Chef Pablo's Recipes

The Cheesecake Factory™ Pumpkin Cheesecake

Chef Pablo — Tue, 22 Nov 2016 13:26:22 +0000

This pumpkin cheesecake is one of the restaurant recipes that get searched for most often around the holidays, but, don't hesitate to make this up any time of year. Because it uses canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling), it's always in season. One variation I've seen is making this a layered cheesecake. To do this, you make up the batch of cheesecake mix without the pumpkin. Pour half of this into the crust in the springform pan. Put this in the refrigerator to chill while you do add the pumpkin to the remaining cheesecake mix and pour on top. A wonderful taste with a great presentation. Regardless of how you make it, you'll definitely please everyone with this favorite from The Cheesecake Factory™. If you're not into pumpkin, you can always make up a batch of their original cheesecake.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon sugar
*Filling
1 cup sugar
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup canned pumpkin
3 eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
whipped cream

Method

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Step 2

Combine the graham cracker crumbs with 1 Tablespoon of sugar and then drizzle the melted butter over the top.

Step 3

Mix this together well enough to cover all of the crumbs with the butter. Do not let it turn into a paste.

Step 4

Press the crumbs onto the bottom and about two-thirds of the way up the sides of the springform pan. It's ok if it doesn't go all the way up the sides. You want part of the cheesecake to extend above the crust.

Step 5

Bake for 5 minutes, then chill it in a refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

Step 6

Combine the cream cheese, 1 C sugar, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl.

Step 7

Mix until smooth using an electric mixer (remove the lumps but don't over-mix).

Step 8

Add the pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice and continue beating until smooth and creamy.

Step 9

Pour the mixture into the graham cracker crust.

Step 10

Bake for 60-70 minutes. The cake will rise and turn a nice golden brown on top.

Step 11

Remove from the oven and allow to cool at room temperature.

Step 12

When the cheesecake has come to room temperature, put it into the refrigerator (The Cheesecake Factory™ will let it chill for 24 hours to help bring all of the flavors together. You may not be able to wait that long, but it IS worth it).

Step 13

When the cheesecake has chilled or you've lost all will-power, release the spring and remove the sides of the pan.

Step 14

Cut the cake into 12 equal pieces and garnish with generous amounts of whipped cream (you could even lightly dust with some of the spices).

If you're a little nervous about making a cheesecake, this should reassure you. My 9-year-old daughter shows you exactly how in this video:

The post The Cheesecake Factory™ Pumpkin Cheesecake appeared first on Chef Pablo's Recipes.

Rubio’s™ Hot Sauce Recipe

Chef Pablo — Fri, 05 Sep 2014 01:17:20 +0000

Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill™ has locations in California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and Colorado. Ralph Rubio started his first restaurant in San Diego. As a surfer he would take frequent trips to Baja California and enjoy fish tacos from the street vendors. Fish tacos have become the official food of San Diego. Having lived there most of my life, I have periodic cravings for these but they have to be exactly right or it doesn't satisfy. One of the items I had the most trouble with was Rubio's™ hot sauce. Finally, I discovered the secret and life is great! I use this sauce on everything now. It's even great with a bowl of chips. It was my love of Rubio's™ that raised my interest in finding restaurant recipes. Make sure you take a look at the recipe for their world famous fish tacos as well.

Ingredients

1 can (29 oz) Tomato Sauce
1/2 oz. bag of Crushed Red Pepper (I actually prefer using the whole peppers, but this works well)
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt

Method

Step 1

Caution: I recommend you fry the crushed red pepper OUTSIDE. Frying chili peppers releases a fume that can be very irritating to your throat. I use the side burner on my gas grill.

Step 2

Heat the oil in a large frying pan. You're going to add the tomato sauce to this pan, so make sure it can accommodate it.

Step 3

Toss in the red chilies or crushed red pepper and stir constantly until they've darkened nicely. You don't want them to burn, but you do when them to be very dark.

Step 4

Add the can of tomato sauce to the pan along with the salt and sugar. Continue to cook over a medium high heat and let the sauce reduce for about 10 minutes.

Step 5

Pour the sauce into a suitable container and refrigerate before serving.

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Olive Garden™ Sangria Recipe

Chef Pablo — Fri, 29 Aug 2014 00:24:30 +0000

Restaurant recipes from Olive Garden™ have become very popular, and the Sangria seems to be one a lot of people are looking for lately. The Olive Garden™ Sangria is a refreshing alcoholic beverage that's perfect for any outdoor (or indoor) party. Part of the secret to this recipe tasting just like the one you'll find in Olive Garden™ is the type of wine you use. Most people suggest using a Lambrusco wine. Don't spend too much money on the wine since you're just going to drown it in the other ingredients. Also make sure you're mixing the sugar water (simple syrup) before adding it to the blend. I hope you enjoy this recipe and, as always, leave your thoughts in the comments section below the recipe. We're always adjusting these to make them better for the community.

Ingredients

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 liters red table wine
1 cup grenadine
2 cups cranberry juice cocktail
1 1/4 cups sweet vermouth
strawberries, cut into thirds
oranges, slice thin, then quartered
crushed ice

Method

Step 1

Make the simple syrup by dissolving the sugar in the water in a small pot over a medium to medium-high heat. You want it to get hot enough to dissolve, but be careful you don't burn the sugar. I bring it to a very easy rolling boil.

Step 2

In a larger container (about 3 quarts) combine the simple syrup along with the remaining ingredients (excluding the crushed ice). Then place it into the refrigerator for about 4 hours, preferably overnight.

Step 3

Pour mix, including fruit, into your serving glass and add the crushed ice.

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Chili’s Southwestern Eggrolls

Chef Pablo — Fri, 22 Aug 2014 01:17:08 +0000

Chili's™ calls this an eggroll but it's actually a "flauta" which is a rolled up taco made with a flour tortilla. These are wonderfully flaky and can even make an entire meal if you do up a double batch. This is one of those great restaurant recipes you can serve for the Sunday football tradition or make up an extra large number of them for a Super Bowl finger food everyone loves. A wonderful smoky chicken flavor with black beans, corn and a bit of spinach all with creamy melted jalapeno jack cheese. Chili's serves this with a creamy avocado ranch dipping sauce. It's probably going to take you a bit longer to prepare these then you think, but it's certainly worth the effort. Make sure you leave plenty of time in your schedule to pre-freeze your egg rolls before you fry them up. Oh, and if you're watching your fat intake, you can back these in the oven. I just coat them with a few shots of cooking spray. Of course, the most authentic are when you indulge in the pleasure of frying them.

Ingredients

1 Chicken Breast (just one half of a full chicken breast pair)
1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
2 Tbsp Red Bell Pepper - Minced
2 Tbsp Green Onion - Minced
1/3 Cup Corn (Frozen is OK)
¼ Black Beans - Rinsed canned beans work well
2 Tbsp Cooked Spinach - Frozen works perfectly
2 Tbsp Diced Jalapenos - Fresh or canned
½ Tbsp Parsley - Fresh minced
½ tsp Cumin
½ tsp Chili Powder
¼ tsp Salt
1 Dash Cayenne Pepper - Be careful, a dash goes a long way
¾ Cup Pepper Jack Cheese - Shredded
5 Flour Tortillas - The 6-7" ones work well.

Method

Step 1

Preheat your grill as hot as possible. Lightly coat the chicken with the oil and place them on the grill, cooking for about 4-5 minutes on each side. Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper on each side while cooking

Step 2

Set the chicken aside to cool at room temperature and then dice into very small cubes.

Step 3

Saute the green onion and bell pepper in a tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Make sure you preheat the pan and just saute until tender. Don't overcook them.

Step 4

Add the diced chicken, corn, beans, spinach, jalapeno's, parsley, chili powder, cumin, cayenne and salt. Stir and cook for 4-5 minutes.

Step 5

Reduce the heat to low (or completely remove the pan from the heat) and sprinkle the cheese over the mixture. Stir in until evenly distributed and melting.

Step 6

Place the tortillas in a plastic zip-lock bag and microwave on high for about 30 seconds. This is to steam and make them pliable.

Step 7

Place 1/5 of the chicken mixture onto the lower 1/3 of the the tortilla, centered from side-to-side.

Step 8

Fold in the sides of the tortilla and then roll up as tight as possible. Weave a toothpick through the loose flap and place seam-side down on a plate.

Step 9

Continue with the remaining tortillas and chicken mixture and cover the egg rolls with plastic wrap. Then place in the refrigerator for several hours. If you can, leave them overnight.

Step 10

Deep fry the egg rolls at 375° for 6-7 minutes or until golden brown.

Step 11

Drain on a wire rack or paper towel and cut at a slight diagonal angle before arranging on plate with the a small bowl of the avocado dipping sauce in the middle.

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Chili’s™ Avocado Ranch Dipping Sauce

Chef Pablo — Fri, 15 Aug 2014 00:43:28 +0000

This is a fantastic buttermilk avocado ranch dressing that is used most often with Chili's Southwestern Eggrolls. I would encourage you to try with some of the other Chili's restaurant recipes including a simple salad. Whether you're using it as a dipping sauce or a salad dressing, this is one you're going to want to make up fresh because of the avocado. If you do this up too far in advance the avocado will begin to get a funny taste to it. The vinegar will help to preserve the avocado, but I would stick to making it the day ahead. If you're freezing the Southwestern Eggrolls overnight, go ahead and make this at the same time and refrigerate it to help bring all the flavors together. Serve this up with a nice garnish of fresh chopped tomatoes and onion.

Ingredients

½ Avocado
¼ Cup Mayonnaise - Don't use the low-fat unless needed. It will change the flavor.
¼ Cup Sour Cream
1 Tbsp Buttermilk
1½ tsp White Vinegar
1/8 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp Dried Parsley
1/8 tsp Onion Powder
Dash Dill Weed
Dash Garlic Powder
Dash Ground Black Pepper
2 Tbsp Tomato - Chopped
1 Tbsp Onion - Chopped

Method

Step 1

Place the avocado in a bowl and mash with a fork until it's smooth. Some small lumps are ok and add to the desired texture.

Step 2

Add in the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT the chopped tomato and onion. Stir until everything is mixed well.

Step 3

Place in a small serving bowl and top with the chopped tomato and onion.

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Outback Steakhouse™ Wallaby-Darned Recipe

Chef Pablo — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 00:17:26 +0000

I remember my sister-in-law raving about how great these drinks are at Outback Steakhouse™. It's always fun to find restaurant recipes that will impress friends and family. This one will definitely do that for you. The way Outback™ describes it is like this: “Down under frozen wonder with peaches, DeKuyper Peachtree Schnapps, champagne, Smirnoff Vodka and secret mixers.” There you have it, 'secret mixers" are what you'll be searching for. Don't worry, they're not that secret anymore. If you have a pool party coming up or just want to sit on the back deck and enjoy a nice afternoon, this will help set the mood just right. Make up an extra big batch so you can share it with your neighbors. Don't tell them what it is and see if they can guess.

Ingredients

1 cup frozen sliced peaches
2 ounces champagne
1 ounce peach schnapps
1 ounce vodka
4 ounces (1/2 cup) Kern’s peach nectar
2 or 3 ice cubes

Method

Step 1

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed for approximately 30 seconds or until ice is completely crushed and the drink is smooth.. Every blender is different, so make sure you check.

Step 2

Pour into a 12-ounce glass and serve with a straw.

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Applebee’s™ Baked French Onion Soup Recipe

Chef Pablo — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 21:58:57 +0000

Applebee's™ has one of the best tasting onion soup restaurant recipes around. The combination of the sweet onions, the piping hot broth and the crunchy bread with melted cheese on top is pretty close to cooking genius. If you can't imagine a soup made up of onions, change your mindset and give this one a shot. A soft flavor combined with the strands of melted cheese are heaven on earth. One of the secrets to making a good tasting onion soup is how you cook the onions themselves. Go slow and don't rush it. An onion is a root vegetable, which means it's sugar content is very high. Anytime you're cooking something with sugar in it, you run the risk of making it bitter by burning the sugars. Same holds true for onions. Slowly cook these and don't let them brown. You'll want them soft and translucent.

Ingredients

3 Tbsp vegetable oil
6 med white onions - sliced
1 cup water
8 cups beef broth
2 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
8 pieces of Texas toast or 4 hamburger buns
8 slices provolone cheese or other white cheese
8 teaspoons shredded Parmesan cheese (the fresh shredded is best)

Method

Step 1

In large saucepan heat 3 Tbsp oil over a medium to high heat.

Step 2

Add onion and saute slowly for 20 minutes until soft. Do not let them brown. In fact, turn down the heat if needed.

Step 3

Add water, beef broth, garlic powder, salt and pepper to the onions and bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes.

Step 4

While the soup is cooking, prepare your toast or croutons. A good suggestion was to use the bottom half of some onion rolls.

Step 5

Start by preheating the oven to 325 degrees.

Step 6

Bake the bread in the oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. These should be cooked directly on the racks.

Step 7

Ladle about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of soup into an "oven safe" bowl and add a slice of the baked bread.

Step 8

Top this off with a slice of the provolone cheese with 1/2 tsp. of parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

Step 9

Set your oven to broil and place the bowl of soup on the middle rack. Broil the soup until the cheese melts and starts to brown in spots (approx 5 minutes).

Step 10

Sprinkle 1/2 tsp shredded parmesan cheese on top and serve very hot.

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Grilled Chicken Taco Recipe

Chef Pablo — Fri, 25 Jul 2014 01:36:56 +0000

Grilled chicken tacos are probably one of the easiest recipes to make but one of the most authentic, capturing so much of the Mexican flavors. If you're only experience with chicken tacos came from Taco Bell or another fast food restaurant, think again. These are going to give you something new to crave several times a week. My favorite way to eat grilled chicken tacos is to have a stack of warm homemade tortillas right next to the grill, then as the meat comes off, it gets chopped or shredded and put straight into the waiting tortilla. Top this with some fresh pico de gallo, some guacamole (if you like) and a sprinkling of finely grated cotija cheese. It's the way we did them in Southern California and it's a great way to enjoy a Mexican fiesta with friends and family all talking and laughing as we're gathered around the grill. The marinade for the chicken is made up of the trifecta of chicken seasonings, chili powders, lime juice and cumin. If you've ever wondered how some Mexican restaurants get that unique flavor in their chicken, it's probably from the cumin. I think I put cumin on chicken every time I'm making a Mexican dish. Just don't overdo it. Marinading in the lime will help to tenderize your chicken and it gives it a nice crisp and fresh flavor.

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp ground cumin
6 cloves garlic
2 lbs chicken breast or thighs, boneless and skinless (your preference)
2 dozen corn tortillas (I recommend homemade)
4 Medium tomatoes
1 bunch of cilantro
2 medium yellow or white onions
1/4 of a lime
Pinch of salt
1 cup grated queso fresco or cotija cheese
Guacamole (optional)
Sour Cream or Crema (optional)
Hot Sauce (optional)

Method

Step 1

Put the olive oil, lime juice, chili powder, cumin and garlic in a blender and mix at a medium speed until the garlic is minced and the ingredients are mixed.

Step 2

Place the chicken piece in a large ziplock back and cover with the marinade. Seal and work the marinade around all of the chicken. Let marinade in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes and up to overnight.

Step 3

Grill the chicken using your preferred method. I like it on the outdoor grill best, but I will use my George Foreman grill if I'm in a hurry. Once it's cooked through, remove and let sit for 3-4 minute.

Step 4

Cut into 1/2" cubes. For a different texture, you can pull apart or shred the chicken as well.

Step 5

Chop the tomato, onion and cilantro into 1/8-1/4" bits and combine in a bowl then squeeze the lime over the bowl and season with the salt.

Step 6

Stir and let it sit in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Cool and crisp is best.

Step 7

Warm your tortillas. I usually put them in a ziplock bag and steam them in the microwave for about 30-45 seconds. If you're making homemade, they will come of the grill and go straight into the towel-lined tortilla warmer.

Step 8

Place a warm tortilla on your plate Lay out a good amount of grilled chicken, but remember, you have other toppings.

Step 9

Garnish with a couple spoons of Pico De Gallo and then sprinkle some cheese on the top. I usually use about 1-2 teaspoons per taco, but feel free to adjust to taste.

Step 10

If you like, add the guacamole or sour cream along with your favorite hot sauce.

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Panera Bread™ Black Bean Soup

Chef Pablo — Fri, 18 Jul 2014 00:22:10 +0000

Panera Bread™ offers fresh and healthy options for you to enjoy a quick meal. Everything is fresh and if you are careful in your selection, relatively healthy. One of the best things you can eat is their black bean soup. It's a high protein low fat option that goes very well with a nice piece of crusty bread. The taste is amazing and suprisingly simple to make at home. In fact, if you need a quick weekday dinner for the family, this delicious restaurant recipe can easily be modified for a slow cooker while you're out of the house. I suggest using canned black beans, but note that the sodium levels are going to be very high. If you have time, it is always best to cook your own beans at home. If you start soaking them the night before you can have them cooked up and ready to use after about a hour of cooking. Of course, if you're pressed for time, you can always use the canned beans. I know Bush's offers a reduced sodium black bean that is about half of the salt you get in the regular ones without compromising on the taste. So, let's get cooking:

Ingredients

1 Medium Onion
2 Cloves of Garlic
2 Celery Stalks
1/4 Red Bell Pepper
1 Tbsp cooking oil
1 1/2 Cups Chicken Broth
2 Cans Black Beans (15 oz) – I use reduced sodium
1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
1/2 tsp Salt
Lemon Juice (approx. 1/2 a lemon)

Method

Step 1

Chop the onions, celery and bell pepper and mince the garlic.

Step 2

Add the oil to a large pot over a medium high heat and then add the vegetables. Saute until your onions are translucent.

Step 3

Add the chicken broth and raise the heat to high.

Step 4

Add your black beans along with the salt and ground cumin and bring to a boil.

Step 5

Reduce heat to a slow rolling boil and let cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Step 6

Using a potato masher, work the beans until you’ve reached the desired consistency. I like there to be a good number of whole beans still in the soup, which is just how Panera does it.

Step 7

Add the lemon juice and let simmer for about 5 minutes.

Step 8

Serve in individual bowls with your favorite garnish (sour cream, chopped green onions, etc.)

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Chipotle Mexican Grill™ Cilantro Lime Rice

Chef Pablo — Thu, 10 Jul 2014 23:56:56 +0000

A great mild cilantro flavor with just a hint of lime in it, this rice is the base for most of the burritos you're going to enjoy at Chipotle. It's also very similar to what you'll find at Qdoba Mexican Grill. You can use this in the Chipotle Barbacoa Burrito recipe I have. You'll obviously want to make up a big batch of the Barbacoa beef beforehand, as it takes about 7 hours to prepare. Here are both recipes:

Enjoy!

Ingredients

3 cups water
2 cups uncooked white rice
3 Tbsp butter
1 ½ tsp salt
1/3 cup cilantro - chopped
2 Tbsp lime juice

Method

Step 1

Combine the water, rice, salt and butter and bring the water and rice to a boil and then cover.

Step 2

Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.

Step 3

Remove the cover and stir in the lime juice and cilantro. Cover and let sit until you're ready use.

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Chipotle Mexican Grill™ Barbacoa Beef Recipe

Chef Pablo — Thu, 10 Jul 2014 23:29:39 +0000

This is the shredded beef Chipotle Mexican Grill uses in their Barbacoa burritos. It's slowly braised in a chipotle adobo with garlic, cumin, oregano and cloves. It's an amazing flavor combination that not only works great in burritos but also makes for great tacos, enchiladas and more. Here is the recipe for making the Chipotle Barbacoa Burritos. You'll also need to make up a batch of their delicious cilantro lime rice to make those burritos complete.

Ingredients

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp lime juice
3-4 chipotle peppers - canned
4 cloves garlic
4 tsp cumin
2 tsp oregano - dried Mexican variety is best
1 ½ tsp ground black pepper
1 ½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground clove
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
4-5 lbs beef roast (chuck roast is fine)
3/4 cup chicken broth
3 bay leaves

Method

Step 1

Combine the lime juice, vinegar, chipotle peppers, garlic, cumin, oregano, black pepper, salt and clove in a blender (you can also use a food processor) and blend at the highest speed until it's smooth and creamy.

Step 2

Cut the roast up into approximately 2" pieces and remove any excess fat.

Step 3

In a large dutch oven, heat approximately 2 tbsp of oil and cook each side of the pieces of meat until lightly browned.

Step 4

Pour the adobo sauce sauce over the meat and ad in the chicken broth and bay leaves. Cover and let simmer for about 4 hours, turning every 30 to 40 minutes.

Step 5

Uncover and cook an additional 1 to 2 hours until the meat is easily pulled apart.

Step 6

Serve with a side of rice and beans or use to make Chipotle Barbacoa Burritos.

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Chipotle Mexican Grill™ Barbacoa Burritos

Chef Pablo — Thu, 10 Jul 2014 22:32:38 +0000

Chipotle Mexican Grill describes their Barbacoa as a spicy shredded beef slowly braised in a chipotle adobo along with cumin, garlic, cloves and oregano. It's a delicious and flavorful beef that can be used for a number of entrees including tacos, enchiladas and more. In Mexico, barbacoa is traditionally cooked in a pit and buried for hours with moist dirt. It's often part of a wedding celebration and will be made with goat meat. If you want a nice twist on one of my favorite restaurant recipes, substitute pork roast for the beef. You can actually make them at the same time and offer up a nice variety. I'm going to break this one down into separate recipes for the main ingredients:

Then you can just combine those for this recipe. Keep in mind, the prep and cook times for this recipe do not include the time it takes to make the barbacoa and rice:

Ingredients

Chipotle Barbacoa Beef
Chipotle Cilantro Lime Rice
4 tomatoes - diced
½ cup red onion - diced
¼ cup cilantro - diced
2 Tbsp jalapenos - diced
2 Tbs lime juice - or just squeeze some lime over until it's flavored right.
¼ tsp salt
3 cans (15 oz each) pinto beans - canned are fine or make some fresh.
3 Tbsp bacon fat - cook up about 4 pieces of bacon and you should have enough.
½ tsp oregano - dried Mexican variety is best.
8 Flour Tortillas - 12"
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 cups Romaine Lettuce - Chopped - if desired
guacamole - if desired
sour cream - if desired

Method

Step 1

Combine the tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and jalapeno in a medium glass bowl. Add the salt and squeeze the lime over it all. Toss and place in the refrigerator until it's ready to serve.

Step 2

In a medium pan heat the bacon fat over a medium to medium low heat and add in the pinto beans and oregano. Then simmer for 45 minutes stirring periodically. Cover and let sit until you're ready to assemble the burritos.

Step 3

To make your burrito, start with a warmed flour tortilla. This is best done on a dry skillet or in a ziplock bag in the microwave. It shouldn't take more than about 30 seconds, but keep an eye it so you don't overheat them.

Step 4

Place a good pile of the barbacoa in the middle of the burrito. Next put a few spoons of the rice, beans and then the pico de gallo. If you'd like cheese, guacamole, sour cream and lettuce, place that on top.

Step 5

Fold in both sides of the tortilla and then roll up as tight as possible from bottom to top, keeping the sides closed in as you go. There's a bit of an art to it, so you may have to practice some. If you mess up, start over. Or enjoy it in bowl.

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Filipino Lumpia Recipe

Chef Pablo — Thu, 03 Jul 2014 20:07:58 +0000

Having lived most of my life in San Diego, I've become very familiar with all of the delicious Filipino cuisine, including Pancit (noodles) and Chicken Adobo. However, by far, my absolute favorite dish from the Philippines are these delicious little spring rolls called Lumpia (pronouced "LOOM-pee-ah"). As I'm writing this, the ~~Super Bowl~~ (oooops, can't legally say that... the "big game") is coming up in a few weeks and I immediately started thinking about my favorite Lumpia recipe.

What are Lumpia?

Filipino Lumpia are about 3-4 inches long and between 1/2" and 3/4" in diameter, which is a little smaller than the egg rolls you might get at your local Chinese take-out. They're made with a paper thin pastry wrapper, rolled up and stuffed with finely ground pork, beef or a combination of both (feel free to experiment with this). The meat is mixed with minced carrots, onions and thinly shredded cabbage. The rolled up Lumpia are then deep fried just until golden brown and served with a sweet and sour dipping sauce. San Diego has the second largest Filipino American population of any county in the United States. Growing up in San Diego, enjoying Filipino food was just as common as having a taco or hamburger. It's one of the reasons I love my hometown and something I've come to miss now that I'm living on the East Coast. Thankfully, I've been able to master cooking authentic Filipino cuisine, including Lumpia, Pancit (Filipino noodles) and Adobo (chicken or pork cooked in a tangy sauce consisting mostly of vinegar, garlic and soy sauce).

Lumpia: The Perfect Pot Luck or Party Food.

