Try to Be Healthy

This is a dish that I made last night. I know the picture is a bit blurry. I'm looking to get a better camera... But this is coconut salmon on top of a garlic lemon sauteed cabbage. My friend Alex from CAPA requested one of my healthier recipes to be post on my Facebook wall as well as my blog. Congrats on Being First Alex!!!The recipe is as follows.

Ingredients
Salmon
-Two 4oz Salmon Cuts
-1 cup Fresh Coconut WATER
-2 tblsp Honey
-1/2 tsp Chili Powder
-1/2 tsp Dill
-1/2 tsp Celery Seed
-3 Cloves Garlic
-1/4 cup Coconut Flakes
- 1/2 Lemon (sliced)
-Salt and Pepper to taste

Cabbage "Salad"
-3 Large Cabbage Leaves
-2 cloves garlic
-1/2 lemon (juice)
-Salt and Pepper to taste
-Sliced Cucumber (About a Cup)

Process
Preheat oven at 400' F
Lightly Oil A broil Sheet w/ PAM or use non-stick foil
While you wait for the oven to heat, marinate salmon in mix of the herbs and coconut. (CAN BE DONE BEFORE HAND)
Cook for 15 minutes on top wrack on BROIL.
While the fish is cooking, chop the cabbage and put it in small pot with all herbs and lemon juice and rind.
Cook until tender.
Cabbage should be nice and limp at the same time as the fish.
Take fish out of broiler and, place on top of cabbage and add cucumber slices as you see fit.
ENJOY!!! ^_^

The Best House Guest

This past Summer term, I had a house guest for a few days. She's my friend Ashley or as she says "wifey no.2" Long story short she stayed in my suite with me because she was missed placed for a week. All I'm saying is that she can stay anytime... She'd bring me yummy cheesecake, pizza, and cooking ingredients! One night I decided to actually cook and reward her for being such a great guest. I taught her how to make these yummy yummy kebabs. We cut some chucks of red onion, green pepper and tomato. I marinated the shrimp on a homemade red wine vinegar and herbs mix that I usually use for grilling shrimp. But we ended up baking them because it was like 11pm and freezing outside. In the words of the famous Sweet Brown, ain't no body got time fo dat! We threw some sweet potato fries on there and added a bit of spice. We later learned that the fries came pre-spiced... so I whipped up a creamy sauce for the fries to alleviate some of the fire. I went with a honey mustard sauce. So kush! This dish was surprisingly filling to be sort of light... What would you like on your custom kebab?

Drunken Baking

Needless to say, but I LOVE desserts! One morning after a night of partying with one of my best friends, Renee, I stumbled home with an empty stomach and was craving something sweet. That morning I came up with a yummy hand treat, Banana Cheesecake Cupcakes with Caramel sauce. I don't remember how I managed to make all of these babies in that condition. But these treats were mouth-watering, sweet, and creamy. I had so many leftover after Renee and I had our fill. Luckily they will keep in the freezer for about a week. Taste like a banana iced cream! What is your fav after party-nights treat?

Guys Night!

So I found a recipe for cream cheese dough in a cook book my friend Ian got me one year for Christmas called "Mad Hungry". I love this book! I use it a lot. But yeah... I stuffed these little babies with chicken and homemade sweet and sour sauce. I had a "Guys Night" where we just chilled and watched TV. They are great for parties are little get togethers. What kind of finger foods are you favs to munch on at a get-together?

It's Okay to be a Fatty Sometimes

We all have those days when all we want is to stuff our faces with the greasiest, cheesiest, slop we can get our chubby hands on. This dish goes out to all my fatties! It is a Hamburger Bun. I adapted this recipe from something similar to my love Kate's recipe for some meat pocket thingy. (Which is delicious and will most likely to be posted on the blog soon.) This is a bread-type dough stuffed with cooked ground beef, cheese, peppers, caramelized onions, and seasoned and BAKED (gotta be a lil healthy lol)  to perfection. I love, love, love, hand-foods. What is one of your fav grab-go foods?

I Tried...

So one night, I tried to be nice to my little sister for a change. I made us some good healthy food. This is oven fried chicken, homemade mash, and broccoli pasta. I thought that this dish was the BOMB! But my butthole little sister Karima tasted it and said that it's "Ard" and that I could have put some more garlic in it. Lol I gotta love her, because I would have dissed her food too! All I'm sayin is that it had to be good, because she finished the entire plate before I could finish mine haha. Who's your biggest "fan"?

