Grilled Zucchini Roll-Ups

I recently made these for a kick off party for an arts based outreach group I work for and they were a hit! It suck a simple, easy recipe but delivers a lot of fresh flavor.

Ingredients 
make about 15 roll-ups

• 3 zucchinis
• 1/2 small red bell pepper, sliced into slivers the width of the zucchini
• 1/4 cup fresh spinach, chopped
• 7-8 tsp basil and sun-dried tomato feta cheese
• 2 tbsp dried basil
•  1/2 lime
• salt and pepper
• olive oil
  

 Start by chopping off the top and bottom ends of your zucchini. Slice your zucchini into 1/4" inch slices (discarding the green skin pieces). Drizzle olive oil over both sides of the zucchini and season with salt, pepper and dried basil.

Place zucchini slices on a cast iron grill pan that has been heated over medium heat. Cook until grill marks appear on both sides. Set aside to cool.

Once cooled, you can begin assembling the roll-ups. Lay a zucchini slice across a clean cutting board and hit it with a squirt of lime juice. On one end of the zucchini, place 1/2 tsp of feta cheese, 2-3 slivers of bell pepper and a nice pinch of spinach. From that same end, begin to roll the zucchini around the filling and secure with a toothpick. Repeat this process for all remaining zucchini slices.

Assemble on a serving platter and enjoy!
 

Mobspotting at Steel (Atlanta, GA)

This past Wednesday I attended a Foodspotting/Scoutmob Eat Up (dont know what Foodspotting or Scoutmob is? check it out- all the cool people are doing it). Scoutmob teamed up with Foodspotting to give Foodspotters access to Scoutmob’s deals directly through the mobile app. The Mobspotting Eat Up took place at Steel Restaurant & Lounge Atlanta. It was my first Foodspotting bash and my first time at Steel so I wasnt quite sure what to expect. I have to say I had a blast. I got to meet some fellow Atlanta Mobspotters and ate some pretty yummy Asian dishes (photos below). I look forward to the next Atlanta Eat Up!

Sea Salt and Chili Pepper Calamari- sauteed with garlic, onion and 3 chilies honey chili paste & ginger lime sesame sauce

Squid Salad

Tuna Tower- sticky rice, avocado, fresh lemon, spicy crabmeat, & spicy tuna drizzled with wasabi honey

Indo-Chine Soft Shell Crab with wok sautéed garlic, onions & three chilies, served with a spicy ponzu sauce

Vegetable Tempura- onion rings, asparagus, green beans, shiitake mushrooms

Crispy Beef- crispy fried beef wok sautéed in a sweet hoison sauce with scallions

Zebra Maki Roll- crab tempura, asp, avocado, cream cheese & soy paper

Cowboy Maki Roll (top)- beef tenderloin, red onion, oba, roasted jalapeno Firecracker Maki Roll (bottom)- spicy tuna, agedama, topped w/ avocado, crab, jalapeno

Saketini- vodka, sake, cucumber, olive

Fil-Am Star Cafe & Bakery (Atlanta, GA)

Stopped by a local Filipino restaurant yesterday. This was my 3rd time going and I was just as satisfied as the other times. I wouldn't say the food is exceptionally great but definitely hits the spot when you have a Filipino food craving.

Kare Kare
Braised tale and tariffe with eggplant, bok choy in a peanut sauce.
Served with bagoong (a salty shrimp paste)

Lechon
Roasted whole pig (love the crispy skin)
Served with a liver based sauce

Halo Halo
Assorted tropical fruits in syrup, top with shaved ice, cream and ice cream.
Ours even had a small piece of leche flan on top.
















Served family style, there was plenty to share and I even had some leftover kare kare to take home. I'm sure I will be back again (even though I do make my own Filipino food lol).

Toni's Last Minute Mac

A few nights ago we were craving a southern dinner. Like most nights, we didn't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen or have to make a run to the store. We had fried chicken on the menu already and what goes better with fried chicken than a good ol' mac and cheese. I realized that I had just enough of the right ingredients to whip up a last minute mac.


Ingredients
8 oz elbow macaroni, cooked al dente
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
4 tbsp butter
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
hot pepper cheese
italian blend cheese
mexican blend cheese
4 strips of bacon, cooked
black pepper
cayenne pepper

I am assuming you know how to boil macaroni pasta so I am skipping that step with my recipe. You want to cook your pasta al dente (may even slightly firmer since it will cook further in the oven). Drain and set aside. In the same saucepot, warm heavy whipping cream and 2 tbsp of butter. You don't want to bring this to a boil. Add hot pepper cheese (or pepper jack) to the liquid and stir until it forms a thick cheese sauce. Remove from heat and set aside.