I can't remember a pot luck at work that didn't include a giant platter heaping with a couple hundred (yes, a couple hundred) beautiful golden brown Lumpia waiting to be devoured. They were usually made form Mom or Grandmas recipe, but the friendly and incredibly hospitable culture of the Philippines meant someone was always eager to help you make your own. One thing to note about Lumpia that sets them apart from your typical Chinese egg roll is the wrapper. Filipino Lumpia are made with a paper thin pastry wrapper very similar to a French crepe. This is what makes them so flakey and gives the exterior of them a light and airy feel. If you have an Asian market near you, you'll usually find the Lumpia wrappers in the freezer section, but I would encourage you to try making your own (at least once). There definitely is an art to making the wrappers, but, with some practice you'll be surprised how good you will get. I'll be posting a recipe and video for these very soon (check back or subscribe to my newsletter so you don't miss out). In the meantime, don't hesitate to buy the pre-made wrappers at a local Asian market.

Don't Forget the Dipping Sauce.

Once your Lumpia are done, you can eat them by themselves, but there's something very special about spooning on a bit of sweet and sour sauce. This isn't very hard to make and most American grocery stores will carry La Choy or another brand of sweet and sour dipping sauce that will work just fine. You can also order it through this link to Amazon. You can also pick up a bottle of the Mae Ploy Sweet Chili Sauce which a LOT of people enjoy instead of sweet and sour sauce.

*Please note: I included a couple of affiliate links to Amazon in the above paragraph. Buying the products through those links does help support this website. Thanks!

Ok, if you're ready, let's get on with making these Filipino Lumpia so you can experience one of the most popular dishes from the fabulous cuisine of the Philippines.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon Vegetable oil
1 pound Ground Pork
1/2 cup Onion; Chopped
2 cloves Garlic
1/2 Cup Carrot; Minced
1/2 Cup Cabbage; Shredded
1/2 Cup Green Onion; Chopped
1 tablespoon Soy sauce
30 each Lumpia Wrappers
1 Egg; Beaten

Method

Step 1

Heat a large skillet or wok over a medium-high to high heat and add in 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and the ground pork.

Step 2

Cook, stirring frequently until the pork is done and you can't see any pink. Make sure you use a fork to break the pork up as fine as possible (some people will cool the pork and mince it further in a food processor).

Step 3

Remove from the pan, draining off as much fat as possible (leave some in the pan). Let the pork cool while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

Step 4

In the same pan, cook the onion and garlic until soft, about 2-3 minutes.

Step 5

Reduce to a medium-low heat and add in the carrots and cabbage and stir for about 1 minute.

Step 6

Add in the green onions, soy sauce and cooked ground pork. Cook for about 1 minute, remove from the heat and set aside until it's cool enough to handle.

Step 7

Scramble the egg in a small bowl and set aside to use for sealing your rolled up lumpia.

Step 8

Lay out one of the lumpia wrappers in front of you (in a diamond shape) and spread about 2-3 heaping tablespoons of the filling in a line across the bottom 1/3 of the wrapper.

Step 9

Fold the bottom of the wrapper up towards the middle and then fold in each side. Roll up, keeping it as tight as possible.

Step 10

Brush a small amount of the egg wash on the edge of the wrapper and seal the lumpia closed and place your lumpia rolls on a plate covered with a very lightly damp towel until all of them are finished.

Step 11

Add 2 cups of vegetable oil to a heavy skillet (should be about 1/2" deep) and heat to approximately 375 degrees. This typically will take about 5 minutes over a medium heat.

Step 12

Place 3-4 lumpia into the pan and cook about 1-3 minutes or until golden brown. If you add too many at one time, you'll cool the oil and they won't fry properly. I will add in 1 lumpia, cook for about 1 minute and then add in the next one, until I have 3 of them in the pan. Then I just replace each finished lumpia with a new one.

Step 13

Lumpia is traditionally served with sweet and sour dipping sauce, but get creative and use whatever you like the best.

The post Filipino Lumpia Recipe appeared first on Chef Pablo's Recipes.

Outback Steakhouse™ Potato Soup Recipe

Chef Pablo — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 19:02:13 +0000

Your search is finally over. I have scoured all of my restaurant recipes resources and found a very close copy cat of the Outback potato soup recipe. This comes from someone who claims to be one of the former cooks at Outback™, so I know it may be pretty authentic. Too many people are making this with Velveeta cheese because of the cheesy flavor of the soup. That's wrong. The base for thickening this up is rather simple. Try this recipe at home and you'll be amazed at how close it tastes. Please comment below to let me know what you think. Oh, and YES, this is not a healthy soup. It has lots of cream and more than enough butter. I've had people over on YouTube complain about it not being healthy. That's not the point. It's certainly not a soup you can enjoy on a regular basis, but it does taste pretty darn good. So, relax and have a cheat day from time-to-time.

Ingredients

Potatoes (4 large or up to 8 small potatoes)
Kosher Salt
Vegetable Oil
2 sticks of butter
1 Onion, diced
3/4 cup of all purpose flour
48 oz of chicken broth
2 cups water
Celery salt to taste
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp sugar
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
4-6 slices of cooked bacon, chopped
Chopped chives (depends on your preference)
2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack / Cheddar cheese blend.

Method

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

Step 2

Rinse and scrub the skins of the potatoes and dry with a towel and then pierce each potato several times with a fork.

Step 3

Place a small amount of oil in your hands and coat each potato and then sprinkle each one with Kosher salt.

Step 4

Place in the oven, directly on the rack (no cookie sheet and NO foil!)

Step 5

Bake at 350 for approximately 60 minutes

Step 6

In a large pot, cook your bacon, turning it frequently until just crispy. Leave the grease from the bacon for the next step (yes, it's unhealthy, I know).

Step 7

In the same pot, melt the butter with the bacon grease, over a low to medium heat, being careful not to burn it.

Step 8

Add the onion and cook until softened.

Step 9

Add the flour and stir while it cooks for about 3 minutes, using a rubber spatula to loosen any bits of bacon stuck to the bottom (yum!)

Step 10

Slowly add the chicken broth, water, salt, pepper, basil and sugar, bringing to a boil and stirring often with a whisk.

Step 11

Gradually add the heavy cream until you've reached the proper consistency.

Step 12

Chop the potatoes into bite sized cubes and add to the soup and simmer for approximately 5 minutes to bring the potatoes to temperature (remember, they're already cooked.. so don't overdo it).

Step 13

Ladle the soup into individual bowls and garnish with chopped bacon, chives and the cheese blend.

The post Outback Steakhouse™ Potato Soup Recipe appeared first on Chef Pablo's Recipes.

Outback Steakhouse™ Remoulade Sauce Recipe

Chef Pablo — Thu, 19 Jun 2014 17:44:22 +0000

This is the sauce Outback Steakhouse™ serves with their Grilled Shrimp on the Barbie as well as their Pan Seared Lump Crab Cakes. But, don't limit it to just those items. That's the beauty of making your own restaurant recipes, you can mix and match to create your own specialties. This goes very well with just about any type of seafood. A rich and creamy sauce with just enough zip from the horseradish. Make up plenty and store it in the refrigerator or share it with friends in the office. If you're planning on having it for dinner tonight, make this first so it can sit in the refrigerator before it's time to eat. This helps to really bring the flavors together nicely.

Ingredients

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon stone ground mustard
2 teaspoons milk
1 1/4 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon minced celery
1 teaspoon minced white onion
1 teaspoon minced green bell pepper
1/4 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 pinch salt

Method

Step 1

In the preparation, make sure you take the time to mince the onion, bell pepper and parsley as fine as possible. You don't want chunks of these to be in your sauce.

Step 2

Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and mix thoroughly.

Step 3

Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

The post Outback Steakhouse™ Remoulade Sauce Recipe appeared first on Chef Pablo's Recipes.

The Cheesecake Factory™ Pasta Da Vinci Recipe

Chef Pablo — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 16:24:21 +0000

The secret to this recipe is finding the right wine. Finding restaurant recipes is one thing, finding all of the right ingredients can be the biggest challenge. When making this pasta from The Cheesecake Factory™, don't just buy any Madeira wine you find. Make sure you're using the deep red Madeira wine which has a nice sweet flavor to it. There are some pink and white Madeira wines with a completely different flavor. Don't make the mistake of using those in this pasta dish. You'll definitely be disappointed. Many cooks have experimented with this recipe and I believe I've brought together the best of all of them to create a very close copycat of the restaurant recipe. Please comment below if you think this is missing something or could use some improvement.

Ingredients

Penne Pasta - Enough for 2 servings according to the package
1/4 Red Onion or 3 Shallots - Chopped
1/3 cup Button Mushrooms - quartered
1/4 cup Shiitake Mushrooms - quartered
1 tsp Garlic - chopped, not minced or crushed
1/2 lb Chicken Breast - Cut into bite-size pieces
3 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp Flour
1 tsp Salt
1 cup Madeira wine (red)
1/2 cup Water
2 Tbsp Heavy Cream
1 Tbsp Parsley

Method

Step 1

Bring about 3 cups of water to a boil for cooking the pasta (continue with the recipe while the water comes to a boil). Add the pasta and cook for approximately 10 minutes or until "al dente" (still just ever so slightly firm).

Step 2

Heat a medium size pan over a medium heat. Once at temperature, add 1 Tbsp of butter and saute the onions or shallots, mushrooms and garlic until tender.

Step 3

Remove the onions, mushrooms and garlic and set them aside until later.

Step 4

In the same pan, increase to a medium-high heat and add the chicken, stirring frequently until the chicken is cooked through (no pink). Do not overcook the chicken as you will be adding it back in at the end and you don't want it to get tough.

Step 5

Remove the chicken and it aside until later.

Step 6

In the same pan, reduce to a medium-low heat and add 2 Tbsp butter. Once melted, sprinkle the flour over the butter and stir to make a roux. Make sure you use a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom of the pan a bit as well.

Step 7

Add the wine and increase the heat to medium to high high and cook for 10 minutes to reduce it a bit and cook off the alcohol. Your pasta should be done by now... don't forget it.

Step 8

Slowly stir in the heavy cream and bring to a low boil, still over a medium to high heat. Make sure you stir it frequently to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Step 9

Add the parsley, chicken, mushrooms, garlic and onions back in and simmer for 3-4 minutes.

Step 10

With a large spoon, pour over the pasta and serve with Parmesan cheese.

The post The Cheesecake Factory™ Pasta Da Vinci Recipe appeared first on Chef Pablo's Recipes.

Authentic Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix

Chef Pablo — Thu, 05 Jun 2014 14:24:28 +0000

If you normally make ground beef tacos and season it with one of those “taco seasoning mix” packets, you’re going to love this recipe. If you like it extra hot, you can customize and kick it up a few notches; if you want to keep it mild for the kids in the family (or yourself), you can keep it cool so everyone enjoys your delicious tacos. Making your own taco seasoning mix instead of the packets means you can control the sodium and even design your own unique flavors with a tiny bit of experimenting (and I do encourage you to experiment with this). It also means you’re going to save yourself a good sum of money. The amount of seasoning in a typical packet is about 42g (or 6 Tablespoons) and it costs between $1.25 and $2.00 per packet.

Why Make Your Own Taco Seasoning Mix?

My quest for a homemade taco seasoning mix came along when I started eating healthy and wanted to watch the sodium levels as well as keeping out any extra ingredients. With the Paleo Diet, I’ve started to eat “Lettuce Wrap Tacos” and I’ve fallen in love with them. You make Lettuce Wrap Tacos the same way you do a regular taco, but to make it Paleo Diet friendly, you replace the taco shell with the center leaves in Romaine Lettuce (also called "hearts of romaine"). You’ll want to skip the cheese and sour cream to stay in line with the Paleo plan. Whether you’re making Paleo taco lettuce wraps, traditional tacos, burritos, enchiladas or even a taco salad, this is the perfect seasoning blend for the beef or even on shredded, diced or ground turkey or chicken. We even use this seasoning blend when making Mexican Chicken Soup. I’m going to give you the recipe to make about 2 pounds of ground beef. If you'd like, double or triple the recipe, that way, you can make it up in one go and store it in your cupboard, ready to go for the next Taco Tuesday in your house.

What Are the Ingredients in the Taco Seasoning Mix Packet?

When I looked at the back of a packet of taco seasoning, I saw a very basic set of ingredients:

Paprika
Chili Powder
Cumin
Potato Starch (to thicken)
Onion
Whey – Milk
Sea Salt
Sugar
Garlic
Citric Acid

We happened to have the 30% reduced sodium packet which really is a lot better for you, but still not as good or delicious as your own homemade variety. No Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), maltodextrin or silicon dioxide, which most other packets contain.

Caution if You're Lactose Intolerant

The first thing I noticed, being lactose intolerant, was the presence of milk in the powder. This explains why I was getting an upset stomach with my Lettuce Wrap Tacos even though I wasn’t having cheese or sour cream. I also noticed there’s sugar in the packet and I was trying to cut that out of my diet. Based on what I know about Mexican recipes, the packet ingredients could use a slight boost in flavor simply by adding in a bit of oregano. This is a very common ingredient in a lot of Mexican recipes, so I know it would work well for tacos. I decided to add in a bit of ground coriander. In case you don’t know, coriander is the seed from the cilantro plant. Keep in mind, cilantro is a very popular flavor in Mexican dishes, but it’s also something some people detest, so you may want to leave it out if you have one of those cilantro-haters in your house. Another change I suggest you consider is the use of fresh crushed garlic and minced onions when you make your tacos. This is always going to give you a better flavor than dehydrated onion or garlic powder. Of course, if you like the convenience, add it in to the mix and you’ll still have a wonderful seasoning. Remember, this is a starting point for your own recipe. Take out a notepad and write down exactly how much of each item you use. Then the next time you make it, take out that same set of notes and see what you want to change. The key is to make sure you write everything down when you make the changes, otherwise you won’t remember what gave it the flavors you like the most. Also, make sure you make some notes under your recipe so you can indicate any items you thought were too strong or weak. Ok, so let’s start with this basic recipe.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp ground Cumin
½ tsp ground Coriander
½ tsp Oregano
¼ - ¾ tsp Cayenne Pepper (adjust for heat)
½ tsp Garlic powder (or fresh when you make it)
¼ tsp Onion powder (or fresh when you make it)
1 tsp Sea Salt (optional if you’re watching sodium levels)
1 tsp ground Black Pepper

Method

Step 1

Combine all of the ingredients until well blended

Step 2

Store in an airtight container

Step 3

To make Taco Filling: Brown 1 lb of ground beef and drain the excess fat.

Step 4

Add 2 Tbsp taco seasoning and 1/2 cup of water. Mix and bring to a boil. Simmer until reduced to a light coating on the meat.

The post Authentic Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix appeared first on Chef Pablo's Recipes.

Outback Steakhouse Chopped Blue Cheese Salad Recipe

Chef Pablo — Thu, 29 May 2014 13:54:42 +0000

Restaurant recipes are very popular at pot lucks and this one won't disappoint your friends and family. It's an amazing mix of the sweet candied pecans and the smooth creamy taste of the blue cheese. I've modified this from some other recipes you'll find online to make the dressing a bit sweeter than others. This is as close as you'll get to the real recipe from Outback Steakhouse. If you're bringing this to a potluck, make sure you chill the salad bowl before adding the salad and toss everything just before you leave. It may be easier to just buy some ready-made candied pecans instead of making them from scratch. If you want to duplicate the Outback salad recipe, you'll need to put in the extra effort. The blue cheese is very important because it's such a strong part of the flavor. If you skimp on this, you'll be detracting from the entire salad.

Ingredients

1/3 cup pecans sliced-lengthwise
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 Tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons butter, melted
3 cups chopped butter or bibb lettuce
3 cups chopped red leaf lettuce
3 cups chopped iceberg lettuce
1 cup chopped red cabbage
1 cup shredded carrot
1 green onion, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup fried noodle pieces
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

Method

Step 1

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Step 2

Slice each pecan half into at least three lengthwise pieces.

Step 3

Combine the cinnamon and brown sugar.

Step 4

Toss the pecans with the melted butter, then with the cinnamon/sugar mixture, making sure to coat them all evenly.

Step 5

Put the nuts on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 5 to 8 minutes, until sugar is caramelized.

Step 6

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and slide the pecans off of the parchment to cool.

Step 7

Chop all of the lettuce and cabbage into small bite-sized pieces; and rinse them with cool water.

Step 8

Slice the green onion and shred the carrots if you didn't purchase them already shredded.

Step 9

In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, white wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, sour cream, honey and chopped basil. Whisk vigorously until very well blended.

Step 10

Place the chopped lettuce, cabbage and shredded carrots into a serving bowl large enough to allow you to toss the salad.

Step 11

Add the vinaigrette and toss thoroughly.

Step 12

Sprinkle with the chopped onion, fried noodles and crumbled blue cheese and then top with the caramelized pecans.

The post Outback Steakhouse Chopped Blue Cheese Salad Recipe appeared first on Chef Pablo's Recipes.

The Cheesecake Factory™Tamarind Cashew Dipping Sauce

Chef Pablo — Thu, 22 May 2014 21:44:56 +0000

This is one of the three sauces served with the Cheesecake Factory Thai Lettuce Wraps. The others are the Sweet Chili and the Thai Peanut sauce. The other items served with the Lettuce Wraps are:

This is a delicious sweet and tangy dipping sauce which is very unique and difficult to describe. If you've never tried the tamarind fruit, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Ingredients

1/4 cup chopped cashews
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 medium garlic cloved - minced
2 green onions - chopped
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup canola oil
3 tsp honey
6 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/2 tsp tamarind pulp
1/2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Method

Step 1

Combine cashews, hoisin sauce, garlic, green onion, cayenne pepper and black pepper in a blender or food processor and mix until smooth.

Step 2

In a small sauce pan add oil, honey, rice wine vinegar and tamarind pulp. Then heat on medium for 1 minute, stirring until the tamarind pulp is completely dissolved.

Step 3

Add the sauce to the cashew mixture and process further until smooth.

Step 4

Pour into a serving bowl and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

The post The Cheesecake Factory™Tamarind Cashew Dipping Sauce appeared first on Chef Pablo's Recipes.

The Cheesecake Factory™ Thai Marinated Cucumbers

Chef Pablo — Thu, 22 May 2014 20:59:05 +0000

These delicious crispy marinated cucumbers are normally served with The Cheesecake Factory Thai Lettuce Wraps, but they taste great as a snack or in place of a salad or side dish. Make sure you wait until the marinade is truly at room temperature before you add the cucumbers or else they'll come out limp when you serve them. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 large cucumber - seeded

Method

Step 1

Combine the vinegar, sugar, water and salt in a small pan and cook over a medium heat, stirring until it boils and the sugar is dissolved. Then remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

Step 2

Peel the cucumber and cut lengthwise into quarters. Scoop out the seeds and cut crosswise into 1/8" slices.

Step 3

Place in a serving bowl and pour marinade over cucumbers, stirring to blend. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours.

The post The Cheesecake Factory™ Thai Marinated Cucumbers appeared first on Chef Pablo's Recipes.

The Cheesecake Factory™ Thai Coconut Noodles

Chef Pablo — Thu, 22 May 2014 20:28:49 +0000

This is another topping served at The Cheesecake Factory with their Thai Lettuce Wraps appetizer. These also make a nice side dish with just about any Thai entree.

Ingredients

12 oz fresh thin Asian egg noodles
1 tbsp minced garlic cloves
1 tbsp red curry paste
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp curry powder
1 pinch turmeric powder
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp lime juice

Method

Step 1

Place the noodles in hot water, separating with a fork. Then let the noodles soak until they're tender or according to the directions on the package. Once done, drain and keep warm.

Step 2

In a medium saucepan, heat the coconut milk on low heat and slowly stir in the curry paste. Stirring vigorously until completely mixed in.

Step 3

When it begins to simmer, add in the remaining ingredients and continue to simmer for approximately 2 minutes.

Step 4

Stir in the noodles and serve.

The post The Cheesecake Factory™ Thai Coconut Noodles appeared first on Chef Pablo's Recipes.

The Cheesecake Factory™ Thai Bean Sprouts

Chef Pablo — Thu, 22 May 2014 19:58:34 +0000

These are part of The Cheesecake Factory Thai Lettuce Wraps recipe. These add a nice clean mild flavor to the the lettuce wraps and can be added as a topping to just about any dish.

Ingredients

1½ cups bean sprouts
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp roasted sesame seeds

Method

Step 1

Into a hot medium sized frying pan, add the sesame oil along with the bean sprouts.

Step 2

Saute the sprouts for about a minute and add in the soy sauce along with the sesame seeds.

Step 3

Cook over a medium-high heat until the bean sprouts are tender.

Step 4

Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

The post The Cheesecake Factory™ Thai Bean Sprouts appeared first on Chef Pablo's Recipes.

The Cheesecake Factory™ Thai Chicken Satays

Chef Pablo — Thu, 22 May 2014 18:52:07 +0000

These Thai Chicken Satays are typically served as part of the very popular Cheesecake Factory Lettuce Wraps appetizer. Don't wait until you can create the entire appetizer as these are delicious on their own or with any of the following dipping sauces:

Peanut sauce
Sweet red chili sauce
Tangy tamarind cashew sauce

Ingredients

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 cloves garlic - minced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons water
4 green onions - cut into 1" pieces
8 Bamboo skewers (10-12 inches)

Method

Step 1

Cut chicken into 3/4" strips and place in a shallow glass dish.

Step 2

Combine water, soy sauce, lime juice, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes in a small bowl stir thoroughly. Pour over the chicken and toss until completely coated.

Step 3

Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, but preferably up to 2 hours, stirring periodically.

Step 4

Soak bamboo skewers 20 minutes in cold water to keep them from burning.

Step 5

Drain the chicken and reserve the marinade. Then weave the chicken strips onto each skewers, alternating with green onion pieces. You may need to use several pieces to cover each skewer. Brush chicken and onions with reserved marinade.

Step 6

Grill the skewers on an uncovered grill over medium-high heat for 6 to 8 minutes, turning halfway through the grilling.

The post The Cheesecake Factory™ Thai Chicken Satays appeared first on Chef Pablo's Recipes.

The Cheesecake Factory™ Lettuce Wraps Recipe

Chef Pablo — Thu, 22 May 2014 18:13:11 +0000

The Cheesecake Factory™ serves one of the best appetizers you'll ever find. With all of the different ingredients and sauces, these lettuce wraps are perfect for sharing with a group. These make a great dish for bringing to a potluck. This is served with Thai chicken satays, julienne carrots, sesame bean sprouts, coconut curry noodles, Thai marinated cucumbers and butter lettuce leaves to wrap it all up. Included with this are three different Thai sauces for dipping. Peanut, sweet red chili and the tangy tamarind cashew sauce. The best top secret restaurant recipes for each item and the sauces are all included. Feel free to do some experimenting with other ingredients and sauces. The following is the recipe for putting your lettuce wraps together. The recipes for each ingredient is linked to within this recipe below. Please note, the times in this recipe do NOT include the time it takes to make each ingredient. Those are listed with those recipes only.

Ingredients

6-8 Butter Lettuce Leaves
2 red cabbage leaves - cut in half vertically
Thai Chicken Satays
Julienne carrots
Sesame Bean Sprouts
Thai Coconut Curry Noodles
Thai Marinated Cucumbers
1 Tablespoon Roasted Peanuts - Chopped
Tamarind Cashew Dipping Sauce
Thai Peanut Sauce
Sweet Red Chili Sauce

Method

Step 1

Remove the hard stems from the bottom of each leaf of lettuce and cut the red cabbage leaves in half vertically.

Step 2

Wash and dry the leaves and arrange in a group on a large platter.

Step 3

You can either fill each leaf with the filling or serve it all separate for your guests to build on their own.

Step 4

Once the leaf is filled, fold it in half and enjoy.

The post The Cheesecake Factory™ Lettuce Wraps Recipe appeared first on Chef Pablo's Recipes.

The Cheesecake Factory™ Sweet Chili Sauce

Chef Pablo — Thu, 22 May 2014 17:55:56 +0000

This is one of the three sauces served with the Cheesecake Factory Thai Lettuce Wraps. The others are the Tamarind Cashew and the Thai Peanut sauce. The other items served with the Lettuce Wraps are:

This sauce is the perfect combination of sweet and spicy, but don't worry, it's not too spicy to enjoy. The flavor combination works out very well. Give it a try with the lettuce wraps or another entree and you'll soon find you're using it like some use ketchup.

Ingredients

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp fish sauce
1/4 cup hot water
2 tbsp sugar
1 lime - juiced
1 tsp garlic - minced
1 tsp red chili paste

Method

Step 1

Combine the rice wine vinegar, fish sauce, hot water, sugar, lime juice, garlic and chili paste in a blender and puree until smooth.

Step 2

Pour into bowls and store in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving.

The post The Cheesecake Factory™ Sweet Chili Sauce appeared first on Chef Pablo's Recipes.

The Cheesecake Factory™ Peanut Sauce

Chef Pablo — Thu, 22 May 2014 17:37:18 +0000

This is one of the three sauces served with the Cheesecake Factory Thai Lettuce Wraps. The others are the Tamarind Cashew and the Sweet Chili sauce. The other items served with the Lettuce Wraps are:

I hope you enjoy this wonderful peanut sauce. Make sure you experiment and try it with some other dishes as well.

Ingredients

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tbsp water
4 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp lime juice
1/2 tsp chili oil

Method

Step 1

Combine peanut butter, water, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, and chili oil in a small saucepan.

