of a bitter flavor. They were topped with fresh chives from our container garden. I think that these can be a success in the future, but will have to give them another shot before I post up the recipe. We also had some simple grilled asparagus.

We paired it with a 2005 Palazzo Della Torre Allegrini. The wine didn’t have the smacking licorice of an Italian red. It was lighter, fairly fruit forward and very pleasant with the meal.

This is setup for 1 steak. Multiply as necessary.

Ingredients:

Good quality strip or other cut of steak
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Nature’s Seasonings (a product from Mortons)
All purpose seasoning
Salt & fresh cracked pepper
Cooking spray or brushed olive oil.
1 whole large egg
1 additional egg yolk (for a larger cut of steak. Otherwise, 1 egg will be enough)
1 pieces of good quality prosciutto

Take the steak out of the refrigerator. It needs to rest and come to room temperature, otherwise you will have a beautiful sear on the steak and the inside will mostly likely be raw. While it is coming to temperature, turn on the grill to high heat. Start by seasoning the steak on both sides liberally with salt. Add the cooking spray or brushed olive oil. Let sit for 5 minutes. Add the other dry seasonings liberally to each side. This will create a nice crust on the steak.

For medium-rare, you’ll want to cook a thick steak for about 12 minutes. That’s three minutes between each flip to make some nice looking grill marks. When the steak looks done, take it off the heat and begin the resting period for five to ten minutes. You can layer the prosciutto on the steak now, as the heat will melt some of the fat into the steak. During the resting time, take out a small frying pan and coat with cooking spray. Heat over high heat and add the egg and egg yolk, being careful not to break either. After 1 minute, cover the pan and turn heat to medium-high. When the egg looks just firm enough to be considered cooked, slide it out of the pan on the top of the steak.

Try to get some yolk, prosciutto and steak in each bite. By the time you are done with the steak, if there is any egg left, mix it with the potato for some really mouth watering flavors.

That’s right, it is just that good.

Italian steak: strip steak, prosciutto and egg. Photo by Scott Groth

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Casual Steakhouse Sandwich with Brie

by The Chubby Cook on 26. Jun, 2010 in Dinner, Lunch

Early in the morning, I check out the refrigerator. Today’s mission: make a casual dinner for four. There was a refrigerator full of ingredients that needed to be used, so it should be no problem. Looking at the ingredients, it comes to mind that I can make the same old boring steak, asparagus and mushroom dinner. It’ll be safe and good. Why not? Well, we’re not here to eat boring food, right? Save that for the next life- can I get an amen? If not, at least holla back!

So all day I am literally chewing on how I am going to creatively put a new spin on these old standby ingredients. Sometimes the best ideas come to you when your mind is occupied with something else. That happened today. I was driving my family on our boat, speeding toward our lunch destination at Bemus Point. Seventy six degrees with a relatively flat lake, the throttle was pinned and the engines were singing a tune that was music to my ears. “Mmmm…” I was thinking, “wings at Casino. Gonna get some BBQ and some cajun. Extra crispy. It’s gonna be gooooood.” It was at that moment that it came into my head that I should make a steak sandwich. It would be casual, but decadent with a hearty mustard sauce and some rich, earthy brie.

It was a complete risk to serve for dinner because I had no idea if everything was going to work together in a sandwich. Maybe people aren’t interested in asparagus on their sandwiches. Never had mustard sauce with brie before either, might taste like crap. That’s the beauty of cooking for family. It’ll be what it is and that’s as good as it’s gonna get. So, I just sorta made up the marinade for the flank steak as I went along and came up with the mustard sauce much the same way. On the first bite, I knew that it was a winner. Everyone at the table agreed that this was a really good sandwich and no one had seen it done before. Grilled asparagus, sauteed mushrooms, thin-cut medium-rare flank steak, earthy brie and mustard sauce. Delicious. Who says you can’t have sandwiches for dinner?

Enough to make 4 sandwiches

Ingredients for the flank steak:

1 to 1.5 lbs flank steak. Unless you make large sandwiches, you’ll have extra.
Garlic powder
Onion powder
All purpose seasoning (optional)
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp lite sodium soy sauce
3 tbsp cooking sherry
2 tbsp good red wine vinegar
1 large shallot, diced fine
Salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper

For the mustard sauce:

3 tbsp mayonnaise
3 tsp whole grain mustard
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
Salt

Other ingredients:

4 large rolls, sliced and toasted (ciabatta would be best if you can find them)
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
2 boxes button mushrooms, cleaned and quartered (or use crimini or baby bellas and slice thin)
1 wedge of brie. We like it with some stank on it.

