I cannot take credit for this following recipe, but I can brag about it.  My parents had us over for a Memorial Day celebration this past Sunday and my Mom made this salad she saw the Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten make.  It’s called Guacamole Salad.  It was delightful!  Flavors bursting, crunchy and smooth textures, sweet and salty contrasts made this the perfect side dish.  Check it out.  The recipe is bleow…

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup small diced red onion
2 tablespoons minced jalapeno peppers, seeded (2 peppers)
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest
1/4 cup freshly squeezed limejuice (2 limes)
1/4-cup good olive oil
1-teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 ripe Hass avocados, seeded, peeled, and 1/2-inch diced

Directions
Place the tomatoes, yellow pepper, black beans, red onion, jalapeno peppers, and lime zest in a large bowl. Whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, salt, black pepper, garlic, and cayenne pepper and pour over the vegetables. Toss well.

Just before you’re ready to serve the salad, fold the avocados into the salad. Check the seasoning and serve at room temperature.

1. DO NOT BURN YOUR GARLIC!  Once you’ve burnt your garlic, you’re done, throw it away and start over.  Burnt garlic had a very unappealing bitter taste.
2. If your garlic sprouts before you use it, its ok, it just won’t be as aromatic or full of flavor.  It will just be slightly milder.
3. To get the smell of garlic off of your hands, rub your hands on something stainless steel, like your kitchen sink.
4. Fresh garlic or dried garlic is way better than that minced stuff in a jar.
5. Most importantly…Garlic is Good for You!

As of recent, I’ve begun working with Laszlo Marton of the Galena Garlic Company. One little trip to Galena, IL has opened up an opportunity to exercise my creativity in the kitchen. The best part of it all is that the primary ingredient is GARLIC! Garlic has many health benefits, but its one stigma is the odor. Once you get past the odor, you will come to realize its heavenly taste and health benefits. Garlic is said to lower your cholesterol and to prevent heart disease and cancer. I’ve also heard that is wards off Vampire too!

Stay tuned over the next few months. I’ll be posting some delightful recipes for the products that Laszlo has at the Galena Garlic Company. Anyone can become and instant chef with these affordable, easy-to-use, garlic products!

Greek Chicken

(video)

So above is a You Tube video with instructions on how to cook a chicken in the oven.  It is a very short, easy to follow video.  But I want you to scratch the Lawrey’s seasoning and try rubbing it with Greek Garlic blend from the Galena Garlic Company.  Rub about a tablespoon on the outside and additional teaspoon on the inside.  When rubbing the bird on the outside, lift up the skin (without tearing it) and rub under the skin too.   On the inside of the bird, cut a lemon in half and place it on the inside along with a half of and onion and about 3 large garlic cloves.   Place the bird on the cooking rack with about a cup of chicken stock on the bottom.  Cover with foil and cook as instructed in the video.   For the last 25 minutes of cooking, drizzle a little butter over the top of the chicken and keep the foil off.  This will make your chicken delicious and crispy.  Be sure to let your chicken rest for about 20- 30 minutes before cutting into it.  This will prevent it from drying out.

With the dripping that are left over, skim as much of the fat off as possible and serve on the side.  You may need to add a little more chicken stock if it is too salty.

So Ryan and I made a trip to Galena, IL a few months ago. It was our first time there, so we didn’t know what to expect. First and foremost, it was COLD! Secondly, we found the coziest inn called Le Fevre Inn to help keep us warm. It was warm and our room had a large whirlpool tub big enough for two. The fireplace in our room gave the entire vacation a romantic ambience. Le Fevre Inn is about a 5-minute drive from the downtown area, which is sprawling with little artsy shops, boutiques, inns, novelty shops, tasting rooms and restaurants. Amongst the shops, we stumbled across the Galena Garlic Company. We were just going to keep going past the shop, but it was so cold (and it smelled so good), we couldn’t resist going it. There was so much to choose from, it was almost overwhelming (in a good way). I narrowed it down to the Greek Garlic blend and the Galena Garlic blend. They are nothing short of amazing. The Greek Blend is amazing to rub on chicken and bake until crispy. All you have to do is add a little chicken stock and a dash of white wine and viola! Perfection! If you are going to make a trek to Galena, definitely check out Le Fevre Inn as well as the Galena Garlic Company. You won’t be disappointed.