Flu Food

Yes everyone, it's that time of the year again. The time when you get the sniffles and the head colds. The Winter. I made this little guy one night my roommate Brendan and I were feeling cozy on my awesome couches. Had had a shit-ton of orzo left over from the night before so I made soup. I had a whole small chick in the freezer for some reason (rarely cook whole birds... I'm intimidated by them ]: ) I rosted and then boiled the hell out of that chicken! The broth was nice and rich. I just threw in all the vegies I had leftover into the pot. And to add more flavor to the over all dish, I boiled the orzo in the broth. This soup was so warm and peppery, my grandmother would be proud, but also angry because my soup was just as good as hers! Chicken Soup is one of my fav sick-time foods. Just goes so well with tea and giant blankets. What is a food you like to eat when feeling ill?

Rittenhouse Melon

I found this cool character lying on the ground inside of Rittenhouse Square. I have no idea whom may have carved it, but I would like to tell them that its awesome! Have you ever stumbled upon a cool item? What was it and where?

PB Cupcake Brownies Son!

These bad-boys were a product of boredom. As is most of the desserts I make. So my friend/lovely wife, Kate comes over one night with brownie mix. I was so bored and fat that I was down to eat anything sweet. We eventually forgot about the brownies, and she went home for the night. Soon after Kate left, another of my friends came over and she was hungry. I had no food in the fridge! So I turned my hopes to Kate's brownie mix. I got my Sara Lee on that night! I mixed the brownies with some nuts and poured the batter into a cupcake pan. (I REALLY NEED TO GET A BAKING PAN...) I started baking the brownie mini cakes, and instantly got bored again. So I was like "Lets spice these jawns up a notch!" So I grabbed the confectioner sugar out of the cabinet, and started making a butter-cream icing. I didn't realize at the time, that I was adding too much butter to the mix. The icing was great but it was like sweet butter spread. I had to save it! I grabbed some peanut butter and honey and went to work. Somehow the icing came out to be so creamy and smooth. The combination of the brownie and the PB icing made this wonderful accident! What accidents are you proud of?

Cheesecake Goodness

If there is one dessert I could not live without, it'd have to be Cheesecake! I love making cheesecakes. And fun fact: Cheesecake is not actually a cake, it is more of a custard pie. (Partially why I have it in a pie tin) But yeah... My friends and I got together one night and had some drinks. We were all super hungry and really drunk, so I decided that I should make a treat for the group. I bragged about being able to make a cheesecake blind-folded, so in essence, that's what I did. I am not sure how I got it to look so good, but hey, I'm not complaining! Now for me, the graham cracker crust is a must have, but recently I have gotten a slew of people dissin the crust man! What do prefer and why?

Welcome To America!

Like I said earlier, I am a student at Drexel University. I live on campus even though I am from the area. But I digress. This year I got a new roommate. He is a transfer student from Brazil. His name is Lucas and he is mad smart! I asked him what are some things that Brazil has but America doesn't and vice-versa. He said a couple of things, but the one that almost gave me a heart attack was apple pie. He told me that his friends that came to America before him, said that he cannot leave without having apple pie. So I, being the kind person I'd like to believe I am, offered to make him a pie and even give him my recipe. He was thrilled! We gathered ingredients all week. Once we got everything together, it was time to school him in the kitchen. Note: When you're cooking with Nathan, you will be COOKING, not WATCHING. I gave him task like cutting apples and rolling dough. Everything was made from scratch. I could tell he was a bit in over his head, but I didn't care. He wanted to learn! I forgot I didn't have a pie pan before we finished all the components, so I put these bad-boys into a cupcake pan. They were so good! Lucas loved his homemade  Apple Pocket-Pies! Is there a food you want to try? What is it? How do you think it would taste?

Berry Brunch

So I occasionally eat breakfast or brunch. Not because I hate breakfast, but because I am too lazy in the morning to cook food! The day before I decided to be a good person, I went to the grocery store and bought a bunch of yummy fruits. I was craving bananas, and strawberries. I got up and cut a banana, some strawberries, tossed in a few blackberries, and topped with shredded almond. And you can't have brunch without tea! I was sipping on a cup of black and green tea with honey and lemon. So kush! What is your lazy meal?

Chicken Parm w Garlic Bread

10/2012

This dish was inspired by a crazy dinner I had with two of my closest friends. Shanise, Renee, and I would always go to T. G. I. Friday's whenever we had a free weekend (any money). I am an extremely picky eater, but I was tired of always getting a burger or chicken fingers. So I decided to be "adventurous" and order something new. I ended up getting the driest chicken I have ever eaten on op of over-cooked linguine. I was not pleased, to say the least. So I took a challenge and said "I could make better food than this shit!" So that's what I did. Later that week I went shopping for some good ingredients and threw down. The chicken was so tender, I didn't need a knife to cut it. And the homemade sauces were absolutely divine! (love that word lol) This dish has become one of my "go-to" moves when trying to impress a date or company. What food have you had out at a place that you feel like you could do better?