Scallops With Black Rice and Shredded Squash & Zucchini

Ingredients
1 Cup Black Rice
10 Scallops

1 Tablespoon Paprika
2 Tablespoons Olive oil
1/2 Large Zuchnni

1/4 Acorn Squash

2 inch long ginger root
4 cloves garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Scallops
1. Season scallops with salt, pepper and paprika.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium flame until it is shimmering, then add scallops.
3. Cook scallops for about 5 minutes on each side.

Shredded Squash and Zucchini with Ginger
1. Julienne the squash, zucchini and ginger.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet over high flame until it is shimmering, then add all ingredients and cover the skillet.
3. Cook for approximately 7 minutes adding a little water it starts to get dry and tossing the mixture.

4. After 7 minutes turn the heat off and let sit for 5 minutes. .

Rice
Cook rice as you would normally. (if you dont have a rice cooker I would strongly suggest you get one, it cooks the rice perfect every time)

Serve the scallops on a bed of rice and top with a zucchini and squash mixture. The fresh and sweet flavors of the zucchini and squash mixture compliment the smoky flavor of the paprika seasoned scallops.

Curried Shark with Thai Red Rice and Alfafa Sprouts

Ingredients
1 Cup red Thai rice
8oz Shark cut into 1 inch cubes (Mako shark is best but sordfish is also a good substitute)
2 Tablespoons Vegetable oil
2 Tablespoons curry powder (Madras or yellow curry powder works best)
4 cloves garlic
1/2 medium onion
14 oz can coconut milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Curried Shark
1. Chop garlic and onion finely.
2. Heat oil in a skillet over medium flame until it is shimmering, then add garlic and onion.
3. When onion has turned translucent (after about 2 mins) add the curry powder to the mix. If it starts to dry up add a small amount of water (2-3 tablespoons)
4. Let curry past cook for about a minute and then add the shark.
5. Stir the shark until it is coated with the curry paste and then add the coconut milk.
6. Cover and let simmer on medium/ low for 10 minutes.

Rice
Cook rice as you would normally. (if you dont have a rice cooker I would strongly suggest you get one, it cooks the rice perfect every time)

Serve the curried shark on a bed of rice and top with a 1/4 cup of alfafa sprouts. The strong tase of the alfafa sprouts works well with the savory flavors of the curry and the nutty flavours of the rice.

Gaucho Steak Dinner

You ask yourself, "What is Gaucho Grilling?". Well I will answer, Gaucho Grilling is a style of grilling from South America where wood fire is used to cook under over and around the the food. This cooking style is very simple and most of the cooking utilizes a cast iron griddle called a "plancha" and a cast iron grate called a "parrillia" (Same as a grill). The "do not touch" principle of cooking is what makes this type of grilling so tasty. You only flip the meat once, really letting the heat and smoke do the work. To cook this meal you will need both types of cooking apparatus mentioned above, if you don't have a "plancha" you can make the potatoes on the stove top using a skillet.

Ingredients
4 Rib eye steaks (approx 1 inch thick)
Salt and pepper to taste
Garlic Powder to taste
4 Ears of corn
4 Potatoes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions

Potatoes

1. Heat the cast iron griddle and cast iron grate over a moderately hot fire.
2. Using a box grater coarsely shred the 4 potatoes onto a work surface into 8 fluffy piles. Do not press the piles down.
   
3. Add the oil to the skillet and heat until shimmering.
   
4. Transfer the potato piles to the skillet being careful to keep them fluffy and evenly spaced.
   
5. Cook over moderate heat for 10 minutes until the pootatoes are browned and crisp on the bottom. Turn the piles and cook for another 10 minutes until the potatoes are browned and crisp. Season with salt and serve.
   

While the potatoes are cooking the steaks are to be placed on the grill over the moderate heat

Steaks

1. Season the steaks with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
   
2. Place the steaks on the grill and let cook for 10 min on each side.
   

Corn

Soak the corn in water 1 hour before cooking. Wrap the soaked corn in aluminum foil and place in the hot coals. Remove corn from coals after 15 min. Turn corn once during the 15 min.

