90% of all U.S. households have a microwave oven, but we don’t, so when we make popcorn, it’s on the stove top. Generally we buy the store brand, it’s considerably cheaper than name brand popcorn, and we find it offers the same result. We cook popcorn in coconut oil. Coconut oil has a high heat point and retains it’s nutritional value when heated. We like to add flavorings, too. My favorite is grated Parmesan cheese. Of course we always add butter and salt, but I’ve found that fresh ground black pepper is a great addition as well.
How to Cook Popcorn on the Stove top:
1) On Medium Heat, add 2 Tbsp of coconut oil in a heavy bottomed pot.
2) Add a couple of test corn kernels into the pot.
3) When the oil heats through, and the test kernels have popped, add ½ cup of popcorn kernels.
4) Shake the pan to distribute the kernels along the bottom of the pan. They should form a single layer.
5) Cover the pot with a lid, but don’t cover tightly, leave the lid slightly ajar to allow steam to escape; this will keep the popcorn from tasting stale.
6) Allow the kernels to pop until the popping sound almost completely subsides.
7) Once popped, removed pot from burner and pour popcorn into a bowl.
8) While hot, add melted butter and salt and whatever seasonings you desire.
and that’s it!
Below is a video we made experimenting with bacon, but I think I prefer basic popcorn, although the fresh ground black pepper tasted awesome.
Fun Facts:
–Two tablespoons of unpopped corn kernels produce a quart of popcorn for about 25 cents. –In movie theaters, for every dollar spent on popcorn, about 90 cents is profit. –A cup of plain popcorn contains about 31 calories. –Americans eat more popcorn than any other country. –About 70% of popcorn sold in America is eaten in the home. –By volume, popcorn is America’s most popular snack food.
This garlic quinoa recipe makes a terrific side dish. I use quinoa often to provide the protein in vegetarian meals, but quinoa is also a smart choice to serve with other proteins. This garlic quinoa side is filling and tasty, and a great accompaniment for many meat and fish dishes.
Garlic Quinoa Recipe Ingredients:
2 cups QUINOA 3 cups WATER 3-4 cloves GARLIC (finely chopped) 2 Tbsp OLIVE OIL SALT and PEPPER to taste and add chopped PARSLEY …if you like, man
garlic quinoa makes a great side dish
Garlic Quinoa Recipe Directions:
In an oven proof dish, add 3 cups of water. Add in the olive oil, or melted butter. Add the quinoa. Add finely chopped garlic. I find 3-4 cloves to be plenty (this is one of those rare dishes where I have found too much garlic to be too much). Add salt and pepper to taste. If you want to add a little heat, add some finely chopped red chilis (it adds a nice color, too), or just a little cayenne pepper. Stir the ingredients together well and place top or foil covering over the baking dish. Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 90 minutes. No attention to the dish is required while baking. After 90 minutes, remove the dish from the oven, uncover and let set for a few minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve. It’s a great side dish for meat, fish, and vegetarian meals. Any leftovers can be used to make quick quinoa salads. Give this Garlic Quinoa Recipe a try and let me know what you think, and bon appétit!
uncooked quinoa…looks like a grain, but it’s a seed.
Quinoa is a terrific ingredient to incorporate into your diet for many reasons, here are a few: 1) It is a complete protein (provides all essential amino acids). 2) High in fiber and nutrition. 3) High in magnesium and iron. 4) Is low on the Glycemic Index, making it a good choice for blood sugar regulation. 5) it can easily be substituted for rice in many recipes
This roasted garlic recipe is easy to prepare and there are a zillion uses for roasted garlic, like a spread for bread, which I do in this video for a quick crostini idea. Roasted garlic makes a great addition to rice, potato, and quinoa dishes, jams, salad dressings…most things are better with a little garlic.
Roasted Garlic Recipe Ingredients:
GARLIC SALT PEPPER OLIVE OIL …plus herbs and spices if you like
For Crostini: BREAD FETA CHEESE CAPERS KALAMATA OLIVES
use roasted garlic to make a quick crostini
Roasted Garlic Recipe Directions:
When buying, choose garlic bulbs that are firm and have an intact “papery” outer covering. Avoid soft bulbs, or bulbs that have give and seem overly dry and desiccated. Buy bigger bulbs with bigger cloves! Peeling garlic is a semi-pain, so make it easier on yourself and choose the largest cloves available.
Remove the papery outer covering and separate the cloves. Do you have a secret tip (that really works!) for quickly peeling garlic cloves? If so, please let me know! I’ve found that the best way for me is the tried and true one-at-a-time method: just give each clove a gentle whack, enough to break the peel, and then remove the skin. Place peeled cloves on a sheet of aluminum foil.
Drizzle with olive oil. It doesn’t have to be a lot, just enough to coat the cloves. Add salt and pepper to taste, and any dried herbs or seasonings you like. I usually add a little thyme. Stir and coat the cloves in the oil and seasonings and then close up the aluminum foil like a Hershey’s Kiss. Place on a baking sheet and slide into an oven preheated to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake 30-40 minutes and they’ll be soft and ready for use.
Raw garlic is super strong with a burning bite, but roasting mellows out the bite and transforms the garlic into a tasty treat that can be popped into your mouth whole. I usually eat a handful of cloves when they’re right out of the oven–I can’t help myself! Warm roasted garlic is great on a crostini, which is really just a fancy piece of toast. Toast slices of French bread and smear on the warm garlic cloves like butter. Top with feta cheese, capers, and kalamata olives for a quick treat.
Use roasted garlic as a spread for sandwiches. Mix into mashed potatoes or rice dishes (or quinoa). Add roasted garlic to salads or mash into salad dressings. Add to jams, and gravies, and guacamole. Mix with butter for garlic bread. Add roasted garlic to anything; it’s a great item to have in the fridge. Store refrigerated and it will keep several days, store in a jar refrigerated and covered with oil, and it will keep a little longer,but there are so many uses for roasted garlic, it will be very easy to find ways to quickly use it up. Give this roasted garlic recipe a try and let me know what you think, and bon appétit!
Need an easy, super tasty cake frosting? This cake frosting recipe is ready in minutes and makes the perfect icing for cake (and cupcake!) perfection! It’s an especially great balance for a chocolate cake. You can make this frosting as thick or thin as you like, just add more powdered sugar to thicken, and more milk to thin, but add the milk just a wee little at a time–it doesn’t take much.
About an hour ahead of time, set out the cream cheese and butter to soften. In a bowl, combine cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract and blend with hand mixer. Once ingredients begin to come together, add in the powdered sugar. Add the sugar a bit at a time to avoid a sugary blending mess. Mix until the frosting is smooth. To thin the frosting add a small amount of milk–no more than a Tablespoon at a time! For a thicker frosting, just add more powdered sugar. And that’s it. Spread on your dessert and eat away!
Add milk to thin, or more powdered sugar to thicken the frosting.
Give this cream cheese frosting recipe a go and let me know what you think, and bon appétit!
And for more tasty dessert ideas, check out these tasty treats:
click the pic for more desserts!
“Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first.” ~Ernestine Ulmer “If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe.” ~Carl Sagan “Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the Titanic who waved off the dessert cart.” ~Erma Bombeck
Why have Plain French Toast when you can have French Toast with a cream cheese filling? A little creamy cheese and cinnamon ginger apples can transform your breakfast into a 10-year old’s dream breakfast.
French Toast Ingredients:
BREAD (sliced, stale) 1½ cups MILK 4 EGGS BUTTER for frying, and apples APPLES (peeled, sliced) CANDIED GINGER (sliced) WALNUTS (toasted) 8 oz CREAM CHEESE (soft) 15 oz RICOTTA CHEESE CINNAMON (to taste) optional: sugar and vanilla
Stale bread makes the best french toast! –slice ahead of time!
French Toast Directions:
Stale bread makes great French toast, so slicing bread ahead of time is a great idea; at least a few hours ahead of time, but ideally overnight. Stale bread will soak up the French toast batter without becoming overly soggy and falling apart, especially if you’re using thinner slices of bread, and the thinner or thicker the slices will depend on your particular tastes. This French toast recipe doesn’t need thicker slices, since you’re basically building a French toast sandwich; I’m using thicker slices of challa bread for this video, but I often use regular slices of Hawaiian sweet bread, which works great.
Mix the cream cheese and ricotta cheese together. Be sure to set your cream cheese out ahead of time to soften, this will make mixing it with the ricotta cheese much easier. I’ll often mix these ingredients ahead of time. If making a smaller amount, the cheese mix is about a 2 to 1 ratio of ricotta to cream cheese. I sometimes add a tsp. or two of sugar to the cheese mix, but this is optional; I prefer it without the added sugar, since the apple mix will be quite sweet.
Any leftover cream/ricotta mix can be used as dessert topping, and makes a tasty filling for omelets. I generally make too much apple mix, but that’s a good thing, too. I’m generous with the apple topping, and any leftover apple mix is a perfect topping for oatmeal or ice cream.
Creamy cheese filled French Toast
To make the apple mix, peel, slice, and remove the cores of the apples. Apples vary quite a bit in size, but I usually end up with about 4-6 cups of apple slices, and I generally use gala or Fuji apples, which take little time to cook down.
Melt about 2 Tbsp of butter in a pot and add apples. Mix with butter and cook over medium heat. Add candied ginger slices; I think ½ to 1 cup is a good amount of candied ginger, but there is no wrong amount, follow your gut. Add 1-2 Tbsp of sugar and cinnamon to taste, Mix and cover and cook about 20 minutes, until apples soften and get juicy. For extra liquidy goodness, stir in about ¼ cup water. You want the apples to be a little syrupy, that way you won’t have to use any maple syrup with the French toast. Once the apples are cooked to your liking, cover and set aside.
Mix the French toast batter. A basic batter is eggs and milk, and I’m also adding cinnamon, but often folks will add a little sugar or vanilla extract. I don’t add vanilla or sugar to the batter with this particular dish, because the creamy cheese center and apple-ginger topping will add more than enough flavor. In a bowl, combine the milk, eggs, and cinnamon to taste (½ tsp is a good amount). Whisk together well and then pour some into a shallow bowl–or all–it depend on the size of your shallow bowl; you don’t want the batter to be so deep that it runs into the cheesy part of your French toast sandwich.
To build the French toast sandwich, simply spread the cheese mixture onto a slice of bread and top with another slice, making a basic cheese sandwich.
You can also add toasted walnuts into the sandwich for a nice crunch, or simply top the toast later with toasted nuts, but definitely add nuts at some point, cause the crunchy contrast makes the dish perfect, and toasted walnuts are awesome. To toast the walnuts: spread walnuts on a baking sheet and roast at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 5-7 minutes. It won’t take long. As soon as the nuts begin to color up, remove them from the oven; they will burn if ignored, so set a timer and watch them closely. Taking the time to toast the walnuts is well worth the effort…it’s a great taste.
Once you’ve constructed the cheesy French toast sandwich, heat a little butter in a non-stick skillet on medium heat. Check current prices for a Non-Stick Skillet on Amazon. Place the sandwich in the batter and let soak a moment and then turn and batter the other side. Place sandwich in the skillet and cook on medium heat until golden brown, turn and cook other side and remove from the heat. Slice French toast and then top with apples and walnuts (a dusting of powdered sugar is optional). For a splash of color, add fresh berries or mint.
Serve this cheese stuffed French toast with maple syrup, or without–I find the cooked apples to be syrupy enough, and the warm cheesy center keeps the French toast from being too dry.
It’s a super delicious dish and a great treat for company.
Give this fancy pants Cream Cheese French Toast recipe a try and let me know what you think, and bon appétit!
And for another fancy pants breakfast dish, try this Pancake Recipe.
Fancy pancakes are easy to make, and better looking, too.
Thanks for Watching our French Toast Recipe Video!
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How to eat pomegranate. First off, Pomegranate is a weird, messy fruit.
When selecting a pomegranate, choose a fruit that is heavy for its size; like with most fruits, this signifies that it is fresh and juicy. The skin should be firm.
How to Eat Pomegranate
Pomegranate juice can be quite messy, and will easily stain clothing. It is a good idea to slice and prepare pomegranate in a large bowl or kitchen sink where the juice splatter can be contained.
