Sweet Potato, Kale, and Goat Cheese Pizza

Ingredients:

• 1 pizza dough
• 1/2 yellow onion, sliced into rings or strips
• 1 large sweet potato
• 1 bunch kale, washed and chopped into small pieces
• goat cheese
• 1 clove garlic, diced
• salt, pepper, olive oil

Instructions:

1. Prepare dough and bake sweet potato at 400 degrees for 1 hour.
2. Caramelize onions in a pan with olive oil and salt.  Then add kale and cover until kale is slightly softened.
3. Preheat oven and pizza pan to 500 degrees.
4. Peel and mash sweet potato with some salt and pepper.
5. Once pan is heated, remove from oven and put the dough on it.  Next, spread mashed potato on top of the dough as if it were a sauce.  Sprinkle with garlic.
6. Put cheese, kale, and onions on pizza and bake for 10 min.  Serve with red pepper flakes.  The kale should be a little crispy and the cheese doesn't really melt.

Marinade for Vietnamese Grilled Pork

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup oyster sauce
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 shallot
• pepper

Instructions:

• Mince garlic and shallot and then mix in with the rest of the ingredients.  Marinate pork in mixture for at least an hour before grilling.

Kale and Potato Gratin

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds thin-skinned boiling potatoes such as red potatoes
• 1 bunch kale
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• Between 1/3 and 2/3 cup bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional) OR 3 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon minced fresh herbs, such as thyme or sage

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Get a pot of water boiling large enough to accommodate the potatoes. Also prepare an ice bath.
3. Meanwhile, slice the potatoes 1/4-inch-thick. Set aside. Remove and discard the spines from the kale then chop the remaining leaves in 1/2-inch-thick ribbons by stacking the leaves and slicing in the direction of the veins. This doesn't need to be exact, as long as you end up with a pile of roughly 1/2-inch-thick shreds of kale.
4. When the water is boiling, add a dash of salt and gently drop in the potatoes, cooking for about 2 to 3 minutes, until tender, but not cooked through. Drain and plunge into the ice bath. Drain again and dump onto a dish towel and blot.
5. In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Add the kale and rub the olive oil mixture aggressively into the leaves. Layer the kale and potatoes alternately with a sprinkling of bread crumbs and Parmesan in a 9"x12" rectangular casserole or glass or ceramic baking dish.
6. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes, until top is crispy.

Chipotle sweet potato soup!

Ingredients:

• 2 sweet potatoes
• 1 yellow onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• Vegetable broth
• Chipotle peppers to taste
• Cilantro for garnish
• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive oil

Instructions

1. Lightly sauté onions and garlic in a large pot.
2. Throw cubed and peeled sweet potatoes into pot with 1 chipotle pepper and some adobo sauce from the can.
3. Pour in broth so it is just covering the potatoes.
4. Boil until the potatoes fall apart when poked with a fork.
5. Add salt and more adobo sauce to taste.
6. Serve with cheesy toast and with cilantro on the side.

Zesty Braised Chicken with Lemon and Capers

Ingredients:

• 8 bone-in chicken thighs with skin (6 ounces each)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• All-purpose flour, for dusting
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 large peeled garlic cloves
• 1 1/2 cups Sauvignon Blanc
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
• Four 1-inch strips of lemon zest
• 4 thyme sprigs
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained
• 1 bay leaf

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and dust with flour. In a large ovenproof skillet, melt the butter in the oil. Add the chicken, skin side down, and cook over high heat, turning once, until browned, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a large plate and pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat.
2. Add the garlic to the skillet and cook over low heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and boil over high heat until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. 
3. Add the stock, lemon zest, thyme, capers and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Return the chicken to the pan, skin side up. Transfer the skillet to the oven and braise for about 45 minutes, until the meat is tender.
4. Return the skillet to the stove and boil until the sauce is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Discard the thyme, bay leaf and lemon zest, if desired, before serving.

