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Here is another recipe using one of my favorite ingredients- mangoes. I bought some cod for dinner and decided to make a mango sauce.

I cut up two mangoes and cooked them with garlic, shallots. I added apricot jam (yum!), rice wine vinegar and garlic chili sauce. Using all the delicious ingredients resulted in an unbelievable sauce.

I sauteed the fish simply with salt and olive oil- delicious and very quick.

Bok choy is one of our favorite vegetables and I try to incorporate it lots of dinners. In this case, I sauteed them with olive oil and salt. I served the bok choy on the side with the fish and the mango sauce. I made brown rice and it was a perfect meal. It was delicious, quick and healthy- what more do you want??

Try the pan seared cod with mango sauce and bok choy- you will love it…
Click here for the recipe… »

This is my version of a spicy calamari I had at a new Thai restaurant in Chatham- Thai Passion. I reviewed it a couple weeks ago.

This salad got my attention- it was fabulous- although I realized it was a bit over the top with the flavoring. I really enjoyed it but while I was trying to decide how to replicate this salad, I decided to tone it down a bit. At the same time, I didn’t want to lose the essence of the dish- which was a lot of spicy, savory, tangy and a bit of sweet. Writing about it makes me want to eat some- my mouth is salivating. If you live in the area- you should go try it in Chatham. If you don’t live in the Jersey area, try the recipe I have created.

As I mentioned before, this version is a bit toned down. I used tamarind concentrate, lime juice,Worcestershire sauce, palm sugar, sriracha sauce, etc. Once the dressing was made, all I had to do was to cook the calamari. I will attach the video that goes with this recipe.

Try this salad- it is a great dish to make in the summer time…

• ¼ pound calamari, defrosted and cut into ½ inch rings
• 1 tablespoon extra light olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt

Heat a non-stick frying pan and add the olive oil on high heat. Add the calamari and sprinkle salt. Saute on high heat for two minutes just until the rings turn opaque. Turn the heat off and drain on a paper towel.

• 2 cups mixed greens
• ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
• ¼ cup fresh mint, chopped
• ½ cup green beans, blanched
• 1 medium tomato, cut into 1-inch squares

Toss the mixed greens with the basil, mint, green beans and tomato. Add the calamari and mix well.

Vinaigrette

• ½ teaspoon tamarind concentrate
• Juice of half a lime
• ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon tamari
• 2 teaspoons sriracha sauce
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon palm sugar
• 1 tablespoon extra light olive oil

Add the tamarind, limejuice, Worcestershire sauce, tamari, fish sauce, sriracha and palm sugar into a small bowl. Drizzle the olive oil while whisking the dressing. Pour the dressing on top of the salad and toss lightly before serving.

This is what I came up with the leftovers from last night’s dinner. I had some shrimp- not too many, so I chopped them up into small pieces so a little goes a long way.

My husband loves paella, especially the kind with lots of red sauce- he is crazy about anything with red sauce.

I made this paella with arborio rice since it is creamier than the regular one. I cooked it like a risotto but didn’t stand in front of the stove, stirring constantly. Instead I added most of the broth at once and let it cook. It resulted in a very delicious and perfectly cooked paella.

To start the process, I crumbled up the leftover chorizo and cooked it with the onions and garlic. I added rose wine because that is what I was drinking. Tomato sauce and chicken broth later, I had a yummy dish. By adding the frozen peas, I had a one pot meal.

A neighbor and my daughter’s friend stopped by and joined up for dinner. They both ate up the paella and complemented on the taste.

Next time you have leftovers- make a paella!
Click here for the recipe… »

This meal is kind of like a surf and turf- well, I guess not really since there is no steak… but there is delicious sausage! This dinner/lunch is an ideal summer meal since it does not require too much prepping or cooking time. Everything cooks on the grill while I sit on my deck enjoying a glass of wine.

My favorite kind of sausage is the chorizo which has tons of flavor and a bit of a kick. It is a pork sausage with paprika and garlic and it is absolutely delicious. If health was not a consideration, I would eat chorizo everyday!

I bought some fresh chorizo and a pound of shrimp. I decided to make a simple cilantro garlic sauce to marinate and baste the shrimp and the chorizo with. That is all there is to this meal.

I made some garlic bread and a salad and I was done! We enjoyed everything on the deck and were not able to finish everything- perfect leftovers for another meal tomorrow!!!
Click here for the recipe… »

Since I was cooking the tofu pad thai, I decided to make a curry to go with it. I used similar ingredients to the pad thai including tamari, tamarind concentrate and palm sugar.

I marinated the shrimp simply in garlic and tamari. Tamari is a great ingredient that provides a delicious saltiness to any dish. It is a more concentrated version of soy sauce so a little goes a long way.

I used a yellow onion and lemon grass for extra flavor and coconut milk provided a delicious creaminess even though I used light coconut milk. I always have it on hand and I end up using it for a lot of dishes including rice.

The curry was really good and complemented the pad thai really well. It would go really well with just plain rice since it has a lot of flavor on it’s own.

Try this easy coconut shrimp curry next time you are in the mood for Thai food…
Click here for the recipe… »