Spicy

Crispy Cheesy Polenta Stuffed Poblano Rings

June 21, 2017 by Ariel 1 Comment

SoCal is a great place to find premium Mexican products and I couldn’t helped myself to stock up on delicious poblano peppers. I used to grow them in my garden (back in the days where I didn’t travel so much because pepper plants are by far my favourite plants to grow) but they never came out as big and spicy as the one you find in California. Apparently, the more sun engorged the pepper plant is, the spicier it’s pepper will be. I learned this, the hard way, the first time buying some, when we briefly lived in San Diego.

Clearly, they aren’t even near as spicy at other peppers like the jalapeños or habaneros but they still got a nice mild kick to them. When ripen to their fullest, they turn to a nice bright red and called Ancho peppers, often ground in to powder.

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Chorizo & Red Potato Stir Fry

June 6, 2015 by Ariel 6 Comments

After living in the Portuguese area of Montreal for many years, I became a little addicted with Chorizo. As I traveled around, I noticed that every Chorizo is made a little differently and I’m starting to miss the soft and spicy version I was able to find at my beloved Portuguese grocery.

Here’s a simple recipe that brings me back to my time eating my favourite type of Chorizo.. Hope you like it!

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Coconut Bacon

April 30, 2015 by Ariel 3 Comments

We all love the taste of bacon but bacon doesn’t always love us…

Hopefully, there is a few “bacon like” alternatives that can help us quench our need for delicious bacon while respecting our diet! Today, I’m presenting you a personal favourite: Coconut Bacon! You can easily take this same recipe and use thin slices of almonds instead if you’re not a fan of coconut. Take note that the end result might taste a slight different, there is something with the soft texture of the coconut flakes that really remind you of real bacon while almond bacon will keep a harder, crunchier texture.

Although, both version are delicious but….. my favourite is really coconut!

Enjoy this recipe!

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Classic Napa Cabbage & Daikon Kimchi

March 21, 2015 by Ariel 3 Comments

Ohhh Kimchi *^_^*

There isn’t enough words in the dictionary to describe my love for kimchi…

What’s so awesome about it? you can basically use it on/with everything! Eat it just like that as an appetizer, use it in all your stir fries, sandwiches, make a soup or a sauce with it, be creative and enjoy experimenting with kimchi because it will jazz up any dishes you create and feed your tummy a ton of probiotic bacterias that are extremely good for your digestive system and overall health.

Like all ferments, it shouldn’t be heated too much (think miso) to make sure not to kill the beneficial bacterias. Eating it straight up is officially the best way to appreciate and absorb all the benefice and flavours of the kimchi but it is totally ok to warm it up and add it to your favourite recipe 🙂

How long can you keep your kimchi?

At this point, it’s a question of personal taste. Some people will tell you to trash it after a few months and others will tell you that it never really go bad. I’m on the “never goes bad” team. The worst that can happen is that after a certain amount of time, some white mold might develop at the top of the jar. What do you do? Scoop it out and eat what’s under!

As the fermentation will happen, the colour and taste of your kimchi will evolve. My favourite kimchi is when it has been fermenting for a good month or two. You start it off by leaving it on the counter for a good week, making sure to press on it’s head every day to drown all the ingredients under the brine (tart temper wrapped in plastic wrap is the best tool for the job), then transfer your jars in the fridge and wait for a month. It’s obviously ready before and every day you can taste your kimchi to discover what level of fermentation you prefer.

This is my twist on the basic napa cabbage & daikon kimchi but you can be more creative and add green apple sliced, carrots for example.

Hope you get to try this recipe, kimchi away and happy!

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Apple BBQ Sauce

November 15, 2013 by Ariel 7 Comments

…do I need to say anything else? ahah

Joke aside, this BBQ sauce is great as a dipping sauce and also a marinade. I tried it with chicken, beef, veal, lamb and tofu up to date and every time it was a hit!

I hope you’ll enjoy this fall recipe and create delicious meals with it.

