Ingredients:

7 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
7 large egg whites
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 3/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 1/4 cups kissables

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, toss together coconut, sugar, flour and salt. Mix in egg whites, eggs and almond extract until thoroughly combined. Fold in the kissables. Scoop mixture into a 9 x 13″ baking dish lightly coated with nonstick spray. Bake until lightly browned - about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Cover with foil and let rest overnight before cutting into bars. Makes 35 servings.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup chopped yellow onion
1 red bell pepper, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 15 ounce cans black beans, rinsed
2 14.5 ounce cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes
2 chipotle peppers, canned in adobo sauce, minced
2 cups vegetable broth
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
2 cups cooked wheat berries
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 avocado, diced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Procedure:

In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper - cook until the onions soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in beans, tomatoes, chipotle peppers, broth and brown sugar. Bring mixture a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 25 minutes. Add cooked wheat berries and continue to heat until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice. Garnish each bowl with diced avocado and cilantro. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons ancho chile powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 pounds trimmed top round steak, cut into 1″ cubes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1/2 cup dry red wine
14.5 ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
2 cups beef broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Procedure:

In a large bowl, whisk together cocoa, coriander, ancho powder, cumin, garlic, oregano, paprika and cinnamon. Add beef and toss to coat. Remove beef and set aside. Stir in flour to the remaining spices and return beef - toss well to evenly coat the pieces. In a large Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add half of the beef mixture to pan and fry until brown on all sides - about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove beef from pan and add remaining oil. Repeat browning with the remaining beef mixture - remove when browned. Add onions and bell pepper into the Dutch oven and fry until tender, about 5 minutes tender. Pour in wine and tomatoes - cook 3 minutes. Mix in beef broth, salt and black pepper. Add the browned beef back into the pan - cover, reduce heat and simmer until the beef is tender - about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Makes about 4 to 6 servings.

Ingredients:

For the sauce:
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons Clarified Butter
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the eggs:
2 teaspoons butter
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 large eggs
4 large egg whites

For assembly:
6 cups trimmed fresh
8 English muffins, split and toasted
8 slices Canadian bacon, each cut in half
fresh ground black pepper

Procedure:

To make the sauce: Add cornstarch into the top portion of a double boiler. In a small bowl, whisk together water, buttermilk and 2 eggs. Whisk egg mixture into the cornstarch. Cook over simmering water until thick and the mixture reads at least 160 degrees - about 7-9 minutes; be sure to stir constantly. Add in clarified butter and salt - stir to combine. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.

To make the eggs: In a large skillet, heat butter over medium. Add garlic to pan and cook until fragrant - about 1 minute. In a medium bowl, whisk together salt, pepper, eggs and egg whites. Pour the egg mixture into pan and cook just until set - about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.

For the assembly: Add spinach to a large skillet and heat over medium-high - cook until slightly wilted, about 4 minutes. Set 2 toasted muffin halves on each plate. Place a halved Canadian bacon slice on each muffin half. Scoop a rough 1/4 cup cooked egg mixture on each serving. Top each serving with about 1/4 cup wilted spinach. Pour about 2 tablespoons worth of the sauce over each serving. Season with fresh ground pepper to taste.

Ingredients:

For the cookies:
4 teaspoons canola oil
4 teaspoons fresh grated Key lime zest
6 tablespoons fresh squeezed Key lime juice
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup granulated sugar
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, a little softened and cut into cubes
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
3 tablespoons light-green coarse sugar

For the icing:
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh squeezed Key lime juice
2 drops yellow liquid food color
2 drops green liquid food color

Procedure:

To prepare the cookies: In a small bowl, stir together oil and lime zest. Cover and let sit for at least one hour - you can let this sit for a few hours as well if desired. Place juice in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on high power until the lime juice is reduced to 2 1/2 tablespoons - this will take about 4 minutes or so, but stop and check after 2 minutes to see how it is going. This will turn the juice a darker color. Let cool to room temperature before using. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large mixing bowl, mix together oil/zest mixture and granulated sugar until thoroughly combined. Add the butter and cream the mixture together until light and fluffy. Mix in the lime juice, vanilla and lemon extract. Beat in the flour mixture just until the dough comes together. Divide the dough in half. In between two sheets of parchment paper, roll out each piece of dough until it is about 1/4″ thick. Place them on a baking sheet and set in the refrigerator until firm - at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Working with one rolled out dough at a time, carefully remove the top piece of parchment paper to release - loosely place back on top and invert the dough. Gently peel off the other layer. Cut out as many cookies as you can using a 2 1/4″ round cookie cutter - cut each circle in half to form wedges with a knife. If the dough it too soft to move, place in the refrigerator to firm up. Move the cookies to parchment lined baking sheets and continue to re-roll and cut out the cookies until all the dough is used. Scatter the top of the cookies with the green colored sugar. Bake each sheet until the cookies begin to turn a light golden on the edges - about 8-10 minutes. You may want to rotate them halfway through to ensure even browning. Remove and immediately transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely.

