Chicken Lime Tortilla Soup

One of my absolutely favorite soups and I finally got the bug to make it. So good, I have come up with another reason not to go out and eat but rather to stay inside and cook! So satisfying I can't stop eating it.

- Corn
- Black beans
- Diced tomatoes
- Chicken stock
- Fire roasted onions, garlic and jalapeños
- Cumin, salt & pepper
- Tortilla crisps
- Avocado
- Jack cheese
- Chicken
- Crema

Happy Breakfast - Straight from the skillet

- Kalamata Olive, Mushroom and Onion Focaccia bread
- Fried Eggs
- Bulgarian Feta Cheese
- Basil
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Shallots

Heating up tomatoes and shallots in a skillet provides a nice warmth to an already perfect vegetable.

Shallots do not always need to be cooked, their sweet taste is in my opinion an elegant flavor to the often harsh reality of standard onions that we normally use. Though shallots have a majority of the same characteristics and are a perfect substitute I think they deserve more credit as a better raw food option.

Cherry Tomatoes (nature's candy) can never go wrong. I recommend heating them up till they just start to burst at the seams. This will guarantee a properly heated tomato through the center.

Bulgarian Feta Cheese I believe has a stronger taste over Greek Feta. In most all cases that I am looking to use feta cheese I am interested in really showing that flavor and making sure that it does not get over come by the accompanying flavors in the meal.

Basil, must I really say anything more? Besides being a great companion to multiple dishes stalks of Basil leaves also bring great attributes to floral bouquets.

 

Vegetarian Tacos

Vegetarian Tacos!!

Layered in order from bottom to top.

- Flour Tortilla
- Garlic Hummus Spread
- Cottage Cheese
- Avocado
- Sauteed Potato, Red Bell Pepper, Onion & Garlic
- Black beans
- Tofu
- Cotija Cheese


Amazing, full filling and definitely holds its own weight with other tacos I have had.

Magic Pomegranates

"You can spend a whole life getting these little jewels out of the pomegranate and it would not be a wasted life"

Drunk Chicken

Somewhere ... Lurking  beneath the Sake, Cilantro, Lemon Grass, Ginger, Lemon Juice, Shallots and Garlic ... was a chicken!!!

That tasted sooo good!

Next level of Baked

Baked Chicken just got even better.

Similar idea as the previous post, where I layered the Kale then vegetables (same seasoning), except this time I changed three things that provided drastic results.

First the chicken I seasoned differently which was great and before then I pre-soaked it for a bit in lime juice.

Second is the addition of the tomatoes on top. Once baked, the juices from the tomatoes just add an incredible level of flavor to all components in the dish.

Three is the change of Cilantro to Fresh Basil on top with the tomatoes. Again this adds a great component, both in smell and flavor to the rest of the food that simply cannot be denied.

Baked

As the summer leaves and the fall & winter come the spirit of baking seems to fill my head with all sorts of ideas.

This idea came from a couple different things, mainly the idea of layering like lasagna for some reason, stuck with me.

On the bottom I did a layer of Kale followed by a combination of Carrots, Sweet Potato, Russet Potato, Red Onion and Garlic.
The vegetables I seasoned with Spice blend called Za'atar. It consists of Sumac, Toasted Sesame Seeds, Salt, Cumin, Thyme, Oregano and Marjoram.

The chicken was also coated in the same seasoning. On top to garnish I used some Cilantro to, in my opinion provide a light flavor on top.