Friday, May 31, 2013

Awsm Classic Chicken Salad Recipe


A widespread favorite that can easily be prepared a day in advance. Serves 4.

Ingredients:
  • 2 1/2 cups cooked chicken (diced)
  • 4 cooked bacon strips (cumbled)
  • 8 ounces sliced water chestnuts
  • 1/2 cup celery (diced)
  • 1 cup green grapes (cut)
  • 3/4 cup mayo or dressing
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley (diced)
  • 2 teaspoons onion (diced)
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 dash Worcestershire sauce
  • salt and pepper to season
Instructions:
  1. Mix together the chicken, bacon, water chestnuts, celery and grapes.
  2. In a separate bowl, whisk all other ingredients; combine all ingredients and toss to coat. Let chill.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Awsm Italian Spaghetti & Meatballs Recipe


A classic dish with lots of flavor! Directions for both the sauce and meatballs. Serves 6.

Ingredients:
For the Meatballs:
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 cup bread crumbs (fresh)
  • 1 tablespoon dry parsley
  • 1 tablespoon Parmesan (grated)
  • 1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 egg
For the Sauce:
  • 3/4 cup diced onion
  • 5 cloves of garlic (minced)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 56 ounces tomatoes (from the can, whole and peeled)
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon white sugar
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 6 ounces tomato paste
  • 3/4 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
Instructions:
  1. Beat the egg.
  2. In a bowl, mix together the egg, and all ingredients listed for the meatballs. Mold about twelve balls. Place in the refrigerator, covered, until needed.
  3. In a saucepan, grill onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until onion is cooked. Add in tomatoes, salt, sugar and bay leaf, stir. Lower the heat and cover, letting simmer 90 minutes. Mix in paste, basil, pepper and add the meatballs. Let simmer another 30 minutes.

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Awsm Tiramisu Recipe


A popular Italian desserts. It is very rich and tasty.
Ingredients
  • 4 tablespoons of espresso coffee
  • 1 tablespoon of grappa
  • 3 eggs, separated
  • 1/2 cup of sugar
  • 8 oz of marscapone cheese
  • 24 savoiardi biscuits
  • 1 oz of sweet chocolate, grated
Cooking Instructions
In a small bowl, combine the coffee and grappa, and set aside.
In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites until they are thick, and set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks together with the sugar until you get a thick consistency and the mixture is a lemon color. Add the marscapone cheese and blend the mix.
Fold the egg whites into the cheese mixture. Folding simply refers to using a wooden spoon to lift the mixture from the bottom of the bowl and turning it over. Do this once, turn the bowl a little bit and repeat this same process until all the ingredients in the mix are fully incorporated. Don’t overdo it because you want to maintain as much volume as possible.
Place half of the savoiardi biscuits in the bottom of a 10 inch square baking dish. Sprinkle the biscuits with half of the coffee mixture. Cover with half of the cheese mixture, and repeat the process.
Refrigerate the tiramisu for 4 hours. Serve with grated sweet chocolate.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Awsm Stuffed Mushrooms with Pecorino and Herbs Recipe


Mushrooms which are stuffed with cheese and herbs work so well together. Serves 8.


Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup of dried bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup of pecorino romano, grated
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon of fresh mint, finely chopped
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
  • 8 large white mushrooms, stemmed and rinsed
Cooking Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 ° F (220 ° C).
Combine the dried bread crumbs, pecorino romano cheese, garlic, parsley, mint, salt and black pepper to taste, and 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a mixing bowl and blend all the ingredients well together.
Lightly oil a large baking sheet to line it well.
Spoon the breadcrumb mixture which you have made up into the cavities of each individual mushroom.
Arrange the mushrooms evenly spread apart onto the baking sheet, with the cavity side up. With the leftover olive oil, drizzle on top of filling of each stuffed mushroom. Be generous with the oil it adds a richness to the mushrooms. Add some extra salt for taste if desired.
Bake the mushrooms until tender and golden on top. The filling should also be well cooked, which will take about 25 minutes. Serve immediately.

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Awsm Homestyle Fluffy Biscuits Recipe


A delicious addition to any meal, these fluffy and easy biscuits will melt in your mouth! Makes 6.

Ingredients:
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon table salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/3 cup butter or margarine
  • 1 cup whole milk
Instructions:
  1. Heat the oven to 425 F (220 C).
  2. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cut in the butter or margarine until crumbly in texture. Slowly add in the milk while stirring, until the dough reaches the right consistency.
  3. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for roughly 60 seconds. Shape dough to 1 inch thick roll, and cut biscuits, and place them on a baking sheet.
  4. Bake biscuits for about fifteen minutes, or until golden brown and fluffy.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Awsm Stuffed Peppers with Rice and Cheese Recipe


Melted cheese and cooked rice is a good combination to use for filling roasted peppers.

Ingredients
  • 6 oz of roasted peppers
  • 1 cup of uncooked rice
  • 8 oz of cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 3 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons of of fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons of butter
  • 3/4 cup of water
Cooking Instructions
Cut open the roasted peppers so they lay flat side down on the kitchen bench top, by cutting them through the middle on one side. Cook them in a large saucepan of boiling water for 5 minutes. Rinse the roasted peppers and drain well.
Cook the rice as per the packet instructions.
Add the garlic and onion to a preheated pan with butter and saute the onion until soft. Add the water and cheddar cheese, stirring constantly until completely melted and blended with the rest of the ingredients. Taste for seasoning. Add rice, salt and pepper to pan.
Spoon in the rice mixture into the cavity of each roasted pepper, trying to keep as much filling inside as possible. Top each pepper with chopped parsley.
Heat oil in a frying pan and cook the peppers until golden, turning once to brown evenly. Sprinkle with salt and pepper if required.