First, put the brie in the freezer. It will make it easier to slice later. Next, Take the flank steak out of the fridge as it will need to come up to room temperature. You can use skirt steak as well for this recipe, but it is harder to find at most grocery stores these days. Now, there are a lot of recipes out there that call for marination of meats for hours on end. I am not sure that this really helps anything as most marinades don’t penetrate very deep into the meat. That being said, a marinade can do most of its work in less than an hour in my book. I have marinated for up to 24 hours, but find that the meat gets mushy on the outside and takes on a gross looking gray color. This marinade needs about 45 minutes or so.

So I prepare my flank steak by lightly scoring the meat in a diamond pattern on the top and the bottom. People say that you lose all the juices this way, but with this recipe you’ll have plenty of juice left in the meat. By scoring the meat, it prevents it from contracting on the grill. It also allows the marinade to work its way into the meat a little further. Once the meat is scored, salt both sides liberally. In a bowl, mix together all the wet ingredients and the shallots. Place the flank steak in a baking dish and pour on the marinade. About 10 minutes later, liberally sprinkle on all the seasonings- flip the meat and repeat. Let this sit until is has marinated for 45 minutes to an hour.

To create the mustard sauce, put all the ingredients in a bowl and stir.

Turn on the grill to high heat. You want to cook the flank steak over high heat otherwise it will get tough and chewy.

For the asparagus, trim the woody ends and put into a shallow dish. Drizzle a 3 count of olive oil and salt the asparagus. These will go directly on the grill with the flank steak.

Chop the mushrooms and put into a dry, hot skillet. You will find that if you lightly brown mushrooms before you put the oil in the pan that they have a much headier mushroom flavor to them. It is really delicious and most people just smother them in oil from the word go. Once they are lightly browned, add a 2-3 count of olive oil. Add some salt, give the pan a toss and cover for 3-5 minutes, allowing the natural juices to cook the mushrooms through. Remove the lid and turn down the heat to medium high. Stir and remove when desired doneness is achieved.

Put the meat on the grill. It should cook for about 12-14 minutes for medium rare. After the meat is on, pour 1/2 of the marinade from the pan onto the meat. When you flip it the first time, pour the rest on the other side. Carefully place the asparagus on the grill. The asparagus will be done in about 8 minutes, so you may want to wait until you add it. Remember that after the meat is cooked, it needs to rest for 5 minutes, otherwise you will have dry, chewy meat and your cutting board will be swimming in the juice that has run out.

When the meat is done and has started to rest, start toasting the buns. You can put them on the grill, but I just put them in the toaster oven. Slather a good serving of the mustard sauce on both cut sides of the bun after they have toasted. Layer on the grilled asparagus. Slice the flank steak on the bias (at a 45 degree angle, not perpendicular to the cutting board) very thinly. It should look like a good roast beef cold cut if it is cooked and sliced properly. Take the brie out of the freezer and top the meat with a couple thick slices. If you want, take off the rind first. We don’t mind the rind, so I left it on. Smother the whole sandwich in the cooked mushrooms and off you go.

We ate this sandwich with a light red wine from France which was really tasty named Chateau Grand Moulin. It is a $12 bottle from the Mar Mar, which if you are familiar with Chautauqua Lake, you know is the best place to buy wine up here.

Now, if I had planned a little better, I would have served this with a light salad with a dijon vinegarette. Unfortunately, we ate all the lettuce the night before when we made the Chipotle Pork Fajita Salads. Oh well, we made due with a baguette and some good cheese. To finish off the night, I bought a box of drumsticks. You know, the good ones with the chocolate fudge down the middle. That’s what it’s all about- having fun and eating well. Hope that you all enjoy this one.

It's like a steak dinner all wrapped up into one sandwich. Photo by Scott Groth

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Chipotle Pork Fajita Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing

by The Chubby Cook on 25. Jun, 2010 in Dinner, Lunch

The taco salad went out of favor in the 90′s, right? It certainly has lost a lot of popularity, that is for sure. Well, I was straining my brain trying to think of something to make for dinner and thought “taco salad, yeah, that’s the ticket.” We had to kick it up a couple levels though, losing the fried tortilla shell, refried beans and ground beef. With some nice, fresh ingredients in the refrigerator, a new idea was born. The Chipotle Pork Fajita Salad. Now, don’t be shy if you don’t like pork. You can substitute steak, chicken, fish or even sauteed tofu in the place of the pork. If you are going to use tofu, I would suggest cooking the peppers and onions, moving them to another plate and cook the tofu in the juice left in the pan to give it some flavor.

The sure sign of success is when something is cooked, plated well and you ask the people eating it if it is good. When they respond with muffled “mmm… dhats gwood!” or more clearly with a “wow, that is fresh. Great flavor.” I agree, this fajita salad is pretty damn good. It takes a little bit of work, but the end result is a bright, spicy and filling salad. This salad works great with some Dos Equis, Corona, Pacifico (all stuffed with limes) or, if you’re feeling a little crazy then make a fresh lime margarita. The cilantro lime dressing on the salad really would go great with the fresh lime in a good margarita.