Step 2

Stir mixture over a medium heat until it begins to bubble then cover the pan and remove from the heat.

Step 3

Store in the refrigerator and return to room temperature before serving.

The post The Cheesecake Factory™ Peanut Sauce appeared first on Chef Pablo's Recipes.

Outback Steakhouse™ Grilled Shrimp on the Barbie Recipe

Chef Pablo — Thu, 15 May 2014 13:08:36 +0000

When you order Grilled Shrimp on the Barbie at The Outback Steakhouse™, they'll bring you six good sized shrimp. Even though this is an appetizer, they're so delicious, six is just enough to get you craving more. One of the beautiful things about restaurant recipes is the ability to make a bit more than they give you in the actual restaurant. If you serve the shrimp with some rice and a grilled veggies, you've turned a great appetizer into an incredible meal. Maybe the next time you're having an outdoor party, serve these up in a form that's true to their name, straight off the barbie. There's nothing better than standing around a grill pulling the meat off as soon as it's done and enjoying it piping hot. This is served with their outstanding remoulade sauce. You'll also find that served with their salmon and the pan seared lump crab cakes as well. I listed the sauce separately to make it easier to find. Try with your seafood creation and you'll be hooked. One of our readers, Jennifer pointed out this is also served with Outback Bushman's Bread toasted with garlic butter. This IS a very important and tasty addition. Make a loaf of the Bushman's Bread and slice it to your favorite thickness. Spread some garlic butter on one side and toast in the broiler until golden. Serve the shrimp on the toast.

Ingredients

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 dash ground allspice
6 large shrimp, thawed if frozen
fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter, melted
minced fresh parsley

Method

Step 1

Get the grill very hot with the highest heat setting possible. If you're using a charcoal grill, they're ready as soon as the coals are covered in white ash.

Step 2

Mix together the salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, chili powder, sugar, cayenne pepper and allspice in a small bowl.

Step 3

If the shrimp still have their shells on, remove them, leaving a small bit at the tail. Also be sure to remove the black vein running down the back of the shrimp.

Step 4

Run a skewer through the middle of the shrimp (not lengthwise). Continuing to do this with each shrimp until you have 6 on each skewer. The shrimp should be nestled together with each other.

Step 5

Lay the shrimp on a plate and squeeze fresh lemon juice onto them followed by liberally brushing the shrimp with melted butter. Lightly sprinkle the seasoning over the shrimp, being careful to not use too much.

Step 6

Place the shrimp on the grill with the seasoning side down and then brush more melted butter and sprinkle with additional seasoning as it cooks on the grill.

Step 7

Cook for approximately 3 minutes, then flip and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes or until nicely browned.

Step 8

Remove the shrimp from the grill, sprinkle lightly with fresh parsley and serve with remoulade sauce.

The post Outback Steakhouse™ Grilled Shrimp on the Barbie Recipe appeared first on Chef Pablo's Recipes.

Olive Garden™ Minestrone Soup Recipe

Chef Pablo — Fri, 09 May 2014 02:26:15 +0000

This is it, the Olive Garden Minestrone Soup recipe everybody is raving about online. It's a delicious and healthy vegetarian soup made with a variety of beans, pasta and vegetables. It's all combined in a nice and light tomato and vegetable broth. It's not a heavy soup, but it will fill you up with plenty of healthy goodness.

Other Olive Garden Recipes

One of the most searched for restaurant recipes, you'll be proud to serve this to your family or friends. This recipe works very well with the Olive Garden salad recipe and the Olive Garden Breadsticks recipe. Make it an Olive Garden night at your house. Some people have said the real secret to an authentic Olive Garden Minestrone Soup recipe is to add a bit of red wine to the broth while it's cooking. While, I didn't put that into the "official" recipe, I would love to know your thoughts on the recipe if you try it.

This Olive Garden Minestrone Soup Recipe is Easy

This is actually a very easy soup to make, not requiring much in the way of prep work. In fact, this is a great recipe to make up any night of the week and it saves incredibly well in the refrigerator. You can double the batch and have soup to bring to work several times during the week. Whether you've tried the original or not, this Olive Garden Minestrone Soup recipe will please just about anyone. Enjoy!

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small minced white onion
1/2 cup chopped zucchini
1/2 cup Italian green beans
1/2 stalk minced celery
4 cloves minced garlic
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cans (15 oz) red kidney beans, drained
2 cans (15 oz) great northern or small white beans, drained
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
1/2 cup shredded carrot
2 tablespoons minced parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cups hot water
4 cups fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup small shell pasta

Method

Step 1

Measure olive oil into a large stock pot and heat on medium.

Step 2

Put the onion, celery, garlic, green beans, and zucchini into the pot and saute for about 5 minutes or until the onions become translucent.

Step 3

Add the vegetable broth, drained tomatoes, beans, carrots, hot water and spices to the pot.

Step 4

Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes.

Step 5

Add the spinach leaves and the pasta and cook for an additional 20 minutes.

The post Olive Garden™ Minestrone Soup Recipe appeared first on Chef Pablo's Recipes.

Olive Garden™ Tiramisu Recipe

Chef Pablo — Thu, 01 May 2014 21:06:44 +0000

After a bit of adjusting, with the help from comments below, I think we've put together the absolute best Olive Garden Tiramisu recipe available. The word Tiramisu is Italian for "Pick Me Up." This probably comes from the coffee you'll find in every Tiramisu recipe. A nice blend of strong Italian coffee along with a bit of Kahlua can make for a nice dessert. I'm not a Tiramisu expert, but I've heard many people say the Olive Garden Tiramisu recipe is one of the better varieties you'll find. I had some Tiramisu at a little Italian bakery in the Little Italy part of San Francisco. It was amazing, but I think the atmosphere had a lot to do with it. When you make this recipe, make sure you add plenty of sugar to keep it from that "cheese taste". This is a dessert, not an appetizer, so don't be afraid to sweeten it up. One of the restaurant recipes floating around uses sponge cake. One trip to The Olive Garden and you'll know it's made with lady fingers, not sponge cake. The following is as close as I've come to the real deal. As always, if you know of an improvement, share it in the comments and we'll make changes that actually do improve the flavor.

Ingredients

3 egg yolks
1/4 cup whole milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 cups mascarpone cheese (this is an Italian cream cheese)
8 ounces cream cheese
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
20 - 24 lady finger cookies
1/4 cup cold espresso
1/4 cup Kahlua coffee liqueur
2 teaspoons cocoa powder

Method

Step 1

Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water and bring it to a boil over medium/high heat, then reduce heat so that the water is simmering.

Step 2

Whisk egg yolks, milk and sugar together in a medium metal bowl, then place the bowl on top of the saucepan (you can also use a double boiler for this step).

Step 3

Stir the mixture often for ten minutes. After the sugar dissolves the mixture should begin to thicken and turn light yellow. Remove it from the heat to cool.

Step 4

Use an electric mixer to combine mascarpone, cream cheese and vanilla in a large bowl. Mix until mostly creamy, with a few small chunks remaining.

Step 5

Add egg yolk mixture to the cheese mixture and combine well.

Step 6

Combine espresso and Kahlua in a small bowl pour this mixture onto a dinner plate. One-by-one touch the bottom of each lady finger in the espresso. The lady finger will quickly soak up the espresso/Kahlua mixture, but you don't want the lady finger soaked -- just a dab will do ya. The top half of each lady finger should still be dry.

Step 7

Arrange the soaked lady fingers side-by-side on the bottom of an 8x8-inch serving dish or baking pan.

Step 8

Spoon about half of the cheese mixture over the lady fingers, then add another layer of soaked lady fingers on top of the cheese mixture. spoon the remaining cheese mixture over the second layer of lady fingers spreading it evenly.

Step 9

Put two teaspoons of cocoa powder in a tight-mesh strainer and gently tap the side of the strainer to add an even dusting of cocoa powder over the top of the dessert.

Step 10

Cover and chill for several hours.

Step 11

To serve, slice the dessert twice across and twice down, creating 9 even portions (the first serving is always the hardest to get out).

The post Olive Garden™ Tiramisu Recipe appeared first on Chef Pablo's Recipes.

Filipino Pancit Recipe (Stir-fried Bihon noodles)

Chef Pablo — Thu, 24 Apr 2014 20:39:36 +0000

The Filipino Pancit recipe I’ve enjoyed the most has been made with thin rice noodles called Bihon. It’s really Chinese rice vermicelli and you can find many varieties of it inside every Asian market. The packaging will usually have a S, M, L or even XL somewhere on it. This is to let you know the width of the noodles. For Pancit I typically use the small noodles or as they’re sometimes called “Rice sticks.”

Better Than Birthday Cake?

According to tradition, every birthday should be celebrated by eating noodles. They serve as a symbol of long life and for this reason; you should never cut up your noodles, as you can imagine what that does to your long life. In the Philippines it’s the custom to serve Pancit at a birthday celebration, or really, any celebration. In fact, it’s served at any gathering… even a gathering of just a few. It’s that delicious. Just like so many traditional local foods, there are a lot of Pancit recipes in the world. I’m going to give you just a few and then I’ll share with you the recipe I grew up with in San Diego. It’s very easy to make and it’s a fantastic dish for parties or potlucks. Not only does it reheat well, it’s delicious hot, cold or even at room temperature. It’s just delicious period!

Different Types of Pancit

Pancit Canton is very popular in the Philippines and really all over the world now. The Chinese originally introduced Pancit itself to the people of the Philippines. Canton province of China is in the most southeast part of the country, closest to the Philippines, so you can imagine, Cantonese flavors have made their way into some of the Filipino cuisine. The most notable difference between what I’m going to show you and Pancit Canton are the noodles. Pancit Canton is made with wheat egg noodles, more like you would find in a Chinese Lo Mein dish. Pancit Malabon comes from Malabon City, a place with rich seafood resources, which obviously shows up in this version of Pancit. The sauce is made with fish sauce and shrimp paste and then topped with lots of local seafood including squid, oysters and boiled shrimp. It’s typically garnished with boiled duck eggs, but regular chicken eggs would work as well. The noodles used in Pancit Malabon are a thicker rice noodle than the Pancit Bihon I’m going to share with you below. The other varieties of Pancit you’ll find served in the Philippines include Palabok or Luglog, Habhab (served on a banana leaf and slurped up without utensils), Sotanghon and more. As I mentioned, Pancit is kind of a broad term for Filipino noodles, so you have many varieties. It’s kind of like asking how to make a hamburger or a pizza, it depends on what you like on yours and how you like it prepared.

My Favorite Pancit Recipe

As I mentioned earlier, my favorite Filipino Pancit recipe is called Pancit Bihon and it’s made with Bihon rice noodles, sometimes called “Rice Sticks.” It’s a very thin vermicelli noodle made from finely ground rice, just as you would use flour, a ground wheat. This gives them a very light and fresh taste and texture. With this recipe, I’m giving you the basics, but please realize, Pancit is a wonderful opportunity to experiment with extra ingredients. Try adding in some different vegetables or meats and seafood. Snow or snap peas, bean sprouts, celery, crabmeat, or whatever else you may have in the fridge and you figure would taste good in an Asian dish. If you have a favorite Pancit recipe or you have a variation on this, which you think would make it better, please share it below in the comments so others can give it a try. Masiyahan (Enjoy)!

Ingredients

1 Package (8-12 oz) Rice Noodles; Labeled "Pancit Bihon" or just "Bihon"
1 teaspoon Vegetable oil
1 Onion; Finely sliced
4 cloves Garlic; minced
1 cup boneless chicken breasts; diced
1 cup Pork; diced
1/2 cup Shrimp; Bay or salad shrimp
8 cups Cabbage; Shredded (approx.1 sm head)
4 Carrots; Julienned
1/4 cup Soy Sauce; Light (Silver Swan brand is from the Philippines)
1/4 cup Chicken Broth; Optional - Depending on how soft you like it
1 Egg; Hard Boiled and sliced for garnish

Method

Step 1

Take the dry noodles and submerge them in warm water and set them aside while you prepare everything else (but not for too long).

Step 2

Boil your egg if it's not already.

Step 3

Place a large skillet or wok on the stove over a medium heat and pour the vegetable oil in the skillet or wok.

Step 4

Add the onions and garlic and saute until the onions are soft.

Step 5

Add the chicken and pork and cook until done.

Step 6

Add the shrimp along with the soy sauce and cook for 1 minute.

Step 7

Add the cabbage and carrots and cook until the cabbage is soft.

Step 8

If you prefer a more moist Pancit, add in the chicken broth (you may want to try it without first).

Step 9

Remove the noodles from the water and drain just until they're no longer dripping and add to the skillet or wok and toss over a medium heat until well mixed.

Step 10

Place on a large platter or bowl and garnish with sliced or quartered egg.

The post Filipino Pancit Recipe (Stir-fried Bihon noodles) appeared first on Chef Pablo's Recipes.

Huevos Rancheros

Chef Pablo — Thu, 17 Apr 2014 16:18:29 +0000

Like so many authentic regional foods, there are about as many different ways of making Huevos Rancheros as there are families in Mexico. The basis for all of these recipes come down to three things: Eggs, tortillas and tomato-chile salsa.

There are variations on how the eggs are cooked, what type of tortillas are used, along with how they're cooked and lastly, huge variations on what goes into the tomato salsa.

Variations

The traditional way Huevos Rancheros are prepared is with corn tortillas, lightly fried and topped with a fried egg, sunny-side up. The tomato-chile salsa is then put on top of this and garnished with a small amount of Queso Fresco, a soft white Mexican cheese. Other than having my eggs cooked "over-easy" I stick with this traditional preparation.

Tortillas

I've seen Huevos Rancheros prepared with flour tortillas, but this is more of a Tex-Mex variation and I believe it looses some of the great flavor you get with the corn. Using corn tortillas also makes this a gluten-free recipe. If you'd like to cut out a bit of the fat in this recipe and not loose the flavor, try coating the corn tortillas with a cooking spray and baking in the oven at about 350 for 5-10 minutes. Even though I'm somewhat of a "tortillas snob" (almost always opting for homemade), I use the thinnest store bought corn tortillas for this recipe. I've tried using thicker tortillas but found the flavor and texture was compromised a bit too much for my liking. Go thin!

Eggs

The traditional way eggs are prepared for Huevos Rancheros is fried sunny-side up. When you do this, you can serve them on the corn tortillas and then spoon a small amount of the salsa around the outside of the eggs. The presentation with this is fantastic, with the yellow yoke in the middle, a bit of the egg white around that and then the deep red salsa around the outside. Give it a try and wow your family. I cook mine over-easy, trying my best to keep the eggs runny, but not always succeeding as you'll see in the video below.

Another variation you can try with the eggs is to poach them in the simmering tomato salsa. This is another way to cut down on the amount of fat in this dish. When the salsa has been simmering for a while and you're about to serve it, turn the heat down to low and crack a few eggs into the sauce, separating them from each other and letting them sit undisturbed. Cover the pan and cook until the whites are firm. To serve, use a large spoon to scoop out each egg, placing it on the fried tortilla and then top it with additional salsa.

Tomato Salsa

I won't even attempt to cover all the varieties I've seen with the salsa, but I'll give you a few you can try. The first thing you should decide is whether you like it spicy or not. I prefer to make mine mild so the entire family, kids included, can enjoy it. I'll then add in a good amount of hot sauce to my plate. If you know you're going to want it spicy, chop up some peppers, Jalapeños, habanero or serranos, and cook them along with the onions and bell peppers.

You can quickly and easily change up the texture your Huevos Rancheros simply by adjusting the way the onions and peppers are prepared. I usually chop mine because it gives it a nice chunky look and feel. If you or someone you're serving it to doesn't really like onions or peppers, consider dicing them or even putting the salsa in a blender after it's done cooking. Another way I like preparing this is with long thin strips of onions and peppers, which looks fantastic when served.

My Quick and Easy Huevos Rancheros Recipe

Now that I've given you all those different ways of preparing these, I'm going to give you my favorite recipe, which happens to be incredibly easy and quick. If you've got an aversion to using a can-opener, you're not going to like this because I use canned tomatoes, enchilada sauce and chicken broth. Obviously it wouldn't take much for you to make up fresh versions of each of these items and offer a truly homemade version. However, if you're busy and you just want a quick and delicious meal to offer for breakfast, brunch or even dinner, this one will always please.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil (additional 1/4 cup noted below)
1 Lg Onion, chopped
1 Sm Bell Pepper, chopped
1 Tsp Cumin Seed, Whole
1 Tsp Oregano
1 Can Diced Tomatoes (approx. 15 oz)
1 Can Red Chile or Enchilada Sauce (approx. 14 oz)
1 Can Chicken Broth (approx. 15 oz)
1/4 Vegetable Oil
6-8 Corn Tortillas
6-8 Eggs
1 Cup Cheese, Shredded or Crumbled (I recommend Queso Fresco)

Method

Step 1

Chop the onion and bell pepper into approx 1/2" pieces. As noted, you can prepare this in a variety of ways, so be creative.

Step 2

Heat a medium saucepan over a medium-high heat and add 2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil.

Step 3

Add the onions and bell peppers and saute until soft and lightly browned.

Step 4

Add the oregano and whole cumin seed and continue to cook for about a minute.

Step 5

Add the tomatoes, red chile or enchilada sauce and chicken broth. Raise to a high heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently

Step 6

Once it's come to a boil, reduce to a medium-low heat and simmer for about 30 minutes or until it's reduced to approximately half. While the salsa simmers, prepare the tortillas and eggs.

Step 7

PREPARE TORTILLAS: In a small frying pan (large enough to hold one tortilla) add approximately 1/4 cup vegetable oil and place on a medium heat. Test the oil with a small piece of tortilla to make sure it's ready. It should start to bubble immediately, but make sure it doesn't brown right away.

Step 8

Place a corn tortillas into the oil and cook for about 30 seconds then flip over and cook for an additional 30 seconds. You want them to be fried but not hard.

Step 9

Drain each tortilla on a plate lined with paper towels. Continue until all of the tortillas are done.

Step 10

Fry each egg to your liking. I recommend leaving the yokes runny as that adds something to the flavor of the dish. Of course, if you don't like them like that, it's fine.

The post Huevos Rancheros appeared first on Chef Pablo's Recipes.

Rubio’s™ Fish Tacos Recipe

Chef Pablo — Thu, 10 Apr 2014 23:48:10 +0000

This is what started it all for Ralph Rubio in San Diego, CA. This is also what started my quest for restaurant recipes. When you say the words "fish taco" to anyone who's never had a real Rubio's™ Fish Taco, you'll usually get a grimaced look on their face and a very loud "Ewwwww". Honestly this was my first reaction to the thought in the late 80's when Rubio's opened in Mission Beach. For some reason the combination of a warm corn tortilla, a crunchy hot piece of mild fish and the crisp freshness of shredded cabbage is a mouth tantalizing sensation. Add to this the mild zing of Rubio's™ white sauce and some smokey flavored hot sauce and you'll be craving these yourself. Before you get to the recipe, let me make a couple of notes for you. The tortilla is critical to the taste. Most tortillas you buy in a grocery store are thin, dry and tasteless. If you want the authentic taste of a real tortilla, I HIGHLY recommend Porkyland brand tortillas. Last I knew, this is the same company Rubio's™ uses to make their tortillas. Rubio's has a special recipe but, you can still get your hands on these amazing tortillas through Amazon.com. These are only $3.65 per dozen (in a pack of 6-Dozen) with shipping included. It's WELL worth the time to order these tortillas.

Ingredients

12 pieces (1.5 oz each) of mild tasting fish (Rubio's™ uses Pollock but any cod will work)
12 Corn tortillas
Vegetable oil for deep frying. Amount will vary depending on your fryer.
1 Cup all purpose flour
1 Cup beer. I recommend dark beer such as Guinness
Garlic powder to taste. Start with less and add as you like.
Black Pepper to taste. Start with less and add as you like.
1 Cup of Rubio's™ White Sauce
3 cups finely shredded cabbage
3 medium tomatoes diced
1 medium onion diced
1 cup of chopped cilantro
2 Limes cut into wedges

Method

Step 1

Combine the flour, garlic powder and black pepper. Mix with the beer and let it sit for at least an hour.

Step 2

Wash the fish in water with a bit of salt or some lime juice then dry it completely.

Step 3

Heat the vegetable oil to 375 degrees. If you don't have a thermometer, you can check the oil temperature by dropping a 1" cube of bread and watching for it to float. If it takes a while to float it's not hot enough. But don't overheat the oil or your batter will burn before the fish has a chance to thoroughly cook.

Step 4

Vigorously whisk the batter before dipping the fish. This will help make the batter lighter and crispier.

Step 5

Dip the fish into the batter and immediately into the hot oil. Cook until golden brown, turning as necessary.

Step 6

While you're frying the fish, begin warming your tortillas. The best way to do this is to heat them on a dry hot skillet until hot. Place the hot tortillas in a tortilla warmer and keep covered.

Step 7

Make up the "Pico de Gallo" in a separate bowl. Combine the tomato, onion and cilantro. Set this aside in the refrigerator. This is pronounced "pee-ko dah guy-oh"

Step 8

To assemble your fish tacos: Place a warm tortilla on your plate and place a piece of the fish on the center of the tortilla.

Step 9

Spoon a small amount of the white sauce over the fish. Be liberal with it, but you don't want it to drip out while you're eating. You can also put on a small bit of finely shredded cheese if you'd like, but it's not always used at Rubio's.

Step 10

Spoon some of the "pico de gallo" over the fish, put a small handful of the cabbage on top and squeeze a bit of lime over the top.

Step 11

If you like your food spicy, put one some of the very unique Rubio's Hot Sauce. You'll love it!

Step 12

Fold up the tortilla and enjoy one of the greatest tastes you'll ever experience.

The post Rubio’s™ Fish Tacos Recipe appeared first on Chef Pablo's Recipes.

Rubio’s™ White Sauce

Chef Pablo — Thu, 10 Apr 2014 22:30:53 +0000

I'm almost embarrassed to call this one of the secret restaurant recipes because it's SO simple, but it's such an important part of the Rubio's™ fish taco experience. When my wife and I tried making fish taco's without it (didn't have all the ingredients and we were too lazy to drive to the store), we were amazed at how much the tacos lacked. Whether you're making grilled of fried fish tacos, this is an ingredient friends will rave about. It your choice whether you tell them how it's made or not. Oh and please don't let anyone convince you there are capers in this sauce... they're not. Ok, I warned you, this is VERY simple.

Ingredients

1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1/2 cup Plain Yogurt

Method

Step 1

Mix the mayonnaise and yogurt together in a small bowl and chill for at least 20 minutes.

Step 2

Spoon liberally over the fish before you add the pico de gallo and shredded cabbage.

The post Rubio’s™ White Sauce appeared first on Chef Pablo's Recipes.

CPCS 001: All About Corn Tortillas, Fixing Hard Cookies, and Cooking a Great Steak [PODCAST]

Chef Pablo — Sun, 05 May 2013 18:42:20 +0000

The corn tortilla could very well be the most important ingredient in most Mexican cuisine. It often one of the strongest flavors in a dish and, depending on how it’s cooked, it can define the texture of your food. From chips and salsa to tacos and enchiladas, a quality corn tortilla done well will make a great recipe amazing, but done poorly and you’ll ruin the entire dish.

In this episode, I explain how corn tortillas are made and why “Nixtamalization” mades the corn more nutritious and easier on your digestive system. I also let you in on my secret source for the best pre-made tortillas available anywhere and I explain a few of the different recipes you can make with your corn tortillas.

If you’ve ever been disappointed with your homemade cookies because they turned out way too hard, I tell you how to fix them overnight so you don’t have to throw them away. You’ll also learn how to avoid this problem with my three simple tips.

I answer a couple of listeners questions; How to make a perfect steak or hamburger fully cooked and not dried out. I also give some tips on how to experiment in the kitchen without wasting food on bad results.

Question? Remember, you can Tweet your questions about this episode by using #CPCS1 at anytime and I’ll make sure to reply ASAP. Try it out right now: Click to tweet, even if it’s just to say you’re listening. Go ahead, give it a try. Tweet Now.

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Things Mentioned in this Show:

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Thank You Gift: This is where you can get my free eBook “7 Mistakes You’re Making in the Kitchen That are Destroying Your Meals.” You’ll find other kitchen tips, like the one in this episode on how to fix cookies that are too hard. It’s a free gift for listening to this podcast.

Filipino Lumpia and Pancit Recipe: I mentioned how Lumpia is served at almost every potluck you’ll ever attend in San Diego. It’s usually someones first introduction to the delicious food of the Philippines. Lumpia is the Filipino version of fried egg rolls but with a much thinner and flakier wrapper than what you’d typically find in a Chinese restaurant. Pancit is a Filipino noodle dish made with very thin rice noodles and a variety of ingredients.

Making of a Tortilla Snob: This is a very comprehensive article about my love of the corn tortilla. It compliments this podcast very well and includes information about a lot of things I talk about in this episode. Take a look and share it with any “tortilla snobs” you may know.

Masa Harina Flour: This is the dried “corn flour” you use to make homemade corn tortillas. If you don’t want to go through the soaking and grinding step to make your homemade corn tortillas, this is the next best thing. You can also use this to make homemade tamales. You can also buy your own blue corn flour if you want to make blue tortillas or chips.

