Green Lentils Salad with Cheese

                                                  GREEN LENTIL SALAD with CHEESE

1 cup Green Lentils

1 Large Carrot, shredded 

2  Peppers, multicolored, julienned to 1 inch strips

1 Garlic clove, minced

3 T chopped parsley

1 t thyme, chopped

1T Spicy Brown Mustard

1 T honey 

2 T Organic Apple Cider Vinegar 

Salt and Black Pepper to taste

Juice and Zest  of 1 lemon

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Oil

4 ozs Cheese: Bleu, Goat or Parmesan acts well.

Combine lentils in three cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove from heat, drain and set  aside.

Mixed mustard, honey, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and black pepper together. Add olive oil slowly, mixing constantly. 

Mix lentils, carrots, peppers, and  spices together. Add vinegar mixture, mix well.

Server on a bed of greens. Shave or crumble cheese over top and serve

High in dietary fiber and protein. Low in sodium, sugar, fat and cholesterol.

Salmon Escabeche.

 If Cooking for Good Times can do an escabeche in 15 minutes then, so can you.

But an escabeche takes more time: Trini style, always season the fish with a rub or sofrito for at least an hour. Fish is then cooked to a medium rare, then onion mixture is pour over it. This should then marinate overnight in refrigerator. It is served with root vegetables.

2 ozs. Sofrito or a good fish rub

2 lbs salmon fillet

1 medium yellow onion, sliced

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons black peppercorns 

1/2 cup olives, pimentos 

2 lbs root veggies:  white yams, eddy’s and bananas 

In a bowl, season salmon with soffits. Let sit at least one hour or overnight.

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Place salmon on oiled, rimmed baking sheet. Bake salmon 10 - 12 minutes according to thickness. Place in a glass, high sided dish with a .cover

3. In a high sided, sauce pan combine onions, olive oil, vinegar and peppercorn bring to a boil, reduce to a slow heat and cook for 30 - 45 minutes.

4. Pour mixture over salmon and refrigerate overnight. Serve at room temperature.

Serve with root vegetables, that can also be escabeched!

P.S. Just. had to respond to my nephew, Nigel, to a similarly Jamaican made dish, “Escovitch.” Low and behold, as usual, the Jamaicans did it again, they stole the Spanish dish, escabeche which I usually make with king fish.

Food is an international language as music, no one has a hold on any form of cooking. Ready to make the Rasta escovitch real soon.

How to Unclog AC Drain Line Fast (3 Seconds), Avoid Repairman

Chicken and Mango Salad

 This is a great summer meal and that comes about very easy. The previous roasted chicken was big enough to have left overs and makes this dish ideal.

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil

1 lemon, zested and juiced

2 T rice vinegar

1/2 t sugar

Salt to taste

1 firm ripe mango, diced

1/2 red onion, dice

3 cups diced, roasted, boneless chicken

2 T California raisins

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

In a medium sauce pan, bring water to a boil. Add quinoa, reduce heat to medium low, cover and cook for 12- 15 minutes. Take off heat, uncover and allow to cool.

In a large bowl whisk together rice vinegar, sugar, lime zest,  juice, salt and olive oil.

Add diced mango, red onion, chicken, raisins, coconut, peppers and blend well.

Adjust seasonings and vinegar to taste.

Can be served at room temperature or refrigerate 

Roasted chicken, type best!

Salt enhances flavor, and is the main ingredient to add flavor than any other ingredient.

 Salt also affects texture and helps modify other flavors. My new “love chef”is Samin who says, add it in the right amount, at the right time, in the right form, and your food will be delicious.

So, in this recipe just pour it on.

1 four pound chicken

Salt, salt, salt

1 cup buttermilk **

Or 1/4 cup lemon juice to two cups oat  milk ( my daughter’s fancy)

Samin says, you can also use yogurt.

My chicken was an Aldi Best Buy $ 4.42

Publix had Oat milk, buy one get one free $3.99

As a TriniRican, I also seasoned with sofrito and spices.

Day before.

Wash chicken pat dry  and salt generously, pour it on like as for cooking pasta,!

Seasoned with other spices Of choice: sofrito. adobo, gran masala and black pepper

Pour buttermilk into a zip lock bag and add chicken

Make sure air is out, then seal, refrigerate overnight.

Good time to practice your massage techniques, massage a couple of times.