The pork is prepared in the same style as my Pork Soft Taco with avocado salsa. The pork cut is so inexpensive that I am using it quite frequently, and the prep is really easy and makes a flavorful dish. If you haven’t tried the pork soft taco’s, make sure that you check them out. Really delicious.

Makes enough for 4 really big salads

For the Pork:

1.5 lbs boneless country-style pork ribs
3-4 Tbsp Chipotle Tabasco
Juice of 1 lime
Sea Salt
Fresh Cracked Pepper
Cumin
Dry Mustard powder
Garlic Powder

For the Salad:

1 head of green or red leaf lettuce
1 bag of fresh tortilla chips
1 large Spanish onion, sliced thin
1-2 red peppers, cleaned and cut matchstick style
3 ears corn, shucked
3-4 tbsp chopped cilantro
2 medium tomatoes, cleaned and de-seeded
3-4 scallions, washed and chopped on the bias, light green and green parts only
1 lime, cut in half

For the Dressing:

1 lime, juiced well
1/3 cup olive, vegetable or canola oil
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Salt & Pepper to taste

To top the salad:

Green Tabasco sauce
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
Sour cream

Start off by turning on the grill. You’ll want it to be about 400 degrees. Now stop what you are doing, find some good music and turn it on. If you don’t have a beer or a favorite beverage, this is a great time to get one going. Cooking is about the mood, so set it up right for yourself. Your food will always turn out better.

Next, let’s prepare the pork. I wash the pork straight out of the package, then slice it into three thick chunks, all about the same size so they will all cook at the same time. Place the pork on a dish and squeeze the lime over the slices. Sprinkle on all the dry ingredients, being liberal with the salt. Drizzle the chipotle sauce on top. Spray with some non-stick cooking spray. Flip the meat and repeat. Let the pork come to room temperature while it sits in it’s marinade for about 20-25 minutes.

Next, we will prepare the dressing. It is really simple. Juice the lime, add the salt and whisk in the oil. Add the cilantro and stir. If you need more dressing, double the recipe. Use the spent lime halves to rub onto the corn. If they are completely dry, squeeze another lime over the corn. Grill the corn for about 10 minutes.

While the corn is cooking, take out a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add a 2 count of oil. Add the onion. Squeeze one of the lime halves over the onion. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the onions just start to turn translucent. Add in the peppers and cook an additional 7-9 minutes, or until desired doneness is achieved. Remove from the pan and set aside. Cut the corn off the cob into the pan. Add a 1 count of oil and the juice from 1/2 a lime. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until you hear the corn start to sizzle. Turn off the heat and add 3-4 tbsp cilantro.

With the grill still nice and hot, let’s get to cookin. Put the pork over direct heat. I like nice grill marks, so do a 3 minute rotation 4 times, for a total of 12 minutes on the grill. The pork should be medium, not well done.

While the pork is on the grill, deseed and chop the tomatoes into quarter inch dice. Slice the scallions and avocado. Get out the plates and put 4-5 leaves of the lettuce on the bottom. It is helpful if you break up the leaves into a manageable size. Then, crack up some tortilla chips and sprinkle over the lettuce. Layer the onion and pepper mixture on top of the chips. Next, toss on the corn.

Bring the pork in from the grill and let it rest for five minutes. This is a great time to get the beers ready, lime’s cut and stuffed in the necks. Or, make the margaritas. When the pork has rested, slice it thinly on the bias. Layer on top of the corn. Add the chopped tomato and then the sliced scallions. Take a tablespoon and pour the dressing over top of everything.

Add a dollop of sour cream and the sliced avocado. If you love cilantro like my family does, you can garnish with that as well. A couple shakes of the green jalapeno Tabasco sauce goes a really long way and adds a lot of flavor.

So that’s about it. It’s a really bright and spicy dish. You can spice it up more by adding some fresh chopped jalapeno or poblano if you don’t want quite that much spice. The cilantro and lime adds an element of freshness that when paired with the crisp of the lettuce leaf really makes for an enjoyable eating experience.

This salad has mad flava, yo!

This is one fresh salad- worth the chopping! Photo by Scott Groth

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Blackened Scallops with Sweet Heat Lime Sauce

by The Chubby Cook on 10. Jun, 2010 in Appetizers, Dinner

This recipe started off in Nantucket on a great trip with some friends. I had made blackened scallops before, but there was some real pressure on this particular trip. We were staying at a house on the island in October of 2009 for a long weekend. The house is nicely situated on an inlet with some good views. So the scene is set and the pressure mounts. All three couples staying at the house are notorious foodies. A couple of them can really throw down in the kitchen, which they did and I’ll get to in a minute. All of them grew up eating seafood regularly and I hadn’t made my blackened scallops in several years, the last time they were frozen in a bag. Well, there’s nothing like rising to the occasion. Particularly when you are blitzed from an afternoon of drinking and revelry.