The edible part of the pomegranate are the red “seeds” within the fruit. These seeds are called arils. Inside the arils you’ll find an inner seed that is a little gritty, but it is edible and contributes to the overall texture of the pomegranate, which is…interesting. Pomegranate is a food folks tend to love or hate, but whichever camp you fall into, pomegranate will provide an attractive and nutritious experience. Pomegranate is high in fiber, antioxidants, vitamins C, and potassium.
arils from pomegranate
To remove the arils, slice the pomegranate in half, and then into wedges. The arils are held firm by a membranous inside that is bitter and not to be eaten. The arils can be easily pulled away from the membrane. There are quite a lot of arils in a pomegranate, so this can take a little time…playing some cool jazz will help.
Some folks like to remove the seeds while holding the pomegranate beneath a bowl of water…this will cut down on the splatter, but it will also dilute any of the juice within the fruit.
How to eat pomegranate? Pomegranate can be eaten raw, juiced, or cooked.
Pomegranates keep for a week at room temperature, or up to 3 weeks if refrigerated.
Pomegranate is often referred to as “the food of the Gods”. Give ’em a go. You’ll either love it or hate it.
Use canned salmon to create this simple and satisfying salmon burger recipe. Canned salmon is perfect for making salmon patties, and salmon patties are an ideal stand-in for a hamburger when you’re hamburgered out –plus it’s a healthier choice.
Salmon Burger Recipe Ingredients:
14oz canned SALMON (red or pink) ¼ – ½ cup ONION (finely chopped) HOT PEPPER (finely chopped, to taste) 2 EGGS (beaten) SALT and PEPPER to taste OIL for sauteing (3-4 Tbsp…salmon will soak up the oil) 1 Tbsp CURRY POWDER (optional, check current curry prices online)
Canned Salmon makes tasty burgers!
Salmon Burger Recipe Directions:
I love canned salmon–red or pink–although I prefer pink canned salmon when making burgers since the pink salmon is much cheaper to buy. I use the more expensive red salmon for making salmon salad.
Salmon in the can is already cooked–in fact it is part of the canning process that cooks the salmon. Open the the can and drain off the liquid–you don’t want the salmon patties to be too wet when you form them.
Canned Pink Salmon …traditional style means skin and bones are still intact
Traditional canned salmon will come with skin and bones still intact . The skin and bones are soft and edible. You can remove the skin and bones if you like; I used to remove them, but now I’m too cheap, and I don’t want to miss out on the extra nutrition, either.
Place drained salmon in a bowl.
Add ¼ – ½ cup onion depending on how much you like onion. Make sure the onion is finely chopped; smaller pieces will help keep the patties from falling apart. If desired, add some finely chopped hot pepper. If you don’t have fresh pepper, add a little chili powder or hot sauce.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Add one or two beaten eggs. I like to use two beaten eggs because it helps to keep the patties together better; I don’t like my burgers to fall apart while I’m eating them.
Mix all the ingredients together well.
Shape into patties. I usually get 4 patties out of a 14oz can, but make as many as you like–bigger or smaller–depending on how big you want your burger to be. Here’s some current prices for canned salmon if you like to do your fishing on the internet.
Heat oil in a skillet. I like medium heat. You want the oil to be hot enough to sizzle when you add the patties, but not so hot that the patties will cook too quickly; you want the patties to get a nice cooked side before turning them, this will keep then from breaking apart.
Cook 5-7 minutes and then turn gently when the patties are golden brown.
Cook another 3-4 minutes and then remove from skillet and drain salmon patties on a paper towel.
I like to serve salmon patties on a toasted bun with sliced tomato, onion, lettuce and mayo. It’s a nice break from hamburgers, and just as tasty. Sometimes I’ll add a Tbsp of curry powder into the mix to make Curried Salmon Burgers, which you should definitely try sometime.
Give this salmon burger recipe a try and let me know what you think, and bon appétit!
And for another alternative take on a burger dish, try one of my favorite vegetarian burger ideas, A Super Eggplant Burger Recipe.
Best veggie burger? Looks like it.
Thanks For Checking out our Recipes
We hope this info is helpful for the next time you’re out buying crab meat at the supermarket. Sign up for our mailing list so you’ll never miss a new recipe. Also click a button below and share the dishes with your friends. You can also follow Chef Buck on Youtube. We appreciate all the kind comments and support, and we’ll see you next time in the kitchen!
If you like what CG and I do, support us on Patreon, or throw us a tip in our Paypal Tip Jar. We’ll happily enjoy a coffee on the road – Thanks! We appreciate all the support, and we’ll see you next time in the kitchen!
We include affiliate links for products on our website. Making a purchase after clicking on our links and we may earn a commission which helps us produce more videos and drink more coffee :^) We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, which is an affiliate advertising program. It provides a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites, so we can make more videos.
Give up the cool whip, ’cause whipped cream is super easy to make at home. If you’ve got heavy whipping cream and a little powdered sugar, you can whip up your own topping –and if you’ve got some leftover biscuits, then you’re just one step away from a fantastic dessert –that one step being fresh fruit– ideally strawberries; Biscuits topped with strawberries and homemade whipped cream make a helluva tasty treat!
Homemade Whipped Cream Recipe Ingredients:
1 cup HEAVY WHIPPING CREAM ½ to 1 tsp VANILLA EXTRACT (to taste, really…it’s semi-optional, but do it) 1 Tbsp POWDERED SUGAR
Heavy Whipping Cream
Homemade whipped Cream is best made in a chilled, metal bowl–and if you’re using a hand mixer–chill the mixing paddles as well! –for scientific reasons involving temperature transference and passive ambient cooling, chilling these tools will assist in the “whippification”. Into the chilled bowl, add cream. Using a smoothie or hand mixer–or even a hand whisk!–whip the cream until it begins to thicken (but before it begins to peak). Once the cream begins to thicken, add in the powdered sugar and the vanilla. Continue whipping until the cream thickens and forms “peaks”, i.e., turns into whipped cream. At this point, it’s ready to use (if you refrigerate the topping, the cream will eventually break down and have to be re-whipped).
Strawberry Shortcake knock-off using leftover biscuits
Strawberry Biscuit Dessert Directions:
We like to pair this whipped topping with leftover biscuits to create a faux strawberry shortcake: Take 1lb. of fresh strawberries and slice them into a bowl, add 1 to 2 Tbsp Sugar and mix. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours or overnight. Slice biscuits in half and toast under a broiler. Spoon the chilled strawberries over the toasted biscuits and top with homemade whipped topping. Boom. It’s perfecto.
Give this homemade whipped Cream and strawberry biscuit dessert recipe a go and let me know what you think, and bon appétit!
Watermelon Salad is simple to throw together and a tasty way to save a crappy melon. CG loves watermelon, but once in a while she brings home a dud that just doesn’t make the cut; so what does one do with an unsweet, flavorless melon? Turn it into a savory salad dish!
Watermelon Salad Recipe Ingredients: 6 cups crappy, unsweet, seedless WATERMELON 1-2 Tbsp fresh MINT (chopped) ¼ cup RED ONION (chopped) ¼ cup FETA CHEESE crumbles ½ cup toasted ALMOND SLIVERS
dressing: ¼ cup BALSAMIC VINEGAR 2 Tbsp OLIVE OIL 1 Tbsp DIJON MUSTARD 1 Tbsp MAPLE SYRUP (or substitute honey) 1 clove GARLIC (minced) SALT and PEPPER to taste
Turn crappy watermelon into happy watermelon! (sorry)
Watermelon Salad Directions: This salad works best with a seedless melon–’cause it’s a salad–and no one wants to dig seeds out of a salad. Wash your melon and cut away the rind. Slice the red flesh into hearty, but mouth-sized pieces. If it’s sweet–then you’re set! Chow down, because that’s what a melon is for! –but if it’s not sweet, if it’s a flavorless lump that sits in your mouth like play-doh, then don’t despair…it’s salad time. First thing, make the dressing. In a small bowl, combine the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard, maple syrup (or substitue honey), garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix together and set aside. In a larger bowl combine cut watermelon pieces, mint, red onion, feta cheese, and almond slivers. I’ve suggested some ingredient measurements–but that’s just a loose guildeline, man. It’s a salad…follow your heart (and taste buds). Add salad dressing to taste and toss. Boom. That’s it, dude. Your crappy melon has been transformed into a delicious salad.
Give this Watermelon Salad recipe a try and let me know what you think, and bon appétit!
This fried quinoa recipe is a quick and tasty take on Chinese fried rice. Quinoa makes a great substitute for rice in many recipes, especially quinoa fried “rice”. Quinoa is a complete protein, which makes this dish a complete meal, even if you leave out the egg–which is an easy way to make this a vegetarian recipe. Of course you can go the other route and throw in a little diced pork chop or ham if you like, but I’m quite happy with just a couple scrambled eggs thrown in.
Fried Quinoa Recipe Ingredients: 1 cup QUINOA (before cooking) 1 cup PEAS 1 CARROT (diced) 4-6 GREEN ONIONS (chopped, tops separate) 3-5 cloves GARLIC (finely chopped) 2 Tbsp GINGER (finely chopped) HOT PEPPERS (as desired, finely chopped) 2 EGGS (scrambled) 2-3 Tbsp OIL for sautéing SOY SAUCE as desired SESAME OIL 1-2 tsp SALT and PEPPER to taste
Quinoa Fried “Rice”
Fried Quinoa Recipe Directions: This is a great dish for leftover quinoa. The next time you’re making a pot of quinoa for another recipe, just make a little extra for this fried rice recipe knockoff! But if you don’t have any leftover cooked quinoa handy, just prepare this quinoa a little ahead of time to give it time to cool down–this will keep the quinoa from easily overcooking and becoming mushy.
Quinoa is easy to prepare–just like rice, in fact! Rinse the quinoa if needed (many brands come pre-rinsed). In a pot, add 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water. Bring the pot to a boil, reduce pot to a simmer, and then cover and let cook 13 minutes (this will result in slightly al-dente quinoa, which is what you want for frying). Remove the quinoa from the heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Then fluff with a fork and allow to cool completely (salt if desired).
For fried rice, I like to scramble my eggs first and then set aside. I Use two eggs for this recipe, but feel free to use 1, or 3, or none if you want a vegetarian fried quinoa. Whisk the eggs (add a splash of milk if desired–makes scrambled eggs smoother). Heat oil in a skillet and quickly scramble eggs on med-high heat and then set aside for later.
In a large skillet, heat 2-3 Tbsp oil on medium.
Add raw, diced carrots (should be about pea size). Add chopped hot peppers, too–if desired. I like adding a little fresh red chili peppers for taste, but jalapenos would work just as well, or red pepper flakes, or even just a little sriracha later, if desired–or no heat at all–it’s up to your tastes; follow your heart, but spicy food is good for you, right?
Sauté the carrot and peppers for a minute and then add the ginger, garlic, and chopped green onion bottoms (reserve the chopped tops for a flavorful garnish).
Continue sautéing another minute and then add in the quinoa. Stir fry until heated through, this won’t take very long.
Add sesame oil and peas. I like to use frozen peas (thawed), because they hold their texture better than canned peas. Stir until mixed. Add soy sauce to taste. Add fish sauce if desired. The sauces will provide plenty of salt, but if you want a little black pepper, go ahead and throw that in now.
Mix up and then add the scrambled egg. Mix and fry for another minute and then remove from the heat.
That’s it.
This dish is ready pretty quick. Top the fried quinoa with chopped green onion, crushed peanuts, or both. Serve fried quinoa it’s own or with a veggie side (broccoli or bok choy or Thai eggplant are nice).
Give this Fried Quinoa recipe a try and let me know what you think, and bon appétit! And for more tasty quinoa dishes, check out my Quinoa Video Playlist.
This boiled peanut recipe is a southern tradition and a delicious mess. You can readily find boiled peanuts sold along roadsides throughout the Southern USA. Boiled peanuts are a messy treat–and a little bit of work to eat–they’re kinda like eating pistachios in a soggy shell (not taste-wise, just work-wise). I love ’em–I don’t make them, ’cause I’m too lazy–but I’m always happy to eat them when CG boils up a batch, especially if she’s digging them out of the shells for me.
Boiled Peanut Recipe Ingredients
3 lbs RAW “green” PEANUTS ½ cup SALT optional: BAY LEAVES CHILI POWDER GARLIC fresh or dried HOT PEPPERS fresh or dried HOT SAUCE flavored BOULLION (broth) …pretty much any seasoning that you like!
southern style boiled peanuts
How to make a Boiled Peanut Recipe
Ideally you want to use raw “green” peanuts. Green peanuts are not green, that just means they’re minimally processed–pretty much just out of the ground. Use green peanuts quickly, because they will not keep long and are prone to mold. Green peanuts are ideal because they will more quickly and most readily absorb the seasonings during the boil. You can use peanuts that have been dried in the shell, but don’t use roasted peanuts.
