SchupackEats

I like to eat. Who doesn't? I also like to read, talk, and write about food. Turns out I do a lot more of those things than the average Joe. This here is a place for me to write about the recipes, food and restaurants I love. And if maybe, I encourage you to try this stuff along the way, that’s just icing on the cake. Mmmm...cake.

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My friend Teri: Black-Owned Businesses / Harlem Candle Co.

I have A LOT of amazing, bad a** female friends who have started their own successful businesses. Because my life is focused on marketing my clients, I rarely take the time to share my friend’s inspiring stories. Sadly, it took the most recent BLM movement to push me to do so...so here we go and rightfully so, I’m going to start with my beautiful, brilliant, Black girlfriends. 

Meet Teri Jonson (@travelistateri) - Teri and I worked together way-back-when and I can honestly say she is one of the most intelligent, cultured, inspiring humans I know. Not to mention she’s hilarious;) Since we’ve worked together I’ve seen her be a film director, travel host, INFLUENCER (before that was even a thing), and finally, a stellar CEO. Always amazing, always successful.

This brings us to now -  In 2014 Teri founded Harlem Candle Co., a luxury home fragrance brand specializing in scented candles inspired by the richness of Harlem. Based on her love affair with fragrance, jazz, and Harlem, she manifested her expertise in lifestyle and travel and the company has been nothing short of success since it began. 

Think Baldwin, Fitzgerald, Holiday. How could you NOT want to celebrate these TRUE artists by supporting them through the latest generation of art founded and based in Harlem?! 

Learn more on her website, and support this FEMALE FOUNDED, BLACK OWNED BUSINESS!

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Ya’ll should make these, and thank me later. They’re Christina Tosi’s Chocolate Chip Cookies - which means AH-MAZE-ING! She even gives the reader tips how to make them gluten free! You can find the recipe in her latest book Milk Bar Life or here! Seriously- you won’t want cookies any other way

SERVES: ABOUT 15 COOKIES Ingredients

½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and just warm to the touch

¾ cup packed light brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

1 egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons nonfat milk powder

1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips or chocolate chunks

¼ cup flaked salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

With a wooden spoon, mix the sugars together in a large bowl and add the melted butter. Stir vigorously for about a minute or more. Mix the egg and vanilla in the measuring cup you used for the sugar and add to the mixture. Stir until the mix gathers a glossy sheen, about one more minute.

Mix in the flour, milk powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and mix until evenly distributed.

Use a #24 squeeze handle scoop to portion the dough (or lightly form into balls about the size of a golf ball) and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper about 2 to 3 inches apart. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown around the edges but still soft in the middle. The cookies will fall as they cool. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

* Milk powder is SUPER easy to find. Just look at your grocery store for evaporated milk, it will be there.

** Gluten Free- Use oats but “grind the heck out of them until they have a flour like consistency” then do 1.5 cups oats for every 1 cup regular flour.

*** I made mine with 1/2 chocolate chips 1/2 peanut butter chips. Again AMAZING!

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Wanna hang with me? Now you can see my availability without even talking to me.  Opentable can do it, why can’t I?

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My Life Registry

Hey all, I am not married and I have no babies but I think I'm due for some presents (no, I didn't just see the Sex in the City Episode where Carrie did this sort of thing. I'm different. THINGS are different.) Please just do me a favor and see my registry below and then feel obligated to buy only if I am any part of your life at all...IG, Twitter, FB friends that means you. Note: If I was in your wedding, no worries, we're good. You can treat me to a bachelorette party in one of my favorite food towns (Paris, Krakow, Mexico City still available). Kisses. 

Vita Mix

So, this day and age, who DOESN'T want this? But don't worry. I am super aware that these things are pricey. The regular, kind of basic Vitamix is fine. Thanks so much!

Global Knife Set

Again, I'm really considerate of peoples incomes, so don't go all crazy and buy me a korin set but still, these knives are great and I'd totally appreciate the thought...even if it's not THE best. 

Pans

So, as you can tell, I get it. I like nice kitchenware, but again I am like the most AWARE person in terms of being financially sound. That being said, almost everyone I know who has this set (no one) has said, it will be passed on from generaiton to generation so it's totally worth it. And based on the fact that I am having a registry for me and my two cats, I think thats a super wise investment. Any whooo...they're great, right? 

