Braised Italian Chicken

1½ -2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs (6-8 thighs)
½ tsp. kosher salt, divided
fresh cracked black pepper
2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil 
1 cup diced onion
¼ cup shredded carrot
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes (not drained)
1 (14.5 oz.) can tomato sauce
2 tsp. Italian Seasoning
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar, divided
2-3 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
freshly shaved Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350°
To prepare chicken, rinse all pieces in cold water and use a pair of kitchen shears to snip off any remaining fat.  Blot dry on paper towels.  Season one side of chicken with ¼ tsp. kosher salt and several cracks of black pepper.
Heat a large Dutch oven to medium heat.  When hot, add olive oil and make sure it spreads across bottom of pot.  Place chicken salt side down and cook for 2-3 minutes.  While it’s cooking, sprinkle remaining ¼ tsp. salt plus a few cracks black pepper on other side of chicken.  Flip chicken pieces and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Remove chicken and place on a plate.
Add onions and carrots to pot and cook for 2-3 minutes, add garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds, or until fragrant.  Add can of diced tomato (with all the juices), tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, and ½ Tbsp. balsamic vinegar.  Stir ingredients and bring to a simmer.  Add chicken and all accumulated juices from plate.  Cover chicken with sauce and cover pot with lid.
Bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven and remove lid.  Use 2 forks to gently shred chicken into large chunks.  Add remaining ½ Tbsp. balsamic vinegar and chopped basil.  Add additional kosher salt and pepper to taste.  Serve over pasta, rice, quinoa, or steamed vegetables, or on french rolls or slider buns and garnish with fresh Parmesan cheese. Serves 6.

Nutritional Info (3/4 cup shredded chicken with sauce, and 1 tablespoon fresh Parmesan):
Calories:  201, Fat: 14g, Protein:  20g, Carbs: 8g, Fiber: 2g

This recipe can be found here.

Carne Asada

1 jalapeno, minced

1 large handful fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 limes, juiced

1 orange, juiced

2 tablespoons white vinegar

½ cup olive oil

2 pounds flank or skirt steak, trimmed of excess fat

In a mortar and pestle or bowl, mash together the garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, salt, and pepper to make a paste. Put the paste in a glass jar or plastic container. Add the lime juice, orange juice, vinegar, and oil. Shake it up really well to combine.

Lay the flank steak in a large baking dish and pour the mojo over it. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 8 hours, so the flavors can sink into the meat. Don't marinate the steak for more than 8 hours though, or the fibers break down too much and the meat gets mushy.

Preheat an outdoor grill or a ridged grill pan over medium-high flame (you can also use a broiler). Brush the grates with a little oil to prevent the meat from sticking. Pull the steak out of the mojo marinade and season the steak on both sides with salt and pepper. Grill (or broil) the steak for 7 to 10 minutes per side, turning once, until medium-rare. Remove the steak to a cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes to allow the juices to settle. Thinly slice the steak across the grain on a diagonal.

This recipe can be found here.

Texas Sheet Cake Cookies

1 cup butter, room temperature

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 2/3 cup flour

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

Icing

3/4 cup butter

3 Tbsp cocoa powder

4½ Tbsp milk

3 3/4 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350°.  Line baking sheet with parchment or silicone mat, set aside.

In bowl of stand mixer beat butter and sugar together until light, scraping sides frequently. Add in eggs and vanilla and continue mixing until incorporated. Mix in baking powder and salt.

Turn mixer to low and slowly add in flour. Dough will be thick.

In a microwave safe bowl heat chocolate chips on high in 30 second increments until melted, stirring after every 30 seconds.  Mix melted chocolate directly into cookie dough until evenly mixed.

Drop dough by a measured tablespoon sized mounds onto baking sheet. Bake for 7-8 minutes until cookies just appear set. They will still be very soft on the inside. DO NOT overbake!!

Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Icing

In a medium saucepan combine butter, cocoa powder and milk over medium heat, whisking until melted together. Remove from heat and whisk in powdered sugar.

Pour icing over cookies and allow icing to set before serving.

Notes

store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

*Make sure not to over bake these cookies. The insides will remain soft and dense if baked correctly.

This recipe can be found here.

Perfect Chocolate Brownies

1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. unsweetened Dutch Process cocoa powder
11 ounces dark chocolate, roughly chopped
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch chunks
1½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
5 eggs, at room temperature*
2 tsp. vanilla extract

1½ cups chopped walnuts

*Before you start the recipe, place eggs in a shallow bowl filled with warm tap water to bring to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 350°.  Butter a 9×13 inch baking dish and set aside.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, and cocoa powder and gently whisk together.

Using a double boiler (place a glass mixing bowl on top of a pot of simmering water) melt chopped chocolate,  and butter.  Stir until melted and smooth.  

Remove glass bowl from the double boiler and add granulated and brown sugars.  Whisk until smooth.  As you whisk, the mixture should cool off, eventually coming close to room temperature.

Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined.  Add the remaining 2 eggs and vanilla, and continue whisking until just until everything is incorporated.   Don’t over-mix at this stage.  Gently stir in walnuts.

Sprinkle flour mixture into chocolate mixture and use a rubber spatula to fold and stir flour mixture just until incorporated.  

Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth out evenly.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking time.  Remove from oven when a toothpick comes out of center with a few crumbs still attached.  Cool completely. 

This recipe can be found here.

Black Bean Burger

2 cans (14.5 oz.) seasoned black beans or 28 oz. of black beans

1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

¼ cup grated white onion

1 egg

½ tsp. chili powder

salt and pepper

hot sauce

sliced swiss cheese

olive oil

butter

4 hamburger buns

Drain, but do not rinse, the black beans. Place them in a bowl and use a fork to mash them. Keep mashing until they're mostly broken up, but still have some whole beans visible.

Add the breadcrumbs, onion, egg, chili powder, salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Stir until everything is combined, then let the mixture sit for 5 minutes.

Heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil with an equal amount of butter in a skillet over medium-low heat.

Form the bean mixture into patties slightly larger than the buns you're using (the patties will not shrink when they cook.) Place the patties in the skillet and cook them about 5 minutes on the first side. Flip them to the other side, place 2 slices of cheese onto each patty, and continue cooking them for another 5 minutes, or until the burgers are heated through. (Place a lid on the skillet to help the cheese melt if needed.)

Grill the buns on a griddle with a little butter until golden. 

This recipe can be found here.

Black Beans

(picture: before it was cooked)

1 pound dried black beans

4 cups chicken broth

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced

1½ tsps. chili powder, plus more if needed

1½ tsps. cumin, plus more if needed

1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more if needed

Place the beans in a bowl or pot, cover with cold water and allow to soak overnight. Drain and rinse before proceeding. (Alternatively, add the beans to a medium pot and cover with hot water. Bring to a boil, and then boil for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover the pot and allow the beans to sit for 1 hour. Drain the beans and rinse them with cold water before proceeding.)

In a medium pot, add the soaked beans, chicken broth, 2 cups water, the garlic, onions and green, red and yellow bell peppers. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 1½ hours. Then add the chili powder, cumin and salt and stir. Cover and continue simmering until the liquid level is to your liking, about another hour. Taste for seasoning and add more of what it needs.

This recipe can be found here.