For a fish option you can place a salmon fillet on a cedar plank and cook as you would the beef, but you do not turn the salmon over.

Here is a posting from the first guest chef on the blog. Our guest vegetarian chef Sarah G has graciously provided us with this tasty meal from the Vegetarian times. If you're not a vegetarian and absolutely must have meat you can substitute a good cut of beef (rib eye) for the for the Seitan.

Ingredient List
Serves 12
• Squash Purée
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced (1 1/2 cups)
• 2 cups cubed butternut squash
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 14-oz. can light coconut milk
• 1 tsp. unrefined sugar
•
• Habanero Jerk Sauce
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1/2 cup finely diced shallots
• 1/2 habanero chile, minced
• 1 tsp. sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/3 tsp. ground cloves
• 2/3 cup orange juice
• 1/3 cup lime juice
• 1 tsp. unrefined sugar
•
• Rice Cakes
• Olive oil for brushing pans and rice cakes
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
• 2 cups cooked jasmine rice
• 1/2 cup finely chopped canned bamboo shoots
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 cups watercress, for garnish
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint, for garnish
•
• Seitan Mixture
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 cup cubed seitan or firm tofu
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
• 2 cups cauliflower florets
• 1 cup baby spinach leaves
Directions
1. To make Squash Purée: Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, and sauté 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in squash and thyme, then coconut milk and 1 cup water. Simmer 20 minutes. Stir in sugar, and cool. Purée in blender until smooth.
2. To make Habanero Jerk Sauce: Heat oil in saucepan over medium-high heat. Sauté shallots 7 to 9 minutes. Add habanero, paprika, thyme, allspice, and cloves, and sauté 20 seconds. Add orange juice, lime juice, and sugar, and simmer 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
3. To make Rice Cakes: Grease 13- x 9-inch glass dish with olive oil. Purée cilantro with 1/2 cup water in blender or food processor. Combine cilantro purée, rice, bamboo shoots, and salt in bowl. Press rice mixture into prepared baking dish. Cover with parchment paper, and weigh down with second baking dish filled with cans. Cool 2 hours.
4. Heat oven to broil, and grease baking sheet with olive oil. Cut rice into 12 squares. Place on baking sheet, and brush tops lightly with oil. Broil until well browned. Meanwhile, warm Squash Purée and Habanero Jerk Sauce.
5. To make Seitan Mixture: Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté seitan and garlic 5 to 7 minutes. Add cauliflower and 1/2 cup Habanero Jerk Sauce, and sauté 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in spinach, and cook 1 to 2 minutes more, or until spinach is wilted. Season with salt and pepper.
6. To serve: Ladle 1/3 cup Squash Purée onto each plate. Spoon Seitan Mixture in center, and top with Rice Cake. Spoon 2 to 3 Tbs. Habanero Jerk Sauce around plate. Toss together watercress and mint, and top each rice cake with greens mixture.

Jerk Chicken Dinner

Jerk Chicken Dinner

Ingredients

Jerk Chicken

1 medium onion coarsely chopped

3 scallions, chopped

3 Scotch bonnet (Habenero) peppers, chopped

6 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon five spice powder

1 tablespoon ground all spice berries

1 tablespoon coarsely ground pepper

1 teaspoon dried thyme (or a tablespoon of fresh finely chopped thyme)

1 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon powdered ginger (or a tablespoon of fresh grated ginger)

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup white vinegar

¼ cup lime juice

4 Chicken breasts

Rice
1 cup white rice

Salt & Pepper to taste

Red Beans

1 can Goya kidney beans

2 cloves garlic

¼ medium onion

1 tablespoon oil

1 strip of bacon finely chopped

Garnish with Goya Plantain Chips

Directions

Jerk Seasoning & Chicken

1. Combine onion,scallions , Scotch bonnet (Habenero) peppers, garlic cloves ,five spice powder , ground all spice berries , coarsely ground pepper , dried thyme grated nutmeg, powdered ginger, cup sauce, vegetable oil, white vinegar and lime juice in a blender or food processor and use the chop setting to chop and mix all the ingredients together.
2. Add the jerk seasoning to the chicken in a bowl and make sure the chicken is evenly coated.
3. Refrigerate overnight or a minimum of 2 hours.
4. Cook the chicken on a grill slowly, turning occasionally for approximately 20-30 minutes. The slower you cook the chicken the smokier the flavor gets. Alternatively you can cook the chicken in a cast iron skillet if you dont have a grill.