Tortilla Press: This will make your homemade tortilla making process a LOT more efficient and enjoyable. A simple press that gives you round consisitent tortillas every time. I bought one just like this about 20 years ago in Rosarita Beach, in Baja California. This one is cast iron and will last for many years. It’s also very affordable, but you can buy an aluminium one for a little less.

Tortilla Warmer: This is a great investment that will become the centerpiece every time you serve up one of your Mexican recipes. If you don’t want to spend the money on it, you can use a bowl with a thick towel and it will do ok. You can also step up to a nice stoneware tortilla warmer as well.

Electric Griddle: This is the exact model of electric griddle I use to make my corn tortillas at home. If you turn it up to it’s highest setting, you’ll end up with great tortillas. You can make about 6-8 tortillas at a time using this.

Porkyland Corn Tortillas: This is my secret source for the best corn tortillas I’ve ever had, other than homemade ones. These come out to $1.82 per dozen which is about the same as you’ll pay for the store bought tortillas. These are thick and soft and have a wonderful corn aroma to them that will make your mouth water. There made by Porkyland Tortillas in San Diego. If you live in the Southwest, you may be able to buy these from your local Costco store as well. I have mine shipped all the way to South Florida and they show up in great condition, fresh and ready to be devoured.

Rubio’s Fish Taco Recipe: A mild fish fillet with a crispy beer batter served on a soft warm tortilla (use the Porkland Tortilla’s I mentioned above) topped with fresh shredded cabbage and a tangy white sauce. The fish taco has become synonomous with San Diego and Rubio’s is the biggest name in the game. This recipe will please anyone who’s ever had the real deal.

Seasoned Taco Meat Recipe: This is my personal seasoning for making taco meat. It’s a wonderful blend you can adjust to your liking. Really easy to make this spicy, if you’d like, or even tone it down a bit so the whole family can enjoy.

Meat Thermometer: If you’re trying to cook your meat to a safe temperature without drying it out and overcooking it, use a meat thermometer. This will save your very expensive cut of steak and eventually you’ll learn the perfect time that will give you your perfect steak.

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The post CPCS 001: All About Corn Tortillas, Fixing Hard Cookies, and Cooking a Great Steak [PODCAST] appeared first on Chef Pablo's Recipes.

Lettuce Wrap Tacos

Chef Pablo — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 01:30:41 +0000

I'm obsessed with Mexican food, but particularly tacos. The wonderful smell of corn tortillas fried just to a slight crisp, filled with juicy delicious seasoned meat, topped with shredded cheese, guacamole and shredded lettuce, it has to be one of the greatest foods ever created. I've come to realize, the tacos I grew up with aren't really the most authentic Mexican recipe, but I think the nostalgia of them from growing up, makes the flavor better than anything else. So, you can imagine how I felt when I started on the Paleo or Caveman Diet and had to cut all grains and dairy out of my diet. What? Corn is a grain? Crap! You're right. What was I going to do? No corn, no cheese, no real taco. Then I remember another recipe I have on my site for Thai Lettuce Wraps from the Cheesecake Factory and thought "I wonder if I could make the same thing but with taco fillings instead of Thai chicken?" I tried a few different types of lettuce before I found the magic solution, hearts of romaine lettuce. They're perfect little boats for filling up with goodness and they wrap up perfectly. This has now become a meal we enjoy at least once per week. It's really simple and the craving for tacos has almost completely gone away. In fact, tacos used to be my "cheat meal" whenever I reached a fitness goal, but now I'm making these things up and don't miss the corn tortillas nearly as much as I thought. In addition to leaving out the corn tortilla, I've also skipped the cheese and sour cream, which you may use if you don't have a dairy intolerance like me. Here you go...

Lettuce Wrap Tacos

Recipe type: Entree

Cuisine: Mexican

Author: Chef Pablo

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 25 mins

Serves: 4

Ground beef taco meets Asian lettuce wrap. Hearts of Romaine lettuce filled with seasoned beef, pico de gallo, guacamole and hot sauce. It's the perfect paleo replacement for tacos.

Ingredients

Seasoned Beef

1 lb ground beef
2 Tbsp Taco Seasoning Mix
½ Cup Water

Pico de Gallo

3 medium Tomatoes
1 medium Onion
1 bunch Cilantro

Guacamole

2 Hass Avocados
Salt and Pepper to taste
½ Lime

Lettuce Wraps

1 Bunch Hearts of Romain Lettuce

Instructions

Seasoned Beef

Brown 1 lb ground beef and drain
Sprinkle on 2 tbs of Taco Seasoning Mix
Add in ½ 3/4 cup of water and mix until seasoning is well blended
Turn to a medium high heat and bring to a low boil for less than a minute
Turn down to medium low and simmer until most of the water is gone (don't dry out the meat completely).

Pico de Gallo

While the meat is simmer dice the onion and tomato and mix.
Remove as many of the cilantro stems as possible and chop.
Mix in with the onions and tomatoes and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve (it keeps for a couple of days).

Guacamole

Slice avocados lengthwise and scoop out the avocado into a shallow bowl
Mash with a fork until nearly smooth (some like it to still have chunks of avocado).
Season with salt and pepper to taste and squeeze ½ a lime into the bowl
Mix until well blended

Lettuce Prep

Separate and wash the hearts of romaine lettuce leaves.
Trim the ends with the thick stalk, just enough to clean them up.

Assembly

Place a couple of tablespoons of seasoned beef into each lettuce leaf
Top with a couple of teaspoons of guacamole
Sprinkle on the pico de gallo
Squeeze a bit of lime juice across the entire lettuce wrap
Top with your favorite hot sauce (Mine is El Yucateco)
Pinch closed and enjoy!

The post Lettuce Wrap Tacos appeared first on Chef Pablo's Recipes.

The Making of a Corn Tortilla Snob

Chef Pablo — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 00:00:05 +0000

I admit it; I’m what some have referred to as a Tortilla Snob. Yes, there are wine-snobs, car snobs and even coffee snobs, which are all terms given to someone who only tolerates the finest of the fine. This makes sense when it comes to wine, cars and even coffee, but the lowly tortilla? Yep, it’s true. I can’t stand cheap flavorless tortillas made in massive factories, which, unfortunately, is just about all you’ll find in your local grocery store. So, let’s talk a little about this not-so-secret love of mine, the corn tortilla.

Origin of the Word Tortilla

The word ‘tortilla’ comes from the Spanish word “torta” which is loosely translated as bread or cake. When you add an “-illa” to a word it means small or little. So, a torta-illa is a small or little bread, which could also be called a flat bread. There you go, you already know more about tortilla’s than most people in America. The actual history of tortillas pre-dates all of the Euro-centric histories and was a staple item of the Aztecs. Originally made out of a corn flour called maize, it wasn’t until the Spanish came to Central America that the idea of using wheat flour was introduced. The corn four used in a corn tortillas is made out of maize or a masa dough, which is simply corn kernels soaked in a very alkaline solution made with water and lime (the mineral, not the fruit). This is called nixtamalization. Doing this converts the bioavailability of the nutrients in the corn and also makes it much easier to digest. When the corn is soaked, it puffs up and the outer husks of the kernels come off and are discarded. This puffed up corn is then ground using a ‘mortar and pestle’ until it makes a paste or dough. This is still the method used to make corn tortillas today and for a snob like me, that’s the way I like it. Modern factories have ditched the mortar and pestle in favor or more efficient tools but I think it looses a bit of the romance of the process. Today you’ll find dry maize flour available in bags just like wheat flour, in most Latin markets or even in the Latin food section in your major grocery stores. If you’re extremely fortunate, you’ll find bags of the fresh maize dough in the refrigerated section but that’s more likely in area’s closer to Mexico. This flour can be used for making tortillas as well as tamales. Some have actually concluded that real maize dough could fit into a Paleo diet without much trouble, assuming you’ve soaked the corn properly. Of course, the puritans of the diet would say otherwise, but, it’s a lot better than the wheat flour and I don’t really mind “cheating” with corn tortillas every once-in-a-while.

Variations on the Tortilla

Most Americans are familiar with the traditional Mexican corn tortillas, which are thin, and round, about 4-6 inches in diameter, perfect for picking up with one hand. When I travelled to El Salvador, I was thrilled to see much thicker tortillas, almost always made by hand. They’re about 2-3 times thicker than the typical Mexican tortillas, very similar to pita bread. This is also very common in Honduras, and Guatemala. When you stand in your local grocery store looking at shelves full or tortillas, other than size and corn versus flour, the only variation you’ll see are whether you want white or yellow corn. It’s not uncommon to find blue corn tortillas in Mexico, but unfortunately, in North America, these are almost always made into chips (at a higher price than white or yellow corn, for some odd reason). The Worst Form of Tortilla The standard corn tortilla is typically used to make tacos, here in America. It pains me to say, most people will buy and use the pre-formed taco shells, like you find at Taco Bell. You’ve probably used them yourself because it’s incredibly convenient; in fact, they’re used in a lot of Mexican restaurants as well. Being a tortilla-snob this is one of my tests for the authenticity of a Mexican restaurant (the refried beans are the other). If they use pre-formed shells, it’s probably not very authentic and I’m probably going to stay away. The next time you decide to enjoy a taco night at home, walk right past that box of pre-formed tortillas and pick up a bag of fresh corn tortillas to fry up yourself. It’s incredibly easy and the difference in taste and texture will probably come with rave reviews. I’m putting together some information about how to properly fry tortillas for different uses. Once it’s done, give it a try and see. If you REALLY want to knock their socks off, start with homemade corn tortillas and then fry them as you would normally. If you’re a little freaked out about FRYING tortillas and you’re trying to cut the fat in your diet, consider serving up soft corn tortillas as an option for everyone. This is a very common way to serve tacos in Mexico. In fact, if you can find (or make) the smaller 2-3 inch tortillas, you can make up some delicious “street tacos.” If you do want to try out soft corn tortillas, I strongly suggest you make fresh homemade tortillas or buy the thicker tortillas available from the wonderful people at Tortillaland in San Diego. They’ll ship them to you and they are far superior to anything you can buy in a local store (unless you’re in Southern California). That should bring you up to speed on the world of corn tortillas. I’ll tackle the finer points about flour tortillas in another article. In the meantime, here are some of my favorite things to make with my corn tortillas:

Tacos

These are either soft steamed or crispy fried corn tortillas, folded in half, filled, most of the time, with a meat such as beef, chicken, pork, or my favorite, fish. If you want to get adventurous, try some of the best tacos ever filled with beef tongue, cheeks, or tripas (small intestines). I’ve tried them all and they’re delicious. I’ve still not talked myself into trying beef brain tacos, but some rave about them. I’ll have to take their word for it.

Taquitos or Rolled Tacos

Growing up in San Diego, this was a staple in my diet. Back in the 80’s you could get 6 rolled tacos covered in guacamole and cheese for under $2. Dip those in a small cup of hot sauce and I was in heaven. These are very easy to make, in fact, if you make them at home, you can really do them up well with plenty of stuffing. Most taco shops in Southern California serve them with just a sliver of shredded beef in the middle. Don’t get me wrong, they’re delicious, but there’s a reason they’re so cheap.

Tostadas

This is the one exception for me when it comes to the thinner tortillas; I actually like them best for tostadas. Fried flat and crispy, you spread some refried beans on them, top with your favorite meat filling, or just beans, and then top with cheese and shredded lettuce. Pour some hot sauce on and you’re eating a fabulous tostada. In the early days of our family, tostados were a very common meal on the day or two before payday. You can feed a whole family for under $3. No, seriously, you can. Ceviche tostadas are a refreshing and light change on the tostada I mentioned above. It’s basically just the crispy flat tortilla, topped with ceviche and some hot sauce. Ceviche is a seafood medley “cooked” in lemon and/or lime juice. The acid in the juice will actually cook the meat.

Enchiladas

These are a great potluck dish or even a flavorful way to do up a quick dinner, if you want a change from your regular tacos. Corn tortillas are quickly drenched in hot oil to soften them up (you don’t want them crispy), filled with either shredded chicken, beef or just cheese then rolled up and smothered with a red chile sauce. Sprinkle some cheese on top and you’ve got a great dish. Usually the chicken tacos are served with a green tomatillo sauce instead of the red chile and then a dollop of sour cream. In most Mexican restaurants, each tortilla is prepared and rolled up by itself, placed on a plate with one or more enchiladas and then covered in sauce. When we make them for a potluck we put them all in a glass tray, pour the enchilada sauce on top, sprinkle with plenty of cheddar cheese and then bake them in the oven for 15-20 minutes. If you want to try something extra special and unique, replace the red or green enchilada sauce with “mole sauce.” This is a dark sauce made with chocolate (it’s not sweet), chilies, nuts and other spices. It has a unique flavor that I love, but some can do without.

Chips

Of course, you can always cut your tortillas up and fry them in some oil to make your own homemade tortilla chips. Doing these yourself will always taste a lot better than the bags of chips you buy at the store, but it will take an investment of time. Once you pull them out of the oil, sprinkle with some salt and serve with your favorite salsa. If you want to spruce these up even more, sprinkle some shredded cheese on them while their still warm and let it all melt into a gooey goodness.

Chilaquiles

This is a great breakfast dish that’s traditionally made with stale tortillas from the night before. Of course, you don’t have to use stale tortillas; it’s just a nice way to not waste food. Tear or cut up your old tortillas and fry them in some oil or lard until they’re semi-crispy. You then toss them with some red chile or enchilada sauce and top them with a fried egg. But, don't stop with an egg, you can make chilaquiles with chicken or beef as well, quickly and easily turning it into a great lunch or dinner. Well, there you have it, everything you need to know about the corn tortilla. I hope you’ll try making your own sometime so you can join me in your refusal to eat those tasteless thin things they sell in the grocery stores. Do you have a favorite recipe made with tortillas? Do you have a special recipe for a great taco or enchilada filling? Please share it in the comments below so others can enjoy. As always, if you have any questions or need something clarified, please comment and I’ll make sure I do whatever I can to help you out.

The post The Making of a Corn Tortilla Snob appeared first on Chef Pablo's Recipes.

The Olive Garden Salad Recipe

Chef Pablo — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 14:21:32 +0000

I'm not sure why, but the Olive Garden Salad Recipe seems to be better then most salads. Maybe it's because they mix it up for you at the table, tossing in their special Olive Garden Salad Dressing recipe, which I've included here as well. Maybe it's because of the fresh grated Parmesan cheese they put on top. Regardless, this is wonderful salad which could serve as a side or even the entree.

Investigating the Olive Garden Salad Recipe

When it comes to restaurant recipes, this one is one of the easiest to figure out, except for that signature Olive Garden salad dressing. That takes some work, but I think we've got a very close copy cat recipe here. We've build this based on your feedback, so please leave a comment if you know of a way to improve on this recipe.

The Secret of the Olive Garden Salad Dressing Recipe

The Olive Garden salad dressing recipe is a simple base of mayonnaise and vinegar. We achieve the unique Olive Garden tangy and sweet blend with the addition of corn syrup and lemon juice. The Italian flavors come from the Romano and Parmesan cheeses added to the dressing as well as the herbal blend.

Creating Your Own "American Blend" Salad.

You'll notice, we're just using a basic "American Blend" salad found in the prepackaged bags in your produce department. If you'd like to create your own fresh blend, it's fairly simple. The main ingredients are the Iceberg and Romain lettuce. Mix in some grated carrot, chopped red cabbage and sliced or even slivered radishes. Again, the bag is a much simpler option for the Olive Garden salad recipe, but some people love the process of making their own. Note: make sure you're mixing this up in a chilled salad bowl. This will add greatly to the fresh and crispy texture of the salad.

Ingredients

1/2 Cup - Mayonnaise
1/4 Cup - White Vinegar
1 tsp - Olive Oil, for salad dressings
2 Tbsp - Light Corn Syrup
4 Tbsp - Romano Cheese
1 Clove Garlic, minced
1/2 tsp - Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp - Parsley Flakes
1 Tbsp - Lemon Juice
Sugar to taste (optional)

Salad Ingredients

1 Bag - American Salad Blend (Dole brand works well)
4-5 Rings - Red Onion, sliced
4-6 Black Olives
2-4 Pepperoncini's
1/2 Cup - Croutons, large
1 small Tomato, sliced thick
Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated

Method

Step 1

Before you begin, place your salad serving bowl into the freezer to get it well-chilled.

Step 2

Place all of the dressing ingredients (mayonnaise, vinegar, olive oil, corn syrup, Romano cheese, garlic, Italian seasoning, parsley flakes, and lemon juice) into a blender or food processor. Mix these until they're well blended, about 10-15 seconds should be enough

Step 3

Taste the dressing and determine if it's a bit too tart for you. If so, add a bit of sugar, one dash at a time and blend again. I don't use any sugar, but some had said they prefer it.

Step 4

Pour the dressing into a carafe or other container and place into the refrigerator until it's chilled, about 30 minutes, at least.

Step 5

Remove your serving bowl from the freezer and put the entire bag of salad blend into it.

Step 6

On top of the salad blend, arrange the red onion slices, black olives, pepperoncini's, tomato slices and croutons.

Step 7

Serve this right away with the dressing on the side or toss it in at the table. Offer the fresh parmesan cheese for those who prefer it.

The post The Olive Garden Salad Recipe appeared first on Chef Pablo's Recipes.

How to Save Time, Money and Your Health with eMeals Menu Planning.

Chef Pablo — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 12:28:56 +0000

Life's Most Valuable Items

Most would agree, the three most valuable things in life are our health (and the health of our loved ones), our time and as much as we don’t want to admit it, our finances. Great news, I’m about to show you how to live a much healthier life, gain a whole bunch of free time and save a lot of money on one of your largest budget items, groceries.

How You're Mostly Likely Wasting a Lot of Time.

If you’re a working parent, or you stay home with the kids during the day, and even for those who don’t have any kids or a significant other, getting dinner on the table is usually a huge portion of your day. Not only is there the obvious, cooking the meal, but also there’s the time you spend preparing the meal, remembering to take meat out of the refrigerator the night before or that morning and that’s assuming you know what you’re going to make beforehand. For most of us, it doesn’t work that way. For most, we go to work hoping we’ll figure something out for dinner during the day. In fact, that may be what you’re doing here right now. You’re looking for some sort of inspiration and then hoping you have everything you need to make what you’re now craving. If you don’t, well, now you’re going to have to give up more of your time by running by the store to get the one or two items you need, along with several impulse items, you probably shouldn’t be buying, for the sake of your budget and your waistline.

Time Should Be More Precious Than Money

You’re probably spending a good 15-30 minutes each day, trying to figure out what to make and then another 15-30 minutes making a daily detour to the grocery store. In the course of a typical week, you’re spending about one to three hours just repeating this painful cycle. What’s your time worth? It’s really the only thing in life that’s completely limited. You can always make more money, but you can never make more time. 24 hours each day, that’s what we all get, whether you’re Bill Gates or that guy pushing a shopping cart down the street.

This is Costing You a Years Worth of Vacation

As we can see, you’re probably spending at a minimum, 1-2 hours a week making last minute trips to the grocery store and scouring the internet for something creative to make for dinner. That’s 1-3 weeks a year in wasted time. If you’re like most of us, you get about that much time each year in vacation from your job and we’re wasting it every single day.

Where's A Good Chunk of Your Money Going?

Now let’s look at the money situation when you follow the typical meal planning schedule, or lack there-of. Every financial expert will tell you, if you want to slash your grocery budget, the very first thing you should do is limit the number of times you go to the store. It’s true, if you go to the store and get all of your shopping done for the whole week, you’re going to buy a LOT fewer impulse items and as we all know, carrots and apples are NEVER impulse items. Most of the time, it’s crackers, chips, snacks and candy, the most expensive items in the store. Someone once told me, “to save money at the grocery store, stay around the perimeter and only venture into the middle area if you absolutely need to and only for something specific.” Most impulse items are in the middle, or worse, at the checkout counter.

Who Has Time For Researching Sale Items?

The other way you’re wasting cash when you don't plan your meals is by not taking advantage of sale items. When you make a last minute trip to the store to get something on your way home, you’re in a hurry and you usually don’t have time to check out whether it’s a good deal or not. You just need a pound of ground beef and you don’t care whether it’s $2.45 per pound or $1.87. You need a pound of ground beef and you don’t have time to figure out something else to make, because you’ve got to get home. Is there a coupon for that seasoning mix in the newspaper? Who knows, you just need it and you don’t have time to stop, pick the flyer up at the door and shop for deals. It’s reality for most of us, right?

The Most Precious Irreplaceable Thing You Have

Ok, so wasting money is one thing, we can always cut somewhere else in the budget, or maybe hope we can make a bit more after our annual review with our boss. Even time, we can hopefully make-up somewhere else. So the last minute trip to the grocery store took 30 minutes, that may mean you miss the first part of American Idol, which isn’t really catastrophic. But let’s talk about your health. Listen, you’re not going to be able to cut somewhere else if your health deteriorates and when it does, it’s not going to cost you 30 minutes of tonight’s reality television, it’s going to cost you, potentially, years spent with your loved ones. I don’t want to overstate it, but our health is a very precious item. When we’re rushed, we tend to make very poor health decisions. We’ll forgo that 30 minute cardio class at the gym, or even worse, instead of a healthy balanced meal, we’ll swing through the drive-thru and pick up something quick, just this once, right?

Death By Impulse

As we talked about impulse items above, in reference to saving money, most impulse purchases at the grocery store are for the absolute unhealthiest items. We’re walking by the bakery and those muffins look amazing (not to mention how great they smell) and one would hold us over perfectly until we can get home and get dinner on the table. It’s very often the demise of our dietary goals. The number one place grocery stores get us with impulse items is while we’re standing in the checkout line. Ever notice that they never put the fresh produce there? It’s never a bin full of broccoli or a display case full of leafy greens. It’s candy, chips and other junk food. They know, most people are hungry when they go in the store and they’re absolutely starving by the time they get to the checkout line. We rationalize with ourselves and believe the lie that “Snicker’s really satisfies.” For about 20 minutes it will satisfy and then those 300 calories cause you to crash and burn.

Wasting Your Time, Robbing Your Bank Account and Probably Killing You

So, we’ve clearly established that our current way of handing the families food budgeting and planning is hurting our finances, wasting our time and costing us our well-being, at best, and potentially years of healthy vibrant living with our family. Imagine if you were able to get more done at work because you’re not taking up time trying to figure out dinner. Or what if you were able to come straight home, knowing your meal was already planned out and you could gain that time to rest and recharge instead of scurrying around a crowded grocery store. Imagine if you limited the number of times you were tempted to cheat on your diet. Imagine if every week your food plan revolved around the items that were on sale at the grocery store. You’d save time, money and you’d lead a much healthier life. But, it would probably take hours of planning and researching, right? Nope…. What if I offered to:

Plan out every dinner for your family this week?
Take into consideration your personal dietary preferences, such as eating:
- Low Fat
- Low Carb
- Paleo
- Vegetarian
- Gluten Free
- Simple Gourmet
- Or good old American Classic meals (Like Mom made).
Research all the sales at your favorite store and plan your meals around them?
Gave you a shopping list for everything you’ll need this week, organized by sections in your specific store.

All That for How Much?

What would you be willing to pay for that? Would you be hand me a $20 bill each week for a service like that? WAIT… What if I told you it wasn’t ~~$20~~ and it wasn’t even half that each week? In fact, what if I told you it was just over $1 per week for a complete service like this? Would you be interested? You know it would save you a lot more than $1 in food savings, time savings and healthier living. In fact, it’s estimated it would save the average American family over $1000 each year! Seriously… that’s a lot of money!

Enter eMeals Menu Planning

When I first heard about eMeals Menu Planning and how comprehensive it was, I figured it was going to be at least $20 to $30 per month, if I was lucky. Truthfully, I probably would have considered paying it too. But when I saw it was only $5 a month, there was no way I wasn’t going to give it a try. I spend at least that much each time I go to the grocery store, on those ridiculous impulse items we discussed. $5 each month… just over $1 per week (I chuckle as I write this) and you get all of this. Crazy! Here’s How eMeals Works:

You pick your plan tailored specifically for you. You get to choose your favorite eating style, whether that’s classic recipes we all love, or something special like low carb, low fat, portion control, Paleo, "clean eating," natural and organic, vegetarian, gluten free, or a number of other options. Once that’s done, you’ll choose your family size, including an option for 1 or 2 people, or a family of up to 6.
Next you’ll choose your favorite grocery store, whether that’s Publix, Ralphs, Safeway, Kroger, or even Whole Foods. You even have the option of choosing Target or Wal-Mart. You’ll be able to tailor it to exactly where you already shop so no need to change.
Then, every week, you’ll get a meal plan in your email inbox, with seven very delicious and creative meals that fit your eating style. They’ll even include a number of recipes for you to try and they always include an entrée and the side dishes. It’s all taken care of for you.
Attached to the menu items will be a complete shopping list organized by section and coordinated with your store's weekly sale items, to make sure you save every dime possible, without any extra effort. eMeals does all of it for you.