The seafood was purchased from a fishmonger shack and that is literally what it was. Smelled of fresh fish and lots of it. When we got there, Justin and Alexi were immediately drawn to the fresh Ahi Tuna. They picked up the tuna, I picked up the scallops and off we went. The only accompanyment I could think which was easy to make was my Grilled Corn & Cilantro side dish. Well, the long and short is that Justin and Linda made some really incredible sesame crusted seared tuna. I hope that they will give me the recipe some day to post up here. The blackened scallops came out great and went really well with the cilantro corn.

Since then, this recipe has made it through the rotation several times. The most recent addition is the Sweet Heat Lime Sauce. A couple nights ago I made this and it came out better than expected considering it was never intended to be made. I had lime in my hand and squeezed it over the pan rather than the plate. Damn dirty martini- you tricked me again. The sauce pairs nicely with the scallop, accenting the sweetness and pairs superbly with the grilled corn with cilantro. The dish doesn’t need the sauce, but if you are feeling adventurous, give it a shot. You could make this as an appetizer if all you have is bay scallops or just cut the recipe in half and don’t make the corn. I would garnish an appetizer with a thin sliver of lime without the rind.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

16 diver scallops, rinsed, cleaned and dried on paper towels
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil or canola oil
Garlic Powder
Cayenne Pepper
Salt & Fresh Cracked Pepper

For the Sweet Heat Lime Sauce:

1 juicy lime or more if they aren’t juicy- might help to juice ahead of time as well and keep in a small bowl.
1 tsp granulated sugar or 1 tsp agave syrup

1 recipe of Grilled Corn & Cilantro- check TheChubbyCook.com in the category of Sides for this recipe.

Blackening or browning scallops isn’t all that hard to do. The key to getting them to turn is making sure that they are rinsed, cleaned and most importantly, DRY. You rinse them to get the white juice off. I am not sure what that is, but it isn’t appealing at all. You clean them by removing the foot. It looks like a little chunk of tough scallop which just doesn’t belong there. Just peel it off and pitch it. Layer some paper towels over a plate and place the scallops there. Lightly press on top with more paper towels. I let them sit there for a couple minutes so the excess moisture is pulled from them. Now that we have some prepared scallops, onto the next step.

I like to score my scallops. It helps them to cook quickly and gives them a nice look. Simply take a paring knife and make a tic-tac-toe board pattern on both sides of each scallop. Be careful not to cut your fingers. A sharp knife will make this process super quick. When they are scored, salt them, then pepper them, then cayenne them and finally garlic powder them. Don’t be shy with the garlic powder and cayenne as much as you think is necessary for your heat needs. I use quite a bit myself. Once each side of the scallop is seasoned, it’s time to cook.

Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add butter and olive oil/canola oil. You add the oil so that the butter doesn’t burn. When it is hot hot, place the scallops in the pan, making sure that you are not overcrowding the pan. If you put too many in, the pan temperature will fall drastically and the scallops will not brown or blacken. Cook each side for 1-2 minutes or until the scallop feels slightly firm to the touch.

Remove the scallops from the pan and set aside. Working quickly, juice the lime into the hot pan. This will deglaze the pan. Add the sugar/agave and stir quickly. Remove from heat and set aside.

Plate the scallops over a bed of the cilantro corn and coat with the lime sauce. Blackened scallops, quick like a bunny.

Sweet scallops and savory grilled cilantro corn make this dish a treat. Photo by Scott Groth

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Greek Flatbread Pizza with Grilled Halloumi in a Lemon Caper Sauce

by The Chubby Cook on 09. Jun, 2010 in Dinner, Lunch

This whole recipe came from a wildly botched attempt at making falafel two years ago. All I can say is that my falafel was so soft there wasn’t much choice but to put it on something. Luckily, Caroline was there to save the day. She suggested that we make falafel pizza so I wouldn’t be sulking all night at my failed attempt. I thought it sounded like a pretty good idea, so we grilled some pita breads that we had and ate soupy falafel with kalamata olives, feta cheese and tomato chunks.

As is always the case, the recipe has evolved quite far from its humble (bumbled?) beginnings. We discovered the world of halloumi which is a soft Greek cheese that is able to be grilled. Oh man, when you grill this cheese it browns with a slightly nutty flavor and the insides are soft and cheesy. It is a real treat. Put the grilled halloumi into a lemon and cilantro based sauce with shallots and capers… you just have to try it to believe how good it is.

I recommend that you grill the halloumi on a grill pan indoors. You can certainly put it on your grill, but it is an expensive cheese and if it falls through the grate that would stink. The very first thing I do is make the halloumi topping to let the flavors meld together a little bit. And don’t forget the pickles with this recipe- they really do make a difference! We eat Bubbies Pure Kosher Dills out of San Francisco. They look pretty weird since they are in a cloudy brine, but their flavor is really outstanding. They work great with this dish.

