Filter: Protein

Perfect Barbeque Chicken Pizza  

  1. Place pizza stone in oven on middle rack and preheat to 500° or as hot as your oven will go.  
  1. Allow pizza dough to rest out at room temperature for about an hour before attempting to roll out. Gluten will relax and become much easier to manage. 
  1. Dust your pizza peel with semolina flour to help with sticking and start building your pizza. 
  1. Less is more here, so top with a good (thin) layer of pizza sauce to the edges. Then a good layer of the shredded mozzarella and the rest of the toppings.  
  1. Bake for 5-7 minutes on the pizza stone, turning once to get the even browning on all sides of the crust. Enjoy!  

Sheet Pan Piccata Chicken Dinner 

Preheat oven to 450°. Line a sheet-pan with foil and place a baking rack over half of the sheet pan. Set it aside. In a bowl, season chicken with parsley, 1 Tbsp garlic, oil, lemon zest and salt to taste.

In a medium size bowl, toss shallots, broccolini, grape tomatoes and fingerling potatoes with oil. Set it aside.

Place the potatoes scattered on the side of the prepared sheet pan without the roasting rack. Roast for about 5 minutes. Remove from oven, quickly place the chicken over the rack, return to oven and roast for 10 minutes.

In the meantime, in a small bowl, combine butter, lemon juice, wine, capers, parsley, the remaining 1Tbsp garlic, and season with a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper. Set it aside.

Remove sheet pan from oven and scatter the broccolini rabe, tomatoes, and shallots in the pan, if needed move the potatoes a bit under the chicken, rotate the pan and roast for 5 minutes.

Remove from the oven, remove the baking rack, placing the chicken over everything; then pour the butter mixture over everything and roast for 5 more minutes.

Remove from oven and plate your Piccata Chicken with its sides; garnish with Parmigiano-Reggiano, extra parsley, and drizzle the pan juices over, thin slices of lemon.

Lean Grilled Al Pastor Skewers

Directions:
To begin preparing, add the dry chilies in a sauce pan with the ½ cup of chicken stock. Bring to a
boil and reserve. Once it cools down enough to touch, remove seeds and stems from chilies.
In a blender, add the vegetable oil, spices, salt, vinegar, garlic, chipotle paste, sugar, ½ cup of
sliced pineapples, lime juice and chilies with the chicken stock. Blend until well incorporated.
Taste and adjust flavors as needed. Reserve marinates.
Meanwhile, pork is in the freezer for about 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from freezer and slice into
1/8-inch-thick strips.
Combine pork strips with marinate, tossing well so every slice is marinated. You should
refrigerate for at least 3 hours for more flavor; or it can be refrigerated overnight.
Once ready, thread the piece of pork onto skewer, piercing a couple of times to make sure meat is secure. Next, pierce the pineapple piece; repeat until you have about two inches left of skewer.
Make sure everything is tight.
Grill skewers on your grill until pineapple pieces are lightly charred and pork is cooked through.
It should take about 5 to 8 minutes.
Transfer skewers to a platter, add lime and cilantro. Serve with tortillas and Salsa Verde and
enjoy!

Strawberry Salsa Halibut with Guacamole

Heat oil in nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Mix together smoked paprika, cumin, cayenne, and 1/2 tsp salt. Use all of seasoning mix to season both sides of halibut. Place in pan with heated oil, and cook for 5 minutes on each side or until internal temperature is at least 145°.

For salsa, dice the strawberries and red onion, finely dice the jalapeño, and chop the cilantro. Combine in a bowl with lime juice and 1/2 tsp salt.

Spread a layer of Harmons guacamole onto plate, top with halibut filet, and finish with a dollop of strawberry salsa. Serve with Harmons tortilla chips.

Creamy Pasta with Chicken and Asparagus

Peel asparagus stalks and slice diagonally into 2” pieces. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add asparagus. Cook for about 3 minutes or until bright green and crisp-tender. Using a slotted spoon, remove and shock in a bowl of ice water. Drain and set aside. Cut chicken into small bite-size pieces, about 1½ inches long and season with salt and pepper. Heat a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add butter and melt. Add chicken pieces to pan and cook for 5-7 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked through and no longer pink in the center (internal temperature of 165°). Add shallots and stir to combine.

Add heavy cream and reduce heat to simmer. Add in drained asparagus and dried chili or chili flakes to taste. Stir in tarragon, gorgonzola and parmesan cheeses until well combined. Grate nutmeg over dish. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.

Return pot of water to a boil and add pasta, cooking according to package directions or until al dente. Drain and add directly to pan with sauce and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Pork Chop Spice Blend

Mix all dry ingredients together. Store in an airtight container.  

