Roasted Brussel Sprouts w/Bacon

Roasted Brussel Sprouts w/ Bacon


Ingredients

• 1-2 Packages of Brussel sprouts (trimmed and halved)
• 3 Slices of Lemon
• Tablespoon of Olive Oil
• 3 Slices of Bacon
• 1/2 cup of chicken stock - Simmer in a separate pot
• 5-6 whole cloves of garlic
• Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper
• 1 Bay Leaf

Preparation

In a medium size bowl toss well together Brussel Sprouts, Lemon slices, garlic cloves, olive oil, bay leaf, salt & pepper.   

Once combined place in a small baking dish lined with parchment paper and then covered with tin foil.

Roast at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until fork tender.  While roasting cook bacon in a hot pan until crispy.  Set aside on paper towel to drain.  Rough chop.

Remove Brussel Sprouts from oven and in small batches or servings add to pan over medium high heat.  Add bacon, salt & pepper, and chicken stock to pan. Toss a few times in the hot pan.  Once chicken stock begins to bubble remove from heat and serve.  

This recipe is amazing!

Mixed Summer Green Salad w/ Red Wine Honey Vinaigrette

The smell of summer is right around the corner.  Time to start prepping.  Anyone have some great recipe ideas??

Mixed Summer Green Salad w/ Red Wine Honey Vinaigrette

Ingredients

• Handful of Mesclun Greens
• Cherry Tomatos
• Sliced English Cucumber
• Sliced Red Onion
• Salt & Pepper
• Handful of Craisens
• Toasted Pine Nuts

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Toss with Red Wine Honey Vinaigrette (See Below).

Dressing

• Tablespoon of Honey
• 2 Tablespoon of Red Wine Vinegar
• Salt & Fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

Combine Honey, Vinegar and whisk well together. Slowly drizzle in olive oil until well combined.

Add salt & pepper to taste. Top with shaved Parmesan cheese. Refrigerate for 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Roasted Pork Tenderloin w/Cheesy Cauliflower Mash & Roasted Haricot Vert

Ham....To this day I still have recollections of elementary school. Sitting in the cafeteria watching your friend sitting across from you take a bite into his sandwich and see globs of Mayo coming out the sides of his mouth. It's something that has scarred me for life and to this day the thought of eating ham tends to gross me out. I'm not sure what it is exactly... the color, the slimy texture, or just the thought of taking two pieces of white bread, slathering mayonnaise on both sides and then piling processed slices of ham & American cheese in between makes me want to heave. Now I'm sure Ham is mighty tasty but it's just something I've always grown up disliking. In fact, I was never a fan of bacon until I moved to New York and to this day unless it's burnt & crispy, I still tend to peal my bacon in half and only eat the lean side.

So in honor of a new year, I decided to be a bit risky tonight and make something I have never made in my time. As I was sitting in Barnes & Noble today I came across an interesting recipe by a staple in my life, Ina Garten (also known as the Barefoot Contessa). Thank you Ina! After eating this meal I must say, I may never eat a slice of ham for as long as I live..but roasted pork tenderloin sure will be a dish that will appear in my kitchen for many meals to come!

Roasted Pork Tenderloin w/ Cheesy Cauliflower Mash & Roasted Haricot Vert

Ingredients

• 2 (lb) Pork Tenderloin
• 6 garlic cloves chopped
• 2 tablespoons of Dijon Mustard
• 1/4 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1.5 tablespoon of Rosemary
• 1 tablespoon of Thyme
• 2 teaspoon of kosher salt

Preparation

Combine all ingredients in a large Ziploc bag and marinate refrigerated for 2 hours (up to 24 hours). Once marinated remove pork tenderloin from bag and shake off excess marinade. Leave on any excess pieces of Rosemary or Thyme. Discard marinade.

Heat one tablespoon of olive oil over high heat using a cast iron pan. Once oil is beginning to steam sear pork tenderloin on each side until a brown crust forms. While searing preheat your oven at 350 degrees.

Transfer entire cast iron pan with pork tenderloin to the oven. It should take approximately 20 minutes or until pork tenderloin reads 140-150 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove immediately and cover with tin foil. Do not over cook. Let tenderloin rest for up to 10 minutes so juices can re-concentrate. Slice 1/2 inch think pieces and serve over Cauliflower Mash.