Wash and rinse the peanuts thoroughly, and then place them in a large pot and cover with plenty of water.
Place on the stovetop, cover and bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and allow the peanuts to cook for 2 hours. Add more water to the pot as needed. The peanuts should always be covered in plenty of water. At first the peanuts will float, but after time, the peanuts will sink.
After 2 hours, add seasonings (it’s in the latter part of the boil that the peanuts absorb the most flavor). Add salt, which is the primary ingredient–in fact salt is all you need; many folks JUST USE SALT–they’re plenty tasty that way, but we prefer to add other seasonings as well, which is generally called “cajun boiled peanuts”. For this batch we added several cloves of raw garlic, dried chili peppers, and ½ cup chili powder. But you can add whatever seasonings you like.
Cover, and allow the peanuts to continue bubbling on medium heat for 30 more minutes.
After thirty minutes, remove the peanuts from the heat and allow to sit in the seasoned water until they reach the desired flavor, anywhere from 2-5 hours. The longer they sit cooling in the pot, the more seasoned they will become. Give them a try every half hour until you’re happy with the flavor.
They are a mess to eat, but delicious and addictive. Once you start eating them, it’s hard to stop–they will go quickly! If you have leftovers, just drain them and store them in the fridge in ziplock bags. You can also freeze them in ziplocks for longer storage.
Give this Boiled Peanut Recipe a try and let me know what you think, and bon appétit!
Thanks for watching! Click a button or two and share the dish if you like it. And for another tasty southern style treat, try this Country Fried Steak Recipe.
Cube steak is a hammered and tenderized cut of round or top sirloin steak
This is the easiest, best spinach salad recipe in the world. We first had one of these spinach, pear, blue cheese, walnut, raspberry dressing salads years ago at a little tapas place in Key West, and we’ve been making them ever since–especially if we have a pear on the edge–the riper, softer, and juicier the pear, the better the salad is gonna taste.
What You need for the Best Spinach Salad
SPINACH 1 PEAR (ripe, diced) WALNUTS (toasted) current WALNUT prices on Amazon BLUE CHEESE (crumbled) dressing: 2 Tbsp OLIVE OIL 1 Tbsp RASBERRY JAM 1 Tbsp VINEGAR ½ tsp ITALIAN SEASONING SALT and PEPPER to taste
Best Spinach Salad
How to Make a Pear Spinach Salad
Crumble and spread your walnut pieces on a baking sheet and toast at 300 degrees F for 5-10 minutes until the nuts are toasted to your liking. Keep an eye on them–nuts are easy to over-toast and it’s usually worth setting a timer so they’re not forgotten. While your nuts toast, throw together your salad dressing–basically and oil and vinegar dressing with a little jam added for flavor.
I make this dressing with all kinds of jams, but raspberry and strawberry are my favorites–although definitely give raspberry a try with this recipe. Combine your oil, vinegar, jam, salt, and Italian seasonings. Mix well. Taste and adjust as needed to your liking. A little sugar can be added if desired, but I usually find that the jam adds plenty of sweetness, plus the pear will add sweetness to the salad as well.
Toss the dressing with your spinach leaves until all are well-coated. Divide spinach into serving bowls. Chop pear into nice chunks and add to salad. An overly-ripe pear works best. Sprinkle the toasted walnuts over the salad, then sprinkle with blue cheese crumbles. Lots of blue cheese. Or less. I like blue cheese. There are no ratios with this salad. Check prices for WALNUTS on amazon
And that’s it. This is the best spinach salad in the world. So it is written, so it shall be done. Give this Spinach Salad recipe a try and let me know what you think, and bon appétit!
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We include affiliate links for products on our website. Making a purchase after clicking on our links and we may earn a commission which helps us produce more videos and drink more coffee :^) We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, which is an affiliate advertising program. It provides a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites, so we can make more videos.
Try this super-quick and awesome broccoli recipe. If you like blue cheese then you’ll love this dish, in fact, you’ll actually love broccoli if you only just liked it before …I know, kinda confusing, but trust me, this is a pretty damn tasty broccoli dish–and healthy, too. So make it.
Bad-ass Blue Cheese Broccoli Recipe Ingredients: 5 cups BROCCOLI FLORETS ¼ cup CARROT strings 2-3 oz BLUE CHEESE crumbled ¼ cup SUNFLOWER SEEDS (shelled and toasted) SALT and PEPPER to taste
Broccoli with Blue Cheese Recipe
directions: Toast the sunflower seeds (already shelled). This can be done quite quickly in a hot pan or skillet. Heat pan or skillet on medium/med-low heat; not too hot or seeds will burn. Add sunflower seeds and spread them into a single layer. Do not use any oil or spray in the pan. Stir the seeds in the skillet for a couple of minutes until they begin to brown, lightly browned is perfect; they’re easy to over-toast, so don’t leave them too long. It will only take 2 minutes on medium heat. Remove seeds from heat and set aside.
Cover the bottom of a pot with about ¼ inch of water, just enough for steaming the broccoli and carrots. Add The broccoli florets to the pot and top with the carrot strings. Raise the heat, cover the pot, and allow the veggies to steam for approx. 5 minutes; ideally the florets will be cooked through, soft but not soggy!
Turn off the heat and drain any remaining water in the sink. Add salt, pepper, the toasted sunflower seeds, and 2-3 ounces of crumbled blue cheese. Lightly toss ingredients together and serve while hot. This dish is super-simple and amazingly delicious –as long as you like blue cheese. Give this broccoli recipe a try and let me know what you think, and bon appétit!
Vietnamese-style pickled daikon and carrot make a handy relish than can be used with salads, sandwiches, and all kinds of recipes. It’s a must have for making a banh mi sandiwich and I use it quite often as a salad topper and also dice it up to add to tuna, chicken, and quinoa salads. Keep a jar of pickled daikon and carrot in your fridge and experiment adding it to some of your favorite dishes.
Pickled Daikon and Carrot Ingredients: 2 cups cut DAIKON 2 Cups Cut CARROT 1-2 tsp SALT ¼ SUGAR ½ cup WATER (hot from tap) ½ cup VINEGAR
Pickled daikon and carrot is a tasty and versatile relish to have in the fridge–awesome on sandwiches and salads.
directions: Daikon is a BIG radish. When buying, choose one that is firm–if the daikon has green tops attached, choose one without wilted leaves, but often the tops are not attached. The skin is thin and can be peeled off with a simple vegetable peeler. The same is true for carrots, although I generally leave the skin on the carrots, but follow your heart. Slice and cut the daikon and carrot into matchstick sizes and place into a bowl. Add salt to the bowl and mix well with the daikon and carrot so that the veggies are coated. This will draw water out of the vegetables and soften them. Set bowl aside. In a smaller bowl, prepare the pickling solution. Combine warm tap water and sugar. Stir until dissolved and then add the vinegar. And that’s it! In the larger bowl, the salt will have started drawing moisture from the daikon and carrot matchsticks. When they have softened enough, cram them into a storage container and add the pickling solution. This pickled combo will keep in your fridge for 2-3 weeks. It’s a must have topping for Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches and works well in all kinds of sandwiches. Use this relish as a topping for salads or chop it up to incorporate in whatever dish you desire (it’s great in a coleslaw or quinoa salad). Give this pickled daikon and carrot relish a try and let me know what you think, and bon appetit!
And if you wanna see this relish in action, check out this deconstruction of a Banh Mi Sandwich.
Cook Chinese Eggplant for a terrific vegetarian meal that will not having you missing the meat. For this Chinese eggplant dish, I use a sauce similar to one I use making General Tso’s Chicken, so it’s a rich and filling eggplant dish, hearty and vegetarian at the same time.
ingredients to cook Chinese Eggplant Recipe
1½ lbs CHINESE EGGPLANT 4-6 Tbsp OLIVE OIL 3 cloves GARLIC (finely chopped) 1-2 RED CHILIES (thinly sliced) ½ cup whole CASHEW NUTS 1 bunch GREEN ONIONS 1 Tbsp SESAME OIL sauce ingredients: 1/3 cup SOY SAUCE 2 Tbsp HOISIN SAUCE 1 tsp SESAME OIL 2 Tbsp RICE VINEGAR 2-3 Tbsp BROWN SUGAR 1 Tbsp GINGER (minced) 2 Tbsp CORN STARCH 1½ cups WATER Chinese Eggplant with Cashew Nuts and Sweet Sauce
how to cook Chinese Eggplant Recipe with General Tso’s Sauce
In a small bowl, combine all of the sauce ingredients. The fresh minced ginger is optional, but if you love ginger, why not? I also use 2 heaping Tbsp of brown sugar, but you can use more or less sugar depending on how much sweet you like–but the sweet is good with this recipe. Mix the sauce ingredients well and then set aside. Cut your Chinese eggplant. You should buy firm eggplant with glossy, unblemished skins. Cut into pieces approx. 2″ long and ½” wide. In a skillet or wok, heat olive oil on med. high heat. When the oil is hot, add eggplant. Saute eggplant 5-7 minutes. The eggplant will soak up the oil, so add more oil as needed or desired. Saute until the eggplant colors and begins to soften and then remove eggplant from the skillet. In the same hot skillet, add sesame oil and heat. Add garlic, hot pepper, and cashew nuts (or sub peanuts). Saute for 1 minute or until garlic colors. Add sauce and green onion bottoms. Stir sauce slowly. Because of the added corn starch, the sauce will quickly heat through, darken, and thicken. When the sauce has thicken to a a gravy/syrup consistency, return the eggplant to the skillet. Mix well, then cover the skillet and allow to simmer until the eggplant has finished cooking, 3-5 minutes depending on the size of the eggplant pieces. Stir in green onion tops. Fresh chopped cilantro also adds an excellent taste and garnish. And that’s a very tasty way to cook Chinese eggplant. Serve with rice, or without rice…and enjoy. And for a tasty General Tso’s Chicken Recipe, click the pic below. click pic for recipe Thanks for checking the recipe out. If you liked it, click a few buttons below and share it with your friends, I appreciate it. –Chef Buck
This spicy chorizo sausage recipe is a Spanish inspired meat and potato stew that is super-flavorful and delicious–and hearty, too.
What you need for this Chorizo Sausage Recipe
1 lb CHORIZO LINKS 3-4 Tbsp OLIVE OIL 1 lg ONION (chopped well) 4-5 cloves GARLIC (thinly sliced) 3 ROMA TOMATOES (diced) 3 lg POTATOES (cut into approx 1″ pieces) 14 oz can BROTH (add water as needed) 1 BAY LEAF 1 tsp SMOKED PAPRIKA 1 Tbsp CHILI POWDER ¼ tsp CAYENNE PEPPER ½ tsp ground THYME SALT and PEPPER to taste
Fresh Chorizo Sausage Links
How to make Cazuela de Chorizo
Heat olive oil on medium high heat in a deep skillet or wide-bottom pot.
Add onion and garlic and saute.
As the onion begins to soften, add bay leaf, salt, chili powder, cayene pepper, and paprika.
Stir well and continue sauteing ingredients for 4-5 minutes.
Add chorizo sausage–use UNCOOKED chorizo links; slice the links in the casing, about ½ inch wide pieces.
Cook the sausage with the onions for 5 minutes and then add tomato (3 diced roma tomatoes or 14oz can diced tomatoes).
Mix tomato with onion and then add potato. I like to leave the skin on the potato mainly because it tastes GOOD. And then you don’t have to peel the potatoes either, which is good, too. The potato should be cut up into good sizes, about 1″ pieces, so that you’ll have some good chunks of potato after the dish stews.
Cover the skillet and bring the dish up to a bubble.
Reduce the heat to a simmer and add dried thyme.
Cover, and let simmer for about 30 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through–stirring occasionally as needed.
Give it a taste and add a little more salt and seasoning as desired. Garnish this chorizo recipe with fresh chopped parsley, cilantro, or green onion…and enjoy!
For another great stew idea, check out this vegetarian alternative, a Meatless Chili Recipe that even meat lovers will love.
pot o’ meatless chili for good times
Thanks for Watching our Chorizo Sausage Recipe Video!