This Grilled Halloumi Topping is good enough to eat by itself. Photo by Scott Groth

Serves: 2 large flatbreads, enough for 4 people

Ingredients for the Grilled Halloumi Topping:

1 package halloumi cheese- 8 to 10 oz
1/2 tsp fresh thyme (optional)
1 large shallot, diced fine
2 lemons, juiced plus some zest
2 tbsp capers
3 tbsp cilantro, chopped coarse
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt & Cracked Pepper

Ingredients for Greek Flatbreads:

1 can garbanzo beans (chick peas)
4 cloves roasted garlic
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped coarse
2 tbsp Italian flat leafed parsley, chopped coarse
2 tbsp Tahini
2 lemons, juiced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
Salt & Cracked Pepper

Ingredients for plating:

1 medium to large tomato, sliced very thin
Feta cheese
Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped rough
1-2 kosher dill pickles, chopped into 1 inch segments
Couple of flatbreads or pita’s

I start this recipe by roasting a head of garlic. If you have never done it before, it is pretty simple. First, turn your oven or toaster oven to 400. Get out an ovenproof ramekin. Slice the top off the garlic to expose the cloves. Put into the ramekin. Pour olive oil on the head until the ramekin is 1/2 full. Salt and pepper liberally. Cover with foil and pop into the oven for 1 hour. The roasted garlic will keep in the oil for about 2 weeks in the fridge.

While the garlic is roasting, cut the halloumi into 1/4 inch slices. Just put the slices into the plastic container that comes with the cheese. Pour the olive oil onto the slices. Add the thyme if you are using and let this sit for about 30 minutes. While it is marinating, begin the halloumi topping. Add the shallot, capers, lemon juice plus some zest and cilantro to a bowl. Mix and add salt and pepper.

Heat a large skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. Take your marinated halloumi and lay each piece into the pan. When you have them all in the pan, pour the olive oil into the cilantro-lemon mixture. Mix together. Let the halloumi cook for 2-3 minutes per side, dependent on how thickly it was sliced and the heat of the pan. Don’t burn it. When it looks done, take it out and chop it roughly on a cutting board. Add it to the cilantro-lemon mixture. Mix together and let it sit.

By this point, the garlic should be done. Take it out of the oven carefully. Things are going to go quickly now, so put the flatbreads into the oven to warm until everything else is completed. In a blender or food processor, add all the ingredients. Mix well. If the consistency is too thick, add more lemon or olive oil dependent on your diet or taste preference.

Heat a large skillet over high heat with either canola oil or, if you have it, grapeseed oil. When the oil is smoking hot, add the garbanzo bean mixture to the skillet. Let cook until a brown crust forms on the bottom. Stir and let cook again. Repeat several more times.

Take the flatbreads out of the oven. Split the garbanzo bean mixture between them and spread to cover. Add some feta and chopped kalamata olives. Layer the tomato on and cover with the halloumi topping. Put the pickles on the side and you’re ready to eat!

Some people like raw red onion on this dish. I’m not a huge fan, but its out there to try if you like it.

I am sure there is a wine out there to pair with this dish, but I don’t know what it is. I like to eat this with a Coors Light. It may be unsophisticated, but hey, that’s me. If you have a suggestion as to what would go better with this, let me know by leaving a reply.

Although it is a lot of work, it is worth it.

This flatbread is really bright and flavorful. Photo by Scott Groth

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$Tex-Mex Lasagna$

Chub’s Low Fat Tex-Mex Lasagna

by The Chubby Cook on 06. Jun, 2010 in Dinner

Well ya’ll, this is about as southwestern as ole Chub’s is gonna get. This recipe is from about twelve or fifteen years ago when I first made it at my mom’s house in Sedona, Arizona. I had seen a similar recipe in one of the stores there and adapted my own version that night. This recipe has it all: great flavor profile, cheesy deliciousness and extremely low fat content. Mind you, fattiness can be controlled by the eater with this one. Toss on some sour cream and a big whallop of guacamole with a bunch more cheese and the fat content will increase. Hard to believe, I know, but it is true.

Where’s the beef? You can change this recipe relatively easily to add some more fat into it by using ground beef or even ground sausage. I have used ground turkey (breast meat) because with all the spices, you really can’t tell that it is not beef. Help the environment by avoiding beef for a night and try this recipe out.

