Category Archives: Cooking

Hummus is an easy to make and affordable dip or spread from the Middle East. I like the fact that you can make it in 10 minutes and need not use a single pan. Moreover, it’s nutritious – high in iron and vitamins C and B6 as well as a good source of protein and dietary fiber.

You should be able to buy all the ingredients necessary to make enough hummus to serve for four people for approximately $10. Ingredients include:

The process could not be more simple.  Add the ingredients into a food processor and blend until they are fully mixed. You may be tempted to omit the tahini and cumin if you don’t have this in your cupboards, but it is the combination of these ingredients that really provide the flavor associated with hummus and you’ll do yourself a disservice so don’t substitute these.

Optional: For garnish you may include finely chopped chives. The green coloring and flavoring really enhances the spread.

Pesto is an easy to make Italian sauce that originates from Liguria, a region of northern Italy. It consists of basil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan-Reggiano cheese and olive oil.

I love the flavor of freshly made pesto, and I think you will too.  Why buy store made pesto when it is so easy to make and you can control the ingredients to ensure everything tastes fresh?  I roast the garlic before adding it, but traditional recipes use raw minced garlic cloves (rule of thumb is one clove per cup of basil).  Prep time (if you don’t roast the garlic) is only 5-10 minutes.

Ingredients:

Instructions: Add the basil in a food processor and pulse – as the herbs start to blend add pine nuts, garlic and half the olive oil.  Pulse 2-3 times then add the cheese and remaining oil and pulse again until ingredients are blended – taste and add salt / pepper mix to enhance the flavor.

Once the sauce has combined it is ready to be poured over a pasta or you may refrigerate and keep to have later with your meal.  If I can make one suggestion, it would be to ensure you have very fresh, deep green basil leaves.

NOTE: I roast a head of garlic (takes ~30 minutes at 400°).  This is an extra step and not part of a traditional pesto, but I like the flavor of roasted garlic.

Will you start watching your favorite food programs on your computer? Google thinks you will and that is why starting July 2nd The Food Network and Cooking Channel will have to keep an eye on YouTube’s newest original content channel, appropriately named, HUNGRY.

HUNGRY will include a combination of how-to and celebrity-chef food videos.  As a part-time cook with a penchant for buying fruits and veggies I’ve never seen before, I regularly check YouTube for food preparation tips.  Last spring after watching a video on how to prepare artichokes, I wrote my post Chef BosGuy.

Mango coconut chicken

with lemon scented cous cous & cranberries

This meal will feed 3-4 people, takes 30 minutes from start to finish (including clean up) and costs approximately $15. For my dinner I also included a salad and steamed broccoli. Before you start cooking combine your chicken and marinade. From everything I read one should do this the night before, but I let this sit for about 10 minutes and it came out fine. I punctured the chicken with a fork then poured a half a cup of the marinade over the chicken strips.

Add the julienned pepper and leek with a splash of chicken broth on medium high heat. The pepper will add color and texture whereas the leek adds flavoring.  Leeks are similar to onions but more mild.  Let this cook for a few minutes then add the chicken.  Once added, turn down the heat to medium, flip every few minutes and keep covered to ensure the chicken does not get dry; cooking time 8-10 minutes; turn off heat and keep covered until you are ready to serve.Once you’ve started to cook the peppers and leeks, in a separate pan add 2 cups of chicken broth, the zest of one lemon on high heat and cover. In a minute this will come to a boil; add 2 cups of cous cous and 1/3 cup of dried cranberries, stir and cover.  I leave burner on the lowest possible setting for about 30 seconds then turn it off and let the cous cous sit covered for 5 minutes. Use a fork to “fluff” before serving this since the grain will clump together.

For our dinner I also steamed broccoli and made a salad with greens, a tomato and walnuts then dressed it with a honey vinaigrette and olive oil.  Don’t be frightened by the size of the steamed broccoli on my plate (I love broccoli). The meal is satisfying without the sides, but I prefer dinner with a salad and lots of veggies. 