Preheat the oven to 450°.

Pat the pork chops dry and sprinkle ½ tsp of the seasoning mixture on each pork chop, making sure to season both sides.

In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, warm 2 tsp of canola or avocado oil.

Add the pork chops to the skillet and press them to ensure full contact. Sear for 2-4 minutes per side.

Transfer the pork chops to a baking sheet and bake for 5-10 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the pork chop reaches 145°.

Let the pork chops rest for 5 minutes before cutting.

Nutrition information per pork chop: 210 calories; 12.6g total fat (3g saturated); 0g carbohydrates; 22.8g protein; 393mg sodium  

Soul Mate New York Strip Steak with Black Garlic Compound Butter  

  1. Mix your softened butter, thyme, garlic, and shallot with a pinch of salt in a bowl. Turn out on a sheet of plastic and roll into a log, place in freezer to firm.  
  1. Remove the steaks from the refrigerator approximately 30 minutes prior to grilling to bring to room temperature.  
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°. 
  1. Heat a large cast iron pan (or heavy bottom sauté pan) over medium high heat until you start to see wisps of smoke. Add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan.  
  1. Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel, and season both sides liberally with salt and pepper  
  1. Press the steaks onto the surface of the cast iron, ensuring full contact. Cook the steaks until seared a deep golden brown on the first side about 2-3 minutes. Flip the steak and place about a tablespoon of black garlic butter on each steak, and place into a hot oven. Cook until medium rare or until desire doneness.   
  1. Remove the steaks from the pan; if desired, top each with a ¼-inch thick round of the compound butter and loosely tent to rest for 5 minutes.  

Suggested Sides: Arugula and Parmesan Salad with Roasted Fingerling Potatoes  

Poached Salmon with Orange-Pistachio Relish

In a dry sauté pan over medium heat, toast the pistachios.  Working quickly, roughly chop the pistachios.  While the nuts are still hot, stir them into the olive oil, garlic, and orange zest and season with salt.

Season fish with salt and let rest for 20 minutes.  In a sauce pan, combine 2 cups water, wine, vinegar, shallot, carrot, peppercorns and bay leaf.  Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.  Season the broth with salt and bring it to 170 degrees.  Add the fish skin side down and cook until it flakes under gentle pressure, 4-6 minutes per 1/2 inch thickness.  Remove the fish from the liquid and pat dry.  Remove the skin and discard.  Serve with Orange-Pistachio Relish.

Nutrition per serving: 480 calories; 32g total fat (4.5g saturated); 370mg sodium; 10g carbohydrates; 4g dietary fiber; 2g sugar (0g added sugar); 40g protein

Coconut Chicken Soup

  1. Mince or grate ginger, garlic and jalapeno. Transfer half to a large bowl and set the rest aside. To the large bowl, add the chicken, half of the chopped cilantro, 2 tablespoons fish sauce and 1 teaspoon salt. Use your hands or a fork to fully combine but do not overmix. Use your hands to form 2-inch meatballs (about 2 ounces each).  
  1. In a large Dutch oven or pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the meatballs in a single layer and cook, flipping halfway through, until golden brown on two sides, 5 to 8 minutes. Make sure not to overcrowd your pot so that your meatballs can evenly brown. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining meatballs, adding oil as needed. 
  1. Once all the meatballs are browned and out of the pot, add sliced mushrooms to the pot and begin to sauté until soften and lightly golden brown. If there is any residue from the meatballs that begin to get too brown with the mushrooms, add a bit of the broth to deglaze the pan. Add the reserved ginger mixture to the mushrooms and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, coconut milk, tamari and the remaining 1 tablespoon fish sauce, and bring to a simmer. Add the meatballs and any juices from the plate, and simmer until the flavors come together and the meatballs are cooked through, 5 to 8 minutes. 
  1. On a very low heat stir in the spinach and lime juice. Continue to simmer until the spinach has wilted. **Divide rice among bowls, then top with meatballs, broth and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges. 

**optional: this soup may be served over forbidden or white rice 

Bacon Wrapped Scallops

Preheat oven to 415°

In a small bowl, combine fig jam and balsamic vinegar, set aside.

Lay a strip of bacon on a parchment lined sheet pan, brush the top side with the fig and balsamic mixture. Roll a scallop in bacon to wrap and use a toothpick to secure. Rotate the scallop so the bacon is around the outside. Repeat until all scallops are utilized. Bake for 15 minutes until the bacon is crisp and scallop is 150° in the center.

Removed the finished scallops to serving tray and top with chives