1 English cucumber, partially peeled into a striped pattern, sliced
1 green bell pepper, cored and sliced
Salt to taste
1/2 c. Kalamata olives
7 oz. Feta block, sliced
1/3 c. high quality olive oil
1-2 TBSP red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
Directions:
Prep vegetables.
On your serving platter, drizzle with half the olive oil. Add the onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers, and sprinkle with salt. Add the olives and top with the feta. Then drizzle remaining olive oil and vinegar and sprinkle the top with oregano.
Cut potatoes and place in a bowl with olive oil through pepper and mix until well coated.
On a sheet pan lined with parchment paper, spread the potatoes in a single layer along with the olive oil in the bowl.
Pour 1/2 c. water in the corners of the sheet pan, tilting the pan so it spreads through the entire pan.
Roast for 10 minutes at 400F until the liquids start to boil, then reduce to 320F and continue to roast for 45 minutes until potatoes are soft and crispy. Taste and add more salt if necessary.
In a medium bowl, combine olive oil through pepper. Add 1 inch chicken cubes to marinade and toss to combine. Marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Preheat grill to medium or 350F. Preheat oven to 350F.
Thread chicken onto skewers.
Add skewers to grill and turn occasionally until chicken has grill marks. Transfer to oven for 15 minutes or until completely cooked through.
2 – 3 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, petite dice (reserve some for garnish)
Salt, to taste
Directions:
Crepe Batter: Using an electric mixer, blend the melted butter, eggs, milk, water, and vanilla together. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl, then add them to the milk mixture and blend until smooth consistency. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or preferably overnight.
Prepare Crepes: Heat a 9-10 inch crepe pan or nonstick skillet. Brush pan with melted butter and pour a scant 1/4 c. of batter into the pan and swirl the pan until the batter covers the surface. Cook until the crepe is slightly brown (about 30 seconds). Carefully loosen the edges and then flip the crepe. Cook for another 30 seconds or until the second side is lightly browned. Remove from pan and continue cooking until batter is used. As you finish each crepe, stack them in between sheets of parchment paper or wax paper. Cover with a clean kitchen towel.
Prepare Filling: Saute corn, bell pepper, and shallot until veggies are softened, add the chicken and toss to combine and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Prepare Poblano Cream Sauce: In a small saucepan heat cream, cream cheese, and 3 TBSP (or more) of diced poblanos. Add salt to taste. Set aside. Reheat just before serving.
Build the Crepes: Preheat oven to 325F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spoon chicken mixture onto crepe and gently roll up and then place onto the baking sheet. After you have filled and rolled all of the crepes, cover the baking sheet with foil and bake until warmed through, about 15 minutes. Reheat poblano cream sauce. When crepes are done, add some poblano cream sauce to your plate, add your crepes, top with more poblano cream sauce, and garnish with reserved roasted poblano chiles.
Prep: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. If using cottage cheese, add cottage cheese to a blender/food processor and blitz until smooth and creamy; then in a medium bowl mix all meatball ingredients together.
Meatballs: Roll mixture into 20-24 small meatballs. Drizzle some olive oil in the bottom of a shallow Dutch oven or oven-safe pan to prevent sticking. Put the meatballs in the pan.
Bake: Bake for 20-25 minutes on a middle oven rack. Gently loosen them from the bottom of the pan with a spatula; they should have some nice browning.
Sauce: Heat sauce in sauce pan and then add the cooked meatballs and stir to get them all coated.
Marinate: Add the Dijon, garlic, onion powder, soy sauce, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar together in a large plastic bag or shallow dish. Season both sides of the steak with salt and pepper then add the steak to the marinade let it marinate for 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
Cook: When you’re ready to grill, brush the grill grates with oil and heat the outdoor grill to high heat (450°F). Remove the flank steak from the marinade and shake off excess, but do not discard marinade. You need to cook down the glaze. Add the flank steak to the hot grill and close the lid. Cook for 3-5 minutes on each side for medium-rare steak, or until the internal temperature reaches 135°F, which allows for 5-10 degrees of carryover cooking while it rests.
Remove the flank steak to a clean cutting board and let it rest for 10 minutes.
Balsamic Glaze: While the flank steak is resting, make the balsamic glaze. Add the reserved marinade to a medium saucepan and bring it to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. This cooks off any bacteria from marinating to make it safe to eat. Make sure it’s a rolling boil of 165°F or higher. Reduce to a simmer and let it thicken into a glaze for 2-3 minutes, until it coats the back of a spoon. Add a splash more balsamic vinegar as needed.
Brush half of the balsamic glaze on top of the steak then cut it thinly against the grain, and then drizzle with remaining balsamic glaze, as desired.
For garnish: crushed red pepper flakes, fresh basil, and Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve 1 c. of the pasta water. Use a colander to drain the pasta. Return to pot or place in a large serving bowl.
In a blender or food processor, combine the pesto, cottage cheese, and 1/2 c. of reserved pasta water. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Add the creamy pesto sauce to the pasta and stir until pasta is well coated. Can use additional reserved pasta water to thin sauce.
Garnish with crushed red pepper flakes, fresh basil, and Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Marinate Chicken: In a Ziploc bag and chicken through vegetable oil. Place in refrigerator for 1 – 24 hours. When ready, remove chicken from marinade and grill or cook as desired.
Nuoc Cham: Heat rock sugar and water in a medium to low heat until sugar is melted. In a small blender/food processor, add the lime juice, half of the sugar water, garlic, and chili garlic sauce and blend/blitz until desired texture (longer for smooth, less time for chunky). In a jar with lid, add the sauce along with the remaining sugar water and fish sauce. Set aside.
Quick Pickled Vegetables: Add veggies and both vinegars to a jar with a lid. In a small saucepan add water, salt, and sugar and heat on medium low heat until salt and sugar melts; stir and then add to jar with veggies and let cool.
Vermicelli Bowls Assembly: To your individual serving bowls, add desired rice noodles, cilantro, mint, lettuce, cucumbers, pickled vegetables, grilled chicken, peanuts, jalapeno slices, and nuoc cham.
Recipe adapted from Caroline Chambers’ What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking,
Ingredients:
1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
12 oz. semi sweet chocolate chips
1 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. granulated sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 TBSP vanilla extract
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp. flaky salt
Vanilla ice cream for serving
Directions:
Melt butter in a 10-12 inch oven proof skillet over medium low heat, swirling butter often, until the butter foams, then cook until the milk solids drop to the bottom and begin to brown, 5-8 minutes total. If butter starts to bubble and spit, reduce heat. Remove skillet from heat and allow butter to cool for 30 or so minutes.
Once the butter cools, add the brown sugar and granulated sugar to the skillet and stir to combine. Stir in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla.
Pile the flour, baking soda, and salt on top of the butter mixture. Use your fingers to sift the baking soda into the flour, then stir it into the butter mixture (it will seem like too much flour, but keep stirring until combined).
Stir in the chocolate chips. Using your hands, press the dough to the edges of the skillet and smooth out the top. Sprinkle with flaky salt.
Allow dough to rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes to allow the flour to hydrate before baking, if you can.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325F, and bake for 20-30 minutes, until the cookie is light golden but still very soft looking in the center. A 12 inch skillet will need less time while a 10 inch skillet will need more time.
Top with ice cream and eat immediately or let cookie cool for about 20 minutes and scoop into bowls or slice into pieces.
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