Bacon BBQ Chicken Bombs

A delightful bite sized chicken wrapped around (dairy free) Cream Cheese with Jalapenos wrapped in bacon and baked dipped in BBQ Sauce (very mild as I use only a small amount of jalapeno). Baked until the chicken is done and the bacon is crispy, then coated in BBQ sauce and baked a little bit more.

Serves 5

10 boneless skinless chicken fillets
5 jalapenos, de-seeded, sliced in half lengthwise
4 ounces soy cream cheese, softened
salt and pepper to taste
20 slices bacon
1 cup barbecue sauce

1) Wash jalapenos, cut stem off, slice lengthwise, remove seeds and clean out center. Rinse jalapenos a second time.

2) In a mixing bowl, mix cream cheese until well blended. Fill each jalapeno half with about 1 Tbs or little more of cheese mixture.

3) Place filled jalapeno half, cheese side down on chicken fillets and roll chicken around jalapeno. It doesn’t always close the way you think it should. No worries! The bacon will pull it all together.

4) Wrap 2 pieces of bacon (one at a time) tightly around the rolled chicken, start at one end, wrap half the fillet and finish the 2nd half with the other piece of bacon, and tuck bacon into itself to seal ends closed. You do not need toothpicks, because it all comes together in the cooking process.

5) Preheat oven to 400 degree and place chicken bombs on a foil lined baking sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes, turning once to help cook the bacon. Reduce heat to 375 degree, line another baking sheet or pan, and place chicken bombs in
a new one.

6) Brush each chicken bomb with barbecue sauce, then use a spatula to flip them over to the other side, and brush the tops with more sauce and return to the oven for 5-6 minutes.

7) Remove from oven, brush on more sauce, and place under broil setting for a few
minutes so bacon can crisp completely, and the chicken is totally cooked through. 
Remove from the oven and let sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Blueberry Muffins

1 ¼ cups Bisquick Gluten Free mix or Bob’s Redmill Baking Mix

½ cup packed light brown sugar

¾ cup fat-free (skim) milk

½ cup butter, melted

½ teaspoon lemon extract

1 Tablespoon lemon zest

2 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla

2 eggs

¼ cup diced fresh or frozen blueberries

1 teaspoon Bisquick Gluten Free mix

10 fresh strawberry slices

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Place paper baking cup in each of 10 regular-size muffin cups.

2. In medium bowl, stir 1 1/4 cups Bisquick mix and the brown sugar with whisk. Mix blueberries with dried ingredients (this keeps them, from sinking in the dough as they bake). In small bowl, stir milk, butter, vanilla and egg with whisk until well blended. Add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.

3. Bake 25 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Remove from pan to cooling rack. Serve warm.

Soba and Sweet Potatoes in Miso-Lime Broth

Photo by Eiliv-Sonas Aceron on Unsplash

SERVINGS- 4

1 ½ tablespoons ghee
½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
½ teaspoon star anise powder
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon cumin
4 scallions, whites and greens separated and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
4 ounces soba or other buckwheat noodles
2 heads baby Bok choy, sliced in 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup sweet white miso
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving
Kosher salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, peel and cut sweet potatoes in 1 ½ inch cubes (they will shrink when roasted). Toss with toasted sesame oil, then toss with cumin, paprika and star anise powder. Bake until edges are brown and sweet potatoes are tender but not mushy.

2. Stir measured spices in a preheated Dutch oven and toast spices.

3. Then add oil and butter over medium heat. Add ginger, scallion whites, and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add shiitakes and cook until tender, about 2 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, cook soba according to package instructions. Drain and rinse well with cold water. Set aside.

3. Add Bok choy to soup and cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in cooked soba.

4. Remove 1 cup hot broth and whisk with miso until smooth, then stir into soup. Add lime juice and season with salt. Serve with scallion greens and lime wedges.

Lemon Shortbread Cookies

Lemon Shortbread Cookies

Servings 24

1 1/3 cups sweet rice flour
1/2 cup sweet tapioca flour
1/2 cup arrowroot powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest from one lemon
1/8 teaspoon lemon extract
2 eggs yolks

Preheat oven to 300°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

In small bowl, whisk together white rice flour, sweet rice flour, arrowroot, salt, baking powder, and xanthan gum. In bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar, egg, zest and extracts together, on medium-low speed, until a thick paste forms, about 30 seconds.

Shut off stand mixer. Add dry ingredients. Turn on mixer and mix until dough forms, about three minutes.

Pick up about a golf ball sized amount of dough, it will be very sandy feeling, press the bajeezus out of it in your hand to form a solid ball, then press onto cookie sheet until about a little less than ½ inch thick. You can press the edges together or leave them as they spread out. Using a fork, make holes in the cookies as decoration. It also adds crispness.

Bake until cookies are lightly golden brown on the edges and aromatic, about 30 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on the pan for five minutes and then transfer to wire rack to cool. Repeat using remaining dough.

Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Nobu’s Miso-Marinated Tuna

I found Nobu’s recipe for  Miso-Marinated Black Cod and made it with Tuna.