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Try this quick, creamy shrimp curry recipe for a change of taste. It’s super fast to prepare and kinda/sorta healthy–I usually serve this shrimp curry with rice and top with fresh chopped cilantro. Don’t be shy adding hot peppers, since the yogurt sauce and rice will absorb a lot of any heat added.
SHRIMP CURRY RECIPE ingredients: 1 to 1½ lbs SHRIMP (peeled/deveined) 2-3 Tbsp OLIVE OIL 2 tsp MUSTARD SEEDS 2 chili peppers (chopped, or sub red pepper flakes) 1 cup plain Greek YOGURT ¼ tsp ground CINNAMON ¼ tsp ground CLOVE ½ tsp CARDAMOM 1½ tsp MANGO POWDER 2 tsp CORIANDER ½ tsp CORN STARCH SALT to taste CILANTRO (chopped) serve w/ RICE
Creamy Shrimp Curry Recipe
In a small bowl, combine Greek yogurt with cinnamon, clove, cardamom, mango powder, coriander, and corn starch. Mix ingredients well until the yogurt is smooth. Heat olive oil in a skillet and add mustard seeds and finely chopped peppers. Use as much or little pepper as you like–if you’ve got fresh peppers that’s great, but red pepper flakes make a decent substitute. After 1 minute, add yogurt sauce to the skillet. Stir well and bring to a light bubble and let simmer 2 minutes. Adjust stovetop temperature as needed. Add shrimp, already peeled and deveined. Mix with sauce and return skillet to a simmer. Let cook 4-5 minutes, stirring as needed, until shrimp are pink and done–try not to overcook your shrimp ’cause that’s sad. Salt dish as desired and remove from heat. Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro and serve with rice. It’s best to cook your rice ahead of time, since this creamy shrimp curry takes very little time to prepare. Give it a try and let me know what you think, and bon appetit!
Here’s a quick, spicy chickpea recipe that makes a great salad topping and a so-so snack; it’s a lot easier on your teeth than baked chickpea snacks, which I find to be almost inedible (they tend to turn into tiny rocks).
ingredients: 15 oz can CHICKPEAS 2-3 Tbsp OLIVE OIL ½ tsp CURRY POWDER ½ tsp CUMIN ½ tsp PAPRIKA dash CAYENNE PEPPER SALT to taste
Rinse and drain a 15oz can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans). In a skillet, heat olive oil on medium heat. When the oil is hot, add chickpeas–be sure that they are drained well, since water and hot oil definitely do not mix. Saute chickpeas for 10-15 minutes; obviously, the longer they’re in the skillet, the crispier they will get, but it’ll take about 15 minutes to get them “crispy”. Once the chickpeas get near the doneness you desire, add salt, pepper, and spices. The spice combo in the recipe works well, but experiment with whatever spices you have–and don’t be shy with the spices–spice really makes this recipe work, and a good deal of the spice you use will remain in the skillet when you remove the chickpeas. Saute chickpeas and spices another 2-3 minutes and then remove from the heat. Use them as a salad topping instead of croutons for a healthy crunch, or a just tasty snack, something to nibble on besides potato chips. Enjoy!
Try this roasted edamame recipe for a quick semi-healthy snack. The toasted Parmesan cheese will almost make you forget that you’re eating soybeans.
Roasted Edamame Recipe Ingredients: 10 oz frozen shelled EDAMAME (green soybeans) 1 Tbsp OLIVE OIL 1 tsp GARLIC POWDER (also add or substitute onion powder, chili powder) SALT and PEPPER to taste ¼ cup shredded PARMESAN CHEESE
directions: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Mix frozen edamame beans (no need to thaw), olive oil, fresh-cracked black pepper, salt, garlic powder, and Parmesan cheese together in a large bowl. Try experimenting with different seasonings; substitute onion powder or chili powder for the garlic–or add them all–this is an easy snack food to change up for a little variety. Spread mixture onto an ungreased baking sheet. Place in oven and bake for 8-10 minutes and then remove from oven and stir. Spread edamame out again and cook another 8-10 minutes, until the cheese is toasted crispy and golden. Add additional salt or garlic powder if desired.
Roasted edamame makes a great salad topping.
Eat as a quick snack–it is delicious hot out of the oven–or use as a topping for salads and whatnot.
Tastes great hot out of the oven–perfect for snacking. Try it as a movie treat instead of popcorn.
Give this roasted edamame recipe a try and let me know what you think, and bon appetit!
Roasted edamame or chickpeas are both great components in a salad. A super-flavorful and healthy salad ingredient is kale. It’s extremely versatile and can be eaten raw or cooked. Click on the video link below to discover some simple tips on using raw kale in your next salad.
Asparagus is one of those veggies you cook when you’re trying to impress–and this asparagus recipe will do the job. The lemon adds a nice zing while the whole fennel/mustard seeds add flavor and texture without overpowering the great taste of asparagus.
Asparagus Recipe Ingredients: 1½ lb. ASPARAGUS 1 small LEMON (zest and juice) 2 Tbsp OLIVE OIL ½ tsp FENNEL SEEDS ½ tsp MUSTARD SEEDS 3-4 cloves GARLIC (or more…go for it, dude) 1 inch GINGER (which should end up being between 1-2 Tbsp thinly sliced) SALT and PEPPER to taste
When buying asparagus, thin is better than thick. Choose firm spears. Avoid asparagus that have a wrinkled skin, or tips that are wet and greasy looking. Rinse and drain the asparagus spears, then chop into 1 inch pieces. When slicing, leave the tops of the spears intact so they don’t fall apart while cooking. Heat olive oil on medium heat in a skillet. When oil is hot, add mustard and fennel seeds and stir for 20-30 seconds–not long at all. Add garlic and ginger–a lot of ginger; I use about 1 inch, thinly sliced–about the size of a fish scale. Stir skillet 1 minute, lower heat if necessary. Stir in asparagus. Add salt and pepper to taste. I like my asparagus to retain a bit of crunch–who likes mushy asparagus?–so this dish doesn’t take long to cook. Saute for about 4 minutes and the dish will be done. From the time you add the seeds to completion, the cooking time will only be about 5 minutes–of course you can extend the cooking time if YOU DO like softer asparagus (crazy!)–but everybody likes what they like, so namaste, man. About a minute before the dish is done, add the lemon zest. When the asparagus is crunchy or soft the way you like it, and you’re ready to get it off the heat, add the lemon juice, stir, and serve. It’s a tasty asparagus dish and a perfect side for a nice steak (or whatever). Give this asparagus recipe a try and let me know what you think, and bon appétit!
The ultimate showdown between baked squid chips and chocolate donuts. Which will win? Oh, the suspense! But not really, donuts have a natural advantage.
We encountered an interesting hot dog recipe at lunch in Erwin, TN at one of our stops along the Appalachian Trail.
Occasionally, the Dari Ace diner serves up an extreme (and very tasty) hot dog special. The “Russell Tussell” was named after a fella who came in requesting a hot dog on a bun with ketchup, mustard, onions, slaw, chopped tomato, cheese, sliced bacon, and topped with a fried chicken tender. We encountered this hot dog backpacking through Erwin, TN on one of our off-trail stops along the Appalachian Trail.
The definitive origin of the doughnut is unclear, but in Charlottesville, Va, they’ve been cooking up delicious donuts at Spudnuts since the late 1960’s.
At one time, Spudnuts was the largest doughnut chain in the United States, now only a few independently operated shops remain. We enjoyed the food and friendly folks at Spudnuts in Charlottesville.
Doughnut Fun Facts: –At one time, Spudnuts was the largest donut chain in the United States –Since 1982, the first Friday of June is National Doughnut Day –The largest doughnut on record weighed 1.7 tons and was 16 feet in diameter (and it was a jelly donut, too) –According to Merriam-Webster, “doughnut” and “donut” are both acceptable spellings for doughnuts (or donuts) –Americans eat more than 10 billion doughnuts every year –The 1st automated donut-making machine was invented in 1920 in New York City (it was featured at the 1934 World’s Fair in Chicago) –During World War I, female Salvation Army workers handed out donuts to soldiers and became known as “Doughnut Girls” –generally speaking, donuts have fewer calories than bagels or croissants
What is in a Banh Mi? Lets take one apart and see what we got.
Best Banh Mi, so far–thanks to eastsidegirl1977 for the great Seattle recommendation. I’ve been eating a lot of these sandwiches crammed with spicy, fresh ingredients–maybe too many sandwiches–but it’s too great a taste and value to pass up.
Bánh mì are a fusion of French and Vietnamese culture. Spicy peppers and daikon mix with cooling carrot and cucumber to create a a real treat for your tongue, and a little BBQ pork added makes it irresistible; wrap it up in a crunchy French baguette and it’s heaven.
Basic Banh Mi Ingredients: Baguette Sliced Pork Pickled Daikon Pickled Carrots Cucumber Cilantro Hot Pepper Mayonnaise Black Pepper Salt (if desired)
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If you like what CG and I do, support us on Patreon, or throw us a tip in our Paypal Tip Jar. We’ll happily enjoy a coffee on the road – Thanks! We appreciate all the support, and we’ll see you next time in the kitchen!
We include affiliate links for products on our website. Making a purchase after clicking on our links and we may earn a commission which helps us produce more videos and drink more coffee :^) We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, which is an affiliate advertising program. It provides a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites, so we can make more videos.
If you’re new to home cooking, get a bunch of spices, pots and pans, and start experimenting with different recipes. It’s a healthy hobby that can save a lot of money in the long run. Check out current prices for Complete Kitchenware Sets on Amazon as well as Complete Starter Spice Kits. Or try a thrift store! I’ve found some of my favorite kitchen gear at second-hand stores.
Are conveyor belts better than waiters? We check out the sushi conveyor belt at Genki Sushi where sushi favorites glide right past the table; it’s a fun way to eat–and pretty affordable, too.
Kaiten-zushi is a sushi restaurant where plates move along a conveyor belt, winding through the restaurant and moving past every table and counter seat. Customers simply pick their selections from a steady stream of fresh sushi moving along the conveyor belt. The bill is based on the number and type of plates of the consumed sushi–often the plates are color coordinated by price. Some restaurants use creative conveyor belts that resemble “sushi boats” traveling small canals or miniature locomotive cars.
It’s a great place to eat on a budget because you can sample a variety of dishes without spending a lot of money–this is especially true if you’re eating out with friends. There is generally a wide price range based on the color of the plates, so choosing the right colors can get you filled up for the right price. The dishes circulating on the conveyor belt are both hot and cold, and not always sushi–some desserts and specialty drinks are thrown into the mix, too. Often the restaurant will offer the option to place special orders, but with such a varied choice of dishes winding it’s way right past your seat, it will be impossible to not grab something off of the sushi conveyor belt–which is the whole point, I guess.
This stuffed squash recipe is easy to cook, yummy as hell, and looks pretty fancy-pants when you stuff it full of delectable goodies.
Try out the recipe below and let me know what you think. Hope you like it!
Stuffed Squash Recipe Ingredients:
2 ACORN SQUASH (halved, seeds removed) 2 tsp OLIVE OIL 3 cloves GARLIC (minced) 1/2 inch fresh GINGER (minced) 1 CARROT (peeled and chopped) 1 cup GARBANZO BEANS (drained) 1/3 cup RAISINS (or dried currants) 1 tsp ground CUMIN 1/2 tsp ground CINNAMON [1/4 tsp ground GINGER, if didn’t use fresh] SALT and freshly GROUND PEPPER, to taste 1 cup BROTH 3/4 cup instant COUSCOUS 1/2 cup SLIVERED ALMONDS (toasted) 2-3 GREEN ONIONS (white and green parts, chopped) 1/2 golden delicious APPLE (cored and chopped) A squash recipe to impress!.
How to Make Stuffed Squash:
Preheat the oven to 400. Toast the almonds. Place the squash halves, cut side down, on a shallow pan with ¼ inch of water. Roast until the squash is easily pierced with a fork, about 30 – 40 minutes. In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, ginger, and carrots, and cook 5 minutes. Mix in the garbanzo beans and raisins. Season with cumin, cinnamon, salt, and pepper, and continue stirring for another minute. Add broth, simmer 5 minutes. Stir in couscous, cover pot, and turn off heat. Allow couscous to absorb liquid for 5 minutes. Stir in the almonds, green onions, and apple. Spoon the filling into the roasted squash, mounding generously and serve. You can freeze leftovers (or make extras). Freeze by mashing the squash on the bottom of the container then adding the couscous mixture on top. And that’s that. Give this stuffed squash recipe a try and let me know what you think, and bon appétit!