The Tex-Mex Lasagna

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground turkey breast
½ tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. cumin
1 Tbsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. chili powder
¼ tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt or salt substitute
½ tsp. fresh cracked black ground pepper
1 1/2 cups diced green chilies (mild/medium)
1/2 cup diced poblano
1 habanero (optional, VERY HOT) or 3 jalapeno (Seeded & Diced)
3 cups tomatoes (Medium Chop)
1 package soft corn tortillas
2 cups low fat cottage cheese
2 cups shredded skim milk mozzarella
1 egg or egg substitute equivalent
4 count canola oil
2 cup low-fat shredded cheddar
2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
Roasted Red Pepper Strips (optional)

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350. Take out a big skillet. Add the oil, heat over medium-high and start to brown the turkey. As it starts to cook, add in the oregano, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, ground pepper, cumin and paprika. When the meat starts to brown, add in the poblano, diced chili’s and either the jalapeno or habanero. Cook for 3-4 minutes over medium-high heat.

In a bowl, mix together the egg, shredded skim mozzarella and cottage cheese.

Ok- now it’s time to assemble everything. Keep in mind that the tortillas are round and the pan you are putting them into is rectangular. My suggestion is the following: layer the bottom of a 9X13 baking dish with the tortillas. One at a time, lay a tortilla that goes up the side and put some of the meat mixture at the bottom to hold it in place. Continue around the dish until you have all the side pieces layered in. Fill the bottom of the pan with the meat mixture until you have used about 1/2 of the meat.

Add a layer of the cheese mixture. Next, add another layer of tortillas. Next, the remaining meat and on top of that put the remaining cheese. If you want three layers, either use a smaller pan or increase the amount of ingredients you are using by 1/3.

Pop it in the oven for about 45 minutes. It should have a golden top when it is done. About 5 minutes before it is done, add the shredded cheese to the top. When it is done and out of the oven, toss on the tomato and shredded romaine together. Top with the roasted red pepper strips or pimento if you have it.

There are a whole slew of ways that you can change this recipe to fit your tastes. If you like more spicy, add in some Jalapeno Tabasco to the meat mixture while you are putting it in the dish. For additional heat after the lasagna is cooked, take 2 cups sour cream and 1 adobo chile in sauce. That is 1 chile, not 1 can. Chop of the chile fine and add to the sour cream. Add in 2 tbsp chile sauce. Serve with the lasagna. Or you could add a layer of guacamole on the top. Another sour cream treat that is less smokey hot than the adobo sauce is to take 1 cup of sour cream and 1 packet of taco seasoning. Mix together and serve. Whatever you do, it is a very good dish. Give it a try.

I like beer with this lasagna. Tecate or Negro Modelo typically do the trick for me, but a Corona will do in a pinch. If you have the time and ingredients, whip up some margaritas. For less of a hangover, use these tips: cointreau instead of triple sec; pure agave tequila; limes instead of sour mix and finally, pure agave syrup in the place of sugar. You’ll thank me in the morning.

Yee-haw you son’s-a-b’s!

Mmm- enjoy this one ya'll.

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Lamb T-Bone with Redskin Potatoes

by The Chubby Cook on 04. Jun, 2010 in Dinner

Wow, is this recipe easy. Just a few ingredients and you use them all on both preparations. I would say that the prep time including trimming the meat and quartering the potatoes is less than 15 minutes for 2 people. Keep in mind that lamb t-bones are really small, so if you have a big eater, plan on getting them 2 of these bad boys. They are an inexpensive cut of meat- I just picked up 4 of them for about $7 at Wegman’s in New York. For the potato, if your grill has a large grate, put them in foil. They will taste just as good. So, here we go:

Ingredients:

4 lamb t-bones, trimmed
10 redskin potatoes, rinsed and quartered
2 tbsp rosemary, chopped fine
2 tbsp thyme, chopped fine
3 tbsp chopped fresh garlic
2 tbsp dijon mustard
3 tbsp olive oil
Sale & Fresh Cracked Pepper

Fire up the barbie. Start by taking the lamb out of the fridge. It needs to come up to room temperature. Rinse and quarter the potatoes and put into a bowl. Chop all the herbs and whatnot. Put half of them into the bowl with the potatoes. Do not put the mustard in the potatoes. Add in 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp of the garlic, salt and pepper. Mix and transfer to aluminum foil. Put on the grill- these will cook for about 20 minutes, 25 is preferable if you have the time.

Trim up the lamb. Add 1 tbsp olive oil, remaining garlic, thyme and rosemary and mix in a small bowl. Don’t add the dijon mustard here either! Salt the lamb liberally, crack the pepper all over it and coat with the herb mixture. Flip and repeat on the other side. Transfer to the grill and cook it over medium-high, direct heat for about 14 minutes total for a 1.25″ thick chop.

Turn the potatoes occasionally while the lamb is cooking. When it is all done, let the lamb sit for about 4-5 minutes before you cut into it. Serve with mustard on the side… that and the herbs will bring out the lamb flavor- it’ll be pretty damn good, I can tell you that.

Wash it down with a Rhone blend or a light Malbec.