Cheesy Cauliflower Mash

Ingredients

• 1 head of cauliflower trimmed from stem and broken into florets
• 1/4 cup of whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 tablespoon of cream cheese (fat free)
• 1/2 cup of grated Gruyere cheese
• Salt & Pepper
• Chopped Chives

Preparation

Boil Cauliflower florets over salted water for 20-30 minutes or until tender with a fork. Drain Cauliflower over a colander and shake out excess water. Remove as much water as possible to maintain good consistency. Put Cauliflower back into a large saucepan. Using a hand masher, mash cauliflower until smooth with no chunks. Add butter, cream and cream cheese and mix until well combined. Add Gruyere cheese and mix until fully combined. Cheese should not be runny. Add S&P to get desired taste. Serve with chopped chives.

Serve & Enjoy!

Sunday Guacamole

I was at the store this week and picked up a couple Avocado's. I was never a fan of Avocado's growing up...but then again maybe they just weren't that common in Michigan. Today, Avocado's are one of my favorite fruits. They can go just about in anything...sandwiches, omelette's, salads, hummus, etc. But my most favorite dish for Avocados is none other than guacamole. I'm a huge spice lover so the more heat you throw in the better the guac will be. Here's my version of Sunday Guacamole!

Ingredients

• 2-3 Haas Avocado's
• Juice of half a lemon
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 large clove of garlic minced
• 1 seeded ripe tomato diced
• 1 half diced red onion
• 1 diced jalapeno (I prefer half seeds included) or Habanero
• Sea Salt
• Fresh black & cayenne pepper
• Chopped Cilantro (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and combine. Serve with Blue chips or your chip of choice!

Enjoy!

Baked Eggplant & Zucchini Parmigiana

I woke up this morning with no voice. Thought the night was going to end in celebratory fashion, yet unfortunately as usual my Spartan's end up coming up on the short end in last night's Valero Alamo bowl. Can't really complain too much...14 players suspended including our two stud wide receivers, a home crowd of 57,000 plus in Texas, and all fate on the side of the red & black as their highly touted coach gets fired for what some would call sticking their bench player in the "execution" room! (seriously - What on earth is an electric closet??).

Well..it's now noon on a frigid Sunday in New York and I'm just rolling out of bed. I'm in need of a good grocery run as I have to cook dinner for 4 tonight. I was going through the pantry making a list of what I need for tonight's meal when I realized I've got some items leftover from the week that if I don't use quick I'm going to lose.

So in honor of this weekends final "no pride" game for the G-men, I decided to try whipping something up real quick.

BTW- I love chicken parm....in fact I love any kind of parm, so if you a similar foodie to me you'll really enjoy this recipe.

Baked Eggplant & Zucchini Parmigiana

Ingredients

• 1 large eggplants sliced lengthwise
• 1-2 large Zucchini's sliced lengthwise
• 1 cup of tomato sauce (recipe below)
• Part Skim Ricotta Cheese
• Shredded Mozzarella
• Grated Parmigiana cheese
• 2 tablespoons of panko bread crumbs

Preparation

Using a deep casserole or lasagna dish spread a couple tablespoons of tomato sauce on bottom of dish. Layer two slices of eggplant followed by 2-3 slices of zucchini. Next add a good amount of the ricotta cheese topped with shredded mozzarella. Repeat this process three times or til the dish is topped off. On the last layer end with a healthy sprinkling of Parmigiana cheese and some panko bread crumbs

Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes or until dish begins to bubble over. When dish begins to bubble, remove cover and broil for additional 5 minutes to brown bread crumbs and create a crispy top.

Serve and enjoy!

Homemade Tomato Sauce

• 16 oz. can of crushed San Marzano tomatoes
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 medium white onion diced
• 2 tablespoons of good olive oil
• 1 cup of chicken or vegetable broth
• Fresh Italian parsley
• Fresh or Dried basil
• Dried Oregano
• Salt & Pepper
• Red Pepper Flakes

Heat Olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped garlic and simmer (if the garlic begins to brown your heat is turned up to high). Add onions and let sweat (onions should become translucent). Add tomatoes and herbs and stir together well. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Once sauce begins to boil reduce heat to a simmer and let reduce for about 30-40 minutes. Extra sauce can be frozen or kept in a refrigerator for up to a week.