Rice

1. Cook rice as you would normally. (if you dont have a rice cooker I would strongly suggest you get one)

Beans

1. Put the oil in the saucepan, when the oil gets hot add the onion, garlic and bacon.
2. After about 2min when the onion begins to caramelize and the bacon gets crispy add the beans.
3. Let simmer for 10 min and serve over rice.

Garnish with Goya Plantain chips and lime.

Tempeh & Plantain Mash with a Raw Veggie Salad

Ingredients
8 oz Tempeh
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil (Substitute any oil with a high oil smoke point)
1/4 Cup White Wine
4 StalksParsley
1 Inch cubed Ginger
1/2 Small Onion
4 Large cloves Garlic
2 RipePlantains (Yellow Plantains)
2 Stalks Spring Onion finely chopped (ti l'onoin)
2-3 Leaves red cabbage
1/2 Large Zuchinni
1 Medium Carrot
1 Stalk Celery
4 Radishes
1/2 Avacado (Makes a tasty garnish)


Directions
Plantain Mash

1. Boil the plantain until soft (approximately 10 min)
2. Mash Plantain add salt and pepper to taste and mix in spring onion.

The addition of the spring onion adds a fresh slightly savory flavor to the sweet plantains.





Raw Vegetable Salad

1. Shred the red cabbage.
2. Julienne the zuchinni and carrot.
3. Cube the celery and radish into 1/2 inch chunks.
4. Mix all of the above ingredients together and serve with your favorite salad dressing. Alternatively you can use salt, pepper and lemon to taste as a delicious low (almost no) calorie dressing.

Tempeh

1. Cut the Tempeh into 1/2 inch strips
   
2. Puree the parsley, ginger, onion and garlic.
   
3. Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a wok.
4. Add the pureed mixture and stir fry for 1 min and add the Tempe.
5. Stir fry for 5 min and add the white wine.
   
6. Let simmer for 1 min and serve.

Salmon Dinner

Salmon with Rice and Artichokes

Ingredients

Salmon
1lb Salmon Fillet
Salt & Pepper to your taste
1 tbsp Olive Oil
6 Sprigs Fresh Dill (1 Tbsp Dried Dill)
2 Cloves garlic finely chopped

Rice
Brown & Black Rice Blend (or Brown Rice)
1 tbsp Bragg Liquid Aminos
1 tbsp Flax Seed oil

Artichokes
2 Artichokes

Directions
Salmon

1. Lightly fry the garlic and half the dill in the olive oil.
2. Lay salmon fillet skin side down on top of the garlic and dill in skillet.
3. Pan fry salmon for 2 min.
4. Sprinkle remaining dill on the top of the salmon and broil on high for 10 min.
   

Rice

1. Cook rice. (if you dont have a rice cooker I would strongly suggest you get one)
2. Mix the Bragg Liquid Amino and Flax seed oil.
3. Serve the rice and drizzle the Bragg Liquid Amino and Flax seed oil over the rice.

The Bragg Liquid Amino is a natural form of sodium (actually Soy sauce with a smokier flavor) and the flax seed oil compliments the nutty flavors of the rice and is VERY good for you.

Artichokes

1. Cut off the stem and the top of the artichoke.
2. Use a pair of kitchen shears or scissors to cut the tip of each leaf off.
   
3. If you have a pressure cooker, add 1 inch of water and cook the artichokes in there for 10 min. If you don't have a pressure cooker you will need to have enough water to just cover the artichokes and cook them for 45 min or until they are tender.