Weekly Dinner Menus with Matching Grocery List

You get all this:

Meal planning around your dietary requirements (so you’re more likely to stay on your diet and reach your goals)
An organized grocery list you can get done in one trip to the store each week (so you’re going to get back all that time you wasted on those last minute trips to the store on your way home)
You’re going to take advantage of the sale items at your store (so you never pay more than you need to pay).

Really? Just $5 a Month? Really?

So, all this for $5 per month; there’s got to be a catch right? Nope, that’s it… $5 per month.

If you want to add in weekday lunches, you can do that as well. For an additional $4 per month, you’ll get 5 packable weekday lunches for up to 4 people.

If you want to add on a healthy breakfast for each weekday for up to 4 people, you can do that as well for just $3 per month.

But, those are not required and you’ll save so much time and money already with the dinner planning, the other items might be a nice luxury you can now afford.

Ready to Try eMeals? Click Here

The Bottom Line

At a minimum, give the eMeals dinner plan a try and see how it will save you time, money and provide you with a much healthier lifestyle. It seems like a luxury but it’s truly become a necessity for many people. In fact, financial guru, Dave Ramsey highly recommends eMeals Menu Planning for all of his listeners and if you've ever listened to his radio show, you'll know, he's never one to suggest spending money on anything you don't absolutely need.

The post How to Save Time, Money and Your Health with eMeals Menu Planning. appeared first on Chef Pablo's Recipes.

The Paleo Diet: A Fad or Sound Nutrition?

Chef Pablo — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 03:07:29 +0000

A couple of weeks ago, I started a 5-week bootcamp which consists of about 30 minutes (plus some warm up and cool down time) of hard exercise. No gimmicks in this plan, just lots of exercise, in a group setting, but still allowing you to stay at your own pace. As I write this, I'm on day 10. The first day, I brought in a 3-day food diary and on it were some items I knew they wouldn't approve of, but I explained that I run a cooking website and I have to try these recipes I create before I put them online. They said, "If you want to get the most out of your five weeks, here's the diet we recommend." Well, it was the Paleo Diet (or Caveman Diet), which I heard about first from the author of the 4 Hour Body by Tim Ferris. I decided, I would use the 5 weeks to focus on this method of eating and offer some new healthy recipes for the website as well. But first, I want to catch you up on this whole "Paleo Diet" idea.

The Paleo Diet

If you haven't heard of the Paleo Diet, you will soon, and most likely, often. It seems to be something a lot of people are moving to in an effort to return to a more natural way of eating. It's also known as the Paleolithic, Caveman, Hunter-Gatherer or Stone Age Diet. It's based on the eating habits (partially presumed, I imagine) of those who lived during the paleolithic period which lasted for about 2.5 million years until about 8,000 BCE, when man started to engage in agricultural activities, including cultivation of the ground and farming specific foods, which were easy to grow. Before that, it's presumed, man existed on the foods he could find growing in the wild, along with animals he was able to successfully hunt down and kill. During the Paleolithic period, scientists can safely hypothesize man didn't have dairy cows, hence no dairy products in this diet plan. Man also didn't have access to mass quantities of farmed grains and certainly didn't engage in the processing of those grains to make flour. Obviously, the foods man existed on were fresh and completely unprocessed.

The Modern Diet

Today, as we've heard in documentaries such as Food, Inc., our food is sometimes genetically modified to produce higher-yields (not necessarily more nutritionally dense though) and it's given a genetic twist to make it more insect resistant, which reduces the cost of pesticides. Not really a good diet for us to be consuming, and that's just the stuff you buy in the meat and produce section. Once you head into the middle aisles at the store, you get into every sort of processed and mass produced "food" available. Read the ingredients on the backs of these products and you'll be hard-pressed to even pronounced most of the items.

Want to avoid 99% of the bad food available? Don't buy any food items advertised by the media.

A More Natural Way of Eating

So, the Paleo diet is designed to take us back to those days when we ate more naturally. To me, this makes an incredible amount of sense and it's something I've believed in for a long time, I just didn't know it had a name. I've always said, if it's naturally occurring, it's probably good for you, when combined with a balance of other naturally occurring foods. So let's look at what makes up a well-balanced Paleo diet and some resources you can use that will help you look into this further.

The Basics of a Paleo Diet

I was going to list all the items you should remove from your diet, but that can sometimes cause one to focus on the negatives rather than all the wonderful things you can and should eat, almost in abundance, though you should meter your portions if you're trying to lose weight. But, you'll find, when you eat healthy, naturally occurring foods found in a Paleo diet, you'll most likely eat a lot more and feel considerably more satisfied. So, let's talk about some wonderful foods you should embrace.

Good News Meat Lovers

Think back to everything you've ever learned about Paleolithic (or cave) man and what they might possibly eat. They're known as hunter-gatherers, so you can imagine a good amount of their food came from what they were able to hunt. But, keep in mind, their hunting wasn't like our modern day hunting. We drive to the grocery store, grab a cart and walk to the meat department and then "hunt" for a nice looking piece of meat and toss it in the cart. Paleolithic man would spend days sometimes, tracking animals and learning their patterns. Miles of chasing animals and even more time making their hunting tools. The calories they consumed in meat were most likely used obtaining more meat. That's not the case for us today. So, exercise is important as well if we're going to follow this sort of eating plan. When you're on the Paleo diet, you're able to eat all sorts of meat, fairly freely. Chicken and turkey, of course, but you'll be happy to know, you can leave the skin on it with the Paleo diet. You may be surprised to find out you can also eat beef, pork, lamb, goat and even game meats (it only makes sense). You are encouraged to find the freshest, least processed and factory-farmed meats, which tend to not have all the steroids, added coloring, and preservatives. Eggs are also allowed, and yes, you can eat the yolk! Another item that might surprise you, you can eat organ meats as well. Again, be careful in the deli where you're going to find most of these items loaded up with preservatives and nitrites.

Cavemen Fished for Food

As you can imagine, some Paleolithic communities were located by the ocean, or large bodies of water, even if they weren't, they most likely lived near some source of water, large or small. Where there's water, there's fish and they most likely ate them. Almost every type of fish is allowed, including shellfish. Keep in mind, unfortunately, today, with the industrial revolution, some of our bodies of water have been polluted by heavy metals and you need to watch for high concentrations of mercury in some fish. Smaller fish, such as sardines and anchovies are not only less likely to have high levels of mercury, they are also great sources of Omega-3 fatty acids which are incredibly good for you. Some of the most nutrient dense foods available to us come in the form of sea vegetables or seaweeds. So, don't be afraid to enjoy these items from the oceans as well.

Nuts and Seeds

Photo courtesy of Lain Buchanan via Flickr

You can enjoy just about every type of nut or seed you can find. But, keep in mind, despite the name, peanuts, are not nuts, but rather, legumes (beans). They're not always discouraged, but some of the more pure followers will avoid them. Nuts are a very calorie dense item, so people who are trying to lose weight should put a limit on how many they eat each day. Almonds and cashews are both wonderful nuts you can enjoy, along with so many others. One good way to limit the amount of nuts you eat is to buy them still in the shell. Cracking open a single almond, chewing on it and then working on opening up another one is a lot better than reaching into a can of almonds and tossing 10-12 into your mouth at a time. Nut butters are also allowed and can make for a wonderful snack. You can also use crushed nuts to make a wonderful coating for some of your cooked meats. It is a great replacement for breading.

An End to the Fear of Fat

Believe it or not, in it's most natural form, fat is an incredibly nutrient dense food item. Unfortunately, with todays corporate profit-driven food industry, most fats you find are going to be highly processed and void of any nutritional value. Because of this, avoid the highly processed fats such as canola, corn, and vegetable oil (or any other vegetable based oils high in Omega-6 fatty acids). You'll also want to avoid shortening or any other hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils.

Photo courtesy of "I Believe I Can Fry" on Flickr

This is going to come as a shock to most, but lard and tallow (a rendered beef fat) are permitted on the Paleo diet, as they're naturally occurring foods. Of course, as with all fats and other calorie-dense foods, if you're trying to lose weight, you're going to want to make sure you limit these. Otherwise, you can also enjoy plenty of olive oil, coconut oil and avocado oil. Other oils or fats allowed, but not as common, include walnut, hazelnut, and macadamia nut oils. Grapeseed oil is also permitted, but it's a bit higher in Omega-6 fatty acids, so you'll want to limit it's use. Fats not only have their own nutritional value, they play a vital role as a transporter of nutrients from your other foods, to the cells and organs needing them. For this reason, you'll find most Paleo diets suggest you eat your foods in balanced combinations of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. All these components work in a synergistic way to multiply the nutritional benefit of each other.

So What's Not Allowed on a Paleo Diet?

The very first step is to remove all processed foods from your diet. This doesn't mean you can't have frozen foods or certain meats such as sausage, but it certainly is preferred you don't consume items that are made in a giant factory. Take a look in your cupboard and see what you can find that's processed by a factory, but really isn't something that naturally occurs. Some very easy items for you to identify and remove would be cookies, pastries, chips, crackers, and almost everything you find in the middle of a grocery store. Almost everything. This rule really could apply to just about any diet plan focused on healthy eating.

Cavemen Didn't Milk Cows, Baby Cows Did That

You have to realize, milk is designed to grow a baby cow into an adult cow.

The allowance of dairy in the Paleo diet is sometimes debated among the Paleo diet folks, because milk is a naturally occurring food item, but keep in mind, that's not what's sitting on grocers refrigerator. If you insist on having dairy in your diet, it's best to find a raw milk supplier in your area. If that's not available, find the least processed milk products available, which will most likely be the full-fat whole milk. Again, fat isn't bad for you when in it's natural form. This is something that's going to take a huge mindset change for a lot of people, but evidence is showing, people with heart disease and high blood pressure most likely got that from a diet high in sugar and refined grains, not high in naturally occurring fats. Of course, as always, follow your doctors guidelines, not mine. Keep in mind, dairy isn't just milk, but also includes yogurt, cheese, butter, sour cream, ice cream (anything with the word cream) and even powdered milk. This one took a little bit of a change for me because I absolutely love a good strong cheese with some fruit and a glass of wine. In fact, it's one of my greatest guilty pleasures. I do think, once you've broken free from daily use of these items, it wouldn't hurt to have a feast from time-to-time where you enjoy some of them, without any guilt. I happen to be lactose intolerant, so removing dairy from my diet had a fantastic and almost immediate benefit. Because of my lactose intolerance, I've always been careful and very conscious of when I have dairy. The fact is, just about everyone eventually becomes lactose intolerant, as our bodies aren't designed to ingest a lifetime of these foods, especially on a daily bases. Unfortunately, some people who don't develop their lactose intolerance until later in life, never realize that's what is at the root of their discomfort.

Beans, Beans, They're Good for ... nothing!

Beans, or more appropriately, legumes seem like something we should all be eating more of, not less. In fact, I've seen a lot of studies indicate legumes are incredibly good for you and "heart healthy." Black beans have been a staple in my diet for a very long time because 1) they're delicious, but 2) they're supposed to be good for me. So, what's the deal? Why aren't legumes allowed in a Paleo diet plan? Lectins! It's these little things called lectins, which make legumes a bad choice for a healthy Paleo diet. I know, what are lectins? They're what's called an "anti-nutrient." I know, so what's an anti-nutrient? Haha, I'll walk you through my understanding of this, but you may want to research it a bit further because I know this is an area a lot of people are going to struggle with if they consider shifting to a Paleo diet. Dont' be alarmed, lectins are everywhere, including inside of you right now. In fact, lectins are inside of every plant and animal around. With many plants, lectins are a quasi-pesticide because they cause severe discomfort when one of these pests ingests them (animals, even humans, are sometimes considered pests as well). Lectins are a very sticky molecule because they're natural function is to bind with sugars or carbohydrates. But, because of this, they'll also often bind with the intestinal walls when they're consumed. This causes all sorts of problems such as leaky gut syndrome, auto-immune syndrome, fybromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and even pre-diabetes conditions. Again, I'm just giving you the surface of the information. I strongly encourage you to take some time and research this. One fantastic source I've been referencing for almost 15 years is the Weston A. Price Foundation. Tremendous information about the modern Western diet and the adverse health effects it's causing. I'll have some more resources for you at the end of this article. Oh, don't forget about hummus and peanut butter. Both of these items are made out of legumes. Yes, a peanut, isn't really a nut, even though the word's in it's name. Because they're also legumes, they're high in lectins and cause the same issues all the other legumes can cause. Hummus, as much as we've been taught about how great it is for us, is made from chick peas (not really peas) also known as Garbanzo beans. Wait... I know one thing you're probably thinking: Coffee BEANS! "Yikes, there's no way I'm going to be successful with a diet that requires me to give up my morning coffee, people might die." Haha, I'm with you, that's a tough thought. Truth is, just like a peanut isn't a nut, a coffee bean isn't a bean. Actually coffee beans are berries. In fact, people in Central and South America will often eat the "Coffee Cherries" (as they're called) which taste quite sweet when the bitter skin is removed. So, don't worry, coffee isn't going away. Close call.

Grains Are Also Very High in Lectins (Just Like Beans)

While we're on the topic of lectins and how they can cause all sorts of health issues, I'll need to let you know, grains are another major source of gut damaging lectins. In the Paleolithic time, grains may have been found growing in the wild and man may have even eaten them, but probably not more than once and certainly not in the amounts we're afforded with the help of modern agricultural advances. Because of the lectins, grains, just like legumes, cause intestinal discomfort. Even if you dont' feel that discomfort, they still causes havoc in your system which bring on other issues you may not relate to grains, such as auto-immune disease, chronic fatigue syndrome and again, just like with legumes, leaky gut syndrome, which leads to other issues. With the Paleo diet, grains are avoided because of the lectins and not because of a fear of carbs, like with other diets such as the Atkins plan. With the Paleo diet, you're still getting carbs, you're just finding them in other things such as fruits and vegetables. Your body needs carbs, just like it needs proteins and yes, even fats. The only way you can make grains worse for you is to process the heck out of them and that's what we do in the western diet. Most breads you find are made of very refined wheat, which presents a new problem because they're converted into sugar rapidly, which causes a spike in your insulin levels, overworking your pancreas. If you continue to abuse your pancreas like this, it will eventually just give up and that's when you see the symptoms of Type-II Diabetes. It's an epidemic in America but we still shovel pounds and pounds of refined grains into our systems. Do yourself a favor, even if you decide against following the Paleo diet, give up on all those refined flour products including breads, bagels, crackers, noodles, breakfast cereals and all those pastries and donuts (they also have shortening in them most of the time). If you want to take it a bit further, drop the white rice as well and stick with brown rice or even quinoa, though, neither of these are permitted with the paleo diet.

Highly Processed and Refined Oils

In order to get the oils out of corn, cottonseed, safflower and soybeans, companies have to use a chemical extraction process.

As I stated above, fat is good for you, if it's a natural fat. Unfortunately, most of the fats we consume come from cooking oils such as Canola, Peanut, Corn, Sunflower, Safflower, Vegetable and several others. Knowing what you learned above, I'm sure you can see why we want to avoid the corn, peanut and soybean oils, but why the others? All of these fats are produced to simply provide you with something to fry your food, not to give your body nutrition. It's the same thing we see with fruits and vegetables. Nobody buys them based on how many nutrients they have in them (Oranges for sale: $1.99 per milligram of vitamin C), we buy it completely by volume. Corporate farms are motivated to provide high yields of produce, regardless of the nutritional density. The same goes for fats and oils. Nuts, seeds and olives have produced fats for humans for many years, through the use of a press. In order to get the oils out of corn, cottonseed, safflower and soybeans, companies have to use a chemical extraction process. I think we can see, right off the bat, why that's not the best or most natural thing for you body. But, let's dig a bit deeper. All of the oils you want to avoid in the Paleo diet are very susceptible to oxidation and becoming rancid (go bad). When something oxidizes and you ingest that, you're increasing the number of potentially cancer causing "free radicals" in your system. This is the reason ANTI-Oxidants are so important in your diet. As for going rancid, you can usually smell if something isn't good or fresh any longer. But, with these oils, manufacturers add in deodorizers to the process to avoid this problem. So, in affect, you may be using rancid oil right now but don't realize it because it smells fine. Disgusting!

The Omega Fats - 3 and 6

The other issue with all of these non-Paleo oils is the issue of Omega-6 Fatty Acids. You've probably heard of Omega-3 Fatty Acids, which are incredibly good for you (found in abundance in most cold-water fish). Most people don't realize, in order for you to gain the benefits of the Omega-3 fatty acids, you must have a very good balance between both Omega 6 and Omega-3 Fatty Acids. This is where the problem happens. If most of what you're consuming in the form of fats and oils are Omega-6, then you're going to throw this balance way off. Let's start with the worst offender in this area, peanut oil. It's sad to say, but there are absolutely no Omega-3's in peanut oil. So, I think you can see why it's easy to toss this one out of the mix. Cottonseed, grapeseed and safflower oils all have a ratio of over 100 to 1 (Omega-6 to Omega-3). Again, not hard to see why you should dump these. Corn and soybean oil all have a ratio below 100 to 1 which is closer to what you want, but not close enough. What about Canola oil? That's supposed to be much better for you. In fact, Canola oil has a ratio of about 2:1 and is the best of the bunch. What is Canola oil anyway? Is there a Canola plant? It actually stands for CANadian Oil Low Acid. It comes from the rapeseed which requires a chemical process in order to extract it's oils. This is most often done using Hexane, which is highly toxic for humans. This process also eliminates most of the nutrients you'd find in this oil if you were able to extract it in a more "natural" way.

Chris Kresser L. Ac, has put together a great amount of information about Paleo lifestyle in general and it's well worth your time to spend some time at his website. Here's an article about the relationship between Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids.

Sugar: The Truth is Bitter Sweet

This topic really comes down to processing, for most sweeteners, which goes against the drive for "all things natural." Yes, sugar is a natural product from the sugar cane plant, but the method it's derived allows us to have it in heavy concentration... very heavy concentration. Your typical table sugar is made up of two types of two different types of sugar, glucose and fructose. Glucose is a wonderful nutrient which your body needs and it's readily absorbed into your system and converted into immediate usable energy. This is accomplished because of it's easy absorption into your cells. Keep in mind, glucose is healthy in moderation. Fructose is an entirely different animal than glucose. In fact, fructose isn't as readily absorbed into your cells and used as energy. Instead, it's sent off to your liver where it's almost immediately turned into fat, to be used as energy at a later time. Too much fructose being sent to your liver has been linked to a condition, very similar to cirrosis of the liver, typically caused by overconsumption of alcohol. This condition is called Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and has been linked to diabetes and obesity. You most often hear of fructose being mentioned in High Fructose Corn Syrup, which is the main source of sweetener for most juices and sodas. Why? Because it's considerably cheaper than cane sugar, thanks to corn subsidies provided to farmers, by the U.S. Government (ie. YOU!). I don't want to get too political, but isn't it ironic our government is, on one hand, discouraging the massive consumption of sodas and juices with high fructose corn syrup, and on the other hand, artificially keeping the cost down on high fructose corn syrup through these subsidies to corn framers? We really may have gone crazy. Haha... If you really want to learn the truth about the sugar epidemic, I'd strongly encourage you to watch this video by Dr. Robert H. Lustig from UC San Francisco. He will explain is great detail why we are all overweight and in such bad health today and the connection all of this has to the increase in sugar consumption. It's 90 minutes long, but it could add many years to your life. So, you do the math, invest 90 minutes, get back many years more. How to Lose Weight on the Paleo Diet If you're just started out on the Paleo diet in an effort to lose weight, make sure you're not consuming too much. The program I'm following is from Hard Exercise Works and is a hybrid on Dr. Barry Sears Zone Diet modified to be Paleo friendly. As a medium build male, I'm eating 5 "Zone Blocks" of protein, carb and fat, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. My snacks consist of 1 "Zone Block" of each. Here's a good breakdown of what a "Zone block" consists of:

1 Protein Block = 7 grams of protein
1 Carbohydrate Block = 9 grams of carbohydrate
1 Fat Block = 3 grams of fat

So, for me, being allowed 5 blocks of each, my breakfast would have 35 grams of protein, 45 grams of carbohydrate and 15 grams of fat. Keep in mind, all of these items would be Paleo diet friendly. So, my 45 grams of carbohydrates would come from fruits and vegetables, not bread and potatoes.

Eat All That You Want

The beauty of the Paleo or Caveman diet is, once you're at your optimal weight, you can really eat all that you want, as long as it's Paleo friendly. Why is this? Basically because all of these items are incredibly nutrient dense and you'll fill up before you've consumed too many calories. Think about that bag of Doritos you've eaten in the past; if you had eaten the same amount of meat, fish, veggies, fruit or even nuts, you'd have been stuffed long before you got to the end of it. What about all those bread sticks you ate the last time you went to Olive Garden? You most likely consumed several hundred calories before you even started your meal. You had 500-600 calories (at least) and you were still hungry for the main course. Paleo foods satisfy your bodies hunger because it gives it exactly what it really needs, nutrition, not just bulk. So, eat up and enjoy! Still not sure about this Caveman or Paleo Diet? Watch this video from a TEDx presentation by a medical doctor who was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (stage 2) and confined, for the most part to a reclining wheelchair and could only walk with a double cane. Seriously, watch it and let her speak for the Paleo diet (also called a Hunter-Gatherer Diet). If you're looking for a great resource to help you get started on the right path to a Paleo or Caveman lifestyle, I highly recommend the Paleo Recipe Book. It doesn't only have recipes, you'll also get

Suggested meals
A meal planner
A book full of Paleo desserts and
A special guide to using spices to make your Paleo meals amazing.

There are numerous recipe sources online and you'll find hours and hours of research to back up what I've presented here. If you're not ready to make the jump at this point, commit to following this program for 30 days and measure the results. Be true to yourself and the experiment and don't cheat. That doen't accomplish anything. Measure your waist at the belly button before you start and again each week and let me know of your results in the comments. You'll find, this is the #1 way to reduce your belly fat as quickly as possible. Over the next couple of weeks, I'm going to be posting some wonderful Paleo Diet friendly recipes. So, be sure to take a moment and subscribe to my newsletter, so you're the first to find out.

The post The Paleo Diet: A Fad or Sound Nutrition? appeared first on Chef Pablo's Recipes.

Buffalo Chicken Wings Recipe

Chef Pablo — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 22:29:14 +0000

Go directly to the recipe Buffalo chicken wings are something you'll see at a lot of parties, potlucks, bars, restaurants and especially at a gathering to watch the Super Bowl. In fact, in an informal survey I did on the Chef Pablo Facebook Page, it was voted the number one item people were planning on having at their upcoming Super Bowl party. They're cut up chicken wings, crispy on the outside, moist and juicy on the inside and coated in a buttery hot sauce mixture. Dunk those into a bit of blue cheese (or Ranch) dressing and wash it down with an ice cold beer. Ahhhhhh... But what's the secret to making the real deal, you know, the original Buffalo chicken wings from Buffalo New York? Well, after a great deal of research, I'm happy to say, you can do this one without much effort. Afterall, they were created in a bar, in Buffalo New York. This is no fancy-schmancy culinary delicacy But it is something you're going to love to make for family and friends.

"Oh my gosh! These are the greatest chicken wings I've ever had! Everyone is going to love this recipe babe. It's going to be your most popular one!" - My Wife

History of the original Buffalo Chicken Wings Recipe

There are a number of different stories on the origin of the Buffalo Chicken Wings Recipe, but the one that seems most reputable comes from The Anchor Bar and the owners Teressa and Frank Bellissimo. It was a late Friday night in 1964 and a number of people came into the bar, all college friends of their son Dominic. They were hungry and they wanted something different. All they had left that was even close to being ready in the kitchen were some chicken wings they intended to use to make some stock for other recipes. With a little creativity and ingenuity, the Bellissimo's cooked up some wing in the deep fryer and slathered them in some hot sauce and butter. They were a bit spicy so they offered up something that would help cut the sting, a bit of blue cheese dressing. The combination was a hit and became a regular request. Word spread and soon, the eventually world-famous Buffalo Chicken Wing was on the menu. Again, it's hard to say whether this is the absolute truth, but it's as close as anyone is willing to get. Here's "The Real Story" as posted in the Anchor Bar in Buffalo. As you can see, this is the story the Bellissimo's are running with and it works. After-all, we don't eat these amazing wings because they have a interesting story behind them, we do it because they're delicious!

The Great Debate

There are a number of things people argue about, in regard to Buffalo Chicken Wings, other than the origin of them. One of them is whether you should use butter or margarine in the sauce. I'm a huge fan of using natural products as often as possible. I think man has done more harm then good in trying to conjure up "healthier" versions of the very things nature provides us. But, in doing my research on the original Buffalo Chicken Wings recipe, I realized most believed the Bellissimo's used margarine and not butter in preparing the sauce. Many cited the way margarine looks when it cools, compared to butter. I don't know if I see that difference, but I can say this, in 1964, the American use of Margarine was really ramping up and it was a very popular item in the kitchen. Many thought, because it's made from vegetable oil instead of animal fat, it's healthier for you. For that reason alone, I would be willing to guess, a bar in Buffalo New York probably used margarine in most of it's recipes in 1964. A lot of restaurants, looking to offer up the distingtive crispy exterior will first coat their chicken wings lightly with some flour. Doing this, will obviously put a bit of a crunchy "skin" on the skin. But, most people seem to agree, the Buffalo Chicken Wings at the Anchor Bar were fried completely naked. There really is no reason to put a flour coating on them if you cook them at the right tempurature. They will come out of the fryer nice and crispy, ready to be tossed in the buttery (or 'margeriney') hot sauce mixture.