Cha Lua, or Vietnamese ham, is a staple of the Vietnamese diet and often found on the table during Tét–the celebration of the New Year.
During a recent trip down to Little Saigon (on a bánh mi run), we randomly picked up a cha lua and brought it home to give it a try. It was pretty bland right out of the banana leaves, with a rubbery consistency–but these characteristics make it a pretty versatile ingredient in many dishes–much the same as tofu, but a meat version. I ended up slicing and marinating the ham in chili and soy sauce with curry and garlic powder and frying up the slices to make an awesome bánh mi burger–which was delicious; I will definitely be making again in the near future.
Take a look at the exceptionally delicious Bánh Mì Hamburger made with cha lua.
This is my absolute favorite Brussels Sprouts recipe. it’s super tasty, simple to make, and a healthy choice, too, so definitely give it a try.
Brussels Sprouts Recipe Ingredients
1½ lbs BRUSSELS SPROUTS 3-4 Tbsp OLIVE OIL ½ ONION (chopped) 4-5 cloves GARLIC (finely chopped) 1 LEMON zest and juice …current prices online for Kitchen Zesters ½ cup WATER SALT and PEPPER, to taste
Sear Brussels sprouts in a hot skillet for exceptional taste!
How to Cook Brussels Sprouts
Wash 1½ lbs sprouts. Cut off the ends and discard outer leaves. Slice sprouts into halves, or larger sprouts into 3rds.
Heat 3-4 Tbsp oil in a skillet on high heat–you want the skillet to be hot to sear the sprouts–and don’t be shy with the olive oil.
Add Brussels sprouts. They should start to sizzle and pop right away. Let set before stirring to get a seared edge. Turn sprouts and continue to sear.
After 4-5 minutes, stir in onion and garlic and continue to cook on high to med. high heat, searing and turning another 3-4 minutes.
Then reduce heat to medium and add water. Add seasoning.
Stir, cover, and let cook 4-5 minutes.
Then turn off heat, stir in lemon zest and lemon juice, and serve.
Give this Brussels Sprouts Recipe a try and let me know what you think, and if you’re still in the mood for foods that start with “B”, try this Beet Recipe.
Brussels Sprouts Fun Facts
89% of all children despise Brussels Sprouts.
3/4 of all convicted felons do not eat Brussels sprouts.
Albert Einstein considered the Brussels Sprout to be the most compact cabbage, relatively speaking.
Even children who dislike the taste of Brussels sprouts appreciate the vegetable for it’s “slingshotability”
Every U.S. president has loved Brussels sprouts and eaten them routinely.
Thanks for checking out our Brussels sprouts recipe, and all of our recipes. Be sure and sign up for our mailing list and never miss a new Chef Buck cooking video, and also click a button below and share the dishes with your friends. We appreciate the kind comments and support, and we’ll see you next time in the kitchen! –Chef Buck
Thanks for watching our recipe videos!
We include affiliate links for products on our website, so if you make a purchase after clicking on our links, we may earn a commission which helps us produce more videos and drink more coffee :^) We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, which is an affiliate advertising program providing a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites, so we can make more videos.
This baked falafel recipe is a tasty and nutritious way to enjoy chickpeas (garbanzo beans).
Falafel is traditionally fried, but a baked falafel can make a tasty, healthy, and easy alternative to the tried and true oil-splatter-fest.
Baked Falafel Recipe Ingredients: 1 15oz can CHICKPEAS 1/4 cup CILANTRO 1/4 cup PARSLEY 1/4 cup ONION 2-3 cloves GARLIC 2 Tbsp OLIVE OIL CAYENNE PEPPER, to taste 1 tsp CORIANDER 1 tsp CUMIN 1/4 tsp BAKING POWDER 1 Tbsp BREAD CRUMBS (or flour) 1 Tbsp LEMON JUICE SALT, to taste — Optional garnishes — HUMMUS, YOGURT, VEGGIES, PITA SLICES
Drain and rinse 15oz can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans). Combine in a food processor with all ingredients (except 1 Tbsp olive oil and bread crumbs). Mix roughly–pulse–DO NOT puree into a smooth consistency. Place mixture into a bowl and combine with dried bread crumbs (or substitute flour). Form into discs–I like to get 10 out of this recipe because they cook up well and fit nicely into a pita pocket–but make them as big as you like, and adjust the cooking time accordingly. (Refrigerate 1-2 hours before cooking if you have the time–they’ll bake better, maybe, but it’s not the end of the world if you don’t. I actually prefer putting them in the fridge for a bit, but sometimes I don’t, and the difference is negligible.) Place on a flat baking sheet and lightly drizzle or brush with olive oil. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes, then turn falafel and bake for 10 more minutes to brown each side (a total cooking time of 30 minutes). Serve with hummus, yogurt, veggies, and pita slices–or stuff inside a pita to make a delicious falafel sandwich. And that’s it, man. Give this baked falafel recipe a try and let me know what you think and bon appetit!
Wanna make some big biscotti? This twice-baked biscuit is an awesome accompaniment to your favorite hot beverage.
Biscotti is a twice-baked sweet biscuit that goes great with a hot cup of coffee or tea–it’s an easy way to start the day feeling like a real fancy-pants dude or dudette, especially if you’re drinking your hot beverage out of a tiny cup with a tiny spoon to stir in your milk and a cloth napkin to wipe your very satisfied mouth. And there is zero butter or oil in this recipe, just a little rummy goodness.
Biscotti Recipe Ingredients
1 cup ALMOND SLICES 2 cups all-purpose FLOUR 3/4 cup SUGAR 1 teaspoon BAKING POWDER 1/8 teaspoon SALT 3 large EGGS 2 tsp VANILLA EXTRACT 1 tsp ALMOND EXTRACT 2 Tbsp RUM
How to Make Almond Biscotti Recipe
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Toast almond slices–watch them, it only takes about 2 minutes to toast, just want a few to begin turning. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt then mix and set aside. Whisk the eggs, rum and extracts until blended well. Add the dry ingredients, including nuts, and mix until combined.
Dough will be sticky at this point. Scrape the dough out onto a parchment lined sheet pan. Quickly shape with wooden spoon into a long flat loaf.
Bake about 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. Remove from the oven and cool 10-15 minutes. Lower oven heat to 300 degrees F.
Slice loaf into 1/2″ to 1″ wide slices. Lay the slices cut side down on the baking sheet and bake another 15-20 minutes. Turn the slices over and bake 15 minutes more, or until the cookies are a light golden brown. Cool the biscotti on a rack. Cool completely before storing. And that’s it, man. Serve them up with some coffee or hot tea and you’ll feel like a real fancy-pants Italian lawyer. Give this big biscotti recipe a try and let me know what you think, and bon appetit!
Spaghetti squash tastes great with a little Spanish chorizo thrown into the mix.
When buying, choose a firm spaghetti squash that seems heavy for its size. Avoid squash with overly glossy or with greenish rinds–this may indicate the squash is not quite ripe enough. The stem of a spaghetti squash should be dry. Moisture around the stem may mean the squash is not fresh.
Ingredients: 1 SPAGHETTI SQUASH 4-5oz Spanish style CHORIZO (diced) 1 lg ONION (chopped) 4-5 cloves GARLIC (finely chopped) 1/2 cup PARMESAN or ASIAGO CHEESE (shredded) 1/2 cup CILANTRO (chopped) 2 Tbsp OLIVE OIL SALT and PEPPER, to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Slice 1 spaghetti squash lengthwise into halves. Remove seeds and place cut side down in a baking pan. Pour a small amout of water in the pan to keep the squash from sticking. Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes. The squash is ready when a fork will slide easily into the flesh. In a skillet, heat oil on medium high heat. Add onions and saute a few minutes (add red pepper flakes for heat, if desired). Add garlic and chorizo and continue sauteing. Add salt and pepper to taste. You don’t need a lot of seasoning for this dish–the chorizo will add plenty of flavor. Take a fork and scrape the squash away fromm its skin and into the skillet; the squash will separate easily in spaghetti-like strands…which is why it’s called what it’s called. The squash is already cooked, so this is more about mixing the ingredients than cooking them. Add cilantro and cheese, mix well, and remove the skillet from the heat. It’s a delicious dish, and hearty enough to make a terric main course. Serve with a salad and bread and you’ll have a more than enough. Enjoy!
A Chana masala recipe with a quinoa twist! It’s already a great tasting chickpea curry, and adding quinoa into the mix will turn this Indian favorite into a complete protein. This dish is easy to prepare and a perfect vegetarian entree.
Ingredients: 15oz can CHICKPEAS 15oz can DICED TOMATOES 1 lg ONION (chopped) ½ cup QUINOA 1 HOT PEPPER (finely chopped) 4-5 cloves GARLIC (finely chopped) ½ cup CILANTRO (chopped) 1 tsp CUMIN SEEDS 1 tsp CUMIN 1 tsp CORIANDER ½ tsp CHILI POWDER ½ tsp TURMERIC 1 tsp GARAM MASALA 2 Tbsp OLIVE OIL 1/8 tsp ASAFOETIDA (optional–really OPTIONAL!!!–don’t NOT make this dish because you don’t have this ingredient.) SALT and PEPPER, to taste 1½ cups WATER Check out current prices for Indian Spices on Amazon.
In a skillet, heat your oil on med. high heat. Add cumin seeds and asafoetida–the asoafoetida (also called “hing”) is OPTIONAL. Stir until seeds brown and crack–this will happen really fast, so don’t walk away from the skillet. Add garlic and continue stirring. Add chopped onions and hot pepper. Saute ingredients for 3-5 minutes. Add turmeric, coriander, cumin, and chili powder. Stir thoroughly into onion mix. Add quinoa and diced tomatoes. Stir and allow skillet to come to a simmer. Add chickpeas (rinsed and drained), salt to taste, and 1½ cups water. Bring skillet to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover and let simmer for 15 minutes (without stirring). After the 15 minutes, stir in the garam masala. Using a fork, smash half the chickpeas in the skillet–this will add a nice texture to the dish. Stir in the chopped cilantro. And that’s it. Chana Masala with a quinoa twist. Hope you like it.
Ever had a redneck martini? This is a family recipe. Lawyers and salesmen have been hogging this drink for too long, it’s time to take it back to the people. Give it a try and let me know what you think.
Martini Recipe Stuff: 1 splash VERMOUTH, dry 3 fingers VODKA 3, 4, or 5 OLIVES (the bigger the better)
Or you can try: 2 oz. VODKA ……or GIN (blagghhth!) 1/2 oz. VERMOUTH, dry 3/4 oz. OLIVE JUICE (for a “dirty martini”)
And then just do this: Shake vermouth and vodka with ice to chill, strain, and then add olives to taste. I like it served in a mason jar, but pretty much anything that holds water will work. Loosen tie or kick off heels and relax. (although if you’re drinking out of a jar, you probably not wearing a tie.) Repeat as needed.
Martini Fun Facts: Martini drinks first became popular during prohibition when alcohol was outlawed. The long stem of the martini glass is designed to keep your hot hand off of the bowl of the glass. Martinis used to be made with cherries. James Bond drinks a vodka martini (shaken, not stirred, of course). I once had a chocolate martini, and I’ll probably never have one again (if I have any say in it).
And if you’re still in a drinking mood, give a Moscow Mule Cocktail a go–this video will show you how to make, and NOT MAKE this gingery drink.
Can you get a fancy-pants dinner out of a can of cheap pink salmon? Sure you can! This salmon cake recipe is easy to make and ready any time you like by using convenient canned salmon from the cupboard. Mmmmmm, I likes me some salmon cakes!
Salmon Cake Recipe Ingredients: Patties: 1 can PINK SALMON (or red salmon, if you’re feeling luxurious) 1 large EGG 1/4 cup ONION (diced) 1/4 cup RED PEPPER (diced) BLACK PEPPER, to taste CREOLE PEPPER, to taste GARLIC POWDER, to taste
Sauce (optional): CREOLE MUSTARD (or any kind of fancy-pants mustard…check online prices) YOGURT (plain Greek-style) DILL WEED LEMON JUICE (optional)
For the cakes, mix ingredients and shape into cakes. Fry in oil –I usually use extra light olive oil, but any will do. Cook on medium heat 4-5 minutes each side until golden brown). Allow the cakes to cook well on one side before you turn, this will keep them from falling apart. If you are making the sauce, mix ingredients to taste. I tend to go a little ‘mustardy’. Also, you might try adding a little lemon juice to the sauce. Give this salmon cake recipe a try and let me know what you think. Check current prices for canned salmon online.