Cooking chicken can seem a bit like the culinary version of Ground Hog Day.  Unless you are a vegetarian, you likely have a fair amount of this protein in your diet, and it can quickly become very boring to cook.  This recipe takes approximately 30 minutes to prep, cook and clean and all the ingredients may be purchased for ~$10.00 per person.

Chicken Prep Step 1: Slice the chicken breast into strips (it will cook more quickly this way). Then  put each strip into a ziplock bag and pound the strip flat. In the photo below the two strips on the left have been pounded.
Chicken Prep Step 2: Dip the pounded breast strips in a saucer filled with 1 cup of milk then into a second saucer filled with 1 cup of panko (or bread) crumbs and a half cup of grated parmesan cheese. Tap off the excess and place in a plate to prepare for cooking.

Cooking: In this recipe I’ve used one leek and two cups of sliced mushrooms, but an onion may be used in lieu of the leek.  You may also substitute the mushrooms with a vegetable of your liking, but I like the texture and taste of mushrooms with chicken.  Saute your vegetables with 1 tsp of melted butter over medium heat.  As the vegetables soften, add a half to one cup of white wine, the chicken and cover the pan (flip the chicken after 2-3 minutes).Accompanying my “Wicked easy chicken” is steamed broccoli as well as whole grain rice.  As mentioned above, the total time in the kitchen including prep, cooking and clean up is less than 30 minutes.  If you are dieting, you can remove the breading process outlined in “Chicken Prep Step 2″ and add the juice of one lemon for additional flavoring. Likewise the white wine can be substituted with another liquid of your choosing but I would suggest chicken stock.

The total cooking time (including prep) for this dinner is 15-20 minutes.  The cost of the ingredients less the wine, butter and seasoning is $7.00 to $9.00.
Start by sautéing carrots and leeks over medium heat in 1tbs of butter, 1/3 cup of white wine and a pinch of salt for 2-3 minutes.  This will soften the vegetables and create a base to place your filet. Just prior to adding the salmon in the pan, squeeze the juice of 1/2 of a lemon and let it sit for a minute then add with the lemon juice skin-side down in the pan.  Place 1/2 a tbs of butter on the top of the filet and cover the pan.   After approximately 3 minutes flip the salmon so the skin is facing up and cover.

After 2 minutes uncover the pan, remove it from the burner and let it rest for 3-4 minutes.  The fish will continue to cook in its own heat and absorb the flavors of the lemon wine and butter. The meal below was also accompanied by couscous and steamed broccoli, but use whatever you like.

Note:  I was not able to figure out how to effectively remove the bones from the filet so next time I will ask if my grocer will do this for me or show me how.

Roasted eggplant is extremely flavorful and a healthy snack best eaten on crusty bread or over a salad with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice or drizzled with balsamic vinegar.  With eggplant selling for less than a $1.00 a pound you can purchase a large eggplant cheaply; another plus, there is virtually no clean up.  

Preparing eggplant for roasting

Click on images above to enlarge

STEP 1: Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

STEP 2: Cut eggplant in half and score it with deep cuts that do not pierce the skin.  Add 1 tbsp of salt into the cuts and let the eggplant rest for 20 minutes.

STEP 3: Top right image shows how the eggplant will sweat (click image to enlarge); squeeze it to release the excess water the salt has drawn out.  This will remove the bitter taste of the eggplant and help quicken the roasting process.

STEP 4: Combine 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of thyme for additional  flavoring and brush the salted eggplant liberally; if you are going to roast garlic I like to also add the garlic cloves in the remaining oil and thyme.

STEP 5: As shown in the last photo (from the series above) flip the brushed eggplant halves on parchment paper (I also place two basil leaves on the parchment that the eggplant will cover – I love basil). Cook for 45 minutes.

After roasting, let the vegetable cool for 15-20 minutes.  The picture below shows the eggplant flipped over after it has roasted and cooled.  

Pasta provides a slow release of energy without spiking your blood sugar levels.  However, I like pasta because it tastes so delicious, you can buy it ahead of time and is quick and easy to cook.

