Shrimp Ceviche

Hey Guys!! Hope all is well!!
I know I haven't blogged in a while... Months in fact. Truth is.. I MISSED IT!
I was thinking to myself, "Self.. what new recipe should I share on my blog next?" ...
I always want to share recipes that not only I enjoy, but ones I feel you will enjoy too.
This passed weekend I had a craving for some Shrimp Ceviche, so i made some.. posted the picture of it on facebook and I do many of my dishes  and got a few request for the recipe...

In case you're not too familiar with this dish, let me tell you a little bit about it.
It's a fresh seafood dish. popular in the coastal reagion of the Americas,Especially South and Central America.  The dish is typically made from fresh raw fish ( we're using fresh raw shrimp today) marinated in citrus juices like lemon or lime, spices and other condiments.
Growing up, this was one of my favorite things to eat and one of my Uncles who is also a Chef, would make it the BEST! Here's my version of it.....

 Here it goes!!!! Hope you like it!!!!! :)

Shrimp Ceviche

• 1 1/2 Lbs of fresh raw shrimp-peeled, devained-small dice
• 1 to 1 1/2 Cups of freshly squeezed lime juice (enough juice to cover shrimp completly)
• 1 small onion-small dice
• 2 Jalapenos (adjust to your own taste, more heat or less heat)
• 3 Roma tomatoes-small dice
• 1/4 of a cup of Cilantro - minced 
• 2 cups of Clamato tomato and clam juice
• 1 Cucumber, peeled-Small dice
• Salt-to tatse
• Black pepper -to taste
• Haas Avocado-For garnish

1. Put your RAW peeled diced shrimp in a large to Medium Bowl
2. add freshly squeezed lime juice( ensure that the juice completly covers the shrimp, use more juice if needed)
3. let marinate in your refrigerator for 3 hrs. ( you will notice that your shrimp have changed color-the acid has cooked them )
4. Mix in- onions, tomatoes, jalapeno, cucumber, cilantro- ensure its well incorporated
5. add clamato tomatoe clam juice, mix well
6. season with salt and pepper to tatse
7. serve cold , garnish with Avocado. Served with Tostadas, tortilla chips, saltine crackers, plantain chips or anything you like
8. Enjoy!!!!!

Good Eats... How well are you Eating?

Hello Ladies and Gents :)

Glad to be here, sharing yet another blog with you guys.
There has been a few changes in my life, since the last time i posted something.. so here it all goes :)

First off , I thank all who took part in the Recipe Poll- the Summer Rolls took 1st Place!!!

 I will be posting it up shortly. I love how this recipe serves as an introduction to a new leaf in turning in  my life as well as my Culinary Career.

A couple posts back i shared with you that i had started changing my diet. I'm not on a diet -per say... but i have cut down on some things like Beef, Pork, soda/pop, drinks or foods with high sugar to name a few.

My reason for this was to begin healthier cooking habits thus resulting in better recipes for people to enjoy Good food that is GOOD FOR YOU. I want to help change peoples perspective/negative connotation when referring to "healthy food"- it's not bland or boring! .. trust me ;)

Cooking with fresh ingredients is very important. The fresher the product the better the outcome.

Let me explain some of the things that some people aren't too clear on when it comes to fresh food...

Organic:
Produce that is grown without fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides Organic meat of dairy livestock receive no antibiotics or added hormones and are raised on organic feed. Organic products never use genetic engineering or irradiation

All Natural:
Foods that are minimally processed and contain no artificial colors, flavors, preservatives or sweeteners

Earth-Friendly:
Produced in such a way to minimize any negative impact on the environment.

Vegetarian:
Foods derived from plant sources, such as fruits,grains,legumes and nuts. These can contain egg and dairy products

Vegan:
Solely from plant origin; absolutely no animal ingredients or byproducts such as eggs, dairy products, or honey

Raw Foodism:
is a lifestyle promoting the consumption of uncooked, unprocessed, often organic as a large percentage of the diet

I have recently started a job at : http://cafe118.com/  in down town Winter Park FL.