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Spicy Italian Seasoning

June 24, 2013 by Ariel 2 Comments

Most pre-made spice mix that you will find at the grocery store always have too much salt of other preservatives added so I preferred to make my own mix. Inspired by many store bought blends, I hope you’ll enjoy this recipe. Use it just as you would any store bought mix and add the salt in your recipe.

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Honey, Mustard Chicken Wings with Dijon/Lime dipping sauce

May 29, 2013 by Ariel 7 Comments

I’ve been teasing my twitter and facebook followers for a while now about a new chicken wings recipe… The worst thing is, I have shot these photos about month ago and wrote this recipe 2 months ago but you know how I roll… I get so busy and the culinary site suffer. It’s not because I don’t want to come here (pretty much the opposite) but I don’t always have the time and since my business took off again (thanks god) I’ve been swamped (in a good way) and every day is busier than the one before.

There is also the fact that I wanted to post other recipes before this one but I haven’t been able to get around to take photos of the more healthiest meals I have made so today I said “fuck it” I’m posting my wing recipe and I’ll just have to deal with it! lol The reason why I wanted to post healthier recipes is because I’m currently on “model bootcamp diet” and I don’t allow myself the juicy and delicious wings like these ones or the spicy maple chicken wings I made earlier this year.

I’m planning a lot of shootings in the upcoming weeks and months so I have to watch what I eat a bit more. Although I call it a “model bootcamp diet”, it’s not really a diet but more a new way of life/eating. I don’t feel like I’m stopping myself from eating what I like (beside the obvious junk food) so that’s why I don’t feel like I’m on a diet. Plus I wanted to show you that it’s not because you watch what you eat, that you will always feel like you’re starving yourself, then get frustrated because you cant eat what you would normally eat. I’ll get to that, I have a lot of delicious and flavorful recipes that are on the healthy side and the next time I’ll be posting something here it will be in this category. (hopefully lol)

Till then, enjoy these delicious honey and mustard wings with the flavorful dipping sauce… Ohhh just looking at the photos I’m already drooling.. you?

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Winter Style Veal Quesadillas with Thyme BBQ Sauce

January 15, 2013 by Ariel 1 Comment

Ok let’s play culture mix-match again 🙂 This time, I am going to see my sweet friends from Mexico to borrow them their famous quesadillas and I’m coming back in Montreal (in the cold) to grab some good butternut squash and see what I can create. True there is quit a lot of possibilities when we think on mixing the sweet taste of the winter squash and the versatility of the quesadillas. Since I had some ground veal in my fridge, I decided to create what I like to call the “winter” version of this Mexican dish. I hope you’ll enjoy it.

To compliment this meal, I decided to make a thyme BBQ sauce that is either good cold or warm and that I’m sure you’ll find more than one use for. Oh and btw, this recipe makes a pretty big quantity of food, it’s good for at least 4-5 people or for your lunch the next day 🙂 Enjoy!

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Spicy Maple Chicken Wings

October 27, 2012 by Ariel 14 Comments

Oohhh chicken wings.. I LOVE them in so many ways and only one post on wings cant even come close to show how amazing and versatile these little things are. This is the first post of many wings recipes. Perfect as an appetizer or to serve during football season, these spicy maple chicken wings are definitely a crowd pleaser.

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Slow Cooked Lamb Loin Chops with Spicy Fennel Rub

September 24, 2012 by Ariel 2 Comments

Ahhh today was such an amazing day 🙂 I took it easy, had fun in my kitchen and went for many long walks outside with my love and my doggy to enjoy the fresh cold September wind and the gorgeous sun that we had today. It’s not surprise anymore, the weather is getting colder and fall is officially here.

I had some lamb chops in my fridge and was out of ideas of what to do with them but after getting ton’s of great ideas from twitter and facebook, I deceided to create this oven slow cooked version that I know you will LOVE! I just finished eating it and I’m almost thinking going to get another plate. I served this “stew” like on a left over Basmati rice I had and it was amazing but feel free of eating it just like this or maybe with Quinoa? Hope you enjoy this recipe and have a great Sunday everyone

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