Braised Chicken with Cilantro, Mint and Chiles

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken drumsticks
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• Salt
• Freshly ground white pepper
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 cup packed cilantro, plus leaves for garnish
• 1/2 cup packed mint leaves
• 1 small onion, quartered
• 2 poblano chiles, stemmed and seeded
• 1 jalapeño, stemmed and seeded
• 1/2 cup light cream or half-and-half
• Sliced pickled jalapeños, cooked rice and warm naan, for serving

Instructions:

1. Make 3 slashes to the bone in each drumstick. Rub the chicken all over with the coriander and season with salt and white pepper.
2. In a large Dutch oven or enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the oil. Add the chicken and cook over high heat, turning occasionally, until browned all over, about 8 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, combine the 1 cup of cilantro with the mint, onion, poblanos and jalapeño and blend until finely chopped. Add the cream and 1/2 cup of water and puree until smooth.
4. Pour the green sauce over the chicken and bring to a boil. Cover partially and simmer over moderately low heat until the chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle the chicken with cilantro and serve with jalapeños, rice and naan.

Allisons Magic Mexican Corn

Ingredients

• 6 ears of sweet yellow corn
• extra-virgin olive oil
• unsalted butter
• Kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• jalapeño
• crushed red pepper flakes
• limes (juice and zest)
• Manchego cheese
• chives

Instructions

• Set oven to 450°. Without husking the corn cobs, place them on a baking sheet spaced out just a little bit, then roast them them, turning occasionally, about 15 minutes, until heated through and tender but still a litte crispy.
• While your corn is roasting, prep the other ingredients: measure butter, dice jalaeno, grate cheese, slice chives and zest limes.
• Once the corn is done, let it cool so you can handle the cobs. Then shuck and cut the kernels from cobs.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Saute corn kernels over high heat until for 3–5 minutes. Stir in the butter and season to taste with salt and pepper. Take off the heat and add jalapeño, crushed red pepper flakes over. Squeeze lime wedges over, then sprinkle with cheese, chives, and lime zest.
• DO AHEAD: You can roast and slice off the corn kernels a few hours in advance if you need to.

Mexican Roasted Chicken with Mango Salsa

Ingredients

• 4 pounds chicken, whole, guts removed, rinsed and patted dry
• 1 medium lime, zested
• ½ medium lime juice, fresh squeezed
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• ½ tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon chipotle powder
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 12 ounces beer

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Cover a cookie sheet with foil, and top with a baking rack. Place the oven rack on the lower 1/3rd of the oven.
2. Combine ingredients, except chicken, in a medium bowl.
3. Loosen the skin on the breast and take some of the seasoning mixture and spread under the skin onto the breast. Spread the rest of the seasoning over the whole bird and place breast side up on the rack.
4. Pour 1/4 of the bottle of beer on the top, then roast chicken until a meat thermometer reaches 165 degrees. basting with beer every twenty minutes. Then allow to rest for 20 minutes until the temperature reaches 170 degrees. This takes approximately 20 minutes per pound.

Mango Salsa:

• 2 large mangoes, chopped
• ½ cup red onion, chopped
• 2 large avocado, chopped
• ½ cup roasted red peppers, chopped
• 1 small lime juice, freshly squeezed
• ½ cup cilantro, fresh chopped

Orecchiette with Sausage and Tuscan Kale Pesto

*I haven't actually made this yet.  Just saving it here for later.

Ingredients

• 3 cups (85 g) Tuscan kale, blanched*
• 1 cup (30 g) fresh basil
• 4 garlic cloves, whole
• 1/4 cup pine nuts or walnuts
• 1/2 cup (45 g) Pecorino Romano cheese
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound (454 g) orecchiette pasta
• 4 sausage links, casings removed
• 4 tablespoons dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, or Chardonnay

