Thyme Out

In Like Water for Chocolate, cooks cast special spells using chocolate as an elixer. Instead of creating gold, they created passion. The cayenne in this love potion is sure to heat up the chemistry between you and your special someone this Valentine’s Day, so you can tango until it’s time to siesta.

4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 4 oz bittersweet chocolate
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 teaspoon organic ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon organic ground cayenne
• 3 eggs, separated
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• fresh mint for garnish (optional but looks very pretty and freshens the breath!)

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During peach season, I eat 2-3 peaches a day. I buy them by the case at the farmer’s market from a stand that brings them direct from Palisades. This salsa is excellent with fish and chicken, though sometime for lunch, I just eat it by the spoonful. Adjust the heat by increasing or decreasing the amount of jalapeno. Have a peachy day!

Ingredients

• 6 peaches, peeled and diced
• 1 cucumber, peeled and diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, peeled and diced
• 1/2 red onion peeled and diced
• 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and diced
• 1 lime juiced
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• pinch of sugar
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. mix all the ingredients together
2. serve as an appetizer with corn or pita chips, or as a side with grilled chicken or fish

Love having this on ccccold Sunday afternoons,
as we watch the Pats… win!

Ingredients

• 6 boneless skinned chicken breasts
• 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 large onions, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 jalapeño pepper, minced
• 1/4 cup organic chili powder
• 3 Tablespoons  organic ground cumin
• 1 Tablespoon organic dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons organic ground coriander
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1 15 1/2-ounce can stewed tomatoes
• 1 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
• 2 15 1/2-oz cans kidney beans, rinsed, drained
• 1 15 1/2-oz can black beans, rinsed, drained
• grated cheddar cheese (we like hot habanero cheddar)
• loaf of crusty rustic bread (or sour dough)

Directions

1. Place chicken in large skillet. Add enough water to cover chicken, and bring to boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until cooked (about 10-15 minutes). Drain chicken; cool slightly. Coarsely shred meat. (Can be made a day ahead, covered and refrigerated.)
2. Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, green pepper, red pepper, and jalapeño. Saute 1 minute. Mix in chili powder, cumin, oregano and coriander. Add tomatoes and broth. Bring to simmer, breaking tomatoes with wooden spoon. Simmer over medium/low heat for about 1 hour to blend flavors, stirring occasionally.
3. Add beans and shredded chicken to chili. Simmer uncovered until chili thickens, stirring occasionally, (about 30 minutes).
4. Ladle chili into bowls. Top with shredded cheese. Serve with thickly sliced bread (and/or carrots and celery).

Quinoa has a great texture, nutty flavor, and unlike most grains, is high in protein. Also, it is fat burning and heart healthy. So, make a little extra than the recipe calls for and throw some in whatever you are making. Soup, salad, tacos, smoothie. Whatever.

This is one of my favorite summertime sides. The secret is in preparing the quinoa. Make sure to soak it, so that it’s not bitter, and don’t overcook it so that it’s not mushy. It’s a great salad to bring along to a friends BBQ—the perfect complement to ribs, and also goes well with chicken and burgers. And like I said before, its good for you!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups dry quinoa
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 2 cups black beans
• 1 cup sweet corn
• 1 cup roasted red peppers

Dressing:

• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons organic ground cumin
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon organic ground black pepper

Directions

1. Soak quinoa in cold water for 10 minutes. Scrub the grains together between your hands to remove the bitter coating.
2. Strain and rinse through a fine sieve.
3. Bring quinoa to a boil in 3 cups of water.
4. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and let cool.
6. Add red onion, black beans, corn and red peppers to quinoa.
7. Combine the dressing ingredients and pour over the rest of salad ingredients. Stir until well blended.
8. Chill and serve!

A little chunkier and more substantial than the usual salsa, with a Southwestern accent. Yee-ha!

Ingredients:

2 ripe avocados, diced
1 tomato, diced
1 11-oz can of whole baby corn, drained, and cut to dice size
1 15-oz can black-eyed peas, rinsed
2/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon organic ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon organic ground black pepper
splash lemon juice

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
2. Serve with tortilla chips.

(Plan to make within a couple hours of serving. Really only good for one day.)

Driving through the sleepy little town of Petaluma, California, known for its eggs and dairy,  you might see no reason to pull into an undistinguished strip mall. Way in the back left corner of the  parking lot, near Leo’s Vacuum Cleaners and a deserted nail salon, sits a diamond in the rough called Dempsy’s Brewery. First surprise—the charming atmosphere. If it’s warm, sit outside overlooking the Petaluma River. In inclement weather, my first choice is the comfortable worn wooden booth directly across from the kitchen window, permitting a preview of outgoing dishes punctuated with lively shouts of “mas papas fritas, por favor!” and “con tomate!” Second, the beer rocks, with a selection of ales including their classic Red Rooster, Irish Ale and Ugly Dog Stout plus a variety of intriguing seasonal offerings. Stop by the bar and refill your jug for later that evening. We did. What more can you expect from a brewery—perhaps a pile of Buffalo wings or potato skins? That’s where the tertiary layer of this unassuming treasure comes in; the food transcends brew pub fare and rises to the level of some of the best restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area. Seasonal produce from the owner’s own farm star in imaginative combinations from all ethnicities. The menu changes daily, and might include a Mexican posole, a Greek hummus plate, or a mixed plate of little gems like fresh caperberries, home made flat bread and beet salad. Determined to recreate a orange/chipolte pork sandwich served with cole slaw on soft potato bread I interrogated various waiters and cooking staff, extracting one or two ingredients from each. We improvised the rest, and although it’s not an exact recreation, came up with this equally flavorful rendition.

INGREDIENTS

• pork roast, about 3 lb.
• mesquite chips

SPICE BLEND FOR PORK

• 2 teaspoons organic granulated onion
• 1 teaspoon organic ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon organic ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon organic orange peel
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon organic ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon organic ground cayenne

FOR SAUCE

• 1/2 gallon orange juice
• 1/2 can or bottle Guiness Stout or other dark beer
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• canned chipotles, from 1-3 depending on your heat tolerance or addiction, pureed
• 1 cup brown sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Wash and pat dry pork roast.
2. Massage spice mixture into pork.
3. Grill pork on indirect heat, using mesquite chips. This takes several hours. Use a meat thermometer.
4. Combine sauce ingredients and bring to boil, then lower heat and simmer until reduced and thickened.
5. Let pork roast cool. Cut as thinly as possible. It may just come apart in shreds, which is fine.
6. Place pork in sauce and let the sauce soak in until you are ready to assemble the sandwiches.
7. Serve on soft white rolls, with enough fortitude to absorb the sauce, and with Coleslaw with Fennel

Last weekend, I attended a grilling demonstration at the 8100 Mountainside Bar and Grill in the Park Hyatt in Beaver Creek, CO.  Pascal and Reese, the Executive Chef and Chef de Cuisine for the restaurant, prepared this salsa to serve with salmon. It would also be an excellent complement to chicken. Watermelon is one of my favorite fruits… and this is now my favorite salsa.

They will be holding 3 more grilling exhibitions throughout the summer (July 25th, August 8th, and August 15th). If you are in the Vail Valley, stop by the Park Hyatt in Beaver Creek and sample some delectable morsels with expertly chosen pairings while picking up great culinary tips in an idyllic setting. The demonstration starts at 4:30 on the patio.

Ingredients

• 1/2 of a small watermelon cubed
• 1 diced red onion
• 1 diced bell pepper
• 1 diced jalapeno
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
• 1/4 cup champagne vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients together.