Table Set

I know this one is a little out there and thats why I am leaving this until the end but still, I've been a good friend, right? I said happy birthday on your facebook page, I said your pic was "gorgeous" on your IG pic, I favorited a really terrible tweet, right? I'm legit. So do this for me. Maybe? Or maybe just know that you are making a single girl and her two cats, very, very happy. Again, danke. Or...wait...tak. 

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Restaurant re-make: Shish Tawook (Chicken Kabobs)

It's been kind of a while since I posted but I made a dish last night that the world just needs to do too. One of my favorite foods ever is chicken kabobs at "Middle Eastern" restaurants. Really, I think it's Lebanese but for some they go by "Middle Eastern" restaurants in most parts. Anywhoooo, chicken kabobs at these restaurants are actually called "Shish Tawook" and its basically chunks of chicken breasts marinated in a super delicious Greek Yogurt blend then grilled on skewers. Just say chicken, veggies, grill and I'm all in. So I did it...and I won't waste your time talking about it anymore. Just seriously, make these things. Super simple, and really one of the most delicious home attempts at cooking restaurant food ever. 

Shish Tawook Recipe

Ingredients: 1 lb boneless chicken breast- cut into one inch cubes bamboo skewers soaked in water for at least an hour 1 red pepper - seeded and cut into one inch cubes 1 yellow pepper - seeded and cut into one inch cubes 1 green pepper- seeded and cut into one inch cubes 1 red onion- cut into one inch chuncks

Marinade: 3/4 cup Greek Yogurt 2 Tbsp. olive oil Juice from 1- 1.5 lemons 1 garlic cloves minced 1 Tbsp. tomato paste 1 Tbsp. salt 1/2 tsp. each black pepper & oregano 1/4 tsp. each cayenne, paprika, sumac Marinade Instructions: Combine all ingredients for marinade and mix until smooth. Add chicken and evenly coat. Cover and refrigerate for 4-8 hours. 

Grill:  Skewer chicken on skewers and veggies on separate skewers. Place chicken on grill and close lid. Cook on each side for approx. 6-8 minutes depending on thickness of meat.  

Serve with rice and find that amazing GARLIC sauce that comes with Shish Tawook at most restaurants. Here are a few ways to do it at home. The chicken will kick butt without it but if you can find it, buy it or attempt to make it. It's garlic sauce. Who doesn't like garlic sauce?!!

Ok enjoy..please and talk about how easy and great it is!!

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Super, Super Delicious Kale & Chickpea Salad

I have my fantastic bestie, Nina, to thank for this fabulous Kale Salad. It's not the pretty common Kale Caesar, though I do love those, it's a different take with some ingredients I had no idea paired so well together. And guess what- it's uber healthy! Just veggies, a great dressing and NO cheese. Yup, the acidy of the lemon and tartness of the turmeric work so well with the chickpeas and kale you might be come addicted like us. Check out a slightly updated recipe below but you can see the original here.

Kale & Chickpea Salad

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

dash cayenne pepper (or to taste)

4 cups of packed thinly sliced kale 

One 15 oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 red onion, finely diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

  Place the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, turmeric and cayenne pepper in a medium sized bowl and whisk well.

  Put sliced kale in large mixing bowl and massage the dressing into the kale with your hands. (Warning: your hands may turn a little yellow. Just wash off with soap or use plastic gloves). Add garbanzo beans, red onion and red bell pepper and mix well. Serve or refrigerate until serving. This makes a great "make ahead" salad since none of the ingredients get soggy.

* courtesy of foodsforlonglife

  Thanks even more to NINA!!! love you gurrrlll!

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Freekeh Out

  Because I am a frequent Frannys goer, and because I try to recreate dishes I enjoy at restaurants, I had my sights set on using Freekeh. Frannys kills it eveytime changing up the veggies, and cheese but keeping the rest of the ingredients quite consistent.

Don't know what Freekeh is? Well, according to the "wiki world" - it's a green wheat grain that is almost burnt by the sun and the seeds are cracked into smaller pieces so they look like a green bulgur. The grain is popular in Middle Eastern cuisine.**

Just do yourself a favor and find it at a middle eastern food market (thank goodness for Sahadis) or order some online. It's super delicious and nice to try a new, flavorful grain that you aren't sick of yet. 