Orlando's Innovative Living Cuisine Cafe and Juice bar. (Living = Raw)
Why Living Foods?
For clarity and balance, performance and beauty.
Come for a wonderful, refreshing experience and Cafe 118, you wone ever look at food the same again :)
Monday 11:30-5pm
Tuesday -Thursday 11:30-9pm
Friday-Saturday 11:30-10pm
Sunday Closed

Wings 2-Ways

Well hello Ladies and Gents :)
Here is my Last recipe of 2010!!!!

Hot wings are a typical favorites amongst the appetizers we love.

I however, was one of the few people (maybe only person..lol ) who didn't like them.
I never ordered them ANYWHERE. They were never made to my liking : Not crispy enough, not flavorful enough, not spicy enough...

I'm always saying "If you don't like something, then it most likely wasn't cooked right" (this is how I get my friends to try new things!! :) shh! )

I challenged myself to making Hot wings! :)

I am aware that some people don't eat spicy food, so there's a Garlic-Butter-Cheese 'sauce' you can use!

Try it. Enjoy it. Tell me about!

Butter-Garlic-Pecorino-Romano Wings

Ingredients:
About 24 Chicken Wings (You can use boneless if you like)
12 Cloves Garlic
2 Sticks of Butter (Not Margarine)
8 oz of Grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan Cheese
All Purpose Flour
Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. Mince the garlic really small
3. Add garlic and butter to pot and let it melt and simmer on LOW heat
4. Add salt and pepper to taste
5. Rinse and pat dry the chicken
6. Season the chicken with salt and pepper

7. Dredge/Cover in flour
8. Pat of excess flour (Make sure its covered in flour)
9. Fry the wings (I used a deep fryer at 375 degrees. until golden brown or internal temperature is 165)
10. Once done, let drain on paper towel
11. Add cooked wings to a bowl, and pour the garlic and butter sauce and sprinkle the cheese
12. Cover and shake/toss to ensure wings are completely covered in sauce and cheese

13. ENJOY!!!!

For the Hot Wings sauce you will need:

10 oz of Buffalo wing sauce ( your choice)

5 cloves of garlic -minced

1 Tbsp Butter (not Margarine)

1 Tbsp of  Sriracha Hot Sauce

1 Thai pepper

1/2 a tsp of Dried oregano (crushed)

Salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

ADJUST THE SPICE/ AS NEEDED!!!!!!!!!!

1. In a sauce pan simmer together the butter and garlic, then add the buffalo sauce, and other ingredients, simmer, and season to taste.

2. Like in the previous procedure, you fry the wings the same and once the buffalo wing sauce is done, you toss/mix in a bowl.

3. Enjoy!!   

 

Seasons Greetings

Hello Bloggers.
hope all finds you well!

I hope everyone is enjoying the season!!!
I have really enjoyed sharing recipes with you, thank you for allowing me to do that for you  :)

There has been a few things going on on my side...
For starters,
I have changed my diet in a few ways, and I'm excited
 to share with you guys the reason behind it, the process and outcome... so stay tuned :)

I have a great recipie to share!!

in the mean time, I hope you all are doing well and have a VERY  MERRY CHRISTMAS !!! and a Happy new year, may God bless you more in 2011!!!

Enchiladas!!!

Hello bloggers
Thank you for following me and enjoying my posts :) I appreciate your support!
I'm getting more comfortable to the whole blog thing and i definitely enjoy sharing my love of food with you!

I have been cooking a lot more Mexican food lately and I'm really enjoying it! ( so is my tummy lol)

Please give me feedback on the post i have already shared with you, also if you have any special requests please let me know.