The Non-Negotiable's

Fry your chicken wings! Please don't try to duplicate the original recipe with baked wings. Can you reduce some of the fat content by doing this? Of course, but if you're going to be eating chicken wings, just do them right and indulge in the deep fried goodness. This isn't something you should be eating every weekend anyway, so make it a cheat-meal and enjoy the real deal. Only use Franks Original Hot Sauce. There's no debate on this one and I've only seen a handful of people even suggest an alternative. Frank's has a unique flavor and texture which blends well with the margarine. So, even if you have to order it through Amazon, get the real Frank's Original Hot Sauce. Oh and don't use the Franks Wing Sauce, it's NOT the same!

Some Important Notes

In doing my experiments with this recipe, there are a few things I noticed that could make the difference between good and great Buffalo Chicken Wings. First of all, use fresh chicken. Don't buy the individually frozen chicken wings and expect them to turn out just as good. I hope it goes without saying, but cut off tips of the wings and toss them, or put them in a pot and make some broth. Also, make sure you've patted the chicken completely dry after washing each wing. I dried mine and then as I layered them in the bowl, I sprinkled each layer with some salt and freshly ground black pepper. You can go fairly liberally on the pepper, but don't go crazy with the salt, just a nice sprinkling like you would at the dinner table. I really think this is one of the secrets to making these turn out fantastic. Most people fry their wings without seasoning them first. When prepare the sauce, let it simmer a bit on a low or low-medium heat to thicken it up some. Make sure you stir it frequently as the sauce will separate a bit. I'm going to give you the recipe for a "medium" sauce below, which a one-to-one ration of margarine to hot sauce. If you want to kick it up to a spicy level, just make it a three-to-one ration of hot sauce to margarine and the mild is just the inverse of this, three-to-one margarine to hot sauce. In case you're wondering how hot the mediums are, my daughters friend was over and she can never tolerate much spice in her food, but she loved the medium wings. I did up some mild ones as well, but the medium was fine for her too. When you drain the wings, after they come out of the fryer, place them in a single layer on a platter covered in paper towels. This allows them to drain properly without little pockets of oil cooling between the wings. The very last tip, I think, is a very important one for getting your wings to turn out restaurant perfect. Once you've coated them in the hot sauce mixture, place them on a cookie sheet and place them in a 400 degree oven for about 4 minutes. I wouldn't go much longer than this as it will dry out your otherwise, very juicy wings. You just want to bake in the sauce so it's not a slippery mess and I found 4 minutes was the perfect time for this. Ok, so with all that information, it's time for you to enjoy an incredibly simple but delicious Buffalo Chicken Wings recipe. Don't let the simplicity of it fool you into thinking it's not the best you're going to ever taste, as it will be. Also, remember, this is something that was thrown together in a BAR late on a Friday night in Buffalo New York. This isn't a snooty cafe in Paris, preparing an elegant dinner for royalty. It's a BAR... on a Friday night... in Buffalo New York. I hope you enjoy them as much as my daughter and her friends did.

The Recipe:

Buffalo Chicken Wings Recipe

Recipe type: Appetiser

Cuisine: American

Author: Chef Pablo

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 35 mins

Serves: 2-4

The Original Buffalo Chicken Wings recipe from the Anchor Bar in Buffalo New York. Deep fried chicken wings coated in buttery hot sauce mixture and served with a side of blue cheese dressing.

Ingredients

6-8 Pieces whole Chicken Wings
4-6 Cups Oil (I used Canola oil), for frying
Salt
Pepper, Black, freshly ground

Sauce

4 Tbsp Margarine
4 Tbsp Frank's Original Hot Sauce

Instructions

Start by pre-heating your oven to 400 degrees so it's ready when your first batch of wings are done.
Prepare your deep fryer or pan for the chicken wings. You'll need it to be set for 375 degrees and ALWAYS make sure you leave enough room for the chicken and expect the oil to bubble a bit. BE VERY CAREFUL and give yourself more room than you may think you'll need.
Wash the chicken and cut it into three pieces at each joint. You can toss the very tip of the wing or use it for making broth.
Pat the chicken completely dry (you can use paper towels or a regular towel, just be sure to throw it into the washer immediately so you don't accidentally whip your hands with it) and place on a single layer in a plate or bowl.
Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Continue to cut, layer and season the chicken until it's all done.
Check to be sure your oil is ready at 375 degrees
Place the drumettes (the part of the wings that look like mini-drumsticks) into the oil first and cook for about 2 minutes.
Move the chicken around to keep them separated and add in the rest of the pieces of wings. If you're doing more than 6-8 whole wings, do them in batches, depending on the size of your fryer. If you put too many in at one time, you'll drop the temperature of the oil too much. It should drop to about 350 if done correctly.
Cook for an additional 13 minutes (15 minutes total) or until the bubbling slows considerably.
While the wings are cooking, prepare your sauce.
In a small sauce pan over medium heat, add in the margarine and hot sauce. Remember your ratio's (margarine:hot sauce) for hot (1:3), medium(1:1) and mild (3:1).
Once the margarine is melted, simmer over a medium to medium-low heat until the chicken wings are done (approximately 10-15 minutes).
Remove the wings from the fryer and cool in a single layer on a platter covered in paper towels and let drain for about 2 minutes.
Place the wings into a large bowl and pour the sauce over the top.
Stir with a spoon (If you're adventurous, you can try tossing them like you would a frying pan full of sautéed veggies) until completely coated with sauce.
Place on a baking sheet in a single layer and place on the middle rack in the oven.
Bake at 400 degrees for 4 minutes.
Remove from the oven and serve immediately with cool celery and a side of blue cheese dressing.

The post Buffalo Chicken Wings Recipe appeared first on Chef Pablo's Recipes.

Outback Steakhouse Bushman Bread Recipe (with Molasses and Rye Flour)

Chef Pablo — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 12:53:35 +0000

Outback Steakhouse has been serving up this warm delicous dark loaf of bread for many years and people can't get enough of it. If you've never been there, you know the Outback Steakhouse Bushman Bread has a nice crunchy exterior with a warm and airy inside that's perfect for holding lots of melted butter. The flavor is subtle and distinct without being overpowering. If you've never tried this bread, make up a loaf or two tonight and see what your family and or friends think of it. This is the recipe I originally posted before switching to one that I felt people liked a lot more. If you're looking for the one using the coffee, you can find it right here: Outback Steakhouse Bushman Bread recipe. I'd be curious to know if someone does a side-by-side comparison, what the response is from the tasters. I may do that myself in the next couple of weeks. I'll post a video, if I do go that route. In the meantime, back by popular demand, the original recipe as it was before I deleted it (sorry about that).

Ingredients

3 Packages dry yeast
½ cup warm water
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 cup warm water (yes, an additional cup)
½ cup dark molasses
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons oil
2 cups rye flour
2½ - 3 cups bread flour

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Soften yeast in ½ cup warm water.
Stir in the sugar and let stand 6 minutes or until it’s bubbly.
In large mixing bowl combine the yeast/water combo above along with 1 cup warm water with molasses, salt, oil and rye flour.
Mix this until it makes a nice smooth batter.
Work in the bread flour until the dough is smooth and no longer sticky. It should be very pliable and elastic.
Knead the dough for a few minutes and then let it rise in a greased bowl until it’s doubled.
Punch the dough down and shape into 2 large round loaves
Placed the loaves a few inches apart on a greased and cornmeal dusted cookie sheet. Sprinkle a bit of the cornmeal over the top of the loaves as well.
Let loaves rise in a warm place until doubled.
Bake loaves at 375 for about 30 minutes or until the crust makes hollow sound when tapped.
This bread is supposed to freeze very well.

Again, if you're looking for the recipe without the molasses and rye flour, you'll find that here: Outback Steakhouse Bread Recipe.

The post Outback Steakhouse Bushman Bread Recipe (with Molasses and Rye Flour) appeared first on Chef Pablo's Recipes.

Single Cup Coffee Maker Review

Chef Pablo — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 02:40:41 +0000

When it comes to the single cup coffee makers, there's really only two major players, Keurig and Tassimo (or Bosch) coffee makers. There are a few others available, but these two dominate the scene as of this writing, with Keurig leading with a much larger market share than any other. We'll look at why that's happening and whether that means it's the better machine. Starbucks now has their own single cup coffee maker called the Verismo, which is being promoted in the department stores as well as your local Starbucks. There's also options from Nestle's (Nespresso), Mr. Coffee, Breville, Krups, Cuisinart and more. We're going to look at the two biggest and compare the pros and cons with each. It's not that I don't like the other makers, it's just that the market share for them, as well as the coffee availabiliy, is very limited. Most people will gravitate to one of the top two. But, I'd love to have your feedback in the comments, if you think there's another I shouldn't have left out. High Pressure or Low Pressure Most people don't realize the distinct difference between the Keurig and Tassimo, even in the function of each. The Tassimo, along with Starbucks Verissmo and Nestles Nespresso, are high pressure single-cup coffee makers. That means they work more like an espresso maker, using high temperature and pressure water to extract the flavor of the ground coffee beans. The Keurig is more like your standard drip coffee maker, simply running hot water over the coffee grounds. If you were to cut a Keurig K-Cup in half, top to bottom, you'd see it looks just like a miniature coffee filter. Nothing terribly fancy. The high pressure systems are more rigid and able to withstand the pressure the system generates. The Power of a Barcode When you look at the top of a Tassimo T-Disc, you'll see a little bar code printed on each one. This is a very important distinction from the Keurig K-Cups. It tells the coffee maker 1) How much water to run through the system, 2) What temperature to make the water and 3) How much pressure to use. All three of these items work to give you a distinctly different brewing technique for each style of hot beverage. Liquid or Powder When your local coffeehouse makes a frothy latte or cappuccino they take real whole milk and heat and froth it using a steaming system built into the machine. This not only heats the milk to the right temperature it injects air into it to create the foamy and frothy texture you love. Tassimo uses the barcode system to tell the machine to run steam, not water through the real milk T-Disc, leaving you with the same frothy topping on their speciality drinks. With a Keurig system, the K-Cap is filled with powdered milk and because it doesn't have a barcode to distinquish between a K-Cup with coffee or one with milk powder, it simply runs the same water, same temperature and same low pressure through the K-Cup. This will give your coffee the cream it needs but it won't have the froth you love having from the local coffeehouse. Choices, Choices, Choices When my wife and I walk into our local Bed, Bath and Beyond, we are always impressed with the massive selection of coffees and teas available in the Keurig K-Cups. There are walls and shelves covered in every flavor you could imagine, along with brands we love such as Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, Tully's and just about everybody else. When we turn to see what's available in the Tassimo T-Discs, it's kind of embarrassing. No real brands we know and love (most of them are European brand names) and not as many flavors. This is actually what brought on the debate in our house about what's a better single-cup coffee maker. My wife loves Starbucks, who used to be available only in the Tassimo T-Discs, but made an exclusive deal with Keurig in 2011. If you're looking for a specific brand or a huge variety, the K-Cup is going to win hands down (for now). What Should You Choose? It's fairly apparent, I'm sure, I have a bias towards the Tassimo single-cup coffee makers because I believe it's a better machine, with a better cup design, producing a better tasting cup of coffee. If you love coffeehouse specialty drinks like lattes and cappuccinos you're not going to find a better way to make than, other than doing it the old fashioned way with an espresso maker and milk frothing wand. The Chai Latte my Tassimo puts out is rich, creamy and on par with anything I can get at a retail store. Even the chocolate milk available is rich and creamy, using 1 T-disc for the chocolate syrup and another to deliver the milk. My kids love them! If you're the type of person who's been happy with a drip coffee maker and you're considering replacing it with a single-cup machine, the Keurig may be perfect for you. If you rarely change the brand or flavor of your coffee and you aren't impressed with speciality drinks you'll be very happy with a Keurig. I use one everyday at the office because it's best for these types of situations where you have a few selections and all anyone really wants is a regular cup of coffee. The K-Cups also tend to be a bit more cost effective because of the simple design. The Tassimo T-Discs take a bit more to manufacture which contributes to the cost. But, it's not much. Here's a good example from Amazon.com:

Starbucks Pikes Place K-Cup: $0.69 per cup Gevalia Dark Breakfast Blend T-Disc: $0.92 per cup

My Choice I chose the Tassimo and I'm extremely happy with it. I drink about 2 cups of coffee each morning, so the cost difference it very small and I also enjoy having a Chai Latte once-in-a-while in the afternoon, which I don't think I could duplicate on a Keurig. The Tassimo is also an excellent option if you love to entertain and want to give your guests something more than a standard cup of coffee after dinner. Both are available at great prices through Amazon.com:

The post Single Cup Coffee Maker Review appeared first on Chef Pablo's Recipes.

Pad Thai Noodles

Chef Pablo — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 02:44:37 +0000

Pad Thai Noodles are a delicious, tangy, sweet and spicy dish that has become incredibly popular in the United States. It's made with stir-fried rice noodles, tamarind, fish sauce, egg, red chili and typically topped off with crushed peanuts. There are an endless number of variations you can make on this dish, including chicken, shrimp, tofu, or my favorite, all of the above. It's a very complex and nutritious meal that will please just about anybody who tastes it. It became very popular in Thailand during the 1930's when the government encouraged people to make their rice usage by making noodles out of it. This was done because of the huge profits they were making from the exporting of rice and the economy needed the boost. Today, Pad Thai is still called a national dish in Thailand and you'll find it being served in the finest restaurants as well as street vendors on every corner. There are a number of ways you can make Pad Thai noodles, but my favorite is a drier style with firmer noodles. It's taken me a few years to get this down exactly right, but I'll share with you my secret for the perfect Pad Thai Noodles. The recipe I use is made from scratch and it will most likely require a visit to you local Asian market, but it certainly worth the extra effort. If you're looking for a quick fix and don't mind something less than perfect, there are jars of pad thai sauce you can buy at the store, saving you a lot of time. But, we're not going to do that, so let's get cooking!

Pad Thai Noodles

Recipe type: Entree

Author: Chef Pablo

Serves: 6

Ingredients

13 oz Ban Pho - Rice noodles (thin variety)

Sauce

6 tsp Fish Sauce
8 tbsp Tamarind Juice
6 tbsp Palm or Coconut Sugar

Meat and Vegatables

8 tbsp Peanut Oil
¾ lb. fresh Shrimp, shelled, deveined and butterflied
1 package firm Tofu (Cut into thin strips ~1 in. long and ½ in. wide)
10 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
6 Shallots (you can substitute ½ a medium red onion)
½ cup Shrimp (small dried)
½ cup Sweetened Salted Radish, chopped
4 tsp dried Red Chillies, ground
6 Eggs
6 cups Bean Sprouts
2 cups Garlic Chives, cut into 1-1/2 in. pieces

Garnish

1-1/2 cup Unsalted Peanuts, crushed
1 Lime, cut into wedges
10 sprigs Cilantro
8 Green Onions, cut into 1 in. pieces

Instructions

Soak the dried rice noodles in cool or lukewarm water for about 45 minutes to an hour. Do not let them sit for too long or they will get too soft when you cook them. They should still be firm when you remove them from the water.
While the noodles are soaking, in a bowl, mix together the fish sauce, tamarind juice and palm or coconut sugar. Stir this will crushing the sugar to help it dissolve. You'll want to taste this to make sure it has that special salty sweet and sour flavor.
Drain the noodles and set them aside.
I prefer to make this dish in single serving batches. If you try to cook too much at one time, your ingredients will absorb all the heat from the wok and you'll end up simmering the food rather than stir-frying it. So, separate your ingredients into 6 even batches.
Heat your dry wok on as high a heat as possible until it's smoking hot.
Add 2 tsp of peanut oil and very quickly stir fry the shrimp until they turn pink (it shouldn't take very long at all).
Add a quick sprinkling of fish sauce to the shrimp right before removing them from your wok.
These next steps are going to happen very fast, so it's best to have all of your ingredients prepped, measured out and ready to go.
Swirl in a couple of teaspoons of peanut oil and wait 30 seconds for it to heat up.
Add the cut up pieces of tofu and fry for about 2 minutes, stirring gently so you don't break them apart. They should have a nice light golden color to them.
Add the garlic to the tofu and stir fry for about 20 seconds. Just a couple of quick tosses should do the trick.
Add the sliced shallots (or thinly sliced red onion) and toss a couple of times.
Add in the sweetened salted radish, dried shrimp and ground dried chillies, stirring and tossing very quickly with the other ingredients. Less than 30 seconds.
Add the drained noodles and toss well with the other ingredients, cooking very quickly for less than 2 minutes.
Push the noodles up along the sides of the wok, leaving an open area of the wok in the middle.
Add 1 tsp. of peanut oil to the wok. Crack and pour in an egg, scrambling it lightly as it cooks.
Use your spatula to chop up the cooked egg and toss it with the noodles and other ingredients.
Add in the sweet and sour sauce you prepared earlier and toss with the noodles.
If your noodles are too firm, add in a couple of tablespoons of water to and let them cook a couple minutes longer.
Once your noodles have cooked to your liking, add the shrimp back in along with ⅔'s of the bean sprouts and all of the garlic chives.
Cook until the vegatables are wilteded and transfer to a serving plate.
Garnish with the remaining bean sprouts, chopped peanuts, cilantro, green onions and a lime wedge.

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California Breakfast Burrito Recipe

Chef Pablo — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 13:14:20 +0000

I remember waking up on a Saturday morning, living in San Diego, and looking into the fridge to see nothing that really got me excited. That's when I would slip into something that looks like clothes but still feels like pajamas and head to the local taco shop for a California style breakfast burrito. These were giant flour tortillas yielding an equally giant burrito, filled with scrambled eggs, real bacon pieces, chorizo (Mexican sausage), chopped ham, potatoes and plenty of shredded cheese. Take that warm steamy burrito in one hand, a small plastic cup of hot sauce in the other and I was a very happy for the rest of the day. If you want to recreate the delicious flavor of a California breakfast burrito, it's not too difficult. Follow along and, trust me, even if you mess it up, you're still going to be very happy with what you're eating, assuming you didn't burn anything. So, let's get started on the road to my happy place... But first, let's talk about a couple of things that I think are important if you want an authentic California style breakfast burrito. First of all, the tortilla. I like mine to be the thinner ones that aren't too "springy." If you look at what they have in the grocery stores, some of them are a bit thicker than the others. That's fine if that's what you like, but they're not the most authentic. The second item is the chorizo. If you can find it at a local butcher, where it's made fresh, buy it immediately. That's going to be a lot better than anything you buy pre-packaged in the grocery store. Also, make sure you buy the pork chorizo, as it tends to give the best flavor, in my opinion. El Rey makes a decent chorizo as do others. This recipe is going to be for several burritos, usually about 3-4 in our house, but we like to stuff 'em pretty thick. Also, don't be surprised at the use of the cheap ham. You have to remember, these don't come from some fancy gourmet restaurant, but rather, the little hole-in-wall taco shop you find in every strip mall in Southern California.

California Breakfast Burrito Recipe

Recipe type: Breakfast

Cuisine: Mexican

Author: Chef Pablo

Ingredients

1 Dozen Eggs
1 lb. Pork Chorizo
¼ lb. thick bacon
4 slices of ham (the rectangular ones you use on sandwiches).
2 medium size potatoes
½ tsp salt
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 extra large flour tortillas (at least 12" but larger if you can find them)
Hot Sauce of your choice

Instructions

Potatoes

It's best to cook the potatoes the night before so they're cool and firm when you cook with them the next morning.
Scrub your potatoes and place them in a large pot and cover with water, adding the salt. (I cook them with the skin on because I usually let them cool in the refrigerator overnight.)
Bring to a boil, then reduce to a medium high heat to keep a "rolling boil."
Cook under you can put a fork into a potato and pull it out without much effort. But, do not overcook them, in fact, I'd suggest you undercook them a bit since you're going to recook them in the pan when you make the burrito.
Set in a bowl and let cool in the refrigerator.
The next morning, peel the potatoes and cut them into approximately 1" cubes.

Filling

Crack your eggs into a suitable sized bowl. Don't scramble them yet, I like to do that once I've put them into the pan.
Cook the bacon in a large frying pan to your desired doneness. I usually don't like them too crispy, especially when putting them into a burrito.
Remove the bacon and let drain on a plate with a paper towel.
Leave a nice coating of the bacon fat in the pan to use when cooking the chorizo.
Reheat the same frying pan over a medium-high heat.
Remove the chorizo from the casing and place into the pan. You're going to cook this just like you would ground beef.
While the chorizo is cooking, cut the ham and bacon into small cubes (about ½ - 1" square) and set aside.
Once the chorizo is done, toss in the potato cubes and pour in the eggs. Let them start to set for a bit before you scramble them (this will give a nice blend of egg white and yolk).
Use your spatula or wooden spoon to scramble just the eggs (you don't want to blend the eggs and chorizo until the eggs have had some time to cook).
After your eggs have begun to firm up, begin stirring the eggs and chorizo together.
Toss in the bacon and ham pieces and mix until well blended.

Building the Burrito

Heat the tortilla on a dry skillet until it's soft and pliable. You don't want it to cook too long or it will crack when you try to roll up your burrito.
Once the tortilla is nice and soft, place it on a flat surface and immediately place some filling in it, just a bit off-center. The amount you use will depend on the size of the tortilla. Try not to overstuff it, or it will be very difficult to roll up.
Place on a generous helping of shredded cheese and some hot sauce if you'd like.
Roll the burrito up and enjoy.
If you've never rolled a burrito successfully, the secret it 1) the right amount of filling (not too much) and 2) heating your tortilla properly.
Start with the tortilla in front of you and the filling closest to you, running horizontally across the bottom half of the tortilla.
Fold up the tortilla starting with the edge nearest you and folding away, almost in half (the filling will shift up as you do this) but not quite.
Fold in both sides, keeping the filling in the middle. Make sure your corners aren't left open, or your filling will fall out.
Continue rolling the tortilla up and away from you.
If you like a crispy or slightly crunchy texture on your burrito, you can not heat it in a dry hot skillet until it's begins to get nice golden bubbles.

The post California Breakfast Burrito Recipe appeared first on Chef Pablo's Recipes.

Cooking to a Safe Food Temperature

Chef Pablo — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 13:43:47 +0000

Cooking to the proper food temperature will not only keep you from getting sick, but it will also make your food taste a lot better. For years, I was so concerned with making sure my food was cooked properly, I almost always overcooked anything I was making. In fact, I used to jokingly cook up a batch of "Dad's World Famous Moisture-Free Hamburgers." I was so afraid I would end up with food poisoning, I would keep those suckers on the grill till they resembled hockey pucks. Fortunately, I've learned my lesson and it came about because I wanted food that tasted good and didn't need to be chewed for 35 minutes before sending down the gullet. One of the biggest mistakes people make in this area is cooking their food over too high of a heat. If you've got a very thin piece of meat and you want to sear it, you'll need to get the cooking surface very hot, but for a thick chicken breast or even a giant burger, you need to make sure you're cooking the inside to the right temperature before you burn the outside. Depending on what I'm cooking, I like to start with a very hot surface and turn the temperature down as soon as the meat hits it. This will put a nice sear on the outside, sealing in the juices and flavor but still allow for even cooking. Your cooking method also depends on the kind of meat you're using. If it's a solid piece of beef, like a steak or roast, you can leave center pink if you'd like and you'll be safe. If you're cooking up poultry or any type of ground up meat, you'll need to insist on getting it to a safe temperature. You have to remember, when meat is exposed to the air, it's also exposed to bacteria which start to grow and multiply on the surface of the meat almost instantly. When you throw that meat on the grill, all that bacteria is killed with the high direct heat. However, if you grind that meat up before cooking it, you take that surface bacteria and mix it into the middle. That's why it's vital you get that burger to the proper internal temperature. Here's a list of foods and what temperature is required to ensure you're serving up a safe meal.