1 Medium to large onion (yellow or white), diced very fine
4-6 Cloves of garlic, minced fine
1 Green pepper, small dice
1 Poblano pepper, small dice
1 Serrano pepper, small dice
1 Jalapeno pepper, small dice
2-3 Tablespoons chili powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
1-teaspoon cumin
½ to 1-teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ to 1 teaspoon dried cilantro
2 cups chicken stock or broth
2 large cans of fire roasted tomatoes, whole (if you can find fire roasted get regular, not seasoned canned tomatoes)
1 can tomato sauce or juice
Juice of 1 lime
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 pound of ground turkey

Don’t be afraid to use a food processor/ mini chopper for the onions, garlic and peppers.

So this chili is all about texture. Start this off like any normal chili, on medium to high heat throw the ground turkey into a large enough pot. You must stir the meat constantly. You want the meat to be all broken up. Gradually stir in the fresh garlic, onions, all the peppers, the chili powder, onion and garlic powder, the cumin, salt and pepper, cilantro and the limejuice. Cover and cook for about 3-5 minutes, then add 1 cup of chicken stock/broth. You want the texture of the tomatoes to be sort of torn up, so what I do is squish them into the pot with my hands. Do that, then cook for about 5 minutes covered, then add the other cup of the chicken stock/broth. Cook for another 5 minutes, and then add the tomato sauce/ juice. Finally, put in the beans; turn down to a simmer and let cook for at least 1 hour. You may need to add more salt or heat (you can add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce). Do this to taste, then finally…. ENJOY with some crusty bread, or a tamale, or my favorite, elbow macaroni! A sharp cheddar pairs well as far as a choice of cheese! Never put sour cream on this chili.

Simple Meatballs

1/4-cup plain dried breadcrumbs

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup grated Parmesan (fresh is way better than the stuff that comes in the container with the green lid)

1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 small onion, grated finely

2 cloves of garlic, grated finely

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1-pound turkey (or you can do ½ lb ground sirloin and ½ lb pork)

In a large bowl, combine breadcrumbs, eggs, milk, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan and the parsley, and mix well; season with salt and pepper. Add meat and gently combine, being careful not to overwork the meat. Shape into bite-size meatballs.

With these meatballs you can make:

Spaghetti and Meatballs (just use your favorite jar of red sauce)

Baked Mostaccioli with Meatballs

Meatball Soup

Meatball Sandwiches

How wonderful does that sound!  Not to mention, this is a super easy dish to prepare.  If you are able to use a grill, take a moment to go fire it up.  If you don’t have the pleasure of using a grill, hopefully you have a George Foreman grill or a stovetop griddle.   If you don’t have either of those, GO GET ONE!  You can do this in a pan, but we are looking for the sear marks, and you just can’t get those in a pan.  Read on….
 

What you’ll need:

4 pieces of boneless chicken breast
*If you get those enormous ones, just use 2.  Be sure the thickness of the chicken is equal.  If it is not, either butterfly it, or if you don’t have mad knife skill like I do; beat down the thicker side with a mallet.*
Juice of 3 limes
¼ cup cilantro
3 cloves of garlic (fresh if possible) minced very fine.
*You can use a grater to get the desired consistency.*
1 shallot minced (you can substitute an onion, about 1 heaping tablespoon)
¼ cup olive oil
Salt/Pepper

In a flat pan, lay out your chicken.  In a separate bowl, mix limejuice, olive oil, garlic, onion and cilantro, with a pinch of salt and 3-4 cranks of pepper.  Salt and pepper your chicken, then take half 2/3 of that mixture and add it to the chicken.  Cover chicken and let marinate in the fridge for at least 15 minutes, but no longer than 30.  In the mean time, take the rest of your mixture, put it in a saucepan and let simmer at a low heat.  DON’T BURN THE GARLIC.  If there is not a lot of marinade left add a little chicken stock or a little white wine.  After the chicken is grilled, plate it up and pour the remainder of the cooked marinade over the chicken. 

A nice simple green salad would go perfect with this.  I love arugula with some cherry tomatoes and Parmesan cheese with a simple oil and vinegar dressing.  For a starch, you can make some couscous cooked in chicken stock and add some green peas.  This one is healthy, easy and guaranteed to make someone happy!