Banh Mi

Hey guys!  Hope everyone's weekend was enjoyable!  I completed my second day working at my bonus job as a Kitchen Assistant at the Kitchen Conservatory and I am loving it; I get a chance to be around great chefs and soak up a lot of culinary insight!

I also got a chance to make a dish that I've had on my long list of things-to-make and that is Banh Mi.  For those of you not familiar, Banh Mi is a Vietnamese sandwich which is traditionally made with pork or pate' but any filling can be used.  This is a recipe that I created and once you get past the prep work it's really a pretty easy dish to prepare.  I'd definitely rate this recipe an A+, the marinade produced very flavor meat and the fresh veggies really round out the sandwich.  I hope you guys get a chance to try this amazing recipe at home.  Be sure to comment, subscribe and tell a friend!

Ingredients

• 4 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 small Shallot, minced
• 1 inch piece Ginger, roughly chopped
• 2 Lemongrass stalks, trimmed & chopped
• 2 Tbsp Fish Sauce
• 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
• 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 Tbsp Teriyaki  Marinade
• 2 Tbsp Sesame Oil
• 1 lb Pork Steak
• 1 Tbsp Granulated Garlic
• 1 Tbsp Ginger Teriyaki spice blend
• 1 Tbsp Brisket of Love spice blend
• 3 crispy French Baguettes, each halved
• 4 Tbsp Olive Oil Mayo
• 1 cup (packed) Cilantro
• 1/2 Cucumber, seeded & julienne (thin strips) 
• 1 large Carrot, julienne
• 1 fresh Jalapeno, sliced
• 1 cup pickled Daikon, julienne

Preparation

1. Combine garlic, shallot, lemongrass, ginger, brown sugar, and all wet ingredients (minus mayo) in a blender and puree until it becomes a nice liquid consistency, set aside.
2. Rinse pork steaks and season with spices on each side. Place steaks in a sealable bag , pour marinade over meat and work mixture until meat is full covered.  Let marinate at least 2 hours, preferably overnight. 
3. Take meat out of fridge and let come to room temperature (for even grilling).  Preheat grill or grill pan.  Once grill is fully heated, grill steaks on both side for 5-7 minutes each until meat is firm and fully cooked through.  Remove from grill, let meat sit before slicing.
4. Take baguettes, spread tablespoon of mayo on each roll.  Assemble steak slices on bottom half of roll. Next add fresh-cut veggies.  Once assembled finish with a splash of soy sauce.

Served with homemade Sweet Potato chips w/ a Ginger-Teriyaki Honey Mustard dipping sauce

*Makes 4 servings

*Appx 400 calories

Street Tacos

The taco.  For me, the best variation of a sandwich ever created.  You have your tortilla stuffed with some form of protein, if you're a carnivore like myself, then topped with various Mexican condiments.  A traditional "Street Taco" though, is modest at best; it normally consists of a corn tortilla, grilled meat, with a garnishing of cilantro y cebolla (shout out to Mrs. Greppi, my Spanish I teacher), that's it that's all.  Since Mexican is always my go to meal, whether homemade or ordered out, I decided to prepare this quick and easy meal for tonight's dinner.  I pan seared chicken thighs and breasts that had marinated in Adobo y Sazon, granulated  Garlic, Lime Juice, and Olive Oil until a nice crust developed on each side, and set them aside while I cut the cilantro and onion.  Once all of the condiments were prepped I diced the chicken into cubes and put it back into the pan in order to create a more uniform crusting while adding Cumin as a finishing touch.  As you will see in the picture, I also used Crema, or Mexican Sour Cream; sour cream is a condiment that I cannot do without, we go through so much in my household so it's only natural that it made a cameo tonight.  The best thing about this dish is it only topped out at 520 calories for 3 tacos!  Enjoy!

