Baked Salmon & Chef Michael's Shrimp Sauce

Experimenting with salmon is always fun. My shrimp alfredo is a wonderful sauce, but it can be a tad heavy depending on the mood of the day. I saw Cream of Shrimp condensed soup at the grocer one day and thought... Hey... worth a shot! :-) Combined with fresh tomato and some sherry etc., this turned into yet another winner. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 salmon filets - skinless ~6 oz each
• 1 can cream of shrimp condensed soup
• 1 tomato – cut up
• 2 cloves garlic - minced
• fresh basil - handful
• ~1/4 cup sherry – use to rinse can and add to soup
• 12 large raw shrimp – peeled, deveined, tail off and cut in thirds

Preparation:

Season the salmon filets with olive oil, salt and pepper and bake or air fry at 390 for 8-9 minutes.

Defrost shrimp and cut into thirds. Set aside.

Add tomato, basil and garlic to a blender and liquefy. Maybe add a splash of sherry so the stuff is just pourable. Empty Cream of  Shrimp into sauce pan and blend with the tomato mix. Warm this while stirring with a whisk and add just enough sherry to make it a gravy that sticks and isn't too runny. Add fresh ground black pepper to taste.

Finally add the cut shrimp, simmer 1-2 minutes to cook the shrimp and serve over your favorite plain baked or steamed fish. We love this sauce with baked salmon, and it pairs really well with green beans or asparagus.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Mediterranean Chicken Bowl

Adapted from a recipe found on happydiabetic.com

This lovely creation is yet another way to use my Homemade Chicken Breast Cold Cuts or, for a different texture, my Versatile Shredded Chicken Breast . Either way this meal is bound to delight everyone around the table. Enjoy!

• Ingredients:
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 large white button mushrooms - sliced
• half each red and yellow bell pepper - sliced to 1.5" long sticks
• 1 average tomato diced
• ½ red onion sliced or diced - your call
• 1/3 cup vegetable stock
• 4-5 oz of cut up asparagus - 1.5" pieces
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tbsp fresh garlic
• 8 ounce skinless precooked chicken - sliced or shredded
• 14 black olives - pitted and cut in half lengthwise
• 15 oz can cannellini beans - drained
• fresh ground black pepper to taste - 4-5 twists 
• sea/kosher salt to taste
• 1 fresh lime - quartered for table serve

Preparation:

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, bell peppers, onions and asparagus and sauté for 5 minutes.

Add the cooked chicken and fresh garlic.

Lower heat, add vegetable stock, oregano, rosemary, and basil. Carefully fold in the diced tomatoes, beans and olives.  

Simmer for about 5 minutes with an occasional toss. Cook over low heat until chicken is nice and hot. Season with fresh ground black pepper and some sea/kosher salt to taste and add a generous squeeze of lime.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Creamy Chicken Tenders with Mushrooms & Asparagus - A Chef Favorite

 My wife made yummy noises... Need I say more? :-)

Okay maybe I need to say just a little more...

This dish is another of my originals that turned out so damn good I am calling it another

Signature Dish right alongside my Chicken Fried Barley & Spinach.

Ingredients:

• 1 – 1.25 lbs chicken tenders
• Wondra Flour seasoned to your liking
• 2 tbsp avocado oil
• 1 yellow onion, cut your way and caramelized
• 1 bunch asparagus, broken Ted Allen Style and cut up
• 8 oz white or baby port mushrooms, sliced
• 1 can unsalted cream of mushroom condensed soup
• 5+ oz whole milk
• 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
• salt & pepper to taste
• chopped parsley for garnish

Preparation:

Season the flour to your liking and coat chicken. Heat avocado oil and fry tenders in a large skillet until just done using medium high heat. Set chicken aside and cover to keep warm.

Break asparagus by hand… Ted Allen Style. I learned this tip from Ted on the original Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Hold one stalk in both hands and bend it until it snaps. The spot where it snaps is where the stringy section at stalk bottom ends.

Add onions to the chicken skillet with some salt and caramelize over medium heat. Add cut up asparagus and toss a few times as asparagus cooks through. Add mushrooms and a little olive oil if needed.

Once mushrooms are cooked add condensed soup plus ~5 oz or half the soup can of whole milk along with the paprika. Shake milk in can to get all the C.O.M. 

Blend and heat… taste and add salt & pepper as desired. Gently lay chicken tenders into sauce, cover and simmer to heat chicken through… 2-3 minutes should do it. 