To prepare the icing: In a small bowl, whisk together confectioners’ sugar and lime juice until smooth. Mix in food coloring to create a lime-y colored icing. You want the consistency to be fairly stiff, but still soft enough to pipe out. Add more sugar or juice as needed to get it there. Scoop the icing into a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip. Pipe a thin line around the outer rounded edge of the cookie. Create the segments, like a slice of lime, by piping a dot in the center and then make 7 thin lines radiating out from the dot to the edge you just piped out. The icing should firm up enough in about 30 minutes to move them without messing up the top. Makes about 66 cookies.

Ingredients:

For the dipping sauce:
6 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

For the slaw:
8 ounces broccoli slaw
4 tablespoons cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped green onions

For the pot stickers:
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
16 ounce package frozen vegetable pot stickers
3 tablespoons water, divided
8 ounces trimmed sugar snap peas

Procedure:

To make the dipping sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, soy sauce, cilantro, sesame oil and ginger.

To make the slaw: In a medium bowl, toss together broccoli slaw, cilantro, green onion and 3 tablespoons of the dipping sauce.

To make the pot stickers: In a large skillet, heat sesame oil over medium-high. Add pot stickers and cook until browned - about 4 to 5 minutes. Pour in 2 tablespoons water, cover and cook until pot stickers are thoroughly heated through - about 3 minutes. Remove and add pot stickers to the slaw. Add peas and remaining 1 tablespoon water to the skillet, cover and cook until the peas are crisp-tender - about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove and add to the slaw mixture. Serve remaining sauce in small bowls on the side for dipping. Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. flank steak, sliced diagonally into bite-size pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg white
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 tablespoons peanut oil, divided
1/2 cup skinless roasted peanuts
10 whole dried red chili peppers
2 scallions, cut into 1/2″ lengths
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup water chestnuts, diced

Sauce:
1 teaspoon chili paste with garlic
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon Sherry
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Procedure:

Combine beef, salt, egg white, and cornstarch. Mix well by hand, and set aside. In a small bowl, blend all sauce ingredients. Set aside. Add 2 tbsp oil to heated wok, and stir fry beef, until it loses its pink color. Remove to serving bowl. Add 2 more tbsp oil to same wok. Toss peanuts and chili peppers in the wok, and stir fry until peppers turn dark red. Remove from wok, and add to beef. Lower heat. If necessary, add more oil. Stir fry scallions and garlic for several secs. (Do not let garlic burn.) Return beef, peanuts, and peppers to wok, and stir fry a few secs, to combine. Add water chestnuts, and combined sauce ingredients, and stir fry until heated through, and thickened. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground chuck
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
12 (6 inch) corn tortillas
12 ounces queso asadero (white Mexican cheese)
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1 large tomato, diced
2 cups shredded lettuce

Procedure:

Place the ground chuck in a large skillet, and season with chili powder, paprika, cumin, salt, garlic powder, and garlic. Pour in enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer 1 hour. Add more water as necessary during cook time, and break the meat into small pieces. Mix the bell pepper and onion into the skillet, and continue to simmer 30 minutes. Drain and reserve juices. Skim the fat off the juices(or, if not preparing the tacos right away, place juices in the freezer until fat may be easily removed from the top). Mix 5 tablespoons of the remaining juices back into the skillet with the beef, and cook until heated through. Serve the beef on the tortillas. Garnish with queso asadero, sour cream, tomato, and lettuce.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
16 ounces large peeled and deveined shrimp
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup diced onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
14.5 ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
6 ounces fresh linguine

Procedure:

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Season shrimp with salt and add to pan. Cook about 2 minutes on each side, until light pink and done. Remove shrimp to a plate. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in pan and add onion, garlic, basil, and crushed red pepper. Stir and cook for about 1 minute. Add tomato paste and tomatoes - bring to a boil. Cook until sauce begins to thicken, about 3 minutes. Return shrimp and warm them in the pan until thoroughly heated. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain. Serve mixture over pasta and sprinkle with parsley.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup boiling water
1/3 cup golden raisins
18 ounces baby spinach
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons pine nuts, toasted

Procedure:

In a small bowl, add boiling water and raisins - let sit for 15 minutes, drain. In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add spinach and 2 tablespoons water. Cook until spinach wilts, making sure to stir often. Remove spinach mixture and wipe any remaining water in the pan out with a paper towel. Place pan back on stove and heat oil over medium. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Mix in spinach, raisins, salt, and pepper. Cook until thoroughly heated, about 1 minute. Serve with pine nuts sprinkled on top.