Slow Cooked Chicken in White Wine & Lemon

Christmas Eve in NYC! Unfortunately the space is limited so my aspirations for cooking for 30 on Thanksgiving have been put on hold. So I thought the next best thing. Slow cooking a chicken marinated in white win, garlic & lemon! As usual, my wife has this thing against herbs so had to leave those on the side...as far as she knows:)

Ingredients

1 Large whole Chicken

1/2 bottle of white wine (I used Savignon Blanc)

3 large lemons (zest first and put to the side)

1 head of garlic

Olive Oil

S&P

1 large onion

1 Slow Cooker or large pot to cook in oven

Take entire chicken and rinse in cold water. Pat Dry with paper towel. Take 2 tablespoons of olive oil and coat entire chicken including core with olive oil, salt & pepper. Stuff cavity of chicken with one whole large onion and half a lemon. Drop into slow cooker. Top off with 1/2 bottle of wine or enough until liquid just below covering the entire chicken. Squeeze 1-2 entire lemons into wine and drop lemon into cooker. Top off with 4-5 crushed garlic cloves, skin on.

Set timer to low heat for 7-8 hours. Go sit on the couch and watch 3 of your favorite Christmas movies. Christmas Vacation....Die Hard....??

8 hours later.....

Pull chicken from slow cooker and set on a plate. Cover to cool. Chicken will continue to cook so you'll need to work quickly to prevent chicken from drying out.

While chicken is cooling take the remainder of the liquid and pour gently into large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce heat to medium low. Depending on level of thickness you may need to add some flour and or increase wine content. Strain and serve.

Using a sharp knife remove legs from chicken as well as breasts (white meat). Remove onion from inner cavity of chicken and slice into quarters. Once all the meat has been removed discard the remainder of the chicken. I also prefer discarding the skin since the slow cooker won't create any crispness.

Plate as seen below.

To complete the Christmas Eve dinner accompany chicken with Sauteed Brussel Sprouts

• 1 pack of Brussel Sprouts washed & trimmed
• 1 tablespoon of EVOO
• 1 tablspoon of Lemon zest
• 1 shallot thinly sliced
• 1 minced clove of garlic

Heat garlic & shallots in olive oil. Add in brussel sprouts & cook until golden brown. Add lemon zest and give one final toss. Season to your liking.

And Roasted Potatoes w/Rosemary & Garlic

Voila!!...

Raita

Raita - also known as Indian yogurt sauce.

A staple in all indian food. Some serve with Cilantro...other's like me are forced to leave without. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup of whole milk plain yogurt
• 1/2 english cucumber peeled and chopped
• 2 teaspoons of chopped green onions or scallions
• 1/4 teaspoon of corriander
• 1/4 teaspoon of cumin
• Salt & Pepper

Combine all ingredients and chill in refrigerator for up to an hour. Serve with Chicken Tikka!

Chicken Tikka w/Basmati Rice & Chana Sag

Ok...so we love Indian Food. We love it so much we traveled all the way to India to find the perfect meal! Believe me?? Click here

Well Friday night is here and it's also the first night of Channukah. So what better to do on tonight than make an amazing dinner full of Chicken Tikka, Basmati Rice, and my version of Chana Sag!

Enjoy!

Chicken Tikka

Ingredients

• 2-3 large breast of chicken cut into large chunks
• 1/2 cup of plain whole milk yogurt
• Juice of half lime
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground corriander
• 3/4 teaspoon of garam masala
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 2 cloves of garlic (grate on microplane)
• 2 teaspoons of fresh ginger (grate on micrplane)

Combine all ingredients and marinate with Chicken for 2-3 hours covered and refrigerated

Once the chicken is almost marinated preheat your oven to about 400 degrees. Using a cast iron skillet, preheat the pan in the oven for about 10 minutes. Once the pan is hot, layer the chicken into the pan and bake for 10-15 minutes turning once.

While the chicken is cooking time to make the Chana Sag!