Garnish with parsley and serve.

Blessed be… and happy cooking!

Chef Michael's Irish Soda Bread

Irish Bad Boy... and LOVING IT!!!

Caution:

This bread is NOT a good choice for diabetics.

Make it for your friends & family and treat yourself to a sensible taste.

I know... I know... Purists will chastise me... Hardliners may disown me... My Irish heritage is appalled and I am sure my ancestors are stirring in their graves readying to mount a zombie attack against me and my disrespectful ways...

I'm not much of a baker, but years ago when I was running parenting workshops with my very Irish friend Mary Dowd, she introduced me to her version of Irish Soda Bread that was just divine. She was kind enough to share her recipe and I had fun making the breads on my own. Easy peasy...

...and then...

I was getting ingredients to make the breads one year and there they were... calling to me... and I thought... hmmmmm, this might work... Enter the beautiful, amazing, tasty and tradition-bucking...

----CRAISINS----

Irish Soda Bread made with craisins has been my St. Patrick's Day signature treat ever since; friends and family rave quietly by way of yummy noises every year. Ohhhhh the sacrilege... The recipe is best used as a dessert or breakfast bread, because... well, the craisins are just a little weird with corned beef ;-) So without further ado, let me introduce you to something quite different from Irish tradition:

Chef Michael's Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 16 oz. container sour cream
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1 cup Craisins…. YES CRAISINS!!!

Yes... I know I am handing my fellow diabetics pure sugar, but there's a good chance not all our guests share our disease, and as always... moderation is our friend. We diabetics are diligent all year round, right? So, in a nutshell... "Live a little!" a few times a year is how I roll... Enjoy!

Preparation:

Mix all dry ingredients well. Add egg and sour cream. 

Fold ingredients with floured hands until well combined, but not overly mixed.

Fold in and combine... and combine.... yeah, right LOL

Basically, squoosh the hell out of this messy, very sticky batch

of gooey goodness until you have a big, sticky ball.

Then... just when you're ready to launch Irish obscenities....

You're done!

Bake at 375 degrees in greased 9” cake pan for about 50-60 minutes

or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Enjoy!

Serve as a dessert or for breakfast… Add a little butter and OMG YUM!

And... all my fellow diabetics? Moderation, please! 

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Corned Beef & Cabbage

Pretty much the one thing I like about St. Patrick's Day is the food. I'm not a fan of the man, for reasons that are my own, but which you'll understand if you read my page titled Meet the Chef.

Let's not talk religion, though... let's focus on the food of the day! Corned Beef & Cabbage is quite possibly one of the easiest and most amazing dishes in the history of simple foods. If you can boil water, you can make this fantastic meal. That in itself I think is pretty cool!

Dear fellow diabetics... just a reminder here... go real easy on the potatoes today. Yes, they are definitely a needed component in the dish, but we must remember those darling russets have a GI well above 70 and a rather high GL as well. In a nutshell... behave! :-)

Let's get to it then! Erin Go Bragh!

This recipe will not feature any quantities. Basically, gather what you can fit in your biggest pot or two, because leftovers will be greatly appreciated!

Ingredients:

• corned beef - make sure it comes with a seasoning packet
• russet potatoes - peeled
• carrots - peeled
• cabbage - quartered
• brown mustard

Preparation:

The seasoning packets are perfect, except they come in little plastic bags. You can absolutely just dump the packet in the pot, but I'm not a fan of the various corns/seeds working their way in between my cabbage leaves. A few years ago Carolyn offered to sew seasoning bags on the fly. They are such a game changer and readily available commercially if you don't care to make your own.

Place the corned beef in the bottom of the pot. Then layer carrots, potatoes and cabbage, and be sure to toss in the seasoning packet as well. Cover everything with water, bring to a low boil, and go have a Smithwick's. Check the pot for boil and simmer for about 3 hours.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Weekend Ramble: The Onion... Backbone of Countless Culinary Adventures

Everybody loves onions, right?

Damn skippy we do!!!

Red, yellow, white, green... a staple in every good kitchen...

always on hand to be... quartered, diced, chopped or minced!

My guess is that you all have your own tried and true

techniques and knife skills, but check out Chef Billy Parisi.

He explains the different cuts beautifully!

CLICK HERE

to learn six proper techniques.

Chef Helen Rennie prefers a slightly different method

that doesn't require a parallel cut.

CLICK HERE

to see her methods in action.