Place your cooked macaroni noodles in a baking dish and fold in the cheese sauce. Mix in both the italian and mexican cheese blends. This is your mac so make it how you like it. I like mine really cheesy so I tend to be a bit heavy handed when adding in cheese. For a little bit more of a kick, I add in some black pepper and cayenne pepper (only about 1-2 tsp of cayenne pepper). I then crumble my cooked bacon strips and combine it with the cheese and macaroni.

In the pan you cooked your bacon in, heat up 1-2 tbsp of butter (you can even combine it with the bacon grease like I did but that part is definitely optional lol). Once the butter has melted, stir in the panko bread crumbs. You wanted to make sure that they are evenly coated with butter. Layer the bread crumbs on top of the mac and cheese.

Place the mac and cheese into an oven that has been preheated to 350 degrees. Bake for approximately 30 minutes. During the last 5 minutes, switch the setting to broil so that the bread crumbs can turn a nice, golden, crispy brown.

The great thing about mac and cheese is that you can use any combination of cheeses you like. I rarely do the same combination. Sometimes I even add herbs, onion, garlic, etc. I hope you enjoy your last minute mac!

Chicken Arroz Caldo

Yesterday the weather in Atlanta made a change for the better. We went from sticky, hot 90 degree weather to cool, rainy 70 degree weather. This change in climate made me crave something my mom would make often when I was younger- Chicken Arroz Caldo (or as we called it Chicken and Rice). This is a Filipino rice "porridge" dish that is so comforting and delicious on a day like yesterday and today.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 inch fresh ginger, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 6 chicken wings, cut to separate drumettes, flats and tips
• 4 cups of chicken broth
• 1 cup short grain rice
• 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• hard boiled eggs, for garnish (optional)
• green onion, sliced for garnish
• lemon wedges (calamansi if it's available to you)

In a large pot heat up 2 tbsp of vegetable oil. Add the onion and ginger and cook until the onion is translucent (approx. 3 minutes).

Add the chicken and cook for about 5-7 minutes. They should start to turn a light golden brown.

Add the stock, rice and fish sauce. Cover and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer for approximately 30 minutes. Make sure to stir often- you want to release the starches from the rice so that it thickens the stock.

If you prefer the end product to be thinner, just ass more stock. While your arroz caldo is cooking, heat up the last 1 tbsp of vegetable oil over medium heat in a separate pan. Saute the garlic until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel and set aside.

Serve the chicken arroz caldo in bowls topped with fried garlic, green onions, a lemon wedge, a boiled egg and a dash or 2 of fish sauce. When my mom made this for me growing up she never used boiled eggs but I have seen many photos with the egg that I decided to give it a try. I really liked the addition of it to the meal.

Masarap! Definitely satisfied my craving.

Spicy Chicken Tostadas

Ingredients
(serves 2)

• 4 small corn tortillas
• 1/2 lb chicken tenders
• salt and pepper
• cumin
• chipotle powder
• cayenne pepper
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/2 medium yellow onion
• refried black beans
• sour cream
• ranchero sauce
• mixed greens
• cilantro
• red onions, diced
• tomatoes, diced
• pepper jack cheese, shredded (I was lazy and just chopped some)

Sorry- no exact measurements here. It was just something I quickly whipped up.


I marinated my chicken tenders in salt, pepper, chipotle powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and some canned ranchero sauce. Let this sit in the fridge for at least an hour.


In a skillet, heat up approximately 2 tbsp of oil. Add your onion and garlic and sautee for about 2-3 minutes. Add the marinated chicken. As the chicken cooks, use 2 forks to begin to pull it apart into shreds. Add more ranchero sauce if needed (mimick the consistency of pulled pork).


While the chicken cooks, place the corn tortillas directly on the rack of an oven heated to 400 degrees. Bake until crispy- approximately 5-7 minutes. You can skip this step and use store bought tostadas instead.


After the chicken is fully cooked, layer your crispy tortilla with your favorite taco fillings. I used (in this order) refried black beans, sour cream, mixed greens, cilantro, red onions, tomatoes and cheese.


This is a really simple and delicious meal. It's great if you don't have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen. I made another variation of this the following day but added fresh ginger, pineapple and sriracha to the chicken marinade. Just like with all recipes, I suggest you have fun and be creative with it!