Take the bag from the refrigerator an hour before you plan to cook it

Preheat oven to 425 degrees 

Take chicken out of bag 

and place on a rack in sheet pan. Tie legs together and place in heated oven.

After 20 minutes turn heat to 400 degreees and change position of sheet pan.

This will take as much as one hour 15 minutes until juices run clear

I used foil on breast to avoid a burnt bird

Remove from oven and let rest 10 to 15 minutes

 

Lasagna

                                                        Happy Mother's Day!

Never knew Baked Lasagna was such a heavy dish, but it worked out nicely today.
Now, all that is left to do is to portion it out and freeze! Also, next time I make a Lasagna, it will not be the same ... 50% of the ingredients will all be different.
Wine choice: try a light red, which will present an excellent contrast.

                                                     EASY LASAGNA BAKE
1 pack Oven Ready Lasagna (12ozs.)
1 # 100 % grass-fed beef
8 ozs. Italian sausages, remove casings
1 onion, peeled, chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed
1 T Olive Oil
2 T homemade sofrito
32 ozs. homemade marinara sauce or  32 ozs. store-bought pasta sauce
16 ozs. Nonfat, Plain Greek Yogurt
15 ozs Ricotta Cheese
6 ozs. Sour Cream
12 0zs. mozzarella and swiss cheese, blended, divided
Salt and pepper to taste
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. I used a half hotel pan, it is slightly bigger than the stores' 9x13 aluminum pan
Saute onions in olive oil till soft and fragrant
Add ground beef and sausage, continue to cook till lightly brown
In the meantime, in a large bowl, mix Yogurt, Ricotta cheese, 8 ozs. cheese blend, and  Sour Cream. add salt and pepper to taste, set aside.
Add sofrito and marinara sauce to the beef  and cook 5 minutes, remove from heat

                                               Assemble Lasagna
Spray pan with nonstick spray.
Cover the bottom with a Scant amount of sauce mixture.
Lay 4 pieces of pasta over sauce.
Spread 1/3 cheese sauce over pasta
Lay 4 sheets pasta
Spread 1/2 meat mixture
Lay 4 sheets pasta
Spread cheese sauce
Lay 4 sheets pasta
Rest of the meat mixture
Sprinkle with blended cheese
Cover with aluminum foil
Bake 50 minutes. remove foil and bake another 10 minutes
Let rest 8 minutes before cutting

Chilean Empanada de Pino

 I have eaten empanadas in Puerto Rico ... delicious, even the Jamaican meat pie is good. But, it was while spending the 2009 Christmas in Madrid, I tasted the real McCoy.
History has it that the Galicians valued the empanadas as a tasty meal that fishermen will take on their outings. Also, in addition to dried fish, Galician emigrants, on their journeys to Spain and ventures overseas, especially to South America, brought tasty empanadas as a snack. 
According to Culinaria Spain, "the empanada has grown from being a food simple folk would take with them on journeys, to being a delicacy fit for the most demanding gourmet."  

1 onion, peeled, chopped
2 T neutral oil, grapeseed or extra virgin olive oil1/2 # 100% grass-fed beef
1 T Olive Oil
1 Green bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1/4 cup sofrito, 
1/4 c Pimento, chopped, 
1-1/2 T Red Wine Vinegar, 
1 T chili powder
1 t cumin
2 T tomato paste
1 T all-purpose flour
2/3 c raisins
1c cheese, cheddar, grated

1 pack empanada wrap, sold frozen, under the Goya label at Publix's. I prefer Bravo's, 3-inch diameter size. Thawed.
1 egg, beaten with 2 T milk

Heat large saute pan on medium heat, add oil and onions, sautee on 4-5 minutes till onions are softened.
Add ground beef, broken up into small pieces, continue cooking till color has changed. 
Add garlic, sofrito, pimento, vinegar, chili powder, tomato paste, and cumin
Add the flour and continue to cook a couple more minutes.
Take the skillet off the heat, add the raisins, and let cool.
It could be made two days ahead and refrigerated.

Separate disc individually. On a floured surface, roll each disc to about double in size. Lightly brush the edges with egg wash. 
Place a few tablespoons of filling in the center of the disc, bring the rims together and seal with fingers. Brush entire empanada with egg wash, fold in the edges to make a pattern. 
Place on a parchment paper-covered tray or plate. Separate layers with more paper.
Empanadas can be frozen, put in zip lock bags and used as needed