Shrimp is low in saturated fat, a very good source of protein, but like all shellfish is high in cholesterol. I only buy shrimp if I’m going to consume it that evening. Despite their differences these two ingredients not only compliment each other nutritionally, but also go great together in a dinner.  This recipe serves 4, costs approximately $12-$14 to purchase all the ingredients (less the dry sherry and seasonings) and can be made in under 30 minutes.I like to prep the garlic, tomato, carrot and leek before I start cooking so I can continue without pause.  Start by boiling water for your pasta then add the shrimp in a bowl with the dry sherry. You can use something else if you do not have sherry or prefer other flavoring.  The shrimp will absorb the flavor of the liquid you use and it will help prevent it from drying out when it cooks.

As a next step add the leeks, garlic and carrots with 3 tbsp. of butter to a large pan on medium / medium-high heat.  Let these ingredients combine and soften.  I also add a pinch of salt and Italian seasonings at this point and mix thoroughly. If these cook too quickly – lower the heat and cover or remove from the burner.

Once the pasta has been added to the boiling water, wait a few minutes then add the shrimp and remaining tablespoon of butter to the vegetables.  For extra flavoring you can also add a tsp of fresh lemon juice.  After the pasta is nearly cooked, I like to take a full ladle of water from the boiling pot and add it to the shrimp and vegetables.  This will add more sauce and keep everything from drying out.  You can add more liquid if you like but you can’t remove it once its added.  Draining excess liquid will result in loss of flavor.The above left photo shows the pan when the shrimp is first added (turn the heat down slightly).  After cooking for 3-5 minutes the shrimp should be mostly cooked.  Add the pasta while still al dente (slightly under cooked) and stir all the ingredients together so the sauce and flavors can mingle as shown in above right photo (click on pictures to enlarge).

One of my favorite snacks or starters is bruschetta. It is an easy to make antipasto and a staple at any Italian restaurant.   Although toppings can vary, generally ingredients include: bread, garlic, onions, tomatoes, cheese, herbs and olive oil, but you can add whatever you like.

From start to finish (prep to cleaning) takes less than 30 minutes and although cost will vary this recipe cost me about $6.00 and made 15 individual pieces; plenty to share with friends (mmm…)

Ingredients: 2 cloves of garlic, 1 baguette, 1 tomato, 1/2 vidalia onion, 1/3 cup of shredded cheese (whatever you like and have works) 1/4 cup of chopped basil, olive oil, and salt.

Step 1: Chop the baguette into 3/4 ” to 1″ slices and rub a raw garlic clove over both sides of each slice. In a cup or small bowl mix olive oil, salt and dried Italian herbs and brush onto the baguette slices.

Step 2: Put slices of baguettes under the broiler for 1 minute on each side to quickly toast. This will add a crunch when you bite into the bruschetta. While doing this – saute the chopped onions and minced garlic for just a minute or two.

Step 3: Combine the sauteed onion and garlic, chopped tomato, chopped basil, cheese and a dash of salt and spoon contents onto warmed, toasted baguette. Completely cover slices with toppings.

oops… forgot to snap the picture…

Step 4: Put back into the broiler for 1-2 minutes.  This will warm the toppings and allow the cheese to melt. Once you remove from the oven, plate and enjoy.

A few tips:                                                                                                                                       Spend a little extra on the ingredients by getting fresh bread and flavorful vegetables. You won’t do yourself any favors by skimping; the fresher the ingredients the better it will taste.

Lightly drizzle olive oil over baguettes and toppings prior to putting in oven.

These are best served and eaten warm.

My partner has an obsession with gnocchi.  If gnocchi is on a restaurant menu he’s likely to order it.  Earlier this year food blogger and friend, Tracey, asked if he would show her how to make gnocchi.  The video below was originally created for her blog 40-something life.

The end of the video includes ingredients followed by a quick description of the preparation and cooking process.  I hope you enjoy, bon appétit.