Rigatoni in Tomato and Red Wine Sauce

To watch this Video-Recipe please click HERE!!

Hi everyone today´s recipe is an original recipe from Jaime Marin of Comiendo Rico. I hope
you enjoy my version. Enjoy!

Serves 4-6
Ingredients:

• 1 lb. Rigatoni (or any other pasta you like)
• 20oz Ground meat (I used turkey)
• 1 1/2 cups Baby Porto Bello mushrooms cut in thin slices
• 4 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 1 whole garlic clove to cook the pasta
• 3 tablespoons of fresh thyme
• 1 sprig of fresh basil
• 1 red onion finely chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley
• 1 cup or red wine
• 2 tablespoon of chicken flavor bouillon
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive oil
• Parmesan cheese to taste, to garnish
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes

Cook the pasta in boiling water. Season the water with plenty of salt, a splash of extra virgin olive oil,
1 garlic clove, and 2 bay leaves. Cook the pasta until "Al Dente", then drain and set aside. Until ready to use.

In a large saucepan, on medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and saute 3/4 of the chopped onion for 1 minute, add in half the chopped garlic and continue to saute for another minute; add in about 2 tablespoons of fresh thyme, give it a quick stir, and season with 1 tablespoon of chicken flavor bouillon and  black pepper to taste, cook for about 1 minute, then add in the crushed tomatoes, a sprig of basil and a pinch of Cinnamon, let it cook on low heat until it comes to a boil.

In the meantime, in a large skillet on medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil,
and cook the rest of the onion, the rest of the garlic, and 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme, season this with a pinch of salt, black pepper to taste and 1 tablespoon of chicken flavor bouillon, cook for about 2 minutes just to soften the garlic and onion a little bit, then add in the meat, break it down with a spoon, and cook until golden brown,

Once the meat is done, mix it with the tomato sauce, add in the mushrooms, and the red wine, cook for another 5 minutes or until the mushrooms are soft. Once the mushrooms are done, remove the basil sprig from the sauce, taste the flavor, add more salt and pepper if needed.  Mix in the fresh parsley, give it a quick stir.

Serve the sauce over the pasta, or mix in the pasta with the sauce and then serve.  Garnish with more fresh parsley and Parmesan Cheese to taste.

Enjoy!

Read More

Spicy Chicken Stir-Fry

To watch this Video-Recipe please click HERE

Hi everyone! This week's recipe is another Chinese inspired dish! Easy, delicious, budget friendly  and really easy to make, "Spicy chicken Stir-fry!"

Serves 4-6
Ingredients:

• 2 large chicken breasts cut into thin strips
• 2 cups of bell peppers cut into thin strips
• 1 cup of carrots cut into thin strips
• 1 white onion cut into thin strips
• 1 cup of sugar snap peas
• 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon of ground garlic
• 1 teaspoon of ground ginger
• 1/2 tablespoon of ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon of dry cilantro
• ground black pepper and salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon of chili powder
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• pinch of crushed red pepper or 2-3 Japanese chilis or Chile de Arbol
• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Combine 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar with 1 tablespoon of chili powder, 1 tablespoon of dry cilantro, 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon of ground ginger, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper and 1 teaspoon of ground garlic.  Mix everything together, until well combined, then season the chicken with this mixture. (Save about 1 tablespoon of this spicy mixture to season the vegetables.)

In a wok or a large skillet, preheat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, once the oil is hot, add in chicken and stir fry for about 3-4 minutes. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set it a side for a minute. (It doesn't matter if the chicken is completely cooked, it will finish cooking later)

Now preheat the same skillet, add 1 more tablespoon of vegetable oil, and once the oil is hot ,add in the onions and the carrots, stir fry for about 1 minute, then add in the bell peppers and the sugar snap peas, give it a quick stir, and season with 1 tablespoon of the spicy mixture we made earlier. Continue to stir fry for about 3 more minutes or until the vegetable get the consistency that you like. (I like my vegetables to be crisp, so I never cook them for more than 5 minutes.)


After the vegetables are ready, then add in 1 tablespoon of honey and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Bring back the chicken into the skillet and season with crushed red pepper to taste or you could also add 2-3 Chile de Arbol or Japanese chiles. Give it a quick stir so the chicken can absorb all of the flavors in the skillet, taste the flavor and add any more salt and pepper if needed.  Continue to stir fry for about 2-3 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked and heated through.


Serve with rice and garnish with chopped green onions! Enjoy

Read More

Mocha Truffles

To watch this video Recipe click HERE!!

Hi everyone! Today´s recipe is a great idea for Mother´s day or any other special occasion! I hope you like it!

Makes 16-18 pieces
Ingredients:

• 9 oz of semisweet chocolate
• 3/4 cups of heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons of instant coffee (powder)
• 2 tablespoons of chocolate liquor

For Garnish:

• 10 oz semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil
• 4 oz White Chocolate (optional)
• 1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut (optional)
• Kosher Salt (optional)

Bring the cream and butter to a simmer.
Combine 2 tablespoons of instant coffee powder and 2 tablespoons of Chocolate liquor. Mix well and set aside for minute.

Chop the semisweet chocolate in small chunks and place them inside an aluminum bowl.