Mary might have had a little lamb, but she didn’t know how to cook it.

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Char-Grilled Chipotle Chicken

by The Chubby Cook on 31. May, 2010 in Dinner

If you ever have trouble getting moist, delicious chicken off the grill, then this is the recipe to try. The marinade somehow delivers the most juicy chicken that it is just irresistible. Be sure to make enough of the sauce to baste the chicken while it is cooking and have a little left over to serve at the table. I typically make the Black Bean, Roasted Corn and Jicama salad with this dish. To serve, I mound the salad up in a shallow bowl. Then I slice the chicken on the bias and fan it over the salad. I top with fresh guacamole and a dollop of sour cream. Garnish with some chopped cilantro and a wedge of lime. It’s pretty good stuff we’re dealing with here, so hold on.

Ingredients

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts- cleaned
4 limes, juiced
1 orange, juiced
5 tbsp Chipotle Tabasco
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp agave nectar

In a bowl, whisk up the lime juice and orange juice. Add in the Tabasco and olive oil. Whisk in salt and cayenne pepper. Do NOT add in the agave yet! Pour about 1/3 of the marinade into a large plastic bag. Add the chicken to the bag and let marinade for at least 30 minutes, but can sit up to a couple hours.

Fire up the grill and get it nice and hot. Put the chicken on the grill and pour whatever is left in the bag over the breasts. While the chicken is cooking, add the agave to the reserved sauce and whisk. On the first turn of the chicken, baste with some of the reserved sauce. Repeat until chicken is cooked.

Let the chicken rest while you prepare the plate. Either pour remaining sauce on the chicken or leave on the table for people to add as they would like.

Damn, that’s some good chicken.

That's the good stuff

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Delicious Pork Soft Taco’s with Avocado Salsa

by The Chubby Cook on 29. May, 2010 in Dinner

This one deserves the title that it is getting, because it is simply delicious. I made the mistake today of not reading my recipe for another pork dish far enough in advance and missing the window for appropriate marination time. As they say, when one door closes, another opens. As it turns out, I had to make something up on the spot and it turned out really well. This is a quick-to-make recipe, so it is great for weeknights or whenever you need to get something on the table quick. Keep in mind, this recipe is good for you as well- there is no oil anywhere and if you trim the ribs of most of the fat, you can really keep the calories down on this one.

Makes enough for 4 large soft tacos

Ingredients for the pork

1.5 lbs boneless country-style pork ribs
3-4 Tbsp Chipotle Tabasco
Juice of 1 lime
Sea Salt
Fresh Cracked Pepper
Cumin
Dry Mustard powder
Garlic Powder

Ingredients for the Avocado Salsa

2 ripe vine tomatoes, chopped rough
1 large ripe avocado, medium dice
Juice of 1/2 lime
Sea Salt
Fresh Cracked Pepper
Handful of cilantro, chopped fine
1-2 scallions, fine dice of the white only
Cayanne pepper
Green Jalapeno Tabasco sauce

4-5 10″ Soft Flour Tortillas

Alrighty then, let’s get the meat marinating. Take it out of the fridge and trim all the fat. If it has come in 1 piece, slice it into several uniform thickness chunks before marinating. This will allow for even cooking and a shorter cook time. Put the pork into a shallow dish that will hold it all. I season the first side fully before flipping to the other side, but you can do it however you would like. Just take the next steps and repeat for side 2. Salt the meat liberally and shake as much of the Chipotle Tabasco on as you would like. I give about 5-6 shakes per rib section. Squeeze 1/2 of the lime over all the ribs, then crack some fresh black pepper over the dish. Apply a light dusting of mustard powder and cumin. Give a medium coating of garlic powder. Flip and repeat. Let the meat sit on the counter for about 20-25 minutes while you are prepping the salsa.

If you’re not listening to some music, turn some on. Make sure it is something you like.

Let’s rock out on the salsa. Dice up the tomato and avocado, tossing them all in a bowl together. Finely dice the onion and cilantro and toss into the bowl. Take the lime, slice it in half and squeeze it over the bowl. Add some salt and fresh cracked pepper and give it a quick stir. If it looks like it might need some more lime, add some more. I shake in about 8-10 good shakes of the Jalapeno Green Tabasco and a light dusting of cayenne powder. Add more or less dependent on your tolerance to spice. Give it a stir and let it sit. Light the grill.

This is where I would crack a Pacifico and add some of the lime that was left over from the salsa. Next step, turn the music up a little.

If you have corn on the cob, here’s a hot little tip: shuck the corn completely. Spray with some olive oil cooking spray. Take some taco seasoning and sprinkle on all the cobs. Take the lime halves from when you squeezed them over the pork and rub the taco seasoning into the kernels while squeezing the lime. These bad boys can cook on the shelf in the grill or over indirect heat while you are cooking your pork. It was a happy mistake that I made tonight and will do again and again. The taco seasoning and lime really bring out the sweetness of the corn. BOO YAH BABY!