--------------------------------------------------------

Have a great week, everyone, and thank you for your support!

Blessed be… and happy cooking!

                                                            Chef Michael R

Chicken Fajitas with Vegetables

Full credit for this savory dish goes to Ramon Negron at Wellness Sleuth.

Ramon really hit it out of the park with this one. The flavor pallet is bold, yet balanced, and these wonderful fajitas are just really fun to eat! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 3 chicken breast - cut into strips
• 1 red onion - thinly sliced
• ½ red pepper - thinly sliced
• ½ yellow pepper - thinly sliced
• ½ green pepper - thinly sliced
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• 4 garlic cloves - minced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp of lime juice
• 1 tsp chili powder

Preparation:

1- Mix the seasoning for the fajitas together in a bowl.

2- Sprinkle the seasoning on both sides of the chicken, firmly pressing it into the chicken with your fingers.

3- Put oil in a skillet over medium heat and let it heat up.

4- Put the chicken breasts in and let them cook for around 7 to 8 minutes on each side.

5- While your chicken is cooking, cut bell peppers and onions into thin slices.

6- When the chicken is done cooking, take it out of the pan and let it rest for a few minutes.

7- Then add bell peppers and onions to the same pan over medium heat.

8- Cook for 4 to 5 minutes while stirring frequently.

7- Once bell peppers and onion are just about done sauteing

8- Cut the chicken breast into strips

9- Stir everything together

10- Salt and pepper to taste

11- cook for an additional minute.

Serve with warm tortillas and enjoy! Chicken fajitas are a great meal to make when you're short on time but still want something tasty and satisfying.

Chef Michael suggests adding any or all of the following toppings to allow diners to get creative:

• A rich, tomatoey salsa.
• Smooth and satisfying guacamole.
• Cooling and delicious sour cream.
• Rice with a spicy kick.
• Green jalapenos for some extra heat.
• Mellow grated cheese to melt inside.
• Cut limes to squeeze over your fillings.
• Classic and comforting refried beans.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Chicken Gruyere

 This dish was born in the safety of my kitchen after a day of some disturbing news.

Many folks eat when they're depressed... I cook.

Anyway... I was in the mood for some chicken and remembered I still had some of the Gruyere/Swiss Cheese blend in the fridge. My window sill scallions were in need of a trim, so I played with the flavors in my head and came up with something that instantly won our hearts and will be repeated.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb thin sliced chicken breast
• Lemon pepper blend of your choice
• Flour for dredging
• 2 tbsp avocado oil
• Scallions cut in small pieces
• 1 cup or more Gruyere/Swiss cheese blend

Preparation:

Season chicken on both sides with lemon pepper and dredge in flour.

Heat the avocado oil and sear the chicken both sides and then steam for a couple minutes to cook through.

Push the pieces together and coat with scallions and cheese.

Lower the heat and cover pan to melt the cheese.

Serve with some barley and a vegetable of your choice.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Cumin Raspberry Scallops

Credit for this lovely dish goes to my friend Betsy Kelp Galloway

Not all my recipes are my own creations. Sometimes I see a dish so perfect I will make it as written and then only tweak it to fit my own pallet if absolutely necessary. This recipe I received from my friend Betsy is just such a beauty. This refreshing meal of cumin dusted, pan seared scallops  served over a savory berry salsa is a wonderful way to make you smile on a hot summer day... or maybe at least make you dream of spring & summer when you're enduring the winter doldrums. 

Salad/Salsa Ingredients:

• ~12 ounces of fresh raspberries
• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped basil and mint leaves – 50/50 ratio
• 2 handfuls fresh baby spinach
• 1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped peppers – I like orange for the color burst
• 2-3 slices canned pineapple, cut into small wedges
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Juice from 2 limes and a splash of pineapple juice
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

Prepare fruit salad/salsa by mixing all ingredients in a medium bowl. Set aside for 30 minutes to meld flavors.

Scallop Ingredients:

• 12-16 ounces scallops of your choice
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp fresh coarsely ground black pepper

Properly thaw 12-16 ounces of scallops and pat dry. 

Toss scallops with oil and seasoning. Bring a pan to medium-high heat, then add scallops and cook with repeated tossing, being careful not to overcook.

Before you start the scallops, divide Savory Fruit Salad/Salsa evenly between 2 serving plates. Place half of the scallops over each serving of Savory Fruit Salad/Salsa. Serve immediately.

Blessed be… and happy cooking!