Monday, May 13, 2013

Awsm Vegan Vegetable Pilaf Recipe


Succulent vegetable pilaf with quinoa and chard. Vegan friendly! Serves 8.

Ingredients:
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion (chopped)
  • 3 cloves fresh garlic (minced)
  • 2 cups quinoa (uncooked and rinsed)
  • 1 cup lentils (from the can, rinsed)
  • 8 ounces mushrooms (fresh and chopped)
  • 1 quart vegetable broth
  • 1 bunch Swiss chard (remove the stems)
Instructions:
  1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium. Add in the onion and garlic, and saute for about five minutes, onion should be tender. Add in the quinoa, lentils, and mushrooms. Add in the broth. Let cook covered for twenty minutes.
  2. Remove from heat. Proceed to shred the chard and gently add to the pot. Cover, and let sit five minutes, or until chard has wilted.

Friday, May 10, 2013

Awsm Lamb Rosemary Stew Recipe


This lamb rosemary stew recipe offers the classic combination of lamb, rosemary, and garlic, which work so well together. Serves 4.

Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 1/2 lb of lamb, cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 1 large potato, peeled and cubed
  • 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
  • 3 cups of chicken broth
  • 2 celery sticks, chopped
  • 4-6 mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 teaspoons of fresh rosemary
  • 1/2 teaspoon of fresh thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon of oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon of sage
  • 1/4 cup of red wine
Cooking Instructions
Heat olive oil in cooking pot. When hot add the onion, celery, and mushrooms. Cook the vegetables until soft. Remove the veggies from the cooking pot and set aside.
Cut the lamb into 1 inch cubes.
Heat the remaining oil in cooking pot and add the lamb. Saute the lamb cubes over a medium heat until browned on all sides. Add the cup of water and continue to cook the lamb stew for approximately 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add the hot chicken broth and continue to stir.
Transfer the cooked vegetables back into the stew mixture. Add the rosemary and other herbs, potato and red wine, and continue to cook over a low heat and simmer for an additional 1 hour, until the meat is soft and developed flavor.
Serve the lamb stew immediately while warm with bread.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Awsm Pesto Pasta Recipe


If you like the taste of fresh basil then you will love this italian pasta recipe. Best of all it’s so easy and quick to prepare. Serves 4.

Ingredients
  • 1/3 cup of pine nuts
  • 2 cups of basil leaves
  • 16 oz of dried spaghetti
  • 1/3 cup of parmesan cheese, freshly grated
  • 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Cooking Instructions
Place the pine nuts, fresh basil, pamesan cheese, and garlic in a food processor or blender and process all the ingredients until the mixture is roughly chopped.
Meanwhile, cook spaghetti as per packet instructions, until al dente.
While blending the basil mixture, slowly add the extra virgin olive oil in a thin stream, and repeat the process until the mixture is smooth but retains some texture. It will become a nice green color so long as its not over processed. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Pour into a jar for storing and cover with a thin layer of olive oil. Can be kept for up to 2 weeks  in the refrigerator.
Pesto is delicious when served with spaghetti pasta or homemade gnocchi. Always use good quality olive oil, basil and pine nuts as the flavor primarily comes from these ingredients.

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Awsm Spaghetti Aglio Olio Recipe

This is the simplest and quickest of all pasta recipes. The main ingredients in spaghetti aglio olio is garlic, chilli and oil. Olive oil is infused with the garlic and chilli which is then stirred into the hot pasta. Serves 4.


Ingredients
  • 13 oz of dried spaghetti
  • 1/2 cup of olive oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1-2 large red chillies, seeded and finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Cooking Instructions
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil and add the spaghetti. Stir well and boil rapidly for 8 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente.
Meanwhile, combine the oil, garlic, and chilli in a small saucepan. Cook over a low heat for 7-8 minutes to allow the oil to absorb all the flavors. The garlic should become golden brown but don’t allow it to burn.
Drain the cooked pasta and return it to the large saucepan over a very low heat. Make sure it’s not a high heat because you don’t want to dry out the pasta. Pour the oil mixture over the pasta and add the parsley. Mix thoroughly so all the pasta is well coated with the oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Awsm Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignon with Mushroom Sauce Recipe



Filet Mignon is popular in french restaurants but is something which can be easily made at home. This recipe will take about 30 minutes.  The Filet Mignon is wrapped in bacon and served with a mushroom sauce. Serves 2. We recommend using grass fed beef if possible.

Ingredients
  • 2 bacon rashers
  • 2 beef eye fillet steaks
  • 1 tablespoon of butter
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • 1 medium white onion, finely chopped
  • 4.5 oz of button mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • 3 teaspoons of cornflour
  • 1 cup of beef stock
Cooking Instructions
Cut rind from bacon using scissors or sharp knife. Wrap one bacon rasher around each piece of steak. Secure the bacon with a skewer or toothpick.
Heat butter and oil in a large drying pan. Cook the steaks over a high heat for about 2 minutes or until steaks are lightly browned underneath. Turn steaks and cook over high heat until browned on the other side. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook the steaks until they are cooked to suit individual tastes, depending if you prefer them medium or well done. Remove steaks from the pan and place them in ovenproof dish. Cover and place in oven to keep them warm while you prepare the mushroom sauce.
Add onion to remaining butter mixture in pan. Stir over a medium heat until onion is soft. Add the mushrooms and stir over a medium heat for about 2 minutes or until mushrooms are soft. Blend cornflour with the beef stock and herbs. Add to pan, stir constantly over a high heat until sauce boils and thickens.
Place steaks on serving plates and remove the skewers or toothpicks. Pour over sauce and serve immediately with vegetables of your choice.