I used it is in my ever so famous (I joke) "Summer Grain Salad" recipe with a few changes. Complete recipe below...

Freekeh Salad with roasted asparagus, radishes, pecorino & mint

2 cups cooked freekeh (buy cracked freekah)

2 cups roasted asparagus

1 cup radishes- quartered

1/2 cup pecorino cheese- diced

1/4 cup sliced & toasted almonds- bought toasted or toast on stovetop

3 green onions- diced including stems

1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley (you can dice with stems or pick leaves whole to make extra pretty) 

1/2 cup fresh mint (remove from stem and shred with hands)

1/4 sherry vinegar

1/4 olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

1) Make freekeh ahead of time so it can cool down. To make, put freekeh and 4 cups of water in a pot. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Put a lid on pot and reduce heat to low. Let simmer for 25-35 minutes or until desired tenderness is reached. Let cool either at room temperature or put in refrigerator to speed up cooling. **sprinkle a little olive oil on grain and mix to make sure it doesn't clump while cooling.

2) Roast or grill asparagus and chop into 1 inch pieces. To roast: With oven at 400 degrees, put asparagus on a sheet tray and drizzle a little olive oil and salt and pepper and coat evenly. Roast for about 10-15 minutes until you reach desired tenderness.  I like asparagus a bit al dente because it cooks even more with the dressing on the salad (and the less the veggies are cooked, the better in my opinion). 

3) Once freekeh has cooled, combine it with chopped asparagus, raw radishes, pecorino, almonds, onions, vinegar, olive oil and salt and peper and mix. Taste to determine if you would like any more vinegar flavor then serve and enjoy! Or as my friend Lucas would say "get yer freekeh on." Yup. He said that.

Note: the second day I made this I used fresh spring peas instead of asparagus and it was SUPER good too. Change out the veggies and cheese to your liking. 

   *** my summary from wikipedia but you can find out more info here

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BTIEA: Peanut Butter Creme Oreos

I haven't done a best thing I ever ate post in a while but I have been enjoying these puppies for about a year. I am not an oreo fan but I do LOVE the combination of chocolate/peanut butter and they NAILED it. If you like Tagalongs  you will like these! And just think- you can get these get ALL YEAR LONG!!! OMG they are addicting. And like most sweets, I advise freezing them. Yum, yum, yum!

***btw totally support Girl Scouts. I am not trying to deter you from that. Their cookies are great too!

*** another btw- I've made myself want these by simply typing this out. If it has  sustained my ever-changing taste for a year, it's a real winner. Go PB oreos!! #girlscoutcookiesallyearlong

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Healthy, Warm, & Delicious Recipe: White Chicken Chili

After scouring the internet years ago in dire need of a good, healthy white chicken chili recipe, I found this one. 8 years later, I am still making the same one (honestly, I have no idea where I got it). It's deep in flavor and you don't feel guilty eating it. I often throw all the ingredients in the crock pot and cook it all day but you can also follow the recipe for the stove top below. Do it...and enjoy!

White Chicken Chili serves about 5 

1-1 1/2 lb boneless chicken breast - chopped into cubes 1 tbsp olive oil (only if cooking on stove top) 3 cloves garlic- diced 1 medium white onion- chopped 3 cans great northern beans- drained and rinsed 1 can corn- drained and rinsed 1 small can of diced green chili 3 cups chicken stock or broth (add half if using crock pot) 2 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 2 tsp oregano 1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning 1 tsp hot sauce salt & freshly ground pepper to taste juice of 1 fresh lime optional 1 can of chickpeas in place of 1 can of great northern- drained and rinsed optional diced pickled jalapeños

Garnish: chopped fresh cilantro

To make on stove:

In a dutch oven or large stock pot over medium heat,  sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until onion is translucent (about 5 minutes). Add chicken and cook until not pink. Add beans, corn, chillies, seasoning and hot sauce to pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Squeeze lime juice, and add chopped cilantro to serve. 

Crock Pot Revisions: Add dry spices 1 hour before the dish has finished cooking.  Add lime juice right before serving.

**General Note: If its not spicy enough, add more hot sauce or cayenne. If it's not "chili enough tasting" add more cumin. And of course you can always add more lime, salt and pepper to fit your personal tastes.