And for another tasty, nutrition-packed fish recipe, try Mackerel Stew.
canned mackerel stew
Thanks for checking out our salmon cake recipe, and all of our recipes. Be sure and sign up for our mailing list and never miss a new Chef Buck cooking video, and also click a button below and share the dishes with your friends. We appreciate all the kind comments and support, and we’ll see you next time in the kitchen!
Thanks for watching our recipe videos!
We include affiliate links for products on our website, so if you make a purchase after clicking on our links, we may earn a commission which helps us produce more videos and drink more coffee :^) We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, which is an affiliate advertising program providing a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites, so we can make more videos.
Maki sushi is my favorite sushi (makizushi), or sushi wrapped in dried seaweed (nori). Check out the video for step-by-step instructions on how to make sushi quick and easy.
Maki sushi is one of the healthiest and most entertaining foods you can put on the table…and pretty easy to prepare. You will need a SUSHI ROLLER to easily make this recipe. They are available at many supermarkets, most health food stores and every Asian market. You can get one for around $2 to $4.
Maki Sushi Ingredients: 6 to 7 NORI (dried seaweed sheets) 2 cups RICE (do not use long grain rice! Japanese sushi rice can be used, but I prefer short-grain brown rice.) 1/2 cup VINEGAR (apple cider or rice) SALT (to taste, I use very little) Assortment of SLICED VEGETABLES, FISH, etc Feel free to experiment with your choices. I generally use a mix of the following: AVOCADO, CUCUMBER, CARROT, GREEN ONIONS, RED PEPPERS, SALMON (I buy 3oz pre-packaged smoked salmon for convenience, since I use so little). I’ve also used SHRIMP, CRAB, CREAM CHEESE and ASPARAGUS (lightly steamed). Mix and match and find combos you enjoy. I find that I almost always use avocado. Desired condiments e.g. SOY SAUCE, WASABI, PICKED GINGER SLICES Optional: I like to sprinkle TOASTED SESAME SEEDS over my finished sushi—it adds a great taste and looks nice, too.
Prepare rice according to directions. Remove from stove and add vinegar. Gently mix and set aside to cool. Slice desired ingredients for filling. For a full dinner for two, I generally use 6-7 nori. Place nori shiny side down on your sushi roller. When rice is cool, spread desired amount over nori. I like heaps of rice in my maki sushi, approx. ¾ to1 cup. Spread so that the rice covers the nori leaving ¼ inch on the two sides and on the end closest to you. Leave 1 inch open on the far end of the seaweed sheet. Pull the nori flush with the back end of the roller. Lay the sliced fillings across the rice and, holding the ingredients in check with your fingers, use the roller to roll the seaweed over the ingredients and then press gently along the top and sides. The seaweed should form a nice wrap around the ingredients. Pull the seaweed roll to the back of the roller and roll forward once more until the nori is shaped entirely around the fillings. Use a sharp knife to slice into sushi, and wipe the knife frequently for a cleaner cut. I usually get 6-7 pieces per roll. After I plate my sushi, I sprinkle lightly with toasted sesame seeds (optional) and serve with wasabi, soy sauce, plum sauce, and pickled ginger slices. It’s an amazingly easy dish to prepare and a great way to impress a date or get yourself out of the doghouse (if you’re at that stage in your relationship). It kicks ass at parties and your friends will think you are more hip than you probably are –but only if you USE CHOPSTICKS!!!
Would you consider making TV dinner cupcakes that mimic the look of a TV dinner? Check out these crazy cupcake designs. I’ll tell you this–they look a helluva lot more interesting than they taste good –which is to say, I’d rather look at them than eat them. Still, people need something to talk about at a party.
Would you eat these? My sister made TV dinner cupcakes. They look pretty cool, but I don’t appreciate candy and cornflakes on my cupcakes.
She used this recipe as a guide and did a little tinkering: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tv-dinner-cupcakes-recipe/index.html
I broke one of the chicken bones during the making of this video …sorry, sister :^(
A quick and tasty shrimp pasta dinner recipe for two!
Shrimp LinguineIngredients:
1 pound SHRIMP (20-30, peeled and deveined) 8oz LINGUINE (about ½ box) 1-2 cups BROCCOLI florets (or substitute ½ cup PARSLEY if you’re not into broccoli) 6-8 GARLIC cloves (minced) ½ large ONION (finely chopped) ½ stick BUTTER 3-5 Tbsp OLIVE OIL SALT to taste (add OREGANO or ITALIAN HERBS if desired–I like just the extra garlicky taste) serve with PARMESAN CHEESE
Shrimp Linguine Directions
Prep your ingredients first, then get your pasta cooking. I like to add a Tbsp of olive oil to my pasta water as well as a 2-4 tsp salt. Cook the pasta according to the package directions and whatever firmness you desire. I’m using whole grain wheat linguine for this recipe, which takes about 12 minutes to cook–a bit longer than most linguine. The cooking time for the skillet ingredients should be around 7-9 minutes, so try to time your pasta to finish with the shrimp–overcooked shrimp is rubbery and overcooked pasta is mushy, so timing is everything!!!
In your skillet, heat 2 Tbsp olive oil and 1/4 butter on medium heat. When hot, add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add onions and continue to cook a couple more minutes. Add broccoli florets, and add more butter and oil as needed. If you don’t want to add broccoli, substitute 1/2 cup chopped parsley instead. Sauté florets, garlic, and onions another 2 minutes and then add shrimp. Throw in some Italian herbs if you want to get all herby.
The shrimp will be done when they turn pink–don’t overcook or they’ll turn rubbery!! Remove the cooked pasta from water and add directly to the skillet. Don’t drain or strain the pasta!!–you’re just throwing away good flavor. Add the remainder of your original 1/2 stick butter. Mix pasta and ingredients. Add some pasta water to the mix (about 1/2 cup or so). I find that the salt in the water and butter is plenty for me, but salt a little more if desired. Remove the skillet from the heat and serve. Fresh Parmesan cheese and toasted garlic bread are nice accompaniments!! Maybe some wine? Bon appétit!
Give this Cornish hen recipe a try. A Cornish hen is a classy bird, and a complete meal for two when cooked up with potatoes and carrots.
What you need for this Cornish Hen Recipe
1 CORNISH HEN …for this recipe I’m using a 1.5 lb. size hen, adjust cooking time for a smaller bird 2 POTATOES cut into 1 inch pieces 4 CARROTS chopped into ½-1 inch pieces 1 ONION large onion, cut into large pieces 1 GARLIC BULB chopped 4-5 sprigs ROSEMARY finely chopped ¼ cup BUTTER melted–substitute olive oil, if desired SALT and PEPPER to taste This is a great dish to load up with extra seasonings…try CUMIN, SEASONING SALT, CAYENNE PEPPER, CAJUN SEASONINGS, etc.
How to Cook Cornish Hen
If you’re using a frozen hen, allow the bird to thaw overnight in the fridge.
Cut hen through the breast and into two halves.
Rub both sides of hen with salt, pepper, garlic, and rosemary.
Cover hens with potatoes and carrot and additional seasoning.
Top with chopped onion and melted butter and cover dish.
Cook in 400 degree F oven for 30 minutes.
Remove dish, mix ingredients, cover and return to the oven for 15 minutes more.
Remove dish and uncover. Mix ingredients, place hen halves on top of vegetables and return to the oven and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
At this point (dish has cooked 55 minutes total) I like to turn on the broiler and broil each side of the hen for 2-3 minutes, making the skin crispy and tasty. Keep an eye on the hens and do not overbroil!
Remove the dish from the oven and serve. I like to rub dried oregano between my palms and coat the plate and serve with sliced tomatoes.
For another poultry dish, try this crispy Baked Chicken Recipe that you’ll love more than fried chicken.
Thanks for checking out our Cornish hen recipe, and all of our recipes. Be sure and sign up for our mailing list and never miss a new Chef Buck cooking video, and also click a button below and share the dishes with your friends. We appreciate all the kind comments and support, and we’ll see you next time in the kitchen! –Chef Buck
Thanks for watching our recipe videos!
We include affiliate links for products on our website, so if you make a purchase after clicking on our links, we may earn a commission which helps us produce more videos and drink more coffee :^) We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, which is an affiliate advertising program providing a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites, so we can make more videos.
This sausage tomato pie might look like a pizza, but it’s definitely not a pizza! The crust has a flaky pastry quality and the onions act the part of a pie filling. This is a rich dish, bordering on decadent; it’s super filling and super flavorful. For a meatless alternative, try faux sausage—or no sausage at all—this dish works well just as a Tomato Pie.
Ingredients: 3 large ONIONS 2 medium TOMATOES 8-10 oz SAUSAGE 8 oz MOZZARELLA CHEESE (shredded) 5-7 GARLIC CLOVES (finely chopped) 2 cups ALL PURPOSE FLOUR ¾ stick BUTTER (soft) DIJON MUSTARD ¼ VEGETABLE OIL (plus oil for sauteing) 2 Tbsp OLIVE OIL 2 Tbsp TOMATO SAUCE 2 Tbsp PARSLEY (chopped) CHILI POWDER, CUMIN, SALT (for sausage seasoning, to taste) DRIED ITALIAN HERBS (thyme, oregano, basil, etc.)
Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a skillet and add GARLIC. Sauté for 1 minute and add SAUSAGE. Continue cooking, adding CHILI POWDER, CUMIN, and SALT for seasoning. Cook meat to completion and set aside in a bowl. Slice 3 large ONIONS into strips. Add oil to pan and add onions. Cook onions down until soft and caramelized; this may take some time, but the more completely the onions are cooked down, the tastier the final dish will be! Remove onions from heat and set aside.
In a bowl, combine 2 cups ALL PURPOSE FLOUR and ¾ stick softened BUTTER. Mix butter into flour thoroughly. Add ¼ cup VEGETABLE OIL and continue to mix. Add ½ cup Water. Mix until the dough is smooth. Spoon onto ungreased pizza pan and spread (use the spoon!). Spread evenly into the size of a large pizza and leave a raised edge for the crust. Place in pre-heated oven and cook at 375 F for 10 minutes. Remove dough from oven and top with DIJON MUSTARD. Spread a layer of mustard evenly and cover dough completely except for the outer edge—just like spreading mustard on a sandwich. Add cooked onions and spread evenly over the mustard. Top with SEASONED MEAT and MOZZARELLA CHEESE. Top dish with sliced TOMATOES and sprinkle liberally with dried ITALIAN HERBS: oregano, thyme, basil, etc..
In a small bowl, combine 2 Tbsp OLIVE OIL, 2 Tbsp TOMATO SAUCE, and 1-2 Tbsp fresh chopped PARSLEY. Brush mixture over each tomato slice. Return pie to the oven and continue to bake at 375 F for 30-40 minutes until edge of crust is brown.
Jicama is a root vegetable that can be served raw. It is similar in appearance to a potato, but tastes more like an apple, although not quite as sweet; I find it has an “earthier” taste. Many folks compare the crisp texture of Jicama to that of a water chestnut. Jicama is especially good in this recipe because it takes on the flavor of the dressing very well.
Ingredients: 1 cup JICAMA (cut into 1 inch sticks) 1 cup SNOW PEAS (cut into ¼ inch widths) 1 cup NAPA CABBAGE (torn into salad-size pieces) 2 CARROTS ¼ cup SESAME SEEDS (toasted) 2 Tbsp VINEGAR (wine or rice) 2 Tbsp SOY SAUCE 4 tsp HONEY (or 2 tsp sugar) 1 tsp SESAME OIL 1-2 Tbsp WATER
Peel jicama root and cut into matchstick shapes. Tear cabbage into salad-sized pieces (substitute romaine lettuce if preferred, but I find the cabbage holds up better in the dressing). Slice snow peas into ¼ inch widths. Shred carrots. Combine all in a bowl and mix.
In a smaller bowl, add vinegar (red or white wine vinegar or rice vinegar can be used), soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, and water (start with 1 Tbsp of water and add another if desired). Mix ingredients.
Combine dressing and vegetables and toss thoroughly. Serve as a side dish to add Asian flair to any meal—and it’s great with fish.