 

Queso Fundido

Last week my girlfriend Rachel had a company "Souper" Bowl party at work and was asked to bring a dish.  While we all know Queso isn't necessarily a soup, she was told she could bring anything as long as it was in a crock pot.  When she first asked me to prepare something I immediately thought of this yummy Queso Fundido recipe from my Cook This Not That book, and since she loves queso I decided it would make the perfect contribution.  Many of you would assume that I'm the designated cook in our household, and well, your assumption would be right on target but this time I decided to let Rachel take the reigns and step into my sanctuary.  She accepted the task, with some hesitance, but was ready to go full force.  After sauteing the veggies for her, I prepped the remaining ingredients the night before and gave her a quick consultation and sent her on her way. The morning of the event she finished preparing the queso dip and it turned out to be some of the yummiest stuff  I ever did taste!  She also mentioned it being a huge hit at the event, and it being totally devoured.  It's not often at all that I relinquish control and let her enter the kitchen, but I have to say, she did a fantastic job...I'm proud of my little grasshopper!

Queso Fundido


Ingredients

• 6 corn Tortillas cut into triangles (we also recommend Baked Tostitos)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Canola Oil
• 1 small Onion, minced
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 cups Mushrooms, diced
• 1 cup diced Tomato
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 1 can (4oz) Green Chiles
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Pepper Jack cheese

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Toss the tortillas with 1 tablespoon of the oil and arrange on a large baking sheet.  Bake until lightly brown and crispy, about 10 minutes.
2. Heat the remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil in a large cast-iron skillet or saute' pan over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until translucent.  Add the mushrooms and tomato and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until softened.  Season with salt and pepper.  Turn the heat down to low and add the chiles and cheese, stirring constantly so the cheese melt uniformly.  When the cheese has fully melted and starts to bubble, immediately remove from heat and serve, using the tortilla chips to scoop directly from the pan.

*Makes 4 servings

*340 cals, 21g fat (10g saturated), 470mg sodium

*Cost per serving: $1.46

*Compare to: Chili's Skillet Queso w/ Chips, 920 cals, 73g fat (30g saturated), 4,040mg sodium, $4.99

Beijing "Sticky" Wingz

As we all know yesterday was Super Bowl Sunday (did your favorite team win?), and I was invited to a Super Bowl party.  Of course I couldn't go empty handed so I decided to reference my handy dandy Cook This Not That book to see what appetizer recipes I could choose from to prepare for the occasion.  I chose their Beijing Wing recipe and adapted it to make it my own, hence the name Beijing "Sticky" Wingz.  These wings are great for any type of casual gathering (recipe can be doubled) or for a nice laid back meal at home.  Judging by all the bare bones lying on empty plates, I'd say the wings were a hit!  What were some of your favorite Super Bowl snacks?

Beijing "Sticky" Wingz

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup low-sodium Soy Sauce
• 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
• 4 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp grated fresh Ginger
• 2 lbs Chicken Wings
• 2 Tbsp Butter
• 1 Tbsp Sriracha
• 1/2 cup Sweet Chili Sauce
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• 1/2 Tbsp dried Parsley for garnish (optional)

Preparation

1. Combine the soy sauce, half the brown sugar, the garlic, and ginger in a sealable plastic bag.  Add the wings, mix to coat, and seal the bag.  Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to 8.
2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Remove the wings from the marinade and lay out on a baking sheet lined with lightly oiled aluminum foil, making sure they're evenly spaced.  Roast for about 15 minutes, until the meat firms up and is cooked through and the skin begins to caramelize and crisp up.
3. Heat the butter, sriracha, lime juice, sweet chili sauce, and the remaining brown sugar in a large nonstick skillet.  When the butter has melted, add the wings and saute' for 2 to 3 minutes, until the sauce clings lightly to the chicken.  Garnish with the dried parsley.

*Makes 4 servings

*290 cals, 10g fat (4.5 saturated), 890mg sodium

*Cost per serving: $1.94

Compare to: Outback Kookaburra Wings, 1,377 cals, 100g fat (31g saturated), 3,819mg sodium, $7.95

Recipe Remix: Pork a la "Al Pastor"

Earlier this week I prepared a Jerk Pork Loin which was great, but since I'm not much of a "leftover" person, I started to think about ways in which I could turn the left over pork into another tasty dish.  Being a huge fan of Mexican cuisine I decided to make my version of a Pork Al Pastor.  The basis of  Pork Al Pastor is the technique of grilled pork on a vertical "spit", like Gyro meat.  Now, I don't have a spit just hanging out in my home so I improvised.  Being that my pork loin had previously been grilled, I simply cut the remainder into cubes and then sauteed the pork in a skillet with a blend of Mexican spices and a half a can of Green Chilies, and voila, Pork a la Al Pastor was born!  Sauteing the pork in olive oil gave it the right amount of browning and the pork tasted delicious, far from the Jerk Pork it once was.  I decided to make a naked burrito using the pork and my dinner for that night totaled a mere 380 calories.  This is definitely a dish that can be created using leftover chicken or beef/steak.  Go ahead give it a try, you won't be disappointed!