*** Fattening Note: So if you read a lot of white chicken chili recipes, you'll see flour, cream, cheese and a whole lot more. These things do make the flavors richer but without them the recipe is still great! The lime juice and cilantro are a true enhancement without busting the waistline. 

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Recommended Recipes: Saveur's Laab

I read A LOT of recipes and when I spot one that sounds delicious, I try to master it. It's not often that I make it once and want to remake it. But this Laab recipe, OMG, I've made like 6 times and just want to keep eating it. It requires you to buy some stuff you probably don't already have laying around but buying the spices and peppers are totally worth it. Go to an Asian market, buy dried red peppers, and the rest of the spices and I promise you, you won't regret it. 

Here it is from the amazing 150 classics recipe issue. Full recipe below! 

SERVES 2–4

INGREDIENTS

⅓ cup canola oil 3 tbsp. mashed garlic 4 red Thai chiles, stemmed and minced 10 oz. ground pork 1 tsp. crushed red chile flakes 1 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder 1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg 1 tsp. kosher salt ¼ tsp. ground black pepper ¼ tsp. ground coriander ¼ tsp. ground cardamom 2 tbsp. minced mint, plus more to garnish 1 tbsp. minced scallions, plus more to garnish 1 tbsp. minced cilantro, plus more to garnish 2 tsp. fish sauce Thinly sliced kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, shallots, cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes to garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat oil in a 12" skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and chiles, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add pork, chile flakes, five-spice, nutmeg, salt, pepper, coriander, and cardamom, and cook, stirring, until pork is browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in mint, scallions, cilantro, and fish sauce, and cook until pork is done, about 4 minutes. 2. Transfer to a large serving bowl, and top with scallions, cilantro, kaffir leaves, lemongrass, shallots, mint, cilantro, cucumbers, and tomatoes. Serve at room temperature.

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17 Bean, Beef & Barley Stew Recipe

Soup just tends to be my FAVORITE food in the cold winter months. I bought Trader Joe's 17 bean & barley dry bag and decided to "beef" it up a bit. Below is a pretty successful recipe and no food is complete without sharing it with others. So here you go. 

17 Bean, Beef & Barley Stew serves 5

1 bag 17 Bean & Barley Stew 1 lb beef shoulder   1 medium white onion- diced 4 cloves of garlic- diced 2 large carrots - diced 3 celery sticks with leaves- diced 5 cups beef stock 1 can of ro tel tomatoes (or roasted diced tomatoes with green chili) 1 bay leaf 1 tsp cumin 1/2 lemon 1/2 tsp oregano salt & pepper to taste Olive Oil for cooking 

Soak the beans in a pot of water overnight. Wash and drain before using.

Cube the beef.  Drizzle dutch oven/pot with olive oil and brown the cubed beef so all the pink is gone. Remove beef from pot. Add a bit more olive oil to pot, add onions and cook until translucent. Add garlic, carrots and celery and cook for about 5 minutes or until you see and smell the flavors. Add the tomatoes, spices, beans, stock and beef and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn to low heat and simmer for 1 to 2 hours. Keep covered. Taste the beans and beef and eat when they taste perfectly tender. 

Garnish with a few squeezes of lemon and enjoy! 

* After enjoying it I realized this recipe can definitely be played with. Mushrooms or greens would be a delicious addition. And no need for meat but I am a beef in stew fan so I did it.

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Rosabeth Schupack's Delicious Brisket Recipe

It's taken me 32 years to finally attempt the greatest cooking influence in my life's most famous recipe. Though there is no 100% proof this is her "brisket" recipe, it's technically titled "pot roast" in her amazing handwriting but I decided to play around a bit and assume some things to make it a brisket. 

Rosabeth Schupack's Pot Roast/Brisket Recipe

4 lb brisket (I actually got a brisket cut but her recipe says "english or chuck")

2 medium onions quartered

salt & pepper

4 tbsp fresh thyme

2 fresh bay leaves

1 head of flat leaf parsley chopped

¾ head of garlic sliced thinly

3 tbsp flour

2 cups beef stock

1 cup red wine

2 large carrots chopped in big chunks

4 ribs celery chopped in big chunks

1 can of crushed tomatoes

Season the meat and thinly coat with flour. In a dutch oven or deep pot, brown meat in olive oil (she called for butter so you can do both butter and evoo). Once meat is browned on both sides, remove from pot. Leave juices in the pot and add onion to cook for about 3 minutes, then add garlic, carrots, celery, tomatoes, herbs to brown. Once lightly brown add stock and red wine and bring to boil. Add meat and move pot to oven. Cook at 325 degrees for about 3hrs. Make sure the liquid covers the meat and it bubbles in the oven but is not a rolling boil. Check with a fork to make sure it's tender. Cooking time may very (maybe a bit longer).  Remove meat from pan and let sit for 10 minutes. Put pot on stove and bring liquid to boill to thicken. Pour sauce over meat and serve.