Preparation

• Bring a pot of water to boil over high heat. Prepare another bowl full of ice for the ice bath.
• Cut off the tough stems from the Tuscan kale. And pick the basil leaves from the stems, discarding any that are damaged.
• When water is boiling, add the Tuscan kale and blanch for 15 seconds. Remove and plunge in the ice bath for 15 seconds and drain in a colander. Roughly chop the kale.
• Next, add the basil leaves in the boiling water for 5 seconds, until wilted. Scoop out and drain in a sieve. When cool enough to handle, squeeze dry and set aside.
• Cut each garlic clove in half and plunge in boiling water for 15 seconds, then transfer to the ice bath to cool.
• Put the kale, basil, nuts, garlic, cheese, and olive oil in the bowl of a food processor and purée until smooth.
• Transfer into containers for storage. Will keep well in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.
• To make pasta, bring a large pot of water to boil and season with salt. Add the orecchiete pasta and cook for about 8 to 11 minutes, or according to package directions.
• Reserve about 1 cup of the cooking water. Drain the pasta.
• Wipe the same pot clean and heat on medium high. Add a little bit of olive oil to the pan.
• When oil is hot, add the sausages, crumble with a wooden spoon, and cook until browned all over.
• Add 2 scant cups of the pesto and stir. Immediately add 4 tablespoons of white wine and cook until the alcohol has evaporated, about 1 to 2 minutes. Then, add half the reserved cooking water (about 1/2 cup) to loosen the pesto. Stir well.
• Put the pasta back into the pot and toss until well-combined, adding more pasta water if needed.

So we copied Delfina Pizzeria...

Ingredients

Dough:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon yeast
• 2/3 cup water
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• pinch of kosher salt

Topping:

• 7 tomatoes
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• salt
• olive oil
• fresh basil
• Bocconcini (small mozzarella balls) cut in half

Instructions

Dough:

• Mix olive oil, water, and yeast for 5 minutes (stirring the whole time)
• Mix in flour, knead for 15 minutes on a floured surface
• Let rest 20 minutes in a bowl covered by a warm, damp cloth
• Sprinkle with salt and knead another 10 minutes
• Wrap in plastic wrap and let sit for at least 4 hours in a warmish room
• Spread out on floured surface into pizza shape
• Preheat oven and pizza pan to 500 degrees (or 550 if your oven can handle it)
• Cover with toppings and brush crust with olive oil.  Bake for about 15 minutes.

Sauce:

• Chop the tomatoes roughly and chop the garlic pretty finely
• Saute garlic in olive oil for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Add tomatoes and cook for at least 30 minutes.  Add salt and oregano to taste.  Add a little olive oil at the end.  The sauce should thicken up a little bit.
• Put sauce on pizza, dot pizza with cheese.  After cooking the pizza, top with sliced up basil.  Add a sprinkle of salt on top of the pizza and let it cool for 5 minutes.

Kale and Chickpeas (use as a side or on pasta!)

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch kale
• 1 red onion
• 1 can chickpeas, rinsed
• red pepper flakes (optional)
• red wine vinegar

Instructions:

• Sautee the chopped red onions in some olive oil.  Add some red pepper flakes at this stage if you want them.
• Pour the chickpeas into the pan.  Add a splash of vinegar and some salt.  Cook for a minute or two.
• Now add the kale.  You may need to add some more vinegar or some other liquid to add some steam to wilt the kale.
• Cook for a few minutes.  Add more vinegar and salt to taste.
• Mix in with pasta or eat alone!

Lentil Tacos

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dry lentils (maybe more, I usually guess)
• enough water to cover lentils in a pot
• 1 white onion, chopped
• spices: salt, pepper, chili pepper, coriander, cumin, oregano, paprika, garlic powder
• small corn tortillas
• cheese
• non-fat greek yogurt
• pico de gallo

Instructions

• Cook the lentils in the water according to the instructions that came with them.  When they get close to being soft, heat oil in a pan.
• Cook onions in the oil until soft.  When the lentils are ready, put them in the pan with the onions with a little bit of their cooking liquid.
• Stir in seasonings until it tastes like tacos.  It will take a lot of cumin.  A LOT.
• Serve on warm tortillas with pico de gallo and non-fat yogurt.  Cheese if you want.

Black Bean Burgers

This is actually a picture of my own food!  Hooray!