When the grill is nice and hot, get to gettin. Put the pork over direct heat. I like nice grill marks, so I do a 3 minute rotation 4 times, for a total of 12 minutes on the grill. The pork should be medium, not well done.

After the pork is cooked up, take it off the grill and let it sit for about 4-5 minutes. Turn off the grill and while the pork rests, toss the tortilla shells on the grill for about 30 seconds each.

Once the pork is rested, slice it on the bias. Toss the pork on the tortilla, mound up some of the avocado salsa and proceed to mowing that bad boy down. No need for cheese, sour cream or anything. The meat should be succulent and well seasoned. The avocado should provide the creamy base that would normally be the sour cream.

If that isn’t one of the best soft taco’s you have eaten, let me know.

It’s just that good.

That does look like a delicious pork taco. Eat it!

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Rustic Baked Pasta

by The Chubby Cook on 16. Jan, 2010 in Dinner

Last night we had some company over. They were going to be arriving late due to their work schedule, so I figured that I would whip up something easy and tasty which would hold until they arrived. I know that you have had some type of baked pasta in the past, but this is a little different with a couple twists. The sauce has an excellent mouth-feel and the pasta as a whole is hearty and filling. Keep in mind that buying ready-made sauce is just fine to prepare this meal in record time. The secret to this recipe is the sour cream which takes the edge off the pasta sauce.

Baked Pasta:

Ingredients:

1 box pasta- any type will do. Tortiglioni (tubular corkscrew pasta) is particularly good with this dish.
1 jar jarred Vodka Tomato sauce
1 jar jarred Four Cheese sauce
1.5 lbs Italian sausage- in sausage form preferably
1 12oz box of baby Bella mushrooms
1 can large or extra large black olives
4 tbsp chopped garlic (I use the type out of the jar to save time)
3 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
3/4 cup sour cream
Green Tabasco sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup grated parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350.

Heat generously salted water in a large pot for the pasta. Add some olive oil to the water. When it comes to a boil, add pasta and cook until al dente, about 6-7 minutes. It will continue to cook in the oven.

Chop sausage into 1″ segments. Set aside.

Trim and clean mushrooms. Slice into quarters and set aside.

Drain olives and chop roughly (gives the meal a rustic look) and set aside.

Heat saute pan on medium-high and add sausage- brown on all sides.

Move sausage into a large mixing bowl (large enough to hold all the ingredients). Keep the pan fat to cook mushrooms in. Add the mushrooms and saute for 4-5 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium and add a little olive oil and the minced garlic. After about a minute, add the olives and cook for another 2-3 minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic.

Drain pasta in a colander and put into the mixing bowl. Add both jars of sauce and stir. Add in the mushroom mixture and stir. Add the sour cream, a couple shakes of green Tabasco, oregano and some of the parmesan. Stir it up and add salt and pepper to taste.

Add 1/2 of the pasta mixture to a 9X13 baking dish. Even it out and layer with 1/2 of the mozzarella. Add the remaining pasta, even it out and add all remaining cheese to the top.

Pop it in the center of the oven and bake for about 45 minutes to an hour. If it starts to look dry, cover with foil and reduce the heat to 200 to keep warm until it is time to eat. Serve with a light sprinkle of chopped oregano and a side of toasty garlic bread.

Wine paring for this meal: Although my wife will disagree with me, I lean toward a light Chianti for this meal, although a more hearty wine will certainly stand up against it. Due to the mushroom flavor, I also lean toward a more full malbec to complement the dish.

Enjoy!

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The Chubby Cook

Tastes like Homemade Baked Pasta

Grilled Thick Cut Pork Chop with Balsamic Reduced Onions

Grilled Flatbread with Hummus & Summer Veggies

Spotted Cabrilla (Mexican Sea Bass) with Cilantro Lime Sauce and Grilled Corn

Char Grilled Summer Vegetables over Penne Pasta with Whole Wheat Garlic Bread

Lemon Chicken over Goat Cheese and Tomato Pasta

Grilled, Dry Rubbed Pork Loin

Black Bean Enchilada’s with Flank Steak

Seasoned Pork Steak with Grilled Onion and Tomatillo Salsa

Italian Strip Steak

Casual Steakhouse Sandwich with Brie

Chipotle Pork Fajita Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing

Blackened Scallops with Sweet Heat Lime Sauce

Greek Flatbread Pizza with Grilled Halloumi in a Lemon Caper Sauce

Chub’s Low Fat Tex-Mex Lasagna

Lamb T-Bone with Redskin Potatoes

Char-Grilled Chipotle Chicken

Delicious Pork Soft Taco’s with Avocado Salsa

Rustic Baked Pasta

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