I love a tasty fried shrimp recipe, and “tempura” is just a fancy pants word for “fried”. This dish is a knock-off of a dish I love to order at a Chinese restaurant when I’m down in Tampa, but since I don’t live in Tampa, I had to figure out how to make this fried shrimp recipe for myself—and I’ve done it!
The key is cilantro, and lots of it—also lots of garlic and a little hot pepper, too! Be sure to use a non-stick pan to cook up the spicy pepper mix, otherwise you’ll be setting yourself up for a headache and burned garlic!
What you need for Spicy Fried Shrimp
1 lb SHRIMP (peeled and deveined, tail on) 1 bunch CILANTRO (1 to 2 cups chopped) 10-12 cloves GARLIC (chopped) 1 or 2 hot PEPPERS (chopped) 1/2 cup GREEN ONION (chopped) 1 tsp RED PEPPER FLAKES (or two tsp!—optional) 1 cup ALL PURPOSE FLOUR 1 EGG 1 cup ice-cold WATER frying OIL SALT (to taste)
How to make Spicy Fried Shrimp
Chop up 1 bunch of cilantro, stems AND leaves.
Chop 2 green onions and dice peppers, I like to use 2 green chili peppers, but use whatever peppers you like depending on how much heat you want in the dish.
Chop 10-12 cloves of garlic.
Heat a non-stick skillet with 2 Tbsp of oil—definitely use a non-stick skillet! If you don’t have a decent skillet, here’s a link to check out some current skillet prices on Amazon.
Add peppers to skillet and allow to cook 1 minute, then add garlic and red pepper flakes (adjust pepper flakes to taste).
Cook for 1 minute and then add green onions. Be sure to keep ingredients stirring, reduce heat as necessary to prevent garlic from burning.
As garlic browns, add the cilantro and continue to stir ingredients, cooking out the moisture. It’s okay if the garlic browns well, as long as it’s not burned; the dryer the ingredients get the better. Cook the ingredients down and then remove the skillet from the heat and set aside.
Heat up the oil for the shrimp.
While the oil heats, prepare the tempura batter. It’s best not to prepare the batter ahead of time. In a bowl, beat 1 egg, add 1 cup of ice-cold water, then add 1 cup of all purpose flour.
Mix together into a thin batter, but don’t over mix—it’s okay if there are some lumps.
Test the batter in the frying oil; the batter will sizzle and float if it is ready.
Use peeled and deveined shrimp with the tail still attached—the tail makes a perfect handle.
Dip shrimp in batter and then shake off the excess.
Lay shrimp in the hot oil and cook 3-4 minutes, turning once. DO NOT cook too many shrimp at the same time because they will stick together and not crisp and brown evenly.
When the shrimp are golden, remove from oil and drain on a paper towel (the 1st batch I put into the pepper mix to drain).
When all the shrimp are fried, add them to the pepper mix and return the skillet to the burner on low heat.
Salt to taste and toss the shrimp GENTLY and thoroughly with the spice mix.
Remove from heat and serve immediately.
I like to serve this dish with sticky rice and a sautéed green, something like cabbage or bok choy. Give fried shrimp recipe a try a let me know what you think, and bon appétit!
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This is a quick chocolate candy recipe treat idea for lazy hosts and lazier guests. Need to provide a tasty dish for a party, but don’t have the time? Need it to look homemade even though you don’t want to actually make anything? If you’re going to a party or having a party, this is an easy dish to whip together with almost zero effort. The most annoying part is unwrapping the candies.
To make this chocolate candy recipe you will need: MINI PRETZELS MINI PEANUT BUTTER CUPS CHOCOLATE CARAMELS (we use Rolos) PECAN HALVES
Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Arrange pretzels on a baking sheet (putting wax paper underneath will make cleanup a breeze). Top each pretzel with a peanut butter cup or chocolate caramel (if it was just me, I’d use only peanut butter cups, but Camera Girl likes the caramels, and it makes for a better variety if you’re making the dish for guests). Place baking sheet in oven for 4 minutes to soften chocolates. Remove baking sheet from oven and top softened chocolates with pecan halves. For variety, top some of the chocolates with pretzels. Allow chocolate to cool before removing treats from baking sheet. That’s it! Pretzels, chocolate, and nuts…who doesn’t like that? It’s easy peezey and a great treat to serve when you don’t feel like making a fuss. So give this quick chocolate candy recipe treat a try and let me know what you think, and… Bon appétit!
(I like pretzels on the bottom and top with a peanut butter cup in between. Camera girl likes the pretzel on the bottom with pecan half on top and a chocolate caramel in between; she says it’s like one of those “turtle” candies. Pecans are okay, but they’re too expensive…pretzels and peanut butter cups are all you really need, but get the rest if you’re tryin’ to be fancy pants.)
Check out this video of our recent trip to a local Asian grocery market in the USA. International markets are interesting places to shop and great places to discover new ingredients and food ideas. Many of the spices I use come from international markets, and it’s often a good place to find bargain prices. Definitely check out the fresh produce prices at your local Asian market–they can’t be beat in my neighborhood–what about where you live?
Visit International Markets for the Best Grocery Prices!
This deviled egg recipe is a tasty treat, and preparing eggs with Indian inspired spices will make a nice change from the average awesomeness of a traditional deviled egg recipe.
Boil and peel 6 eggs. You can boil them perfectly, if you boil them this way: (Overly-long egg boiling description follows) Use older eggs. As an egg ages, it shrinks within the shell and separates from the inner membrane, making the egg easier to peel after boiling. Fresher eggs will have a stronger membranous attachment to the shell and are more difficult to peel (yawn). Eggs 10 days to 2 weeks old will work well. Prepare the eggs in a pot large enough to keep them from jostling together and cracking. Heating the eggs gradually will also prevent cracking. Place eggs in a pot and fill with cold tap water so the eggs are completely covered and there is an extra 1 inch of water above the eggs. Add a pinch of salt. (Some folks add a tablespoon of vinegar to prevent the eggs from leaking should they crack, but I never do this because I don’t think James Dean would). Uncovered, bring the pot to a boil. As soon as the pot begins to boil, turn off the heat, cover and allow eggs to sit 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, exchange the hot water for cold under the tap and allow eggs to cool; exchange the water several times if needed. When eggs have cooled, peel them under the water in the pot. (Peeling them under running water is kind of a waste of water, so why do dat?) Okay. Now you’ve got 6 boiled and peeled eggs.
Slice them into halves lengthwise and plop out the yellow yolks into a mixing bowl. And one of the egg white halves to the mixing bowl as well, or two halves if you like a lot of filling. Add salt and pepper to taste. In a skillet, heat a splash of olive oil on med-high heat and sauté ¼ tsp cumin seeds and 1 clove of finely chopped garlic until garlic is lightly browned—do not burn: the garlic will cook quickly. Add the garlic and cumin seeds to the yolk mixture. Add mayonnaise gradually and mix the ingredients to desired smoothness (AGAIN—add the mayonnaise gradually! If the mixture is too soft it will not set up properly in the egg white!) Which brings us back to the egg white. Spoon the yolk mixture into the egg whites and arrange nicely onto a serving dish. Sprinkle as desired with curry powder (or substitute cumin powder).
Thanks for watching! Share this post, comment, and make eggs for dinner, dude.
Try this easy stir-fry kale recipe. Kale is a cool cabbage that kicks broccoli’s ass (or at least in this recipe it does).
Kale Recipe Ingredients: 1 bunch KALE 1 inch piece fresh GINGER 1 medium ONION (cut into slices) ½ cup CARROT (thin cut or string cut) 1 hot PEPPER (finely chopped, optional) 1 Tbsp SESAME OIL SALT (to taste) 1 Tbsp TAHINI 3-4 Tbsp SOY SAUCE
Divide a 1” piece of ginger into two halves. Finely chop one half to use in the sauce and thinly slice the other half and set aside to cook with the stir fry. In a small bowl, mix together the tahini and soy sauce until a thin peanut-buttery consistency is achieved. Mix the finely chopped ginger into the sauce and set aside. Wash kale, remove spine, and cut or tear into mouth-manageable pieces. Heat the sesame oil on medium high and sauté onion slices and finely chopped pepper for 1 minute. Add a pinch of salt (not much salt will be needed because of the salt in the soy sauce). Add Ginger slices and cook for another minute. Reduce heat to medium and add the kale and carrots. Mix thoroughly with the onion, pepper, and ginger. Cover and allow to cook for 2 minutes. Turn off heat and add sauce. Toss well and serve hot (and it goes great with rice). Give this healthy kale Recipe a try and let me know what you think, and… Bon appétit!
Kale Fun Facts: Kale belongs to the same family as cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and collards. Kale is packed with antioxidants, which help neutralize harmful free radicals in the body. One cup of chopped raw kale provides more than 100% of the daily value of vitamins A, C, and K. Free Radicals are something scientists made up to sound smart.
A delicious super-simple spaghetti carbonara recipe.
Ingredients for Spaghetti Carbonara
13 oz SPAGHETTI 8 oz PANCETTA or thick cut BACON 1 EGG 3 EGG YOLKS 1/2 cup PECORINO ROMANO (grated) (or just romano, what’s the big deal?) (even a little parmesan won’t hurt) PEPPER (as much as you can handle) SALT (very little) PARSLEY (optional)
How to Make a Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe
Combine 3 egg yolks and 1 whole egg into a bowl and mix well. Stir in ½ to ¾ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese—a Romano cheese is “pecorino” if it is made from sheep milk—but if you use Romano made from the milk of a cow or a goat, it won’t be the end of the world (and parmesan wouldn’t kill you either—although the pecorino is nice). Set this mixture aside. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Add a pinch of salt to the water, but sparingly—there will be plenty of salt in the other ingredients. While pasta cooks, prepare the meat. Cut 8oz of pancetta or thick-cut bacon into small squares. Pancetta is Italian bacon that is not smoked—most other bacon you find at the market will be smoked; again, it’s not the end of the world choosing one over the other, the main difference will be in the “smokiness” of the dish. In a large skillet, prepare the bacon. Add a generous helping of fresh cracked pepper (generous is whatever amount you like). Make sure the bacon is cooked through, but do not cook it to a crisp! Remove skillet from the heat and pour off the excess bacon grease. When spaghetti is ready, remove directly from the water (do not rinse!) and mix the pasta with the bacon in the skillet. Add the cheese/egg mixture to the hot pasta and continue mixing thoroughly. Initially it will not look like a lot of sauce, but as you stir the mixture into the pasta, it will become quite creamy (and delicious). Add a splash of pasta water if needed. Throw in a little chopped parsley for color and serve immediately. Give this spaghetti carbonara recipe a try and let me know what you think, and… Bon appétit!
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Spring rolls are a nice appetizer when you go out to eat at a fancy-pants restaurant, and they’re just as nice when you eat them at home, and they’re easy to make. Briefly wetting the rice paper and placing it on a damp towel makes the delicate rice paper easier to handle. The rice paper softens while you place your filling–makes the process much easier–definitely give this technique a try!
All you need to make spring rolls are rice paper and some tasty ingredients to roll up inside. You can buy rice paper at any Asian food store, most health food markets, and in the ethnic foods section of many local grocery stores. It’s an economical buy. The last batch I bought was a package of 20 for $2.25 U.S. dollars. It comes in sheets, like paper, but usually round in shape; it doesn’t feel like paper, though—it feels more like plastic, almost like something you’d find at the hardware store, but don’t let that put you off, it softens quickly when wet. Despite its initial “plasticky” appearance, it’s not bad for you, or particularly good for you either—rice, tapioca, salt, and water are the prime components. How your spring rolls taste will be determined by the ingredients you roll up inside, and any dipping sauce you might like to serve them with. It’s a great vehicle for getting raw vegetables into your diet; I like to think of a spring roll as a cigar-shaped salad, but many pre-cooked meats and seafood work well in spring rolls, too.
What You Need to make Spring Rolls
Rice Paper and Whatever the hell you wanna roll up in the rice paper. Here are a few options I like to use: cilantro (I ALWAYS USE CILANTRO), cucumber, basil leaves, lettuce, carrots, sprouts, rice noodles, steamed shrimp, stir-fried spicy pork, bell pepper, green onions, cabbage, and on and on and on… there’s no end to what you can use.