Spotlight: Culinary Circle Pizza

Yesterday a co-worker of mine told me Shop N Save was having a special on Culinary Circle pizzas; they are originally $6.98 but the sale price was $3 between 4-7pm.  I've been craving pizza a lot lately and since we were making a trip to Shop N Save we decided to try it since we'd heard good things about them.  I chose the Rising Crust Spicy Italian Sausage pizza which had mozzarella and minimal cheddar cheese, a nice robust sauce, and very tasty Italian Sausage.  They do offer a thin crust version of this pizza but the calories were the same (weird, I know!) so I opted for the self rising crust.  A slice of this pizza is 330 calories and since I had 800+ calories left for the day I decided to go for two and I paired it with a homemade side Cesar Salad (spotlight coming soon) and ended up having a well rounded and filling meal (803 calories total).  I have found that I have become more disciplined in choosing what to eat and controlling my portions; while I still have to be conscious of "eating clean" I can enjoy some of the same foods, occasionally, as long as they are in moderate portions.

I highly recommend  Culinary Circle's pizzas as being one of the better frozen pizzas so pick one up on your next grocery store trip.  Culinary Circle has a full line of products ranging from sauces to entrees, be sure to check those out as well!

Jerk Pork

In Chicago there are many great Jamaican/Caribbean eateries offering up delicious dishes like Escovitch Fish or Jamaican Beef Patties.  My favorite Jamaican dish would have to be Jerk Chicken.  Jerk is a Caribbean take on grilling/barbecuing in which the meat is seasoned and marinated in spices such as Allspice and Nutmeg, with added heat imparted via the Scotch Bonnet or Habanero peppers.  My family is such huge fans of Jerk that we do everything from Jerk Ribs to Jerk Shrimp.  Having prepared Jerk Chicken before (everyone loved it!), I was eager to try Cook This Not That's recipe for Jerk Pork.  I have to say, this dish was true to the Caribbean Jerk taste.  I normally use a prepared marinade which is great, so when I first tasted the pork it was quite surprising that it tasted exactly like it had been prepared with a bottled version but it was from scratch which made it even better!  What are some of your favorite Caribbean dishes?

Jerk Pork

Ingredients

• 2 Habanero/Scotch Bonnet peppers, stemmed & chopped
• 8 Scallions, roughly chopped
• Juice of 2 Limes
• 2 Tbsp Canola Oil
• 3 cloves Garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp Allspice
• 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
• Salt & Black Pepper to taste
• 1lb Pork Loin

Preparation

1. Place the peppers, scallions, lime juice, oil, garlic, allspice, nutmeg, and a good pinch of salt & pepper in a food processor or blender.  Pulse until the mixture forms a paste with the consistency of pesto, adding a bit of water if it's too dry.
2. Place pork (chicken drumsticks work great, too) in a sealable plastic bag and pour the jerk marinade over it.  Squeeze out the air, seal the bag, and rub the pork around to make sure it's evenly coated.  Marinate in the refrigerator for at least one hour, but preferably overnight.
3. Preheat a grill, Remove the pork from the marinade and season with a bit more salt and pepper.  Grill, cooking on all sides, for about 10 minutes, until lightly charred and cooked through.  (An internal thermometer inserted into the center of the pork will read 140 degrees.)

*Makes 4 servings

*240 cals, 11g fat (2g saturated), 510mg sodium

*Cost per serving: $2.23

*Compare to: Macaroni Grill Prime Pork Loin, 670 cals, 24g fat (6g saturated), 1,820mg sodium, $14.99

Served w/ Brown Rice & organic Black Beans