Poultry - 165° is normally safe, but you may want to go a little higher if you're cooking a thigh (175°)

Beef / Lamb- Ground beef should always be cooked to an internal temperature of 160°. If you're cooking steaks, you can follow this guide:
- Rare - 125°
- Medium rare - 130-135°
- Medium - 135-140°
- Medium well - 140-150°
- Well done - 155°

Pork - This is generally cooked to a bit higher temperature than beef. But, ground pork should reach an internal temperature of 160°
- Medium rare - 145°
- Medium - 150°
- Well done - 160°

So, there you have it, a guide to not only keep your food safe, but to make your it taste much better than the "World Famous Moisture-Free" varieties I used to make. Of course, in order to make sure you're reaching these temperatures, you're going to want to have an instant read thermometer on hand. Here are some I would recommend from Amazon.com

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Ultimate Roast Turkey Recipe

Chef Pablo — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 15:43:48 +0000

Over the years, I've discovered there a couple of very important procedures you must follow if you want to present your family with an amazing roast turkey on the table this Thanksgiving. If you follow these two top secret steps taken from the best restaurant recipes, you’ll be guaranteed to have what everyone wants on Thanksgiving, a stunningly beautiful and perfectly browned roast turkey which is still bursting with juice and flavor when you cut into it. The first thing you absolutely must do, which most people have no clue about, is to brine your turkey. Brining your food means you’re going to soak it for a good amount of time in a solution with a heavy concentration of salt. Before you freak out thinking this is going to give you a turkey that’s way to salty, rest assured it doesn’t. When you make up the brine solution the salt dissolves in the water and slowly penetrates the skin and meat, leaving a perfectly even flavor throughout. Your turkey will have perfectly seasoned flavor all the way to the bone and you’ll have a nice crisp skin on the outside keeping the juices in the meat, where they belong, not at the bottom of your roasting pan. The second secret to Chef Pablo’s Restaurant Turkey Recipe is the use of cheesecloth. I learned of this secret item several years ago and we haven’t departed from it since. This step has you soaking cheesecloth in a special solution and then draping it over your turkey before you put it in the oven. It stays on the turkey during the entire cooking time and serves a couple of purposes. First of all, the cheesecloth will be instrumental in helping to self baste the turkey. Usually when you baste a turkey during the cooking process, 99% of the juices you pour over the top, end up running off and back into the bottom of the pan. With cheesecloth you have something on top of your turkey which will absorb the juice and slowly release it as it cooks. This will give you a much more even basting and require you to open the oven less often. Cheesecloth also helps protect the skin from overcooking as you wait for the middle of the turkey to finish cooking. Ok, so let’s get on with the recipe

Chef Pablo’s Restaurant Quality Roast Turkey Recipe

Author: Chef Pablo

Ingredients

12-14 lb turkey (if yours is bigger, adjust the ingredients accordingly)

Brine

7 qt of water (I prefer bottled or filtered water in all of my cooking)
1 qt apple cider (not apple cider vinegar)
¾ cup salt (use kosher salt for best results)
⅓ cup sugar
1 large onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 head of garlic (use the whole head, cut in half)
1 handful fresh rosemary (you can use half of a plastic package)
1 handful fresh sage (again, just a small handful or half a package)
6 bay leaves

Herbed Butter Seasoning

3 sticks butter, at room temperature
1 handful of fresh rosemary, finely chopped (you’ll need more in the next section too)
1 handful of fresh sage, finely chopped (again, you’ll need more for the cheesecloth)
Kosher salt

Cheesecloth Seasoning

1 stick butter
2 cups white wine
½ handful of sage, finely chopped
½ handful of rosemary, finely chopped
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
Cheesecloth (use enough to create four layers over the turkey)

Additional Ingredients

2 cups chicken broth
1 cup apple cider
1 large carrot
1 large onion

Instructions

Brine

Combine all of the above brine ingredients in a container large enough to hold it all plus the turkey. I like to use a large stock pot, but make sure the liquid covers the turkey completely.
Cover and store in the refrigerator for 1-3 days.
Remove the turkey from the brine solution and pat it dry with paper towels.

Herb Butter Seasoning

Combine the 3 sticks of butter with the rosemary, sage and season with a bit of the salt. Mix until well blended and smooth.
Massage the turkey with the herbed butter mixture, making sure to get it under the skin and into the breasts and thighs.
If the legs have a metal hook on them, remove it so you can get the butter all over. Once you’re done, you can reattach the clip to the legs to hold them together. Otherwise, using twine, tie the legs together over the cavity.

Cheesecloth Preparation

Heat the butter, wine, and herbs in a saucepan over medium until the butter is completely melted.
Place the cheesecloth into the butter and wine mixture and let it soak.

Turkey Roasting

Preheat the oven to 450
Place the turkey into a roasting pan breast side up and pour in the chicken broth and apple cider.
Cut the carrot into approx 3 inch pieces and quarter the onion. Place both of these into the cavity of the turkey.
Remove the cheesecloth from the butter and wine mixture and, without loosing too much of the liquids, drape it over the turkey, covering it completely.
Place the turkey in the oven uncovered for 30 minutes. The cheesecloth will get very dark, but that’s fine.
Reduce the oven temp to 350.
Baste with some of the remaining butter wine mixture and return the turkey to the oven.
Baste every 30 minutes with the butter and wine mixture until it’s gone then start using the juices in the bottom of the pan.
Approximately 1 hour before your turkey should be done, remove the cheesecloth and baste again. Return to the oven. Baste again after 30 minutes.
When the temperature of the thickest part of the breast reaches 165, the turkey is done. Do not rely on the little plastic pop up thing.
Remove the turkey and place onto a cutting board and let sit for 30 minutes before you cut into it.
Carve the turkey and transfer to a serving dish.

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Authentic British Fish and Chips Recipe

Chef Pablo — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 00:54:57 +0000

There’s only a few things associated with Great Britain more the wonderful taste of fish and chips. It seems, everywhere you go in England you find numerous fish and chip shops or “chippers” or “chippy’s” as they’re called. Most of the time your food is prepared to go and given to you wrapped up in the previous days newspaper. It’s typically wrapped into a cone, filled with some “chips” or French fries and then topped with the wonderfully crisp fried cod. On top of this is a dash of malt vinegar and then a generous sprinkling of salt. They say you haven’t been to England until you’ve had an order of fish and chips from a local shop. The whole idea started back in the late 1800’s with actual chips of potatoes fried along with the fish. Today, those chips look more like thick steak fries to us Americans. The fish is almost always made with a nice cod fillet and dunked in a wonderful beer batter. Some places will coat the fish in crumbs, but the traditionalists love the actually batter coating. Now you can recreate these wonderful restaurant recipes at home. Make sure you pick up a newspaper so you can serve them the way the Britts do.

Authentic British Fish and Chips Recipe

Recipe type: Main, Side

Author: Chef Pablo

Ingredients

1 lb white cod fillet
2 cups of flour
1 egg
5 oz milk
5 oz of good amber beer that’s sat out and gone stale
1 tsp salt
5 medium sized Idaho potatoes
Enough oil to deep fry the fish and chips
Malt vinegar

Instructions

Combine the salt and flour in a bowl
Mix the egg and milk in a separate bowl, being careful to not mix too much
Pour the egg and milk mixture into the bowl with the flour and salt and mix until you’ve introduced a good number of bubbles.
Heat your oil (preferably in an electric skillet) to 375 degrees.
Cut the fish fillets into 2-3” strips and try to remove any small bones.
Once the oil is hot enough, you can pour the beer into the batter mix and stir to combine.
Pick up the fish with a fork or tongs and completely coat each piece with batter before gently lowering it into the oil. Be careful to not add too much at one time. You risk having the oil overflow and you’ll cool the oil too much.
Fry the fish until it reaches a nice light golden brown coloring. You should turn the pieces only once while cooking.
Remove the fish from the oil and let it drain on a paper towel. Depending on how much fish you need to cook, you can keep your pieces hot and crispy in a 300 degree oven.
Peel the potatoes and cut them lengthwise into ½” strips.
Rinse the potatoes thoroughly to help remove the white starchy residue and then pat dry with a paper towel.
Place the chips into the hot oil, being sure to avoid splattering or overflowing the fryer.
If you have to cook the fries in batches, you can keep them warm and crisp in the oven along with the fish.
Take a piece of newspaper and roll up diagonally to make a cone. Place a good amount of chips inside, and sprinkle with some salt. Place a few pieces of fish on top and sprinkle with malt vinegar and salt to your liking.

Pour yourself a nice pint of good dark beer and enjoy your English tradition. It helps if you do this on an overcast and dreary day, as it helps lend to the authenticity of the moment. Cheers!

The post Authentic British Fish and Chips Recipe appeared first on Chef Pablo's Recipes.

Restaurant Quiche Recipes

Chef Pablo — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 13:41:59 +0000

There is an old book that was called “Real Men Don’t Eat Quiche” which was very popular back in the 80’s. Today, everybody loves a great quiche, including my fellow men. There aren’t that many restaurant recipes for quiche, because not that many restaurants have perfected something unique they can call their own. Most of them are serving up basic quiche Lorraine with a fancy name. So, instead of giving you 13 different recipes from every restaurant out there, I’m giving you the best recipe I have and letting you comment below to adapt this to your favorite restaurant recipe.

Restaurant Quiche Recipes

Author: Chef Pablo

Ingredients

4 Eggs
1 ½ cups of heavy cream or half and half (I prefer the cream)
⅜ tsp salt
Dash White Pepper
6 slices bacon (cooked and chopped)
4 oz Swiss Cheese (grated)
¼ cup chopped onion
1 pie crust (9” frozen works)
½ tsp Dijon mustard

Instructions

Crack TWO of the eggs into a bowl and then use only the yolks of the other two eggs. You’ll end up with 4 yolks and 2 egg whites.
Add the cream, salt, and pepper into the eggs and mix VERY well. You may want to use a hand mixer for this, but don’t over mix them.
Lay the pie crust out on a sheet of wax paper and brush the crust with the Dijon mustard
Place the pie shell into a quiche pan or standard pie pan.
Using some of the bacon (about ⅓ at a time) layer it on the pie crust with an equal amount of grated cheese. Continue this until it’s all used.
Top with the chopped onion.
Pour the egg mixture over the bacon and cheese layers.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 to 40 minutes or until the top is just starting to brown.
Let cool for about 5-10 minutes and cut into slices as you would a pie.
Serve and enjoy.

The post Restaurant Quiche Recipes appeared first on Chef Pablo's Recipes.

Outback Steakhouse Croutons Recipe

Chef Pablo — Sun, 23 May 2010 15:29:25 +0000

This is by request for someone who was trying to make the Outback Steakhouse Recipe for their side salad. The salad itself is fairly basic, but these croutons are what adds that special punch to the mix. These are a very buttery and rick flavored crouton with a nice subtle mix of cajun flavoring that adds just a touch of spice (but not too much). I would suggest using the cheapest bread you can find, even (and maybe especially) if it's getting a little stale. This may be the time to try out some of the stuff you find at the day-old bakery. As you make these croutons, please take the care to get the butter to the exact right consistency. Some have said it should look a lot like mayonnaise when it's just right. If you follow the instructions exactly, this should work out well for you if you have standard wattage microwave.

Outback Steakhouse Croutons Recipe

Ingredients

INGREDIENTS
2 full loafs of bread (remember: just get the cheap stuff)
1 lb of real butter (no margarine on this one, sorry)
2 ½ Tbsp Cajun seasoning bled
½ Cup finely chopped garlic (yes, that's really the amount)

Instructions

INSTRUCTIONS
Pre-heat your oven to 350°
Cube the bread into about 1 inch square pieces
Cut the butter into smaller chunks and place in the microwave for 10 seconds. Stir and return to the microwave for another 5 seconds. It should have the consistency of mayonnaise.
Mix the Cajun seasoning and chopped garlic into the butter blend and let sit while you toast the croutons the first time.
Spread the cubes of bread onto a cookie sheet and put into the oven for 10 minutes and then remove and let cool completely before moving on to the next step.
Gently mix the cool croutons into the butter mix until completely coated.
Place the croutons back onto the cookie sheet and bake for an additional 10 minutes at 350°.
Check for desired crunchiness and, if needed, toss and return to the oven for an additional 5-10 minutes.
Let cool and add to your favorite salad recipe.

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Honest Review of America’s Secret Recipes

Chef Pablo — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 15:42:24 +0000

I’ve been offering Ron Douglas’ digital book “America’s Secret Recipes” on my restaurant recipes website for a few months now. If you’ve visited other recipe websites, you’ve probably seen ads for the book and wondered if it’s of any value. I decided it’s time I gave my honest review of the book. The things I like, didn’t like and whether you should spend your hard earned money on it.

Many readers of this site have purchased the book and nobody has asked for a refund. In fact, based on emails, all are very happy with the results. Here’s just one of many email comments:

Greetings:

I would like to thank you very much for the “America’s Secret Recipes” that I received in the mail a few days ago. I’m looking forward to trying out some of these recipes, especially the ‘Chili’s Southwestern egg rolls and ‘Hooter’s Buffalo Wings’. These always go over great for football games, especially the Super Bowl.

Thanks again for putting together this wonderful cook book of yours.

Mary McLuckie

Why A Cookbook?

I’ll be completely honest, I’m not the worlds biggest fan of cookbooks. With the internet, I’m able to find just about any recipe I want. I then bookmark it and keep my recipe bookmarks sorted in category headings you would find in any cookbook. Appetizers, Side Dishes, Main Dishes and more. It’s my virtual cookbook that is always changing and expanding.

So, what changed my mind on this book? The problem with most internet recipes is, you don’t know if they’re good. Has anyone ever actually tried the recipe or is this just the best guess of the author? I’ve made some dishes I found online and was extremely disappointed. I actually wondered if the author ever tried the recipe.

All of the restaurant recipes you’ll find in Ron Douglas’ America’s Secret Recipes have been run through their paces on his cooking website by over 45,000 discerning cooks. It’s not until the recipe receives the approval of those users that it makes it’s way into one of Rons books. It’s almost like an online testing lab with very honest researchers. Add a bit more salt, less sugar, cook this at a higher temperature and other modifications have perfected these recipes.

Will I Like The Recipes?

OK, I knew the recipes would at least be good. But, what if there wasn’t anything I liked? Well, a quick glance at the recipes in volumes one and two convinced me. PF Chang Chicken Lettuce Wraps, Olive Garden Lasagna, Boston Market Macaroni and Cheese, Cracker Barrel Fried Apples, and even Wendy’s Chili. There’s hundreds of other recipes from restaurants like Red Lobster, Sizzler, Ruth Chris Steakhouse, KFC, IHOP, Cheesecake Factory, Applebee’s, Chili’s, TGI Fridays, Starbucks and more.

Was It A Smooth Transaction?

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t impressed with the site offering the book. I thought it seemed too basic and too much of a sales pitch. It made me a little apprehensive about ordering. But, I did and I was very pleasantly surprised. The book was instantly available to me and I was cooking from it that same day. Everything is well organized in the books and I could print out my recipes and bring them into the kitchen while I cooked.

I was surprised nobody tried to sell me up to a higher level. When you buy the book, you get volume 1 and 2 as well as several other cookbooks on sauces, comfort foods, grilling, special occasion foods, diabetic recipes, and even one with kid-friendly recipes. These all came with my initial purchase. Nobody tried to bump me up to a different price for the extras. That’s commendable.

Things I Didn’t Like

Was there anything I didn’t like? Well, yes, there are a couple of recipes I thought needed a bit more explanation. Should I cook the lasagna noodles before hand? How thick should this patty be before I cook it? I could have guessed and probably been OK, but instead, I went over to Ron’s website forum and found the answers among the 45,000 other users. It’s like a community of people just like me who love to cook. A lifetime membership to the website is included when you purchase the book.

My Recommendation

All in all, I highly recommend the book. Give it a try and I’m sure you’ll be very happy. I’m a pretty tough customer to please with stuff like this. If, for some reason you get the book, review it and aren’t happy, you have 60 days to ask for a refund. All orders are processed through a third-party company called Clickbank. They’ll make sure you get your refund if you’re not happy.

Over 700 recipes and membership to an exclusive community of other folks just like you for less than the price of a typical meal at one of these restaurants. I’d say that’s a bargain.

Here’s where you can get the Americas Most Wanted Recipes by Ron Douglas. I hope you love it as much as I do.

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Outback Steakhouse™ Gold Coast Coconut Shrimp Recipe

Chef Pablo — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 13:00:27 +0000

The beauty of restaurant recipes is the ability to adapt them to suite your particular tastes and needs. This is a great appetizer that could make a complete meal with just a couple of side-dishes. Outback Steakhouse serves their Gold Coast Coconut Shrimp with a signature “Creole Marmalade”, but you may want to try another dipping sauce if you’re not partial to orange marmalade.

These are tender crispy shrimp in a beer batter with a light flaky coconut coating on the outside. They offer just the right amount of sweetness and taste delicious with the tangy tart flavors that come in the Creole marmalade.

I would recommend using the largest shrimp possible, but don’t hesitate to make them with whatever is available (other than tiny bay shrimp). If you have some friends who don’t like shrimp or seafood, try this with tender chicken breast cutlets and they’ll be very impressed.

Outback Steakhouse Gold Coast Coconut Shrimp Recipe

Ingredients

INGREDIENTS
1 cup flat beer
1 cup self-rising flour
2 cups sweetened coconut flakes (7 ounces)
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt
12 jumbo shrimp
Vegetable oil for frying
Paprika
MARMALADE SAUCE
½ cup orange marmalade
2 teaspoons stone-ground mustard (with whole grain mustard seed)
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
Dash salt

Instructions

DIRECTIONS
Combine the beer, flour, ½ cup of coconut flakes, sugar and salt in medium bowl.
Mix this completely with a wire whisk or electric mixer.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Prepare the Creole marmalade sauce by combing the orange marmalade, mustard, horseradish and salt in a small bowl.
Mix thoroughly, cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour to allow all the flavors to come together.
If your shrimp need to be de-viened or shelled, do that now, leaving a bit of shell on the tail as a handle.
Preheat the oil in a deep pot of fryer to 350 degrees F. Make sure you have enough oil to completely cover the shrimp.
Place the remaining coconut in a shallow bowl.
Completely dry the shrimp before battering. If your shrimp is not completely dry, the batter will not stick properly.
Sprinkle shrimp with a light dusting of paprika.
One at a time, dip the shrimp into the batter. Make sure it's thoroughly coated other than the tail.
Place the battered shrimp into the coconut and lightly roll it around to completely cover it in coconut.
Deep fry each shrimp for 2 to 3 minutes each or until it reaches a nice golden brown. You'll need to turn them once or twice during the process.
Drain the shrimp on a paper towel.
Server with a small bowl of Creole marmalade sauce.

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Outback Steakhouse™ Ranch Dressing Recipe

Chef Pablo — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 13:00:37 +0000

I don’t know why it always seems a salad from a restaurant tastes so much better than anything I can put together at home. My only guess is the salad dressing. At home, we’re stuck with whatever we can find in a bottle on the grocery store shelves. Restaurant recipes will usually be something you’ve heard of, but with an added twist.

The Outback Steakhouse Ranch Dressing can be duplicated at home with the help of Hidden Valley Ranch. They have a dry salad dressing mix (not the ranch dip) which makes a wonderful starter for our Outback Steakhouse Ranch Dressing.

The most important step is letting the dressing “set-up” in the refrigerator. Do NOT skip this step or cut it short. In fact, if you can, make this a day ahead of when you’re going to need it and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight. At the very least give it an hour to chill.

Outback Steakhouse Ranch Dressing Recipe

Ingredients

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon hidden valley ranch dressing mix
1 cup mayonnaise (I recommend Hellmans or Best Foods - NOT Miracle Whip)
½ cup milk
¼ teaspoon coarse black pepper
⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
⅛ teaspoon paprika
⅛/ teaspoon cayenne pepper (use this INSTEAD OF the paprika if you like your dressing spicy)

Instructions

DIRECTIONS
In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix well.
Chill for at least 1 hour. It's best to let this sit overnight to bring all of the flavors together and let it thicken up.

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The Cheesecake Factory™ Pumpkin Cheesecake

Chef Pablo — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 13:00:57 +0000

This pumpkin cheesecake is one of the restaurant recipes that get searched for most often around the holidays, but, don't hesitate to make this up any time of year. Because it uses canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling), it's always in season. One variation I've seen is making this a layered cheesecake. To do this, you make up the batch of cheesecake mix without the pumpkin. Pour half of this into the crust in the springform pan. Put this in the refrigerator to chill while you do add in the pumpkin to the remaining cheesecake mix and pour on top. A wonderful taste with a great presentation. Regardless of how you make it, you'll definitely please everyone with this favorite from The Cheesecake Factory™. If you're not into pumpkin, you can always make up a batch of their original cheesecake.

The Cheesecake Factory™ Pumpkin Cheesecake

Ingredients

1½ cups graham cracker crumbs
5 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon sugar

Filling

1 cup sugar
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup canned pumpkin
3 eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon allspice

Topping

whipped cream

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine the graham cracker crumbs with 1 Tablespoon of sugar and then drizzle the melted butter over the top.
Mix this together well enough to cover all of the crumbs with the butter. Do not let it turn into a paste.
Press the crumbs onto the bottom and about two-thirds of the way up the sides of the springform pan. It's ok if it doesn't go all the way up the sides. You want part of the cheesecake to extend above the crust.
Bake for 5 minutes, then chill it in a refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
Combine the cream cheese, 1 C sugar, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl.
Mix until smooth using an electric mixer (remove the lumps but don't over-mix).
Add the pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice and continue beating until smooth and creamy.
Pour the mixture into the graham cracker crust.
Bake for 60-70 minutes.
The cake will rise and turn a nice golden brown on top.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool at room tempurature.
When the cheesecake has come to room temperature, put it into the refrigerator (The Cheesecake Factory™ will let it chill for 24 hours to help bring all of the flavors together. You may not be able to wait that long, but it IS worth it).
When the cheesecake has chilled or you've lost all will-power, release the spring and romove the sides of the pan.
Cut the cake into 8 equal pieces and garnish with generous amounts of whipped cream (you could even lightly dust with some of the spices).

If you're a little nervous about making a cheesecake, this should reassure you. My 9 year old daughter shows you exactly how in this video:

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Outback Steakhouse Bushman Bread Recipe

Chef Pablo — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 13:00:12 +0000

This is one of the easier restaurant recipes to make. So easy, it's something you could probably do several times a week, regardless of what you're serving. I was previously using a recipe which included rye flour and molasses but I wasn't ever 100% happy with the results. I've modified this now and I think you'll agree, it tastes much more authentic and it's actually very easy to make. If you still want that original recipe, you can find it here: Outback Steakhouse Bushman Bread (with Molasses and Rye Flour) This is easiest when it's done with a bread machine, which is what I've shown, however, you can make this by hand with a simple mixer and a dough attachment. This goes very well with the Outback Steakhouse Potato Soup and the Outback Steakhouse Chopped Blue Cheese Salad.

Outback Steakhouse Bushman Bread Recipe

Author: Chef Pablo

Ingredients

2¼ tsp yeast
1½ cup warm water
2 tbsp butter (softened)
½ cup honey
2 cups wheat flower
2 cups bread flower
1½ tsp instant coffee
2 tbsp sugar (granulated)
2 tbsp cocoa
1 tsp salt
1 tsp carmel coloring
3 tbsp cornmeal

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
It's very important you place the ingredients into you bread machine in the following order: Water, butter, honey, bread flour, wheat flour, cocoa, sugar, coffee, salt, yeast and carmel coloring. This will keep the yeast from activating with the warm water until after it's begun mixing.
Run your bread machine on the "dough" setting until complete. Your dough may look a bit more moist than you'd expect. You can slowly mix in additional flour, in 50/50 portions, if needed.
Place the dough in a glass bowl covered with a towel and let rise in a warm dry area for about an hour.
Separate the dough into two equal parts and roll out into oval loaves.
Place on a baking sheet and dust with cornmeal.
Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until the crust makes hollow sound when tapped.
This bread is supposed to freeze very well.

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The Cheesecake Factory™ Cheesecake Recipe

Chef Pablo — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 02:37:50 +0000

The Cheesecake Factory is certainly known for a lot of great dishes, but the one that got it started is the amazing cheesecake itself. When The Cheesecake Factory™ started the founders, Oscar and Evenlyn Overton were selling some of the best cheesecake exclusively to local restaurants when they decided to branch out and start their own restaurant. Today they're consistently rated as one of the best places to spend an evening with friends as well as one of the most requested restaurant recipes. My wife and I recently ate at The Cheesecake Factory™ and decided to split and entree and then order our own desserts. We both walked out completely stuffed. If you've ever eaten there, you'll know the portions at The Cheesecake Factory™ will blow you away. Unfortunately, as large as the serving is, it's still almost $10 for a slice of cheesecake and for that amount of money, you could cook an entire cheesecake at home for your family. Please don't be intimidated by the idea of cooking a cheesecake. It's not as hard as you've heard. Just follow the instructions step-by-step and you'll be fine. In fact, if go to my Cheesecake Factory Pumpkin Cheesecake, you'll see a video where my daughter, 9 years old at the time, cooked a fabulous cheesecake, pretty much, on her own. She's a very talented future chef, but I think you'll see, it's something you can probably do as well.

The Cheesecake Factory™ Cheesecake Recipe

Author: Chef Pablo

Ingredients

CRUST:

¼ cup pecans chopped fine
¼ cup walnuts chopped fine
¼ cup almonds chopped fine
¾ cup crushed vanilla wafers
2 tablespoons melted butter

FILLING:

1½ lbs cream cheese (do not use low fat)
1⅓ cups sugar
5 large eggs
16 ounces sour cream
¼ cup flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons lemon juice (or try using 1 tsp of lemon zest)

Instructions

Let all of the cheesecake ingredients sit out on the counter while you're making the crust. This will allow them to get to room temperature before you begin working with them.

