Sharing Plate – Your Cooking Coach |

My weakness- are potatoes. I love then in potato chips and fries! I try to stay away from them but when I do indulge, I try to make them in a healthy way. I love make oven fries at home with very little oil. I stick with non-caloric flavors like smoked paprika, garlic powder or herbs.

Sweet potatoes are delicious and super healthy. I love making oven fries with sweet potatoes. I love the sweet flavor with the savory and smoky garlic and smoked paprika- talk about amazing bold flavors… I don’t miss the super unhealthy french fries at all…
Click here for the recipe… »

Here is another yummy, healthy chicken dish. This particular one  has Latin flavors. I started with marinating the chicken- I do think it is the key to amazing flavor every time. I marinated the chicken in orange juice, lime juice, agave, smoked paprika and garlic. I later made a sauce out of the left over marinade- always a good idea! To thicken the sauce, I dredged the chicken pieces in a bit of flavor before cooking. The dish came together in no time at all and it was delicious.

I served the healthy chicken breasts with citrus broccoli and some sweet potato oven fries.
Click here for the recipe… »

Christmas is done and hopefully everyone is a bit more relaxed about entertaining, gift giving and everything else that comes with the holidays. This is the week to relax when everyone is home and together.

I like to make great meals at home and enjoy them with my family. It is nice to go out and give yourself a break, but nothing like cooking a meal at home, from scratch.

This particular one is quite easy to make. I usually don’t end up making pork chops too often. I don’t really care for the pork quality we get in most stores. I tend to stick to local meat from Whole Foods but somehow the pork is not that great. Once cooked, it tends to dry up since it is so lean.

I decided to pick up pork chops and challenge myself. I have seen many time on television how most cooks brine the pork to make it juicier. It is a great idea, but I find it a bit time consuming and laborious. So, I figured out a short cut. I had apple cider in my fridge. I used that as the base and added some salt- a brine has a sweet, tangy and savory element to it. I brined the chops overnight and cooked them the next day with a glaze.

The glaze was again a combination of apple cider, apricot jam and of course- smoked paprika. I am obsessed with smoked paprika right now- I absolutely love the flavor. Well, the chops were amazing with the tangy glaze and amazing roast potatoes. I also served roasted brussels sprouts- recipe to follow.
Click here for the recipe… »

As I was looking at the different dishes I have posted for Thanksgiving, I realized I was missing a soup. I usually don’t serve a soup for the big feast but a lot of people do – I thought I should come up with one that will echo the fall, holiday flavors.

Of course butternut squash, pumpkin and sweet potatoes came to mind. I initially toyed with a chilled soup idea – which would be a great when you are expecting an army of people and making tons of other things. It would also be convenient if you are taking it to someone’s home- but then I felt, cold weather calls for a warm soup.

I am especially proud of this concoction. It has couple of my favorite ingredients- chipotle and smoked paprika. I wanted to make a soup with Latin flavors and so of course I thought of the smoked jalapenos that complement the sweet potatoes beautifully. To make it more holiday like, I wanted to add a cranberry compote on top. I simply made it with orange juice, paprika and a bit of brown sugar. I finished it with cilantro- yum!

The soup is healthy with just a quarter cup of half and half. You can even eliminate that and substitute more broth. Speaking of broth, my vegetarian friends can use vegetable stock instead of chicken and keep it completely vegetarian.

Serve this soup to your guests… they may never leave your house.
Click here for the recipe… »

Thanksgiving is not complete without a yummy stuffing. We never make the stuffing from the box- we like the one from scratch. The good thing about homemade stuffing is that you can make it in advance. This could be put together a couple of days before the big dinner and refrigerated or frozen.

You guessed right- this recipe has all the Latin flavors as well. There is the smoked paprika and orange zest – similar flavors to the turkey and the gravy. It also has chorizo- anything with chorizo is delicious! The leeks and the celery provide a nice crunch and the cranberries bring a delicious sweetness to the dish. This stuffing complemented the turkey and the rest of dishes beautifully!
Click here for the recipe… »