 Love you Grandma Nail Polish!

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Culinary Trend Spotting: Roasted Carrots

I can't believe it myself- cooked carrots can be good! Use REAL, organic, rainbow, whatever, just not the baby packaged carrots that have been through some processing. Those guys lose most of their nutritional value.

To Roast: 

Toss them in olive oil, sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper, spread on a sheet tray and roast them in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Toss them a few times during the process and voila! They are delish. 

A big, big lesson I have learned in all my eating around the city and country is that the key to really good veggies and many things is GOOD OLIVE OIL. Go to a specialty market, ask someone and buy. It is totally worth it and will surly elevate most dishes.

And if you don't believe that they are trendy then ask the NY Times who just did a little article on them here! 

Additional roasted carrot recipes: Roasted Carrot and Avocado Salad  Roasted Carrots with Honey Brown Butter Mark Bittman's Roasted Carrot Recipes 

*note the pic above is roasted carrots and roasted broccoli dish I made and they were really good served together. 

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Adapted recipes: Shepherd's Pie / Cottage Pie

Quite typically when I want to make a dish, I search the web and my cookbooks to determine how I'll make it from there. Often I look for cream-less, healthy, less expensive versions of what I want. I also think "does the person I am making this for like all these ingredients?" Well, this week I was dying to make Shepherd's Pie (or Cottage Pie cause I didn't plan on making it with Lamb). It was super delicious and I definitely recommend making this when it's cold outside or you just need amazing comfort food!

After extensive recipe searching, I determined this Epicurious recipe was the winner. I've copied the recipe below and added a few ingredients that I feel definitely livened the dish. 

Enjoy! 

yield: Makes 6 servings

active time: 30 minutes

total time: 1 hour

1 tablespoon vegetable oil (or olive oil)

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

1 large carrot, peeled and chopped

1 pound ground lamb (I used 1lb ground beef)

1 cup beef or chicken broth (I added two cups and a half a cup of white wine)

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon chopped fresh or dry rosemary

1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley

1 cup frozen peas

2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup milk (any fat content)

Kosher salt to taste

Jessie's additions:

1 cup of canned corn (can be added when you add the peas)

1/2 cup of white wine (add when you add the stock)

1 cup of chopped mushrooms (added with corn and peas)

1 tablespoon paprika (drizzled on the potatoes when they go in oven)

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

2. In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, heat the oil, then add the onion, carrot, and meat. Cook until browned, 8 to 10 minutes.

3. Drain the fat and add the broth, tomato paste, and herbs. Simmer until the juices thicken, about 10 minutes, then add the peas.

4. Pour the mixture into a 1 1/2-quart baking dish; set aside.

5. Meanwhile, bring the potatoes to a boil in salted water. Cook until tender, about 20 minutes; drain.

6. Mash the potatoes with the butter, milk, and salt.

7. Spread them over the meat mixture, then crosshatch the top with a fork.

8. Bake until golden, 30 to 35 minutes.

Tip• Instead of using a baking dish for the Shepherd's Pie, keep the filling in the (ovenproof) sauté pan in which you cook it, top with the crust, and bake it all in the oven for a skillet version that won't dirty another dish.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Shepherds-Pie-240224#ixzz2BNveEvoV

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Noticeable Food Trends Across The Country - from a NY foodie

Of course after 6 months of traveling around the US, all I can think about is FOOD, where, when, how and why. I am a reader of food media and see a lot but I've never seen anyone talk about some of the things I noticed. So here we go, I'm going to share some thoughts with you all and of course, comment away. It's time to shed some light on the food in cities other than NY, LA, Chicago, and SF. 

Thai Restaurants are often Vegetarian or Vegan. I never associated Thai food with anything vegetarian but I've seen a whole bunch of those restaurants and guess what, they're pretty good!