Ingredients

• Can of Chickpeas
• 2 large bags of Spinach (washed)
• Half of one large white onion diced
• 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
• Teaspoon of Corriander
• Teaspoon of Garam Masala
• Teaspoon of Splenda
• Pinch of Salt

Melt butter over medium heat and add diced onion. Cook until translucent. Add spices and stir. Onions should turn brown. Add spinach and cook until wilted down. Reduce flame until liquid disappears. Once liquid is reduced and chick peas and kick up the flame until dish is really hot. Depending on level of sweetness or saltyness you may want to add more spice. Serve immediately.

To plate:

Layer one large plate with Basmati Rice

Top one end with Chana Sag

Top other end with Chicken Tikka

Serve with lemon wedge, mango chutney & Raita!

Grilled Turkey Burgers & Baked Onion Rings

If there is one meal that I have a difficult time turning down it has to be the great american burger. Living in New York I've managed to make it a job seeking out what many Manhattanites consider to be the best. I've tasted them all from the $5 Bistro Burger (w/bacon of course) to the $32 DB Burger (but I've yet to taste the $120 DB Royale!) I've been to J.G's, Bar 6, Shakeshack, Five Guys, Old Town, Pop, & most recently Minetta Tavern. I must say the black label burger is out of this world!

So in honor of my favorite burgers here's my own version of the American classic!

Grilled Turkey Burgers w/healthy onion rings!

1 pound of 93% fat Turkey Meat

2 Tablespoons of Dijon Mustard

Worchester Sauce

2 Tablespoons of canola oil

2 Tablespoons of Part Skim Ricotta Cheese

Salt & Pepper, Paprika, Garlic & Onion Powder

Red Pepper Flakes

Mix all ingredients together with your hands and refrigerate.

Should make about 4 good size patties.

Grill at medium to high heat in a heavy cast iron pan. I prefer Lodge. Make sure to only flip once.

Top w/ any of your favorite cheese, sauteed onions & banana peppers and serve on a toasted english muffin.

Healthy Style Onion Rings

1 large white onion sliced into rings

Tablespoon of olive oil

salt & pepper (pinch of cayenne if you like it spicy)

Mix together with your hands and spread out on a baking pan.

Preheat oven to 400F degrees and bake for 40-45 minutes or until onions are crispy. Turn onions once during cooking process to avoid sticking to pan.

Serve all together and enjoy!

Sauteed Brussel Sprouts (Optional)


1 package of Brussel Sprouts washed and halved
1 shallot rough chop
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
Lemon Zest


Saute all ingredients in a pan until brussel sprouts are slightly tender
finish off with a teaspoon of lemon zest and mix.


Serve immediately.

Roasted Potatoes & Garlic

As a current New Yorker, a lifelong Yankee, Rangers & Giant fan there is not much good I can say about Boston. I dread the Red Sox, the Boston winter & oh yes did I mention I can't stand the Red Sox. But my brother Craig & his family are current New Englanders, living in the burbs of Boston that many refer to as the J.P. So for the last few years my wife & I have been doing the dreaded Friday night drive, 3-5 hours North on 95 just to enjoy the ever enjoyable meal that my brother and I put on. I must admit he is a much better cook than I am (some would even call him a chef) but with him at the helm of the kitchen & me as the master of the grill we sure do know how to put on a unforgettable meal. Our last trip there we decided to brave the freezing temperatures and create what we midwesterners call a standard "M&P" home cooking meal. Now anyone can marinate & grill a steak but it's the potatoes that is what really makes the meal. So enough of me ranting..all I can say is this is the best & easiest roasted potatoes & garlic recipe there is.

Depending on the # of guests

Medley of roasting potatoes (red, purple, fingerling, black, yukon gold, etc.)

Good olive oil

Kosher Salt & Course Black Pepper

1 Head of Garlic

To Prepare:

• Slice all potatoes in half
• Toss in tin foil or on a roasting pan
• Break apart an entire head of garlic leave skin on.
• Eyeball a couple tablespoons of good olive oil
• Sprinkle with S&P
• Use your hands and mix all ingredients together
• Roast at 400 degrees in convection oven or grill for 45 minutes or until crispy

Serve immediately.