I have a few request for Healthier, lower calorie dishes, or even alternative cooking for those who are Lactose intolerant, or have food restrictions to things such as yeast or corn.

while I continue to think up those recipes, I'm going to share another one of my favorites:

Today's recipe is going to be Beef Enchiladas

Enchilada is the past participle of Spanish enchilar, which means "to add pepper to" or to season  with chilis

We are using typical ingredients in Mexican cooking such as corn tortillas, chilies, cheese (Queso Fresco) Protein of your choice, today we are using beef

 Beef Enchiladas

Yields 18

6 servings - 3ea  per serving

-2 lb Tenderloin roast

-18 Corn tortillas

-1 Roma tomato

-4 Cloves of garlic whole- peeled

-10 Guajillo peppers-dried

-1 small onion

-1 bay leaf
-4 Sprigs Cilantro

-Salt- to taste

-Pepper- to taste
-4 oz of tomato sauce
-chili powder- to taste
-Chicken Bullion- to taste
-8 oz Oil - canola or vegetable

-1 Tbsp of flour- for roux-(cooked mixture of flour and fat, oil is fine) used as a thickening agent

-1 Tbsp Oil

-Mexican Crumble Cheese (Queso Fresco)

-2 cups shredded Lettuce -ice burg is fine

-If you have a crock pot  it would be quite practical for this recipe

-If using a crock pot you can cook the meat in it at what ever setting you have time for submerge the meat in water and add 1/4 of the onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 4 sprigs of cilantro and bay leaf cook until fork tender; if you're not using a crock pot : in a regular pot you would do the same as above but simmer on med-low heat until fork tender

-once beef is cooked, let cool, then shred. Discard the remaining cooked ingredients in pot(onion, cilantro, bay leaf, garlic you will need 1/2 a cup of the beef stock, but you can save the rest for other recipes)

-Mince 1/4 cup of onion and toss in with shredded beef

-In a sauce pan simmer the guajillo peppers(make sure you remove the stems first), tomato, 2 cloves of garlic and 1/4 of small onion in 6 cups of water- simmer until cooked through or until softened
-discard half of water used
-in a blender liquefy remaining water with ingredients- strain through a chinois or fine strainer- to extract any pepper skins, seeds or large debris (this is the base for your sauce)
- you can use same size pot- heat up the 1 tbsp of oil for roux, once hot, add flour and mix thoroughly to avoid clumps ( you can use a whisk)
-once you mix roux well, slowly whisk in sauce base and whisk thoroughly to avoid clumping
-season with chili powder, chicken bullion and simmer (thickness of the sauce should be enough to coat the back of a spoon- not too thick)
-set sauce aside

-in a skillet heat up 8 oz of oil
- once hot- submerge 1 corn tortilla at a time for 3 seconds and then flip over and cook another 3 seconds ( we are not making them hard or crispy they need to keep their flexibility- we are only cooking them and preventing breakage when we roll them)
-Drain them on a paper towel
-once all cooked dip tortillas- one at at time, completely in sauce to cover both sides (you can use tongs for this)
-place a pinch- about 1oz of beef and onion mixture in the center of sauced tortilla, roll and place on plate crease side down to maintain shape
-once you do this with all of the tortillas- you can pour additional sauce over and top them with lettuce and crumble cheese to taste
-Enjoy!!!

Scratching the surface

Hello people...
Just like i promised you on my last recipe that I would post a 'non-sea food' recipe next... here it goes :)

The title of this post is 'scratching the surface'... of  my Mexican roots!
I really enjoy exploring different types of cuisines and anyone who knows me knows how much I LOVE Asian food of all types!

Although I get distracted by other food and very rarely cook Mexican food of course I LOVE it.

I'm going to share one of my personal favorites with you: Beef Tostadas!