People use the term "Farmers Market" quite loosely. I guess it just means its from A farm? So where is the food from our grocery stores from?

The Phoenix food scene is so underrated. I never read about the scene there and they are so on point with current food trends.  I mean, amazing wood burning oven restaurants, delicious bakeries, tons of farm to table, and LGO...just check it out. You really don't need to eat anywhere else. EATER why is there no Phoenix page???

Only in NY do you see "Skinny" written all over the Starbucks menu. Obviously they still offer skinny drinks everywhere else but the menus just don't advertise it. 

Whole Foods is expensive everywhere but NY! Here it's the same price as any grocery store. 

Asian restaurants often mean "Anywhere in Asia." You want Thai, Korean, Japanese or Chinese you can find it all in one place.

Delicious Mexican food can come from WASHINGTON STATE? Yup. Taco trucks, grocery stores, you name it, it's all delicious. 

New Mexican food needs a new marketing campaign. It is SO delicious and the fact that you rarely see that cuisine anywhere BUT New Mexico is crazy to me. Texas gets love but what about those GREEN CHILIES? 

RESTAURANT NAMES- why and how did they come up with them? Do they actually get customers in the doors? 

  or

  or

Do you want to eat here?

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Mexican Chicken Noodle Soup with Black Bean Dipping Bread

When I get a dish in my head, I can't sleep until I make it myself. So, thats where this one came from. Well, originally it came from Cafe Habana, an awesome Cuban joint I luckily got to savor while I crashed on my brothers couch. Their "Chicken Noodle Soup"  had a tomatoey broth,  was slightly spicy and contained very thin vermicelli noodles. Needless to say, I fell in love. Then recently, my boyfriends mom told me about Sopa De Fideo which I discovered is the REAL Mexican noodle soup. So I did what I do with many recipes- I read, and read and created my own version with my favorite flavors and ingredient and mmmm it turned out good. I shredded chicken, added lime and turmeric and just added stuff until it was exactly what I wanted. Here's a recipe you can play with too but obviously feel free to change things up to your liking! 

Mexican Chicken Noodle Soup and Black Bean Crostini Serves 7 

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1/2 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped carrots

6 large cloves garlic, minced

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

6 cups chicken stock

2 14 ounce cans of diced roasted tomatoes (I got mine with chilies) 

1 8-10 ounce box of dry vermicelli pieces or angel hair pasta 

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves  

6 limes juiced  

In dutch oven or pot heat oil on medium heat and add onion, celery, carrots until onions are translucent. Add chopped garlic and jalapeño and stir about one more minute. Add tomatoes and stock and chicken and bring to boil. Once chicken is cooked, remove from pot, let cool and shred. Simmer on low heat and put chicken in pot and add noodles, dry spices (salt, pepper, coriander, turmeric and cumin) and juice from two limes. Keep on low heat or remove from heat when noodles are cooked, about 5 minutes. 

Serve with a dash of cilantro leaves and slices of lime. 

Black Bean Crostini

1 tbsp olive oil

1 can of black beans

1 clove garlic chopped

1/2 a lime juiced

salt to taste

1 baguette sliced small enough for individual servings 

Puree black beans, lime juice and garlic until smooth. Place sliced baguette on sheet tray and drizzle with a little olive oil. Spread puree on bread and toast on 425 for about 8 minutes. 

Serve with soup and dip away! 

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Homemade Iced Mexican Mocha

I've seen and tried Mexican hot chocolate but it wasn't until last Christmas in Albuquerque that I discovered my new favorite drink- Mexican Mocha. I haven't been able to find a coffee shop in the East that sells them but thankfully, my lovely sister-in-law sent me a package of Abuelita Chocolate so I could make them myself. I think this chunk of deliciousness can be used in numerous ways but I used it to execute an Iced Mexican Mocha and it turned out great! Here's what I did:

Iced Coffee: I just make a pot of coffee then store it in the fridge in plastic or a mason jar.

Abuelita: Put chunk in a dry pot and turn it to medium heat. Add 1/2 cup of milk and stir until it completely melts.  (Make sure you stir often so it doesn't burn.)

To make a single delicious drink: Put ice in a cup. Add 1 cup of iced coffee, 2 tablespoons of chocolate and a little milk. Stir and enjoy!