Ingredients:

• 1 can black beans, rinsed
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1 handful shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
• chopped cilantro
• 1/4 red onion, chopped real small
• spices to taste: cumin, coriander, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper
• bun
• mayo
• tomato
• lettuce

Instructions

• Mix beans, cheese, cilantro, onion, and spices in a bowl.  Over season just a tiny bit (keep tasting!).  Add the egg and stir well.  Then add breadcrumbs until the mixture is firm enough to form into patties.  If you are brave enough to eat raw egg, taste the mixture again to check the seasoning.
• Heat oil in a pan, and fry the patties for at least 20 minutes.  They should get a little crispy on the outside.
• Broil the buns with a little bit of butter.  Serve with toppings and a margarita.

BONUS RECIPE - The Glenn Savage Margarita

Ingredients

• 1 shot tequila
• 1 shot triple sec
• 1 shot Key West lime juice
• 1 squeeze agave syrup
• ice

Instructions

• figure it out

Easy Tequila-Lime Chicken

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup tequila
• 1/2 lime juice (Key West brand. Anything else tastes like soap.)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 2 skin-on chicken breasts
• 1 jalapeno

Instructions:

• Pour tequila, lime juice, oregano, and chopped garlic into a glass baking dish, one small enough to just fit the two chicken breasts
• Salt and pepper the chicken, place skin side up in pan.  Liquid should cover all the chicken except for the skin.  Place thin slices of jalapeno on top of the skin, and pour a little oil on top
• Bake for 30-40 min at 400 to 450.  Check for done-ness. Broil for the last few minutes until the skin is crispy
• Serve, pour extra sauce over rice.  Enjoy with a margarita!

This is the good stuff.

Kale Mac n Cheese

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound rotini or other short pasta
• half of a large bunch of kale
• 1 white onion
• garlic
• red pepper flakes
• paprika
• salt
• pepper
• butter
• breadcrumbs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup cheddar
• 1/2 cup parmesan
• 1/2 cup flour
• olive oil

Instructions

• Cook pasta in salted water.  Undercook it just a little bit.
• Meanwhile, saute diced onions in olive oil in a pot - not a pan.  Add red pepper flakes.  Add kale and garlic and a little water or chicken broth, and stir until kale is wilted.  Season with salt and pepper.
• Remove kale/onions from pot.  Add more olive oil. stir in flour and cook for a minute.  Add milk, then cheese.  Stir until melted and smooth.  Season with salt, pepper, paprika, and thyme.  Mix cheese mixture, pasta, and kale mixture in a shallow baking dish.  Put in oven at 375.
• Make breadcrumbs: sautee red pepper flakes in some butter.  Stir in breadcrumbs and other seasonings like garlic powder and salt.  Open oven and put breadcrumbs on top of macaroni.  Bake until breadcrumbs are brown and cheese is bubbly.
• Let cool for 5 minutes and then eaaaaaaat yummmmm.

Note: measurements are totally guesses.  Do what feels right.  Cheese is good.

Chicken braised in white wine cream sauce

Ingredients:

• 8 chicken pieces (you could also use chicken leg portions, in that case, only use 4)
• 1 onion, halved
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 200ml (6.76 fluid ounces) white wine (I used Chardonnay)
• 250ml (8.45 fluid ounces) cream
• 300ml (10.14 fluid ounces) chicken stock
• fresh thyme stalks
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Pre-heat the oven to 375°F.
• In a large, oven-proof pot, brown the chicken all over.
• Remove the chicken from the pot and add the onion and garlic to the pot, allow to fry for 30 seconds then add the wine.
• De-glaze the pan, scraping all the sticky bits off the bottom. Add the cream and allow to simmer for 2 minutes.
• Add the chicken back to the pot and pour over the chicken stock.
• Add the thyme stalks and cover the pot. Place in the oven and allow to oven braise for 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
• Remove the lid from the pot after 30 minutes and allow the sauce to reduce for 15 minutes.
• Season to taste and serve.

Serve with mashed potatoes and greens sauteed with bacon!