Crust:

Place all of the nuts along with the vanilla wafer crumbs into a large bowl.
Drizzle the melted butter over the top of the mixture and mix by hand.
Lightly butter a 9" springform pan
Press the crust mixture into the pan making sure you don't let it get too think in the corners.
Do your best to make the sides even, about 1½" up the sides of the pan and then set aside.

Cheesecake:

Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees.
Using an electric mixture on LOW (this is very important) beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy.
Continue mixing on LOW while you slowly add the sugar to the cream cheese.
Continue mixing on low while you add one egg at a time, beating after each egg.
Add flour, vanilla and lemon juice (or zest) and mix on low.
Add in the sour cream and mix on low until completely blended.
Pour the mixture into the springform pan.
Bake the cheesecake on the top rack of the 325 degree oven for 1 hour 15 minutes.
Once the timer goes off, prop your oven door open, turn off the oven and let the cake sit inside the oven for 1 hour.
Remove from the oven and let your cheesecake cool in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
Keep in mind, the longer you let this sit in the refrigerator, the better it's going to taste. So don't rush it.

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Outback Steakhouse™ Alice Springs Chicken Recipe

Chef Pablo — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 22:39:30 +0000

This is one of the more affordable restaurant recipes. This is great for a busy weeknight dinner especially if you start marinading the night before.

Grilled chicken breast topped with bacon, honey mustard sauce, sautéed mushrooms, Monterrey Jack and Cheddar. Normally served with Aussie Chips.

You can also turn this into their delicious Alice Springs Chicken Quesadilla. Simply slice thin and place inside of a flour tortilla along some bacon, honey mustard sauce, sauteed mushrooms and Mexican cheese blend. Grill until crisp and serve with some additional honey mustard sauce.

Outback Steakhouse Alice Springs Chicken Recipe

Ingredients

RECIPE
1 cup Dijon mustard
1 cup honey
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
4-6 boneless skinless chicken breast
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cups sliced mushrooms
2 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon paprika
12 slices cooked bacon
3 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

DIRECTIONS
Combine the mustard honey and 1 tablespoon of the oil along with the lemon juice and mix. Mix vigorously .
Place the chicken in a 1 gallon Ziploc bag and pour half of the mixture on top. Refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours.
Save and chill the remaining marinade to serve later with the chicken.
After the chicken has marinated:
Preheat your oven to 375°F.
Place the remaining oil in a frying pan, heat and sear chicken on both sides.
Put the chicken in an oven safe pan and brush liberally with the marinade.
In the same frying pan and add the butter and sauté the mushrooms.
Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper.
Place bacon strips across each breast, spoon mushrooms on top, and then add approximately ⅓ to ½ of a cup of cheese on each backspace.
Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake 7 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with honey mustard marinade.

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Olive Garden™ Zuppa Toscana Soup Recipe

Chef Pablo — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 15:55:30 +0000

This is one of the most popular restaurant recipes from Olive Garden. This is a spicy sausage and bacon soup with russet potatoes and greens in a creamy broth.

If you substitute cauliflower for the potatoes, you can make a great low-carb Atkins friendly soup that will taste exactly like the original restaurant recipe from The Olive Garden. Another option would be to cook this up in a programmable crock pot with the pre-cooked sausage and bacon in there. It will be ready for you when you get home. Just add the kale and cream before serving.

Serve this with a nice basket of Olive Garden Breadsticks and their house salad. A wonderful lunch or dinner meal for you and your family.

Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup Recipe

Author: Chef Pablo

Ingredients

1 lb. spicy Italian sausage - crumbled
½ lb. smoked bacon - chopped
1 qt. water
(2) 14.5 oz. cans (about 3⅔ cups) chicken broth
2 lg. russet potatoes - scrubbed clean, cubed
2 garlic cloves - peeled, crushed
1 med. onion - peeled, chopped
2 cups chopped kale OR Swiss chard
1 cup heavy whipping cream
salt and pepper - to taste

Instructions

Brown sausage in a pan over medium to medium-high heat, breaking up into small pieces as it cooks.
Drain sausage and set to the side.
Brown bacan in a pan over medium-high heat. Be careful not to cook crispy.
Drain bacon and set to the side.
Place broth, water, garlic, potatoes, and onion in a pot.
Simmer over medium heat until potatoes are tender.
Add sausage and bacon to the soup.
Simmer for 10 minutes.
Add kale and cream to pot.
Season with salt and pepper.
Heat thoroughly.

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Olive Garden™ Caprese Flatbread

Chef Pablo — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 03:51:46 +0000

Restaurant recipes are rarely shared on the restaurants website. But, Olive Garden has decided to do just that with their new Caprese Flatbread.

A light and cripsy flat bread with a nice chunky tomato mixture, topped with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. It’s reminds me of a very fresh and natural tasting pizza.

This is a great light snack you can enjoy on the patio with a crisp white wine such as Pinot Grigio. Make a little extra and it could pass as a light main course served with a cool salad.

Ok, time to make this wonderful dish:

Olive Garden Caprese Flatbread

Ingredients

RECIPE
8 Roma or plum tomatoes, diced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
10 medium fresh basil leaves, stemmed and shopped (about ½ cup)
7 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
11 oz container of refrigerated thin crust pizza dough
1 garlic clove
¾ cup mayonnaise
½ tsp garlic powder
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
¼ grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°F
Dice tomatoes into small pieces and transfer to a mixing bowl.
Add chopped garlic, salt, pepper, ½ of the chopped basil (about ¼ cup), and 4 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil.
Set aside and allow the mixture to marinate for 10 minutes
Flatten pizza dough into a rectangle pan as indicated on the package, making sure you take the dough to the edge of the pan.
Drizzle the dough with extra virgin olive oil and brush it over the surface.
Bake the dough in the oven at 350°F for 10 minutes on center race.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly, about 2 minutes.
Cut the garlic clove in half and rub, cut side down, on to the surface of the bread. The warmth of the bread will help extract the garlic flavor.
Allow the bread to cool completely, about 10 additional minutes.
Increase the oven temperature to 450°F.
Combine mayonnaise and garlic powder in a mixing bowl. Evenly spread onto the surface of the bread.
Top with shredded mozzarella to evenly cover the surface.
Drain the Caprese mixture, as the salt will have extracted water from the tomatoes, and spread it evenly over the bread.
Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.
Return to the oven for 5-7 more minutes until golden, crisp and bubbly.
Garnish with the remaining chopped basil
Serve immediately.

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KFC™ Chicken Original Recipe

Chef Pablo — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 20:46:55 +0000

This is probably the most secret of all of the restaurant recipes out there. As a matter of fact, Colonel Sanders build an entire restaurant chain based on his original recipe chicken with 11 secret herbs and spices.

This all started in the little town of “Corbin, Kentucky”. That’s where Harland Sanders opened up Sanders Cafe, which eventually became Kentucky Fried Chicken. For a time in the 90’s they started branding the initials KFC. The company has now returned to Kentucky Fried Chicken, but most people still call it KFC.

It’s not too tough to recreate the taste of that special coating, but it is difficult to match the juiciness of the chicken. That’s because Kentucky Fried Chicken uses pressure cookers to fry their chicken. This cooks the chicken fast, reducing the “greasiness” as well as locking in the juice from the chicken.

The recipe below is as close as you’ll ever get at home. Obviously Harland Sanders didn’t use Italian Dressing or tomato soup packets in his original recipe, but this will give you the exact same flavor.

KFC Chicken Original Recipe

Ingredients

RECIPE:
2 envelopes dry tomato soup mix (Lipton cup-o-soup works perfect)
2 envelopes Italian dressing mix
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons dried chervil (it's a lot like parsley, but don't try to substitute)
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon instant chicken bouillon powder
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon tarragon
½ teaspoon sage
¼ teaspoon pepper
3 cups pancake mix, (Bisquick works well)
3 cups buttermilk (enough to soak the chicken)
4 cups oil (southerners love using lard but you may want to substitute)

Instructions

DIRECTIONS:
Blend all of the dry ingredients for the coating in a blender.
Soak the chicken pieces in buttermilk for at least one hour in the refrigerator.
Remove chicken from buttermilk and roll in the chicken coating mixture above.
Let chicken sit at room temperature while waiting for the oil to get hot.
Use a deep fryer if possible for the most authentic copy of the original Kentucky Fried Chicken recipe. If that is not possible, use a cast iron skillet. Do not crowd the chicken when placing into the skillet.
Brown the chicken in the skillet on high heat. Then turn down the heat and cover the pan. Cook until the fried chicken is done, about 30 minutes.
During the last 5 or 10 minutes, uncover the pan and turn up the heat. This will crisp up the fried chicken. Be careful not to burn the chicken during this last step.
Remove the fried chicken and drain on paper towels. Serve hot.

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Outback Steakhouse™ Bloomin Onion Recipe

Chef Pablo — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:52:57 +0000

The Outback Steakhouse Bloomin Onion is one of the restaurant recipes you’ll save a TON of money making at home. Don’t be afraid to try this one. These make a great appetizer before any meal or just make one to enjoy all by itself.

Outback Steakhouse claims to have invented the Bloomin Onion. Whether they did or not, they definitely made the name a household word.

If you have a bit of trouble cutting the onion exactly right, consider visiting a restaurant supply store for a special “blooming onion” cutter. They make the job MUCH easier and you’ll end up with a perfectly beautiful onion every time.

Directions

Mix cornstarch, flour, and seasonings until well blended.
Add beer, mix well.
Cut about 3/4″ off top of onion and peel. Cut into onion 12 to 16 vertical wedges, but do not cut through bottom root end. Remove about 1″ of petals from center of onion.
Dip onion in seasoned flour and remove excess by shaking.
Separate petals and dip in batter to coat thoroughly.
Gently place in fryer basket and deep?fry at 375 to 400 1 1/2 minutes. Turn over, and fry an additional 1 1/2 minutes.
Drain on paper towels.
Place onion upright in shallow bowl and remove center core with circular cutter or apple corer.

Creamy Chili Sauce

1 pint Mayonnaise
1 pint sour cream
1/2 cup Chili sauce
1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper

Mix all of the ingredients together until smooth and creamy.

Outback Steakhouse Bloomin Onion Recipe

Ingredients

4 Vidalia or Texas Sweet Onions

Batter:

⅓ Cup Cornstarch
1½ Cup Flour
2 tsp. Minced Garlic
2 tsp. Paprika
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Pepper
24 oz Beer

Seasoned Flour

2 Cups Flour
4 tsp. Paprika
2 tsp. Garlic powder
½ tsp. Pepper
¼ tsp. Cayenne pepper

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Olive Garden Bread Sticks Recipe

Chef Pablo — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 01:21:27 +0000

If you’re not careful you could end up eating WAY too many of these bread sticks on your next trip to The Olive Garden. Famous for their “bottomless basket” of breadsticks, a meal at The Olive Garden isn’t complete without a few of these in your belly. This is one of the restaurant recipes your friends will be begging you to forward to them. Best part, it’s extremely easy to make.

There appears to be a bit of a controversy about the inclusion of oregano in the recipe. Many have said true Olive Garden bread sticks don’t have any oregano. Keep this in mind when you make these up for your family. Crumble up the oregano very fine and don’t over do it on each stick. If you want to see if you can tell the difference, just skip the oregano on a couple of the bread sticks. After all, it’s your taste buds you’re looking to satisfy.

Olive Garden Bread Sticks Recipe

Ingredients

1 Loaf frozen bread dough, thawed and brought to room tempurature
Pam vegetable spray
Garlic Powder to taste
Dried oregano leaf, rubbed to a fine powder

Instructions

Once the dough has been resting at room tempurature, spray a small amount of Pam on your finger tips and begin to knead the dough but don't over do it.
Take the dough and roll out small little cigar shaped sticks. You should be able to get 8 to 10 sticks from each frozen package of dough.
Spray a cookie sheet with a light coating of Pam vegetable spray.
Lay the bread sticks out on the cookie sheet approximately 3 inches apart.
Let the dough rise in a nice warm area until they've doubled in size. This should take between 1½ and 2 hours.
Lightly spray the tops of each loaf with more Pam vegetable spray and sprinkle with some garlic powder and the fine oregano powder.
Bake at 375 degree for approximately 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
Let cool on the sheets or a cooling rack and serve warm.

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Kentucky Fried Chicken™ (KFC)

Chef Pablo — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 23:28:04 +0000

When it comes to restaurant recipes, one name stands above the rest, Kentucky Fried Chicken. The competition has been trying to duplicate Colonel Harland Sanders secret blend of herbs and spices for many years.

Kentucky Fried Chicken was founded in 1952 and is based in Louisville, Kentucky. The first ever “Kentucky Fried Chicken” was actually opened in Salt Lake City. Prior to that, Col. Sanders Restaurants were known as “Sanders Court & Cafe.”

Many people have searched for a way to duplicate the signature flavors of the Colonels Original Recipe, it’s actually the Cole slaw (or coleslaw) recipe most people search for on Google. Don’t worry, we have both… and more.

KFC Original Recipe Chicken
This is probably the most secret of the restaurant recipes. As a matter of fact, Colonel Sanders build an entire restaurant chain based on his original recipe chicken with 11 secret herbs and spices.

KFC Coleslaw
Nothing even comes close to the unique flavors found in KFC coleslaw. Chopped cabbage rather than shredded along with a slightly sweet taste make this a unique side dish your family will love.

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Red Lobster™ Biscuits Recipe

Chef Pablo — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:26:37 +0000

This it the best recipe you’ll find for these amazing Red Lobster Biscuits. This is one of the easiest restaurant recipes you’ll make. But just because it’s easy doesn’t mean it’s not going to amaze your family. Try these with any meal or make an entire Red Lobster experience.

These can save in the refrigerator and be heated again in the microwave, so don’t be afraid to double the batch.

Red Lobster Biscuits Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups Bisquick or Pioneer
⅔ cup milk
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
¼ cup butter
¼ teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Mix the bisquick or Pioneer mix with the cheese until evenly distributed.
Slowly add the milk and gently mix.
Spoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake at 425 degrees for 8-10 minutes
Immediately brush on the melted butter and sprinkle with garlic powder

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Olive Garden™

Chef Pablo — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 23:20:51 +0000

The first Olive Garden opened in 1982 in Orlando Florida. Today there are over 145 locations around the country.

Most of the newer Olive Garden locations are designed to look like a farm house in Castellina in Chianti, Tuscany on the grounds of the Rocca delle Macie winery.

Olive Garden is most famous for their bottomless bread baskets. But, my suggestion is GO EASY on those so you have room for what’s to come. Delicious pasta, soups and salads at a price you afford to enjoy often. Bring your kids because every kid I know loves pasta.

If you’re looking for some restaurant recipes that you’re kids are going to beg for night after night, you’re in the right place. I would even solicit a little help from them and let them receive a few of the accolades.

Alfredo Sauce
This recipe does NOT include garlic powder or cream cheese. This is the real deal as far as I can tell. Regardless, this is a recipe your family will rave about.

Minestrone Soup
This soup not only tastes amazing, it leaves you feeling quite full. One of the most searched for restaurant recipes, you’ll be proud to serve this to your family or friends.

Zuppa Toscano Soup
One of the most popular restaurant recipes from Olive Garden. This is a spicy sausage and bacon soup with russet potatoes and greens in a creamy broth.

Caprese Flatbread
A light and crispy flat bread with a nice chunky tomato mixture, topped with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. It’s reminds me of a very fresh and natural tasting pizza.

Bread Sticks
If you’re not careful you could end up eating WAY too many of these bread sticks on your next trip to The Olive Garden. Famous for their “bottomless basket” of bread sticks, a meal at The Olive Garden isn’t complete without a few of these in your belly. Best part, it’s extremely easy to make.

House Salad
A cool crisp salad with a great tangy dressing makes this a great way to start your meal. Fresh tossed at your table with Parmesan cheese grated right there on your salad. With everything being prepared at your table, it’s one of the most anticipated salads you’ll eat.

Sangria
Looking for how to make Olive Garden sangria? Look no further. The Olive Garden Sangria is a refreshing alcoholic beverage that’s perfect for any outdoor party.

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Outback Steakhouse™

Chef Pablo — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 02:17:55 +0000

When you walk into an Outback Steakhouse, you’ll find boomarangs on the wall, stuffed crocodiles, didgeridoos and maps of Australia. You’ll also find menu items named after cities in Australia. Does it taste like Australian food? I have no idea. I’ve never been to Australia.

Outback Steakhouse really made a name for itself with their “Bloomin’ Onion”. It’s rare for restaurant recipes to actually have a product on late night TV, but that’s what happened with the Bloomin’ Onion. You could order a special tool to make your onions “bloom” as well.

Recipes:

Alice Springs Chicken
Grilled chicken breast topped with bacon, honey mustard sauce, sautéed mushrooms, Monterey Jack and Cheddar. Normally served with Aussie Chips.

Bloomin’ Onion
This is what put Outback Steakhouse on the map. You might want to buy a special tool to cut these just right.

Chopped Blue Cheese Salad
This Outback salad is an amazing mix of sweet candied pecans, creamy blue cheese, soft butter lettuce along with red leaf and iceberg. A very simple restaurant recipe you can make often.

Ranch Dressing
This is a rich and creamy dressing that starts with Hidden Valley Ranch powder dressing mix. You can change it up a bit if you like your dressing a little on the spicy side.

Potato Soup
I have scoured all of my resources and found a very close, if not exact, copy of the Outback Steakhouse potato soup recipe. This comes straight from one of the former cooks at Outback.

Gold Coast Coconut Shrimp
Tender crispy shrimp in a beer batter with a light flaky coconut coating on the outside. Delicious with the tangy tart flavors that come in the Creole marmalade.

Grilled Shrimp on the Barbie
Slightly seasoned and delicately grilled shrimp served with their signature remoulade sauce. This is one of the most popular appetizers at Outback Steakhouse.

Remoulade Sauce
A rich and creamy sauce with just enough zip from the horseradish. Serve this with the Grilled Shrimp on the Barbie or their Pan Seared Lump Crab Cakes.

Bushman Bread
This is a fantastic dark bread with a delicious crunchy crust. Server it warm from the oven and delight your guests.

Wallaby-Darned
The way the Outback describes it is like this: “Down under frozen wonder with peaches, DeKuyper Peachtree Schnapps, champagne, Smirnoff Vodka and secret mixers.”

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Olive Garden™ Alfredo Sauce Recipe

Chef Pablo — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 00:51:44 +0000

I’ve seen a lot of restaurant recipes for Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce. The majority of them include cream cheese and garlic powder.

One visit to Olive Garden and you’ll know there are real chunks of garlic in there, not powder. I’ve also never heard of Alfredo sauce including cream cheese. So, after a lot of searching I’ve found what I believe is the real Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce recipe. If you have inside information, please post a comment and I’ll try to correct this.

Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce Recipe

Recipe type: Main Dish

Author: Chef Pablo

Ingredients

½ lb. butter cut into ~1" cubes
½ tablespoon chopped garlic
4 ounces white sauce powder
4 ounces whole milk
4 cubs heavy whipping cream
½ teaspoon black pepper
2½ lbs grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Melt better slowly in a medium saucepan.
Add in the garlic and cook until browned. Be careful not to burn the garlic. It will become very bitter tasting if you do.
Add in the white sauce powder and the milk. White sauce powder can be found in your local grocery store along with the powdered gravy mixes.
Add in the heavy whipping cream and stir. It's very important you use the full fat heavy whipping cream for the right texture.
Add the black pepper and stir.
Add in the Parmesan cheese and mix evenly while brining the sauce to 180 degrees. This will melt the cheese without boiling over or causing the bottom to burn.
Turn off the heat and serve immediately over your favorite pasta.

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Red Lobster™

Chef Pablo — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 23:27:14 +0000

Red Lobster started in 1968 in Lakeland Florida by Bill Darden. Today there are over 600 Red Lobster Restaurants in 44 of the 50 United States (are 31 restaurants in Canada).

Even though Red Lobster may be known for their seafood, most people are seeking restaurant recipes for their Cheddar Bay Biscuits. Rest assured, we’ll include all of the authentic Red Lobster recipes we can find. But, we know what you’re looking for right now.

Red Lobster Biscuits Recipe
This it the best recipe you’ll find for these amazing Red Lobster Biscuits. This is one of the easiest restaurant recipes you’ll make. But easy doesn’t mean it’s not going to amaze your family. Try these with any meal or make an entire Red Lobster experience.

The post Red Lobster™ appeared first on Chef Pablo's Recipes.

The Cheesecake Factory™

Chef Pablo — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 22:00:49 +0000

The very first Cheesecake Factory was opened in Beverly Hills, CA in 1978. Founder David Overtony wanted to create a restaurant with a very diverse menu, large portions and, of course, plenty of options for the cheesecake lover in (almost) all of us.

David’s parents Evelyn and Oscar Overton started the first actual factory in their basement in 1949. Eventually they moved the factory to Beverly Hills and things began to grow. It was their son David who took things to a whole new level. To this day, they’re still shipping cheesecake all over the country.

There are a large number of restaurant recipes sought from The Cheesecake Factory, including the ones listed here.

Chicken Madeira
The most popular chicken dish at The Cheesecake Factory. Sauteed chicken breast topped with fresh asparagus and melted mozzarella cheese, covered with fresh mushroom madeira sauce.

Lettuce Wraps
With all of the different ingredients and sauces, these lettuce wraps are perfect for sharing with a group. These make a great dish for bringing to a pot luck.

Original Cheesecake
For what you would pay for one slice of cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory, you can make an entire cake. It’s not nearly as difficult as people claim. I’ve made this several times and it comes out perfect.

Pumpkin Cheesecake
All of the rich and creamy goodness of The Cheesecake Factory cheesecake with a wonderful taste of pumpkin. This makes a great dessert during the holidays or anytime of year. Hints of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice will be wafting through your house this bakes. Not for the weak willed.

Pasta Da Vinci
Sauteed chicken, mushrooms, onions and garlic in a delicious Madeira wine sauce tossed with penne pasta and Parmesan cheese.

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KFC Cole Slaw Recipe

Chef Pablo — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 18:54:55 +0000

Whether it’s cole slaw or coleslaw, to me, nothing tastes better than KFC. I sifted through all of the restaurant recipes for Kentucky Fried Chicken coleslaw and this is the one that tastes just like the real thing. If you’ve tried making this before and it it tasted close, but not exactly right, try it again with this secret change. Tarragon vinegar instead of any other vinegar you may have used in the past.

KFC Cole Slaw Recipe

Recipe type: Side Dish

Author: Chef Pablo

Ingredients

4½ teaspoons Tarragon vinegar
6½ tablespoons vegetable oil
¾ cup chopped onion
2½ cups Miracle Whip
1 cup sugar
2 carrots (grated)
2 heads cabbage (chopped small or grated)

Instructions

In a medium sized bowl, stir the oil, onions and sugar together. Add in the Tarragon vinegar and mix again.
Carefully mix in the Miracle Whip.
If you're like me and prefer real mayo, don't do it! Part of the secret is to use Miracle Whip instead of mayo.
In a large separate bowl combine the carrots and cabbage.
Pour the white sauce over the carrots and cabbage and mix carefully.
Store this in an air-tight container in the refrigerator overnight. As tempted as you may be to try this immediately, there's a huge difference after it's sat in the fridge all night.

The post KFC Cole Slaw Recipe appeared first on Chef Pablo's Recipes.

All About Rubio’s Fresh Mexican Grill™

Chef Pablo — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 01:11:18 +0000

When most college students go away for spring break, all they come back with is a sunburn. But not Ralph Rubio.

Every spring, Ralph and his buddies would head to the Baja village of San Felipe, where you could camp on the beach for free, catch some rays, and forget about studying. One night, a hungry Ralph spotted a taco shop with an unusual specialty advertised in the window: fish tacos. He ordered one, took a few bites, and was hooked.

Over time Ralph became pals with Carlos, the man behind the counter. Carlos showed Ralph how his fish tacos were made. Ralph went back to San Diego and perfected a recipe of his own.

Several years later, with his father Ray as his partner, he opened his first restaurant – a walk-up stand in Mission Beach. Since that day back in 1983, Ralph, with the help of a lot of great people, has sold more than 50 million fish tacos.

When I first began my quest for restaurant recipes, the Rubio’s Fish Taco was one of my goals. I couldn’t get enough of that amazing taste, but the closest store was too far away. I didn’t just want these at home, I needed them there.

Rubio’s Fish Tacos
This is what started the Rubio’s Fresh Mexican Grill franchise. A great tasting combination of crispy mild fish, tangy white sauce, a soft warm corn tortilla and crispy fresh cabbage.

Rubio’s Hot Sauce
One of the items I had the most trouble with was Rubio’s hot sauce. Finally, I discovered the secret and life is great! I use this sauce on everything now. It’s even great with a bowl of chips.

Rubio’s White Sauce
This extremely simple white sauce will make or break your attempt to recreate Rubio’s fish tacos. It seems too simple, but it adds a wonderful tangy flavor your family will rave over.

The post All About Rubio’s Fresh Mexican Grill™ appeared first on Chef Pablo's Recipes.

Privacy Policy

Chef Pablo — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 21:43:05 +0000

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