SERVES 4

1/4 cup

sake

1/4 cup

mirin

4 tablespoons

white miso paste

3 tablespoons sugar

4 – 6 ounce tuna  

Two to 3 days beforehand, make the miso marinade and marinate the fish. Bring the sake and mirin to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Boil for 20 seconds to evaporate the alcohol. Turn the heat down to low, add the miso paste, and whisk. When the miso has dissolved completely, turn the heat up to high again and add the sugar, whisking constantly to ensure that the sugar doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat once the sugar is fully dissolved. Cool to room temperature.

Pat the fillets thoroughly dry with paper towels. Slather the fish with the miso marinade and place in a non-reactive dish or bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Leave to marinate in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.

To cook the fish: Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat an oven-proof skillet over high heat on the stovetop. Lightly wipe off any excess miso clinging to the fillets, but don’t rinse it off. Film the pan with a little oil, then place the fish skin-side-up on the pan and cook until the bottom of the fish browns and blackens in spots, about 3 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until the other side is browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to the oven and bake for 5 to 10 minutes, until fish is opaque and flakes easily.

Hearts of Palm and Avocado Salad with Lime Vinaigrette

mhoenig – Own work

                     
  Hearts of Palm and Avocado Salad with Lime Vinaigrette

serves 4

1/3      cup  lime juice
1/2      cup  olive oil
1/4       cup  white wine vinegar or rice vinegar

1/2        clove  garlic — crushed
1           pinch  salt
1           tiny pinch    red pepper flakes
2           cans  Hearts of Palm , salad cut

2           ripe California avocados
1           head  butter lettuce
1           medium  red onion — thin rings

1)  combine first 5 ingredients together in blender for dressing. let sit for about 20 min.

2) Tear lettuces in bite size pieces. combine with the rest of the ingredients. Toss with salad dressing. Serve immediately

Pineapple Vanilla Salmon

Pineapple Vanilla Salmon

4 salmon filets, about 6 ounces each, skin on
Salt & pepper to taste
olive oil
One whole pineapple
Grilled pineapple slices (recipe below)
Pineapple glaze (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Season salmon with salt & pepper, place skin side down on lightly oiled foil lined dish. Brush with pineapple glaze and bake for 10 to 15 minutes (or until desired doneness) brushing them with pineapple glaze every 4 minutes while baking.

Pineapple Glaze

Pineapple skin cut into 1 to 2 inch pieces (yup, the bumpy stuff you cut off to get to the fruit)
½ cup sugar
1 vanilla bean cut in half with seeds scraped out

Put pineapple skin, sugar and vanilla bean and seed scrapings into a pan with enough water to cover. Bring to boil and simmer until you have a syrupy consistency. Strain out pineapple skin and vanilla. Set aside to cool. This versatile sauce may be frozen and could be used to flavor chicken, other kinds of fish or even vegetables before grilling.

Chocolate Brownie Cookies

Serving Size  : 40  

1 1/8         cups  all-purpose flour
1/4           teaspoon  baking powder
1/8          teaspoon  salt
2              large  eggs
1/2           cup  sugar
3              tablespoons  brewed espresso
1              teaspoon  vanilla extract
4             tablespoons  unsalted butter
4             ounces  extra-bittersweet chocolate — chopped
1 5/8      ounces  unsweetened chocolate — chopped
5/8          cup  mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, briefly whip the eggs to break them up. Add the sugar, espresso, and vanilla and beat on high speed for 10 minutes, until thick.

Meanwhile, place the butter in the top of a double boiler,and scatter the extra-bittersweet and unsweetened chocolate on top. Heat until the butter and chocolate melt. Remove from heat and stir the chocolate and butter until smooth.

Gently fold the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture until partially combined (there should still be some streaks). Add the flour mixture to the batter and carefully fold it in. Fold in the chocolate chips.Chill the batter in the freezer for a half hour.

Drop the batter by heaping teaspoonful’s onto the baking sheets and bake until puffed and cracked, 8 to 9 minutes. Cool on a wire rack before removing from the baking sheets.

Easy Thai Style Salmon

2 8-ounce  salmon fillets, skin on or off
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
2 – 3 tbsp green onions, chopped
Toasted sesame oil
Thai Sweet Chili Sauce;
1 cup plus 4 tablespoon water, divided
2 tablespoons arrowroot
3 medium cloves of garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Fresno, red Thai chilies, or red jalapeño peppers seeds left in for a hotter sauce)
2/3 cup honey
1/3 cup rice vinegar.
2 teaspoons Coconut Amino Acids

Thai Salmon

Make Chili Sauce;

Bring all ingredients, except 4 Tablespoons water and arrowroot, to a simmer. Simmer 15 minutes and then combine 4 T. room temperature water and arrowroot . Stir well and then stir into simmering liquid, stir until liquid simmers.

In a large baking dish, lay down salmon fillets in a row. Each fillet – sprinkle with a pinch of salt and top with 1 tbsp Thai sweet chili sauce. Brush or rub with your fingers to coat fish with sauce evenly on top, bottom and sides. Cover and let marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight is the best (up to 24 hours).

Turn on oven’s broiler on High and position top oven rack 5″ – 6″ below the heat source. Line large baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper or silicone mat, spray with cooking spray and place salmon fillets skin side down (if any). Coat with remaining marinade from the dish (if any).

Broil for 6 minutes, rotating baking sheet once. Remove from the oven and brush top of each fillet with 2 tsp of Thai sweet chili sauce. Return to the oven and broil for another 2 minutes or until salmon has caramelized. Serve hot garnished with green onions, extra sauce.