Pour the cream and butter mixture into the chocolate chunks (mixture should be really hot) and also add in the mixture of the coffee powder and chocolate liquor. Mix everything for about 5 minutes or until the chocolate chunks have melted.  Let it cool at room temperature for 10  minutes and then place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

After an hour or so, the chocolate should be solid enough to form the truffles, grab about 1 tablespoon of the cold chocolate and form it into a ball with your hands, make it as big or as small as you want. Keep on making the truffles until all the chocolate is gone. Place the truffles back in the refrigerator for 30 more minutes.

On a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips. Once they are melted, add in 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil, mix well, pour into a bowl and let it cool for 5 minutes.

Grab one of the truffles and dip it into the melted chocolate chips. Place it on a piece parchment paper and keep on repeating this step until all the truffles are covered with the melted chocolate chips. Decorate with shredded coconut, white chocolate or kosher salt! Place back in the refrigerator for 1 hour, then enjoy!

Read More

Chicken Tinga (Mexican Dish)

To watch this Video-Recipe click HERE!!!

Hi everyone, today´s recipe is a very popular Mexican dish, Chicken Tinga or Tinga de pollo is a chicken stew, slowly cooked in a Chipotle and tomato Sauce. It´s also  a very versatile dish, it can be serve in different ways from tostatadas, tacos, flautas, or simple with some white rice or a creamy spaghetti or pasta. Either way this dish will satisfy your cravings for Mexican food. It´s really easy to make, so simple and yet so delicious! Enjoy

Serve 6-8
Ingredients:

• 1 Chicken cut in pieces
• 3 cups of Hot-dog links cut into small pieces (or 3 cups of Deli-Cuts cut in small pieces)
• 5-6 slices of Bacon cut into small pieces
• 1 large Onion cut in thin slices
• 2 Garlic cloves finely chopped
• 1 whole Garlic clove
• 1 Bay leave
• 10 ounces of chorizo
• 1 10oz can of chipotle peppers in Adobo Sauce
• 5-6 large Roma Tomatoes
• 1/4 small onion
• 2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Bring enough water to cover the whole chicken to a boil. Season the water with plenty of salt, 1 Bay leave, 1 garlic clove and a 1/4 of a small onion. Cook the chicken in this water for about 1 hour or until completely cooked. Once the chicken is cooked, drain it, and let it cool. Then shred it and set it aside until ready to use.

Cook the tomatoes in boiling water for about 5-6 minutes or until soft. (you can cook them in the same water with the chicken if you want to.) Once they are soft, put them in the blender, with 1 cup of the chicken broth (the water where you cooked the chicken), and also add in the chipotle peppers, you can add as many chipotle peppers as you like. This is supposed to be a spicy dish, but the spiciness of it, depends on you, so you can add the whole can of chipotle peppers or just a couple of them, either way it will be delicious.  Blend everything together on high for about 5 minutes or until you get a soft sauce. Taste the flavor and add salt and pepper if needed.

Now in a large sauce pan on low heat, preheat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, cook the onions for about 10 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally, you want the onions to become caramelized, to get nice and soft and a brownish kind of color without burning them. Remember to cook them on low heat.

Once the onions have caramelized, add in the bacon and also add in the hot dog links or the deli cuts, continue to Cook everything on low heat for another 5-8 more minutes or until the bacon browns a little bit.  Then add in the Chorizo, stir everything together, make sure to break down the Chorizo
really well, and continue to cook on low heat for another 10 more minutes to cook the Chorizo.

Once the Chorizo is cooked, add in the shredded chicken, stir together, to make sure the chicken is well incorporated with the rest of the ingredients, then add in the tomato-chipotle sauce, stir together again, taste the flavor and add more salt and pepper if needed. Continue to cook on low heat for another 10 more minutes or until it comes to a boil.


Once it comes to  a boil, you are ready to serve. Serve it as you please, this makes great tostadas, tacos, flautas and even a great sandwich! 

Read More

Tuna Patties (Tuna Burgers)

To watch this Video-Recipe please click HERE!

Hi everyone, today's recipe is another easy and very budget friend recipe for Lent! Tuna Patties, they make great Burger, but they are also great with a simple salad or some rice! I hope you like them!

Serves 4
Ingredients:

• 15 oz of tuna (I'm using 3 cans of tuna in water, drain them and place them in a bowl)
• 3 tablespoons of chopped green onions
• ¼ cup chopped bell peppers (I used red and Green bell peppers)
• 3/4 cups of Panko breadcrumbs (or any other dry Breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise
• a dash of Tabasco
• salt and black pepper to taste

Combine tuna,with bell peppers, green onions and bread crumbs; (don't forget to drain the tuna!), Season with the Tabasco sauce, 1 tablespoon of Dijon Mustard, 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise, salt and black pepper to taste, mix together until everything is well combined. Taste the flavor and add any more, salt, pepper or Tabasco sauce if needed.

Divide the tuna mixture into equal section and make the Patties any way you want.
 
You can bake this at 400ºF for about 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
Or you can Pan-fry them for about 4 minutes on each side.

Serve with your favorite salad, or rice or simply turn into a burger with fries and everything else. Enjoy!

Read More