I Love them and its some what of a 'comfort food' for me... it reminds me of home (Arizona)

Beef Tostadas

Yields 10 Tostadas

5 Servings

-10 Corn Tortillas

- 1.5 lbs tenderloin roast

-1 Onion

-5 Garlic cloves

-Cilantro

-Salt
-Mexican white Crumble cheese ( Queso Fresco)

-1 Can of Pinto Beans

-2 cups of oil ( of your choice to deep fry your tortillas)

-chili powder -to taste

-Sour Cream - to taste

-1 bay leaf

The salsa

-2 Tomatoes

-1 Jalapeno

-Oregano

-If you have a crock pot  it would be quite practical for this recipe

-If using a crock pot you can cook the meat in it at what ever setting you have time for submerge the meat in water and add 1/4 of the onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 4 sprigs of cilantro and bay leaf cook until fork tender; if you're not using a crock pot : in a regular pot you would do the same as above but simmer on med-low heat until fork tender

-once beef is cooked, let cool, then shred. Discard the remaining cooked ingredients in pot(onion, cilantro, bay leaf, garlic you will need 1/2 a cup of the beef stock, but you can save the rest for other recipes)

-in a hot skillet add 1 tbsp of oil, and add 2 minced garlic, to this add beef, season with salt and black pepper and chili powder  to taste and 1/2 a cup of beef stock for moisture, simmer adjust seasoning done with the meat

- is a sauce pan , heat up 1 tsp of oil, add 1 clove of garlic, let the garlic roast a little bit. to this add the pinto beans, season with salt to taste  and simmer on low heat; once beans are thoroughly cooked ( you can squish a bean in between your fingers and it should be soft)remove the garlic clove and mash the beans with a potato masher until it reaches the consistancy above
-in sauce pan add the salsa components , tomatoes jalapeno and garlic clove with 1/4 of an onion, simmer in 1 cup of water, when ingredients are cooked through(softened) blend together, season with salt , pepper and oregano(not too much oregano, it is quite potent)  AND THERE YOU HAVE YOUR SALSA!!!

-in a small skillet heat up the 2 cups of oil *oil is hot enough to fry tortillas when you put it in the oil (using tongs) and it immediately starts to bubble, you leave it in 10 seconds and turn over , fry for another 10 seconds
-you can drain fat on paper towel
-when you are done frying the tortillas you are FINALLY ready to assemble!!!
-you spread about 1 tbsp of beans on the fried tortilla , add tbsp of beef on top of that , add sour cream and crumble some cheese to taste, top with salsa and cilantro leaves
-ENJOY!!!

a bite... of the bay

As I'm getting ready to post my second recipe (yay!), I notice it too is a sea food recipe...

for my non-sea food lovers:  I apologize... I promise the next one won't be!

As I make my way home from a long day, I made a stop at the local grocery store near by.
Trying to get inspired for dinner time, I walked by the proteins and wandered into the sea food section.

My eyes were drawn to the scallops... immediately I thought PASTA!!! (carbs... love/hate relationship).

Seared Scallops over linguine pasta.

I hope you enjoy making it!!!



Seared Scallops in a garlic, white wine and butter sauce over Linguine 

Yields 4 portions

• 1lb of bay scallops (if not available, any type of scallops should be fine)
• 1Tps oil
• salt -to taste
• black pepper-to taste
• 2 cups of flower
• 6 oz of butter
• 1/4 cup of white wine
• Juice of 1/2 of  Lemon (adjust to taste)
• 6 cloves of garlic- minced
• 1/4 cup of cilantro- minced
• 1/4 cup of parsley-minced
• 13.5 Oz box of Linguine (regular or whole grain

1. In a pot, boil  4 quarts or 1 gallon of water
2. once water is at a boil, add raw noodles and cook until aldente (heres a trick, if you think the noodles are done, throw it at the wall and if its done, it should stick to it!)
3. the scallops, season with salt and black pepper
4. toss in flour, pat off excess flour
5. in hot pan, add oil and butter - add minced garlic
6. add to this the scallops
7. turn over when golden in color
8. add white wine- let it simmer for about 5 minutes 
9. add lemon juice
10. add salt and pepper to taste- this is also a time to add more butter if you need more sauce
11. add minced cilantro and parsley- toss well to incorporate all components in pan
12. serve drained noodles on plate as desired- top with 1/4 of scallops along with sauce
13. Enjoy!!!