Spring rolls make a great appetizer or entree
How to Make a Fresh Spring Roll
Prepare your filling ingredients—mainly making sure the ingredients are chopped or sliced in a manner which will make them rice paper-wrapping friendly—this is especially true if you plan on slicing the spring rolls in half—your filling ingredients will tumble out easily if they’re too loose and tiny. Wet the rice paper with warm tap water. Just a few seconds under a warm tap is plenty. Place the rice paper on a damp towel and gently press down. The rice paper will quickly soften and become pliable. Arrange your filling ingredients at one end of the sheet and roll them up in the rice paper like a burrito. Using basil or lettuce or cabbage leaves as your base ingredient will make the rolls structurally sound and easier to roll. It’s very important that the first rollover be tight—compact the ingredients as much as possible—a loosely rolled spring roll is a sad sight, and will quickly fall apart if sliced. The rice paper will be your friend. It will help. It is very sticky and will seal almost like an envelope around your stuffings. If you want a tasty spring roll, it’s as easy as rolling up a tasty combo of ingredients—a yummy dipping sauce will help, and here are two:
And just plain old soy sauce works fine, too. Or maybe some hot mustard—I’ve never tried that, but it just popped into my head, so maybe next time I’ll give it a go. Alright, that’s enough blabbing. Give these spring rolls a try and bon appétit!
A simple and delicious seafood stew recipe for winners*. *also appropriate for non-winners
Seafood Stew Recipe Ingredients
1 lb MIXED SEAFOOD 1 HOT PEPPER (finely chopped) 3-4 cloves GARLIC (finely chopped) 1 medium ONION (chopped) ½ cup CELERY (sliced) 2 Tbsp TOMATO PASTE 1 13 oz can DICED TOMATOES 1 cup CHICKEN STOCK 2 cups WATER (substitute 1 cup CLAM JUICE if desired) 1 cup WHITE WINE 2 Tbsp LEMON JUICE 1 BAY LEAF 1 Tbsp OREGANO 1 tsp THYME 1 tsp BASIL SALT/PEPPER to taste 1 Tbsp OLIVE OIL
How to make this Seafood Stew
Heat olive oil on medium heat and add onion and celery and hot pepper. Give these ingredients a minute head start and then add the garlic and salt.
Cook until the onion begins to soften and then add the tomato paste. Push the paste around with the vegetables—spread it around the bottom of the pan and let it cook up a minute or two—if the paste sticks a little, that’s cool—because now we’ll add white wine which will deglaze any stuck on paste.
Add a bay leaf, oregano, thyme, basil—throw some red pepper flakes in as well if you like it hot. Let the mix simmer for about 5 minutes.
Add diced tomatoes, 1 cup of broth (I use chicken broth, but any broth will do), and 2 cups of water—you can substitute 1 cup of clam juice for 1 of the cups of water, if desired. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, cover, and allow to cook 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, add 1 lb. of miscellaneous seafood—a variety of big-bite pieces make a nice presentation. Cover and simmer for another 7-8 minutes. Stir in some lemon juice and remove from heat and serve.
It looks tasty in a bowl with a nice pyramid of rice in the middle. it’s easy peezey and puts a nice glow in your belly, so give this seafood stew recipe a try.
It’s not fried chicken, but just barely. This is a simple and delicious recipe for folks who like juicy chicken more than greasy chicken, so give this baked chicken recipe a try.
What you need for this Baked Chicken Recipe
2½ lbs. CHICKEN (skin removed) 1 cup MILK (I use almond milk, but buttermilk is cool) HOT SAUCE (to taste) 1 cup BREAD CRUMBS 3 tsp CURRY POWDER 1 tsp GARLIC POWDER 1 tsp ONION POWDER 1 tsp ONION SALT (or regular salt, adjust to taste) ½ tsp GROUND MUSTARD 1 tsp PAPRIKA *add ½ tsp red pepper if you want a kick
How to “Bake” Fried Chicken
Buy skinless or remove the skin and clean and rinse 2-2½ lbs. of chicken pieces. I love the dark meat, so I usually use thighs, but use whatever cuts you like and adjust the cooking time accordingly.
Spread the chicken out in a shallow bowl and dash with hot sauce to taste. Add one cup of milk. I like to use almond milk, but my mama always used buttermilk. Allow the chicken to soak 30-60 minutes.
In a ziplock bag, add the remainder of ingredients and mix.
2 pieces at a time, add chicken to the ziplock bag and turn until coated. Sealing plenty of air in the bag will help coat the chicken pieces easily and evenly.
Place pieces on a non-stick or lightly-oiled baking pan and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes. Periodically check on the pieces as oven cooking times will vary. After 30 minutes, or when the pieces are well on their way to cooking, turn them, and continue cooking for another 15-20 minutes.
Curry gives the chicken a wonderful color, and it looks very much like fried chicken, although not as crunchy as fried chicken. For extra crunchiness, broil the pieces for 1-2 minutes on each side.
Give this baked chicken recipe a go and let me know what you think!
If you’re new to home cooking, just get a bunch of spices, pots and pans, and start experimenting with different ingredients and recipes. It’s a healthy hobby that can save a lot of money in the long run. You can check out current prices for Complete Kitchenware Sets on Amazon. Or just go to a thrift store! I’ve found some of my favorite kitchen gear at second-hand stores.
Thanks for checking out our baked chicken recipe, and all of our recipes. Be sure and sign up for our mailing list and never miss a new Chef Buck cooking video, and also click a button below and share the dishes with your friends. We appreciate all the kind comments and support, and we’ll see you next time in the kitchen! –Chef Buck
Thanks for watching our recipe videos!
We include affiliate links for products on our website, so if you make a purchase after clicking on our links, we may earn a commission which helps us produce more videos and drink more coffee :^) We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, which is an affiliate advertising program providing a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites, so we can make more videos.
Calamari salad makes a great addition to any potluck! Also, Dr. Freud theorized the squid to be the unconscious driver underlying all human action. This recipe builds on that theory, and adds carrots.
What you need for a Calamari Salad
1 lb SQUID ½ cup CARROT (strings) ½ cup CUCUMBER (sticks) 1/3 cup CILANTRO or BASIL LEAVES (chopped) 1 tsp GINGER (minced) 1 tsp SESAME OIL 1 Tbsp extra virgin OLIVE OIL 1 Tbsp RICE WINE VINEGAR 1 tsp CHILI GARLIC SAUCE (or sub hot sauce to taste) 1 Tbsp LEMON JUICE SOY SAUCE (to taste) ½ tsp SESAME SEEDS SALT (to taste)
How to make Calamari Salad
Start with 1 lb. of cleaned squid. I’ve used fresh and frozen squid for this recipe and both work well—and smaller squid work best for salad—which is something to think about when choosing your squid; buying them frozen and already cleaned is much nicer than cleaning a dozen dinky cephalopods.
Cut squid into thin rings (1/4 inch max) and boil in salted water for 25 seconds (yep—they’ll cook up that fast). Drain, then rinse under cold water to prevent overcooking (over-boiled squid can be quite rubbery).
In a large bowl, combine sesame oil, olive oil, vinegar, chili garlic sauce, and ginger (also salt to taste—or dress with soy sauce). Mix well.
Add squid, carrot, cucumber, and cilantro and toss with dressing. Add lemon juice (or substitute lime juice). Add soy sauce to taste.
Mix all, top with sesame seeds, and serve over a bed of mixed greens. It’s light, tasty, and suctioncupalicious.
Wanna try squid in another dish? One of my favorite uses for calamari is in a Seafood Pancake Recipe, which sounds weird, but try it, you’ll like it.
Korean style Haemul Pajeon seafood pancake
Thanks for checking out the calamari salad recipe. If you enjoyed it, click some of the clickables below to share the recipe with your friends. I appreciate it! –Chef Buck
Pita chips are easy to make and you can bake them up quickly using your favorite spices. You can’t have hummus without pita chips! I mean, you can, but…why? Pita chips go great with all kinds of dips and are excellent with salads or just as an alternative to your run-of-the-mill potato chip.
Pita Chips Ingredients: 1 pkg. PITA BREAD OLIVE OIL SALT SPICES: curry powder, garlic powder, cajun seasonings, etc. (whatever you like)
Cut pitas into triangular chip shapes. Each pita will easily yield 12 chips. Soak one side of each pita triangle in olive oil and stack pitas so the soaked side of one is stacked against the unsoaked side of the next. Press stacked chips together—this will flatten the chips and suffuse the oil throughout. Arrange chips on a flat baking sheet. Salt to taste. Add spices—the more the better, in my opinion. I usually bake three distinct batches. Curry is probably my favorite—just salt and lots of curry on a toasted pita chip, it’s delicious. Garlic is great, too. Try some Tony Chachere’s seasoning (or comparable cajun seasoning) on a chip—or simply add a sprinkle of cayenne pepper with Cumin. Whatever your favorite seasonings are, give them a try. Bake the chips 8-10 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Oven cooking times vary, so keep an eye on your first batch to see how long it takes to toast them the way you like—they will burn quickly if forgotten. I like mine CRISP. One side of the pita will be thinner than the other side and some triangles may need to be removed from the oven before the other chips are done. You’ll figure it out. Give this pita chips recipe a try and let me know what you think, and… Bon appétit!
Click a button below and share the dishes with your friends. You can also follow Chef Buck on Youtube. We appreciate all the kind comments and support, and we’ll see you next time in the kitchen!
If you like what CG and I do, support us on Patreon, or throw us a tip in our Paypal Tip Jar. We’ll happily enjoy a coffee on the road – Thanks! We appreciate all the support, and we’ll see you next time in the kitchen!
We include affiliate links for products on our website. Making a purchase after clicking on our links and we may earn a commission which helps us produce more videos and drink more coffee :^) We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, which is an affiliate advertising program. It provides a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites, so we can make more videos.
If you’re new to home cooking, get a bunch of spices, pots and pans, and start experimenting with different recipes. It’s a healthy hobby that can save a lot of money in the long run. Check out current prices for Complete Kitchenware Sets on Amazon as well as Complete Starter Spice Kits. Or try a thrift store! I’ve found some of my favorite kitchen gear at second-hand stores.
A road trip isn’t complete without a truck stop breakfast, especially if there’s fried bologna!
I don’t see fried bologna on a lot of menus anymore, but when I do, I order it. I’ll run across it once in a blue moon, usually at a truck stop diner, and not a fancy-pants truck stop, either–it’ll likely be a run-down-looking outfit that cares more about good food and good service than looking shiny and new; some place that’s been around for a loooong time and hasn’t quite gotten around to whacking fried bologna off the menu. And I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not. I know bologna is not the best thing for my health, I have no doubts about that. Bologna is what? –lips and assholes? Something like that. But it’s also a touchstone, something there carries me back to being a kid when we used to have bologna in the fridge all the time. More often than not, the bologna found it’s way between two slices of Wonder Bread with too much mayonnaise, but sometimes it showed up fried on the breakfast table, and sometimes it showed up curled up on a piece of toast. I liked it then and I love it now. I don’t eat fried bolonga too often (or any bologna) and rarely see it offered on a menu, but it’s hard to resist when I do, for better or worse.
Shopping at a local Indian market can be great place to find exotic spices and produce, and they often have great prices, too. Do you have a local Indian grocery near you? If so, check it out, you’ll probably find great deals, and you will certainly get some new ideas on dishes and flavors to try in the kitchen. A lot of what I know about cooking, I learned through trial and error and experimenting with unfamiliar ingredients and cooking styles. Experimentation makes the kitchen a lot more exciting!
Watch our video tour of a small Indian Market in the USA
Check out this Complete Indian Cooking tutorial in Real Time.
It took us about an hour to prep and cook this full Indian meal.
Chana Masala recipes can be super versatile; this is chana masala prepared with Quinoa.
Two quick and cool salad recipe ideas: tomato and cucumber salad. These salads make perfect sides for a spicy meal. The tomato basil goes great with any blackened fish, and I love the creamy cucumber with spicy Indian fare. No cooking is required; simply combine the raw ingredients for an easy accompaniment to your favorite spicy dishes.
Tomato Basil Salad Recipe
Ingredients: 2 fresh TOMATOES (diced) ½ cup BASIL (chopped) ¼ cup FETA CHEESE (crumbled) 1 Tbsp OLIVE OIL 1 tsp BALSAMIC VINEGAR SALT and PEPPER, to taste
Creamy Cucumber Salad Recipe
Ingredients: 2 SALAD CUCUMBERS (diced) ½ LEMON (juice and zest) ¼ cup GREEK YOGURT 1 tsp DILL SALT and PEPPER, to taste
Give these salad ideas a go and let me know what you think, and bon appétit!
if you like to do your fishing on the internet.
